1 Using the Configuration GUI

This chapter explains how to use the Oracle Communications IP Service Activator Configuration GUI to manage system configuration parameters.

Overview of the Configuration GUI

The Configuration GUI simplifies the process of making configuration changes to the network by providing a central location for managing the configuration files deployed in a typical installation. The Configuration GUI reads configuration files from your IP Service Activator system and presents the data to you in a logical, readable format. If some files are not present or variables are missing, the Configuration GUI displays default values. The default values are merged with your input when you commit a new configuration.

Running the Configuration GUI

There are two modes of running the Configuration GUI client. They are as follows:

Client (Local Host): The Configuration GUI configures only the local Windows machine. There can be only a single instance of the host.
Remote: The Configuration GUI connects via Secure Shell (SSH) to a remote Oracle Solaris or Linux machine and manages its configuration.

In the remote mode, the server interacts with the client using Secure Shell. You should enter a user id and password that allows you to read/write configuration files. When the Configuration GUI starts the first time, it requests the remote host connection details.

Note:

The Configuration GUI runs automatically after the successful installation of IP Service Activator. For information about starting the Configuration GUI at a later time, see the procedures below.

To run the Configuration GUI (Solaris/Linux):

After installation, you can run the Configuration GUI from the Service_Activator_Home/bin directory.

To run the Configuration GUI (Windows):

Click Start, then select All Programs.
From the Oracle - OracleCommunications menu, select Service Activator, and then select Configuration GUI for remote mode or Configuration GUI (Local Host) for client mode.

A Host Connection dialog box opens.

Note:
The Host Connection dialog box is available for only the remote mode.
On the Host Connection dialog box provide the following details for the remote machine:
- Server Name: Unique name to identify this host
- Host: IP address or host name of the machine
- Remote directory: Path of the parent directory on which IP Service Activator is installed. This path is /opt/OracleCommunications. Any change made to this path on the Host Connection dialog box is saved in a file.
  - On Solaris/Linux, the path of the file is WorkingData/ConfigToolTransfer/BaseHost.properties
  - On Windows, the path of the file is WorkingData\ConfigToolTransfer\BaseHost.properties
- User: User name of the remote Solaris/Linux machine
- Authentication Type: Select the authentication type
  - Password-based: Select this to enter a password for authentication.
  - Key-based: When key-based is selected, a file with a private key must be supplied in order to authenticate. This key must match the public key on the remote SSH server.
- Password: Password of the remote machine
- SSH Port: Port number for SSH
The client GUI reads these details and upon startup displays the configurations for a specific host.
Click OK.

An information message appears indicating that the configuration is successfully loaded for the specified host.
Click OK.

On the left-hand side panel, if it exists, a saved list of hosts on the Policy Server host appears.
Enter or verify the following information:
- Client (Local Host) mode: Values for the CORBA and parameters of the Common Module Configuration parameters.
- Remote mode: Values for CORBA, database connection information and parameters of the Common Module Configuration.
  
  Note:
  IP Service Activator supports RAC failover. When a RAC database instance is no longer operational, the Policy Server automatically connects to one of the other instances.

Components Configured by the Configuration GUI

The Configuration GUI allows you to change the configuration parameters of the installed IP Service Activator components. Keep in mind that not all parameters are configured, but only the most commonly used parameters.

Table 1-1 provides a list of the configured components and a description of each component.

