Overview

Universal Automation Center is a system of four enterprise workload automation products:

• Universal Automation Center#Universal Controller 7.4.x
• Universal Automation Center#Universal Agent 7.4.x
• Universal Automation Center#Universal Data Mover 7.4.x
• Universal Data Mover Gateway 1.4.x

Universal Controller 7.4.x

Universal Controller is the Universal Automation Center workload automation and job scheduling software. It provides the time-and-date scheduling of an enterprise job scheduler and the capabilities of a workload automation broker.

The Controller is a Java web application running in a Tomcat web container. Two or more instances of the Controller can be used in a Universal Automation Center system to provide a secure, High Availability environment.

The user interface of the Controller has been developed with an intuitive design that leverages the latest Web 2.0 technologies. It is accessible anywhere using most popular browsers. One hundred percent of user and administrative functions can be performed via the web interface.

A central component of the Controller is the integrated drag-and-drop workflow definition tool. This feature allows you to define workflows that closely model your business processes. While working within the workflow module, you can import existing task definitions or create new tasks on the fly. You can develop simple or complex workflows and zoom in or out to view the details or overview as required. When the workflow kicks off, you can monitor its activity in a table view or graphically or both. You can create your own activity displays, specifying which activity you want selected and what details should be included. Like the workflow itself, the activity display is completely customizable.

Controller Prerequisites

In order to run the Controller, the following prerequisites must be installed on the Controller machine:

• Java Runtime Environment
• Application Container
• Database

Java Runtime Environment

Application Container

The application container is third-party software that serves as a container for the Controller. Universal Controller uses Apache Tomcat as the application container.
 

Database

The database management component supports SQL queries to a set of tables in the Universal Controller database.

The following databases are supported:

Universal Controller Remote Interfaces

Universal Controller provides two remote interfaces:

Universal Agent 7.4.x

Universal Agent is a vendor-independent scheduling agent that collaborates with existing job scheduler(s) on all major computing platforms, both legacy and distributed. All schedulers that run on z/Series, i/Series, UNIX, Linux, or Windows are supported.

It simplifies your infrastructure with a single automation agent for multiple automation tasks.

Universal Agent can be deployed on your job scheduler server and on each machine in your environment where you need to execute batch workloads. The Agent is scheduled as a local task within your scheduler and communicates across your network to control the execution of work. Status and output are reported back to the job scheduler server in real time.

Communication across your network is implemented using SSL standards. This provides a secure and reliable network infrastructure for job scheduling across all of you platforms.

Agents can manage workloads from more than one scheduler at the same time. This allows you to consolidate to a single standard for all of your scheduling agents, greatly simplifying the task of deploying and maintaining job scheduling agents on all of your servers.

Universal Agents provide the capability to directly integrate with your applications using a variety of web services protocols, initiating and monitoring application processes using SOAP, HTTP(s), JMS, and MQSeries protocols.

Universal Data Mover 7.4.x

Universal Data Mover (UDM) provides for the managed file transfer of files between servers and applications.

Universal Data Mover is a centralized and self-managing solution that provides a unified strategy for moving large files between legacy and distributed applications.

A synchronous file transfer solution, Universal Data Mover allows full control and visibility to file transfers from your workload automation tools. At its simplest, Universal Data Mover is a command or job that you can schedule to perform your file transfer tasks. But beyond this, Universal Data Mover provides the features and capabilities needed to implement advanced management and automation of the business processes dependent on the data that you move throughout your IT infrastructure.

Universal Data Mover is implemented using the SSL standard, which provides encryption and data authentication capabilities. Out of the box, all control information, such as user names and passwords, are encrypted. You can deploy and enforce encryption for your files globally or on an as needed basis. Data authentication ensures that your files are delivered uncorrupted and complete.

Additionally, Universal Data Mover uses a fault tolerant protocol that is capable of automatically and seamlessly reestablishing a network session so that your files are transferred without interruption or manual intervention.

Universal Message Service (OMS)

Universal Message Service (OMS) is the network communications provider between Universal Controller 7.4.x and Universal Agent 7.4.x.

OMS is installed as a component of both Universal Agent for Windows and Universal Agent for UNIX.

Components and Platforms

Universal Automation Center, as described in detail above, consists of the following basic components:

• Universal Controller
• Remote Interfaces
• Agents
• Universal Message Service (OMS)

The following tables identifies the platforms on which each component is supported:
 

See Stonebranch Product Compatibility for information on the compatibility of all Universal Product components.

Product History

The following table provides a history of Stonebranch, Inc., from release 3.1 of Universal Products to the current release of Universal Automation Center products.