ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide
- Windows
Go to Help Center online
https://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/
ALM
Software version:24.1
Document release date:January 2024
Send Us Feedback
Let us know how we can improve your experience with the ALM
Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows.
Send your email to:[email protected]
Legal Notices
© Copyright 2024 Open Text.
The only warranties for products and services of Open Text and its affiliates and licensors
(“Open Text”) are as may be set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such
products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional
warranty. Open Text shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained
herein. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.
Disclaimer
Certain versions of software accessible here may contain branding from Hewlett-Packard
Company (now HP Inc.) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company. This software was
acquired on September 1, 2017 by Micro Focus and is now offered by OpenText, a separately
owned and operated company. Any reference to the HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise/HPE
marks is historical in nature, and the HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise/HPE marks are the
property of their respective owners.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALM (24.1) Page 2 of 177
Contents
Welcome to this Guide 8
Installation Overview 9
About ALM Technology and Architecture 9
Understanding the ALM Components 9
Example of Basic ALM Configuration 11
Example of Clustered ALM Configuration 12
How to Install and Upgrade 14
Common Installation Scenarios 15
New ALM Installation 15
Upgrade ALM with New Schema 16
Upgrade ALM with Copied Schema 17
Upgrade ALM with Same Server 19
Upgrade ALM with Same Database Server 20
Installation Prerequisites 22
Pre-Installation Checklist 22
Prerequisites: Windows Operating Systems 25
System Configurations: Windows 25
Required Permissions: Windows 25
Clustering: Windows 27
ALM Repository Path: Windows 28
Prerequisites: Oracle Database Servers 28
Connecting ALM to an Oracle Database Server 28
User Permissions for Connecting ALM to an Oracle Database Server 30
Database Administrative User Privileges 32
Project User Privileges 34
Site Administration Database Schema Considerations:Oracle 34
Oracle RAC Support 35
Oracle JDBC Driver TNSNAME and Parameters Support 36
Prerequisites: Microsoft SQL Database Servers 37
Connecting ALM to a Microsoft SQL Database Server 37
User Permissions for Connecting ALM to a Microsoft SQL Database Server 38
Site Administration Database Schema Considerations: SQL 40
Prerequisites: General 41
License Activation 41
Encryption Passphrases 42
Mail Server Information 42
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALM (24.1) Page 3 of 177
Java Installation 42
Oracle Java JDK or JRE 43
OpenJDK 8 43
Conflicting Applications 43
Prerequisites: Client-side 43
System Configurations 44
Additional Considerations 44
Permissions Required to Download ALM Client Components 44
Internet Explorer Configuration 45
Enabling User Account Control (UAC) 46
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps 47
Project Upgrade Considerations 47
Upgrade Versions 47
Suggested ALM System Configuration 48
Project Upgrade Pre-Installation Activities 50
Back Up Projects in Existing ALM Installation 50
Verifying Domains and Projects 51
Verification Process Overview 52
Define an Exception File 52
Verify a Project 54
Verify a Domain 55
Repairing Domains and Projects 57
Repairing a Project 58
Repairing a Domain 59
Restoring Backed Up Projects and Repositories 61
Restoring Projects from a Microsoft SQL Database Server 62
Restoring Projects from an Oracle Database Server 62
Restoring a Repository from the File System 63
Restoring LAB_PROJECT 64
Verify Projects Again 64
Copy Site Administration Database Schema to the New Database Server 64
Upgrading the Site Administration Database Schema 65
Schema Upgrade Guidelines 65
Recovering a Lost ConfidentialData Passphrase 66
Managing Schema Changes 68
ALMInstallation and Configuration 71
Installing ALM on Microsoft Windows Systems 71
Installation Considerations: Windows 71
Installing ALM: Windows 73
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALM (24.1) Page 4 of 177
Installing ALM in Silent Mode: Windows 87
Configure the IIS Mail Service 89
LAB_PROJECT Installation Considerations 89
Starting ALM 90
Browsing the ALM Program Folder 90
Starting and Stopping ALM Services 91
Starting ALM on a Client Machine 91
Registering ALM on a Client Machine 94
Integrating the ALM Application Server with a Web Server 95
Configuring IISas a reverse proxy 95
Configuring IISas a Secure Reverse Proxy 98
Configuring the IIS Web Server for SSLOffloading 99
Configuring Apache as a reverse proxy 99
Configuring Apache as a Secure Reverse Proxy 101
Configuring the Apache Web Server for SSLOffloading 103
Managing the ALM Application Server 103
Changing the Heap Memory Size 104
Changing the Application Server Port Number 104
Configuring Secure Access on Windows Systems 105
Configure trust on the ALM server 105
Configure a secure connection to the ALM application server (Jetty) 106
Use TLS 1.3 or TLS 1.2 for secure connection 109
Redirect http to https 110
Set up encrypted communication with cookies 111
Configuring Secure Database Access 111
Application Server Management Tools 118
Customizing System Files 118
Customizing Site Administration 118
Customizing the Site Administration Repository 119
Customizing the qcbin Application 119
Customizing Menus 120
Customizing the ALM System Tray Icon 122
Customizing the ALM Login Window 123
Display a message in the the Login window 123
Customize the background photo in the Login window 124
Uninstalling ALM 124
Uninstalling ALM from Windows Systems 125
Removing ALM Client Components from a Client Machine 125
Project Upgrade 126
Upgrading Projects 126
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALM (24.1) Page 5 of 177
Deactivate and Remove Projects from Existing ALM/Quality Center Installation 126
Copy Project Database Schemas to the New Database Server Machine 127
Restore ALM Projects in New Site Administration Database Schema 128
Upgrade Projects 130
About Upgrading Domains and Projects 130
Upgrading a Project 131
Upgrading a Domain 132
Migrating the Project Repository 134
About the Repository Migration 134
Repository Migration Status Window 135
Configure Migration Priority 138
Appendix 139
Appendix 2: Troubleshooting the ALM Installation 139
Disabling Validation Checks for the Installation Wizard 139
Checking the Installation and Configuration Log Files 144
ALM Installation Already Exists 145
Database Validator Fails 145
Monitoring ALM Server Fails 146
Appendix 2: Upgrade Preparation Troubleshooting 147
Overview 147
Quick Warning Reference 148
General Issues 148
Schema Issues 149
Data Issues 151
General Validation 152
Supported Database Version 153
Valid Database User Schema Name 153
Mixed Table Ownership 153
Database Permissions 154
Text Search Configuration 154
Schema Validation 157
Tables 158
Columns 159
Indexes and Constraints 163
Triggers 166
Sequences 167
Data Validation 168
Duplicate Values 168
Duplicate IDs 169
Tree Inconsistencies 170
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALM (24.1) Page 6 of 177
Views 170
Orphaned Entities 171
Missing Entities 172
Missing Lists and/or List Values 172
Changing the Database User Schema 173
Missing Database Objects 173
Missing List Warning 174
Sequences Warning 174
Changed Database Objects 174
Extra Database Objects 175
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALM (24.1) Page 7 of 177
Welcome to this Guide
Welcome to Application Lifecycle Management (ALM). ALM empowers
organizations to manage the core application lifecycle, from requirements through
deployment, granting application teams the crucial visibility and collaboration
needed for predictable, repeatable, and adaptable delivery of modern applications.
This help contains the following information:
l
Step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring ALM.
l
Step-by-step instructions for upgrading projects from earlier versions.
l
Generic instructions for installing on ALM.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Welcome to this Guide
ALM (24.1) Page 8 of 177
Installation Overview
About ALM Technology and Architecture
ALM is an enterprise-wide application that is based on Java 2 Enterprise Edition
(J2EE) technology. J2EE technology provides a component-based approach to the
design, development, assembly, and deployment of enterprise applications.
This section includes:
Understanding the ALM Components
9
Example of Basic ALM Configuration
11
Example of Clustered ALM Configuration
12
Understanding the ALM Components
An ALM system contains the following components:
l
ALM client components. When you open Application Lifecycle Management or
Site Administration on your client machine, client components are downloaded
to the machine. ALM client components interact with each other using .NET and
COM technologies. The client communicates with the server over HTTP/S.
l
ALM server/Application server. Client requests are dispatched by servlets to
the deployed server. ALM comes with a built-in application server called the ALM
Application Server.
The deployed application contains Application Lifecycle Management, Site
Administration, and associated files which are packaged into a Web Application
Archive (WAR) file. Client requests from ALM are dispatched to the deployed
application.
The Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) interface is used to communicate
between the application server and database server(s).
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 9 of 177
The server can run on a Windows or Linux platform.
l
Database server(s). The database server stores three types of schemas:
l
Site Administration schema. Stores information related to the ALM system,
such as domains, users, and site parameters. A row exists in this schema for
each project you create.
Irrespective of how you configure your system, there is always only one Site
Administration schema.
l
Lab_Project. Stores lab information related to managing functional and
performance testing on remote hosts, LoadRunner Enterprise server data, and
licenses. There is always only one Lab_Project schema.
l
Project schemas. Stores project information, such as entity data and user
data. A separate schema exists for every project you create.
By default, the project schemas are created on the same database server as
the Site Administration schema. These default project schemas are useful for
smaller setups. However, if you are working with a large number of projects or
with a small number of huge projects, it may be advisable to define additional
database servers solely for storing project schemas. You define additional
servers in the Site Administration DB Servers tab. For details, refer to the ALM
help.
The schemas can reside on an Oracle or on a Microsoft SQL server. For detailed
guidelines on deploying on the database server, refer to the ALM Database Best
Practices Guide.
Note: To improve system performance, it is advisable that the ALM server
and the Database server be installed on separate machines and be
connected over LAN.
l
Project repository. Stores all files to be used by all the projects in the system.
For example, .xml files, templates, and attachments. By default the repository is
located on the same machine as the application server, which is useful for
smaller setups. For larger organizations however, or when working in a clustered
environment, it is advisable to install the repository on a dedicated machine.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 10 of 177
When working in a clustered environment, the repository must be accessible by
all nodes.
l
Load balancer. When working with a load balancer, client requests are
transmitted to the load balancer and distributed according to server availability
within the cluster.
l
Tanuki wrapper. A Java service wrapper that allows ALM to be installed and
controlled like a native Windows Service. It also includes advanced fault
detection software to monitor ALM.
Example of Basic ALM Configuration
In the basic ALM configuration, the ALM Jetty application server and the web
server are embedded with the installation and installed on the same machine.
The following diagram illustrates a basic ALM system configuration:
To enhance security in this configuration:
l
Enable SSL on the ALM Jetty and make it required.
Alternatively, install an Apache or IIS web server acting as a reverse proxy in
front of the ALM server and configure SSL on the reverse proxy server. This
protects the ALM server and uses the IIS or Apache security related features to
enhance ALM security.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 11 of 177
For information on enabling SSL for all interactions with IIS, see the IIS
documentation. SSL must be enabled for the entire IIS web server under which
you install the ALM applications.
For information on enabling SSL for all interactions with Apache, see the Apache
documentation.
l
Use a firewall and close access to all incoming traffic except for the https/http
port used by ALM.
Example of Clustered ALM Configuration
Within the J2EE framework, ALM supports clustering. A cluster is a group of
application servers that run as if they were a single system. Each application server
in a cluster is referred to as a node.
Clusters provide mission-critical services to ensure maximum scalability. The load
balancing technique within the cluster is used to distribute client requests across
multiple application servers, making it easy to scale to an infinite number of users.
Take the following into consideration when setting up a clustered environment:
l
All nodes must have access to the database server on which the Site
Administration database schema resides.
l
All nodes must have access to all database servers.
l
All nodes must have access to the repository. By default the repository is located
on the first node in the cluster, and therefore all other nodes must have access
to the first node. If you install the repository on a dedicated machine, each node
must have access to that machine.
l
The load balancer must be configured with the ALM health monitor, using the
following KeepAlive uniform resource identifier (URI):
l
Send String: GET /qcbin/servlet/tdservlet/
l
Receive String: up and running
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 12 of 177
l
The load balancer must be configured with session persistency. Set the
persistency to sticky session enabled or destination address affinity,
depending on the load balancer.
To enhance security in this configuration:
l
Require SSL for the ALM virtual IP on the load balancer.
l
Use a firewall on each ALM server to block access to all incoming traffic except
for the http port (8080) or https port (8443) used by ALM.
l
If you have external clients connecting to the ALM deployment from outside the
corporate firewall, place an Apache or IISweb server as a reverse proxy in front
of the corporate firewall behind which the ALM servers are deployed, and
require SSL on the reverse proxy.
The following diagram illustrates a clustered ALM system configuration:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 13 of 177
How to Install and Upgrade
This section presents an overview of the installation and upgrade processes
described in this guide.
Note: For patch installations, refer to Installing Patches and Service Packs.
Installing and upgrading ALM consists of the following steps:
1. Check that you meet all relevant installation prerequisites.
Before beginning the actual installation procedure, check that your ALM server
machine's operating system, your database server, and your client machines,
all meet the prerequisite criteria for working with ALM 24.1. For details, see
"Installation Prerequisites" on page22.
2. (Upgrading) Check that you meet all relevant upgrade prerequisites.
If you are upgrading from an earlier version of ALM/Quality Center, it is
important to carefully consider how to configure your new ALM system. This
guide provides a suggested system configuration for upgrading projects from
your existing system. Follow the suggested configuration as much as possible.
Before beginning the installation, verify and repair all projects in the existing
system, and then back up the projects, the database, and the repository.
If you plan to upgrade a copy of the Site Administration database schema, you
need the Confidential Data Passphrase that was used in the existing
installation, and you must manage changes to the existing schema (if any).
For details, see "Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps" on page47.
3. Install ALM 24.1.
Install ALM 24.1 on your ALM server machine. The installation is guided by a
step-by-step wizard. For details, see "ALMInstallation and Configuration" on
page71.
4. (Upgrading) Upgrade projects from your existing ALM system.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 14 of 177
Upgrade your existing projects to ALM 24.1 based on your system
configuration. Note the project repository migration options. For details, see
"Project Upgrade" on page126.
Common Installation Scenarios
There are many different scenarios in which you may need to install Application
Lifecycle Management. This chapter lists the most common scenarios and
provides you with links to the specific sections in this guide that you need to follow
for your scenario.
New ALM Installation
15
Upgrade ALM with New Schema
16
Upgrade ALM with Copied Schema
17
Upgrade ALM with Same Server
19
Upgrade ALM with Same Database Server
20
New ALM Installation
The table below lists the steps for the following scenario:
l
Installing ALM for the first time
l
Windows
l
SQLdatabase
Installation Step Instructions
Prerequisites
l
"Prerequisites: Windows Operating Systems" on
page25
l
"Prerequisites: Microsoft SQL Database Servers"
on page37
l
"Prerequisites: General" on page41
l
"Prerequisites: Client-side" on page43
Installation
"Installing ALM on Microsoft Windows Systems" on
page71
Start
ALM "Starting ALM" on page90
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 15 of 177
Installation Step Instructions
Manage
ALM
l
"Managing the ALM Application Server" on
page103
l
"Customizing System Files" on page118
Troubleshoot the
Installation
"Troubleshooting the ALM Installation" on page139
Upgrade ALM with New Schema
The table below lists the steps for the following scenario:
l
Upgrading ALM to a new version
l
Windows
l
SQLdatabase
l
New ALM server
l
New database server
l
New Site Administration schema
Installation Step Instructions
Prerequisites
l
"Prerequisites: Windows Operating Systems" on page25
l
"Prerequisites: Microsoft SQL Database Servers" on
page37
l
"Prerequisites: General" on page41
l
"Prerequisites: Client-side" on page43
Project Upgrade
Prerequisites
l
"Back Up Projects in Existing ALM Installation" on page50
l
"Verifying Domains and Projects" on page51
l
"Upgrade Preparation Troubleshooting" on page147
l
"Repairing Domains and Projects" on page57
l
"Restoring Backed Up Projects and Repositories" on
page61
Installation
"Installing ALM on Microsoft Windows Systems" on page71
Start
ALM "Starting ALM" on page90
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 16 of 177
Installation Step Instructions
Project Upgrade
l
"Deactivate and Remove Projects from Existing
ALM/Quality Center Installation" on page126
l
"Copy Project Database Schemas to the New Database
Server Machine" on page127
l
"Restore ALM Projects in New Site Administration
Database Schema" on page128
l
"Upgrade Projects" on page130
l
"Migrating the Project Repository" on page134
l
LoadRunner Enterprise / LAB_PROJECT Post-Upgrade
Steps
Manage
ALM
l
"Managing the ALM Application Server" on page103
l
"Customizing System Files" on page118
Troubleshoot the
Installation
"Troubleshooting the ALM Installation" on page139
Upgrade ALM with Copied Schema
The table below lists the steps for the following scenario:
l
Upgrading ALM to a new version
l
Windows
l
SQLdatabase
l
New ALM server
l
New database server
l
Copying the existing Site Administration schema
Installation Step Instructions
Prerequisites
l
"Prerequisites: Windows Operating Systems" on
page25
l
"Prerequisites: Microsoft SQL Database Servers" on
page37
l
"Prerequisites: General" on page41
l
"Prerequisites: Client-side" on page43
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 17 of 177
Installation Step Instructions
Project Upgrade
Prerequisites
l
"Back Up Projects in Existing ALM Installation" on
page50
l
"Verifying Domains and Projects" on page51
l
"Upgrade Preparation Troubleshooting" on page147
l
"Repairing Domains and Projects" on page57
l
"Restoring Backed Up Projects and Repositories" on
page61
l
"Copy Site Administration Database Schema to the New
Database Server" on page64
l
"Upgrading the Site Administration Database Schema"
on page65
Installation
"Installing ALM on Microsoft Windows Systems" on
page71
Start
ALM "Starting ALM" on page90
Project Upgrade
l
"Upgrade Projects" on page130
l
"Migrating the Project Repository" on page134
l
LoadRunner Enterprise / LAB_PROJECT Post-Upgrade
Steps
Manage
ALM
l
"Managing the ALM Application Server" on page103
l
"Customizing System Files" on page118
Troubleshoot the
Installation
"Troubleshooting the ALM Installation" on page139
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 18 of 177
Upgrade ALM with Same Server
The table below lists the steps for the following scenario:
l
Upgrading ALM to a new version
l
Windows
l
SQLdatabase
l
Same ALM server
l
New database server
l
New Site Administration schema
Installation Step Instructions
Prerequisites
l
"Prerequisites: Windows Operating Systems" on page25
l
"Prerequisites: Microsoft SQL Database Servers" on
page37
l
"Prerequisites: General" on page41
l
"Prerequisites: Client-side" on page43
Project Upgrade
Prerequisites
l
"Back Up Projects in Existing ALM Installation" on page50
l
"Verifying Domains and Projects" on page51
l
"Upgrade Preparation Troubleshooting" on page147
l
"Repairing Domains and Projects" on page57
l
"Restoring Backed Up Projects and Repositories" on
page61
Installation
"Installing ALM on Microsoft Windows Systems" on page71
Start
ALM "Starting ALM" on page90
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 19 of 177
Installation Step Instructions
Project Upgrade
l
"Deactivate and Remove Projects from Existing
ALM/Quality Center Installation" on page126
l
"Copy Project Database Schemas to the New Database
Server Machine" on page127
l
"Restore ALM Projects in New Site Administration
Database Schema" on page128
l
"Upgrade Projects" on page130
l
"Migrating the Project Repository" on page134
l
LoadRunner Enterprise / LAB_PROJECT Post-Upgrade
Steps
Manage
ALM
l
"Managing the ALM Application Server" on page103
l
"Customizing System Files" on page118
Troubleshoot the
Installation
"Troubleshooting the ALM Installation" on page139
Upgrade ALM with Same Database Server
The table below lists the steps for the following scenario:
l
Upgrading ALM to a new version
l
Windows
l
SQLdatabase
l
New ALM server
l
Same database server
l
New Site Administration schema
Installation Step Instructions
Prerequisites
l
"Prerequisites: Windows Operating Systems" on page25
l
"Prerequisites: Microsoft SQL Database Servers" on
page37
l
"Prerequisites: General" on page41
l
"Prerequisites: Client-side" on page43
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 20 of 177
Installation Step Instructions
Project Upgrade
Prerequisites
l
"Back Up Projects in Existing ALM Installation" on page50
l
"Verifying Domains and Projects" on page51
l
"Upgrade Preparation Troubleshooting" on page147
l
"Repairing Domains and Projects" on page57
l
"Restoring Backed Up Projects and Repositories" on
page61
Installation
"Installing ALM on Microsoft Windows Systems" on page71
Start
ALM "Starting ALM" on page90
Project Upgrade
l
"Deactivate and Remove Projects from Existing
ALM/Quality Center Installation" on page126
l
"Restore ALM Projects in New Site Administration
Database Schema" on page128
l
"Upgrade Projects" on page130
l
LoadRunner Enterprise / LAB_PROJECT Post-Upgrade
Steps
Manage
ALM
l
"Managing the ALM Application Server" on page103
l
"Customizing System Files" on page118
Troubleshoot the
Installation
"Troubleshooting the ALM Installation" on page139
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Overview
ALM (24.1) Page 21 of 177
Installation Prerequisites
Pre-Installation Checklist
Review and verify the following checklist before installing ALM. This checklist
outlines the information that you must supply during the installation process. For
detailed prerequisite information, see the chapters in this part that are relevant to
your installation.
Check Information Required
Breaking
changes
Check the changes you must know before you install or
upgrade.
For details, see Breaking changes.
Installation
Machine
l
Operating system version
l
CPU type
l
Free disk space
l
Free memory
Note: For the most up-to-date supported
environments, see
http://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/specs/alm-qc-
system-requirements.htm.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 22 of 177
Check Information Required
Setup Paths
l
Installation path
l
Deployment path
Note:
l
You can accept the default paths offered by the
Installation and Configuration wizards, or enter
alternative paths.
l
The installation path must not include folders with
accented characters (for example, ä, ç, ñ).
l
The installation path and the deployment path
cannot contain non-English characters.
l
You must have full permissions on the installation
and deployment directories.
License Key License file
Cluster
Description
l
Is clustering used?
l
Cluster hosts
Encryption
Passphrases
l
Communication security passphrase
l
Confidential data passphrase
Note: In a cluster, use the same passphrase on all
nodes.
Application
Server
The port number
Mail Server
l
Server type
l
Server host
l
Server port
Demo Project Do you require the Web-based demo application for work
with the
Application Lifecycle Management Tutorial
?
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 23 of 177
Check Information Required
Database Server
l
Database type
l
Database version
l
Database server name
l
Database administrator user name
l
Database administrator user password
l
Database port
l
Oracle service name (Oracle only)
l
Default tablespace (Oracle only)
l
Temp tablespace (Oracle only)
Site
Administration
l
Site administrator user name
l
Site administrator password
Existing
ALM
/Quality
Center
Installation
If there is an existing Site Administration schema, provide the
following information for the existing version:
l
ALM/Quality Center version
l
ALM/Quality Center host
l
Confidential data passphrase
l
Database server name
l
Database administrator user name
l
Database administrator password
l
Site Administration database schema name
l
Site Administration database schema password
l
Repository folder location
l
Site administrator user name
l
Site administrator password
Repository Repository folder location
Java (JDK /JRE)
Install Java on the ALM server. For details, see "Java
Installation" on page42.
Note: When working in a cluster environment, it is
highly recommended to install the same version of
JDK/JRE on each node.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 24 of 177
Prerequisites: Windows Operating Systems
This chapter provides an overview of the prerequisites for installing ALM on
Windows-based operating systems.
This chapter includes:
System Configurations: Windows
25
Required Permissions: Windows
25
Clustering: Windows
27
ALM Repository Path: Windows
28
System Configurations: Windows
Verify that your server machine meets the ALM system configurations.
Note: For the most up-to-date supported environments, see
http://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/specs/alm-qc-system-
requirements.htm.
ALM can be deployed on a VMware ESX/ESXi server according to the VMWare
guest operating system compatibility matrix.
Required Permissions: Windows
Verify that you have the required permissions to install ALM on a server machine.
Tip: Some permissions require access to the ProgramData folder. This
folder is hidden by default. To show hidden files and folders, perform the
relevant steps for your operating system.
l
If you are upgrading from a previous version of ALM/Quality Center with a
remote repository, the ALM/Quality Center application server user account must
have network access to the remote repository. For details, contact your network
administrator.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 25 of 177
l
You must be logged on as a local or domain user with administrator permissions.
Your user name cannot include a pound sign (#) or accented characters (such
as, ä, ç, ñ).
