Installing and using the Rational Asset Manager discovery library adapter (DLA)

The Rational® Asset Manager Discovery Library Adapter (DLA) discovers assets that are software images, and that can be deployed on a computer system. The DLA is implemented as a web services client that uses the web services API to access Rational Asset Manager and retrieve the list of software images.

The Rational Asset Manager DLA writes the discovered data into an output XML file that follows the Identity Markup Language (IDML) schema. This XML file is called a book. The discovery library adapter books can be loaded by the bulk load program that is provided with IBM® Tivoli® Composite Application Manager (ITCAM) for SOA Version 6.1 or with IBM Tivoli Change and Configuration Management Database Version 1.1.1 or later. See the ITCAM for SOA or IBM Tivoli Change and Configuration Management Database product documentation for information on how to use the bulk load program.

The Rational Asset Manager DLA generates the following two types of books: The Rational Asset Manager DLA creates a refresh book the first time that the DLA is run. It creates delta books on all subsequent executions unless you specify the -r command line option, which forces the creation of a refresh book. The DLA maintains a cache to track the changes from previous executions and uses the cache to determine which new services should be included in a delta book. If the DLA is run and no new assets have been observed since the previous execution, no book is created, unless you specify the -r command line option to force the creation of a refresh book.
The Rational Asset Manager DLA book names consist of the following segments: When a DLA book is loaded through the bulk load program, the data in the book is associated with the Managed Software System (MSS) that is identified by the DLA application code and the hostname of the server where Rational Asset Manager is installed. Data for one MSS does not replace data for another MSS in the database.

The DLA writes books to the directory that are specified in the discovery library adapter configuration properties file. If this directory is not accessible to the bulk load program, the DLA can transfer books to the computer where the bulk load program is running. The DLA supports the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or Secure Shell (SSH) File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). SFTP is only supported when the DLA is running on Linux, AIX®, or Solaris. When a book is transferred, it is removed from the DLA local directory after the file transfer completes. A command line option or configuration property can be used to confirm that the file transfer was successful when FTP is performed. When confirmation for the file transfer is requested, the DLA reads the book from the target computer and compares it to the original book. If an error occurs during the file transfer, the book remains in the local directory. The next time the DLA is run, the discovery library adapter attempts to transfer the book again.

The DLA is run using a command line interface. You can either run the DLA manually or you can use operating system utilities such as cron jobs on Linux, Solaris, or AIX to periodically run the DLA.


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