Increasing the JVM heap for RSA, RAD, and other Rational or Eclipse products

I ran into an issue this past week where several times my Eclipse workspace ran into out of memory errors. I'm running Rational Software Architect (RSA), with several additional plugins, plus run one instance of WAS, and another instance of WebSphere Portal. Yes, I know. Yikes! That said, I have the horsepower for all these systems with a new laptop (a quad-core lenovo Thinkpad w520 with 16GB of RAM, can I get a hell yeah).

So I've never touched the top end of the memory on this laptop even running all this at the same time (along with multple browsers, Lotus Notes, putty, Word, and at least 2-3 other apps). So my problem was not my hardware. Rather its my JVM for RSA. I installed the 32 bit version of RSA as one of the plugins I'm using (HATS toolkit) requires the 32 bit version. You can increase the maximum heap size in the eclipse.ini settings found under x:\IBM\SDP\eclipse.ini , assuming you installed your environment off the root drive. In this file the values that come after the vmargs statement are passed directly to the JVM. Xmx is setting for the maximum heap size. I recommend that you change both this size and the Xms setting (the starting heap size). The Xmx/Xms setting should default to to 1024/100 respectively. I've increased it to 1536/256. Be very careful how you set these. Make a quick back up copy before you make your changes.


-vmargs
-Xquickstart
-Xms256m
-Xmx1536m
-Xmn64m
-Xgcpolicy:gencon
-Xscmx48m
-Xshareclasses:name=IBMSDP_%u
-Xnolinenumbers
-XX:MaxPermSize=128M
-Xverify:none
-Dosgi.requiredJavaVersion=1.5
-Dosgi.bundlefile.limit=100


You also MUST update the line



-vm 'install directory'\jdk\jre\bin\j9vm\jvm.dll
to
-vm 'install directory'\jdk\jre\bin\javaw.exe



Otherwise, it will not respect the variables and WILL crash your Eclipse instance. 


There is a great blog post on these various settings that I found at http://javahowto.blogspot.com/2006/06/6-common-errors-in-setting-java-heap.html
You may need to tweak some other settings as you go to manage performance. Don't forget that in version 8 of the products you can dynamically reduce your memory foot print: http://blog.strongbackconsulting.com/2010/11/reducing-rad-8-memory-footprint.html

Deploying connection information to RDz users in an enterprise

When rolling out Rational Developer for System Z to a mass number of users, I've found there is an easy way to do this that avoids mass confusion, and frantic help desk calls.

Export RDz Connection Information

Usually the connection to mainframe will have many settings and parameters, that are unique to that environment, and even giving a user step by step instructions is usually not enough to quell the number of help desk calls when mainframers are making their first connection.

The easy way is to have one z/OS admin create the connection settings, specifying the host name (always should be fully qualified, and NOT just an IP address), the SSL certificate info, daemon connection type, and port information. Then right click on the connection, and select 'export'. Save this to a network share, or email it to the target team members. This ensures they enter the user does not fat-finger the SSL connection information when they enter it, and helps to cut down on the number of help desk calls.

Now available: Rational Developer for System z Training

We've been pretty silent on the blog over the past three months, but for good reason. We've been heads down working hard over the summer to build a curriculum based on our partnership with Island Training Solutions. We've now perfected and delivered our course to over 1000 developers worldwide.

The training is delivered remotely. Your developers can sit at their computers, and log into our remote virtual machine desktops. An instructor will be able to walk you through all the lab exercises on the remote VM. You do not need to have RDz installed on your desktop - the remote VM has all that your developers need. Our instructor will alternate between lab and lecture. Each module is between 10-45 minutes in length, and is about 70% lab. Your developers will get real, hands-on experience using the tool so they can get busy using the product immediately.

