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Sun ONE Integration Server B2B, ECXpert 3.6.2 Release Notes |
Release Notes for Sun ONE Integration Server, B2B Edition (ECXpert)Version 3.6.2
Part Number 816-6723-10Updated May, 2003
These release notes contain important information available at the time of release of Version 3.6.2 of Sun Open Network Environment (Sun ONE) Integration Server, B2B Edition (ECXpert). New features and enhancements, known limitations and problems, technical notes, and other information are addressed here. Read this document before you begin using ECXpert 3.6.2.
The most up-to-date version of these release notes can be found at the Sun ONE documentation web site: http://docs.sun.com/db/coll/S1_IntegrationServer_B2B_362. Check the web site after installing your software, and then periodically thereafter, to view the most up-to-date version of these notes.
These release notes contain the following sections:
- ECXpert Documentation Updates
- ECXpert 3.6.2 CD-ROM Set
- Installing from CD-ROM
- New and Changed Features
- Compatibility Issues
- Bugs: Open and Closed
- Technical Notes
- How to Report Problems
- For More Information
ECXpert Documentation Updates
The ECXpert 3.6.2 product includes an updated ECXpert Installation Guide, available in both Acrobat (.pdf) and HTML formats. In addition, you can obtain an ASCII formatted version by contacting your technical support representative.
The updated ECXpert Installation Guide can be found at the Sun ONE documentation web site: http://docs.sun.com/db/coll/S1_IntegrationServer_B2B_362.
ECXpert 3.6.2 CD-ROM Set
The ECXpert 3.6.2 product can be downloaded from the web or from a CD set whose contents are described in Table 1.
Installing from CD-ROM
This section is not a substitute for the ECXpert Installation Guide. Please refer to that guide for complete installation instructions. The information in this section is given to help you locate the executable file for the installer.
- To install on the Solaris platform:
Navigate to the Sun ONE Integration Server B2B Edition 3.6.2 Solaris CD-ROM.
Change directory to the following location:
/ECXpert3.6.2/install_bits
Complete all preparatory steps described in the ECXpert Installation Guide and then execute the setup file as directed in that guide.
- To install on the Windows platform:
If you are installing ECXpert over a previous version, make sure that you follow the recommended procedure for deleting older versions and backing up data files, described in the ECXpert Installation Guide. Note that if you are upgrading from a version earlier than 3.6.1, you must successively upgrade through intermediate versions, rather than upgrading directly to the latest version. For example, if you are upgrading from ECXpert 3.6, you must first upgrade to 3.6.1, and then you must upgrade to 3.6.2.
New and Changed Features
ECXpert 3.6.2 has improved end-to-end system throughput performance by 200%. It has also introduced some new and changed features; these include the following:
- ebXML Support
- Mercator Version 6.5.2
- Support for pkcs7
- Synchronizing LDAP and Oracle Databases
- Reassignment of ECXpert Ports
- ecx.ini File Changes
New Features
ECXpert 3.6.2 introduces support for the exchange for ebXML messages and for Mercator version 6.5.2.
ebXML Support
This release of ECXpert includes Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) Integration Server, Secure Trading Agent, which provides an environment for deploying ebXML agreements and exchanging ebXML messages with trading partners based on those agreements. (Secure Trading Agent is supported on Windows 2000 and Solaris version 8.)
To enable this functionality, you must install Sun ONE Integration Server, Secure Trading Agent. Your trading partner must also use the Sun ONE Integration Server, Secure Trading Agent product or any other product that conforms to the ebXML MSH 2.0 standard.
ECXpert has two new communication agents for sending and receiving ebXML messages to and from trading partners. These communication agents use Secure Trading Agent for sending and receiving ebXML messages. When you install ECXpert, you can configure it to use these agents.
For more information, see the manual ECXpert Support for ebXML Messaging.
Mercator Version 6.5.2
ECXpert 3.6.2 supports Mercator Design Studio 6.5.2. The upgraded version of Mercator uses an XML file for its audit file. ECXpert code has been modified to parse the new audit file and to identify detailed error information for error reporting. The new version of Mercator requires that you recompile all of your existing Mercator maps. Besides the recompilation and redeployment of these maps, no other changes are necessary.
In ECXpert 3.6.2, on the Solaris platform, the Mercator SDK is placed by the installation process within the mercsdk directory tree. This tree is located at $BDGHOME/mercsdk. The new environment variable MERC_HOME_DIR points to this location. This new directory structure also requires a unique temporary directory to be used for recording state information. This directory is created dynamically by ECXpert and referenced through the environment variable MERC_TEMP_DIR. Typically, these variables are set in the web-server configuration files so that various processes spawned by the ECXpert administrative server are able to get them automatically. If you are starting any of these processes manually from a command shell, make sure that these environment variables are set.
(On the Windows platform, Mercator components continue to be placed in the ECXpert directory structure, in the lib directory. No environment variables are used to record or track Mercator component locations.)
Changes
The following subsections describe changes introduced by ECXpert 3.6.2.
