Machines

All Machines hosting Build and/or Deploy Environments that are used by IKAN ALM Projects, must be defined in IKAN ALM. This is the task of the IKAN ALM Global Administrator. Other IKAN ALM Users can verify, if all Machines used for a new Project are available. If not, they can request the IKAN ALM Global Administrator to add the Machine definitions to IKAN ALM. Build and Deploy Actions can only be handled on a Machine on which an IKAN ALM Agent is correctly installed and running.

Refer to the following sections for detailed information:

Creating a Machine Definition

This option is only available if you have Global Administrator Access Rights in IKAN ALM.

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Create.

    The following screen is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines Create

  2. Fill out the fields in the Create Machine panel at the top of the screen. Fields marked with a red asterisk are mandatory:

    Field Meaning

    Name

    Enter the name of the new Machine in this field. This field is mandatory.

    Description

    Enter a description for the new Machine in this field. This field is optional.

    Operating System

    Select the required Operating System from the drop-down list. The Select ion of an Operating System is mandatory.

    DHCP Enabled

    Indicate whether or not the Machine is DHCP-enabled.

    DHCP Name

    Enter the Machine’s DHCP Name. Required field when the DHCP Enabled status is set to Yes. The IKAN ALM Server will try to set up a connection with this DHCP Name (using XML-RPC).

    IP Address

    Enter the Machine’s IP Address. Required field when the DHCP Enabled status is set to No. The IKAN ALM Server will try to set up a connection with this IP Address (using XML-RPC).

    Agent Port

    In this field, you can enter the Port number (between 0 and 65536) on which the IKAN ALM Agent on this Machine will listen for communication with the IKAN ALM Server (using XML-RPC).

    If you leave this field empty, the default value of 20020 will be used.

    If you define a value different from the default value, be sure to define the same value when running the Agent install wizard on this Machine.

    Server Port

    In this field, enter the Port number (between 0 and 65536) on which the IKAN ALM Server will listen for communication with the IKAN ALM Agents (using XML-RPC). This port number was defined during the initial installation of the IKAN ALM Server.

    If the IKAN ALM Server uses the default value of 20021, you can also leave this field empty.

    Transporter Protocol

    Select the required Transporter Protocol from the drop-down list. The list contains the names of all Transporters defined in IKAN ALM (FTP, FileCopy and SSH).

    This Protocol defines how sources and build results will be transported between the IKAN ALM Server locations (Build Archive, Work Copy, Deploy Script location) and this Machine.

    The Select ion of a Transporter Protocol is mandatory.

    For more information on configuring Transporters, refer to the section Transporters.

    Locked

    Select whether or not the Machine must be locked for future use.

    Concurrent Deploy Limit

    Enter the maximum number of Deploys that may be run at the same time.

    • If no number is set to 0 (the default), there is no limit for running Deploys concurrently.

    • If the number is set to 1, all deploys will run sequentially.

    • If a specific number is specified, only that number of Deploys can be run concurrently on the agent connected with the machine. If a next one is requested, it will go in the waiting queue and it will only be started if one of the running Deploys is finished (following the FIFO-principle based on the Deploy OIDs).

  3. Once you have filled out the fields, click Create.

    The newly created Machine definition is added to the Machines Overview at the bottom of the screen.

    Your IKAN ALM User License may contain a limit on the number of Machines you can add. If this limit is exceeded, the new Machine definition is not added, and the following error message is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines Create Error

    Contact your IKAN ALM Vendor if you need to purchase a license that allows for more Machine Definitions.

RELATED TOPICS

The Machines Overview Screen

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Overview.

    The following screen is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines Overview

  2. Define the required search criteria on the search panel.

    The list of items on the overview will be automatically updated based on the selected criteria.

    You can also:

    • click the Show/hide advanced options link to display or hide all available search criteria,

    • click the Search link to refresh the list based on the current search criteria,

    • click the Reset search link to clear the search fields.

  3. Verify the information on the Machines Overview panel.

    For a detailed description of the fields, refer to Creating a Machine Definition.

  4. Depending on your access rights, the following links may be available on the Machines Overview panel:

    edit

    Edit

    This option is available to IKAN ALM Users with Global Administrator Access Rights. It allows editing a Machine definition.

    Editing a Machine Definition

    icon viewparameters

    View Parameters

    This option is available to all IKAN ALM Users. It allows viewing and editing the Parameters of a Machine.

    The Machine Parameters Overview Screen

    delete

    Delete

    This option is available to IKAN ALM Users with Global Administrator Access Rights. It allows deleting a Machine definition.

