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Other software distribution systems
Many external vendor enterprise software management systems are capable of moving a set of files to a managed system and executing a command on that system or running a native installer there. Websphere Commerce Sales Center and the customizations you build can be installed and maintained using these management systems.
IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager will be used to illustrate how this is accomplished. Configuration Manager is a highly scalable system for monitoring, installing, and controlling IT resources across the enterprise. Its software distribution and inventory monitoring can be implemented over large numbers of geographically distributed clients
Relevant concepts will be referred to using their TCM nomenclature. The following brief glossary will enable you to identify the corresponding terms in the software management product:
- Tivoli management region
- In a Tivoli environment, a Tivoli server and the set of clients that it serves. An organization can have more than one region.
- Tivoli server
- The server for a specific Tivoli management region (Tivoli region) that holds or references the complete set of Tivoli software, including the full object database.
- Managed node
- A management server on which Tivoli Management Framework is installed, and which can therefore participate in providing management services to Endpoints.
- Gateway
- Software that provides communications services between endpoints and the rest of the Tivoli environment. The gateway is a managed node. In a minimal configuration, a single machine hosts the Tivoli server and a Gateway.
- Repeater
- A managed node or gateway that caches and transmits data through a repeater hierarchy to designated targets. Repeaters are used for multiplexed distribution and collection operations. The repeater is a managed node.
- Endpoint
- The final recipient of any type of Tivoli operation. Sales Center clients in a Tivoli management region are Endpoints, not Managed Nodes. For scalability reasons, Endpoints communicate with Gateways rather than directly with the Tivoli server.
Endpoints require an Endpoint Agent installed as a Windows service. The Agent communicates with a Gateway to send and receive data and to perform actions. TCM uses the Tivoli Management Framework endpoint agent lcfd. In contrast to the DMS management server whose agent is included as part of the WED4WL platform, a TMF agent is not included in the client and must be installed separately. Although this involves an extra component, it has the advantage that the agent can be active and able to manage the client even when Sales Center is not running. It is possible to use TCM to perform the base WED4WL install, in addition to distributing Eclipse update sites to the client.
There are several means of installing an agent, including DVD install and remote installation methods. See the Tivoli Enterprise Installation Guide section on Install endpoints for more information. The Tivoli Enterprise Installation Guide is part of the Tivoli Management Framework documentation.
In the following examples it is assumed that the Tivoli Configuration Manager server and Gateway are installed and configured, and that an Endpoint agent is installed and running on the client:
- Example: Creating and testing a WED4WL software package
- Example: Creating and testing an Eclipse update site software package
Related concepts
Deploy customizations to the IBM Sales Center
Related tasks
Example: Creating and testing an Eclipse update site software package
Example: Creating and testing a WED4WL software package