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Enhancements

This section contains a cumulative list of enhancements introduced in the previous fix packs, interim fixes, and the current fix pack.

New features in this fix pack

The following enhancements have been introduced in this fix pack:

Table 4. Customer enhancement request references
Enhancement Reference
Tivoli Web Gateway Nokia s60 support
Inventory Virtual resource scan MR0508067421
Multi core support MR0826056352
Patch Management Patch automation for target filtering MR0404064528
New Microsoft catalog and WUA support
New options supported by wsubpln command: submit_plans MR0503066815
New options supported by wsubpln command: skip_plans_creation MR0414062811
New Component Tivoli Provisioning Manager for Operating System Deployment integration 58233
New Endpoint support Windows Vista support
APM Configure the Ignore option results 58122
Software Distribution Add "defer" as possible default_action IY92880
Nokia s60 support
With this feature, the Nokia device support has been extended. IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager now supports Nokia s60 devices. The entire set of functions already supplied for the Nokia 9500 and Nokia 9300 devices is supported. Moreover some new functions are supported only for Nokia s60 devices. This means:
Virtual resource scan - Feature MR0508067421
With this feature, it is possible to report the virtual SCSI devices assigned to a logical partition, only for AIX platforms. When running an Inventory hardware scan to discover storage devices on a logical partition of an AIX workstation, the virtual SCSI devices are now reported in the STORAGE_DEV_QUERY, which displays the new storage device type called "Virtual Disc". The operating systems for which this information can be discovered are the following:
Multi core support - Feature MR0826056352
With this feature, it is possible to report the correct number of physical processors, logical processors assigned to each core, and the cores on the physical processor in the inventory tables, views, and queries. A multi-core processor is one that combines two or more independent processors into a single package. The operating systems for which this information can be discovered by the Common Inventory Technology are the following:
Patch automation for target filtering - Feature MR0404064528
With this feature, you can define filters for grouping endpoints and deploy the security patches to these groups of endpoints. It is now possible to define filters based on the information already available in the Inventory database, and also to create groups of endpoints using the new wsecgrp command. For more details on this command, see the IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: Patch Management Guide.
New Microsoft catalog and WUA support
You can perform patch management also using the new Microsoft .cab file and its associated WUA. For details see the IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: Patch Management Guide.
New options supported by the wsubpln command - Features MR0503066815 and MR0414062811
The wsubpln command now supports the following new options:
submit_plans
If this option is enabled, an automatic plan submission occurs immediately after the plan creation.
skip_plans_creation
If this option is enabled, the plan is created at the end of the workflow.
For more details on this command, see the IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: Patch Management Guide.
Tivoli Provisioning Manager for Operating System Deployment integration - Feature 58233
This fix pack provides the integration with the product Tivoli Provisioning Manager for Operating System Deployment Version 5.1 through the new component Tivoli Provisioning Manager for Operating System Deployment integration Version 4.2.3. Only English version is currently available, the localized versions will be available in the next fix pack. This integration replaces the old "Image Management Services Integration, Version 4.2.3" released with fix pack 2, that needs to be uninstalled before installing the Tivoli Provisioning Manager for Operating System Deployment integration. For more details, refer to the IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: User's Guide for Operating System Deployment Solution.
Windows Vista support
The endpoint support has now been extended to endpoints having the Windows Vista platform installed. Security patches can be distributed to these endpoints.
Configure the Ignore option results in APM - Feature 58122
A new check box has been added to customize the behavior of the Activity Planner Monitor for those targets failing the CM_STATUS validity check for a software distribution (SWD) activity when the "Ignore" option is set. This new check box will be enabled only when the "Ignore" check box is set. When the check box is set, all targets on which the validation fails will be marked as 'failed'. If this check box is not checked (default) the old behavior will be in effect: targets for which the validation failed will be marked as successful.
Add "defer" as possible default_action - Feature IY92880
When a software distribution is performed specifying some options in the User Notification Settings panel, not only "accept" and "reject" can be selected as default action, but also "defer". The default action is the action that is run after the specified timeout if no changes are performed on the User Notification Settings panel.

