Using Robot/REPLAY in a High Availability Environment

Introduction

Use this document as a guide to set up and manage Robot/REPLAY with your mirroring application. Throughout this document, the Source system refers to the base system where Robot/REPLAY is installed; the Target system refers to the mirrored high availability (HA) system where the second copy of Robot/REPLAY is installed.

Note: The Source and Target systems must be at the same release/modification level.

Installing Robot/REPLAY on Your Systems

Use the following information to make sure your systems are set up properly.

Robot/REPLAY Not Installed

If Robot/REPLAY is currently not installed on the Source or Target system, follow the installation instructions on the CD shipped with the product. You must install Robot/REPLAY on both the Source and Target systems.

Robot/REPLAY Installed On the Source System

If Robot/REPLAY is currently installed on the source system, we recommend that you follow the instructions for moving Robot/REPLAY to another system. See the Help/FACTS, Instructions for Moving Robot/REPLAY to a Different System (Moving Robot REPLAY.pdf). for complete information.

Replicating Robot/REPLAY Objects

The tables below are for customers who are planning for HA applications. These tables define the Robot/REPLAY objects and specify which objects you must replicate to run Robot/REPLAY with HA software.

Table 1 lists the types of objects that you should mirror.

Table 2 lists specific objects that you should exclude from mirroring. These objects may be the same type as the objects shown in Table 1, but they should be defined as exceptions and excluded from mirroring.

Mirroring Robot/REPLAY

The following prerequisites are necessary to mirror Robot/REPLAY from the source system to the target system. See the Help/FACTS, Instructions for Moving Robot/REPLAY to a Different System (Moving Robot REPLAY.pdf). for complete information

• Robot/SCHEDULE must be installed and configured on the target system with the jobs that are necessary to process your Replay objects.
• The following items must be identical on both the source and target systems in order for Robot/REPLAY to work correctly:
  • The IBM i OS levels
  • The PTF cume levels
  • All user profiles that Robot/REPLAY uses
  • Authorities for all of the system objects being used in your Replay objects
  • The descriptions of the devices Robot/REPLAY uses
  • The device types that Robot/REPLAY uses (or the system value QAUTOCFG must be set to ON)
  • The system values for QAUTOCFG, QAUTOVRT, QLMTDEVSSN, QLMTSECOFR, QMAXSGNACN, QMAXSIGN, and QPRTDEV
  • All system objects, such as subsystem and job descriptions, must exist with identical attributes.

  Note: Be sure to check the operational attributes and workstation entries on your subsystem descriptions.

  • Any third-party software that Robot/REPLAY executes must be installed and configured identically.

Additional Information

RBTSYSLIB

The Robot System Library, RBTSYSLIB, is a general purpose library that contains common modules for the Robot Automated Operations Solution. You do not have to replicate this library; however, the library must be updated when the source or target system is updated with new modifications. RBTSYSLIB is updated automatically by conversions, upgrades, and new installations. There is no dynamic data stored in this library.

User Profiles

The RBTADMIN and RBTUSER profiles are created automatically on all systems when you install Robot/REPLAY. DO NOT modify or replicate them.

High Availability and Other Help/Systems Products

For information about running other Help/Systems products in a HA environment, see the Help/FACTS, Mirroring Help/Systems Products.

Licensing Help/Systems Products

All Help/Systems products must be licensed on each system before using them in a HA environment. Discuss product licensing with your Regional Sales Manager.

Updating or Converting Robot/REPLAY

When you update or convert Robot/REPLAY on the Source system, you also must make the same changes on the Target system. We recommend that you end the mirroring product, perform the update or conversion on the Source system, update or convert the Target System, then restart the mirroring process. Different mirroring software products may have options to synchronize the libraries, or to send all changed objects to the Source system. To make sure that all the necessary added or updated objects are on the Target system, we recommend that you follow the normal update or conversion process on both systems.

Updated April 26, 2010