When and how to apply a modification or fix pack

Question & Answer

Question

When and how should I apply a modification or fix pack to my JRules or Operational Decision Management (WODM/ODM) installation?

Cause

The Operational Decision Manager version numbers use the standard IBM format V.R.M.F which stands for Version.Release.Modification.Fixpack. See the V.R.M.F Maintenance Stream Delivery Vehicle terminology explanation for more details.

Modification and fix pack numbers are the third and fourth digits in the IBM product version number, for example: 8.5.M.F.

Modification and fix packs include only bug fixes, so they do not affect the product functionality or your data.

See the following technotes to find out which update your installation need:

Finding the version of ODM product and fixes to determine the exact product versions that are installed on your machine.
Find the version of ODM components to determine the exact module or library versions that are deployed on your servers.
Operational Decision Manager Download document to learn about the latest modification or fix pack that is available for your product version.
IBM Operational Decision Manager detailed system requirements to verify that your configuration is supported with your current product version.
IBM Support Lifecycle to verify that your current version does not reach end of support in the near future.

Referring to the last two documents above, you may find out that you need to migrate to the latest product version to ensure continued support of your applications. In that case, refer to technote Migrating to the latest version of Operational Decision Management.

That being said, make sure to consider migrating to the latest version or release (V.R.M.F) of the product as soon as possible to benefit from the latest added features and improvements.

Answer

As with any software product, even if you do not have any issues with running your current configuration, you should apply the latest modification or fix pack to take advantage of these benefits:

Anticipate and avoid the risk of encountering defects already fixed.
Apply the latest product improvements that are available (performance, for example).
Maintain a serviceable system and be able to install an interim fix when required.

When to update

The latest modification or fix pack should be installed as soon as it is available.

You can subscribe to the IBM Support My Notifications to be notified of any fix pack releases, and you can also bookmark the Operational Decision Manager Download document page, which lists the latest modifications or fix packs.

See the technote Fix pack release notification for Operational Decision Manager to find out when a modification or fix pack will be available.

Before updating

The databases used in the sample server are deleted and recreated during the update. If you are using those databases and want to save the existing content, perform the following steps before updating:

Stop the sample server.
In the folder <ODM_HOME>/shared/data/derby, create an archive file containing the resdb and rtsdb folders. Save the archive file, such as zip file, in the data folder.
After installation, unzip the archive file in the folder <ODM_HOME>/shared/data/derby to restore your databases before restarting the sample server.

A new profile is also created for the sample server, at the first server start following the installation of a modification or fix pack.

If you want to continue using the same ports, you must delete the existing profile prior. In the <ODM_HOME>/shared/bin folder, from the command line, run the command ../tools/ant/bin/ant forcedestroyprofile.

Note: The sample server is not designed to be used in a production system. For a production system, you must create a dedicated profile and database that you update using the following steps.

Updating

Each modification or fix pack page provides instructions on how to download and run the installer, in addition to providing a list of corrections that are included in the update.

The fix pack installation updates the following files and folders:

JAR libraries in the installation directories, including <ODMInstallDir>\<Module>\lib.
EAR and WAR applications in the <ODMInstallDir>\<Module>\applicationservers\<App Server> folders.

Once this is done, you perform these tasks:

Repackage your client applications with the up-to-date libraries.
Reapply product customizations to the up-to-date Java EE modules (EARs and WARs).

Note that all customizations you developed before the update, for example modifications of the descriptors, must be reapplied to the new, up-to-date EARs and WARs. It is a good idea to document and automate those customizations using scripts to make the process easier and error-proof.

Finally, you must update the client applications and ODM modules on your server or servers with the same settings as you deployed previously. If you redeploy the application, follow again the documentation instructions to deploy all ODM modules to your servers.

Keep in mind that applying a modification or a fix pack does not require any data migration, so your projects and database remain the same.

Updating Rule Execution Server

Update the following applications in the application server:

jrules-res-xu-<server>.rar
jrules-res-management-<server>.ear
jrules-ssp-<server>.ear
jrules-res-htds-<server>ear

Make sure you do not change the class loading policies for applications and modules (parent last for all ODM modules).

Note: Updating the eXecution Unit RAR file requires a restart of the server.

Update Decision Center

Update the following application in your application server:

jrules-teamserver-<server>.ear

Make sure you do not change the class loading policies for applications and modules (parent last for all ODM modules).

Update the Events Runtime

Stop the event runtime application, wberuntimeear.
Uninstall the following applications, if they exist:

wbefileconnector
wbehttpconnector
wbejdbcconnector
wbejmsconnector
wbesoapconnector

Update the application wberuntimeear.
Start the application wberuntimeear.

Make sure you do not change the class loading policies for applications and modules (parent last for all ODM modules).

Additional considerations

Again, in addition to applying the latest modification or fix pack, consider migrating to the latest version or release (V.R.M.F) of the product as soon as possible to benefit from recently added features and improvements. See our technote Migrating to the latest version of Operational Decision Management for more information.
For JRules 7.1, you can refer to the JRules 7.1 list of fix packs and also Upgrading JRules to the latest V7.1 fix pack to learn how to apply the fix packs. But note that JRules 7.1 reaches end of support in September 2015 (see the IBM Support Lifecycle page). To ensure continued product support, plan an upgrade to the latest product version before that date.

Related Information

Fix pack release notification for ODM

[{"Product":{"code":"SSQP76","label":"IBM Operational Decision Manager"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU053","label":"Cloud & Data Platform"},"Component":"--","Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"7.5;8.0;8.5","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB45","label":"Automation"}},{"Product":{"code":"SS6MTS","label":"WebSphere ILOG JRules"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU053","label":"Cloud & Data Platform"},"Component":"Maintenance","Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"7.1;7.0","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB45","label":"Automation"}}]

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