Remote Configuration

Universal Agent components can be configured remotely by Universal Enterprise Controller via the I-Management Console client application, and can be "locked down" so that they only can be remotely configured.

I-Management Console instructs the Universal Broker of a remote Agent to modify the configurations of all Universal Agent components managed by that Universal Broker.

Universal Broker supports remote configuration in either of two modes:

Unmanaged Mode
Managed Mode

Unmanaged Mode

Unmanaged mode is the default mode of operations for Universal Broker. It allows a Universal Broker - and the Universal Agent components managed by that Universal Broker - to be configured either:

Locally, by editing configuration files.
Remotely, via I-Management Console.

The system administrator for the machine on which an Agent resides can use any text editor to modify the configuration files of the various local Universal Agent components.

Via I-Management Console, selected users can modify all configurations of any Agent, including the local Agent. I-Management Console sends the modified data to the Universal Broker of that agent, which Universal Broker then uses to update the appropriate configuration files.

If I-Management Console sends modifications for a Universal Broker configuration, Universal Broker validates the modified data before it accepts it. If the data fails validation, Universal Broker does not update its configuration file.

If I-Management Console sends modification to the configuration of any other Universal Agent component, the Universal Broker updates the appropriate configuration file. The component will use this new configuration at its next invocation.

Note

If errors or invalid configuration values are updated via I-Management Console for a component other than Universal Broker, the component may not run successfully until the configuration has be corrected.

Managed Mode

When a Universal Broker is operating in managed mode, the configuration information for all Universal Agent components managed by that Universal Broker is "locked down." Universal Broker stores the information in a database file located within its specified spool directory. The information can be modified only via I-Management Console.

From this point on, Universal Broker uses the database file - not the configuration files - to access configuration information. Any configuration changes made to the components - via I-Management Console - are placed in the database file. Therefore, as long as Universal Broker stays in managed mode, the configuration files may no longer contain current or valid configuration information.

If managed mode is de-selected for the Universal Broker, it reads the database file where it stored the configuration information. Universal Broker uses this information to create and/or update configuration files for the components.

If a configuration file exists in the configuration directory, it is overwritten.
If a configuration file does not exist, it is created.

Note

Because of remote configuration and the desire to be able to "lock down" all product configurations, Universal Broker - and all Universal Agent servers - no longer support the command line and environmental variables methods of specifying configuration options.

Selecting Managed Mode

The managed mode of operations for Universal Broker is selected via the I-Administrator client application (see Adding an Agent).

The following figure illustrates remote configuration for one Agent in managed mode and one Agent in unmanaged mode.

Universal Broker Start-up

At Universal Broker start-up, in both managed and unmanaged modes, the Universal Broker configuration file is always read.

Start-up in Unmanaged Mode

At Universal Broker start-up in unmanaged mode, Universal Broker reads the configuration files of all Universal Agent components into its memory. The Universal Broker configuration file is used to define the Universal Broker configuration, just as all configuration files are used in unmanaged mode. Universal Broker updates its memory from the configuration files whenever Universal Control issues a configuration refresh request.

Start-up in Managed Mode

At Universal Broker start-up in managed mode, the Universal Broker configuration file points Universal Broker to the location of the configuration spool file, from which the Broker retrieves configuration information for all Universal Agent components. Universal Broker updates its memory from the configuration spool file and, automatically, after changes are made via I-Management Console.

If more configuration information than needed is included in the Universal Broker configuration file at Universal Broker start-up, Universal Broker will update its running configuration with the information that it retrieved from the spool file. The configuration file that was used at start-up is made obsolete.

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