Our new course offers a one-day hands on, lab intensive on RDz. The course is highly modular, which allows us to tailor the curriculum to suit the needs of your mainframe developers. The one day course includes the following modules:

• RDz Workbench Basics
• z/OS Connections
• Dataset management
• Dataset members
• Basic COBOL & PL/1 Editing
• Compare, Replace, & Merge editor
• ISPF Profile Editing
• z/OS Projects
• Working Offline
• z/OS Job Entry System
• Generating JCL (Compiling)
• Syntax Check
• TSO Shell & Emulation
• Debugging Batch Applications
• Debugging CICS Online Applications
• Managing DB2 z/OS Data

We also have other modules that we offer either in replacement of those above, or in an additional half day class. Those modules include:

• z/Unix Subsystem
• Advanced Editing
• BMS Editor
• HLASM editor
• CICS Explorer
• CICS Web Services
• DB2 Stored Procedures

The one day course is an excellent boot camp to get your COBOL developers started using the new RDz toolset. We also offer RDz installation and consulting services as well. If you are interested, please contact our sales group at sales@strongback.us.

An introduction to Collaborative Quality Management

Collaborative Quality Management

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IBM Releases Rational HATS 8

Dojo, REST, iPads, oh my!

So, the release many of us at Strongback (as well as a few customers) have been waiting for was released. HATS version 8 brings a whole bunch of new features. Some of which we've had direct input on (thank us for getting proper screen shots of VT100 screens). We were even quoted in the announcement material that went out from IBM regarding JAX-RS or RESTful web services.

The most obvious update is the Dojo features. Up until this release we had been hacking at it (and pretty well I might add). This release makes it just so simple to add Dojo widgets to your transformations. The JAX-RS web services is another interface we had been calling for and they are downright cool. You can wrap up  a HATS macro, writing it more like you would if you were doing CRUD operations. Then you can deliver the results in JSON format. This makes it much easier to manipulate the data in your Javascript calls, rather than serializing and deserializing the XML data.

The support for iPad, is a great marketing enhancement, but truthfully, was a minor upgrade as the tool already supported iPhone very well, and the Apple Safari browser was already well supported (but not officially).

There are lots of new features, and rather than bore you with a text based rant, we offer you our presentation on Slideshare, with lots of pretty images.

Also mentioned is a update to Host Integration Solution, which is a package that includes HATS, Host-On-Demand, IBM Personal Communcations, and IBM Communications Server. PCOMM is now included in the package. If you have a need for concurrent user pricing, HIS offers this and could be a more cost effective method of licensing over authorized user and server based pricing.

Rational HATS and HIS v8 Overview

View more presentations from Strongback Consulting

Of the most exciting features, is that this version of HATS requires an eclipse 3.5 compatible Rational IDE. The previous version would not install under RAD 8, which prevented you from using Team Concert 3.0x. HATS was one of the last shoes to drop to support this new standard, and those customers can now proceed with their RTC 3.0x upgrade plans. 

Overall, this upgrade should be very smooth. I took an existing customer application which used heavily customized web services, and easily upgraded it with minimal changes to the source code. I was also able to quickly turn the same macro behind the JAX-WS web service and create a JAX-RS web service, and both worked fantastically. The underlying RAD8 environment performs much better. We'll post more blog entries in the coming months on HATS 8 and its various features.  Stay tuned.

Finally, we'll leave you with a link to the technical specifications, for those of you who want to look at total compatibility.


https://www-304.ibm.com/partnerworld/wps/servlet/mem/ContentHandler/Y162373T55729Z40

IBM Rational enterprise modernization acronyms

I frequently get asked what all the acronyms mean with the products under the Rational EM umbrella. They are confusing, and in some cases there may be one acronym that refers to two or more products (RSA for example). So.. to help alleviate the confusion, I've compiled a simple list of common acronyms. This relates to the enterprise modernization tool space only, so its not a complete list of all the Rational acronyms... but its a start.

