Universal Agent

The Opswise agent has been merged with the Stonebranch Universal Broker. The agent is now called the Opswise Universal Agent. For more details, see System Overview and Upgrading Opswise Controller - Install Universal Agent.

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 temporary trigger.
• Enable or disable a trigger.
• 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.

Enhancements to the Command Line Interface

The result of queries is now capped at one thousand items to avoid degradation of system performance. The format of wildcards has changed. See Command Line Interface Reference.

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. When you request the copy, the system prompts for a new name.

SAP Task and SAP Connection

Opswise can now run workload on an SAP system. 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

Opswise now validates changes made by the user to correct errors in Task Instances.

SQL Warnings and Messages

SQL warnings and results are now captured and displayed in separate tabs on SQL and Stored Procedure task instance records. These two tabs replace the Output tab on these task types.

Stored Procedure Parameters

A new tab for parameters has been added to the Stored Procedure task and task instance.

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, including variables for the SAP task, scripts, File Monitor, FTP File Monitors, SQL exception data, connector, agent, and cluster (core processor) variables. See Built-In Variables.

New Functions

New functions have been added for accessing SQL warnings and for returning the index within a string . Also, functions can now be nested to one level. See Functions.

Color-Coding of Tabs

Tabs on a record are color-coded as follows: Tabs that contain data display a blue rule; tabs that do not contain data display a grey rule.

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.

Filter Management

A new feature has been added that allows users to manage the filters that are used to control the display of record lists. You can use this feature to update or delete filters. See Filters.

Workflow Editor Enhancements

The Workflow Editor tool menu now includes an up arrow Image Removed that allows you to navigate to a parent workflow.

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. For Task Monitors launched by a trigger, you can use the Restrict Times fields to create a window during which the Task Monitor is active.

Enhanced Forecasting

For improved forecasting, the system now provides a Forecast calendar that displays tasks scheduled to run in the next N days. Where data is available, the system also estimates the end time for tasks, based on the average run time of previous task runs.

Exporting Data

The selection of maintenance scripts used to export records has been enhanced. Specific scripts are now available to export all current record definitions, export record definitions including all previous versions, export all records in the activity table, and export task instance history. For details, click here.

Auto-Supply New Trigger Name

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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.