Deploying Software to remote sites

[Mat Sullivan]

This is just a point I would like some clarification on.

I am running our CMS from London, and have set up VCRMs in various offices around the world, and I need to deploy a PSP to a server in Paris. When I go through the initial PSP install wizard wia the HPSIM GUI (selecting the Paris VCRM as the source for the software), part of that wizard is a wait while the software is downloaded to the CMS.

My question is, what is happening exactly at this point, is HPSIM pulling the software down from Paris to the CMS in London, or is it transferring the software from the Paris VCRM to the target server in Paris, so it can be launched from there?

A bit confudsing I know, I would assume that the software is being copied from the Source VCRM to the target server so it can be run locally, but the wording on the wizard status page suggests otherwise.

Basically I don't want to shag our WAN with unneccessary file transfers.

Cheers.

[David Claypool · Accepted solution]

"Initial PSP Install" is used to solve the chicken and egg problem. That is, how do you use VCRM and VCA on a server when VCA isn't installed? There is nothing to talk to on that server to do the install.

"Initial PSP Install" gets around that by using Operating System security and transports. Basically, HP SIM copies the PSP to a local directory and then calls "setupc.exe" with the parameters of the remote host and username/password that will work on that remote host. So, yes, when you access the Paris repository, it will copy it to the HP SIM CMS and then will push it to the remote node for installation.

There's a couple of ways around this. You can choose your local London repository for "IPI" and avoid the 2-way trip, and then change the reference support pack and other details later. Another variation would be to have custom PSPs pre-populated for the various locations, and select the right one for the location.

The other way would involve a couple of more steps, but would minimize the traffic over your WAN. If you create a custom PSP in your London repository containing just the System Management Homepage and Version Control Agent, you can use "IPI" to push that out to the remote location, minimizing the amount of traffic on the WAN. Afterwards, you can use the VCA that you have just installed there to get the entire PSP from the local repository.

[Mat Sullivan]

Thanks,

Seems a bit 'round the houses' when the VCRM is sitting on a server in the same rack as the target server but has to copy the files to the CMS first instead of directly to the target, but there you go.

Thanks again for the clarification, the points are yours.