    Deleting a Machine Definition

    status

    Status

    This option is available to all IKAN ALM Users. It allows checking the status of a Machine.

    Viewing the Machine Status

    installed phases

    Installed Phases

    This option is available to IKAN ALM Users with Global Administrator Access Rights. It allows viewing and uninstalling the phases that are currently installed on the Machine.

    The Installed Phases Overview Screen

    history

    History

    This option is available to all IKAN ALM Users. It allows displaying the History of all create, update and delete operations performed on a Machine.

    Viewing the Machine History

    Columns marked with the icon sort icon can be sorted alphabetically (ascending or descending).

Editing a Machine Definition

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Overview.

  2. Click the edit Edit link on the Machines Overview panel.

    The following screen is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines Edit

  3. Edit the fields as required.

    For a description of the fields, refer to Creating a Machine Definition.

    The Connected Environments panel displays the Environments the Machine is linked to.

  4. Click Save to save your changes.

    You can also click:

    • Refresh to retrieve the settings from the database.

    • Back to return to the previous screen without saving the changes

Viewing the Machine Parameters

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Overview.

  2. Click the icon viewparameters View Parameters link on the Machines Overview panel.

    The following screen is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines MachineParameters Overview

    You can also access the Machine Parameters Overview via the Main Menu by selecting icon GlobalAdmin 13x13 (Global Administration) > Machines > Machine Parameters.

  3. The Machine Parameters Overview screen lets you create, edit, delete and copy Machine Parameters and allows checking their history.

    For detailed information, refer to the following sections:

Deleting a Machine Definition

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Overview.

  2. Click the delete Delete link on the Machines Overview panel.

    The following screen is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines Delete

  3. Click Delete to confirm the deletion.

    You can also click Back to return to the previous screen without deleting the entry.

    Note: If you try to delete a Machine connected to a Build or Deploy Environment, the following message is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines Delete Error

    You must link the Environments to a different Machine, or delete them from IKAN ALM, before you can delete the Machine definition.

Viewing the Machine Status

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Overview.

  2. Click the status Status link on the Machines Overview panel.

    The following screen is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines Status

    The Machine Detailed Status screen displays the status of the Agent Daemon running on the Machine.

    At the top of the screen, the Machine Info panel is displayed. For a detailed description of the fields, refer to Creating a Machine Definition.

  3. Verify the Status of the Machine.

    The possible statuses are:

    Status Description

    status green Idle

    Could successfully connect to the Agent/Server Daemon. The Agent/Server is currently not executing any Level Requests, Builds or Deploys.

    status green Running Builds

    Could successfully connect to the Agent Daemon. The Agent is currently executing Builds.

    status green Running Deploys

    Could successfully connect to the Agent Daemon. The Agent is currently executing Deploys.

    status green Running Builds and Deploys

    Could successfully connect to the Agent Daemon. The Agent is currently executing Builds and Deploys.

    status green Running Level Requests

    Could successfully connect to the Server Daemon. The Server is currently executing Level Requests.

    status green Shutting Down

    Could successfully connect to the Agent/Server Daemon. The Agent/Server is shutting down.

    status red Could not connect to Agent

    The connection to the Agent Daemon failed, either because the Agent Daemon is currently not running on the Machine, or due to networking issues that prevent connecting to the Agent Daemon. Contact your IKAN ALM Administrator.

    status red Could not connect to Server

    The connection to the Server Daemon failed, either because the Server Daemon is currently not running on the Machine, or due to networking issues that prevent connecting to the Server Daemon. Contact your IKAN ALM Administrator.

  4. Verify the Machine Log.

    The Machine Log panel displays the last 150 lines of output of the Agent Daemon process running on this Machine.

  5. Click Back to return to the Machines Overview screen.

The Installed Phases Overview Screen

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Overview.

  2. Click the installed phases Installed Phases link on the Machines Overview panel.

    The following screen is displayed.

    GlobAdmin Machines InstalledPhasesOverview

    The Installed Phases Overview screen displays the status of the Server and/or Agent daemons running on the Machine. It also shows the phases that are installed on the Server and Agent, and provides controls to search, sort and uninstall those phases.

    At the top of the screen, the Machine Info panel is displayed. For a detailed description of the fields, refer to Creating a Machine Definition.

    The Activity and the installed phases on the Server daemon are only displayed if the Machine has been set as the "IKAN ALM Server" machine in the System Settings. System System Settings

  3. Verify the Current Server and/or Agent Activity on the Machine.

    For more information on the possible statuses, refer to Viewing the Machine Status.