Note: All related installation operations for the same version, such as
patch installations or uninstalling ALM, must be performed by the same
user.
l
You must disable User Account Control (UAC) during the ALM installation and
configuration.
Note: In Windows 8, UACcannot be completely disabled. Instead, use the
Run as Administrator option during installation and configuration.
l
The Distributed Link Tracking Client service must be stopped during the ALM
installation and configuration.
l
We recommend disabling anti-virus software during the ALM installation and
configuration.
l
You must have the following file system and registry key permissions:
l
Full read permissions to all the files and directories under the directory in
which ALM is installed. The installation directory path is specified by the user
during installation. By default, ALM writes the installation files to: C:\Program
Files\Micro Focus\ALM.
l
Full read, write, and execute permissions to the directory on which ALM is
deployed. The deployment directory is specified by the user during
installation.
Note: Due to a Windows limitation, the deployment directory cannot be
on a mapped drive.
l
Full read and write permissions to the repository directory, which contains the
sa and qc directories. The repository path is specified by the user during
installation. By default, it is located under the ALM deployment directory. For
details on the repository, refer to the ALM help.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 26 of 177
Note: Due to a Windows limitation, the repository path cannot be on a
mapped drive.
l
Full read permissions to the system root (%systemroot%) directory. If you do
not have these permissions, you can still install ALM, but you cannot install any
patches.
l
Full read and write permissions to the installation and configuration log files
directory. Installation and configuration log files are written to
C:\ProgramData\Micro Focus\ALM\log.
l
Full read and write permissions to all the keys under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mercury Interactive.
Clustering: Windows
Check with your system administrator whether you are installing ALM on a single
node or as a cluster.
If you are installing ALM on cluster nodes, verify which machine to use as the first
node to start the installation and the number of machines you should use. This
depends on the number of users and availability considerations.
When installing on additional nodes:
l
ALM version. You must install the same version of ALM on all nodes.
l
Operating System. You must install the same version of the operating system,
including all patches, updates, or hot fixes, on all nodes.
l
Site Administration schema. All nodes must point to the Site Administration
schema.
l
Database details. Configure all nodes with the same database information.
l
Confidential Data Passphrase. You must use the same Confidential Data
Passphrase on all nodes.
l
Repository path. All nodes must point to the repository path that is defined on
the first node. It is important that you enter the repository path using the exact
same characters on all nodes. For example, you cannot have the path on the first
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 27 of 177
server node defined as c:\alm\repository and on additional nodes defined as
\\server1\c$\alm\repository—the \\server1\c$\alm\repository path must
appear on every node.
l
Java Installation. It is highly recommended to install the same version of
JDK/JRE on each node.
ALM Repository Path: Windows
The location of the repository directory is specified by the user during installation.
You must have full control permissions to the ALM repository path as described in
"Required Permissions: Windows" on page25.
Note: Due to a Windows limitation, the repository path cannot be on a
mapped drive.
Prerequisites: Oracle Database Servers
This chapter provides an overview of the prerequisites for connecting ALM to an
Oracle database server.
This chapter includes:
Connecting ALM to an Oracle Database Server
28
Site Administration Database Schema Considerations:Oracle
34
Oracle RAC Support
35
Oracle JDBC Driver TNSNAME and Parameters Support
36
Connecting ALM to an Oracle Database Server
Verify the following:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 28 of 177
Database type and
version
Verify that ALM supports your database type and
version.
Note: For the most up-to-date supported
environments, see
http://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/specs/alm-
qc-system-requirements.htm.
Database server
name
Verify the name of the database server.
Database user
permissions
Verify that you have the database permissions required
to install
ALM
on the Oracle database server. For a list
of required permissions, see
"User Permissions for
Connecting ALM to an Oracle Database Server" on the
next page
.
Site Administration
database schema
To install ALM on an existing Site Administration
database schema (second node or upgrade), you must
have:
l
The existing database schema name and the
database administrator permissions required to
connect ALM to the database server.
l
Full read/write permissions on the existing
repository.
l
ALM must have access to the previous Site
Administration schema repository path.
l
Full read/write permissions for the ALM user to the
previous schema repository path.
l
The Confidential Data Passphrase that was used to
create the existing schema.
For schema name and password considerations, see
"Site Administration Database Schema
Considerations:Oracle" on page34.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 29 of 177
Database tablespace
name and size
l
Verify the name of the database server, and check
the connection to the database server. Ping the
database server machine name to test DNS
resolution.
l
Verify you have the tablespace names (default and
temporary) and the minimum tablespace sizes for
storing the Site Administration database schema.
l
Verify that the tablespace is not locked.
Database Column
Length Semantics
For Unicode databases, ensure that column length
(NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS) is defined according to
characters (CHAR), and not according to bytes (BYTE,
the default option).
This section also includes:
User Permissions for Connecting ALM to an Oracle Database Server
30
User Permissions for Connecting ALM to an Oracle
Database Server
To connect ALM to an Oracle database server, the installing database user must
have sufficient permissions to perform certain administrative tasks in Oracle.
These tasks include creating the ALM project user schema, copying data between
projects, and checking that there is sufficient storage in a specific tablespace.
We recommend that your database administrator create an ALM database
administrative user, for example qc_admin_db, with the specific privileges
required to install ALM.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 30 of 177
Create
ALM
database
administrative
user
Your database administrator can create an ALM database
administrative user using a script, see Creating DB
administrative user required for ALM installation.
This script creates the ALM database administrative user with
the recommended grants required on the database. Your
database administrator should run the script and create this
user on the staging database server.
The privileges of the Oracle database user "system" changed
after version 12c. If you are working with Oracle Database
versions later than 12c, make sure you create an ALM
database administrative user by following Creating DB
administrative user required for ALM installation and grant the
necessary privileges. For details on the required privileges,
see "Database Administrative User Privileges" on the next
page.
Create ALM
database
administrative
user for the
optimization of
table statistics
gathering
(Available for
17.0.1 and later)
If you want to optimize the project upgrade process, create an
ALM database administrative user with the specific privileges.
This optimizes the table statistics gathering for ALM
installation or upgrade.
To create an ALM database administrative user for optimized
table statistic gathering:
1. Make sure the UPGRADE_PROJECT_BY_SUPER_USER
site parameter is set to Y.
2. Follow the instructions in DB privileges required for the
optimization of table statistics gathering.
This section includes:
Database Administrative User Privileges
32
Project User Privileges
34
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 31 of 177
Database Administrative User Privileges
Following are the privileges required by the ALM database administrative user.
Additional explanations about these privileges can be found in the notes at the end
of the table.
Privilege Description
CREATE
SESSION WITH
ADMIN OPTION
(1)
ALM
uses this privilege to connect to the database as the
ALM
database administrative user.
CREATE USER Required to create a new project user schema when creating
a new
ALM
project.
DROP USER When deleting an
ALM
project,
ALM
attempts to remove the
Site Administration database schema from the database
server. If there is an insufficient privileges error,
ALM
ignores
the error and requests that the user notify the database
administrator to delete (drop) the database user schema.
CREATE TABLE
WITH ADMIN
OPTION
(1)
Required for granting this permission to a newly created
ALM
project user schema.
CREATE VIEW
WITH ADMIN
OPTION
(1)
Required to create views for
ALM
projects.
CREATE
TRIGGER WITH
ADMIN OPTION
(1)
Required to create triggers for
ALM
projects.
ALM
uses
database triggers to collect change history for specific
tables.
CREATE
SEQUENCE
WITH ADMIN
OPTION
(1)
Required to create sequences for
ALM
projects.
CREATE
PROCEDURE
WITH ADMIN
OPTION
(1)
Required to create stored packages for
ALM
projects. ALM
uses packages to collect change history for specific tables.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 32 of 177
Privilege Description
CTXAPP ROLE
WITH ADMIN
OPTION
(1)
Enables
ALM
to use the Oracle text searching feature. This
role exists only if the Oracle text search component was
installed and enabled on the database server.
SELECT ON
DBA_FREE_
SPACE
(2)
Required to check free space on the database server prior to
creating a new Site Administration database schema or a new
project.
SELECT ON
SYS.DBA_
TABLESPACES
(2)
Required to collect a list of tablespaces that exist on the
database server prior to creating a new Site Administration
database schema or a new project.
SELECT ON
SYS.DBA_
USERS
(2)
Required to verify the existence of specific database project
users. For example, you might want to verify the existence of
an Oracle CTXSYS user before creating a new
ALM
project.
SELECT ON
SYS.DBA_
REGISTRY
(2)
Required to verify that the text search component is installed
on the database server.
SELECT ON
SYS.DBA_ROLES
(2)
Required to verify that the text search role (CTXAPP) is
installed on the database server.
SELECT ANY
TABLE WITH
ADMIN OPTION
(1)
and
INSERT ANY
TABLE
Required for various administrative operations when
upgrading the Site Administration database schema during
installation using the copy and upgrade method, and for
enhancing performance when copying a project that has the
same source and target database server.
Note:
l
(1)
An ALM database administrative user must have privileges with Admin
Option.
l
(2)
The SELECT ON SYS privileges can be given directly by the table
owner, or through a database application role. To avoid giving these
privileges each time, you can grant this role to the ALM database
administrative user. The recommended name for this role is QC_SELECT_
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 33 of 177
ON_SYS_OBJECTS. You should run this script before you run the qc_
admin_db___oracle.sql script.
Project User Privileges
When creating a new project, ALM creates a project user schema. This user
schema hosts all the tables that are used by the project for storing and retrieving
data. Following are the required privileges for an ALM project user schema:
Project User
Schema
Privilege Description
QUOTA
UNLIMITED ON
<default
tablespace>
Required for creating database objects that are owned by the
ALM
project user schema. This privilege allows users to
create tables in the default tablespace. It replaces the
UNLIMITED TABLESPACE
system privilege that gave users
system privileges to create tables in any tablespace,
including the
SYSTEM
tablespace.
CREATE
SESSION
ALM
uses this privilege to connect to the database user
schema to perform required operations. For example creating
database objects such as tables, and using them to insert,
retrieve, and delete data.
l
CREATE
TABLE
l
CREATE VIEW
l
CREATE
TRIGGER
l
CREATE
SEQUENCE
l
CREATE
PROCEDURE
l
CTXAPP Role
For a description of these privileges, see
"Database
Administrative User Privileges" on page32
.
Site Administration Database Schema
Considerations:Oracle
Be aware of the following schema name and password considerations:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 34 of 177
l
The default Site Administration database schema name is qcsiteadmin_db. If
you want to rename the schema, you can change the name when configuring the
ALM installation.
Note: The Site Administration database schema name can only contain
English characters or numbers.
l
You can create your own ALM user password for accessing the Site
Administration database schema.
l
If there is an existing Site Administration database schema, you can create a
copy of the existing schema and upgrade the copy. This enables you to work
with ALM 24.1 and previous versions of ALM/Quality Center simultaneously.
Oracle RAC Support
Oracle RAC is a way to enhance Oracle database availability and scalability,
allowing it to interact with more than one database instance.
ALM RAC support includes:
l
Load balancing between Oracle instances.
l
Failover between all specified Oracle RAC nodes at initial connection.
ALM RAC support does not include:
l
TAF (Transparent Application Failover) support. A user failing to complete a
request upon an Oracle instance crash is required to perform the activity again
with a working Oracle instance.
To enable Oracle RAC support:
1. Verify that a file containing information of Oracle database addresses is saved
on your ALM machine. The file is named tnsnames.ora. The file should contain
information similar to the following examples:
a. This first example shows an RAC TNS Alias using all cluster nodes in the
ADDRESS sub-section and a sample of utilizing the Load balance and
Failover features:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 35 of 177
Example:
OrgRAC =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS_LIST=
(FAILOVER = on)
(LOAD_BALANCE = on)
(ADDRESS= (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = server1)(PORT = 1521))
(ADDRESS= (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = server2)(PORT = 1521))
(ADDRESS= (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = server3)(PORT = 1521))
)
(CONNECT_DATA=
(SERVICE_NAME = myrac.yourcompany.com)
)
)
b. This second example shows an RAC TNS Alias using Single Client Access
Name (SCAN). This enables Oracle 11gR2 clients to connect to the database
with the ability to resolve multiple IP addresses, reflect multiple listeners in
the cluster and handle public client connections. For details on working with
RAC SCAN, refer to the Oracle documentation.
Example:
OrgRAC_Scan =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS_LIST=
(FAILOVER = on)
(LOAD_BALANCE = on)
(ADDRESS= (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = myrac-cluster-scan)(PORT = 1521))
(CONNECT_DATA=
(SERVICE_NAME = myrac.yourcompany.com)
)
)
2. Verify that you have the address of the TNS server to which ALM should refer,
for example, OrgRAC.
Oracle JDBC Driver TNSNAME and Parameters
Support
To support Oracle JDBC parameters, you can append the options to the JDBC
connection URL in the form of ;<oracle_jdbc_propertie>=<propertie_value>;.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 36 of 177
For example, to use TNSNAME:
jdbc:oracle:thin:@OrgRAC;oracle.net.tns_admin=<path of tnsnames
folder>
Prerequisites: Microsoft SQL Database
Servers
This chapter provides an overview of the prerequisites for connecting ALM to a
Microsoft SQL database server.
This chapter includes:
Connecting ALM to a Microsoft SQL Database Server
37
User Permissions for Connecting ALM to a Microsoft SQL Database Server
38
Site Administration Database Schema Considerations: SQL
40
Connecting ALM to a Microsoft SQL Database
Server
Verify the following:
Database type and
version
Verify that ALM supports your database type and
version.
Note: For the most up-to-date supported
environments, see
http://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/specs/alm-
qc-system-requirements.htm.
Database server
name
Verify the name of the database server.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 37 of 177
Database user
permissions
Verify that you have the database permissions required
to connect
ALM
to the Microsoft SQL database server
(not applicable for Windows Authentication). For a list
of required permissions, see
"User Permissions for
Connecting ALM to a Microsoft SQL Database Server"
below
.
Site Administration
database schema
To install ALM on an existing Site Administration
database schema (second node or upgrade), you must
have:
l
The existing database schema name and the
database administrator permissions required to
connect ALM to the database server.
l
Full read/write permissions on the existing
repository.
l
ALM must have access to the previous Site
Administration schema repository path.
l
Full read/write permissions for the ALM user to the
previous schema repository path.
l
The Confidential Data Passphrase that was used to
create the existing schema.
For schema name and password considerations, see
"Site Administration Database Schema Considerations:
SQL" on page40.
Text Search Verify that the text search component is installed on
the server, even if you do not intend to use it.
User Permissions for Connecting ALM to a
Microsoft SQL Database Server
To connect ALM to a Microsoft SQL database server, the installing database user
must have sufficient permissions to perform certain administrative tasks in SQL.
If you have the SQL sa login, you can use it to install ALM. If you are unable to use
the SQL sa login due to security reasons, we recommend that your database
administrator create an ALM database administrative login, for example td_db_
admin, with the specific privileges required to install ALM.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 38 of 177
The td_db_admin login must have the Database Creators role. You must also grant
the td_db_admin login the Security Administrators role. This allows the td_db_
admin login to create and add the td user with only those privileges required for
running ALM, and to run the Maintain Project activities, such as Verify, Repair, and
Update.
Note: If you are unable to grant the Database Creators and Security
Administrators roles, you can grant specific privileges for the database
administrative login. For details, see Creating DB administrative user
required for ALM installation.
To create an ALM database administrative login on a Microsoft SQL Server:
1. Open the SQL Server Management Studio.
2. In the Object Explorer pane, under the ALM database server, expand the
Security folder.
3. Right-click the Logins folder, and select New Login.
4. Type td_db_admin as the login name, and select the authentication type (enter
password if necessary).
5. Click the Server Roles tab, and select the dbcreator and securityadmin
options.
6. Click OK.
To test the ALM database administrative login after connecting via this login
(SQL Server Authentication):
1. Verify the select sysdatabases table permission in the master database:
SELECT name FROM sysdatabases where name=<db_name>
2. Verify the create database permission:
CREATE DATABASE <dbName> -- the database name must not already
exist
3. Verify the drop database permission:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 39 of 177
DROP DATABASE <database_name> -- the database name must exist
4. Verify the select syslogins permission:
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM master..syslogins WHERE name=<dbOwnerName>
Note: The dbOwnerName must be set to td.
To test the ALM database administrative login permissions after connecting
via this login (Windows Authentication):
1. Verify the change database context permission:
USE <dbName>
2. Verify the create database permission:
CREATE DATABASE <dbName> -- the database name must not already
exist
3. Verify the select on syslogins permission:
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM master..syslogins WHERE
name='<dbOwnerName>'
4. Verify the select on sysusers permission:
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM master..sysusers WHERE name='<dbOwnerName>'
Site Administration Database Schema
Considerations: SQL
Be aware of the following schema name and password considerations:
l
The default Site Administration database schema name is qcsiteadmin_db. If
you want to rename the schema, you can change the name when configuring the
ALM installation.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 40 of 177
Note: The Site Administration database schema name can only contain
English characters or numbers.
l
You can create your own ALM user password for accessing the Site
Administration database schema.
l
If there is an existing Site Administration database schema, you can create a
copy of the existing schema and upgrade the copy. This enables you to work
with ALM 24.1 and previous versions of ALM/Quality Center simultaneously.
Prerequisites: General
This chapter provides an overview of various prerequisites for installing ALM.
This chapter includes:
License Activation
41
Encryption Passphrases
42
Mail Server Information
42
Java Installation
42
Conflicting Applications
43
License Activation
To activate your license go to the Software Licenses and Downloads Portal using
one of the following links:
l
https://entitlement.microfocus.com
l
https://entitlement.mfgs.microfocus.com for US Government Solutions
For further support, go to one of the following links:
l
https://entitlement.microfocus.com/mysoftware/contact/softwareContact
l
https://entitlement.mfgs.microfocus.com/mysoftware/contact/softwareContact
for US Government Solutions
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 41 of 177
Encryption Passphrases
Verify that you have the confidential data passphrase and communication security
passphrase.
l
Verify that you have the confidential data passphrase and communication
security passphrase that you used to install the primary cluster. You must use
the same confidential data passphrase and communication security passphrase
on all nodes.
l
You must use the same confidential data passphrase and communication
security passphrase that were used for the previous installation.
Caution: Do not change passphrases during installation or upgrade
If you use a different confidential data passphrase or communication
security passphrase than that used for the previous version, stored
information such as API key secrets, SMTP passwords, and database server
passwords become invalid and cannot be restored. This results in
connection failures to all ALM projects and the corresponding systems.
Mail Server Information
A mail server enables ALM users to send emails to other users in a project. You
select which server to use as part of the installation configuration process.
Before installing ALM, decide which mail server to use. Ask your system
administrator for assistance. If you are using an SMTP Server, check that you have
the SMTP Server name and port. The installer checks that the specified mail server
name and port are valid and that the mail server is running.
Java Installation
ALM requires Java Development Kit (JDK) or Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to
be installed before installing ALM (only x64 is supported).
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 42 of 177
Note: When working in a cluster environment, it is highly recommended to
install the same version of JDK/JRE on each node.
Oracle Java JDK or JRE
Download and install JDK or JRE from the Java downloads page.
OpenJDK 8
1. Download from the following URL: https://adoptopenjdk.net/releases.html.
2. Unzip the OpenJDK file to a folder.
3. Open the System Properties dialog box. In the Advanced tab, click
Environment Variables.
4. Under System Variables, edit the Path and add the OpenJDK bin path (for
example: C:\OpenJDK8_x64_Win_jdk8u172-b11\jdk8u172-b11\bin).
5. To verify that Java was installed correctly, run java -version in the command
prompt.
Conflicting Applications
To work with ALM, you may need to disable conflicting applications that are
running on the ALM machine. For a list of these applications, see this KB article.
Prerequisites: Client-side
This chapter provides an overview of the prerequisites for working with ALM on a
client machine. The steps described in this chapter are performed on the client
machines, and not on the machine on which ALM server is installed.
This chapter includes:
System Configurations
44
Permissions Required to Download ALM Client Components
44
Internet Explorer Configuration
45
Enabling User Account Control (UAC)
46
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 43 of 177
System Configurations
Verify that client machines meet the ALM system configurations see
http://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/specs/alm-qc-system-requirements.htm.
Additional Considerations
The following considerations must also be taken into account:
l
If you are integrating ALM with other OpenText testing tools, you must modify
the DCOM permissions on your client machine. For details, see this KB article.
ALM Edition: Modifying DCOM permissions is not required for running
Functional test sets (server-side test execution).
l
You can work with the ALM client using a remote desktop.
l
For customers using remote or mass distribution mechanisms, ALM client
components can be deployed locally on client machines by running a self-
extracting msi file. You build the msi file by running the ALM Client MSI
Generator, available from Marketplace.
Permissions Required to Download ALM Client
Components
To enable ALM to work with OpenText testing tools as well as various other
integrations and third-party tools, you need to log in to the client machine with
administrator privileges. These privileges are required to install the ALM Client
Registration add-in, which you use to register ALM client components and Site
Administration client components on your client machine.
File System Permissions
You must have the following file system permissions:
l
Full read and write permissions on the HP\ALM-Client deployment folder. This is
located at %ALLUSERSPROFILE%.
l
Full read and write permissions to the Temp (%TEMP% or %TMP%) directory.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 44 of 177
The installer program writes installation and log files to this directory. This is
generally located at C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp.
Internet Explorer Configuration
Before you download Application Lifecycle Management on a client machine, you
must perform the following configurations to the Internet Explorer browser on the
client machine.
l
Configure the Custom Level security settings. The Custom Level security setting
should be configured for the specific zone of the ALM server.
l
Set Internet Explorer as the default Web browser. This ensures that external
links to ALM entities can open in ALM.
To configure security settings on the client machine:
1. In Internet Explorer, select Tools > Internet Options. The Internet Options
dialog box opens.
2. Click the Security tab. The Web content zone of the ALM server (Internet or
Local intranet) is automatically selected. Click Custom Level.
3. In the Security Settings dialog box, configure the following settings:
Under .NET Framework-reliant components:
l
Set Run components not signed with Authenticode to Enable.
l
Set Run components signed with Authenticode to Enable.
Under ActiveX controls and plug-ins:
l
Set Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins to Enable.
l
Set Download signed ActiveX controls to Enable or Prompt.
Note: You do not need to enable Download signed ActiveX controls
if you install the ALM client using the ALM Client MSI Generator Add-in.
This allows you to install all ALM modules on a client machine without
downloading them through a browser.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 45 of 177
4. On Windows 7:
l
It is suggested that you add the ALM server site to the Trusted Sites security
zone. This is not mandatory.
l
Disable the Protected Mode for the Trusted Sites security zone.
5. Click OK.
To set Internet Explorer as the default web browser:
1. In Internet Explorer, select Tools > Internet Options. The Internet Options
dialog box opens.
2. Click the Programs tab.
3. Under Default web browser, make sure that Internet Explorer is set as the
default browser. If not, click the Make default button.
Enabling User Account Control (UAC)
If you enable UAC on a Microsoft Windows 7, 2008R2, or 2012 operating system,
be aware of the following considerations:
l
To register ALM client components, you must run Internet Explorer as the
administrator.
l
To register ALM client components on a shared location of a client machine, you
must run Internet Explorer as the administrator.
l
To install and run ALM Client MSI Generator, and to run ALM client MSI files, you
must log in with administrator permissions.
l
Administrator permissions are required to run the ALM Tray Icon.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Installation Prerequisites
ALM (24.1) Page 46 of 177
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
Project Upgrade Considerations
If you are upgrading from an earlier version of ALM/Quality Center, this chapter
presents project upgrade considerations to be taken into account before installing
ALM 24.1.
Note: For upgrade troubleshooting details, see "Upgrade Preparation
Troubleshooting" on page147.
This section includes:
Upgrade Versions
47
Suggested ALM System Configuration
48
Upgrade Versions
The following table describes how to upgrade projects from previous Quality
Center and ALM versions.
From versions Latest version to support direct upgrade
11.0 12.2
11.5x 12.5
12.0 15.0
12.2 15.5
12.5x 16.0.x
12.6x 17.0.x
15.x.x 24.1
16.x.x 24.1
17.x.x 24.1
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 47 of 177
Caution: Before performing any upgrade, the current repository must be
moved to the correct location for the new version.
Suggested ALM System Configuration
The ALM system includes the following main components: The ALM server, the
database server, and the project repository. For details regarding the function of
each component within the ALM system, see "About ALM Technology and
Architecture" on page9.
