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ALM Connector 6.2.1 Release Notes
Last updated on 2019-12-19.

Contents

About this Release

Welcome to ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.1

ALM Solutions Connector is a flexible set of services and programs that can be used from Windows or UNIX/Linux platforms to deploy to z/OS through ChangeMan ZMF.

  • ChangeMan ZMF integration with Release Control 6.0.1 and above is implemented through the Release Control ChangeMan ZMF plugin and ALM Solutions Connector.
Note:
  • This product was named ZMF Connector for versions 6.0 to 6.1.2. For earlier versions it was named Mainframe Connector.
  • There are additional ways to integrate products with ChangeMan ZMF using ALM Solutions Connector. For help with custom integrations, contact Support and Services.
  • For Release Control, ChangeMan ZMF Plugin v3.5 is required to use ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.1.

Documentation References

  • Refer to the ALM Connector Configuration Guide for configuration details.
  • Refer to Documentation Center for the most current documentation.
  • Refer to the What's New tab for a complete list of new features in this release.

What's New

Enhancements

Enhancements made to ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.1 include:

  • Added support for ZMF 8.2 Patch 2.
  • Added support for Backout action for Release Control ChangeMan ZMF Plugin v3.5.
  • ALM Solutions Connector now uses AES 256 encryption instead of PBEWithMD5AndDES. Files encrypted in previous versions will still work.

More Information

To learn more about ALM Solutions Connector, see:

Upgrades

This section provides important information for upgrades to ALM Solutions Connector version 6.2.1.

Before you upgrade, review the following sections, and then proceed with the upgrade.

For full documentation on installing the Release Control ZMF plugin client jar, refer to "Installing Plugins" in the Release Control ChangeMan ZMF Plugin Quick Reference on Documentation Center. This documentation also includes details on adding plugin configurations and using the plugin.

Downloading ALM Solutions Connector

Download ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.1 from the ALM Solutions Connector product download page on the Support website.
Note: Ensure that Common Tools are up to date. If your current Tomcat version is lower than v8.5.33.0, download and install the latest Common Tools.

Installing ALM Solutions Connector

To upgrade from ALM Solutions Connector 6.0 or above to ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.1:

  1. Backup the earlier version. For example, copy the following directories to a backup location:

    C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\common\tomcat\8.5\webapps\...

    almsernet

    almzmf

    almzmfalf

    almzmfws

  2. Install the new version of the ALM Solutions Connector services:

    1. Extract the war files from the ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.1 installation zip file. These include:

      almsernet

      almzmf

      almzmfalf

      almzmfws

    2. Stop Common Tomcat.
    3. Ensure that the Common Tomcat directory is writeable and none of the existing services files are in use.
    4. Copy all of the war files into the Common Tomcat webapps directory. For example:

      C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\common\tomcat\8.5\webapps

    5. Start Common Tomcat.

      Common Tomcat will automatically unpack and deploy the war files when the server is running.

    After you have installed the ALM Solutions Connector services, you must manually configure resource properties for the following services. If they are not encrypted, you can use your backed up versions of the properties files to get the values you need for setup.

    • almzmfalf
    • almsernet
    • almzmf

    Refer to ALM Connector Configuration Guide, "Installing and Configuring Services".

    Important: Although the almzmf and almzmfws services need no additional configuration, the services are used when deployment tasks are executed.
    Note: The host and port information for ChangeMan ZMF is specified in the ZMF plugin configuration. The ZMF plugin configuration also specifies the URL for the ALM Solutions Connector. You can define multiple plugin configurations that point to different ChangeMan ZMF systems and different ALM Solutions Connector configurations.

Upgrading the Release Control ZMF Plugin

If needed, upgrade your Release Control ZMF plugin to work with ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.1. If you are using a version of the Release Control ZMF plugin that has been certified to work with ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.1, you do not need to upgrade the plugin. See Supported Platforms.

If you need to upgrade the ZMFplugin, refer to the Plugin Release Notes on Documentation Center.

Upgrading from Earlier Versions of ALM Solutions Connector

For assistance with upgrading to ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.1 from a version earlier than ALM Solutions Connector 6.0, contact Serena Support.

Known Issues

Issues known to exist at the time of release are as follows:

  • Audit requests do not show as completed if the audit return code is 20

    If you execute a change package audit request, and the ChangeMan ZMF started task is somehow terminated during the execution, the audit return code returned to ALM Solutions Connector is 20. In this situation, the audit task may not show as completed in the integrating product, even if it is ultimately completed successfully in ChangeMan ZMF (DEF275298).

  • ZMF Connector 6.2 and ZMF 8.1.3
    • The service checkReleaseAreaIntegrity produces an incorrect response (DEF322350).
    • The service checkReleaseAreaSummaryIntegrity produces an incorrect response (DEF322358).

Legal Notice

© Copyright 2015 - 2019 Micro Focus or one of its affiliates.

The only warranties for products and services of Micro Focus and its affiliates and licensors (“Micro Focus”) are as may be set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Micro Focus shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.

Except as specifically indicated otherwise, this document contains confidential information and a valid license is required for possession, use or copying. If this work is provided to the U.S. Government, consistent with FAR 12.211 and 12.212, Commercial Computer Software, Computer Software Documentation, and Technical Data for Commercial Items are licensed to the U.S. Government under vendor's standard commercial license.