New features in the previous fix packs and interim fixes

The following enhancements were introduced in the previous fix pack and interim fixes:

Table 5. Customer enhancement request references
Enhancement Reference
New component Tivoli(R) Configuration Manager license management extension
Active Directory integration
New platform Solaris x86 support
APM Search facility for saved activity plans MR124044922
Activity plan group creation, submission, and tracking
Immediate start for unique targets in conditioned activities
Cancel as preferred final status for a plan 56137
Displaying the .jar files version 55204
Displaying the patch level for the Activity Plan Editor and Activity Plan Monitor 55205
Inventory Signature management improvement MR0102021824
Improved locale information management
MR0818036425
MR0708046050
Correlation of software recognition data M50408055916
Windows(R) service information available on Inventory database MR022103576
Dynamic logical partitioning (LPAR) information on processor allocated on partitions MR0216064754
64-bit support for Inventory operations.
Wild card matching
Enabling TCM-TPM coexistence
Send a Tivoli notice managing lcf script package attributes
New 32-bit MRMBIOS.EXE 180357
CCM Stop on failure check box
Patch Management Emergency patch management 56053
Patch Management deployment paradigm 56053
Completing workflows separately 55260
Performing patch management using WSUS 55317
Patch Management extension
Software distribution Enable Move Data to retrieve AS/400(R) spool file 56336
Avoiding concurrent logins during critical distributions 54613
Performing the logoff operation on Windows endpoints 55186
Customize the source host
Enabling TCM-TPM coexistence
Send a Tivoli notice managing lcf script package attributes
Maintaining the access attributes of already existing files and directories on a UNIX(R) target, a new attribute (preserve_unix) is available 55359
Running a program before the reboot of a commit 55409
Managing software packages 55487
Working with the Software Distribution Endpoint Notification dialog 55522
Cancel as preferred final status for a plan - Feature 56137
Before submitting a plan, you can define its final status to Cancel if any of the plan activities have been cancelled and the others are successful, either by selecting Set Cancel as preferred final status in the General page of the Plan Submission Parameters notebook or by specifying -Dis_cancel_preferred=y in the wsubpln command.
Emergency patch management - Feature 56053
The Configuration Manager Patch Management solution identifies the set of patches to be deployed to each endpoint on the basis of a preventive endpoint inventory scan. This scan might cause critical delay in the patch installation. When the Administrator responsible for approval determines that an update, released in an important Microsoft(R) security bulletin, needs to be implemented immediately, he can use the emergency patch management feature to defer the preventive inventory scan and install the update as soon as possible. For more information on this feature, see IBM(R) Tivoli Configuration Manager Patch Management Guide.
Patch Management deployment paradigm - Feature 56053
This feature extends Software Distribution capabilities to the Patch Management solution, enabling the Patch Management component to retrieve the software package to be installed from a depot or a file server, rather than the source host. Use this feature in environments with communication problems, when retrieving a software package from a source host might take time. For more information on this feature, see IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager Patch Management Guide.
Enable Move Data to retrieve AS/400 spool file - Feature 56336
With this feature the Data Moving Service in an OS/400(R) environment has been extended. You can now move OS/400 spool files from an OS/400 system to a Windows or UNIX target. Target systems can be endpoints or managed nodes. To differentiate the spooled files from the OS/400 native files, when running the wspmvdata command, specify the path name using the following format:
Job Number/Job User/Job Name/Spooled File Number
Ensure that Job Number is not preceded by a slash.

As an example see the following command:

wspmvdata -c -s @swd400 -t @intermesoli -P
sp:028421/qtivoli/qlcfd/1 -P tp:/targetdir qprint 

Where:

swd400
Is the OS/400 host name.
intermesoli
Is the receiver host name, either a managed node or an endpoint.
sp:028421/qtivoli/qlcfd/1
Identifies the spool file on the OS/400 system. If you omit the spooled file number (1 in this example), and more than one spool file exists for the same job, the last created spooled file is retrieved.
/targetdir
Is the destination path on the target system.
qprint
Is the spooled file name to be retrieved. Do not use wildcards for spooled file names.

When performing a retrieve operation of an OS/400 spooled file, a new file is created under the specified destination directory using the following naming convention:

JobNumber.JobUser.JobName.SpooledFileNumber.SpooledFileName

In the example described above this file is /targetdir/028421.qtivoli.qlcfd.1.qprint.

Notes:
  1. Notice the usage of the codepage translation option ( c) in the example described above. Using this argument results in the OS/400 spooled file being translated from EBCDIC to ASCII codepage, before it is written to the UNIX or Windows destination location.
  2. If the target system is a managed node, a subdirectory with the name of the origin host is created inside the destination directory on the target system. The naming convention for the subdirectory is as follows:
    endpointname_distributionID_timestamp

For more details on the wspmvdata command, refer to the IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: Reference Manual for Software Distribution.

Enabling proxy support for the SUS Patch Management solution
You can use a proxy server to access the Microsoft Web site, or your local HTTP server where the mssecure.cab file has been downloaded.