When planning your installation and upgrade strategy, decide whether to install the
new ALM system on new system components, or to reuse components from the
existing system.
It is strongly recommended that you not use any of the existing components as
part of the new system.
l
ALM server. To install the new version of the ALM server on the same machine
where the existing ALM server is installed, first reformat or reinstall the
machine's operating system. You can also uninstall the old version of ALM. For
more details on uninstalling ALM, see "Uninstalling ALM" on page124.
l
Database server. Install an updated version of the database server on a
separate machine, or create a new instance of the existing server on the
machine on which it is currently installed.
l
Project Repository. Create a copy of the existing repository to be used by the
new system.
Advantages
Following this best practice produces two functioning ALM systems:
l
The original system that can open and work with existing projects.
l
The new system to which existing projects will be upgraded.
Each system is totally separate, and any problem encountered in one does not
impact the other.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 48 of 177
This best practice has the distinct advantage of enabling you to incrementally
upgrade your projects. Since there are two functioning ALM systems, there is no
need to deactivate all projects at once. You can deactivate projects individually in
the old system, back them up, and then reactivate them in the new system,
upgrading them one-by-one. Without two functioning ALM systems, all projects
would remain inactive until their upgrades are complete, a significant amount of
project downtime.
Note: Before beginning the upgrade process you must back up the database
server and the project repository. Continuing to work in the old ALM system
after backing up causes the backup to be out of date.
The following are two examples of critical problems that may arise when you do
not follow the suggested upgrade approach:
l
Unnecessary project downtime. If a project becomes corrupted before you
complete its upgrade, there will be no option but to retrieve a backup copy of it.
Depending on organizational policy this process may take a few days, meaning
that the project is not available at all for this amount of time.
If the original ALM system is functioning however, you can go back to a working
version of the project immediately and not be dependent on waiting for the
backup to arrive, thus avoiding unnecessary project downtime.
l
Damaged project repository. If you install the new version of the ALM server on
the same machine, you must first uninstall the existing ALM server. It is possible
that you may subsequently discover a problem with the project repository that
requires the original ALM server to repair it.
Your only course of action is to:
a. Uninstall the new version.
b. Reinstall the old version.
c. Fix the project repository.
d. Uninstall the old version.
e. Reinstall the new version.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 49 of 177
Project Upgrade Pre-Installation Activities
This chapter describes project upgrade steps that must be performed before
installing ALM24.1
This section includes:
Back Up Projects in Existing ALM Installation
50
Verifying Domains and Projects
51
Repairing Domains and Projects
57
Restoring Backed Up Projects and Repositories
61
Verify Projects Again
64
Copy Site Administration Database Schema to the New Database Server
64
Back Up Projects in Existing ALM Installation
Back up all your projects in the existing ALM installation. Projects should be backed
up before running the verify and repair tools.
When you run the repair or upgrade process, ALM performs changes on your
projects to align them with the specifications for the current version of ALM. You
must back up your projects before you start to repair or upgrade them.
We strongly recommend that you deactivate projects before backing them up. If
you must back up while your project is still active, you must back up the database
before the file system. We also recommend backing up the file system as soon as
possible after backing up the database. To back up and restore data from active
projects, see this KB article.
Note:
l
The repair process makes changes to the project database schema only.
Before running the repair process, you should back up the project
database schema on the database server, and you should back up the
project data in the file system.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 50 of 177
l
Before you run the upgrade process, perform a full backup of your projects
that includes the project database schema and the project repository.
l
Version Control: Version control enabled projects cannot be backed up
while there are checked out entities. All entities must be checked in to the
corresponding version of Quality Center or ALM. To determine if there are
checked out entities, see this KB article.
To back up the project database schema on the database server:
l
Microsoft SQL database. To back up the project database schema on the
database server, see this KB article.
l
Oracle database. To back up the project database schema on the database
server, see this KB article.
Verifying Domains and Projects
Verify all projects in the existing ALM installation.
The verify and repair process checks that the project schema structure and data
integrity are correct for the existing version of ALM. It is important to verify this
before proceeding with the new installation, since the projects on the old server
should be aligned prior to upgrade.
You can run the verify tool per individual project, or on the domain level to verify all
projects in the domain.
This section includes:
Verification Process Overview
52
Define an Exception File
52
Verify a Project
54
Verify a Domain
55
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 51 of 177
Verification Process Overview
The verification process:
l
Checks the correctness of the database user schema and data in a project.
l
Detects problems in your environment, settings, schema structure, and data
integrity that could cause the upgrade to fail.
l
Generates a verification report which alerts you to problems that can be repaired
by ALM and problems that you should manually repair.
By default, the verification report is saved on the ALM server machine. To change
this default location, refer to the ALM help.
Define an Exception File
If you have made changes to a project database user schema such as the addition
of tables or columns, the verification, repair, or upgrade processes may fail. You
can define an exception file for objects that are added manually to the database
user schema, and are not defined in the schema configuration file. This instructs
ALM to ignore these changes.
You can use the exception file to ignore warnings for extra tables, views, columns,
and sequences. For any other problem that requires manual repair, consult with
your database administrator.
You must use the same exception file when running the verification, repair, or
upgrade processes.
You can set an exception file for a single project or for all projects in Site
Administration.
Caution: Using the exception file to ignore warnings for objects that are
added manually to the schema may compromise the stability of your project
upgrade and the validity of the database user schema.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 52 of 177
To define an exception file:
1. Copy the SchemaExceptions.xml file from the ALM installation directory. By
default, the file is located in <ALM installation
path>\ALM\data\sa\DomsInfo\MaintenanceData.
2. Create the exception file, for example, my_exceptions.xml, and define the
exceptions as follows:
l
For an extra table:
<TableMissing>
<object pattern="MY_Table" type="extra"/>
</TableMissing>
l
For an extra view:
<ViewMissing>
<object pattern="MY_VIEW" type="extra"/>
</ViewMissing>
l
For an extra column:
<ColumnMissing>
<object pattern="MY_COLUMN" type="extra"/>
</ColumnMissing>
l
For an extra sequence:
<SequenceMissing>
<object pattern="MY_SEQUENCE" type="extra"/>
</SequenceMissing>
3. To set an exception file for a single project:
a. In Site Administration, click the Site Projects tab.
b. In the Projects list, select a project. In the right pane, select the Project
Details tab. The project's details are displayed.
c. Under Project Database, click Exception File. The Edit Exception File
dialog box opens.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 53 of 177
d. Type the file location. The file is located under <<Repository
path>\sa\DomsInfo\MaintenanceData.
4. To set an exception file for all projects:
a. In Site Administration, click the Site Configuration tab.
b. Add the UPGRADE_EXCEPTION_FILE parameter to the list of parameters
and define the exception file location. A template example of an empty file is
located under <Repository path>\sa\DomsInfo\MaintenanceData.
For details, refer to the ALM help.
Verify a Project
This section describes how to verify a single project.
1. In Site Administration, click the Site Projects tab.
2. In the Projects list, select a project.
3.
Click the Maintain Project button and choose Verify Project. The Verify
Project dialog box opens.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 54 of 177
4. Click the Verify Project button to start the verification process. In the Verify
Results pane, log messages are displayed.
If a database error occurs while running the process, a message box opens.
Click the Abort or Retry buttons, based on whether you can correct the
problem described in the message box.
5. To pause the verification process, click the Pause button. To continue, click
the Resume button.
6. To abort the verification process, click the Abort button. Click Yes to confirm.
7. To save the messages displayed in the Verify Results pane to a text file, click
the Export Log button. In the Export Log to File dialog box, choose a location
and type a name for the file. Click Save.
8. To clear the messages displayed in the Verify Results pane, click the Clear Log
button.
9. When the verification process completes, the Verify Results pane displays the
location of the verification report. The file is located in the following directory:
<ALM Repository Path>\sa\DomsInfo\MaintenanceData\out\<Domain
Name>\<Project Name>.
10. Analyze the verification report. The report indicates both problems that can be
repaired by ALM automatically, and the problems that you need to repair
manually.
11. Click Close to close the Verify Project dialog box.
Verify a Domain
This section describes how to verify all projects in a domain.
1. In Site Administration, click the Site Projects tab.
2. In the Projects list, select a domain.
3.
Click the Maintain Domain button and choose Verify Domain. The Verify
Domain dialog box opens.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 55 of 177
4. To view the current version numbers of your projects, select the project
names, or click Select All to view version numbers for all projects. Click the
Display Versions button.
The project version number is displayed in the Version column.
5. To verify your projects, select the project names, or click Select All to verify all
projects. Click the Verify Projects button.
If a database error occurs while running the process, a message box opens.
Click the Abort or Retry buttons, based on whether you can correct the
problem described in the message box.
6. To pause the verification process, click the Pause button. To continue, click
the Resume button.
7. To abort the verification process, click the Abort button. Click Yes to confirm.
8. To save the messages displayed in the Verify Results pane to a text file, click
the Export Log button. In the Export Log to File dialog box, choose the location
and type the name for the file. Click Save.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 56 of 177
9. To clear the messages displayed in the Verify Results pane, click the Clear Log
button.
10. When the verification process completes, the Verify Results pane displays the
location of each verification report. The files are located in the following
directory: <ALM Repository
Path>\repository\sa\DomsInfo\MaintenanceData\out\<Domain
Name>\<Project Name>.
11. Analyze the verification report. The report indicates problems that can be
repaired by ALM and the problems that you need to repair manually.
12. Click Close to close the Verify Domain dialog box.
Repairing Domains and Projects
The repair process fixes most data and schema issues found by the verification
process. If the verification process finds problems that can cause data loss, the
repair process does not fix these automatically. You need to repair these problems
manually. To find out whether a particular issue is handled automatically or
manually, refer to the verification report.
By default, the repair process runs in non-silent mode. When running the process
in non-silent mode, ALM may pause and prompt you for input when an error
occurs. Instead, you can choose to run the process in silent mode. When an error
occurs, ALM aborts the process without prompting you for input.
For detailed information on the problems fixed by the repair process, and help with
repairing problems that cannot be fixed by ALM, see "Upgrade Preparation
Troubleshooting" on page147.
This section includes:
Repairing a Project
58
Repairing a Domain
59
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 57 of 177
Repairing a Project
This section describes how to repair a single project.
To repair a project:
1. In Site Administration, click the Site Projects tab.
2. In the Projects list, select a project.
3.
Click the Maintain Project button and choose Repair Project. The Repair
Project dialog box opens.
4. To run the repair process without any user interaction, select Run in Silent
Mode.
5. To start the repair process, click the Repair Project button. If the project is
active, you are prompted to deactivate it. For details about deactivating
projects, refer to the ALM help.
If a database error occurs while running the process in non-silent mode, a
message box opens. Click the Abort or Retry buttons, based on whether you
can correct the problem described in the message box.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 58 of 177
If the repair process fails, see "Restoring Backed Up Projects and Repositories"
on page61.
6. To pause the repair process, click the Pause button. To continue, click the
Resume button.
7. To abort the repair process, click the Abort button. Click Yes to confirm.
8. To save the messages displayed in the Repair Results pane to a text file, click
the Export Log button. In the Export Log to File dialog box, choose a location
and type a name for the file. Click Save.
9. To clear the messages displayed in the Repair Results pane, click the Clear Log
button.
10. Click Close to close the Repair Project dialog box.
Repairing a Domain
This section describes how to repair all projects in a domain.
To repair a domain:
1. In Site Administration, click the Site Projects tab.
2. In the Projects list, select a domain.
3.
Click the Maintain Domain button and choose Repair Domain. The Repair
Domain dialog box opens.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 59 of 177
4. In the Repair Settings area, under Repair Mode, you can select the following
options:
l
Run in Silent Mode. Runs the process without any user interaction.
l
Continue to next project if repair failed. Proceeds to the next project if the
repair process fails. This is the default option.
5. In the Repair Settings area, under After the Repair, you can select one of the
following options:
l
Leave all projects deactivated. Leaves all projects deactivated after the
repair process completes.
l
Activate only currently active projects. Reactivates previously-activated
projects after the repair process completes. This is the default option.
l
Activate all projects. Activates all projects after the repair process
completes.
6. To view the current version numbers of your projects, select the project
names, or click Select All to view version numbers for all projects. Click the
Display Versions button.
The project version number is displayed in the Version column.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 60 of 177
7. To repair your projects, select the project names, or click Select All to verify all
projects. Click the Repair Projects button.
If a database error occurs while running the process in non-silent mode, a
message box opens. Click the Abort or Retry buttons, based on whether you
can correct the problem described in the message box.
If the repair process fails, see "Restoring Backed Up Projects and Repositories"
below.
8. To pause the repair process, click the Pause button. To continue, click the
Resume button.
9. To abort the repair process, click the Abort button. Click Yes to confirm.
10. To save the messages displayed in the Repair Results pane in a text file, click
the Export Log button. In the Export Log to File dialog box, choose a location
and type a name for the file. Click Save.
11. To clear the messages displayed in the Repair Results pane, click the Clear Log
button.
12. Click Close to close the Repair Domain dialog box.
Restoring Backed Up Projects and Repositories
If the repair or upgrade process fails, you must restore the backed up projects
before trying the process again. You can restore projects that were backed up on
an Oracle or Microsoft SQL database server, and you can restore project
repositories that were backed up in the file system. A project you restore can be
used only in the ALM/Quality Center version from which it was backed up. Before
restoring the backed up project, you must remove the project from Site
Administration.
If you were previously working with LoadRunner Enterprise 11.00 or later, see
"Restoring LAB_PROJECT" on page64.
This section includes:
Restoring Projects from a Microsoft SQL Database Server
62
Restoring Projects from an Oracle Database Server
62
Restoring a Repository from the File System
63
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 61 of 177
Restoring LAB_PROJECT
64
Restoring Projects from a Microsoft SQL Database Server
This section describes how to restore a project backed up on a Microsoft SQL
database server.
For details, see this KB article.
To restore a project from a Microsoft SQL database server:
1. From the SQL Server Enterprise Manager, navigate to the database and select
Tools > Restore Database.
2. Navigate to the backup file, and follow the restore procedure to complete the
data restore process.
3. To align the td user on the new database server, run the following
SQLcommands on every restored schema (site administration, lab_project and
each project schema):
EXEC sp_change_users_login 'Report'
EXEC sp_change_users_login 'Update_One', 'td', 'td'
EXEC sp_changedbowner 'td_admin'
Note: td_admin is the database administration user with the appropriate
required database privileges.
4. In Site Administration, restore the project. For details, see "Restore ALM
Projects in New Site Administration Database Schema" on page128.
5. If the backup was performed while the project was active, realign the project
repository. For details, refer to the ALM help.
Restoring Projects from an Oracle Database Server
This section describes how to restore a project backed up on an Oracle database
server.
For details, see this KB article.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 62 of 177
To restore a project from an Oracle database server:
1. Copy the backup file to the Oracle server machine.
2. Using the SQL*Plus utility, log in to the Oracle server using the system
account.
3. Create a user for the ALM project. Make sure you create it with the same name
as the project name (or the Oracle user name) when the project was exported.
Use these SQL statements:
CREATE USER [<project name>] IDENTIFIED BY tdtdtd DEFAULT
TABLESPACE TD_data TEMPORARY TABLESPACE TD_TEMP;
GRANT CONNECT,RESOURCE TO [<project name>];
4. Locate the \Utilities\Databases\Scripts directory. Open the qc_project_db_
oracle.sql file and follow the instructions.
5. Using the command line, type imp to run the import utility.
6. Follow the prompt, and log in to the Oracle server using the system account.
After all tables have been successfully imported, a confirmation message
displays.
Restoring a Repository from the File System
This section describes how to restore a repository backed up in the file system.
To restore a repository from the file system:
1. Copy the backed up repository to the ALM repository.
2. In Site Administration, restore the project. For details, see "Restore ALM
Projects in New Site Administration Database Schema" on page128.
3. If the backup was performed while the project was active, you must restore the
database and the file system from a backup that was created after the
database backup was created, realign the project, and then activate the
project. This procedure must always be performed during disaster recovery.
For details, refer to the ALM help. If this process is done to recover certain files
or directories, you can skip the realignment.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 63 of 177
Restoring LAB_PROJECT
Before restoring a project that has the ALM Lab Extension enabled, you must first
restore LAB_PROJECT, and then any template projects.
You restore LAB_PROJECT from the Lab Management tab in Site Administration.
For details, refer to the ALM help.
Verify Projects Again
Before proceeding, run the verification tool again to make sure that all problems
have been fixed.
Copy Site Administration Database Schema to
the New Database Server
To upgrade a copy of the Site Administration database schema on a new database
server machine, you must copy the schema from the database server that was
used in the previous ALM system to the database server that will be used in the
new ALM system.
You perform this step before installing ALM 24.1 because the schema upgrade
option is defined as part of the installation configuration.
Perform the required steps for backing up, removing, and restoring databases for
your database type. For assistance contact your database administrator.
Note: The database user must have the same permissions as the user
installing ALM.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 64 of 177
When copying and upgrading the Site Administration database schema, ensure
that the existing project refers to the production project database and shared
repository, if applicable. When using a staging or side by side upgrade prior to
starting the server update, update the following columns in the PROJECTS table in
the Site Administration database schema to their new values:
l
PHYSICAL_DIRECTORY
l
DBSERVER_NAME
l
DB_CONNSTR_FORMAT
l
DB_USER_PASS
Upgrading the Site Administration Database
Schema
When installing ALM 24.1, you can choose to create a new Site Administration
schema on the database server, or you can upgrade a copy of the existing schema.
This chapter discusses considerations, guidelines, and prerequisites for upgrading
a copy of the existing schema.
This section includes:
Schema Upgrade Guidelines
65
Recovering a Lost ConfidentialData Passphrase
66
Managing Schema Changes
68
Schema Upgrade Guidelines
Upgrading a copy of the existing schema is a useful option if you are installing
ALM 24.1 on a new ALM server machine. Creating a copy of the existing schema
and then upgrading the copy enables you to work with new and upgraded projects.
Example:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 65 of 177
If your ALM 12.00 schema contains a project called my_project, by creating
a copy of the Site Administration ALM 12.00 schema and then upgrading it to
ALM 24.1, the my_project project is available in Site Administration in both
ALM 12.00 and ALM 24.1.
Oracle database servers: The new database schema is created in the same
tablespace as the existing Site Administration database.
When you upgrade a copy of the existing Site Administration database schema,
the copy that is created is independent of the existing schema. Any changes
subsequently made to the original schema through updates in your previous
version of Quality Center or ALM are not reflected in the upgraded copy of the Site
Administration database schema that ALM 24.1 uses.
Therefore, consider the following guidelines:
ALM
users
After you install ALM 24.1, if you add or delete users or update
user details in your previous version of ALM/Quality Center,
you must make the same changes in ALM24.1.
ALM
configuration
parameters
After you install
ALM 24.1
, if you modify configuration
parameters in your previous version of
ALM
/Quality Center,
you must make the same changes in
ALM 24.1
.
Server node
configuration
If you are working with server nodes, in the Servers tab in Site
Administration for
ALM 24.1
, you must reconfigure the settings
for the
ALM
log file and the maximum number of database
connections.
ALM
repository
path
The repository path in your previous version must be defined
as a network path, so that it can be accessed by both the
previous ALM/Quality Center installations and by ALM 24.1.
Make sure that the project is active on one ALM server but not
on both.
Recovering a Lost ConfidentialData Passphrase
The Confidential Data Passphrase encrypts passwords that are used for accessing
external systems (databases and LDAP).
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 66 of 177
When configuring the installation, you must enter the same passphrase that was
used in the previous installation. If you do not know the passphrase, perform the
following steps.
Note: This procedure can be performed whether you are installing ALM24.1
on the same machine as the existing installation, or on a new or separate
machine, for example, if you are adding a node to a cluster. If you are not
sure on which server machine to install ALM 24.1, see"Suggested ALM
System Configuration" on page48.
1. On the machine where ALM is currently installed, navigate to the
C:\ProgramData\Micro Focus\ALM\conf directory.
Tip: The ProgramData folder is hidden by default. To show hidden files
and folders, perform the relevant steps for your operating system.
2. Create a copy of the qcConfigFile.properties file
If you are installing ALM on a new server machine, place the copy on the
machine where you plan to run the new installation. Place the file in the same
location on the new machine.
Tip: If the ...\ALM\conf directory does not exist on the new server
machine, manually create it. In such a case, make sure that the new
directory has the required permissions to be accessed by the
configuration tool.
3. Open the file and delete all information except for the line that starts with
initstring.
4. Save the copy. If you are installing ALM on a new machine, skip to step 6.
5. If you are upgrading ALM on the same machine as the previous installation:
a. Uninstall the current version of ALM. For information about uninstalling
ALM, see "Uninstalling ALM" on page124. Uninstalling ALM does not
remove the existing qcConfigFile.properties file.
b. Overwrite the existing qcConfigFile.properties file with the version you
edited in step 3.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 67 of 177
6. When you run the installation, the wizard detects a previous ALM installation
and prompts you to accept the current settings. Accept the current settings.
When the wizard reaches the Security page the previous Confidential Data
Passphrase appears.
Managing Schema Changes
Changes to the existing Site Administration database schema may cause the
upgrade process to fail. Examples of such changes are the deletion of tables or
columns, or changes to field types.
If you are sure that the schema has been changed manually, perform the steps
below to ensure a successful schema upgrade.
If you are unsure if the schema has been changed, proceed with the installation as
normal. If the schema has been changed, the configuration process fails if the
changes cannot be handled automatically. It is important that not all schema
upgrade failures are the result of the schema changes. Check the error logs very
carefully to identify the exact cause of the failure. If it is apparent that the failure
was due to changes to the schema, proceed with the steps below. You will have to
run the configuration process again.
To prevent the upgrade process from failing, perform one of the following
actions:
Note: It is advisable to perform these actions in this order.
1. Manually repair inconsistencies between the old schema and the new schema.
For details about manually repairing the old schema, see "Changing the
Database User Schema" on page173.
2. If the change is known and you are sure the upgraded ALMserver can work
with it, you can create an exception file that instructs ALM to ignore these
changes during the upgrade process. After creating the exception file, save it
in an accessible location on your system. After installing ALM the Site
Administration Database Schema page in the wizard prompts you to add the
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 68 of 177
file to the configuration process. As a result, the changes to the existing
schema do not cause the upgrade process to fail.
To create an exception file:
a. Copy the SchemaExceptions.xml file from the ALM installation directory.
By default, the file is located in: <ALM installation
path>\ALM\data\sa\Admin\MaintenanceData
b. Place the copy of the file in an accessible location on your system.
c. Edit the file and define exceptions. For example:
o
For an extra table:
<TableMissing>
<object pattern="MY_Table" type="extra"/>
</TableMissing>
o
For an extra view:
<ViewMissing>
<object pattern="MY_VIEW" type="extra"/>
</ViewMissing>
o
For an extra column:
<ColumnMissing>
<object pattern="MY_COLUMN" type="extra"/>
</ColumnMissing>
o
For an extra index:
<IndexMissing>
<object pattern="MY_INDEX" type="extra">
</IndexMissing>
o
For an extra constraint:
<ConstraintMissing>
<object pattern="MY_CONSTRAINT" type="extra">
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 69 of 177
</ConstraintMissing>
o
For multiple occurrences of extra elements:
For example, multiple extra columns:
<ColumnMissing>
<object pattern="MY_COLUMN_1" type="extra"/>
<object pattern="MY_COLUMN_2" type="extra"/>
</ColumnMissing>
d. Save the SchemaExceptions.xml file.
3. If you cannot manually repair the inconsistencies, or create an exception file,
create a new schema and then migrate the projects to the new schema.
If ALM is already installed on the server machine, you can rerun the ALM
Installation Wizard.
a. In the Site Administration Database Schema page, select Create a New
Schema.
b. After the configuration process completes, migrate projects to the new
schema using the Restore Project option in Site Administration. For details,
refer to the ALM help.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Pre-Installation Project Upgrade Steps
ALM (24.1) Page 70 of 177
ALMInstallation and Configuration
Installing ALM on Microsoft Windows
Systems
This chapter describes how to install ALM on Windows operating systems. It also
describes how to install ALM silently.
Note: For installation troubleshooting details, see "Troubleshooting the ALM
Installation" on page139.
