Universal Control Manager for IBM i
Currently, IBM i runs Workload Automation 5.1.1. This page provides information for that version.
Introduction
This Universal Control (UCTL) Manager information is specific to the IBM i operating system.
Universal Control Manager for IBM i runs via a command interface. It provides a command line interface to remote computers running the UCTL Server. On the command line, you must specify the control request that you want the UCTL Manager to execute.
This page describes the the Universal Control Manager for IBM i command execution environments, control requests, configuration and configuration options, and command line syntax.
Workload Automation 5 for IBM i Commands
The names of the Workload Automation 5 for IBM i commands that are installed in the IBM i QSYS library are tagged with the Workload Automation 5 for IBM i version / release / modification number, 511. The names of the commands installed in the Workload Automation 5 for IBM i product library, UNVPRD511, are untagged.
To maintain consistency across releases, you may prefer to use the untagged names in your production environment. The Change Release Tag program, UCHGRLS, lets you change the tagged command names in QSYS to the untagged command names in UNVPRD511.
These pages reference the IBM i commands by their untagged names. If you are using commands with tagged names to run Universal Control, substitute the tagged names for the untagged names in these references.
Command Execution Environment
The command is valid in all environments:
- Batch input streams
- CL programs
- REXX procedures
- CL ILE modules
- Interactive processing
- Passed to the system program QCMDEXC (or QCAEXEC) for processing
Control Requests
UCTL Manager for IBM i supports all three Universal Control control requests:
- Start (START_CMD option)
- Stop (STOP_CMD option)
- Refresh (REFRESH_CMD option)
Configuration
Configuration consists of:
- Setting default options and preferences for all executions of UCTL Manager.
- Setting options and preferences for a single execution of UCTL Manager.
Configuration Sources
UCTL Manager for IBM i configuration options are read from the following sources:
- STRUCT parameters
- Environment variables
- Configuration file
The order of precedence is the same as the list above; STRUCT parameters being the highest, and configuration file being the lowest. That is, options specified via STRUCT parameters override options specified via environment variables, and so on.
Detailed information on these methods of configuration can be found in Configuration Management.
Configuration File
The configuration file, UNVPRD511/UNVCONF(UCTL), provides the simplest method of specifying configuration options whose values will not change with each command invocation. These default values are used if the options are not read from one or more other sources.
Some options only can be specified in the configuration file; they have no corresponding command line equivalent. Other options cannot be specified in the configuration file; they must be specified via one or more other sources for a single execution of UCTL Manager.
Configuration Options Categories
The following table categorizes configuration options used to execute Universal Control Manager for Windows into logical areas of application. Each Category name is a link to a table of options in that category. Each Option Name in those tables is a link to detailed information about that option.
Category | Description |
X.509 certificate related options. | |
Control command to execute. | |
Options used to define event generation. | |
Options required for local broker registration. | |
Universal Control message options. | |
Options use to display command help and program versions. | |
Options used to control the process of network data. | |
Alternative methods to specify command options. | |
Network address of the remote system. | |
User account the Control command executes with on the remote system. |
The Universal Control Manager command options for each of the categories listed above are summarized in the following tables.
Certificate Category Options
Option Name | Description |
Location of the PEM-formatted trusted CA X.509 certificates. | |
Location of Manager's PEM-formatted X.509 certificate. | |
Location of Manager's PEM-formatted CRL. | |
Location of Manager's PEM-formatted RSA private key. | |
Password for the Manager's PRIVATE_KEY. | |
Specification that the Universal Broker's X.509 certificate host name field must be verified. | |
Specification that the Universal Broker's X.509 certificate serial number field must be verified. |
Command Category Options
Option Name | Description |
Identity of the started component. | |
Instruction to a Broker to refresh configuration data. | |
Instruction to a Universal Broker to start a component. | |
Instruction to stop a component being executed by a Broker. |
Events Category Options
Option Name | Description |
Specification for whether or not product activity monitoring events are generated. | |
Events to be generated as persistent events. |
Local Category Options
Option Name | Description |
Program Lock File (PLF) directory where the program lock files are located. |
Messages Category Options
Option Name | Description |
Language of messages written. | |
Level of messages written. |
Miscellaneous Category Options
Option Name | Description |
Write program version. |
Network Category Options
Option Name | Description |
Code page used to translate text data to and from the network. | |
SSL/TLS cipher list for the control session. | |
Minimum SSL/TLS protocol level that will be negotiated and used for communications channels. Note This option was introduced to IBM i in version 5.1.1.0. | |
Maximum number of seconds considered acceptable to wait for data communications. |
Options Category Options
Option Name | Description |
Encrypted command file. | |
Plain text command file. | |
Encryption key used to decrypt an encrypted command file specified by option COMMAND_FILE_ENCRYPTED. |
Remote Category Options
Option Name | Description |
Number of host connection attempts before ending with an error. | |
Host or IP address to use for all outgoing IP connections. | |
TCP/IP host name of the remote Broker. | |
TCP/IP port number of the remote Broker. |
User Category Options
Option Name | Description |
User ID or account with which to execute the Control command. | |
Password associated with USER_ID. |
Command Line Syntax
The syntax shows the CL Command parameter followed by UNIX/CALL options (in parentheses). These options would be used to invoke Universal Command Manager on a different platform. They are provided to help the user associate STRUCT command options with UCTL command line options on other platforms.
The following figure illustrates the command line syntax — using the STRUCT parameter form of the configuration options — of Universal Control Manager for Windows.
STRUCT
{ START(compname) [CMDID(id)] | STOP(compID) [USER(user) [PWD(password)] ] | REFRESH ({yes|no}) [RFSHCMPNM(compname)] }
HOST(hostaddress)
[CMDFILE(filename) [CMDMBR(member)] | ECMFILE(filename) [ECMMBR(member)] [KEY(key)] ]
[PORT(port)]
[CMDID(id)]
[HSTNMRTYCT(count)]
[OUTBOUNDIP(host)]
[MSGLANG(language)]
[MSGLEVEL(*{trace|audit|info|warn|error})]
[CACERTS(file [lib]) [VFYHSTNM({yes|no|hostname})] [VFYSERNUM(number)] ]
[CERT(file [lib]) PVTKEYF(file [lib]) [PVTKEYPWD(password)] ]
[CRLFILE(file [lib]) [CRLMBR(member)] ]
[CODEPAGE(codepage)]
[CTLCPHRLST(cipherlist)]
[MINSSLPROTOCOL(option)]
[DELAY(seconds)]
[PLFDIR(directory)]
STRUCT
VERSION(*{yes|no})
* The command file (CMDFILE or ECMFILE) can contain some or all required and/or optional configuration options, including a control request and HOST. If a command file is specified on the command line, and it contains the required control request and HOST options, those options do not have to be specified additionally on the command line.