Running the Transformation Advisor tool

If you plan to move your architecture to adopt containers, run the Transformation Advisor tool before you migrate to IBM® App Connect Enterprise 12.0. Use the tool to collect data about what is deployed to your IBM Integration Bus 10.0 or IBM App Connect Enterprise 11.0 integration node, then analyze the collected data for potential issues.

To collect and analyze data about your IBM Integration Bus 10.0 or IBM App Connect Enterprise 11.0 integration node, complete the following steps.

1. Back up the resources that you want to migrate by using one of the following methods.
   • Create a backup file of your IBM Integration Bus 10.0 or IBM App Connect Enterprise 11.0 integration node by running the mqsibackupbroker command:

     mqsibackupbroker myNodev11 -d C:\temp -a myNodev11.zip

   • Add the resources that you want to migrate to a deployable BAR file, for example by running the ibmint package command:

     ibmint package --input-path C:\myResources --output-bar-file C:\bars\myBAR 

2. Optional: In IBM App Connect Enterprise 12.0, create a collector directory to write the logs from the TADataCollector command, and set the value of the environment variable TADATACOLLECTORDIRECTORY to the name of the collector directory. If you do not create a collector directory, the logs are written to a temporary subdirectory in the home directory of the user who runs the command.
   1. Create a collector directory by running the command mkdir C:\TADemo.
   2. Set the environment variable TADATACOLLECTORDIRECTORY to the path of the collector directory by running the command set TADATACOLLECTORDIRECTORY=C:\TADemo.
3. In IBM App Connect Enterprise 12.0, run the TADataCollector command with one of the following options:
   • To collect data, run the command:

     TADataCollector ace collect C:\temp\myNodev11.zip

   • To collect and assess data, run the command:

     TADataCollector ace assess C:\temp\myNodev11.zip

   • To generate reports on data that is collected and assessed by the previous two options, run the command:

     TADataCollector ace report

   • To collect and assess data, and generate reports, run the command:

     TADataCollector ace run C:\temp\myNodev11.zip

   The TADataCollector command can sometimes (but not always) fail when one of the optional parameters --source-platform, or --source-platform-ccsid is not included when the command is called. Resolve this issue by rerunning the command with the --source-platform, or --source-platform-ccsid parameter included. For example, if you created the backup file on Windows:

   TADataCollector ace collect --source-platform WinX64 C:\temp\myNodev11.zip

   The TADataCollector command also has the optional parameters --server to enable extraction from a specific server, and --target to specify the target of the analysis to be run by the Transformation Advisor tool.

   For more information about the TADataCollector command, see TADataCollector command.
   
   
   When you run the TADataCollector command, the output is written to your collector directory. If you created your collector directory and set the TADATACOLLECTORDIRECTORY environment variable, the output is written to that directory. Otherwise, the output is written to a temporary subdirectory in the home directory of the user who runs the command. For example, C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp\TADataCollector.

   The following subdirectories are created in your collector directory:

   • logs. The log files have the naming convention ta_sdk_#[#].log, for example ta_sdk_0.log, ta_sdk_1.log, ta_sdk_2.log, and so on, up to ta_sdk_50.log. The latest log file is the highest numbered log. If there are more than 50 log files, the oldest (smallest number) is deleted. Use the log files to check for errors in the process.
   • output. The output subdirectory contains one subdirectory and one matching .zip file for each assessment that was created by using the TADataCollector command with this collector. The directory and zip file names are one of the following:
     • The name of the bar file, if a bar file was supplied, for example, myBar.
     • The name of the integration node, if a backup was supplied, for example, myNode.
     • The name of the integration node concatenated with the name of a server under it, if a backup was supplied along with the --server parameter, for example, myNode_myServer.
     The .zip file in the output directory is a Transformation Advisor artifact that you can use to upload the assessment to a Transformation Advisor Cloud instance.
     An assessment directory, (for example output/myNode), contains the following sub directories and files:
     • ace. The ace subdirectory contains information about ace and its targets that would be used by a Transformation Advisor Cloud instance.
     • A sub directory for each integration server, for example, server1, server2, or a single sub directory for the bar file. Each subdirectory contains information about the server or bar file that is used by the TADataCollector command to create the recommendations.json. file.
     • environment.json. This file contains information about this assessment that would be used by a Transformation Advisor Cloud instance.
     • recommendations.json. This file is created only if you run the TADataCollectorcommand with the assess or run parameters. The file contains computer-readable information about all of the suggested actions to take to modernize your backup or bar file to your intended target.
     • recommendations.html. This file is created only if you run the TADataCollectorcommand with the run parameter (or the report parameter (after previously running the command with the `assess parameter. The file contains a human-readable html report for all of the suggestions in the recommendations.json file.
4. Review the contents of the output subdirectory in the output directory.
   If you ran the TADataCollector command with the run parameter, a static HTML report is produced; for example, C:\TADemo\output\myNodev11\recommendations.html. The report lists any issues that are found for each integration server under the integration node.

   To view more detailed information about the issues, follow the links in the summary table or scroll down the page. Each issue has an Overall Complexity Score that denotes the type of action that is needed:

   • Simple: An administrative change is needed.
   • Moderate: A development change is needed.
   • Complex: A difficult development task is involved or an alternative strategy is needed.

   The Transformation Advisor tool also provides a severity classification for each issue that it uncovers:

   • Green (info): No immediate action is necessary, but you might want to be aware.
   • Yellow (warning): Immediate action is probably needed or advised before you proceed.
   • Red (error): You must take remedial action before you can proceed.

   The following example shows a complex issue with a severity classification of red that was identified when the tool was run against the IBM App Connect Enterprise 11.0 integration node, myNodev11 with one integration server server11.

   Table 1. Recommendation report for assessment: myNodev11

   Assessment unit	Overall complexity score	Issues	Total effort (days)
   server11	COMPLEX	1	10

   Table 2. Overall complexity score: COMPLEX

   Error	Warning	Info
   RED issues: 1	Yellow issues: 0	Green issues: 0

   Table 3. Issues with a COMPLEX complexity rating can be resolved by making significant development changes or by choosing an alternative technology:

   ID	Title	Cost	Severity	Solution
   IIB01	Consider a different transformation mechanism in place of .NET.	10	RED	The message flow contains an instance of a.NETInput or .NETCompute message flow node. While IBM App Connect Enterprise 12.0 software continues to support .NET, it does not support running the .NET CLR during deployment to Linux® Docker containers on App Connect Enterprise Certified Containers. Other message flow nodes are available for transformation such as Compute, JavaCompute, and Mapping nodes.

   For more information about the rules that apply to the Transformation Advisor tool, see Rules for the Transformation Advisor tool.

5. Complete any actions that are advised by the report, then run the Transformation Advisor tool again to confirm that all issues are resolved.