You can customize the HTTP proxy server name (if enabled) and the related user ID and password (if required by the proxy settings). Proxy parameters are defined at installation time in the tpm_update.req file, as described in the readme of the interim fix. This feature guarantees a higher security when accessing the Internet or your local network.

Avoiding concurrent logins during critical distributions - Feature 54613
On Windows operating systems, you can use the concurrent login feature to prevent the end user from logging in to the workstation and performing a shutdown while a distribution is taking place. This feature guarantees that critical distributions are not interrupted. You can also define a maximum number of logins that can be performed during a distribution. In this case, the distribution is paused and restarts after the user logs off. For more information, see Implementing the concurrent login feature.
Performing the logoff operation on Windows endpoints - Feature 55186
You can perform the logoff operation on Windows endpoints. A new action has been added to the software package definition file. You can define the logoff operation in the following phases: For more information on this feature, see Documentation notes.
Displaying the .jar files version - Feature 55204
You can display the version of APM .jar files, if the version is indicated in the .jar file. You can start the command on Tivoli servers and managed nodes after having set the Tivoli environment, as described below:
On UNIX operating systems:
. ./wjarversion.sh jarfile
On Windows operating systems:
wjarversion.bat jarfile
where:
jarfile
Is the name of the .jar file for which you want to display the version. The following are the .jar files supported for this feature:
  • apm.jar
  • apm_utils.jar
  • swd_plugin.jar
  • tl_plugin.jar
The files required for implementing this feature are located in the /JarVersion folder in IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager, Fix Pack 4.2.3-TCM-FP01.
Displaying the patch level for the Activity Plan Editor and Activity Plan Monitor - Feature 55205
You can display the patch level installed for the Activity Plan Editor and Activity Plan Monitor by selecting the About menu item in the Help menu.
Completing workflows separately - Feature 55260
You can decide whether patch management workflows are completed in one or in two steps. This feature guarantees a higher flexibility in the workflow process. For more information on this feature, see Documentation notes.
Performing patch management using WSUS - Feature 55317
You can perform patch management using WSUS to implement the approval mechanism of patches and to download up-to-date patches from the Microsoft Web site. For more details on this new automated patch management solution, see the updated version of the IBM Tivoli Patch Management Guide.
Maintaining the access attributes of already existing files and directories - Feature 55359
You can maintain the access attributes of already existing files and directories on UNIX. To enable this feature, select the Maintain existing value check box in the Add File System Objects Properties - Advanced window, UNIX Attr. tab of Software Package Editor or set preserve_unix to y in the add_directory or add_file stanzas of the SPD file.
A 32 bit scanner, mrmbios.exe, substitutes the 16 bit scanner - Feature 180357
With this feature the Windows 64-bit platforms support has been extended. The old 16-bit mrmbios.exe file has been now replaced by a 32-bit file having the same name, and using new device drivers. The new mrmbios.exe file allows you to scan, in addition to the old platforms, new platforms such as AMD 64 and Itanium 64.
Running a program before the reboot of a commit - Feature 55409
You can run a program before the reboot of a commit by setting the following variables in swdis.var:
__COMMIT_REBOOT_FORCED__
Specifies YES to force a reboot when a commit is run with -cr or -co parameters.
__BEFORE_REBOOT_PROG_PATH__
Specifies the path of the program to be run on the endpoints. If this variable is empty no program is run.
__BEFORE_REBOOT_PROG_ARGS__
Specifies arguments passed to the program. Separate arguments with a blank space.
__BEFORE_REBOOT_PROG_TIMEOUT__
Specifies the time, expressed in seconds, to wait for the completion of the program. Default is 60.
To enable this feature, you must set at least __COMMIT_REBOOT_FORCED__ to YES and define the program path in __BEFORE_REBOOT_PROG_PATH__.
Managing software packages - Feature 55487
You can set the use_real_capabilities key to true with the wswdmgr command to not distribute a software package on targets belonging to policy regions where the administrator, submitting the distribution, does not have the required roles. The default is false.
Working with the Software Distribution Endpoint Notification dialog - Feature 55522
The Software Distribution Endpoint Notification dialog that pops up on the screen of the endpoint when a software package is submitted for distribution is changed. In the title bar the Close button (X) no longer appears. The Cancel push button is replaced by the Reset push button that resets the changed values in this dialog with the default values for this operation. To close the dialog you must click OK.
Tivoli Configuration Manager license management extension
You can use the Configuration Manager license management extension to provide license management facilities. For details see IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: License Management Extension.
Patch Management extension
The solution manages Microsoft patches, service packs, and update rollups for the following operating systems and applications: For details, see IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager Patch Management Guide.
Active Directory integration
IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager provides the capability of merging Active Directory and endpoint information into a relational database. See Tivoli Monitoring: Active Directory Agent for more information.
Solaris x86 support
Tivoli Configuration Manager is supported on Tivoli Management Framework 4.1.1 endpoints running Solaris 8, 9, 10 for x86 architecture, in particular Solaris 10 for AMD Opteron processor.
Search facilities for saved activity plans
A dynamic search has been added to group saved plans.
Activity plan group creation, submission, and tracking
This feature introduces a tool that manages groups of activity plans as a single entity. A script is used to create the group of activity plans and assign a name to the group. A further script is then scheduled as a repeating job to first submit the group of plans and then produce HTML format reports of its progress by querying the APM and MDIST2 databases. See Implementing the activity plan group management feature for instructions about using this tool.
Immediate start for unique targets in conditioned activities
With this feature you can add a new submission parameter to the Activity Planner. When submitting a plan, it is now possible to enable the Activity Planner server to evaluate all the conditioned activities of a plan, as soon as the plan is submitted. In this way if a conditioned activity has a target, which is not contained in a conditioning activity, the operation for that target starts immediately. One limitation is that a plan with at least one activity, having the option target computation at activity execution set, cannot be submitted if this feature is enabled.