  4. Select whether to show the Core Phases or not.

    The possible options are:

    • Yes: show only the Core Phases

    • No: show only non-Core Phases

    • All: show Core and non-Core Phases

  5. Verify the information on the Installed Server Phases and Install Agent Phases panels.

    • The Installed Server Phases panel shows all phases that are installed on the Server daemon of the Machine. This panel is only shown if the Machine has been set as the "IKAN ALM Server" machine in the System Settings. See: System Settings

    • The Installed Agent Phases panel shows all phases that are installed on the Agent daemon of the Machine.

    For each of the installed phases, the following information is available:

    +

    Information Description

    Name

    The name of the Phase.

    Version

    The version of the Phase.

    Core Phase

    Core Phase or not?

  6. Uninstalling Phases from the Server or Agent Daemons.

    To uninstall a Phase, click the delete Delete icon at the right of the Phase or Select the Uninstall All link to uninstall ALL non-Core phases of the Server or Agent daemon.

    Note: When a Phase is uninstalled, it is removed from the Server or Agent daemon. This does not mean that the Phase is removed from the Phase Catalog or from any connected Environments in Projects. When a Phase of a Level Request is executed on a certain Agent or Server and that Phase is not installed on that Agent or Server Daemon, IKAN ALM will automatically try to install the Phase on the Agent or Server daemon before executing it.

  7. Click Back to return to the Machines Overview screen.

Viewing the Machine History

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Overview.

  2. Click the history History link on the Machines Overview panel.

    The Machine History View is displayed.

    For more detailed information concerning this History View, refer to the section History and Event Logging.

  3. Click Back to return to the Machines Overview screen.

Machine Parameters

Unlike Build and Deploy Parameters, Machine Parameters are (obviously) defined for a Machine and not for a specific Environment. Parameters defined for a specific Machine, will automatically be available for all Environments using that Machine. This avoids having to (re)define Build and/or Deploy Parameters for each Environment linked to the Machine.

If an Environment Parameter and a Machine Parameter have the same name, the Environment Parameter takes precedence.

Depending on the Scripting Tool linked to the environment, the defined parameters will be:

  • added to the command which executes the Script (in the case of NAnt and Maven2)

  • written to a specific file named alm_ant.properties (in the case of Ant) or gradle.properties (in the case of Gradel) which is automatic loaded with the –propertyfile ANT option. This property file is created on the fly in the source location of the Environment in the directory containing the Script (this may be a subdirectory of the source location of the Environment in case the location of the Script was defined using a relative path). Once the Build/Deploy process has terminated, this file is automatically deleted, unless the Debug option for the Environment linked to the Level has been activated.

The Machine Parameters Overview screen lets you create, edit, delete and copy Machine Parameters and allows checking their history. The following actions are possible:

The Machine Parameters Overview Screen

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Machine Parameters.

    The following screen is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines MachineParameters Overview

    You can also access the Machine Parameters Overview via the Machines Overview by selecting icon GlobalAdmin 13x13 (Global Administration) > Machines > Overview and, next, clicking the icon viewparameters View Parameters link for the required Machine.

  2. Define the required search criteria on the search panel.

    The list of items on the overview will be automatically updated based on the selected criteria.

    You can also:

    • click the Show/hide advanced options link to display or hide all available search criteria,

    • click the Search link to refresh the list based on the current search criteria,

    • click the Reset search link to clear the search fields,

  3. Verify the information on the Machine Parameters Overview panel.

    The Machine Parameters Overview panel displays the defined Machine Parameters for each Machine.

    For a description of the fields, see Creating Machine Parameters.

    Columns marked with the icon sort icon can be sorted alphabetically (ascending or descending).

  4. Depending on your access rights, the following links may be available on the Machine Parameters Overview panel:

    Link Description

    icon createparameter

    Create

    This option is available to all Users with Global Administrator Access Rights. It allows creating a Machine Parameter.

    Creating Machine Parameters

    history

    History

    This option is available to all Users with Global Administrator Access Rights. It allows displaying the History of the selected Machine Parameter definition.

    Viewing the Machine Parameter History

    edit

    Edit

    This option is available to all Users with Global Administrator Access Rights. It allows editing the selected Machine Parameter definition.

    Editing Machine Parameters

    delete

    Delete

    This option is available to all Users with Global Administrator Access Rights. It allows deleting the selected Machine Parameter definition and (optionally) deleting Machine Parameters with the same key linked to other Machines.