This section includes:
Installation Considerations: Windows
71
Installing ALM: Windows
73
Installing ALM in Silent Mode: Windows
87
Configure the IIS Mail Service
89
Installation Considerations: Windows
Before installing ALM, consider the following:
Default ALM
paths
l
Installation path: C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\ALM
l
Server deployment path: C:\ProgramData\Micro
Focus\ALM
l
Repository path: C:\ProgramData\Micro
Focus\ALM\repository
Paths and files
created
automatically
by the ALM
l
C:\ProgramData\Micro Focus\ALM\conf
l
C:\ProgramData\Micro Focus\ALM\log
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 71 of 177
ALM logs
The locations of the ALM Site Administration and client log
files are subject to your settings. You can verify the locations
from Site Administration.
The installation log file is located in the ALM server installation
folder.
The deployment log file is located in C:\ProgramData\Micro
Focus\ALM\log.
Installation
scenarios
l
Upgrading from ALM 15.5.x or earlier to ALM 24.1. When
upgrading a copy of an existing Site Administration database
schema, consider the following:
l
If you are using the existing settings as default, the
default deployment path will be the same as the path used
in the previous installation. This path can be changed.
l
If you are not using the existing settings as default, the
default deployment path will be C:\ProgramData\Micro
Focus\ALM. This path can be changed.
Note: The repository path of the upgraded projects will
be the same as the path used in the previous installation.
After upgrading, the newly created projects will use the
repository path that was defined during the current
installation.
If you want to use the same repository path as it was
before (default: C:\ProgramData\HP\ALM\repository),
make sure to set it correctly during installation.
JAVA path
used by ALM
l
When you start the ALM installer, the Java you are using is
the one specified by JAVA_HOME. This variable is set when
installing Java. For details, see "Java Installation" on
page42.
l
During ALM installation, the path you specified for the JDK or
JRE folder is written to the MICRO_FOCUS_JAVA_PATH variable.
It indicates the Java path used by ALM. For details, see
"Installing ALM: Windows" on the next page.
To check the value of this variable, open Advanced system
settings, and in the system variables table, find MICRO_
FOCUS_JAVA_PATH. For details, see the Microsoft
documentation.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 72 of 177
Installing ALM: Windows
Before installing ALM, consider the following:
l
Verify that you meet the various installation prerequisites. For prerequisite
information, see the relevant chapters in "Installation Prerequisites" on page22.
l
If you are planning to upgrade a copy of the existing Site Administration schema,
the database server of the existing Site Administration schema and the database
server of the existing Lab Project must be supported. If these database servers
are not supported, you can disable the validation check. For details, refer to
"Disabling Validation Checks for the Installation Wizard" on page139.
Note: For the most up-to-date supported environments, see
http://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/specs/alm-qc-system-
requirements.htm.
l
If you encounter problems during the ALM installation process, see
"Troubleshooting the ALM Installation" on page139 for troubleshooting
suggestions.
l
If you want to reconfigure ALM after the installation and configuration is
complete, you must run the installation procedure again.
l
If an error occurs during the installation procedure, you must uninstall and restart
the installation procedure.
l
If an error occurs during the installation procedure and the installation log file is
not found, ensure that enough disk space is available for installation and
deployment to the selected locations, and that system settings such as the open
file resources limit are set to the maximum allowable value.
To install ALM:
1. Log in to the ALM server machine with the appropriate permissions. For a list of
required permissions, see "Required Permissions: Windows" on page25.
2. If Quality Center or ALM is installed on the machine, uninstall it. For information
on uninstalling, see "Uninstalling ALM from Windows Systems" on page125.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 73 of 177
Cluster environment: Uninstall ALM from all nodes.
3. Make sure the following services are started on the machine:
a. Secondary Logon
b. Windows Management Instrumentation
4. Run the ALM setup.exe, and click ALMPlatform (Windows OS).
Note:
l
The configuration settings are saved in the qcConfigFile.properties
file. The file is created in the C:\ProgramData\Micro Focus\ALM\conf
directory.
l
Also, the repid.txt file is created in the <ALM Repository path>\qc
folder. The file should not be moved from this location.
l
If you are installing ALM on a secondary node of a cluster, some of the
dialog boxes that are needed only for the primary node are not
displayed.
5. The ALM Installation wizard starts, displaying the Welcome page. Click Next.
6. The License Agreement page opens.
Read the license agreement. To accept the terms of the license agreement,
select I accept the license terms. Click Next.
7. In the JDK/JRE Path step, browse to or enter the JDK or JRE folder path. Click
Next.
The JDK or JRE folder path you specified in this step is written to the
qcConfigFile.properties file and MICRO_FOCUS_JAVA_PATH. It can be
different from the value of the JAVA environment variable JAVA_HOME. For
details about MICRO_FOCUS_JAVA_PATH and JAVA_HOME, see "Installation
Considerations: Windows" on page71.
Required only if you use the Microsoft SQL Server (Windows Auth.)
authentication type:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 74 of 177
a. In your JRE/JDK's bin folder, which is specified in JAVA_HOME, back up
and remove the old mssql-jdbc_auth*.dll file if any.
b. Copy the mssql-jdbc_auth-8.2.2.x64.dll file from the installer folder
(where you extracted the install.zip file) to your JRE/JDK's bin folder. If
there is a jre folder under the JDK folder, copy the file to both the
JDK/bin and JDK/jre/bin folders.
If the values of MICRO_FOCUS_JAVA_PATH and JAVE_HOME are
different, also copy the mssql-jdbc_auth-8.2.2.x64.dll file to the bin
folder of the JDK or JRE folder specified by MICRO_FOCUS_JAVA_PATH.
Note: ALM requires Java JDK or JRE to be installed prior to installing
ALM. For details, see "Java Installation" on page42.
8. In the Folder Selection step, browse to or enter the installation path, or accept
the default. Click Next.
9. If the wizard detects settings from a previous ALM installation, the Current
Settings page opens.
Select Use default values of existing configuration to use the current
settings as default settings for the current installation. You can make changes
to any of the default settings during the wizard. Select No to clear all settings in
the Configuration wizard.
Click Next
10. The Database Server page opens.
a. Under Database Type, select the database type to be used in your ALM
system.
Oracle Uses Oracle authentication
MS-SQL (SQL
Auth.)
Authenticates the user to the database using a
database user name and password.
MS-SQL
(Windows
Auth.)
Windows authentication relies on the user being
authenticated by the operating system.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 75 of 177
MS-SQL (AAD
Auth.)
Authenticates the user to the database using an Azure
AD account.
Note: When upgrading projects to ALM 24.1, you must use the same
type of SQL authentication that you used when that project was
originally created.
For details on database requirements, see "Prerequisites: Oracle Database
Servers" on page28 or "Prerequisites: Microsoft SQL Database Servers" on
page37.
b. Select one of the following options:
o
Database Parameters. Select this option to enter database server
information using the following fields:
DB host
name
Type the database server host name or IP address. For
example,
dbsrv01.domain.com
.
DB port
number
Type the database server port number, or accept the
default port number.
Oracle
service
name
If you selected Oracle as the database type, type the
Oracle service name.
o
Connection String. Select this option to type a formulated database
server connection string.
Oracle
RAC
databa
se
Select Connection String, and enter a connection string,
specifying the folder that contains the tnsnames.ora file, and
the TNS server to which ALM should refer. Use the following
example:
jdbc:oracle:thin:@OrgRAC;oracle.net.tns_
admin=c:\oracle\NETWORK\ADMIN;
For details on prerequisites for Oracle RAC support,
see"Oracle RAC Support" on page35
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 76 of 177
Micros
oft SQL
Server
databa
se
If your database requires SSL/TLS access, see
"To configure
a secure database connection for a new ALM installation:" on
page117
.
c. DB admin user name. Type the name of the user with the administrative
permissions required to install ALM on the database server.
d. DB admin password. Type the database administrator password.
Note: DB admin user name and DB admin password are not applicable
for Microsoft SQL Server Windows Authentication.
Click Next.
11. The Site Administration Database Schema page opens.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 77 of 177
a. In Select Action, choose one of the following:
Create a
New
Schema
Creates a new Site Administration database schema and a
new Lab_Project.
Note: The installation log and the enable_
extensions.txt file contain error messages stating
"Schema differences were found". These errors can be
ignored, they are generated as part of the schema
enable extension mechanism and the upgrade
mechanism.
Upgrade a
copy of
the
existing
schema
Creates a copy of the existing Site Administration database
schema, and upgrades the copy. For details, see "Schema
Upgrade Guidelines" on page65.
If you select this option, the Schema Exception File option
appears. If you have defined an exception file for the
upgrade process, click Browse and navigate to the location
where it was saved before the installation. For details about
exception files, see "Managing Schema Changes" on
page68.
When working in a cluster environment, select this option if
you have an existing primary node and you want to install
ALM.
Note: When you upgrade a copy of the existing Site
Administration schema, ALM tries to copy LAB_
PROJECT to the database server where the original
LAB_PROJECTexists. If LAB_PROJECT is successfully
copied, the new upgraded Site Administration schema
points to the new copy of LAB_PROJECT. If LAB_
PROJECT is not copied, a new empty LAB_PROJECT is
created in the database server where the new Site
Administration database schema is created. For
details, see "LAB_PROJECT Installation
Considerations" on page89
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 78 of 177
Connect
to
existing
schema /
second
node
This option can be used in two scenarios:
o
If you are reinstalling ALM and would like to reconnect to
the same Site Administration database schema.
o
If you have an existing node and you want to install ALM
on another node to create a cluster. For details on cluster
configuration, see "Clustering: Windows" on page27.
Note: This option enables you to connect to an
ALM24.1 Site Administration database schema only.
To connect to an earlier version, you must first
upgrade the schema. For details, see"Upgrading the
Site Administration Database Schema" on page65.
b. When creating a new schema, in Database Name, enter the name of the
database.
c. When connecting to ALM on an Oracle database server:
If you are installing ALM on a secondary node or if the Site Administration
database already exists, the new Site Administration database schema is
created in the same tablespace as the existing schema. Continue with the
Security step below.
Type the following information:
o
Default Tablespace. Select a default storage location from the list.
o
Temporary Tablespace. Select a temporary storage location from the
list.
d. Under SA Schema Details, type the following information:
o
Schema name. Type a Site Administration database schema name, or
accept the default schema name. The Site Administration database
schema name can contain English characters or numbers only.
o
Schema password. Enter the following information, depending on your
database type:
Oracle:
The default
tdtdtd
password is created, which you can
accept or change.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 79 of 177
Microsoft
SQL Server
(SQL
Auth.):
ALM uses the td user to create the Site Administration
database schema. For more details on the td user, see
"User Permissions for Connecting ALM to a Microsoft
SQL Database Server" on page38.
Type a password for the td user that complies with your
organization’s password policy, or keep the default
tdtdtd password.
Microsoft
SQL Server
(Windows
Auth.):
Not applicable.
Microsoft
SQL Server
(AAD
Auth.)
Enter the name and password of the Site Administration
database schema name, or keep the default
tdtdtd
password.
o
New Schema name. If you selected Upgrade a copy of the existing
schema, type a name for the upgraded copy of the database schema.
The Site Administration database schema name can only contain English
characters or numbers.
Note: When upgrading an existing Site Administration database
schema to work in ALM24.1, you must use the same name that you
used before the upgrade.
Click Next.
12. The License Key page opens.
Note: If you selected Connect to existing schema / second node in the
previous step, the License Key step is skipped. Continue with the Security step
below.
Select one of the following options:
ALM server
license key
Browse to or enter the
ALM
license file
path.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 80 of 177
Use
Evaluation
Key
If you do not have a license file, select this option for a 30-
day trial version of ALM. From the drop-down list, select the
edition to install for the trial period.
Note: If you install Quality Center Community Edition,
you must assign named licenses to your users. Only
then can the users successfully log in to ALM and see
the appropriate modules. For details on assigning
named licenses, see the
ALM help.
License URL
Parameters
This option configures the AutoPass License Server (APLS).
a. Enter the license server host and port.
b. To secure the communication, select HTTPS.
Alternatively, you can also configure APLS after the ALM
installation. Perform the following steps:
a. From the ALM server machine, navigate to
C:\ProgramData\Micro
Focus\ALM\repository\sa\Admin\MaintenanceData\con
f
b. Edit clusterSettings.properties
c. Define values for the following fields: AUTOPASS_
SERVER_PROTOCOL, AUTOPASS_SERVER_PORT,
AUTOPASS_SERVER_NAME.
d. Save and restart the ALM server.
Click Next.
13. The Security page opens.
a. Confidential Data Encryption
Passwords for accessing external systems (databases and LDAP) are
stored by ALM after encryption. Enter a Confidential Data Passphrase that
ALM uses to encrypt the information.
Make a note of the passphrase for future support calls. You need the
passphrase if you choose to redeploy ALM and choose to upgrade a copy of
the existing Site Administration Database Schema. The passphrase is also
required for the next ALM installation.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 81 of 177
Select Use default value for Passphrase to use the default Confidential
Data Encryption passphrase. By selecting this option, the encrypted
information is more vulnerable to unauthorized access.
Note:
o
After completing the server configuration wizard, you cannot
change the confidential data encryption passphrase.
o
The passphrase is case-sensitive. Also check that there are no
empty spaces before or after the passphrase. The passphrase
must contain only alphanumeric characters.
o
If you do not have a note of the confidential data passphrase, there
is a workaround to recover it. However, you will have to abort the
configuration process and then begin again once the workaround is
complete. For details, see"Recovering a Lost ConfidentialData
Passphrase" on page66.
b. Communication Security
Communication between ALM and other applications is enabled after
authentication by a Single Sign-On (SSO) token. Enter a communication
security passphrase that ALM uses to encrypt the SSO token.
Note:
o
The communication security passphrase is stored as the value of
the COMMUNICATION_SECURITY_PASSPHRASE site
configuration parameter. For details, refer to the ALM online help.
o
The passphrase must contain only alphanumeric characters, and
must contain at least 12 characters .
Passphrases considerations
l
You must use the same passphrases (both confidential data passphrase and
communication security passphrase) that were used for the previous
installation.
l
If you are planning to migrate, restore, or import extension-enabled projects
(such as LoadRunner Enterprise and/or Lab Management enabled
projects)onto the server on which the project was originally created, you
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 82 of 177
must use the same passphrases that were defined on the server on the
original server.
l
If you are installing ALM on a cluster, you must use the same passphrases for
all nodes.
Caution: If you use different passphrases than those for the previous
version, stored information such as API key secrets, SMTP passwords,
and database server passwords become invalid and cannot be restored.
This results in connection failures to all ALM projects and the
corresponding systems.
14. The Site Administrator User page opens.
You use the site administrator name and password that you define here to log
in to Site Administration for the first time. After installation, you can change the
site administrator or add other site administrators. Enter a site administrator
user name (maximum length 60 characters) and password, and retype the
password to confirm.
If you are upgrading a copy of the existing Site Administration database
schema, by default the same user and credentials are applied to the upgraded
schema. To create an additional user, select Create additional Site
Administrator user (this field appears only when you are upgrading a copy of
the existing schema).
Note:
l
The user name cannot include the following characters: \ / : * ? " < > |
l
The password cannot be longer than 20 characters.
l
It is important that you remember the site administrator user name and
password so you can log in to Site Administration.
Click Next.
15. The ALM Service page opens.
Type the User Name, Password, and Domain to be used to run the application
server as a service. This enables the service to access your local network.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 83 of 177
If the repository is on a remote machine, or if you are using a Microsoft SQL
server with Windows authentication, enter the details of a domain user who
has administrative permissions for the SQL server and who is a local
administrator.
Click Next.
16. The Repository page opens.
In the File repository path box, click the browse button to choose a repository
path, or accept the default path. Make sure to enter a unique, case-sensitive
name for the repository folder.
Note:
l
Make sure you select a path where you have full read and write
permissions.
l
To work with cluster nodes, make sure that all nodes have access to
the file repository path and that the path is UNC. All nodes in the
cluster must have the same string for the repository path.
l
The length of the file repository path cannot exceed 200 characters.
l
The file repository path cannot reside on the root folder.
l
Due to a Windows limitation, the file repository path cannot be on a
mapped drive.
Using the BASE_REPOSITORY_PATH site configuration parameter, you can
create a location for a repository path where new projects will be located.
Performing this action, therefore, means there will be two repository paths: the
previous path containing older projects, and a second path containing projects
created subsequently. For details, refer to the ALM online help.
Click Next.
17. The Application Settings page opens.
a. In the Deployment Path box:
Specify the location in which you want to deploy ALM application files. Click
the browse button to choose a location, or accept the default location. We
recommend that you keep the default.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 84 of 177
Note:
o
The length of the deployment path cannot exceed 200 characters.
o
Due to a Windows limitation, the deployment path cannot be on a
mapped drive.
b. In the Web Server box:
Change or keep the default HTTP port number. The default port is 8080.
Note: If an error message is displayed that the default port is
unavailable, the port may be in use by another application running on
the server machine. Either locate the application and stop it, or enter a
different port number. To enter a different port number, you must first
change the port number on the application server. For details, see
"Changing the Application Server Port Number" on page104. Then
proceed with the configuration as normal.
c. Select Start ALMserver once installation completed to automatically
start the server when the installation is successfully completed.
Click Next.
18. The Mail Service page opens.
To enable ALM to send emails to users in an ALM project, select a mail
protocol. For SMTP Service, type the server name and port.
If you selected Microsoft IIS SMTP Service, you must configure the Microsoft
IIS SMTP service. For details, see "Configure the IIS Mail Service" on page89.
Click Next.
Note: The Mail Server can be configured after installation in Site
Administration. For details, refer to the ALM online help.
19. The ALM Client Launcher page opens.
ALM Client Launcher is a tool that allows you to run an ALM client on any
Windows machine without the need of deploying it from an ALM server and
without Windows administrator permissions.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 85 of 177
From this page, you can:
l
Click the marketplace link to download ALM Client Launcher and learn more
about the tool.
You can also download ALM Client Launcher after the ALM installation.
l
Check the Package client files in the server for ALM Client Launcher
option to have client files automatically packaged in the server.
We recommend you check this option if you want to use ALM Client
Launcher. It saves you from manually uploading client files to the server.
Users that have downloaded ALM Client Launcher can seamlessly run an
ALM client upon the successful ALM installation.
Note: Skip this page if you do not plan to use ALM Client Launcher.
20. The Installation Summary page opens. To change any settings, click Previous.
Understand the breaking changes in this version by clicking the help link and
select the Acknowledge all the breaking changes checkbox. Click Next to
continue.
21. The Install Complete page opens.
If the installation process ends with warnings, check the installation logs for
details, and start the server manually. For details see "Checking the Installation
and Configuration Log Files" on page144.
22. If you are prompted to restart the machine, you can choose to restart at a later
time, but you must restart before you use ALM. You must also restart before
you install any ALM related files, such as integration add-ins.
23. If you are using an Oracle RAC database, verify that the ORACLE_RAC_
SUPPORT site configuration parameter is set to Y. For details, refer to the ALM
online help.
24. The installation of ALM is now complete. Proceed to "Starting ALM" on
page90.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 86 of 177
Installing ALM in Silent Mode: Windows
A silent installation runs the entire setup process in the background without
requiring you to navigate through setup screens and input selections. Instead, all
configuration parameters are assigned values that you define in a configuration file
(qcConfigFile.properties). When running an installation in silent mode, no
messages are displayed. Instead, you can view installation information in the log
file, including information on whether the installation was successful. The
installation log file can be found under the <installation folder>\log directory. The
deployment and configuration log file can be found in the following path
C:\ProgramData\Micro Focus\ALM\log directory.
To troubleshoot problems you may encounter while running the installation, see
"Troubleshooting the ALM Installation" on page139.
If you want to reconfigure ALM after the installation and configuration is complete,
you must run the installation procedure again.
If an error occurs during the installation procedure, you must uninstall and restart
the installation procedure.
If an error occurs during the installation procedure and the installation log file is not
found, ensure that enough disk space is available for installation and deployment
to the selected locations, and that system settings such as the open file resources
limit are set to the maximum allowable value.
To install ALM in Silent Mode:
Note: To run silent installations for different configurations, you can create
multiple configuration files.
1. Uninstall the existing version of ALM/Quality Center from the machine.
2. Create the qcConfigFile.properties file.
The file defines the configuration values that are used during the installation.
We recommend that you use an existing file from a prior installation of ALM.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 87 of 177
If there is no existing file, you can create one manually. However, this can be a
complicated process that is open to errors. We suggest that you create one by
running a normal installation. During the installation process, the file is
automatically created. The configuration values you define during the
installation process are recorded in the file. Even if you subsequently uninstall
ALM, you can keep and edit the file as needed for future installations.
The file is automatically saved in the following path C:\ProgramData\Micro
Focus\ALM\conf directory.
3. Update the installer.properties file with the installation path and the path of
the configuration file, if they are not in their default locations.
Note:
l
Neither the length of the file repository path nor the length of the
deployment path can exceed 200 characters.
l
Due to a Windows limitation, the deployment directory and the
repository path cannot be on a mapped drive.
4. If you want to use the Microsoft SQL Server (Windows Auth.) authentication
type, do the following:
a. In your JRE/JDK's bin folder, back up and remove the old mssql-jdbc_
auth*.dll file if any.
b. Copy the mssql-jdbc_auth-8.2.2.x64.dll file from the installer folder to
your JRE/JDK's bin folder. If there is a jre folder under the JDK folder, copy
the file to both the JDK/bin and JDK/jre/bin folders.
5. From the command line, run the run_silent.bat file.
If the installation process fails, check the installation logs for details. For details
see "Checking the Installation and Configuration Log Files" on page144.
If the installation process ends with warnings, the ALMserver does not
automatically start. Check the installation logs for details, and start the server
manually. For details see "Checking the Installation and Configuration Log
Files" on page144.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 88 of 177
Configure the IIS Mail Service
If you select Microsoft IIS SMTP Service as your mail server, you must configure
the Microsoft IIS SMTP service as follows:
1. Open the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window.
2. In the Tree pane, right-click Default SMTP Virtual Server and select
Properties. The Default SMTP Virtual Server Properties dialog box opens.
3. In the Access tab, click the Connection button. The Connection dialog box
opens. Select All except the list below and click OK.
4. Click the Relay button. The Relay Restrictions dialog box opens. Select All
except the list below and click OK.
5. Click OK to close the Default SMTP Virtual Server Properties dialog box.
LAB_PROJECT Installation Considerations
When you select Upgrade a copy of the existing schema in the Installation
wizard, ALM tries to copy LAB_PROJECT as well. Below is a more detailed
explanation of the actions performed on LAB_PROJECT when upgrading a copy of
the existing Site Administration schema:
1. ALM tries to copy LAB_PROJECT to the database server where the original
LAB_PROJECTexists.
If LAB_PROJECT is successfully copied:
l
The new Site Administration schema points to the new LAB_PROJECT.
l
The copied LAB_PROJECT has an empty repository. You need to copy the
repository from the source LAB_PROJECT.
l
The copied LAB_PROJECT must be upgraded.
2. If ALM fails to copy LAB_PROJECT to the database server where the original
LAB_PROJECTexists, a new empty LAB_PROJECT is created in the database
server where the new Site Administration database schema is created.
To copy the original LAB_PROJECT data to make it usable for the installation:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 89 of 177
l
Remove the new LAB_PROJECT.
l
Create a copy of the original LAB_PROJECT database schema and
repository:
o
Backup the original LAB_PROJECT database schema.
o
Restore a backup of the original LAB_PROJECT into the new installation
database server.
o
Copy the source repository from the original LAB_PROJECT into the new
installation repository.
l
Update the dbid.xml file of the new LAB_PROJECT with the new:
o
Installation database server name
o
Connection string
o
Password
o
Repository location
l
Restore the new LAB_PROJECT.
l
Upgrade the new LAB_PROJECT.
Starting ALM
This chapter introduces ALM options and resources. It also explains how to start
ALM.
Browsing the ALM Program Folder
90
Starting and Stopping ALM Services
91
Starting ALM on a Client Machine
91
Registering ALM on a Client Machine
94
Browsing the ALM Program Folder
In Windows, after the ALM setup process is complete, the following items are
added to your ALM program folder (Start > Programs > ALM Server):
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 90 of 177
Option (A-Z) Description
ALM
Tray Icon Places the system tray icon in the system tray if
it does not appear there.
Application Lifecycle
Management
Opens
ALM
. For details, refer to the
ALM help
.
Site Administration Opens the Site Administration application. For
details, refer to the
ALM help
.
Uninstall Application
Lifecycle Management
Uninstalls
ALM
. For details, refer to
"Uninstalling
ALM" on page124
.