To enable this feature from the Activity Planner command line, run the wsubpln command in the following way:

wsubpln -r plan_name -Dpre_eval_conditions=true

To enable this feature from the Activity Planner GUI, the Pre-evaluate conditions at plan submission check box has been added to the Plan Submission Parameters panel.

To enable this feature from the Change Manager command line, specify the -e option when running the wsyncrmod command, or select the Pre evaluate conditions at plan submission check box which has been added to the Select activity plan name panel.

Signature management improvement
To allow a more accurate software scan, Inventory has been modified to use complex signatures and a new catalog including not only files, but registry keys, mixed and extended signatures. See IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: User's Guide for Inventory
Improved locale information management
With this feature the Inventory scan distinguishes language specific operating system information for Windows operating systems. The mixed language environment is supported. See IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: User's Guide for Inventory.
Correlation of software recognition data
Enhancement of the Inventory signature scan to retrieve the path for file signatures and store them in the database. This enhancement enables the scan to identify and differentiate between multiple instances of a signature on the same endpoint. See IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: User's Guide for Inventory.
Windows service information
Information on the services present on a Windows workstation is added to the set of information that Inventory can collect. See IBM Tivoli Configuration Manager: User's Guide for Inventory.
Dynamic logical partitioning (LPAR) information on processor allocated on partitions
In environments that have logical partitions, Inventory can collect LPAR information. The operating systems on which LPAR information can be discovered are the following:
Stop on failure check box
With this feature you can soften the check performed by Change Manager on each ex-requisite dependency, related to a Software Distribution element, to avoid a failure in the synchronization process, if the condition is not met on one of the target machines. Using this feature you can control the Change Manager behavior when evaluating the dependency. The Stop on failure check box has been added to Change Manager to activate the feature.

To enable this feature, perform one of the following actions:

Enabling TCM-TPM coexistence
A new resource, ReportManager, has been included in Software Distribution product. It is needed to enable the Tivoli Configuration Manager - Tivoli Provisioning Manager coexistence. ReportManager is used to provide the reports to Tivoli Provisioning Manager when distributions are initiated by Tivoli Provisioning Manager itself. To enable the integration, the $BINDIR/TME/ReportManager/rep_DB_Vendor.sql script must be executed to update the inventory database. Supported database vendors are DB2 and Oracle.
Send a Tivoli notice managing lcf script package attributes
For Software Distribution a Tivoli notice is sent each time a value related to the following package attributes is enabled during the import operation, or changed when re-importing or using the wsetspgs command. The change can be performed using both SPEditor or command line interfaces. The notice is not sent if the value remains the same.

This is the list of the existing attributes for which the notice is activated with the current feature:

For Inventory a tivoli notice is sent to the inventory notice group, when the (after and/or before) script content for unix (and/or pc) of an InventoryConfig profile changes. For Inventory four different messages have been added: one for every script content that changes. The message is related to one of the following four scripts:

Customize the source host for Data Moving endpoint to endpoint
With this feature the source host for Data Moving endpoint to endpoint send and delete operations is not necessarily the Tivoli server anymore. With this feature the source host can be customized. A default value can be set using the following command:
wswdcfg -s datamoving_source_host=ManagedNode name

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