    Deleting Machine Parameters

    copy parameter

    Copy Parameter

    This option is available to all Users with Global Administrator Access Rights. It allows copying the selected Machine Parameter definition.

    Copying Machine Parameters

Creating Machine Parameters

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Parameters Overview.

  2. Click the icon createparameter Create Parameter link next to the Machine to display the Create Machine Parameter window.

    GlobAdmin Machines MachineParameters Create

  3. Fill out the fields for the new Machine Parameter.

    The following fields are available. The Key field is mandatory:

    Field Meaning

    Machine

    This field displays the current Machine.

    Secure

    This field indicates whether the Parameter is secured or not.

    Key

    In this field, enter the Key (Name) for the Machine Parameter.

    Value

    In this field, enter the value(s) for the new Machine Parameter.

    The following possibilities apply:

    • Enter the fixed value, if you are creating a non-editable Machine Parameter.

    • Enter the default value, if you are creating an editable Machine Parameter.

    • Enter the list of possible preset values, separated by a semicolon (;), if you are creating a dynamic Machine Parameter (for example: yes;no). Subsequently, these values can be selected from a drop-down list when creating a Level Request

    Repeat Value

    Required field for secured Machine Parameters: repeat the secured value.

    Description

    In this field, enter a description for the Parameter.

    Mandatory

    Select the Yes option button, if the new Machine Parameter must be defined as mandatory. When you create a Level Request, mandatory Parameters will always be provided to the Build/Deploy Script.

    Select the No option button, if the new Machine Parameter should not be defined as mandatory. When you create a Level Request, you can decide whether you want to provide the non-mandatory Parameter to the Build/Deploy Script.

    Editable

    Select the Yes option button, if the new Machine Parameter must be defined as editable. When you create a Level Request, you can accept the default value (the one you enter in the Value field during creation) or specify the value of your choice for the Parameter.

    Select the No option button, if the new Machine Parameter should not be defined as editable. When you create a Level Request, only the preset value (the one you entered in the Value field during creation) for this Parameter can be offered to the Build/Deploy Script.

    This field is not provided for secured Machine Parameters.

    Dynamic

    Select the Yes option button, if the new Machine Parameter must be defined as dynamic. When you create a Level Request, you can Select one of the predefined values from the drop-down list. These are the values you enter in the Value field during creation and which you separate by a semicolon (;). The selected value will be offered to the Build/Deploy Script.

    Select the No option button, if the new Machine Parameter should not be defined as dynamic.

    This field is not provided for secured Machine Parameters.

  4. Click Create to confirm the creation of the Machine Parameter.

    You can also click:

    • Reset to clear the fields and restore the initial values.

    • Cancel to return to the previous screen without saving the changes.

Editing Machine Parameters

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Parameters Overview.

  2. In the Actions column, click the edit Edit link in front of the Machine Parameter to be edited.

    The following window is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines MachineParameters Edit

  3. Edit the fields as required.

    For a description of the fields, refer to Creating Machine Parameters.

  4. Click Save to save your changes.

    You can also click:

    • Refresh to retrieve the settings from the database.

    • Cancel to return to the previous screen without saving the changes

Deleting Machine Parameters

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Parameters Overview.

  2. In the Actions column, click the delete Delete link in front of the Machine Parameter to be deleted.

    The following confirmation window is displayed:

    GlobAdmin Machines MachineParameters Delete

  3. Optionally, Select additional Machines. This allows for deleting parameters with the same key name on the selected Machines.

  4. Click Delete to delete the Machine Parameter.

    You can also click Cancel to return to the previous screen without deleting the Parameter.

Copying Machine Parameters

This functionality allows copying a complete Machine Parameter definition from one source Machine to one or more target Machines.

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Parameters Overview.

  2. In the Actions column, click the copy parameter Copy link in front of the Machine Parameter to be copied.

    The following window displays the values of the parameter you are about to copy.

    GlobAdmin Machines MachineParameters Copy

  3. Indicate whether you want to replace the parameter in case it already exists in the target Machine definition(s).

  4. Select the Target Machine(s)

  5. Click Copy to confirm copying the Machine Parameter.

    You can also click:

    • Reset to clear the fields and restore the initial values.

    • Cancel to return to the previous screen without saving the changes.

Viewing the Machine Parameter History

  1. In the Global Administration context, select Machines > Parameters Overview.

  2. Click the history History link on the Parameters Overview panel to display the Machine History View.

    For more detailed information concerning this History View, refer to the section History and Event Logging.

    Click Back to return to the previous screen.