Setting up a test staging environment with production data
Learn how to use the server rename feature to prepare a staging environment with actual production data. A staging environment is a test sandbox that is isolated from the production environment. It can be used to try out new features or functions with real data without impacting the production database.
Before you begin
- To perform a server rename, you must obtain a feature key file from IBM Software Support. When
you contact IBM Support, mention that you are requesting a
server rename feature key file
. The key file is named ImportURLMappings.activate. Copy the file to the JazzInstallDir/server/conf directory for the applications that you will rename. The key is only needed to execute the repotools importURLMappings command. - Before you proceed with the rename, check that the required version of the Engineering Lifecycle Management software is installed and that your environment meets the criteria for a server rename. See Software version requirements and Supported scenarios for using server rename for details.
- Decide whether you are going to move the deployment to new hardware or keep the same hardware (rename-in-place). In the following steps, your current server environment is called the source environment. The server environment that you are moving to is called the target environment. If you are performing a rename-in-place, the target environment refers to a new location on the same server, or set of servers in a distributed deployment.
- Review the topics in the Impact of server rename on the IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management section to understand the actions you need to take when the Jazz® Team Server and Engineering Lifecycle Management applications are renamed.
- Review the Impact of server rename on Lifecycle Query Engine and the Link Index Provider topic.
- Before you proceed with the rename, review the post-rename steps for Report Builder.
- Decide whether you are going to keep the existing database or move to a new one. If you are planning to move to a new database, see one of the following topics as appropriate to your environment: Moving the IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management databases to a different database server or Changing the IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management databases to a different database vendor.
- Setting up server rename can take several attempts. If your setup takes more than one attempt, you will need to restore your environment to a clean state between attempts. For instructions on restoring to a clean state, see Recovering from common problems.
About this task
The server rename feature uses a mapping file to determine the URLs to be renamed. A repotools command is provided to generate an initial mapping file for you. The mapping file contains source-target pairs for the Jazz Team Server and all Engineering Lifecycle Management applications, as well as any other URLs contributed by applications. See Mapping file for server rename for details about the mapping file. See Topologies and mapping files for setting up a test staging environment for sample topology diagrams and mapping files.
- Add entries to the hosts file, if it is allowed in your environment
- Create mappings to mask the servers that are not present in your staging environment. In the mapping, be sure to include any additional Engineering Lifecycle Management servers or non-Engineering Lifecycle Management products that might be connected to the production server. For details, see step 3.d. and Dummy mappings for staging environments.
For example, you might have a Change and Configuration Management (CCM) application on one production server with links to CCM on another production server, and links to Quality Management (QM) on still another production server. Furthermore, you might have integrations with non-Engineering Lifecycle Management products, such as ClearQuest® . In this case, first mask out the URLs of the additional CCM and QM servers. Also, ensure that the URL for ClearQuest is masked out or otherwise mapped to a staged ClearQuest gateway server.
In addition, if you are using IBM HTTP Server, reconfigure the plugin-cfg.xml file to point to the target environment. For details, see step 4.