Starting and Stopping ALM Services
In the system tray, right-click the ALM icon and select Start Application
Lifecycle Management, or Stop Application Lifecycle Management.
Starting ALM on a Client Machine
You launch ALM on your client machine using either ALM Client Launcher or
Microsoft Edge with IE mode enabled.
Before logging in to ALM, you must first create a project in Site Administration. For
details, refer to the ALM help.
Note:
l
To enable ALM to work with OpenText testing tools as well as third-party
and custom tools, you must run the ALM Client Registration add-in, which
registers ALM components on the client machine. For details, see
"Registering ALM on a Client Machine" on page94.
l
If your users connect to ALM over a virtual environment, such as Citrix or
VMware, you can deploy ALM components on a shared location that all
users can access. To enable a shared deployment, run the Shared
Deployment for Virtual Environments add-in from the Application
Lifecycle Management Add-ins page. For details on installing add-ins,
refer to the ALM help.
l
We recommend that you import the ALM Demo Project available from the
ALM Help page (select Help > Demo Project). Importing this project
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 91 of 177
enables you to run all lessons in the Application Lifecycle Management
Tutorial. In Site Administration, import the ALM Demo file. For details on
importing projects, refer to the ALM help.
To start ALM using ALM Client Launcher:
1. Enter your ALM URL in your browser.
http://<ALM server name/IP address>[<:port number>]/qcbin. Contact
your system administrator if you do not have the correct URL.
2. For Single-Sign-On users:
a. If the user discovery page is displayed, add your user name or email
address as specified in ALM. Click Submit.
b. In the IDP page, add your IDP credentials. Click the log in button.
3. In the Application Lifecycle Management Options window, click ALM Desktop
Client link.
4. If you already have ALM Client Launcher installed, click Open ALM Client
Launcher in the confirmation dialog box.
5. If you did not install ALM Client Launcher, from the Download ALM Client
Launcher page, select where to download ALM Client Launcher, from
Marketplace or ALM Server, and click Download. Save the download file and
run it.
For details about how to use ALM Client Launcher, see the ALM online help.
6. In the login page, provide the following information:
User name Enter your username.
Not available for Single-Sign-On users.
Password Enter the password assigned to you by your site
administrator.
Available in 16.0.1 and later: You can click and hold the
eye icon ( ) next to your password to show it in plain text.
Not available for Single-Sign-On users.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 92 of 177
Forgot
Password
If you cannot remember your password, click link to reset
your password.
Not available for Single-Sign-On users.
Automatically
log in to my last
domain and
project on this
machine
Select check box if you want ALM to automatically log in
to the last project in which you were working.
Not available for Single-Sign-On users.
Authenticate Click to verify your user name and password. ALM
determines which domains and projects you can access. If
you specified automatic login, ALM opens.
If authentication fails, check that your user name and
password are correct and try again.
Note:
l
If authentication fails multiple times, you can be locked
out of ALM. The number of authentication attempts you
are allowed is determined by your site administrator.
l
Not available for Single-Sign-On users.
Domain
Select a domain. By default, the last domain in which you
were working is displayed.
Project Select a project. By default, the last project in which you
were working is displayed.
Login ALM opens and displays the module in which you last
worked during your previous session.
The first time you run ALM, the Welcome page opens.
When an ALM user session is inactive for a period of time,
the session expires. This releases the license in use,
making it available for other users. When a session
expires, you are prompted to reconnect.
You can edit reconnect options by modifying the FAST_
RECONNECT_MODE parameter in the Site Configuration
tab. This parameter is not valid for external authentication,
since the user must always be certified when
reconnecting.
For details about accessing ALM using Microsoft Edge IE mode, see the ALM online
help.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 93 of 177
Registering ALM on a Client Machine
To enable you to work with other OpenText testing tools as well as third-party and
custom tools, ALM must be registered on the client machine. To register ALM, run
ALM Client Registration from the Application Lifecycle Management Tools page.
Note: If you are running previous versions of ALM/Quality Center on your
machine, before registering ALM 24.1, make sure that all instances of
ALM/Quality Center and any integration tools are closed.
Tools that Require Registering ALM Client Components
The following tools require that ALM client components be registered on the client
machine:
ALM
Add-
ins
l
UFT One Add-in
OpenText UFT One (UFT One) comprises the product formerly
known as QuickTest Professional and the product known as Service
Test.
l
Functionality provided by QuickTest is now known as GUItesting
in UFT One.
l
Functionality provided by Service Test is also known as API testing
in UFT One.
Note: Requires that Data Execution Prevention (DEP) be
disabled in Windows 7.
l
OpenText Screen Recorder Add-in
l
Service Test Add-in
l
ALM Synchronizer
l
Defects and Requirements Exchange with OpenText Service
Manager and ALM
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 94 of 177
Other
UFT One tests
OpenText UFT One (UFT One) comprises the product formerly known
as QuickTest Professional and the product known as Service Test.
l
Functionality provided by QuickTest is now known as GUItesting in
UFT One.
l
Functionality provided by Service Test is also known as API testing in
UFT One.
Note:
l
Required to run tests.
l
Requires that Data Execution Prevention (DEP) be disabled in
Windows 7.
Integrating the ALM Application Server with
a Web Server
To enhance the security of your ALM deployment, we recommend placing the ALM
server behind a secure reverse proxy, either an Apache or IIS web server. Such
configuration is also required to support external authentication. If you are not
using a secure reverse proxy, we recommend configuring SSL on the ALM server
itself. For details on configuring SSL, see "Managing the ALM Application Server"
on page103.
Configuring IISas a reverse proxy
To integrate ALM with a web server, you configure the web server to redirect
requests to the ALM Application Server. You configure the web server to work in
proxy HTTP mode.
To configure IISto work as a reverse proxy:
Note: The following instructions apply to IIS 7.0 and later.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 95 of 177
1. Using Server Manager, install the IIS server using default settings. You do not
need to enable any other extensions.
2. Install the URL rewrite package.
3. Install Application Request Routing (ARR) for IIS.
Note: If you have no direct access to the internet from your server, you
can obtain the ARR 3.0 standalone version that contains everything you
need, including the URL rewrite package. Download ARR 3.0 to your
client, copy it to the server, and install it on the server.
4. Make sure the IIS Web server is stopped.
5. Open IIS Manager and ensure you have an element named Server Farms under
the relevant IIS server node.
Note:
l
If there is no Server Farms element and you are using a Windows 2012
server, uninstall Microsoft Web Farm Framework and download the
latest version.
l
If you fail to install a Web Farm for IIS 10, see this KB article.
6. Right click Server Farms and click Create Server Farm.
7. Enter a name for the farm and click Next.
8. Click Advanced settings and change the ports to match your ALM Jetty ports.
The default ALM Jetty ports are 8080 for http and 8443 for https.
9. Under Server address, type the name or IP address of the ALM server you
want to add to the farm.
10. Click Add to add the server.
Note: Repeat steps 9 - 10 to add more ALM servers to use IIS as a load
balancer in an ALM cluster.
11. Click Finish.
12. Click Yes in the Rewrite Rules dialog box that opens. This adds a URL rewrite
rule that causes IIS to forward all incoming requests to the ALM Server.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 96 of 177
13. Select the new Server farm element created.
14. Double-click Proxy.
15. Set Time-out (seconds) to 35.
16. Set Response buffer threshold to 0.
17. Click Apply.
Note: This change is applied only to the Application Request Routing
proxy.
18. Enable the proxy.
a. Select the main tree node (the server name), click Application Request
Routing Cache, and then click Server Proxy Settings in the Proxy section.
b. Enable Enable proxy.
c. Verify that HTTP version is valued with Pass Through.
d. Verify that Reverse rewrite host in response headers is enabled.
e. Click Apply.
19. Restart the IIS Web server.
You can now connect to your ALM site using the following URL: http://<IIS
server name>/qcbin.
20. If you are using IIS with multiple servers farms:
a. Add another server farm for the other server group.
b. Modify the URL Rewrite rule for the ALMserver farm:
i. Select the main tree node (the server name) and click URLRewrite.
ii. Edit the Inbound Rule.
iii. Change Using from Wildcards to Regular Expressions.
iv. Change Pattern to (^qcbin(.*)).
v. Click Apply.
c. Modify the URL Rewrite rule for the other server farm:
i. Select the main tree node (the server name) and click URLRewrite.
ii. Edit the Inbound Rule.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 97 of 177
iii. Change Using from Wildcards to Regular Expressions.
iv. Change Pattern to reflect the other server group .
v. Click Apply.
d. Restart the IIS Web server.
Configuring IISas a Secure Reverse Proxy
To configure IIS to work as a secure reverse proxy:
Note: For detailed instructions, refer to the IISdocumentation.
1. Ensure that you configured IISto work as a reverse proxy.
2. Install the server certificate in IIS.
Note: The server certificate must have a password protected private
key.
In IIS Manager:
l
Import your server certificate:
Select Server > Certificates > Import.
l
Add a listener on a secure port:
Select Default Website.
Edit Bindings.
Click Add.
Select https and select your certificate.
3. In SSL Settings for your website, configure IISto require an SSL connection.
4. Verify that you can access the ALM server through the IISvirtual IPusing the
https protocol.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 98 of 177
Configuring the IIS Web Server for
SSLOffloading
SSLOffloading means that IISis configured to connect to ALM over http and not
https. In this case, perform the following configuration:
1. Edit the qcbin inbound rule and add the following server variable:
Set name="HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO" value="https".
2. In Action Properties, change the protocol from https to http.
3. Restart IIS so it will read the configuration.
Configuring Apache as a reverse proxy
To configure Apache to work as a reverse proxy:
Note: It is recommended that you use Apache HTTP Server version 2.2.
1. Make sure the Apache Web server is stopped.
2. Navigate to the <Apache Home directory>\conf directory.
3. Create a backup copy of the httpd.conf file.
4. Open the httpd.conf file.
5. Uncomment or add the following load module commands:
LoadModule proxy_module modules/mod_proxy.so
LoadModule proxy_http_module modules/mod_proxy_http.so
LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so
LoadModule headers_module modules/mod_headers.so
6. Add the following section to the end of the file:
# Turn off support for true Proxy behavior as we are acting as
# a reverse proxy
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 99 of 177
ProxyRequests Off
# Turn off VIA header as we know where the requests are proxied
ProxyVia Off
# Set the permissions for the proxy
<Proxy *>
AddDefaultCharset off
Order deny,allow
Allow from all
</Proxy>
# Turn on Proxy status reporting at /status
# This should be better protected than: Allow from all
ProxyStatus On
<Location /status>
SetHandler server-status
Order Deny,Allow
Allow from all
</Location>
# Configuring mod_proxy_http
# To connect to servlet container with HTTP protocol, the
ProxyPass
# directive can be
# used to send requests received on a particular URL to a Jetty
instance.
ProxyPreserveHost off
ProxyPass /qcbin http://<ALM server name>:8080/qcbin
ProxyPassReverse /qcbin http://<ALM server name>:8080/qcbin
# For LoadRunner Enterprise deployments, add the following:
ProxyPass /loadtest http://<LoadRunner Enterprise server
name>/loadtest
ProxyPass /LoadTest http://<LoadRunner Enterprise server
name>/LoadTest
ProxyPass /Loadtest http://<LoadRunner Enterprise server
name>/Loadtest
ProxyPassReverse /loadtest http://<LoadRunner Enterprise server
name>/loadtest
ProxyPassReverse /LoadTest http://<LoadRunner Enterprise server
name>/LoadTest
ProxyPassReverse /Loadtest http://<LoadRunner Enterprise server
name>/Loadtest
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 100 of 177
# Rewrite rule trailing slash must be used in the VirtualHost
section
RewriteEngine On
#Add trailing slash if was not present in the original request
RewriteRule ^/qcbin$/qcbin/ [R]
7. Save the changes to the file.
8. Run httpd -t from the Apache bin folder to check the syntax of the file.
9. Restart the Apache Web server.
You can now connect to your ALM site using the following URL: http://<ALM
virtual server name>[:<apache port number>]/qcbin.
Configuring Apache as a Secure Reverse Proxy
To configure Apache to work as a secure reverse proxy:
1. Open the httpd.conf file.
2. Uncomment ssl_module:
LoadModule ssl_module modules/mod_ssl.so
3. Uncomment the httpd-ssl.conf file:
# Secure (SSL/TLS) connections
Include conf/extra/httpd-ssl.conf
4. Close the httpd.conf file and open the httpd-ssl.conf file. By default it is in
/<apache-directory>/conf/extra.
5. In the httpd-ssl.conf file, activate the SSL port 443:
Listen 443
6. Add the SSLProtocol parameter:
SSLProtocol -SSLv2 -SSLv3 +TLSv1
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 101 of 177
7. Change the cache settings:
LoadModule socache_shmcb_module modules/mod_socache_shmcb.so
SSLSessionCache "shmcb:<apacheAbsoluteFolder>/logs/ssl_scache
(512000)"
8. Modify the VirtualHost and ServerName parameters:
<VirtualHost <fully qualified server name>:443>
ServerName <fully qualified server name>:443
9. Add the SSL certificates to the VirtualHost section:
# Server Certificate
SSLCertificateFile " /<apache-
directory>/conf/WebServerPublicCert.pem"
# Server Private Key:
SSLCertificateKeyFile " /<apache-
directory>/conf/WebServerPrivateCert.pem"
10. Restart Apache so it will read the new configuration.
Run <apache-directory>/bin/apachectl -k restart
11. Verify that Apache works as a secure proxy server.
Go to https://webserver/qcbin. Make sure the ALM home page is displayed.
Note: The web server name must be in FQDN (fully qualified domain
name) format when using a secure connection.
12. After verifying that Apache works as a secure proxy server, close the non-
secure port.
a. Open the httpd.conf file.
b. Comment out the Listen parameter:
#Listen 80
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 102 of 177
Configuring the Apache Web Server for
SSLOffloading
SSLOffloading means that Apache is configured to connect to ALM over http and
not https. In this case, perform the following configuration:
1. Navigate to the <Apache Home directory>\conf directory.
2. Create a backup copy of the httpd.conf file.
3. Open the httpd.conf file.
4. Add the following section if encrypted communication terminates on the
Apache server:
###############################################################
# add the following line if SSL is terminated/offloaded on
Apache server
###############################################################
RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Proto https
5. Save the httpd.conf file.
6. Restart Apache so it will read the configuration.
Managing the ALM Application Server
This chapter contains information relating to managing the ALM Application
Server, as well as information regarding general Java management tools.
This chapter includes
Changing the Heap Memory Size
104
Changing the Application Server Port Number
104
Configuring Secure Access on Windows Systems
105
Configuring Secure Database Access
111
Application Server Management Tools
118
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 103 of 177
Changing the Heap Memory Size
After you install ALM, you may need to change the heap memory values. For
example, you may want to increase the heap size if there is an increase in the
number of active projects in ALM, or an increase in the number of concurrent user
sessions.
Note:
l
The maximum heap value cannot exceed your maximum memory (RAM)
size.
l
On a machine running on a 32-bit operating system, the heap memory size
should not exceed 1024 MB.
To change the heap memory size:
1. Verify that all users have logged out of ALM projects and stop the ALM Service.
In the system tray, right click the ALM icon and choose Stop Application
Lifecycle Management.
2. In the ALM deployment path, open the wrapper.conf file.
3. Change the wrapper.java.maxmemory value as necessary.
4. Restart the ALM Service. In the system tray, right click the ALM icon and
choose Start Application Lifecycle Management.
Changing the Application Server Port Number
After you install ALM, you may need to change the application server port number.
It is possible that the default application server port may be in use by another
application that is running on the same machine. In this case, you can either locate
the application that is using the port and stop it, or you can change the application
server port on the machine.
To change the application server port number:
1. Verify that all users have logged out of ALM projects and stop the ALM Service.
In the system tray, right click the ALM icon and choose Stop Application
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 104 of 177
Lifecycle Management.
2. Navigate to the <ALM deployment path>/server/conf/jetty.xml file.
3. Change the jetty.port value.
4. Start the ALM Service. In the system tray, right click the ALM icon and choose
Start Application Lifecycle Management.
Configuring Secure Access on Windows
Systems
This section describes how to configure a secure connection to and from ALM
when ALM is installed on a Windows system. For the procedure, see "Configure a
secure connection to the ALM application server (Jetty)" on the next page.
When the ALM server connects to another server, such as the LoadRunner
Enterprise server, that requires a secure connection, you must configure trust on
the ALM server to the authority that issued the remote server certificate.
For more secure communication with the ALM server, you can configure Jetty to
use TLS 1.3.
When enabling a secure connection, you should also ensure encrypted
communication with cookies by setting a site configuration parameter.
In this section:
l
"Configure trust on the ALM server" below
l
"Configure a secure connection to the ALM application server (Jetty)" on the
next page
l
"Use TLS 1.3 or TLS 1.2 for secure connection" on page109
l
"Redirect http to https" on page110
l
"Set up encrypted communication with cookies" on page111
Configure trust on the ALM server
Configure trust on the ALM server, when ALM connects to another server over a
secure connection.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 105 of 177
1. Obtain the certificate of the root and any intermediate Certificate Authority that
issued the remote server certificate.
2. On the ALM server, go to the java bin. For example:
C:\Program Files\Java\jre\bin
3. Import each certificate into the java truststore by using a keytool command.
For example:
C:\Program Files\Java\jre\bin\keytool -import -trustcacerts -
alias myCA -file <path to certificate> -keystore "c:\Program
Files\java\jre\lib\security\cacerts"
4. If your access is denied, run CMD as an administrator.
Configure a secure connection to the ALM application
server (Jetty)
1. Obtain the server certificate issued to the name of this server in java keystore
format. It must contain a private key and the certificate authority that issued it.
For details on creating certificates using the Certificate Authority, see this KB
article.
2. Verify that all users have logged out of ALM projects and stop the ALM Service
as follows: In the system tray, right click the ALM icon and choose Stop
Application Lifecycle Management.
3. Navigate to the <ALM_installdir>\server\conf directory and make a backup of
the jetty-ssl.xml file and the keystore file located in this directory.
4. Copy your keystore file to this directory and rename it keystore.
5. Open the jetty-ssl.xml file, search for sslContextFactory, and change the
password to your password (mypass):
Note:
l
Starting from ALM 16.0.1, the sslContextFactory element has been
changed to org.eclipse.jetty.util.ssl.SslContextFactory$Server. The
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 106 of 177
sslContextFactory element starts with <New id="sslContextFactory"
class="org.eclipse.jetty.util.ssl.SslContextFactory$Server">.
l
If you are copying configurations from an earlier version, make sure
you use the new class name for sslContextFactory. Otherwise, you
get an exception on creating the SslContextFactory instance.
<Set name="KeyStorePath"><Property name="jetty.base" default="." />/<Property
name="jetty.keystore" default="conf/keystore"/></Set>
<Set name="KeyStorePassword"><Property name="jetty.keystore.password" default="<mypass>"/></Set>
<Set name="KeyManagerPassword"><Property name="jetty.keymanager.password"
default="<mypass>"/></Set>
<Set name="TrustStorePath"><Property name="jetty.base" default="." />/<Property
name="jetty.truststore" default="conf/keystore"/></Set>
<Set name="TrustStorePassword"><Property name="jetty.truststore.password" default=" <mypass>
"/></Set>
6. (Strongly recommended) To obfuscate the password, perform the following
steps:
a. Determine the version of Jetty that you are using. Locate the <ALM_
installdir>\server\lib\jetty-util-<your-jetty-version>.jar file. <your-jetty-
version> is the version of Jetty you are using.
b. Open Command Prompt (cmd) and run the following commands:
$set JETTY_VERSION=<your-jetty-version>
<JAVA_HOME>\java -cp <ALM_installdir>\server\lib\jetty-util-
$JETTY_VERSION.jar org.eclipse.jetty.util.security.Password
<password>
For example, if you run the following command:
"C:\Program Files\java\jre\bin\java.exe" -cp <ALM_
installdir>\server\lib\jetty-util-9.1.4.v20140401.jar
org.eclipse.jetty.util.security.Password changeit
The output will appear as follows:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 107 of 177
changeit
OBF:1vn21ugu1saj1v9i1v941sar1ugw1vo0
c. Replace the plain text password in the jetty-ssl.xml file with the OBF prefix.
7. Save the jetty-ssl.xml file.
8. Edit the start.ini file and uncomment the following lines:
jetty-ssl.xml
jetty-https.xml
9. Save the start.ini file.
10. Restart the ALM Service as follows: In the system tray, right click the ALM icon
and choose Start Application Lifecycle Management.
11. Check the wrapper.log file. If you do not see the "Server is ready!" message,
correct the errors shown in the log.
12. Connect to ALM using the SSLconnection, such as
https://<ALMserver>:8443/qcbin.
13. After ensuring that the SSL connection works, disable non-HTTPS access to
the ALM Application Server. In the jetty.xml file, locate the following section
and comment it out by placing <!-- at the beginning of the section, and --> at
the end.
Note: It is possible that this section in your jetty.xml file is slightly
different.
<!--
<Call name="addConnector">
<Arg>
<New class="org.eclipse.jetty.server.ServerConnector">
<Arg name="server"><Ref refid="Server" /></Arg>
<Arg name="factories">
<Array type="org.eclipse.jetty.server.ConnectionFactory">
<Item>
<New class="org.eclipse.jetty.server.HttpConnectionFactory">
<Arg name="config"><Ref refid="httpConfig" /></Arg>
</New>
</Item>
</Array>
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 108 of 177
</Arg>
<Set name="host"><Property name="jetty.host" /></Set>
<Set name="port"><Property name="jetty.port" default="8080"/></Set>
<Set name="idleTimeout"><Property name="http.timeout" default="30000"/></Set>
</New>
</Arg>
</Call>
-->
14. Save the jetty.xml file.
15. Restart the ALM Service and ensure that the non-secure URL(such as
http://<ALMserver>:8080/qcbin) does not open.
Use TLS 1.3 or TLS 1.2 for secure connection
Use TLS 1.3 for secure connection with the application server, and TLS 1.2 for
secure connection with the database server.
Note:
l
The Oracle or SQL Server databases supported by ALM do not support
TLS 1.3.
l
Use of the TLS 1.1, TLS 1.0, and SSL 3 protocols is deprecated. It's
recommended you do not use them.
Prerequisite for TLS 1.3
To use TLS 1.3, make sure you use JDK/JRE 11 or JDK/JRE 8 later than 261 update.
Use TLS 1.3 for secure connection with the application server
To use TLS 1.3 for secure connection with the server, configure the jetty-ssl.xml
file as follows:
1. Verify that all users have logged out of ALM projects and stop the ALM Service
as follows: In the system tray, right click the ALM icon and choose Stop
Application Lifecycle Management.
2. Navigate to the <ALM_installdir>\server\conf directory and make a backup of
the jetty-ssl.xml file.
3. Open the jetty-ssl.xml file.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 109 of 177
4. Uncomment the ExcludeProtocols section in the file:
<Set name="ExcludeProtocols">
<Array type="java.lang.String">
<Item>SSLv3</Item>
<Item>TLSv1</Item>
<Item>TLSv1.1</Item>
</Array>
</Set>
Note: You can choose your own set of supported protocols by adding or
removing items in this list.
For example, if you want to use TLS 1.3 only, also add TLS 1.2 in the list.
5. Save the jetty.xml file.
6. Start the ALM Service.
Use TLS 1.2 for secure connection with the database server
To use TLS 1.2 for secure connection with the database server, modify the
database connection string by adding CryptoProtocolVersion=TLSv1.2 to the
JDBC connection string. For example:
jdbc:sqlserver://<your server
name>:<port>;EncryptionMethod=SSL;CryptoProtocolVersion=TLSv1.2
For details about changing connection string, see the Site Administration help.
For Oracle databases: Place the Oracle Wallet file in a location on the ALM server
where the ALM Service user has read permissions.
Redirect http to https
This procedure describes how to redirect http to https. You need to redirect to
https when accessing the ALMserver directly, and not through a front-end server.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 110 of 177
1. Edit <ALM_installdir>\webapps\qcbin\WEB-INF\web.xml, and add the
following at the end (before </web-app>):
<security-constraint>
<web-resource-collection>
<web-resource-name>Everything</web-resource-name>
<url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
</web-resource-collection>
<user-data-constraint>
<transport-guarantee>CONFIDENTIAL</transport-guarantee>
</user-data-constraint>
</security-constraint>
2. Restart ALM.
3. Access ALM via http://<ALM>:8080/qcbin.
You should be redirected to https://<ALM>:8443/qcbin. If not, ensure that
SecurePort in jetty.xml matches your secure port.