Support for pkcs7
GUI support has been added to allow the user to select pkcs7 instead of x-pkcs7 in the mime encoding under AS1 (SMTP).
When the user selects SMTP as the outgoing protocol and chooses a value other than plain from the mime encoding drop menu, a new drop menu is displayed. The new menu is titled "PKCS7 Subtypes" and allows the user to choose between "New pkcs7" and "Old x-pkcs7." For a new trading relationship definition, the "New pkcs7" is the default. This new value is also added to the communication parameters if no other is specified. This might happen if a prior relationship is accessed in trading and no value is specified for the communication parameters.
Synchronizing LDAP and Oracle Databases
By default, when LDAP is enabled in ECXpert, membership is read from an LDAP directory, and updates take place to both LDAP and the Oracle database (for referential integrity, Oracle must always be updated). Users can now set a read_only flag in the LDAP section of the exc.ini file to make changes only to the Oracle database, while reading membership data from LDAP. To change the default, set the read_only flag to true.
Reassignment of ECXpert Ports
The range of ports used by ECXpert for internal operations has been changed (from the range of 4000-6000) to the new range of 50000-52000. Dynamic ports operate as before, getting ports from this new range. Suggested static ports specified in the ecx.ini file also now fall within this range. There remains one area of user conflict: If remote submission has been enabled through a static port definition of the tcpconn-main server (a well-known port is required for remote/cross-machine submission), and if the customer users firewalls between the submitting machine and the ECXpert server machine, then firewall alterations may need to be made to reconfigure from the old to the new static ports.
ecx.ini File Changes
Table 2 lists summary information about the new flags and attributes that you can set in your ecx.ini file.
Table 2    Changes to ecx.ini File
Section
Attribute
[smtp-receive]
pre_RFC2298 = true
Set this flag to true to change default behavior. Leave as is to support compliance with RFC2298. See the description of bug 4782525 in Table 4 for more information.
[commsmtp-receive]
responseTimeout = nnn
By default, the SMTP Receive server will time out if it does not get a response from the POP3 Server in 600 seconds. Add the responseTimeout parameter to the ecx.ini file to set this time out to a different (nnn) value.
[LDAP]
read_only = true
For information, see "Synchronizing LDAP and Oracle Databases".
[tcpip-connector]
numTrkDir = nnn
Where nnn is the number of subfolders to create under .../ECXpert/data/output. The default value for nnn is 0. See the description of bug 4740202 in Table 4 for more information.
[translate]
numOutputDir = nnn
Where nnn is the number of subfolders to create. See the description of bug 4740202 in Table 4 for more information.
[gateway]
numBndlDir = nnn
Where nnn = number of subfolders to create under .../ECXpert/data/bundle. The default value for nnn is 0. See the description of bug 4740202 in Table 4 for more information.
[ftp-local-application]
or
[ftp-local-edi]
files_per_submit = nnn
Where nnn specifies the number of files to retrieve and submit at one time. See the description of bug 4708419 in Table 4 for more information
Compatibility Issues
ECXpert 3.6.2 is fully compatible with ECXpert 3.6.1 (except for Mercator data transformation issues). However, ECXpert 3.6.2 is generally not compatible with ECXpert 3.5 or earlier versions, largely because of changes in internal and external data formats and because of the version of Oracle database supported by ECXpert 3.6.2.
When upgrading an earlier version of ECXpert to Version 3.6.2, you must be careful not to over-write important configuration and data files. ECXpert maintains configuration, membership, and partnership data, as well as information stored in the Oracle database tables, that will be lost if you are not careful about how you perform an upgrade. For this reason it is recommended that you not try to install ECXpert 3.6.2 over earlier versions, without first reading the detailed steps for performing an upgrade, as provided in Appendix A of the ECXpert Installation Guide.
In general, if you are upgrading from versions earlier than 3.6.1, you must upgrade in a step-wise fashion, through each successive version, until you get to the most current version. Once you back up your custom data files, this should not be an overwhelming project.
Bugs: Open and Closed
The following sections list and describe open and closed ECXpert bugs:
Open Bugs in 3.6.2
This section contains a listing of the more important bugs currently open at the time of the ECXpert 3.6.2 release.
Bugs Closed in 3.6.2
Table 4 describes the most important bugs fixed in ECXpert 3.6.2. Some of these bugs were fixed in a prior patch release; this is the first time they are documented.
For more details about any of the following bug fixes you can view the complete report at the Java Developer Connection site:
http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/bugParade
Documentation Bugs
Table 5 lists known documentation bugs that have been found in the ECXpert Administrator's Guide and the ECXpert Developer's Guide.
Technical Notes
This section contains short write-ups on the following topics:
- Partner Agent Server and Partner Agent Client Startup and Communication Issues
- Modifications to the Sun ONE Web Server 6.0 Java Runtime Environment
Partner Agent Server and Partner Agent Client Startup and Communication Issues
Starting Partner Agent Server
After installing ECXpert, if you have problems starting Partner Agent Server process (functionality available only on Solaris), check the logs under /paserver directory (see "Additional Troubleshooting: Useful Log Files"). If the log files indicate that there is a problem opening the certificate, then the problem is probably due to expired certificates. Using the steps given below, regenerate the certificates.
