Verify the CloudBurst 2.1 Tivoli software stack

Verify the CloudBurst 2.1 Tivoli software stack:

The advantages an appliance brings with it are often achieved by complex
tasks; many times this complexity is hidden by the interface to the appliance, giving the user a limited view of the entire configuration and integration points. But a user may need to verify or re-verify the software stack when the environment changes (restoring backup images in a disaster recovery scenario), making modifications to hardware configurations (like when you add new blades) or software configurations (like when you add new networks with VLAN tagging). In this article, the author provides a quick guide to verifying the IBM CloudBurst 2.1 Tivoli software stack.

Emailing Reports in TCR

The latest version of TCR supports Report Emailing and scheduling feature. However this feature is hidden deep in the menu options and this article shows how to email your report.

1. First make sure that you configured TCR for emailing using the tcr_cogconfig.sh or by using "Cognos Configuration" application in Windows.


2. Now to email a report, click on "Run with Options" icon against the report. It is a green arrow icon appearing on the same row as the report name.


3. Now click on "To specify a time to run the report, or additional formats, languages or delivery options, use advanced options" link that appears to the right.


4. In the advanced options page, click on "Run in the background" and "Now" under Time and Mode.


5. Choose the appropriate format such as PDF.


6. Under Delivery, uncheck save report.


7. Under Delivery:, check send the report by email and click on "Edit options" right next to it.


8. In the "Set Email Options" page, set the email receipients, (separated by commas). Edit the subject and body if necessary.


9. Ensure the "Attach the report" is clicked. Alternatively, you can send a TCR link to the receipients. Click OK.


10. Ensure that "Prompt for values" is checked. Now click Run.


11. Now any report parameter values will be prompted and once you entered them and click finish,


12. Finally, click OK to confirm and now the report will be generated and emailed to the receipients.

Hope this helps.

Importing Custom Images in TCR Cognos Reports

If you are developing custom Cognos reports in Tivoli Common Reporting, one of the basic needs in custom reporting is to include your company logo or custom images in your reports.  This article describes steps necessary to include custom logos in your Cognos reports.

 

1. First assemble the custom images that you need to include.  These images must be in JPG or GIF format.
2. Copy these images to the following directory location in TCR.  Or, you can create a subdirectory under the directory below and put your images under the subdirectory.
   <installdir>/../tipv2/profiles/TIPProfile/installedApps/TIPCell/IBM Cognos 8.ear/p2pd.war/tivoli
3. Important: Also copy the images to <installdir>/../tipv2Components/TCRComponent/cognos/webcontent/tivoli directory or any of its subdirectory.
4. Now you can drag and drop image objects in Report Studio in your report designs.  After dropping a image object, right click on it and select "Edit Image URL". 
5. Specify the image url as "../tivoli/mylogo.jpg" if your images are located in tivoli folder in the above example. Modify the URL to include subdirectory names in case your images are located in the subdirectory of tivoli folder in steps 2 & 3.

That's it, Happy Reporting! 

ITCAM for Transactions 7.3 is available, and IBM has some videos of the new features

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/display/tivolimediagallery/Tivoli%20Composite%20Application%20Manager%20for%20Transactions

Quick check for ITM Situations triggering

Here's a great developerworks article on checking situations in ITM.

http://ow.ly/5m55U

ITM Dynamic Thresholds - NYTUG presentation 5/24/2011

This is a link to the NYTUG presentation that I'm giving on May 24. It deals with Dynamic (Adaptive) Thresholds in ITM and the recent addition of Centralized Configuration.

The 10 commandments of good source control management

In IT, we all have to write some amount of code for something (OMNIbus rules, custom scripts, custom web pages, etc.), and that code should almost always go into a revision control system. I say almost always because sometimes you just have to write a quick awk one-liner that you'll never use again. But for anything that's in production, you should have it versioned. This link describes the 10 necessary rules for using source control management:

http://www.troyhunt.com/2011/05/10-commandments-of-good-source-control.html

(There are just a few R-rated words, but nothing egregious.)