Reg: role of TCS Deployer

[pramod_gopisetty1]

Hello Guru's,

1. In the process of using NWDI and NWDS for the development/ customizations what is the role of TCS Deployer?

When Checkin the activity from NWDS the requests gets queued in TCS Deployer. What is the main role of TCS Deployer and what are the functionalities.

2. Assume we have xyz software component which we have added as dependent in the track and now we want to upgrade the SC and deployed the same on the server.

My Question is when modifying the DC which version of SC will it be checking is it the SC which is added as dependent in the track or the latest version of SC which is deployed on the server?

3. If we want to have the latest version to be used in the track can we modify the existing track or do we need to create New Track to incorporate the latest SC into the track.

Best Regards,

Pramod

[ErvinSzolke · Accepted solution]

Hello Pramod,

After the import what about the custom DC's do we need to reimport creating activity for all the custom developed DCs?

The custom DCs are stored in DTR. No need to reimport anything.

And also what is the reason for the SC not showing in System Info? 

Some reasons for it:

1. you did not define the given Runtime system (let it be dev,cons,test (qa) or prod) for this track.

2. you did, but the deployment did not take place due to various reasons.

a) the deployment does not even work to that RTS, because CMS cannot connect the depoyer, see http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/TechTSG/%28NWDI%29%28CMS%29Q0002

b) The SC is excluded from deployment, see the corresponding checkbox for this on the track data tab. In other words, you defined deployment restriction on SC level.

c) If the deployment is missing from DEV or CONS, then it is worth to check the "disable auto deployment" feature you can find on the RTS config, on the track data tab (landscape config in CMS webui). This feature is obviously not available for TEST and PROD.

d) there's any other deployment problem, check the corresponding deployment logs.

We could see PBF_BASIS Component in Dev but the same is not visible in QA and also when trying to deploy using JSPM it says the component is maintained by NWDI.

This case you can go for option 1, or 2/a , 2/b or 2/d

Best Regards,

Ervin

[pramod_gopisetty1 · Accepted solution]

Thanks Ervin, that clears my doubt. Will get back if I face any other issue.

Thanks & Regards,

Pramod

[pramod_gopisetty1 · Accepted solution]

Hi Ervin,

In the track when we don't define Consolidation system and while importing the activity in Development why would it go to Consolidation tab even when it is not maintained. And it's mandatory to do an import in consolidation for the activity to be moved to Assembly tab.

When importing to Consolidation where is it getting deployed?

Thanks & Regards,

Pramod

[thunder_feng · Accepted solution]

Hello Pramod

Please don't mix the "system" and "runtime system" together.

When you say "we don't define Consolidation system", you must be saying the RunTimeSystem(RTS) for CONS.

NWDI track is designed to have DEV and CONS at least, even you don't assign any RTS for them.

Hence:

If RTS is defined for DEV/CONS system, the DEV/CONS system will have DTR workspace, CBS buildspace and an assigned

RTS to do the deployment.

If there is no RTS assigned for DEV or CONS, then DEV/CONS system in NWDI will have only DTR workspace and CBS buildspace,

you can still create activity, check-in, activate(build) .. in DEV/CONS, only no deployment will occur in DEV/CONS.

And yes, it is madatory to do an import into CONS for the activity, in order to move to the next step - "Assembly".

--- this is the system design.

Here is the sap online help regarding the "system" concept.

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw2004s/helpdata/en/cc/659742e24132458d71a2f26be13357/content.htm

Regards,

Thunder

[pramod_gopisetty1]

Hello Ervin,

Thanks for the reply.

Solution:

Followed the steps by Ervin Szolke. And resolved the issue.

Please be careful while using CMSSupportTool.

Regards,

Pramod

[ErvinSzolke]

Hi,

yes, these are the steps almost.

1. get rid of the system state using the CMS support tool in dev, as well as in cons.

2. reimport into dev as well as cons (using this time the new dependent SC files)

3. reimport the development config in your NWDS for each developer (needless to say, ensure that there are no open activites!!).

Until the imports did not fully take place, you will not be able to build and activate, but that is the only drawback I know, it'll of course not affect your development apart from this I just mentioned.

Best Regards,

Ervin

[pramod_gopisetty1]

Thank you Ervin, will close the thread once we are done with the steps.

Regards,

Pramod

[ErvinSzolke]

Hi Pramod,

Thank you!

Best Regards,

Ervin

[ErvinSzolke]

Hi Pramod,

check point 4 in the note:

#973346 - CMS Support tool: Support for special DB queries

(http://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/973346)

(of course you need to read the whole note in order to deploy the CMS SupportTool, but the point 4 is the one which deals with your problem)

Best Regards,

Ervin

[pramod_gopisetty1]

Hi ervin,

We have gone through the note. Before we make the changes there using CMS Support Tool, want to confirm if the steps are right.

1. Use CMS Support Tool to delete the entry from System State in Consolidation

2. Do an import to resolve the issue in Consolidation

3. See the same in other Runtime systems that is QA and Prod and do the same

Doing this will it effect any of our custom developments? and patching the component will it effect the SAP delivered component?

Best Regards,

Pramod

[pramod_gopisetty1]

Still have one issue:

In Development when trying to lookup PBF-Portal, I don't see the SC when I click on Restore.

Neither in CONS or Dev I see the component PBF-PORTAL.

Even in other track for ESS I don't see the core component SAP-ESS when clicked on Restore.

Thanks & Regards,

Pramod

[ErvinSzolke]

Hi,

you cannot see it at restore, as restore only adds the dependent software to the queue, and I assume PBF_PORTAL is your customer software. This software is created from the cons/active at the Assembly step.

You'll see that when at triggering the function "Restore..." it is missing from dev/cons, it is available on test/prod.