Table 1-1 Description of Components Configured by the Configuration GUI

Component	Description
CORBA	Naming service for communication between components. The CORBA naming service acts as an intermediary between components by keeping track of each component's naming and location information.
Database	Stores system data managed by the IP Service Activator core components (Policy Server, Network Processor, Log Collector, and so on). The database can be located on a different host than the Policy Server.
Common Module Configuration	Provides the common modules information needed by the other modules and collects database connection information.
Policy Server	Co-ordinates the access of multiple clients to a database and controls multiple distributed proxy agents or Network Processors.
System Log	Records system messages reported from IP Service Activator components or the managed network.
Event Handler	Collects, filters, and delivers details of faults and other events occurring anywhere in the network managed by IP Service Activator.
Transaction Monitor	Acts as a monitoring facility. Connects to the IP Service Activator Policy Server through the OSS Integration Manager (OIM) and allows upstream systems to confirm that activation transactions have been successfully applied to network elements.Transaction Monitor is turned off by default.
Proxy Agent	Responsible for distributing the calculated configuration to the Device Drivers.
Log Reader	Analyzes various log files and saves log data into a database.
Device Drivers	Configure the individual network elements. Each Device Driver converts the abstract expressions of services (such as definitions of VPNs and QoS) into the appropriate commands required to configure each device.
OSS Integration	Enables IP Service Activator to be easily integrated with OSS applications such as order entry, service assurance, fault management and billing. Policy Services INA Integration allows integration with the IP Naming and Addressing services of Oracle Communications Policy Services.
Network Processor Framework	Provides the framework for the specific cartridges to be used to interact with the network elements. Network Processor framework provides for installing Service Cartridges and configuring Upgrade.
Configuration Template Module	Helps to streamline the activation of services on network objects. Through the use of pre-defined or customized templates, the module extends the IP Service Activator capability to configure devices and interfaces.
Threshold Activated Configuration Control Module	Monitors configuration changes according to your specifications, and raises a warning when thresholds are exceeded.
Discovery Modules	Performs discovery functions on behalf of the Alcatel and ERX modules.
Web Service	Allows you to use a Web service to integrate IP Service Activator with Oracle Communications Order and Service Management (OSM)

Note:

You can click in the text box of a specific port and see a list of the default port values of the configuration parameters in the Element Description panel on the Configuration GUI.

Managing Hosts with the Configuration GUI

Use the Configuration GUI to add, edit, and delete hosts and to assign different configuration groups to different hosts.

To add a host:

Click Add on the Configuration GUI to open the Host Connection dialog box.
Enter the connection details of the host and click OK.

To remove a host:

Select a host.
Click Remove.

Note:
You cannot remove the base host.

To edit a host:

Select a host.
Click Edit to open the Edit Host dialog box.
Edit the connection details of the host and click OK.

Enabling and Disabling Components

The Configuration GUI displays only the components that are installed on a specific host.

To enable or disable components:

Select a host to display the component manager entries on the right-hand side panel of the Configuration GUI.

The check boxes correspond to all the component entries in the cman.cfg file.
Do any one of the following:

Select a check box to turn on the component in the cman.cfg file.

Deselect a check box to turn off the component in the cman.cfg file.
Click Validate Configuration to validate the configurations in the GUI.
Click any one of the following:
- Commit to Host: sends the configuration to the selected host.
- Save: saves the current configuration for future reuse. Each configuration is saved on the local machine where the Configuration GUI is running.

Each configuration group contains an encrypted XML file referred to as template. The templates contain the following:

Configuration parameters
Default values
Description of the parameters

Modifying Configuration Parameters

You can modify the configuration parameters.

To modify configuration parameters:

Select a configuration group in the host navigation tree on the left-hand side panel.
Edit the values on the right-hand side panel.
Click Validate Configuration.

Note:
This is optional because the validation is executed when you click Commit to Host.
Click Commit to Host or Save.

For information about committing or saving, see "Enabling and Disabling Components".

Refreshing the Configuration Parameters

You can bring the latest configuration data from the host machine into the Configuration GUI.

To refresh the configuration parameters:

Make modifications to the configuration parameters without committing the changes.
Click Refresh from Host.

The data available on the server is displayed on the Configuration GUI.

Managing the Configuration GUI

Use the following information to manage the Configuration GUI. The parameters available in the startup scripts are:

TRANSPORT_TIMEOUT (in seconds): Connection timeout between the client and the Configuration GUI server

On Windows: Service_Activator_Home\Program\configGui.bat

On Solaris/Linux: Service_Activator_Home/bin/configGui.sh
CONNECTION_TIMEOUT (in seconds): Getting the database access when the system is validating a database connection

On Windows: Service_Activator_Home\Program\configTool.bat

On Solaris/Linux: Service_Activator_Home/bin/configTool.sh

The Configuration GUI manages the following configuration files:

Service_Activator_Home/modules/Config/modules.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/networkProcessor/com/metasolv/serviceactivator/networkprocessor/default.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/db.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/networkProcessor/quartz.properties
Configuration_Management_Home/Config/ConfigManagement.properties
Configuration_Management_Home/CMCollector/Collector.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/cman.cfg
Service_Activator_Home/odbc/network/admin/tnsnames.ora
Service_Activator_Home/Config/omniorb.cfg
Service_Activator_Home/Config/java/com/metasolv/serviceactivator/transactionmonitor/default.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/java/com/metasolv/serviceactivator/logreader/default.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/policy_server.cfg
Service_Activator_Home/Config/java/com/metasolv/serviceactivator/logreader/logCollector.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/networkProcessor/upgradeTool/default.properties
Service_Activator_Home/bin/integrity_checker.sh

npSnaphot, npUpgrade and LogReader use database details mentioned in the db.properties file. This file is created when you run the Configuration GUI.

To create db.properties file:

After the installation of IP Service Activator is complete, the installer starts the Configuration GUI.

On the Configuration GUI, specify the database details in CORBA, Database, and Common Module Configuration parameters.

The db.properties file is created in the Service_Activator_Home/Config folder. The db.properties file is used by the following applications:

npSnapshot
npUpgrade
LogReader

If the db.properties file is not present in the Service_Activator_Home/Config folder see the following procedure.

Go to Service_Activator_Home/bin.
Run configGui.sh. The Host Connection dialog box appears. Enter the database details in CORBA, Database, and Common Module Configuration parameters.
Click Commit to Host. The db. properties file is created in the Service_Activator_Home/Config folder.

The cman.cfg and tnsnames.ora files are not overwritten (new content is merged into the existing files), whereas the rest of the files are not overwritten upon commit.

The remote (back-end) Configuration GUI executable can be used as a Command Line Tool to copy (duplicate) a saved configuration file to another machine without using the GUI.

Syntax:

configTool.sh -action <set|get> -file <filename> [-password <passwd>]

where:

-get option triggers a refresh
-set option triggers a commit/push
-filename is the same name as from the open or save dialog box in the GUI. The file must be present in the ServiceActivator/WorkingData/ConfigToolTransfer/ directory. For more information, see "Loading a Configuration" and "Saving a Configuration"
-password is used to encrypt/decrypt the file. If the action is ”set”, the password should match the one used when the file was generated (either in the GUI or by doing a ”get” operation).

The Host /IP address is in the BaseHost.properties file. This property file is generated when Telnet session is started on GUI by setting the parameters.

configTool.sh -action set -file BaseHost.enc

Parameters can be obtained from Service_Activator_Home\WorkingData\ConfigToolTransfer\BaseHost.properties

PROP_REMOTE_DIR=/opt/OracleCommunications
PROP_SSH_PORT=22
PROP_BASHOST_DNS=10.156.66.128

Example:

./configTool.sh -action set -file BaseHost.enc

The user is then be prompted for a password. This command is executed on the target host.

About Configuration Files

You can use the Configuration GUI to make changes in the configuration files. You can still make the changes manually, and the latest changes can be retrieved in the GUI upon clicking Refresh from Host.

The configuration files are in different formats and located in different places.

Saving a Configuration

You can save the modifications made to the configuration variables. The saved configuration data can be reused.

To save a configuration file:

Make the appropriate modifications to the configuration variables.
Click Save. This opens the Save dialog box where you can browse for a location to save the configuration file.
Click Save. This opens the Password Setup dialog box.
Enter the password for encryption and confirm the password.
Click OK.

Loading a Configuration

You can load the saved configuration data.

To load a configuration file:

Select a host.
Click Load.

This opens the Open File dialog box where you can browse for the saved configuration file.
Click Open.

The Password Setup dialog box opens.
Enter the password. This is the same as entered for encrypting while saving the configuration file.
Click OK.

The configuration details in the file are loaded for this host to the GUI client.
(Optional) Click Validate Configuration.
Click Commit to Host.

The changes are sent to the selected host.

Loading a Configuration onto Another Host

You can load the configuration data of one host onto another.

To load a configuration file onto another host:

Select a host.
Change the parameters that you want.
Save the changes. For more information, see "Saving a Configuration".
Select another host.
Click Load.
Follow the steps in "Loading a Configuration".