- Generate a CA certificate:
Go to .../NS-apps/paserver/bin
Run ./gensign
The tool asks for a password.
Type in any password (memorize this password as this is needed for later steps).
After giving the password, the tool generates two files under paserver/lib/certs/db: ca-crt.pem and ca-key.pem.
Now run ./hash
This makes sure the new CA is recognized by the system (after successful completion of this program, you should see a link to db/ca-cert.pem from certs/issuers.)
- Generate a Server Certificate:
A server certificate is needed for generating certificates for agentd, ftpd and httpd services.
To generate a server certificate
Go to .../NS-apps/paserver/bin
When asked for password, enter the password used in Step 1, above
At this point, you should be able to start your pa server from the administration console. If you still cannot start it, then there may be other issues that are preventing the server from starting up; contact Sun's technical support team for assistance.
Establishing a Secure Connection Between Server and Client
If you need a secure connection between Partner Agent Server and Partner Agent Client, you need to generate user certificates for the Partner Agent Client.
- Create a user certificate for one of your ECXpert member:
Go to .../NS-apps/paserver/bin
run .gencerts -u ECX_membername
The gencerts program prompts for a password for the user.
Enter the password.
The program asks for the password again for reconfirmation. You should enter the same password. This password should normally be different from the password that you entered in Step 1. Also, this is the password you will be using on Partner Agent Client side.
The program now asks for a password for signing the certificate
Enter the same password as the one you entered in Step 1 (that is, the one you used in creating a server certificate or CA certificate).
After entering the valid password, the system generates three files out of which two are important: cert.pem and key.pem.
Copy these files to the Windows machine where you are running Partner Agent Client.
- Configure Partner Agent Client to transfer files securely:
Run Partner Agent Client and click on Edit >Preferences and select the Security tab.
Turn on the following options under security:
- You can have Partner Agent Server mandate that the Partner Agent Client use encryption by changing the line "encryption optional *" to "encryption required *" in the following file: .../NS-apps/paserver/conf/filedrive.conf
- Test the submission from Partner Agent Client.
Additional Troubleshooting: Useful Log Files
- NS-apps/ECXpert/data/log/ECXpert.log.ecxpa-server.log
This log file contains log messages from ecxpa-server process
- NS-apps/paserver/var/logs/error_log
This log file contains error messages from Partner Agent Server daemons, such as ftpd, or httpd.
- NS-apps/paserver/var/logs/agentlog
This log file contains informational messages from Partner Agent Server daemons, such as ftpd, or httpd.
Modifications to the Sun ONE Web Server 6.0 Java Runtime Environment
Installation of ECXpert modifies the JRE settings of the Sun ONE Web Server 6.0 product. In particular, the JRE and JRE Runtime Library Path is modified to use the JRE provided with ECXpert.
During the uninstallation process the user is asked whether these setting are to be restored. For the restoration to be successful, you must shut down all Web Server instances before you uninstall ECXpert.
How to Report Problems
If you have a support contract and you have problems with ECXpert, contact Sun ONE customer support using one of the following mechanisms:
- Sun ONE online support web site at http://www.sun.com/service/sunone/software/index.html
This site has links to the Knowledge Base, Online Support Center, and ProductTracker, as well as to maintenance programs and support contact numbers.
- The telephone dispatch number associated with your maintenance contract
So that we can best assist you in resolving problems, please have the following information available when you contact support:
- Description of the problem, including the situation where the problem occurs and its impact on your operation
- Machine type, operating system version, and product version, including any patches and other software that might be affecting the problem
- Detailed steps on the methods you have used to reproduce the problem
- Any error logs or core dumps
Sun Welcomes Your Comments
Sun is interested in improving its documentation and welcomes your comments and suggestions. Email your comments to Sun at this address:
Please include the part number (816-6723-10) of the document in the subject line and the book title (ECXpert 3.6.2 Release Notes) in the body of your email.
For More Information
Beyond the ECXpert documentation, you can find additional information as indicated below.
Sun ONE Software Forum
There is an ECXpert forum available at the following location:
http://softwareforum.sun.com/NASApp/jive/forum.jsp?forum=76
Sun ONE Information
Useful Sun ONE information can be found at the following Internet locations:
- Sun ONE Integration Server, B2B Edition Website http://wwws.sun.com/software/products/integration_srvr_b2b/home_int_b2b.html
- Other ECXpert Documentation http://docs.sun.com/db/coll/S1_IntegrationServer_B2B_362.
- Software Products Information http://www.sun.com/software/
- Sun ONE Documentation http://docs.sun.com/
- Support Services & Knowledge Base http://www.sun.com/service/sunone/software/index.html
- Consulting and Professional Services Information http://www.sun.com/service/sunps/sunone/index.html
- Developer Information http://developer.iplanet.com/
- Software Training http://www.sun.com/software/training/