Using Manual Configuration

Note: Manual configuration mode is supported only in Hawk Display (deprecated in Hawk 5.0).

In Manual Configuration mode, the configuration source is one of the following:

One or more directories specified in the config_path parameter
One or more Repositories specified in the repository_path parameter

These two options are mutually exclusive. If no path is specified, the current directory is used by default.

In Manual Configuration mode, the agent performs the following sequence of tasks to load startup rulebases:

1. At startup, the agent searches the configuration source for schedules, then for a rulebase map.
2. The agent searches the configuration source and loads all rulebases specified in the rulebase map.
3. The agent searches the configuration source for any additional rulebases specified in the –rulebases command line option and loads them.
4. If these rulebases have Include lists of other rulebases, the agent searches the configuration source for included rulebases and loads them.

After an agent is started in Manual Configuration mode, additional rulebases can be loaded by deploying rulebases or by invoking the RuleBaseEngine: loadRuleBase() or RuleBaseEngine:loadRuleBaseFromFile() methods. For more information about RuleBaseEngine() methods, see the TIBCO Hawk Microagent Reference.

If a rulebase loaded using one of these procedures has an Include list, included rulebases are also loaded.

Using the Configuration Path Option

With the Configuration Path option, the configuration source is one or more directories specified in -config_path. With this option, any rulebases loaded by the agent are not written out to a local cache. The only rulebases an agent loads at startup are those specified in the rulebase map, by the –rulebases parameter, and in the Include lists of those rulebases.

Using the Repository Option

With the Repository option, the configuration source is one or more Repositories specified in -repository_path. All agents that use the same Repository load all changes saved to the Repository on startup.

A Repository is a network application that distributes configuration objects to agents. Users send new and updated objects to the Repository, and it responds to configuration requests from TIBCO Hawk agents. You specify a Repository for an agent to use with the –repository_path parameter, and one or more Repository names. A particular agent on the network hosts each Repository and has a Repository microagent with methods for accessing configuration objects. For more information about microagents, see the TIBCO Hawk Microagent Reference.

In addition, you can configure an agent to maintain a backup of configuration objects in local cache with the -repository_cache parameter. This feature is useful for implementing fault-tolerance and for minimizing unnecessary object transfer across the network. Agents compare locally cached rulebases with those stored in the Repository, and retrieve only new or updated objects. If a Repository defined in the -repository_path option for an agent does not respond to a request within 15 seconds, the agent searches the local cache directory for the configuration object.

Understanding Configuration Scenarios

Complicated scenarios can result from the various rulebase tasks and configuration modes. Table 7 describes some of these scenarios and their consequences in Manual and Automatic Configuration modes.

Configuration Scenarios

Action

Manual Configuration

Automatic Configuration

Specify startup rulebases.

You specify one or more directory paths or Repositories for the TIBCO Hawk agent to find rulebases to load at startup. You can explicitly state the names of additional rulebases the TIBCO Hawk agent should load, as well as a rulebase map.

You specify an auto-configuration directory, and the TIBCO Hawk agent loads all files in that directory at startup.

Create a rulebase and send it to an agent.

The rulebase exists only in memory. You must explicitly save the rulebase to a file or Repository if you want it to exist after the agent process ends. The agent does not load the rulebase at startup unless you add the rulebase name to the rulebase map, the explicit list of startup rulebases, or an Include list.

The rulebase is created in memory and also copied to a file in the auto-configuration directory. Because the file is in the auto-configuration directory, it is reloaded at startup.

Change a rulebase and apply the change to an agent.

The changes are applied only to the copy of the rulebase in memory. You must explicitly save your changes to a rulebase file or Repository to save them after the agent process ends.

The rulebase is changed in memory, and the rulebase file in the auto-configuration directory is changed.

Rename a rulebase and apply the change to an agent.

The name is changed only in memory. You must explicitly save the rulebase to a file or Repository to save the new name after the agent process ends. To load the rulebase with the new name on startup, you must modify the rulebase map, explicit list of startup rulebases, or Include list.

The name is changed in memory, the old rulebase file (with the old name) has been deleted, and the new rulebase file has been saved (with the new name) in the auto-configuration directory.

Delete a rulebase and apply the change to an agent.

The rulebase is deleted only from memory. The rulebase file is not deleted, and it is reloaded at startup if it is specified in the rulebase map, explicit list of startup rulebases, or Include list.

The rulebase is deleted from memory, and the rulebase file is deleted from the auto- configuration directory.

Send a rulebase across the network to an agent.

The rulebase is copied to memory only on the machine you send it to. To make the change permanent, you must copy the rulebase file to that machine or send it to a Repository; then modify the rulebase map, explicit list of startup rulebases, or Include list.

The rulebase is copied to memory on the machine you send it to, and copied to a file in that agent’s auto-configuration directory. Because the file is in the auto- configuration directory, it is reloaded at startup.

Delete a rulebase across the network for an agent that has this type of configuration.

You delete the rulebase from memory only on that machine. To permanently remove a rulebase from multiple agents you must remove it from the rulebase map, explicit list of startup rulebases, and Include lists.

You delete the rulebase from memory; you also delete the rulebase file in the agent’s auto-configuration directory; and it is not reloaded at startup.

Load a rulebase using the RuleBaseEngine: loadRuleBase() method.

The agent searches the list of configuration path directories or Repositories for rulebases with the specified name.

The method invocation fails.

Manually copy a rulebase file into the auto-configuration directory.

Nothing happens and the rulebase is not loaded at startup.

Not applicable.