Best Regards,

Ervin

[Former Member]

Hi Ervin,

How to patch the PBF-PORTAL component. And in Restore you will only see dependents components do we need to restore all the dependents?

One Observation:

When Importing to Cons we are getting error saying a latest version already exists in System State when we see that the version is deployed on 12.2.2010 while the component which we are deploying is on 11.09.2010.

Not sure if this causes any issues?

What will be the approach I need to follow to patch the PBF-PORTAL?

Please help.

Thanks & Regards,

Pramod

[ErvinSzolke]

Hi Pramod,

if you want to just change some dependent SCs to a higher patch level inside your track, but these will have the very same SP, then I think you can go for this option:

1. obviously you need to copy these files physically to the CMS inbox folder

2. then you trigger a Restore System State for DEV and COS ("Restore..." button in your transport studio, on the tabs DEV and CONS)

3. Check-in the new files (check-in tab in transport studio of CMS webui)

4. import into DEV and CONS (Development and Consolidation tabs)

5. reimport the development config for each developer (on client side in the NWDSs of the developers)

NOTICE: when you do this, avoid ongoing development, and when the developers are reimporting their development configurations, ask them not to have any open activities.

If the distance between the current dependent SCs and the SCs you want to add is larger, then rather use the blog I mentioned before, and notice that if you go for that option, then a new track need to be created with version 2.0 and the version history will be lost.

Regarding the Red State in the CMS webui, this usually means that the SC definition in CMS differs from the one maintained in the SLD. You can use the "Synchronize SC definition" feature (you can find on the track data tab of the landscape config of CMS webui) when editing the track in question. If you press this button (need to be in change modus) then a popup comes where you'll find a dropdownlist, and in there there's an option "SCs out of Sync with SLD". Do not press any other buttons here, but if you expand the appeared SC node, you'll see in this table which SCs are in SLD and not in CMS or vica versa. I recommend you to overview this and try to answer yourself why the difference. If you found the problem, I suggest you that after you have triggered an "Update CMS" (on the domain data tab), then remove the problematic SC from the track data tab (landscape configurator) and readd the SC (Add SC... on track data tab). Then the inconsistency should be resolved. Do not use the button "Define Dependencies..." on the Track Data tab (which you find next to Add SC... button).

I hope this answers your question.

Best Regards,

Ervin

[pramod_gopisetty1]

Hello Ervin,

Thanks for the reply. That helps.

One Last Question:

After the import what about the custom DC's do we need to reimport creating activity for all the custom developed DCs?

As said before our custom development DC's are moved to QA. and now when we do this do we need to create new activities and reimport them and move along to QA and then to Prod.

And also what is the reason for the SC not showing in System Info?

We could see PBF_BASIS Component in Dev but the same is not visible in QA and also when trying to deploy using JSPM it says the component is maintained by NWDI.

Regards,

Pramod

[ErvinSzolke]

Hi Pramod,

the role of the TCS Deployer is the following.

First of all you need to differentiate the DEV/CONS from TEST/PROD.

The difference is, that while DEV/CONS has DTR workspaces and CBS buildspaces, the TEST/PROD hasn't got it.

No development and therefore no build takes place anymore in TEST/PROD, since you do the assembly from CONS/active, and therefore the deployable SCA file will be created. In TEST/PROD you do only deployments.

Now what all this has to do with the TCS Deployer?

The answer is, that since in DEV/CONS you need to build the software, you can deploy it only after the build was succesful.

This means, you need to wait up the build, and if it was succesful, the system takes care of its deployment. This is handled by the TCS deployer and we call this process asynchronous deployment, since the deployment takes place not immediately, only after the build took place. The deployment requests will be queued in the TCS Deployer queue, and will be processed as soon as the corresponding build finished. Since in TEST/PROD no more development (and so no more build) is possible (more precisely: necessary) there's no such queueing mechanism, the deployment takes place immediatelly. This is synchronous deployment.

I hope I managed to answer your question regarding the role of the TCS Deployer.

Regarding your other question about upgrading the dependent software of a track see this guide:

/people/guenter.schiele/blog/2007/02/12/how-to-migrate-developed-software-components-to-a-new-release-in-nwdi

Best Regards,

Ervin

[pramod_gopisetty1]

Hi Ervin,

1. Thanks for the explanation, that was elaborative.

2. Let me be more specific with our current scenario:

We are using PBF (Public Budgeting and Formulation), and we have done all the custom development needed and moved to QA.

For the PBF these are the dependent components:

SC Name PBF-PORTAL

Dependents

EP_BUILDT

PBF-BASIS

SAP_BUILDT

VCFREESTYLEKIT

VTP_BUILDT

WDEXTENSIONS

We have also created a custom SC with same dependents.

Now we have patched some components and would like to update them in the track.

my question : PBF-Portal and PBF-BASIS these 2 components have been patched and would like to update them.

What will be my approach to update these components to the latest patch?

do we need to create new Track?

One other observation in NWDI - Transport Studio we see the state of PBF-Portal in red. And also in the sytem info we are not able to see our custom SC but we can see the Custom DC's been created in the SC.

Thanks & Regards,

Pramod

[thunder_feng]

Hello Pramod

Regarding 1:

TCS=Transport Control System, and it is responsible for quite some behaviour,

like import sources into DTR, integrate in inactive/active workspace, set privileged mode,

cooperate with CBS request, fetch build result, deploy deployable units, and etc.

So TCS Deploy, as the name says, the main role should be deploy the

depolyable units to relevant runtime system(s).

Regarding 2:

The version you can modify is only the version which you imported into system DEV and CONS.

so if the same SC has been upgraded to a new version in the runtime system, you should import

the new version also into the DEV and CONS again, then you will be able to do

development based on the new version.

Regarding 3:

you can just modify the existing track.

Best Regards.

Thunder