Set up encrypted communication with cookies
1. In Site Administration, click the Configuration tab.
2. click the Add New Parameter button. Enter the following information:
Parameter Value
SSO_SECURE_ONLY_COOKIE Y
Configuring Secure Database Access
This section describes how to configure a secure connection, such as Secure
Socket Layer (SSL), from the ALM server to the database server. If your database
server requires an encrypted channel, you must follow these instructions.
Before beginning, determine the following:
l
For SQLdatabases:
l
Is the certificate signed by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA)? If not, obtain
the certificate chain of authority that issued your SQL server certificate and
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 111 of 177
import it into the ALM server truststore using the procedure to configure trust
on the ALM server in "Configuring Secure Access on Windows Systems" on
page105.
l
Is host name validation required? If yes, what is the host name, including the
domain name, in the server certificate?
l
For Oracle databases:
l
Is SSL configured? If yes:
o
Place the Oracle Wallet file in a location on the ALM server where the ALM
Service user has read permissions.
o
Is host name validation required? If yes, what is the host name, including
the domain name, in the server certificate?
o
Is the port different than what it was before?
l
If SSLis not configured:
o
Is native Data Integrity configured?
o
Is native Encryption configured? If yes, what is the algorithm? Is the key
larger than 128 bits?
To configure a secure database connection for a previously
unsecured database:
1. For SQLdatabases, follow the procedure to configure trust on the ALM server
in "Configuring Secure Access on Windows Systems" on page105.
2. Configure the Site Administration schema connection.
This section is relevant if the database server that was configured for a secure
connection contains your Site Administration schema. If you have a separate
database server for your projects and you only want a secure connection to
that database, skip this section.
a. Stop the ALM server.
b. Run the ALM Server Configuration wizard:
Win > Run > “%ALM_INSTALL_PATH%\run_configuration.bat” gui false
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 112 of 177
c. In the Database Server step, enter the database administrator password
and click Next.
d. Select the Connection String option under Database Connection:
i. For SSL, add ;encrypt=true to the end of the value. For example:
jdbc:sqlserver://localhost:1433;databaseName=DBNAME;integr
atedSecurity=true;encrypt=true;trustServerCertificate=true
ii. For Oracle, add ;javax.net.ssl.trustStore=[path to Oracle
Wallet];javax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=[password to Oracle
wallet] to the end of the value. For example:
jdbc:oracle:thin:@(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcps)
(HOST=servername)(PORT=2484))(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_
NAME=servicename)));javax.net.ssl.trustStore=C:\path\ewall
et.p12;javax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=password;javax.net
.ssl.trustStoreType=PKCS12
Alternatively, you can import the certificate as a Java keystore (.jks) file
into the Java cacerts store.
For details about how to enable providers in java security files, see the
Oracle JDBC driver documentation.
iii. For Oracle native Data Integrity, add ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_
client =ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client
=REQUIRED to the end of the value, and replace the java security policy
files in ..\java\jre\lib\security\.
iv. For Oracle native Encryption, add ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client
=ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client =REQUIRED to
the end of the value, and, for encryption algorithms with keys longer
than 128 bits, replace the java security policy files in
..\java\jre\lib\security\.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 113 of 177
Note: For details on java security policy files, see
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jce
8-download-2133166.html.
e. Click Next. In the Site Administration Database Schema step:
i. Select Connect to existing schema/ second node under Selected
Action.
ii. Enter your Site Administration schema name and password.
f. Continue until the end of the wizard and start the ALM Service.
3. Configure the database servers:
a. Log in to Site Administration.
b. In the Servers > DB Servers tab, do the following for each database that
was configured for a secure connection:
i. Select the database.
ii. Change the connection string:
A. For SSL, add ;encrypt=true to the end of the value.
B. For Oracle, add ;javax.net.ssl.trustStore=[path to Oracle
Wallet];javax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=[password to Oracle
wallet] to the end of the value.
C. For Oracle native Data Integrity, add ;oracle.net.crypto_
checksum_client =ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_
client =REQUIRED to the end of the value, and replace the java
security policy files in ..\java\jre\lib\security\.
D. For Oracle native Encryption, add ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_
client =ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client
=REQUIRED to the end of the value, and, for encryption algorithms
with keys longer than 128 bits, replace the java security policy files
in ..\java\jre\lib\security\.
Note: For details on java security policy files, see the Oracle
documentation.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 114 of 177
iii. Click Test Connection to check that the connection works.
iv. Click Save.
4. Configure LAB_PROJECT, if LAB_PROJECT is on a secure connection database:
a. Log in to Site Administration.
b. Go to the Lab Management tab:
i. Click Change Connection String.
ii. Click Yes in the confirm dialog box to deactivate the project.
iii. Change the connection string:
A. For SSL, add ;encrypt=true to the end of the value.
B. For Oracle, add ;javax.net.ssl.trustStore=[path to Oracle
Wallet];javax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=[password to Oracle
wallet] to the end of the value.
C. For Oracle native Data Integrity, add ;oracle.net.crypto_
checksum_client =ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_
client =REQUIRED to the end of the value, and replace the java
security policy files in ..\java\jre\lib\security\.
D. For Oracle native Encryption, add ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_
client =ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client
=REQUIRED to the end of the value, and, for encryption algorithms
with keys longer than 128 bits, replace the java security policy files
in ..\java\jre\lib\security\.
Note: For details on java security policy files, see the Oracle
documentation.
iv. Click Test Connection to check that the connection works.
v. Click OK.
vi. Click Activate Project.
5. Configure all site projects on a secure connection database:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 115 of 177
a. Log in to Site Administration.
b. Go to the Projects tab, select the project, and in the Details tab, click
Change Connection String:
i. Click Yesin the confirm dialog box to deactivate the project.
ii. In the Connection String Editor dialog box, change the connection
string:
A. For SSL, add ;encrypt=true to the end of the value.
B. For Oracle, add ;javax.net.ssl.trustStore=[path to Oracle
Wallet];javax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=[password to Oracle
wallet] to the end of the value.
C. For Oracle native Data Integrity, add ;oracle.net.crypto_
checksum_client =ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_
client =REQUIRED to the end of the value, and replace the java
security policy files in ..\java\jre\lib\security\.
D. For Oracle native Encryption, add ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_
client =ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client
=REQUIRED to the end of the value, and, for encryption algorithms
with keys longer than 128 bits, replace the java security policy files
in ..\java\jre\lib\security\.
Note: For details on java security policy files, see the Oracle
documentation.
iii. Click Test Connection to check that the connection works.
iv. Click OK.
v. Click Activate Project.
c. Perform the above step for all projects on a secure connection database.
If you have a large number of projects to update, you can run the following
SQL update query on the site administration schema:
i. In MS SQL Server: UPDATE td.PROJECTS SET DB_CONNSTR_FORMAT
= 'your new connection string'
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 116 of 177
ii. In Oracle: UPDATE [your sa schema name].PROJECTS SET DB_
CONNSTR_FORMAT = 'your new connection string'
iii. To limit the projects you update, add a where clause to the query, such
as WHERE PROJECT_NAME IN ('project1', 'project2') or WHERE
DOMAIN_NAME IN ('damain1', 'domain2')
iv. After executing the query, restart the ALM service.
To configure a secure database connection for a new ALM
installation:
1. For SQLdatabases, follow the procedure to configure trust on the ALM server
in "Configuring Secure Access on Windows Systems" on page105.
2. During the installing ALM, in the Database Server step, select the Connection
String option and value the field as follows:
a. For MS SQL server use this format:
jdbc:sqlserver://;serverName:1433;encrypt=true;.
If TLSv1.2 is required use this format:
jdbc:sqlserver://;serverName:1433;encrypt=true; sslProtocol=TLSv1.2;.
b. For Oracle, add ;javax.net.ssl.trustStore=[path to Oracle
Wallet];javax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=[password to Oracle wallet]
to the end of the value.
For details, see the Oracle JDBC driver documentation.
c. For Oracle native Data Integrity, add ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client
=ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client =REQUIRED to the
end of the value, and replace the java security policy files in
..\java\jre\lib\security\.
d. For Oracle native Encryption, add ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client
=ACCEPTED or ;oracle.net.crypto_checksum_client =REQUIRED to the
end of the value, and, for encryption algorithms with keys longer than 128
bits, replace the java security policy files in ..\java\jre\lib\security\.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 117 of 177
Note: For details on java security policy files, see the Oracle
documentation.
3. Complete the ALM installation.
Application Server Management Tools
Since the ALM Application Server is Java-based, we recommend the following
Java tools to enable you to effectively manage ALM:
l
JConsole
l
JStack
l
JMap
l
JVisualVM
Note: JVisualVM is an all-in-one tool that was added in Java 1.6. However
JVisualVM is very memory and CPU intensive, so you may find that another
tool is more useful.
Customizing System Files
You can customize various aspects of ALM by creating or configuring system files.
This chapter includes
Customizing Site Administration
118
Customizing Menus
120
Customizing the ALM System Tray Icon
122
Customizing the ALM Login Window
123
Customizing Site Administration
Customization of the Site Administration repository and the qcbin application,
such as editing .xsl mail stylesheets or creating custom test types, must be
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 118 of 177
performed in the ALM deployment directory. After customizing any of the files in
the deployment directory, you must redeploy ALM.
Caution: You must not modify, add, or delete files in the ALM installation
directory.
This section includes:
Customizing the Site Administration Repository
119
Customizing the qcbin Application
119
Customizing the Site Administration Repository
Perform the following procedure to customize the Site Administration repository.
1. On the machine on which ALM is installed, open a file browser, and navigate to
<ALM installation path>\ALM\data\sa.
2. Open another file browser, and navigate to <ALM repository
path>\customerData.
3. In the installation directory, navigate to the file that you want to customize.
4. In the repository directory, under customerData, create the same folder
structure that contains the file in the installation directory.
5. Copy the file from the installation directory and paste the file in the appropriate
folder in the repository directory.
6. Edit the file in the repository directory.
7. Run the Server Deployment Wizard from Start > OpenText ALM Server >
Server Deployment Wizard or <installation path>\bin\run_server_deploy_
tool.bat.
Customizing the qcbin Application
Perform the following procedure to customize the qcbin application.
1. On the machine on which ALM is installed, open a file browser, and navigate to
<ALM installation path>\ALM\application\20qcbin.war.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 119 of 177
2. Open another file browser, and navigate to <ALM deployment
path>\application\20qcbin.war.
3. In the installation directory, navigate to the file that you want to customize.
4. In the deployment directory, under 20qcbin.war create the same folder
structure that contains the file in the installation directory.
5. Copy the file from the installation directory and paste the file in the appropriate
folder in the deployment directory.
6. Edit the file in the deployment directory.
7. Run the Server Deployment Wizard from Start > OpenText ALM Server >
Server Deployment Wizard or <installation path>\bin\run_server_deploy_
tool.bat.
8. Repeat the procedure on each cluster node.
Customizing Menus
You can customize the ALM Tools and Help menus by modifying the ALM-
Client.exe.config file on the machine on which ALM is installed.
Note: You can only perform .cab related actions on a Windows machine. To
customize menus, copy the relevant files to a Windows machine and edit the
files as necessary. Then copy the files back to the machine on which ALM is
installed and proceed as instructed.
To customize ALM:
1. On the machine on which ALM is installed, extract the ALM-Client.exe.config
file from Client.cab. This file is located in: <ALM deployment
path>\deployment\20qcbin.war\Install.
2. Open the ALM-Client.exe.config file (this is in .xml format).
3. In the Tools section of the file, you can add new items to the Tools menu.
The following is the syntax of an entry in the Tools line:
<TDFrame
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 120 of 177
Tools="<Tool_Name>,{<Tool_ID>}"
Workflow="{<Workflow_ID>}"
Parameters="<parameters>"
/>
4. To change, delete, or rearrange the list of items in the Help menu, change the
default names, IDs, and URLs listed in the OnlineHelpItem line. The following is
the syntax of an entry in the OnlineHelpItem line:
<OnlineHelpItem
ID="<Help_ID>"
Name="<Help_Name>"
Url="<Help_URL>"
To create a separator line between two items in the Help menu, use the
following syntax:
<OnlineHelpItem
ID="<Help_ID>"
Name="<Help_Name>"
Url="<Help_URL>"
IsFirstInGroup="true" />
Note: The first two menu items in the Help menu, Help on this page and
ALM Help, and the last Help menu item, About Application Lifecycle
Management Software, cannot be moved or changed. They do not have
corresponding entries in the QualityCenter.exe.config file. The above
step only affects the menu items between them.
5. Unzip the Client.cab file to a temporary folder named Client which must be
under the temp folder. For example, C:\temp\Client.
6. Replace the ALM-Client.exe.config file with the modified file.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 121 of 177
7. Store the temporary folder on a logical drive, for example X, by running the
following command:
subst [X]: <temp folder>
For example: subst X: C:\temp
8. Create a new Client.cab file with the following command:
cabarc -r -p -P Client\ -s 6144 N <temp folder>\Client.cab
X:\Client\*.*
Note: To use this command you must first download cabsdk.exe (the
Cabinet Software Development Kit) from the Microsoft Download Center.
9. Add a class 3 digital signature to the new Client.cab file.
Note: The digital signature must be a signature of a trusted provider.
10. Under <ALM deployment path>\application\20qcbin.war, create a new
Installation folder, if it does not already exist.
11. Save the new cab file under the Installation folder.
12. Run the Server Deployment Wizard from Start > OpenText ALM Server >
Server Deployment Wizard or <installation path>\bin\run_server_deploy_
tool.bat.
13. Repeat the procedure on each cluster node.
Customizing the ALM System Tray Icon
The ALM system tray icon indicates the current status of ALM. It also indicates the
current action that ALM is performing.
You can customize the behavior of the icon by modifying the
trayConfigFile.properties file.
To customize the system tray icon:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 122 of 177
1. Navigate to the following directory: <ALM_installdir>\server\conf
2. Open the trayConfigFile.properties file.
3. Change the following properties as necessary:
l
pollingintervalMillis. Defines, in milliseconds, how often the ALM system
tray icon checks the status (started or stopped) of ALM. The default value is
5,000.
l
logDebugMode. Defines whether debugging information is included in the
system tray log. The default value is false.
l
timeoutintervalMillis. Defines, in milliseconds, the maximum amount of time
ALM takes to change the status of ALM when you right-click the icon and
choose Start/Stop ALM Server. If ALM is not able to perform the action in the
allotted time the status changes to Error. The default value is 180,000.
Note: If the icon does not appear in the system tray, choose Start >
Programs > Application Lifecycle Management > ALM Tray icon.
Customizing the ALM Login Window
You can customize the ALM Login window, so that you can share any special
announcements or important events with users that are using the same ALM
server. When working in Windows, you can also replace the existing background
photo displayed in the ALM Login window. Users can view these changes from
their ALM Desktop Client machines.
Display a message in the the Login window
This section describes how to display a message in the Login window.
1. On the ALM server, navigate to the following directory:
Windows
<Deployment path>\webapps\qcbin\Help\
(By default: C:\ProgramData\HP\ALM\webapps\qcbin\Help\)
Linux
<Deployment path>/webapps/qcbin/Help/
(By default: /var/opt/ALM/webapps/qcbin/Help/)
2. Create the customization folder.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 123 of 177
3. In the customization folder, create the following file: customizationInfo.htm.
The file name is case-sensitive.
4. Edit the customizationInfo.htm file and add content.
5. To view the content, open the ALM Login window from the ALM Desktop Client
machine.
Customize the background photo in the Login window
This section describes how to replace the background photo displayed in the Login
window.
Note:
l
We recommend using a square-shaped photo. The minimum is 900 pixels
wide by 900 pixels height.
l
If it takes too long for the customized background photo to download, then
the default background is displayed.
1. On the ALM server, navigate to the following directory:
Windows
<Deployment path>\webapps\qcbin\images
(By default: C:\ProgramData\HP\ALM\webapps\qcbin\images)
Linux
<Deployment path>/webapps/qcbin/images
(By default: /var/opt/ALM/webapps/qcbin/images)
2. Copy the customized background picture to this folder and rename it to login-
bg-cust.jpg. The file name is case-sensitive.
Uninstalling ALM
You can uninstall ALM from the server machine. When uninstalling ALM, projects
are not deleted. You can also uninstall ALM client components from a client
machine that has been used to access ALM.
This section includes:
Uninstalling ALM from Windows Systems
125
Removing ALM Client Components from a Client Machine
125
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 124 of 177
Uninstalling ALM from Windows Systems
This section describes how to uninstall ALM from your Windows server machine.
l
Select Start > All Programs > Application Lifecycle Management. Run
Uninstall Application Lifecycle Management.
Alternatively, navigate to the installation directory (the default is C:\Program
Files\Micro Focus\ALM\ALM). Run the Uninstall_ALM.exe file.
l
(Optional) To remove all traces of ALM from the machine, delete all remaining
files in the installation directory as well as the deployment path. Also delete the
\..\ALM folders in the c:\ProgramData directory and their files
Note: When you remove the repository directory, all projects' repositories
are also removed. The database remains unless it is specifically deleted.
Removing ALM Client Components from a Client
Machine
When you run ALM on your client computer, client components are downloaded to
your client machine. You can use the ALM Client Cleanup add-in to remove all ALM
client components, including files and registry keys. For details and to download
the add-in, see the ALM Client Cleanup Add-in page on Marketplace.
If the client machine is used to access ALM after the cleanup add-in has been run,
all necessary components are downloaded again from the ALM server.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
ALMInstallation and Configuration
ALM (24.1) Page 125 of 177
Project Upgrade
Upgrading Projects
Upgrading Projects describes the post-installation steps necessary for upgrading
projects from previous versions of ALM/Quality center to ALM 24.1.
To update multiple projects concurrently, use ALMRobot. For details, see the ALM
online help.
This chapter includes:
Deactivate and Remove Projects from Existing ALM/Quality Center Installation
126
Copy Project Database Schemas to the New Database Server Machine
127
Restore ALM Projects in New Site Administration Database Schema
128
Upgrade Projects
130
Deactivate and Remove Projects from Existing
ALM/Quality Center Installation
Note: Back up the database and repository after deactivating projects.
In the previous ALM/Quality Center installation, deactivate and remove projects
from Site Administration. You do not have to deactivate and remove all projects at
once. You can perform this action on a per-project upgrade basis.
To deactivate a project:
1. In Site Administration, click the Projects tab.
2. In the Projects list, select a project.
3. Click the Deactivate Project or Deactivate Template button. A message box
indicates that all connected users will be disconnected.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 126 of 177
4. Click OK to confirm. The project is deactivated and the project icon is changed
in the Projects list.
To remove a project from the Projects list:
Note: If the project is currently in use, it cannot be removed. For information
about how to manually remove a project, see this KB article.
1. In Site Administration, click the Projects tab.
2. In the Projects list, select a project.
3. Click the Remove Project or Remove Template button.
4. Click OK to confirm. If the project is still active, you are prompted to deactivate
it.
5. Click OK.
Copy Project Database Schemas to the New
Database Server Machine
Note: Perform this step only if your new ALM system uses a new database
server or new instance of the previous database server.
To restore removed projects in the new database server machine, copy the project
schemas from the database server that was used in the previous ALM system to
the database server that will be used in the new ALM system.
This enables you to restore the projects in Site Administration in the new ALM
installation.
Perform the required steps for backing up, removing, and restoring databases for
your database type. For assistance contact your database administrator.
Note: The database user must have the same permissions as the user
installing ALM.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 127 of 177
Restore ALM Projects in New Site Administration
Database Schema
To view projects in Site Administration, on the machine on which the new version
of ALM has been installed, restore projects you removed above as follows:
Project restore considerations
l
Before restoring the project, make sure that the database where the project
resides exists in the Servers tab in Site Administration on your ALM server. The
ALM server needs to access the contents of the restored project from the
project's database.
l
When restoring a project, you should select the dbid.xml file located in the
project repository. This ensures that the project retains its original ID. If a project
does not have its original ID, the following cross project features may not
function properly: cross project customization, importing and synchronizing
libraries, and cross project graphs.
l
You must first restore and upgrade any template projects before restoring and
upgrading other projects. If the template project and its linked projects are in
different databases, ensure that the template project’s database is accessible
when restoring any linked projects.
To restore access to an ALM project:
1. Navigate to the project's dbid.xml file. The file is located in the project
repository's qc sub-directory.
For details on the project structure, refer to the Understanding the Project
Structure section in the ALM help.
2. Open the file and update the following values:
Note:
l
To identify the values of DB_CONNSTR_FORMAT and DB_USER_
PASS, it is recommended to create a new, empty project in ALM Site
Administration, open the project's dbid.xml file, and copy these
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 128 of 177
values. You can later delete the empty project.
l
Make sure not to change the original value for PR_SMART_
REPOSITORY_ENABLED.
l
If you are restoring LAB_PROJECT or LoadRunner Enterprise projects
as part of the upgrade process, make sure not to edit the PROJECT_
UID value. You must restore these projects with their original
PROJECT_UID value to maintain the links between LAB_PROJECT and
its associated LoadRunner Enterprise projects. This is important for
shared data, such as timeslots, runs, and so on.
l
DB_NAME. Update to the database schema name as it appears in the
database server.
l
DB_CONNSTR_FORMAT. Update to the value of the empty project created
in ALM. See the note for details.
l
DBSERVER_NAME. This is the name of the database server as defined in the
DBServers tab in Site Administration.
l
DB_USER_PASS. Update if the encrypted passphrase differs between the
previous installation and ALM.
l
PHYSICAL_DIRECTORY. Update to the new location of the project
repository. It must contain a backslash (\) at the end of the path.
3. Save the file.
4. In Site Administration, click the Site Projects tab.
5. Click the Restore Project or Restore Template button. The Restore Project
dialog box opens.
6. To locate the file that includes the project that you want to restore, click the
browse button to the right of the dbid.xml file location box. The Open File
dialog box opens.
7. Locate the project's dbid.xml file.
8. Select the dbid.xml file and click Open. The Restore Project dialog box opens
and displays the database type, name, server, and the directory path of the
project.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 129 of 177
9. In the Restore Into Domain box, select the domain in which you want the
restored project to be located.
10. Click Restore.
11. If your database server does not have the text search feature enabled, a
message box opens. You can enable the text search feature before or after this
process completes.
l
Click Yes to continue this process. After the process completes, you can
enable the text search feature.
l
Click No to stop this process. Enable the text search feature and then restart
the process.
12. When the restore process completes, click OK.
13. Click Close to close the Restore Project dialog box and view the restored
project in the Projects list.
Upgrade Projects
Once a project appears in the ALM 24.1 Site Administration project list, you can
proceed with the actual project upgrade. You can upgrade projects individually or
on the domain level, which upgrades all projects contained in the domain. You
must first upgrade any template projects before upgrading other projects.
This section includes:
About Upgrading Domains and Projects
130
Upgrading a Project
131
Upgrading a Domain
132
About Upgrading Domains and Projects
By default, the upgrade process runs in non-silent mode. When running the
process in non-silent mode, ALM may pause and prompt you for input when an
error occurs. Instead, you can choose to run the process in silent mode. When
running the process in silent mode, ALM aborts the process without prompting you
for input.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 130 of 177
After the project has been upgraded, you can no longer use the project with a
previous version of ALM/Quality Center.
Note:
l
During the upgrade process, the project directory must be accessible. For
example, if your project directory is located on a file server, ensure that the
server is running and accessible.
l
During the upgrade process, no database maintenance jobs can be run.
Running database maintenance jobs can cause the upgrade to fail and can
corrupt projects.
l
If a project has extensions enabled, the availability of these extensions on
the new server must be verified before upgrading. If any extension is not
available on the new server, the upgrade fails.
l
You must first upgrade a template project before upgrading any of its
linked projects. If the template project and its linked projects are in
different databases, ensure that the template project’s database is
accessible when updating any linked projects.
l
Version Control: Version control enabled projects cannot be upgraded
while there are checked out entities. All entities must be checked in to the
corresponding version of Quality Center or ALM. To determine if there are
checked out entities, see this KB article.
Upgrading a Project
This section describes how to upgrade a single project.
To upgrade a project:
1. In Site Administration, click the Projects tab.
2. In the Projects list, select a project.
3. Click the Maintain Project button and select Upgrade Project. The Upgrade
Project dialog box opens.
4. To run the upgrade process without any user interaction, select Run in silent
mode.
