Universal Agent

The Opswise agent has been merged with the Stonebranch Universal Broker to create standard agent software that runs on all platforms. See System Overview.

Web Services

Opswise now supports a RESTful-based web services API that allows you to perform the following tasks:

• Request a list of agents.
• Set variables.
• Set the limit on a virtual resource.
• Trigger (launch) a task.
• Create a Windows, Linux/Unix, or z/OS task.
• Launch a task while setting variables

For details, see RESTful Web Services API Reference.

Record Versioning

Opswise now maintains historical copies of most user-created records in the database. These include tasks and their associated records (virtual resources, variables, actions, notes), calendars and their custom day associations, custom days, variables, credentials, virtual resources, scripts (and associated notes), email templates and connections, database connections, SNMP managers, SAP connections, agent clusters, applications, Opswise groups, and triggers (and associated variables). When the user updates one of these records, the system creates an image of the old version and stores it in the record's Versions tab. See Record Versioning.

Bundling and Promotion of Opswise Records

The Opswise Bundling and Promotion features allow you to select and Bundle a group of Opswise records and "promote" them from one Opswise server to another. For example, you can use these features when you create your workflows on a development installation then move them to a QA installation for testing. Once you are satisfied with the stability of the workflows, you can promote them to your production system. The system also supports a roll-back feature. See Bundling and Promoting Records.

Script Library

Scripts can now be stored in Opswise for central management and access. This feature allows you to execute scripts on remote machines without having the script itself located on the machine. See Script Library.

Copy Task, Trigger, and Calendar with Variables

You can now make copies of tasks, triggers, and calendars that also copy attached variables. This feature also allows you to copy multiple records at once. See Copying Records.

SAP Task and SAP Connection

Opswise can now run workload on an SAP system. Two new built-in variables are supported for the SAP task. See SAP Task.

Updating Multiple Records on a List

Two menu options available from any list of records allow you to make updates to multiple records. You can make these "global" changes to the list for any field that is common to every record in the list or every selected record. For example, if your list includes multiple Cron triggers, you can make "global" changes to all fields on a Cron trigger. If your list includes all task types, you can make "global" changes to any field that is common to all task types. The more uniform your list is, the greater the number of fields you can change.

Task Instance Validators

All Task Types will now be validated upon definition. //What is this??//

SQL Warning Messages

SQL warning messages are now captured and available with output on the Database Task.

Launch with Variables

Opswise now supports a Launch with Variables feature that allows you to quickly provide values for the variables specified in the task and launch it. All task types support the Launch with Variables feature. Any variables attached to the task are automatically filled in.

Limiting the Number of Lines on Retrieved Output

You can now use the Number of Lines field to limit the amount of output retrieved by a task.

New Built-In Variables

A number of new built-in variables are now available. See Built-In Variables.

New Functions

Several new functions have been added. See Functions.

New Security Roles

New security roles have been added to accommodate the new bundling and promotion feature: ops_promotion_admin and ops_bundle_admin. See Description of Roles for details.

Resource Wait

The "Resource Wait" status has been separated into two distinct statuses: "Resource Wait" and "Resource Requested." Any Task instance that requires resources will transition through the "Resource Requested" status. However, only those Task instances that need to wait for their resources will transition into the "Resource Wait" status. Furthermore, a new column, "Waited for Resources," was added for Task History. On completion, any Task instance that transitioned through the "Resource Wait" status will show up in the History with "Waited for Resources" as "true." By filtering on this column, a user can determine where there was contention on Virtual Resources.

Multi-selection Support

You can now select multiple tasks in the Activity Window in order to perform the same command against them at one time. The lowest common command set will be available for selection. See Selecting Task Instances.

Task Monitor Enhancements

For Task Monitors within a workflow, you can now specify a Time Scope, or window of time, during which the event being monitored for must be satisfied. You can also now use the Workflow Condition fields to specify a particular workflow within which the task being monitored must appear.

Estimated End Time Calculation

For improved forecasting, the Estimated End Time of Workload is based on Historic Averages.

Exporting Data

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Opswise Message Service (OMS)

For Opswise Automation Center 5.2.0, Opswise Message Service (OMS) replaces the Message Hub and Transporter components of the 5.1.0 Outboard as the network communications provider between Opswise Controller and Opswise Universal Agent.

OMS uses similar, message-based communications protocol as the Message Hub and Transporter. It provides fault tolerant, reliable, secure messaging.

OMS is packaged as a component of Opswise Universal Agent, and it is installed and configured just like any other Opswise Universal Agent component.

Security

New Permissions

Added a Virtual resources permission.

Added a Variable permission.

Business Services

Added Member of Business Services to Virtual Resources.

Added Member of Business Services to User-Defined Variables.

New Properties

Added a Virtual Resources Security Enabled property.

Added a Variable Security Enabled property.

Workflow Improvements

Two new commands have been added - Force Finish (Halt) and Force Finish/Cancel (Halt) - that let you:

• Force finish task being monitored by a File Monitor task or FTP File Monitor task without completing the monitoring process.
• Force finish a task without releasing successor tasks in a workflow.

Force finishing a command that does not notify the task monitors would help in cases were you need to force finish the task but you don't want the task monitors to complete; for example, if the task was launched in error.

Force finishing a task without releasing successor tasks in a workflow would help in cases where a task instance - due to a number of possibilities - is stuck in Queued status, and you want to force finish and re-run the task without impacting workflow dependencies.

Trigger on Existence

Added a Trigger on Existence option to Create File Monitor type.

User Mode Install

For UNIX, you can now select the directories where everything gets installed.

Simulated Trigger

The Forecast Information screen indicates if the forecast information is for a simulated trigger.