SUNGARD SUMMIT 2007 | sungardsummit.com 1

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Setting up a Luminis Test System

Presented by: Michael Barsic

Savannah College of Art and Design

March 20, 2007

Course ID 463

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Introduction

• Having a good test environment is essential for testing• Upgrades and patches • Browsers (and operating systems!)• User complaints

• Also handy for channel development

• And all those crazy mods you read about on LDN and need to try out!

• So let’s discuss setting up a test environment

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Warning!

• SCAD does not use integrated e-mail

• … so we won’t discuss e-mail (much)

• SCAD runs on Solaris

• … so I don’t have any Luminis on Windows tips

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Agenda

• Why you need a good test environment (briefly)

• SCAD’s production environment

• Setting up our Luminis test machine

• Links to a Banner Test Environment

• Other test systems• Blackboard (and events)• CPIP Systems• CAS Integrated Web Applications

• A Test Client

• Tips and Tricks

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Why you need a good test environment

• Patches and upgrades (to Luminis and other systems)

• Custom modifications (things you read about on LDN)

• Channel development

• Troubleshooting

• Training new staff!

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SCAD’s Production Environment

• Luminis • Platform and calendar without e-mail• Database is on same server (not recommended!)

• Banner • LDI Events• SSB integrated with SSO• INB is not integrated

• Blackboard• Receiving LDI Events• CAS SSO

• Others• Webmail integrated with CPIP• Custom Web Applications with CAS

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SCAD’s Production UDC Environment

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Luminis Test Machine

• Use same or scaled down version of production• SCAD Production: Solaris 9 on 4 processor with 16G RAM • SCAD Test: Solaris 9 on 2 processor with 2G RAM

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Luminis Test Machine

• Make test think it’s production• Helpful with Luminis since host name in numerous files

• Make test think other test machines are production (at very least to prevent accidents)

• Banner Database, INB and SSB

• e-Learning (WebCT, Blackboard, Moodle,…)

• Etc..

• How: simple to modify /etc/hosts (or talk to Network Admin)

127.0.0.1 localhost

10.16.0.141 mytest mytest.scad.edu

10.16.0.141 myscad myscad.scad.edu

10.16.0.141 portal portal.scad.edu

10.16.0.141 smtp smtp.scad.edu

10.16.0.55 elearning elearning.scad.edu

10.16.0.138 dbserv dbserv.scad.edu

10.16.0.138 bannerweb bannerweb.scad.edu

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Luminis Test Machine

• Install Luminis with (close to) same custom.conf• SCAD uses same (except database)• We piggyback database on to a Banner test database

• Install production patches and hotfixes after this

• Raw Luminis, no custom channels, no users

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Luminis Test Machine: Data

• For true testing, you need production data • LDAP• Calendar• Database• Filesystem (nested-tables.xsl, css, templates, cars…)• Possibly – SSO Components (GCF, SSB SSO, CPIP…)• Possibly – Event Gateway

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Luminis Test Machine: Data

• Restore LDAP, calendar, filesystem from backups (covered in admin guide)

• Restore uPortal/Luminis database• Oracle: exp for backup and imp for import

• Re-install SSO components

• Re-install event gateway

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Luminis Test Machine: Data – Cold Backup Option

• SCAD uses simpler restore option

• Use a cold filesystem backup of production• Restoring LDAP, calendar, filesystem, SSO components

and the event gateway

• SCAD completely stops Luminis once a week and performs a cold backup of sections of the filesystem• stopcp –a• tar selected sections of the filesystem• Luminis is down for about 7 minutes

• Found that extracting tar on test to be simplest reproduction method, e.g., it’s very easy to script• tar xzf lum_file.tar.gz

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Luminis Test Machine: Data – Cold Backup Option (2)

• Issues with the cold backup

• Web Server• Memory settings – jvm12.conf• SSL – *cert7.db, *key3.db • Wrote script to update files

• Does not cover the database

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Luminis Test Machine: Data - Oracle

• SCAD does not perform weekly cold backups of DB

• In setting up the test machine:• Use Oracle exp utility to create dump of production• Test database schema/user deleted and recreated• Restore dump of production on test with Oracle imp utility• And due to cold backup restoration:

• Use configman to update database settings• Adjust rdbm.properties file

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Linking to Banner Test Environment

• Event Gateway:• SCTERPGateway/Events/config/event_providers.plist

• SSO to SSB:• sct/authen/local.properties• configman

• SCT_WEB_HOST=http://ssbtest.scad.edu• SCT_WEB_VPATH=/bantest/plsql

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Other systems: Blackboard/e-learning

• SCAD relies on /etc/hosts

• Test Luminis thinks test Blackboard is production

• Test Blackboard thinks test Luminis is production

• Events flow from cloned Banner through test Luminis to test Blackboard

• SSO from test Luminis to test Blackboard seamless

• FYI – testing Blackboard upgrades is big reason for maintaining this type of environment

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Other systems: Standalone E-mail at SCAD

• CPIP to Sun One Identity Manager then to Webmail

• Our test Luminis can SSO to production Webmail (careful!)

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Other systems: CAS Integration

• By default, CAS integrated production systems “safe”• You cannot authenticate to a test Luminis and access a

production CAS system

• For a full test, must have test CAS systems pointed to test Luminis

• As with Banner and Blackboard, SCAD relies on /etc/hosts

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A Test Client

• Again, SCAD relies on the hosts files• Linux, Mac OS X, Unix: /etc/hosts• Windows: C:Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc\hosts

• Include all test systems• Luminis test• Banner • E-learning• Others

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Tips and Tricks: Images

• Include a graphical cue of being on a test system

• Makes it obvious to testers

• SCAD Mistake:• Non-tech user thought they were on test system• Almost loaded test data into production• Added graphical cues and alerted any testers to look for

them

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Tips and Tricks: Announcements

• Check for and/or remove future e-mail announcements

• SCAD performs manual check

• SCAD Mistake:• Sent duplicate e-mails one week

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Tips and Tricks: Calendar

• Turn off reminders in test system• ics.conf

• SCAD Mistake:• Sent reminders from dismissed staff• Sent duplicate reminders for a couple weeks• Our help desk was not pleased (again!)

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Summary of SCAD’s Test System Creation

• Make test machine think it’s production

• Install Luminis on test

• Restore backup of production data to test

• Configure with test Banner environment

• Configure with other test systems

• Apply graphical changes, turn off calendar reminders

• Configure client machines for testing

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Summary

• You need a good test environment

• For Luminis, make test think it’s production

• Choose the best way *for you* to get production data into your test system

• Learn from SCAD’s mistakes

• Be careful!

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Questions & Answers

• Any questions?

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Thank You!

Michael Barsic

mbarsic@scad.edu

Please complete the online class evaluation form

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