5. To start the upgrade process, click the Upgrade Project button. If the project
is active, you are prompted to deactivate it.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 131 of 177
If a database error occurs while running the process in non-silent mode, a
message box opens. Click the Abort or Retry buttons, based on whether you
can correct the problem described in the message box.
If the upgrade fails, ALM displays an error message with reasons for the failure
and refers you to the log file. You must restore the backed up project before
you try to upgrade again. For details, see "Restoring Backed Up Projects and
Repositories" on page61.
6. To pause the upgrade process, click the Pause button. To continue, click the
Resume button.
7. To abort the upgrade process, click the Abort button. Click Yes to confirm.
8. To save the messages displayed in the Upgrade Results pane to a text file,
click the Export Log button. In the Export Log to File dialog box, choose a
location and type a name for the file. Click Save.
9. To clear the messages displayed in the Upgrade Results pane, click the Clear
Log button.
10. Click Close to close the Upgrade Project dialog box.
11. Reactivate the project.
Upgrading a Domain
This section describes how to upgrade all projects in a domain.
To upgrade a domain:
1. In Site Administration, click the Projects tab.
2. In the Projects list, select a domain.
3. Click the Maintain Domain button and select Upgrade Domain. The Upgrade
Domain dialog box opens.
4. In the Upgrade Settings area, under Upgrade Mode, you can select the
following options:
l
Run in Silent Mode. Runs the process without any user interaction.
l
Continue to next project if upgrade failed. Proceeds to the next project if
the upgrade process fails. This is the default option.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 132 of 177
5. In the Upgrade Settings area, under After the Upgrade, you can select one of
the following options:
l
Leave all projects deactivated. Leaves all projects deactivated after the
upgrade process completes.
l
Activate only currently active projects. Reactivates previously-activated
projects after the upgrade process completes. This is the default option.
l
Activate all projects. Activates all projects after the upgrade process
completes.
6. To view the current version numbers of your projects, select the project
names, or click Select All to view version numbers for all projects. Click the
Display Versions button.
The project version number is displayed in the Version column.
7. To upgrade your projects, select the project names, or click Select All to verify
all projects. Click the Upgrade Projects button.
If a database error occurs while running the process in non-silent mode, a
message box opens. Click the Abort or Retry buttons, based on whether you
can correct the problem described in the message box.
If the upgrade fails, ALM displays an error message with reasons for the failure
and refers you to the log file. You must restore the backed up projects before
you try to upgrade again. For details, see "Restoring Backed Up Projects and
Repositories" on page61.
8. To pause the upgrade process, click the Pause button. To continue, click the
Resume button.
9. To abort the upgrade process, click the Abort button. Click Yes to confirm.
10. To save the messages displayed in the Upgrade Results pane in a text file, click
the Export Log button. In the Export Log to File dialog box, choose a location
and type a name for the file. Click Save.
11. To clear the messages displayed in the Upgrade Results pane, click the Clear
Log button.
12. Click Close to close the Upgrade Domain dialog box.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 133 of 177
Migrating the Project Repository
This chapter describes the process of migrating a Quality Center 10.00 project
repository to the optimized repository architecture used in ALM. ALM versions
11.00 and later use a new project repository architecture, that is optimized to allow
maximum storage space.
When you upgrade from Quality Center 10.00 to ALM, you must migrate the project
repository. You can perform the migration as part of the upgrade from Quality
Center 10.00 to ALM 11.52, or after upgrading from ALM 11.52 or later to ALM 24.1.
For details on ALM Optimized Project Repository, refer to the ALM help.
This chapter includes:
About the Repository Migration
134
Repository Migration Status Window
135
Configure Migration Priority
138
About the Repository Migration
When upgrading projects, the project repository is automatically upgraded to the
optimized repository format. This is carried out in two stages:
1. The first stage is performed during the upgrade of the project. In this stage, all
files in the repository are scanned, and their names are stored in the project
database.
2. After the upgrade is completed, the project is reactivated. The repository files
are gradually migrated to the new system. In this stage, the files are moved
from their old location to their new location in the optimized repository.
Depending on various factors, such as the size of the repository and the
network speed, the file migration may take up to several days.
This second phase of the repository migration is carried in the background.
Users can work in the project even while it is in progress. New files that you
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 134 of 177
add to a project after upgrade are saved in the new project repository
structure.
Note:
l
Until the migration process for a project is complete, you cannot export or
copy the project.
l
To back up a project before its migration is complete, you must suspend
the migration process. For details, see"Configure Migration Priority" on
page138.
You monitor and troubleshoot the migration progress in the Repository Migration
Status window.
In Site Administration, you can track the status of file migration for each project,
and configure the speed of performing the migration.
Repository Migration Status Window
This window lists all the site projects and displays the status of their migration to
the optimized project repository.
To access In Site Administration, select Tools > Repository Migration Status.
See also
l
"Migrating the Project Repository" on the previous page
l
"Configure Migration Priority" on page138
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 135 of 177
User interface elements are described below:
UI Element Description
Instructs ALM to resume the migration of the selected project.
If an error or warning was detected during the migration of the
selected project, fix the problem as described in the
Additional Information field, and click Resume.
Downloads a log of the migration events associated with the
selected project.
Refresh. Refreshes the display with the most up-to-date
information.
Note: The grid updates automatically after the migration
of every 1000 files.
Domain Name The domain to which the selected project belongs.
Project Name The name of the selected project.
Project Status Indicates the selected project's status in Site Administration.
For example, Active or Deactivated.
Note: Deactivating a project does not affect its
repository migration.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 136 of 177
UI Element Description
Migration
Status
The migration status of a project can be one of the following:
l
None. Project is not upgraded to ALM 24.1, and will not be
migrated.
l
Pending. File migration is pending.
l
Migrating. File migration is in progress.
l
Done. File migration is complete.
l
Error. An error occurred during file migration, and migration
could not be completed. See the cause of the error in the
Additional Information panel. Fix the error, and click
Resume.
l
Warning. A warning occurred during file migration.
For details of the warning, and the actions you must take to
resolve the problem, download the log files listed in the
Additional Information panel. Resolve the problems as
necessary, and click Resume to complete the migration.
The reason for a warning is files in the old repository
structure that must be handled manually. Handling these
files is the last step before completing the migration.
Migration
Progress
The number of project files migrated to the new repository, as
a percentage of the total number of project files.
Additional
Information
If a problem was detected, displays the cause of the problem,
and links to log files. The log files describe the actions you
must take to resolve the problem.
Site
Administrator
Automail
Options
ALM sends automail to Site Administrators upon events
connected to repository migration. Select the following
options:
l
Send mail on success. Sends mail when the migration of a
project repository completes successfully.
l
Send mail on warning. Sends mail when a warning is
detected during the migration of a project repository.
l
Send mail on error. Sends mail when an error is detected
during the migration of a project repository.
l
Include logs as attachments. Attaches detailed log files to
automail messages.
The default is to send mail when warnings or errors are
detected, without attaching logs.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 137 of 177
UI Element Description
Summary Summary information of the migration status of all site
projects.
Configure Migration Priority
While the migration process does not interfere with your work on projects, the
process may affect system performance as a whole. Use the following site
configuration parameters to control the amount of system resources used by the
migration process.
l
REPOSITORY_MIGRATION_JOB_PRIORITY. Determines the speed at which files
are copied from the old to the new project repository. For details, refer to the
ALM help.
l
SUSPEND_REPOSITORY_MIGRATION. Stops the repository migration on the
entire site. Use this parameter temporarily, and only in special circumstances.
For example, if you suspect that the migration process disrupts your system. For
details, refer to the ALM help.
Additional parameters are available for configuring the resources allocated to the
migration process. For details, see this KB article.
Consider the following when configuring the migration priority:
l
Allocating more resources to the migration process may slow down other
processes.
l
Allocating less resources extends the time in which the process is completed.
l
Projects that are pending migration or in the process of migration cannot be
exported or copied.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Project Upgrade
ALM (24.1) Page 138 of 177
Appendix
Appendix 2: Troubleshooting the ALM
Installation
This appendix contains troubleshooting suggestions for issues relating to the ALM
installation.
This appendix includes:
Disabling Validation Checks for the Installation Wizard
139
Checking the Installation and Configuration Log Files
144
ALM Installation Already Exists
145
Database Validator Fails
145
Monitoring ALM Server Fails
146
Disabling Validation Checks for the Installation
Wizard
The ALM Installation Wizard automatically performs validation checks to verify that
particular system configurations requirements are met. If the ALM configuration
does not complete due to a failed validation, you can fix the problem or disable
selected validation checks, and rerun the installation.
Note:
l
You should disable validation checks only if you decide to take
responsibility for the ALM server installation.
l
To resolve failures that occur during the ALM Installation Wizard, see
"Checking the Installation and Configuration Log Files" on page144.
l
For troubleshooting tips on database validations, see "Database Validator
Fails" on page145.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 139 of 177
To disable configuration validators and rerun the ALM Installation Wizard in
Windows silent installation:
1. In the ALM installation directory, locate the validations.xml file, which is near
the installation executable ( ALM_installer.bin).
2. Edit the validations.xml file by changing the validation value from true to false
as required. Following is an example of the file with all configuration validators
active.
<validations>
<os enabled="true" />
<memory enabled="true" threshold="8" />
<installation_disk_space enabled="true" threshold="8" />
<sa-schema enabled="true" />
<db enabled="true" />
<mail enabled="true" />
<license-key enabled="true" />
<repository enabled="true" />
<sa-user enabled="true" />
<security enabled="true" />
<alm-services enabled="true" />
<web-server enabled="true" />
</validations>
3. Save the file and rerun the installation.
Configuration Validators
Validator Checks To Disable
os
Checks that the operating system is supported.
Note: For the most up-to-date supported
environments, see
http://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/specs
/alm-qc-system-requirements.htm.
<os
enabled="fals
e" />
memory Checks that the customer machine has at least x
GB of memory (x is defined by the threshold
value, the default is 8 GB).
<memory
enabled="fals
e" />
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 140 of 177
Validator Checks To Disable
installation_
disk_space
Checks that the installation location has at least
x GB of free disk space (x is defined by the
threshold value, the default is 8 GB).
Note: This validation is related only to the
installation location. If the installation fails
because of a lack of free space in the
temporary folder, changing the threshold
value or disabling this validation does not
affect the failure.
<installation_
disk_space
enabled="fals
e" />
sa-schema Checks Site Administration database settings. <sa-schema
enabled="fals
e" />
db Checks database connectivity. <db
enabled="fals
e" />
mail Checks that the mail server is valid. <mail
enabled="fals
e" />
license-key Checks the license file key. <license-key
enabled="fals
e" />
repository Checks that the repository folder is accessible,
and has sufficient space.
<repository
enabled="fals
e" />
sa-user Checks site administrator user settings. <sa-user
enabled="fals
e" />
security Checks encryption passphrases. <security
enabled="fals
e" />
alm-
services
Checks Windows service settings. <alm-services
enabled="fals
e" />
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 141 of 177
Validator Checks To Disable
web-server Checks that the HTTP port and web server
deployment folder is accessible, and has
sufficient space
<web-server
enabled="fals
e" />
To disable configuration validators and rerun the ALM Installation Wizard in
Windows:
Note: These instructions do not apply when running the Windows silent
installation. For Windows silent installation, follow the instructions above.
1. In the ALM installation directory, locate the validations.xml file, which is near
the installation executable ( ALM_installer.exe).
2. Edit the validations.xml file by changing the validation value from true to false
as required. Following is an example of the file with all configuration validators
active.
<validations>
<os enabled="true" />
<memory enabled="true" threshold="8" />
<installation_disk_space enabled="true" threshold="8" />
<sa-schema enabled="true" />
<db enabled="true" />
<mail enabled="true" />
<license-key enabled="true" />
<repository enabled="true" />
<sa-user enabled="true" />
<security enabled="true" />
<alm-services enabled="true" />
<web-server enabled="true" />
</validations>
3. Only the following configuration validators are used in the Windows installation
wizard:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 142 of 177
Validator Checks To Disable
os
Checks that the operating system is
supported.
Note: For the most up-to-date
supported environments, see
http://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/spe
cs/alm-qc-system-requirements.htm.
<os
enabled="fals
e" />
memory Checks that the customer machine has at
least x GB of memory (x is defined by the
threshold value, the default is 8 GB).
<memory
enabled="fals
e" />
installatio
n_disk_
space
Checks that the installation location has at
least x GB of free disk space (x is defined by
the threshold value, the default is 8 GB).
Note: This validation is related only to
the installation location. If the
installation fails because of a lack of free
space in the temporary folder, changing
the threshold value or disabling this
validation does not affect the failure.
<installation_
disk_space
enabled="fals
e" />
db Checks database connectivity. <db
enabled="fals
e" />
4. Save the file and rerun the installation.
5. On the Installation Summary page, before clicking Done, edit the run_
configuration.bat file, located under <installation folder>\ALM, to disable
validations.
Validator Checks To Disable
Existing
installation
Checks if an older
version of ALM or Quality
Center is installed.
- wPreviousInstallationValidator
License file Checks license file key. -wLicenseTypeValidator
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 143 of 177
Validator Checks To Disable
Security
passphrases
Checks encryption
passphrases.
-wEncryptionStepValidator
Mail server Checks that the mail
server name is valid.
wMailServerValidator
Database
settings
Checks Site
Administration database
settings.
-wSaSchemaValidator
Site
administrator
Checks site
administrator user
settings.
-wSiteAdminUserValidator
repository
folder
Checks that the
repository folder is
accessible, and has
sufficient space.
-wRepositoryValidator
6. Save the run_configuration.bat file and click Done to continue the installation.
Checking the Installation and Configuration Log
Files
If you encounter problems installing ALM, check for errors in the following log files:
Windows File Delivery Logs
Log Path
Install
Completed
<ALM_installdir>\ALM\log
Install Failed
on the desktop:
Application_Lifecycle_Management_Install_<mm_dd_yyyy_hh_
mm_ss>.log
Application Logs
Log Path
Configuration logs
<ALM_installdir>\log
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 144 of 177
Log Path
Site Administration database schema creation logs
<ALM_installdir>\log\sa
ALM Installation Already Exists
After uninstalling a previous version of ALM, an error message displays while
installing a later version, indicating that ALM already exists.
Perform the following steps:
1. Navigate to the C:/ProgramData directory.
2. Locate the the InstallAnywhere global registry file (hidden file), search for
.com.zerog.registry.xml. Edit the file and remove the sections related to ALM
and its components.
3. Locate the .com.zerog.registry.xml.swp (hidden file). If the file exists, delete
it.
Database Validator Fails
During the ALM Server configuration, the database validator performs the
following checks:
l
Check that the input parameters are correct.
l
Check that the Site Administration database schema name was provided.
l
Check whether the same authentication type was used as the one used in the
previous installation.
Perform the following steps:
1. Check whether the parameters are correct:
l
Read the error message that displays during installation and try to
understand and resolve the problem from the root cause.
l
For further clarifications, check with your database administrator.
l
If no error was found and you are sure that the parameters are correct,
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 145 of 177
disable the DB parameters validator. For details, see "Disabling Validation
Checks for the Installation Wizard" on page139.
2. Check that the Site Administration Database Schema name was provided:
a. Open a database query tool.
b. Make sure the PROJECTS table exists in the Site Administration Database
Schema. This table does not exist in the project schema.
3. To check the authentication type of a previous installation:
a. Navigate to <ALM installation
path>\ALM\application\20qcbin.war\WEB-INF and open the
siteadmin.xml file in a text editor.
b. Search for the native property. If its value is set to Y, Windows
authentication was used. Make sure that the new installation uses the same
authentication type (Microsoft SQL Server authentication or Windows
authentication) as the previous installation.
Monitoring ALM Server Fails
When running one of the Java-based tools to monitor ALM you receive the
following message:
"Not enough storage is available to process this command."
This problem is caused because the JVM running the ALM Server is running with a
service account.
Choose one of the following solutions, depending on which tool you are running:
l
jmap and jstack. See the suggestion in the following link:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/906620/jstack-and-not-enough-storage-
is-available-to-process-this-command
l
jconsole and jvisualvm
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 146 of 177
Appendix 2: Upgrade Preparation
Troubleshooting
This appendix describes schema and database inconsistencies that the
verification process detects. It indicates which problems the repair process can fix
automatically, and which you should repair manually. Suggested solutions for
repairing each issue are provided.
This appendix includes:
Overview
147
Quick Warning Reference
148
General Validation
152
Schema Validation
157
Data Validation
168
Changing the Database User Schema
173
Overview
The verification process, described in "Verifying Domains and Projects" on
page51, detects inconsistencies and indicates which problems the repair process
can fix automatically, and which you should repair manually. Suggested solutions
for repairing each issue are provided in this appendix.
If an error is displayed during the verification or upgrade process, you can see
error descriptions at this KB article.
If a warning is displayed during the verification process, you can use the "Quick
Warning Reference" on the next page to locate the corresponding solution for that
warning.
Some solutions require that you change the database user schema:
l
Database User Schema. Database in SQL Server and a user schema in Oracle.
This term is used for both cases because ALM can be deployed over SQL Server
and Oracle. Both cases are logical sets of database objects (for example, tables,
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 147 of 177
indexes, and so on) owned by the same logical owner.
l
Expected Database User Schema. ALM Database User Schema configurations,
as defined in the configuration file for a new ALM Database User Schema. As a
preparation for the current version, each project database user schema should
be aligned with the latest configurations, as defined in this schema.
If you need to modify the database user schema, see the additional instructions
under "Changing the Database User Schema" on page173.
Quick Warning Reference
This section lists schema and data issues found in warnings generated by the
verification process.
General Issues
148
Schema Issues
149
Data Issues
151
General Issues
The following table lists general issues found in verification process warnings.
Some issues are fixed automatically by the repair process. Other issues require
that you repair them manually.
Type Problem Resolution Details
Database Database server
version not
supported
manual repair "Supported
Database Version"
on page153
Database Schema name
contains invalid
characters
manual repair "Valid Database
User Schema
Name" on
page153
Database Table owner does
not match the
ALM server
connection
method
manual repair "Mixed Table
Ownership" on
page153
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 148 of 177
Type Problem Resolution Details
Database Repository over
database feature
no longer
supported
manual repair Repository over
Database Feature
Version control Certain version
control projects
cannot be
upgraded directly
manual repair Version Control
Validation
Database Permissions manual repair "Database
Permissions" on
page154
Database Configure text
search
manual repair "Text Search
Configuration" on
page154
Schema Issues
The following table lists schema issues found in verification process warnings.
Some schema issues are fixed automatically by the repair process. Other schema
issues require that you repair them manually.
Type Problem Element Resolution Details
Table Extra table manual
repair
"Extra Table"
on page158
Table Missing table repair
process
"Missing Table"
on page159
Views Extra view manual
repair
"Extra Views"
on page171
Views Missing view repair
process
"Views" on
page170
Column Extra column manual
repair
"Extra Column"
on page159
Column Missing column repair
process
"Missing
Column" on
page162
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 149 of 177
Type Problem Element Resolution Details
Column Size mismatch -
column size bigger
than expected
manual
repair
"Column Size
Mismatch" on
page160
Column Size mismatch -
column size smaller
than expected
repair
process
"Column Size
Mismatch" on
page160
Column Type mismatch manual
repair
"Column Type
Mismatch" on
page161
Column Precision repair
process
"Column
Precision
Mismatch" on
page161
Column Nullable - column can
accept NULL values
repair
process
"Column
Nullability
Mismatch" on
page161
Index Uniqueness repair
process
"Index
Uniqueness
Mismatch" on
page164
Index Clustered repair
process
"Index
Clustered" on
page165
Index Extra manual
repair
Internal
Changes
Index Missing repair
process
"Missing Index"
on page165
Constraint Missing repair
process
"Missing
Constraint" on
page165
Constraint Extra manual
repair
"Missing
Constraint" on
page165
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 150 of 177
Type Problem Element Resolution Details
Index Changed repair
process
"Index
Changed" on
page165
Triggers Extra manual
repair
"Extra Trigger"
on page166
Sequence Missing repair
process
"Missing
Sequence" on
page167
Sequence Extra manual
repair
"Extra
Sequence" on
page167
Sequence Incorrect repair
process
"Incorrect
Sequences" on
page168
Data Issues
The following table lists data issues found in the verification process warnings.
Some data issues are fixed automatically by the repair process. Other data issues
require that you repair them manually.
Type Problem Element
Resolutio
n Details
Duplicate
data
Duplicate
values
repair
process
"Duplicate
Values" on
page168
Duplicate
data
Duplicate
IDs
repair
process
"Duplicate
IDs" on
page169
Trees Wrong
number of
children
Tables REQ/ALL_
LISTS/CYCL_FOLD
repair
process
"Tree
Inconsistenci
es" on
page170
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 151 of 177
Type Problem Element
Resolutio
n Details
Trees Corrupted
path
Tables REQ/ALL_
LISTS/CYCL_FOLD
repair
process
"Tree
Inconsistenci
es" on
page170
Trees Orphan
records
Tables REQ/ALL_
LISTS/CYCL_FOLD
repair
process
"Tree
Inconsistenci
es" on
page170
Sequence
s
Sequence
mismatch
Table SEQUENCES
repair
process
"Sequences"
on page167
Orphans Missing
parent
entities
repair
process
"Orphaned
Entities" on
page171
Missing
data
Missing
entities
repair
process
"Missing
Entities" on
page172
Lists Missing
lists and
values
Tables SYSTEM_FIELD /
LISTS
repair
process
"Missing Lists
and/or List
Values" on
page172
Encryptio
n
Mismatche
d
passphras
es for
encrypted
values
Tables LAB_HOSTS /
LAB_AUT_HOSTS/LAB_
DIAGNOSTICS_SERVERS
manual
repair
Encrypted
Values
General Validation
This section describes the general validation checks the verification process
performs.
Supported Database Version
153
Valid Database User Schema Name
153
Mixed Table Ownership
153
Database Permissions
154
Text Search Configuration
154
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 152 of 177
Supported Database Version
The verification process checks that the project schema is stored in a supported
database server. If the verification process detects that the database server
version is not supported, it displays a warning.
Note: For the most up-to-date supported environments, see
http://admhelp.microfocus.com/alm/specs/alm-qc-system-
requirements.htm.
Valid Database User Schema Name
The upgrade mechanism does not support databases that include special
characters in the database name. If the verification process finds special
characters, you must remove them. For SQLdatabases, periods are also not
supported in the database user schema name.
To remove special characters from database names:
1. Deactivate the project.
2. Ask your database administrator to rename the database user schema to a
name that does not include special characters, or periods for SQLdatabases.
3. Remove the project from Site Administration.
4. Update the Dbid.xml file to point to the new database user schema name.
5. Restore the project by using the updated Dbid.xml file.
6. Run the verification process again to make sure the problem is resolved.
Mixed Table Ownership
ALM can connect to Microsoft SQL server by using SQL authentication or Windows
authentication.
For each of these methods, a different user owns the tables of a project:
l
SQL Authentication. Table owner is the user td.
l
Windows Authentication. Table owner is the user dbo (a user mapped to the
operating system user that runs the ALM server).
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 153 of 177
If you create a project with one type of authentication (for example, SQL), and then
restore it with the other type of authentication (for example, Windows), these
tables cannot be accessed. In this case, new tables are created with owners that
are different from those of the old tables. You will not be able to work with the
project. It is likely that the upgrade will fail.
To prevent this problem, the duplicate ownership validator checks that the owner
of all of the tables in the project database user schema matches the connection
method that ALM is using to connect to the server.
To fix table ownership manually, do one of the following:
l
SQL Authentication: Run the following query to make td the table owner:
EXEC sp_changeobjectowner '<table name>', 'td'
l
Windows Authentication: Run the following query to make dbo the table owner:
EXEC sp_changeobjectowner 'td.<table name>', 'dbo'
Database Permissions
To enable an upgrade to the current ALM version, the project schema requires a
set of minimum required permissions. The verification process makes sure that
both the project user and the administrator user have all the privileges needed to
perform the upgrade.
Text Search Configuration
If your database does support text search, ALM installs the required components
when creating a new project database. ALM also activates the text search for the
new database. The verification process checks whether your project has the text
search feature enabled, and that it is configured correctly.
The verification process validates the following:
l
"Validity of the Text Search Configuration" on the next page
l
"Only Valid Fields Configured Under "Text Search"" on the next page
l
"Text Search Validation for Oracle Database Server" on page156
l
"Text Search Validation for Microsoft SQL Database Server " on page156
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 154 of 177
Validity of the Text Search Configuration
The verification process checks that text search components are installed and are
valid on the database server. If a database server is text search-enabled in the DB
Servers tab in Site Administration, text search must also be enabled on the Oracle
or SQL database server. If the verification process detects that text search is not
enabled or configured incorrectly on the Oracle or SQL database server, the
upgrade process does not run until you manually repair the problem.
