Automated Configuration Management - Automate Configuration

In PeopleSoft ERP Projects, PeopleSoft Admins have to create several instances, refresh production to Development and Test Instances. These are not just database copy there are so many tasks that needs to be completed after the PeopleSoft database is copied. Starting from Integration Broker configuration, PTF configuration, SES configuration and several other tasks that needs to be executed.

In 8.53 new feature Automated Configuration management was released in trail basis, in 8.54 this feature is full implemented and provided to be use easily.
What it does basically is to create to automate the configuration of the PeopleSoft environments with single click of a button. We need to save the configuration information in a Template, which saved as Template file. Template just is a collections of the Plug-ins which configure the PeopleSoft Environment.

Plug-ins take input parameter values and on execute take care of the configuration and manual configuration is not required. For example, the value for your Integration Gateway URL, which you would normally add manually on the Gateways page, can be entered in your template or template file once, and then retrieved by the automated configuration management framework and inserted into the database each time you refresh that environment.

 You can create the Template for all the related configuration Plug-ins and execute them as required. It can be executed in the PIA - Application Engine or it can be executed from the command line.
Now, you may be wondering what is an Plug-ins, these are just Application Class. For example, to configure IB Gateway nodes, the application class(plug-in) PTIBConfigureGatewayNodes in the application package PTEM_CONFIG is used.

There are 18 devlivered plug-ins that are available, these configurations are mainly available for
1) Integration Broker
2) Search Framework Configuration
3) PTF Configuration
 4) Process Scheduler
5) Performance Monitor configuration.

After setting up the basic infrastructure of a PeopleSoft environment, including database, application server, Process Scheduler server, and PIA domain, you run the configuration program (either using PIA or command line). This configuration program reads your environment properties from the template or template file, and inserts the stored values into the database, saving you from updating the settings manually each and every time you create or refresh an environment.
Sensitive data, like passwords, can be encrypted so that these parameters are not exposed if sharing the property file among multiple environments and multiple development or testing teams. With simple option of the encrypt_password = "true" and decrypt_password = 'true'.

There is an option to Verify the configuration using this framework - Automated Environment Configuration framework verifies the settings. The parameters provided in the property file are validated against the corresponding values inserted into the database to ensure they are identical.
You can monitor the execution of the Template, View the results in the PIA page, You can review results after execution  with icon displaying against each plugin like Success, Error, Manual Verification.

You can check for the dependency between the Plug-ins.
You assign a value to a template variable which is in-turn used to assign values for properties in cases where values are recurring in multiple places in a template or template file.

 Extending Plugins and Creating Plugins - Plugins are Applications Classes and hence it is easy to Extend the features and create new plugins based on the project requirement.
After you create a template, you must add the template to a permission list. PeopleTools provides the PTPT4800 specifically for the purpose of automated configuration.
Use the ACM Templates page to add a template to the PTPT4800 permission list.If a template is not added to the PTPT4800 permission list, you cannot use the template for a configuration run.
Use the PTEM_CONFIG application package to create a plug-in. If you need to use a custom package, ensure that the custom package starts with PTEM_CONFIG. Write the plug-in class. The new plug-in class must extend from the base class — PTEM_CONFIG:EMConfigurationPlugin.
Override and implement the four base class methods
1) getProperties
2) dependant_plugins
3) getPluginHelpMessage
4) isInternalPlugin

Register the Custom Plugin in the following location.

PeopleTools, then selectAutomated Config Manager, then selectACM Utilities, then select Register Plugin

 

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