Managing installed snapshots

Use the Process Admin Console to administer and configure runtime settings for snapshots that are installed on a process server.

About this task

When you click the Installed Apps option in the Process Admin Console, you can see the list of snapshots of process applications that have been installed on the current Process Server. Within each process application snapshot, only the processes that have been exposed are shown. For each process, you can see the number of instances currently running.

You can perform the following actions in the Installed Apps area:
  • Sort and filter the list of snapshots on the server.
    Click the All, Active, or Default option to filter the list of snapshots shown.
    Tip: If you are using the Process Admin Console to monitor and configure the Process Center server, the list of snapshots are those of the process applications created on the current server. When you create a snapshot and save it in the Process Center repository, it is displayed as an inactive snapshot. (Click the All option to see all snapshots, including inactive ones.) If you activate a particular snapshot using the Process Center console, the snapshot is shown as active in this list.
  • Configure runtime settings for a snapshot.

    Click a snapshot, and then use the Exposing, Team Bindings, or Environment Vars options complete the configuration.

  • Administer a snapshot.
    Click a snapshot, and then select one of the options from the right margin of the Process Admin Console. The available actions vary depending on the content and current state of the installed snapshot, and include the following options. See the related links at the end of this topic for more information about performing these administration tasks.
    Option Description
    Activate Application Activates the snapshot, which includes starting the associated business level application (BLA).
    Deactivate Application Deactivates the snapshot, allowing all currently running instances to complete. Deactivated snapshots remain installed, but you cannot start a new instance of the exposed processes or services.
    Tip: If you use the Process Admin Console to deactivate a snapshot, active process instances in it remain active. This means that they remain visible in the Process Portal for example. If you want the process instances to immediately suspend, you must instead use the BPMDeactivate command with suspendAllBPDInstances set to true. Snapshots that you run this command on with the parameter have an Inactive with suspended instances state in the Process Admin Console.
    Note: The block-deactivated-snapshot-task-progression property in the 99Local.xml file controls whether currently running instances in deactivated snapshots progress. When set to true, it prevents currently running instances from completing. The block-deactivated-snapshot-favorite-progression property in 99Local.xml file controls the launch and progression of taskless services associated with exposed favorites (startable services, URLs, project pages, and dashboards). When set to true, the service engine prevents these items from being launched or progressed if they are associated with deactivated snapshots. In V7.5.1.1, these properties were set to true by default. In V8.x, these properties are set to false by default.
    Tip: You can delete an inactive process application snapshot on any test or production process server using the wsadmin commands. See Deleting snapshots on process servers.
    Stop Application Stops the snapshot and its BLA. This option is available only for deactivated snapshots that contain Advanced Integration Services.
    Migrate In-flight Data Migrates currently running instances to the version of the selected snapshot.
    Sync Settings Copies specified settings from the current snapshot to another snapshot.
    Make Default Version Makes the selected snapshot the default version on the current server. This option is available only when you have more than one snapshot on the server.
    Update Tracking Definitions If a problem occurs during snapshot installation and tracking definitions are not sent to the Performance Data Warehouse, you can use this option to send the definitions for the selected snapshot. Because tracking definitions are automatically sent to the Performance Data Warehouse during snapshot installation, you should use this option only when a problem occurs.
    Undeploy Application Removes the snapshot's corresponding BLA and any Advanced Integration Service artifacts from the process server, although the snapshot remains in the repository. This option is available only for stopped snapshots that contain Advanced Integration Services.
    If you want to administer a snapshot that contains IBM Business Process Manager Advanced content or an IBM Business Monitor model, the user or group to which you belong must be assigned to the Configurator, Operator and Deployer administrative security role. If you are not currently assigned to all of these roles, click Users and Groups in the WebSphere administrative console to modify the user or group roles. See Administrative security roles.
  • Activating installed process applications
    Use the Process Admin Console to activate snapshots that are installed on a process server.
  • Deactivating and stopping installed process applications
    Use the Process Admin Console to deactivate and, if necessary, stop snapshots that are installed on a process server. All installed snapshots except the default version can be deactivated. However, you can stop only those snapshots that contain Advanced Integration Services (such as SCA modules or BPEL processes).
  • Designating default snapshots
    On a process server, the first snapshot you install is considered the default version. This means that the items within it run when an event or other trigger that applies to more than one version of a process or service is received. When you install subsequent snapshots, you can use the Make Default Version option in Process Admin Console to ensure the snapshot you want to run is the default.
  • Synchronizing snapshots
    Use the Process Admin Console to copy settings from one snapshot to another. You can copy the settings for environment variables, team bindings, and exposed process values.
  • Configuring runtime settings for installed snapshots
    You can use Process Admin Console to configure runtime settings for each process application snapshot that is installed on a process server, Runtime configuration settings include team bindings, exposed process and services, and environment variables.
  • Scripting tools for managing process applications
    Manage process applications with the WebSphere administrative (wsadmin) scripting program by using administrative commands (AdminTasks) or the Process Application Lifecycle (PAL) MBean.
  • Deleting snapshots on process servers
    You can delete an inactive process application snapshot on any test or production process server. The process that you use varies depending on whether you are using IBM® Business Process Manager Advanced or IBM Business Process Manager Standard. You might want to delete snapshots and their dependencies if you no longer need them or if you have concerns about space on your system.
Parent topic: Administering applications and processes in the runtime environment