We recommend that you ask your database administrator to reconfigure text
search on the Oracle or SQL database server. Alternatively, as a workaround, you
can disable text search for the database server from Site Administration.
To disable the text search for the database server:
1. Run the following query on your Site Administration schema:
update <SA Schema>.dbservers set db_text_search_enabled = null
where dbserver_name = '<DB logical name>'
2. Restart the ALM server.
3. Run the repair process for your projects.
4. When the repair process completes, run the following query:
update <SA Schema>.dbservers set db_text_search_enabled = 'Y' where
dbserver_name = '<DB logical name>'
5. Restart the ALM server.
Only Valid Fields Configured Under "Text Search"
The verification process checks that only valid fields are defined as searchable.
You can enable the text search only for specific entities, and only on fields of the
type string or memo. The following entities are supported: BUG, COMPONENT,
COMPONENT_STEP, DESSTEPS, REQ, TEST, BPTEST_TO_COMPONENT, and
CYCLE. Any other configuration could cause functionality problems during
upgrade or customization. This problem is fixed automatically by the repair
process.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 155 of 177
Text Search Validation for Oracle Database Server
For an Oracle Database server, the verification process checks the following:
l
Validity of Text Search Indexes. The verification process checks that database
text search indexes are valid. Invalid text search indexes can cause functionality
problems and even upgrade failure in ALM. If the verification process detects an
invalid index, try to recreate the index by dropping it from the schema and
creating it again. In Site Administration, click the Site Projects tab. Select the
relevant project and click the Enable/Rebuild Text Search button. If this
procedure returns an error, consult your database administrator or contact
OpenText Support.
l
Validity of Project Database User Permissions. The verification process
checks that the project database user has the required permissions to work with
text search. When text search is installed on the database, the role CTXAPP is
created automatically. ALM requires that this role be granted to all projects
database users that support text search. (ALM grants the CTXAPP role
automatically when creating the project or enabling the text search for a
project.) If this role is not granted to the project database user (configured to
support text search), the verification process returns a warning. In these cases,
ask your database administrator to grant the required role to the project
database user.
Text Search Validation for Microsoft SQL Database Server
The verification process checks that the project database user schema enables
the text search feature. To work with text search on SQL project, you need to
enable the text search on the database.
To enable text search on the database:
1. Select the database from the SQL server Enterprise Manager.
2. Right-click the database name.
3. Select Properties/Files.
4. Select Use Full-Text Indexing.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 156 of 177
Schema Validation
The verification process helps to ensure that the project database user schema is
correct and configured as expected.
The verification process performs two types of schema verifications:
l
Schema Correctness. Checks that the project database schema includes all of
the required schema objects, as defined in the expected database user schema
for the project. This verification ensures that all of the required entities exist and
are defined as expected. It also ensures that there are no extra entities defined
on top of the schema.
l
Alignment to the current version. Notifies you about differences in the project
database user schema caused by internal changes made in Quality Center or
ALM. In this way, the verification process aligns the schema with the latest
internal changes to the schema made in preparation for the upgrade.
The verification process displays warnings in the verification report if it finds the
following:
l
Extra entities defined. For example, Table, Column, Trigger, View, and Sequence.
l
Differences from the expected definitions. For example, Column Size and Index
Attributes.
l
Missing objects.
Schema differences found by the verification process can cause upgrade failures
or usage problems. As long as the verification process still finds these differences,
an upgrade to the current ALM version will not start.
Note: Many of the schema changes can be fixed automatically by the repair
process.
The following sections contain possible warnings, grouped by the different
database objects, that the verification process can display in the verification
report:
Tables
158
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 157 of 177
Columns
159
Indexes and Constraints
163
Triggers
166
Sequences
167
Tables
Database tables can contain the following warnings:
l
"Extra Table" below
l
"Missing Table" on the next page
Extra Table
The ALM schema should contain only the tables that are defined in the schema
configuration file. Adding extra tables on top of the schema is not supported and
might cause future problems with ALM.
Problem: If the verification process finds extra tables that were added manually to
the schema, it generates an Extra Table warning.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
Solution: Do one of the following:
l
Change the Schema. If you use the table, copy it to a different schema. If you do
not use the table, delete it. Before taking either action, back up the schema and
consult your database administrator. For details, see "Changing the Database
User Schema" on page173.
l
Use the Exception File. For details about the Exception file, see "Define an
Exception File" on page52.
If the project database is case sensitive, the table name must be the same in
both the database and the exception file.
Note: Not recommended: Instruct the upgrade to ignore this problem.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 158 of 177
Missing Table
The verification process checks that all of the tables defined for the project
schema actually exist (according to the tables of each Quality Center/ALM
version).
Problem: If a table is missing, the verification process generates a Missing Table
warning.
Solution: Do one of the following:
l
See "Changing the Database User Schema" on page173.
l
Run the repair process to create the missing table. Although you can use the
repair process to add these objects, we recommend that you contact OpenText
Support to make sure that the missing objects are not just symptoms of a bigger
problem.
Columns
Database columns can contain the following warnings:
l
"Extra Column" below
l
"Column Size Mismatch" on the next page
l
"Column Precision Mismatch" on page161
l
"Column Type Mismatch" on page161
l
"Column Nullability Mismatch" on page161
l
"Identity Column" on page162
l
"Missing Column" on page162
Extra Column
The verification process checks that each table includes the required columns, as
defined for the expected database user schema and version. The schema should
not include extra columns. Extra columns in a table might cause upgrade failure or
functionality problems.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 159 of 177
Problem: If the verification process detects an extra column (that does not exist in
the database user schema definitions) in one of the tables, it generates an Extra
Column warning.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
Solution: Do one of the following:
l
Change the Schema. If you have an internal implementation that requires extra
table columns, move the extra columns to a different table in a different schema.
If you do not use a particular column, delete it. Before taking either action, back
up your schema and consult your database administrator. For a more detailed
explanation, see "Changing the Database User Schema" on page173.
l
Use the Exception File. For details about the Exception file, see "Define an
Exception File" on page52.
Note: Not recommended: Instruct the upgrade to ignore this problem.
Column Size Mismatch
The verification process checks that all the table columns are defined as expected.
This validation ensures that the column size matches the expected size as defined
for each table column. This verification excludes user-defined fields, whose size
can be customized through project customization.
Some column mismatch warnings are caused by internal changes made in Quality
Center 10.00 that are fixed by the repair process automatically. For details, see
Internal Quality Center Changes.
Problem A: Size is bigger than expected. If the column size is bigger than
expected, decrease the column size to the required size manually. Because this
operation can cause data loss, it is not performed automatically by repair process.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 160 of 177
Solution A: Consult your database administrator to resolve this issue. For risks
involved in changing the database user schema, see "Changing the Database User
Schema" on page173.
Problem B: Size is smaller than expected. If the column size is smaller than
expected, the repair process fixes the problem automatically by increasing the
column size to the expected size.
Solution B: Run the repair process to increase the current size to the required size.
Column Precision Mismatch
In an Oracle Database, "precision" is the term used to define the size of fields with
the INTEGER type.
Problem: The verification process generates a warning if the precision defined for
a certain column is smaller than expected.
Solution: Run the repair process to increase the current precision to the required
precision.
Column Type Mismatch
Changing a column type causes the upgrade to fail, and can cause major
functionality problems.
Problem: The verification process generates a Column Type warning if the column
type has changed.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
Solution: Consult your database administrator to resolve this issue. For risks
involved in changing the database user schema, see "Changing the Database User
Schema" on page173.
Column Nullability Mismatch
One of the attributes that is defined for a column is whether it can accept null
values. A null is the absence of a value in a column of a row. Nulls indicate missing,
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 161 of 177
unknown, or inapplicable data. If you have defined a NOT NULL or PRIMARY KEY
integrity constraint for a particular column, you cannot insert rows into the column
without adding a value.
Problem: The verification process compares the required definitions for each
column in the expected database user schema to the project database user
schema. If it encounters differences in the column NULL attribute definition, it
generates a Column Nullable warning.
Solution: Run the repair process. The repair process runs a query to modify the
column attributes to the expected attributes.
If the column includes NULL values, the repair process cannot update the column
attribute to NOT NULL (if this is the required attribute) for the column. Ask your
database administrator how to remove the NULL values from the column. After
removing the NULL values, run the repair process again. For details, see "Changing
the Database User Schema" on page173.
Identity Column
The IDENTITY property is one of the attributes defined for columns in Microsoft
SQL server.
Problem: As part of the verification for the columns attributes, the verification
process might find a column IDENTITY property that is not configured as expected.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
Solution: Change the IDENTITY property of the column to the expected
configuration (according to the output from the verification process report)
manually. Consult your database administrator to resolve this issue. For details,
see "Changing the Database User Schema" on page173.
Missing Column
If a column is missing from a table, run the repair process or contact OpenText
Support.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 162 of 177
Problem: If the verification process finds that a column is missing from one of the
tables, it generates a Missing Column warning.
Solution: Do one of the following:
l
Run the repair process to fix the problem.
l
See "Changing the Database User Schema" on page173.
Indexes and Constraints
A database index is a data structure that improves the speed of operations in a
table. You can create indexes using one or more columns, providing the basis for
both rapid random lookups and efficient ordering of access to records. Database
Constraints are constraints on the database that require relations to satisfy certain
properties.
Database indexes and constraints can cause the following validation warnings:
l
"Extra Index" below
l
"Extra Constraint" on the next page
l
"Index Uniqueness Mismatch" on the next page
l
"Index Clustered" on page165
l
"Missing Constraint" on page165
l
"Missing Index" on page165
l
"Index Changed" on page165
l
"Index Order Changed " on page166
Extra Index
The ALM schema should include only those indexes defined in the required
schema configurations.
Problem: If the verification process finds an index that is not defined in the
required schema configuration, it generates an Extra Index warning.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 163 of 177
Solution: Remove the extra indexes manually. Consult with your database
administrator to resolve this issue. For details, see "Changing the Database User
Schema" on page173.
Extra Constraint
The ALM schema should include only those constraints defined in the required
schema configurations.
Problem: If the verification process finds a constraint that is not defined in the
required schema configuration, it generates an Extra Constraint warning.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
Solution: Remove the extra constraint manually. Consult with your database
administrator to resolve this issue. For details, see "Changing the Database User
Schema" on page173.
Index Uniqueness Mismatch
A unique index guarantees that the index key contains no duplicate values. As a
result, every row in the table is unique. Specifying unique indexes on ALM data
tables ensures data integrity of the defined columns. In addition, it provides helpful
information that is used as a query optimizer.
Problem: If the index uniqueness attribute does not have the expected value, the
verification process generates an Index Uniqueness Mismatch warning.
You cannot create a unique index, unique constraint, or PRIMARY KEY constraint if
duplicate key values exist in the data. The verification process performs these data
validations. If a table has duplicate values or IDs, based on the index definitions on
that table, the verification process also displays the duplication in the verification
report. In this case, the repair process automatically fixes the duplication problem
before creating the unique index.
Solution: Run the repair process to fix the problem.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 164 of 177
Index Clustered
In Microsoft SQL, index type can be classified as clustered or non-clustered. The
verification process compares the required definitions for each index in the
expected database user schema to the project database user schema.
Problem: If the verification process finds differences in the index clustered
attribute definition, it generates an Index Clustered warning.
Solution: Run the repair process to fix the problem.
Missing Constraint
Constraints are rules that the database enforces to improve data integrity.
Problem: If the verification process finds a constraint that should be defined as
missing, it generates a Missing Constraint warning.
Solution: Run the repair process to fix the problem.
Missing Index
The verification process checks that all the required indexes (as defined in the
expected database user schema) exist in the projects database user schema.
Problem: If the verification process does not find all the required indexes in the
projects database user schema, it generates a Missing Index warning.
Solution: Run the repair process to fix the problem.
Index Changed
The verification process checks that the indexes are defined according to the
expected database user schema.
Problem: If the verification process finds an index that is not defined according to
the expected database user schema, it generates an Index Changed warning.
This warning can indicate the following problems:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 165 of 177
l
Function in a function-based index is different than expected.
l
Index is not defined on the expected columns.
Solution: Run the repair process to fix the problem. The repair process removes
the index, and then recreates it, based on the required definitions for this index.
Index Order Changed
The verification process checks that the order of the columns in the index
definition has not changed.
Problem: If the order of the columns in the index definition has changed, the
verification process generates an Index Order Changed warning.
Solution: Run the repair process to fix the problem. The repair process removes
the index, and then recreates it, based on the required definitions for this index.
Triggers
A database trigger is procedural code that is automatically executed in response to
certain events on a particular table in a database.
Database triggers can contain the following warning:
l
"Extra Trigger" below
Extra Trigger
Extra triggers can cause upgrade failures and functionality problems.
Problem: If the verification process finds an extra trigger, it generates an Extra
Trigger warning.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
Solution: Before upgrading, back up your database schema and remove the extra
triggers manually.
Because extra triggers can cause upgrade failures, the upgrade process cannot
ignore this warning by using the Exception file. For details, see "Changing the
Database User Schema" on page173.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 166 of 177
Sequences
A sequence is an Oracle object that acts as a generator that provides a sequential
series of numbers.
Database sequences can contain the following warnings:
l
"Extra Sequence" below
l
"Missing Sequence" below
l
"Incorrect Sequences" on the next page
Extra Sequence
ALM schemas should contain only the sequences that are defined in the schema
configuration file.
Problem: If the verification process finds an extra sequence, it generates an Extra
Sequence warning.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
Solution: Do one of the following:
l
Change the Schema. Move the sequence to a new database user schema.
Before doing so, consult with your database administrator. For details, see
"Changing the Database User Schema" on page173.
l
Use the Exception File. For details about the Exception file, see "Define an
Exception File" on page52.
Note: Not recommended: Instruct the upgrade to ignore this problem.
Missing Sequence
Problem: If the verification process finds that one of the sequences that should be
defined on the ALM schema is missing, it generates a Missing Sequence warning.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 167 of 177
Solution: Do the following:
l
Run the repair process to fix the problem.
l
See "Changing the Database User Schema" on page173.
Incorrect Sequences
Problem: Sometimes the Oracle object sequence numbers become incorrect, for
example, if an export of the database is done on a live activated project, in which
users are still modifying tables. If the verification process finds that Oracle
sequences objects are not fully synchronized with ALM schema table IDs, the
verification process generates an Incorrect Oracle sequences found warning.
Solution: Run the repair process to fix the problem.
Data Validation
One of the main functions of the verification process is to ensure that the project
database contains valid data.
The verification process helps you find and fix the following problems:
Duplicate Values
168
Duplicate IDs
169
Tree Inconsistencies
170
Views
170
Orphaned Entities
171
Missing Entities
172
Missing Lists and/or List Values
172
Duplicate Values
Some fields (or a combination of fields) must be unique in given tables. This
constraint is enforced by the creation of a unique index on these fields. For
example, the combination of fields TS_SUBJECT and TS_NAME, which represent
the ID of the test's parent folder and test name, must be unique. It is not possible to
create two tests with the same name under the same folder. In rare cases, a
corrupted database contains duplicate values in these fields.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 168 of 177
Problem: The verification process checks that all unique indexes exist (and
therefore enforce unique values). If the verification process finds duplicate values,
it does not permit the upgrade to run on the project.
The verification report specifies the fields in which there are duplications and
number of duplicate values found, as shown below.
Solution: Automatic Repair. Run the repair process to automatically handle the
duplicate values. The repair process renames the duplicate values to resolve the
problem.
Duplicate IDs
Most tables have a unique primary key, usually a unique single column. If there are
duplicate values in this field, the primary key is not created.
For example, in a table called test, the column TS_TEST_ID represents the test ID,
which is unique. In rare cases, a corrupted database contains duplicate IDs.
Problem: The verification process checks that all IDs in a table are unique. If it finds
duplicate IDs, it does not permit the upgrade to run on the project.
The verification report specifies the fields in which there are duplicate items and
values, as shown below.
Solution: Automatic Repair. The repair process automatically deletes one of the
records with a duplicate ID.
Caution: This option assumes that the entire record is duplicated, and that
the duplicated record is not accessible from the ALM user interface. Because
there can be exceptions, we recommend that you use this option only after
verifying manually that this record deletion will not cause data loss.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 169 of 177
Tree Inconsistencies
The verification process checks four different entity trees (hierarchical
representation of entities):
l
Test Plan tree
l
Business Components tree
l
Requirement tree
l
Test Lab tree
The verification process checks that the data in the tree tables is correct.
Caution: Do not manually fix any problems related to tree data. The repair
process fixes them automatically.
Problem: The verification process checks for the following types of problems:
l
Corrupted Path. This is an internal ALM field that contains a string that
represents the order of each node in the tree.
l
Wrong Number of Children. This is an internal ALM field that contains the
number of children for each node in the tree.
l
Orphan Records in Trees. By definition, orphan records do not have parent
records. As a result, you cannot access them through the ALM user interface.
Solution: Automatic Repair. Run the repair process to automatically fix any
problems related to tree data.
Caution: Before beginning the automatic repair, review each orphan record
carefully. If the verification process finds an orphan record, it deletes it (and
all its descendants) from the tree automatically.
Views
Database views can contain the following warning:
l
"Extra Views" on the next page
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 170 of 177
Extra Views
ALM schemas should contain only the views that are defined in the schema
configuration file.
Problem: If the verification process detects extra views that were added manually
to the schema, it displays an Extra Views warning. Adding extra views on top of
the schema is not supported and could cause problems.
Note: This problem requires manual repair. The repair process cannot fix it.
Solution: Do one of the following:
l
Change the Schema. If you use the view, copy it to a different schema. If you do
not use the view, delete it. Before taking either action, back up your schema and
consult your database administrator. For details, see "Changing the Database
User Schema" on page173.
l
Use the Exception File. For details about the Exception file, see "Define an
Exception File" on page52.
Note: Not recommended: Instruct the upgrade to ignore this problem.
Orphaned Entities
The verification process checks for entity data that is missing corresponding
parent data.For example, the following entities might be missing corresponding
test configurations or test criteria:
l
Test configuration coverage
l
Criteria coverage
l
Run criteria
l
Runs
l
Test instances
Caution: Do not manually fix any problems related to orphaned entities. The
repair process fixes them automatically.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 171 of 177
Problem: In version-controlled projects, deleting a test configuration or test
criteria did not delete corresponding entities after checking in. This caused
incorrect coverage calculation.
Solution: Automatic Repair. Run the repair process to automatically fix any
problems related to orphaned entities created by this problem.
Missing Entities
The verification process checks for data that is missing.For example, the following
entities might be missing:
l
Test configurations
l
Test criteria
Caution: Do not manually fix any problems related to missing entities. The
repair process fixes them automatically.
Problem: The upgrade process can detect that certain entities are missing based
on information that exists in related tables.
Solution: Automatic Repair. Run the repair process to automatically fix any
problems related to missing entities created by this problem.
Missing Lists and/or List Values
The verification process checks that all of the fields of List type are associated
with a list.
Problem: If a list and/or its values are missing, the verification process generates a
warning about missing lists or missing list values.
Solution:
Run the repair process to create the missing list and/or its values.
Missing lists are re-created with the name: AUTO_GENERATED_LIST_NAME_
<
unique_number
>
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 172 of 177
After running the repair process, do the following in Customization >Project
Lists:
l
Rename any lists whose names are prefixed by AUTO_GENERATED_LIST_
NAME_.
l
If necessary, add any list values that are missing.
Tip: Although you can use the repair process to add these objects, we
recommend that you contact OpenText Support to make sure that the
missing objects are not just symptoms of a bigger problem.
Changing the Database User Schema
This section describes the problems that require manual repair (cannot be fixed
automatically by the repair process), and recommends solutions for these
problems. If you encounter any of the problems mentioned below, consult with
your database administrator or contact OpenText Support for further guidelines to
resolve these problems before upgrading.
The stability of the new database upgrade component depends on the database
user schema validity. We recommend that you not use the Exception file to change
the database user schema.
This section includes:
Missing Database Objects
173
Missing List Warning
174
Sequences Warning
174
Changed Database Objects
174
Extra Database Objects
175
Missing Database Objects
Missing database objects can be symptoms of a bigger problem.
Problem: Missing database objects (for example, tables and indexes) can yield
unexpected and unwanted behavior.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 173 of 177
Solution: Although you can use the repair process to add these objects, we
recommend that you contact OpenText Support to make sure that the missing
objects are not just symptoms of a bigger problem.
Missing List Warning
User-defined fields of List type must be associated with lists.
Problem: If a list is missing for a user-defined field, the verification process
generates a Missing List warning.
Solution: Contact OpenText Support for instructions on changing the data type of
the user-defined field from List to String in the SYSTEM_FIELDtable.
Caution: Contact OpenText Support before attempting to fix the problem
manually.
Sequences Warning
An internal mechanism manages IDs and other system numerators. The table
SEQUENCES holds the name of the table or other entity whose numeration is being
tracked as well as its highest current value.
Problem: If one of the records is missing in this table, or if one of the values is
incorrect, the verification process generates a Sequences warning.
Solution: The repair process fixes the problem automatically.
Caution: We strongly recommend that you not attempt to fix the problem
manually.
Changed Database Objects
Any of the following cases is defined as a Changed Database Object:
l
Data type of a column was changed
l
Length of a column was changed
l
Nullability of a column was changed
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 174 of 177
l
Column is defined as identity although it should not be defined as such, or vice
versa
Problem: A changed column data type can result in incorrect behavior on the
server side.
Solution: To avoid this behavior, make sure that you have resolved all data type
and length concerns before beginning the upgrade.
For every changed database object that is found, do the following:
1. Create a new column with the required attributes as originally defined by the
ALM server.
2. Move the data from the old column to the new one.
If you cannot move the data (for example, move strings to numeric columns, or
move large data to smaller fields), contact OpenText Support.
3. Remove the old column.
4. Rename the new column to the original column name.
Extra Database Objects
ALM has various customization options. One option is to add user-defined fields
(UDFs). You can add a UDF by using either the project customization user interface
or through OTA (Open Test Architecture).
Problem: Any other addition to the database user schema (for example, defining
extra objects on top of ALM schema) can result in a failure, such as the following:
l
Name Conflict. If the later version happens to include a name that you added for
a proprietary database object (for example, a table, view, or column), the two
names will be in conflict.
l
Copy and Synchronize Failure. If the database user schema contains extra or
missing database objects, some ALM mechanisms for copying and
synchronizing might fail.
l
Extra Triggers. If the database contains extra triggers, some update operations
might fail.
Solution:
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 175 of 177
For each extra database object that is found, perform the corresponding
solution:
l
Move extra columns to newly created tables.
To make sure a new table has a one-to-one relationship with the original table,
define the primary key of the new column in the new table with the value of the
primary key of the original column in the original table.
l
Move extra tables to a different database user schema.
These extra tables include those tables created above. You might need to
amend the proprietary application data access of these tables. You can still
access these tables from within the ALM database connection by specifying the
full name.
l
Oracle
<schema name>.<table name>
l
SQL Server
<database name>.td.<table name>
To be able to see these tables, you must grant the necessary permissions for the
database user schema.
l
Move extra views to a different database user schema.
Like extra tables, these views can be moved to a different database user
schema. In addition, you must grant reading permissions to the newly created
database user schema on the database user schema objects.
l
Remove referential integrity between customer database objects and ALM
database objects.
This removal includes no data loss.
l
Remove extra triggers before the upgrade, and, only if truly necessary,
restore them after the upgrade.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 176 of 177
No data loss is involved. The upgrade process includes data upgraders that
perform some data manipulations (for example, removing duplicate values, fixing
tree structures, and so on).
Your triggers will not be invoked on these update events.
As a result, you need to do the following:
a. Ask OpenText Support for information about the data upgrader activity.
b. Review the information about the data upgrader activity.
c. Decide on which proprietary updates you need to perform.
l
Remove extra indexes.
You can log all indexes before the upgrade, and (only if necessary) restore them
after the upgrade. No data loss is involved.
l
Oracle Database only: Move extra sequences to a newly created database
user schema.
To access the extra sequences from the database user schema, you must grant
ALM the required permissions. When moving these sequences, set them to start
with the number they reached at the time of the move.
ALM Installation and Upgrade Guide - Windows
Appendix
ALM (24.1) Page 177 of 177