Files Managed Through the Configuration GUI

You can update various configuration, configuration management, and properties files using the Configuration GUI.

The Configuration GUI tool manages the following IP Service Activator files:

Service_Activator_Home/modules/Config/modules.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/networkProcessor/com/metasolv/serviceactivator/networkprocessor/default.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/db.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/networkProcessor/quartz.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/cman.cfg
Service_Activator_Home/odbc/network/admin/tnsnames.ora
Service_Activator_Home/Config/omniorb.cfg
Service_Activator_Home/Config/java/com/metasolv/serviceactivator/transactionmonitor/default.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/java/com/metasolv/serviceactivator/logreader/default.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/policy_server.cfg
Service_Activator_Home/Config/java/com/metasolv/serviceactivator/logreader/logCollector.properties
Service_Activator_Home/Config/networkProcessor/upgradeTool/default.properties
Also: Service_Activator_Home/bin/integrity_checker.shConfiguration_Management_Home

Configuration Management files managed by the Configuration GUI tool:

Configuration_Management_Home/Config/ConfigManagement.properties
Configuration_Management_Home/Config/ConfigManagementIpsa.properties
Configuration_Management_Home/CMCollector/Collector.properties
Configuration_Management_Home/CMCollector/CollectorIpsa.properties

Note:
After running the Configuration GUI tool as part of the upgrade process, you must propagate customizations on an other system configuration files from your previous release (if any) by manually editing the new versions of the files.

*.properties files:

All user changes that were made to properties files are propagated into the target file. This does not include properties that are discontinued and user comments (including property entries that are commented out).

These files are essentially rebuilt using the template file, and replacing any property values as encountered in the existing source file.

omniorb.cfg:

This file is overwritten with configuration data (which can be read from the source file and/or entered by the user through the Configuration GUI tool).

tnsnames.ora:

The dataSourceName, host, port and service_name attributes for the IP Service Activator DSN in this file are modified based on the information submitted through the Configuration GUI tool. If the DSN entry does not exist it is created.

integrity_checker.sh:

The shipped script file contains a place holder for the DSN. The configuration tool replaces this with the actual DSN as supplied by the user.

cman.cfg:

Individual entries are manipulated based on which components are installed and which are not. If there is an entry for something that is not installed or has not been selected for startup, that entry is commented out. Otherwise, an entry is added if none exists (based on the cman.cfg template). If the entry exists, it is updated based on user input.

The parameters managed in the cman.cfg file by the Configuration GUI tool are:

orbInitialHost
orbInitialPort
dbSourceName
dbUserId
dbPasswd
ShutdownTimeout
NoCommandDelivery
ORBServerPort

Command-line parameters (e.g. "+debugAll") and other operational directives (e.g. startup-delay) are not managed by configuration tool. Any existing user modifications are left untouched. You should verify these values after running the tool and edit the file manually if modification are needed to match your original installation.

About the warnInOfflineMaintenanceMode Parameter

The warnInOfflineMaintenanceMode parameter in the network processor default.properties file controls whether warning messages are issued when commands are sent to a device which is set to Offline Maintenance mode in the GUI, or the Network Processor is running with -FileInterface enabled.

The default value of this parameter is true, indicating warnings are to be displayed.

Set the parameter value to false to disable the warning message for special operations such as the bulk migration of devices to IP Service Activator management, where numerous warning messages may be generated unnecessarily. Change it back to true for normal operations.

For changes to this parameter to take effect, you must restart the network processor. A device audit should always be performed before you push more configuration to a device to ensure that the device is in sync and that issues will not occur.

See "Turning Off the Offline Maintenance Mode Warning".

Encryption of Configuration GUI-managed Files

Some of the configuration files discussed in this section are encrypted and can not be manually edited. You must use the configuration tool for these:

Service_Activator_Home/Config/db.properties
Configuration_Management_Home/Config/ConfigManagementIpsa.properties
Configuration_Management_Home/CMCollector/CollectorIpsa.properties

Configuration GUI Logging

Log files can be created for the Configuration GUI components - the server and client GUI. For more information, see "Configuration GUI Log Files".