HOD = Host On Demand - Web browser delivered terminal emulator

PCOMM = Personal Communications - fat client terminal emulator

HACP = Host Access Client Package - package of HOD and PCOMM 

HATS = Host Access Transformation Services - Software that transforms 5250 and 3270 terminal emulation applications into web services and or web pages

HIS = Host Integration Solution - package of HIS, HATS, and IBM Communications Server

EGL = Enterprise Generation Language = 4th generation computer language built by IBM. Generates COBOL, or Java and Javascript asseets from a common language

EGL CE = Enterprise Generation Language Community Edition - the free version of EGL supported by IBM which supports the development of JavaScript and Java based rich Internet application
EDT = EGL Development Tools - is the Eclipse foundation project for EGL. http://eclipse.org/edt/
RBD = Rational Business Developer - the commercial product that supports EGL, an extension of EGL CE

zPDT = System z Personal Development Tool - a linux based system z emulator that can run different System z operating systems (zOS, VSE, zTPT). Usually only sold to ISV's.

RDz = Rational Developer for System z - Development environment for zOS developers

RDz UT = Rational Developer for System z Unit Test - special license for zPDT that can only be sold with RDz. Connect to zOS on zPDT only. Package includes the zPDT, and zOS.

RDp = Rational Developer for POWER systems - IDE for AIX or iOS development of COBOL, C++, RPG on POWER hardware

RAM = Rational Asset Manager 

RAA = Rational Asset Analyzer

RDiSOA = Rational Developer for i for SOA construction = A package of RDp and RBD

Lotus Quickr Connector 8.5 64bit support NOW available!

This is one we've been waiting on for quite a while! If you have 64bit Windows, you'll now be able to use the explorer again to navigate your Quickr sites!


Pull down the latest from Fix Central. Its labeled HF7. If you already have an IBM login ID for PPA, just click the link below.

http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/swg/selectFixes?parent=ibm~Lotus&product=ibm/Lotus/Lotus+Quickr+Connectors&release=8.5&platform=Windows&function=all

This patch includes the following fixes:

• Windows 7 64-bit support, including Windows 64-bit Explorer Connector
• Microsoft Office 2010 64-bit Connectors
• Microsoft Outlook 2010 64-bit Connector
• Corrected a problem in HF6 where MS Word can crash opening Quickr-D attachments directly through the Office Connector

Requirements Management in a CLM World

From our recent webinar series, this video discusses the importance of proper requirements management, and leveraging agile methods in a collaborative lifecycle managment solution.


Requirements Management in a CLM World.





If you are challenged with managing requirements in your IT organization, we can help. Give us a call.

Firefox 5 - fly in the ointment for Rational Requirements Composer

I was recently editing some requirements, and this was the day that FF 5 rolled out, which was only 2 months after Firefox 4 rolled out. For those unaware of the controversy,  Mozilla has announced that they will be rolling out new releases every 2 months. Yes, 2 months. Those in software development can appreciate such an agressive iteration plan, but I don't see how any vendor can keep up with their plugins. Firefox came to fame just for its ease of use with plugins. However, this aggressive release schedule is one to doom many of our favorite plugins.

Which leads us to RRC. A TON of work went into creating the plugins for Internet Explorer and Firefox for Rational Requirements Composer. RRC rolled out release 3.0.1 just a few days before Firefox 5 rolled out. The plugin was golden on FF4, but FF5 will not load the plugin.  This plugin is needed to edit the UI storyboards, BPM diagrams, and UI sketches in RRC. This is NOT the fault of IBM. Rather Mozilla is leaving behind many vendors to count on Firefox for support in other non-Windows platforms such as Mac and Linux. Mozilla has even stated that they only care about "regular user", not the enterprise. I'm guessing this will give further rise to Google Chrome as a potential contender in the enterprise space.

That said, there is a fix in the works with RRCto address the Firefox issue as shown here:
https://jazz.net/jazz03/web/projects/Rational%20Requirements%20Composer#action=com.ibm.team.workitem.viewWorkItem&id=44201

I'm hoping this allows it to work with FF6 as well. 

MS Sharepoint vs. IBM Lotus Connections

So you think Microsoft Sharepoint will do everything you need to do? Think that Lotus is behind the curve? Spend a few minutes comparing the two. IBM does collaboration better. Period.






So. Microsoft still has great marketing, right?