
IBM NetVista Thin Client Manager Operations Utility Release 2
Version 2 Release 2 Service Update 2
README File
Last Update: December 27, 2002



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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1.0  RELEASE NOTES
    2.0  INSTALLATION
    3.0  KNOWN PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
    4.0  CHANGE HISTORY
    5.0  TRADEMARKS


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1.0  RELEASE NOTES
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1.1 What is the IBM NetVista Thin Client Manager Operations Utility Release 2?

    The IBM NetVista Thin Client Manager Operations Utility Release 2  
    (Operations Utility) is a program that provides remote management
    services for the NetVista N2200e, NetVista N2800e Thin Client
    Express, NetVista N2200l Thin Client for Linux, NetVista N2200n
    Thin Client for Linux Express, and the NetVista N70 Thin Client 
    for Linux.

    The Operations Utility provides the administrator with the
    ability to manage an installation of NetVista thin clients from a
    central location. The NetVista thin clients may be managed 
    separately or managed in groups. Several remote management 
    operations are provided, including update and recovery of flash-
    based clients, copying of configurations from client to client, 
    changing the boot parameters of clients, and rebooting clients.

1.2 What features have been added since Version 2 Release 1 Service
    Update 3?

    Support has been added for remote management of clients running
    the NetVista Thin Client with TurboLinux 7.

    The Operations Utility can now manage Users and User Groups.

    Login and logout traps are now handled, and new users are created
    automatically if they did not previously exist.  Links will be
    updated to show what workstations a user is currently logged into.

    All resource additions and changes are periodically saved to the
    persistent data file.

    Workstation and user configuration information can be created on
    the client and then stored in the Operations Utility as Profile
    Components.  Clients can then retrieve this common configuration
    information from the Operations Utility.  In the Operations 
    Utility, Profile Components can be assigned to workstation groups 
    and user groups, and a group can be designated as the profile 
    group for a resource.  Profile Components can be retrieved from 
    the Operations Utility by the client when it boots or when a user 
    logs in. The administrator can also specify default profile 
    components. 

    The toolbar containing the operation icons is now configurable.

    Several new client attributes are now managed through the 
    Operations Utility.

    Inventory Report, now renamed Resource Report, has been enhanced.
    A report can now be generated for  users and user groups. In
    addition to this, the Resource Report has a new easy to use
    configuration utility and allows the report file to be written in 
    a comma-delimited format.

    The tcm.properties file is overwritten with each install of the
    Operations Utility.  Values you would like to change and keep
    permanently such as timeout values or port numbers, should be
    written to the tcmOverride.properties file in the TCM directory
    in your install path.

    The type field has been removed from workstation filters.  
    Existing filters that include the type field will no longer be 
    valid.  If you try to use them, you will get an error message 
    saying the filter is not valid due to the type field.  The 
    filters can easily be changed through the filter panel GUI or 
    the command line interface.  The type field was a combination of 
    model, release, and boot source, so to update your filters that 
    use type, simply filter on those fields with appropriate values 
    selected.

    New operations include the ability to:
        - Setup Network Connections (specifies various servers and
             TCP/IP information for Turbolinux 7 clients only. This 
             operation replaces the following operations:  Boot From 
             Server, Boot From Flash, Flash Recovery and Client SNMP 
             Trap Server Settings.)
        - Set Profile Components (selects Profile Components for 
             a group.  Applies to Turbolinux 7 clients only.)
        - Set Default Profile Components
        - Broadcast message to users
        - Schedule jobs for users

    Problems reported have been fixed in this service update.

1.3 You can find the latest NetVista Thin Client information
    at the following URL:

    http://www.ibm.com/nc/pubs

1.4 The latest update of the Operations Utility can be found at:

    http://service.boulder.ibm.com/nc


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2.0 INSTALLATION
----------------

2.1 Verifying system prerequisites

    You can install this release of the Operations Utility
    on the following Linux operating systems:

        TurboLinux 6.0.4
        Redhat 6.2
        Redhat 7.1

    The Operations Utility is a Java-based application that
    requires Java Runtime Environment Version 1.3 (JRE 1.3). The
    installation program installs a private JRE 1.3.

    Ensure that /usr/bin is in your path.

2.2 Installing from the NetVista Thin Client Utilities CD

	1) Logon as root.

	2) Run startx.

	3) Open xTerm.

	4) Insert the CD containing NetVista Operations Utility.

	5) Mount the cd drive.

	6) Change the directory to:
               /mnt/cdrom/Linux/products/tcmOpUtil.

	7) Run the installTCM.sh shell found on the mounted CD drive.
	   Note: You may need to run it as ./installTCM.sh.

	8) Press Enter to use default install directory or enter the
	   directory of your choice. Say yes to create if not
	   already created.


	Note:  Please wait until you see the "Install script
	       complete." message before exiting the xTerm session
	       installTCM.sh is running in.

	       Users other than root will need to be added to the
	       tcm_admin group before they can run TCM.
		   
               To restart TCM services without rebooting enter
               "startTCM restart".  


2.3 Down loading the NetVista Thin Client Utilities from the Web

    You can find the latest version of the Operations Utility at
    the following URL:

        http://service.boulder.ibm.com/nc

    Follow the link to the NetVista Service Utilities in the download
    section.


    From the download page click the Linux item.

    1) Download the single .zip file for the Operations Utility to a
       temporary directory on your server.

    2) Unzip the file.

    3) Change the permissions on the install shell:
           chmod 755 installTCM.sh

    4) To install the Operations Utility run the installTCM.sh shell
       that was unzipped to the temporary directory. Note that you
       must be logged-on as root to install the Operations Utility.
       Also, please note the instructions in step 6 of section 2.2
       above.


2.4 Starting Operations Utility

    To start TCM, open an xTerm session and enter runTCM or runTCMGUI.
    To start TCM Command Line, open an xTerm session and enter runTCMCLI.

    Note: The GUI and Command Line cannot be run at the same time.  

2.5 TCM Operation Utility Uninstall

	1) Logon as root.

	2) Run startx.

	3) Open xTerm.

	4) Change directory to the location where you installed TCM.
	   Note: Default location is "/usr/local/NetVista".

	5) Run unInstallTCM.sh
	   Note: You may need to run it as ./unInstallTCM.sh.


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3.0  KNOWN PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS
-----------------------------------

-----------
3.1 General
-----------

3.1.1 Local Host Value must be properly configured.

    The local host value on the server must be properly configured
    on all supported platforms. If the local host value is
    improperly configured, an operation appears to be successful, but
    the end result may never happen (i.e. a backup file never 
    appears).  If the log file has an invalid localhost I/P address
    (i.e. 127.0.0.1), check the etc/hosts file to ensure that it
    is properly configured.

3.1.2 Change Trap Port Number to run as a Non-Root User

    In order to run TCM as a non-root user: Traps must be disabled
    in the tcm.properties file, or the trap port number in the
    tcm.properties file must be set to a value greater than 1024.

3.1.3 TCM will now be running all the time.  This allows the TCM
    Profile Server to serve Profile Components and TCM to run 
    scheduled jobs.  If, for some reason, TCM or Tomcat are not 
    running, restart them by entering "startTCM start" in an Xterm 
    window.

3.1.4 There is a problem on Linux servers where TCM task windows may
    change position on their own.  The amount and direction the 
    windows move is dependent on the specific Linux platform and the 
    window manager being run.  To prevent the windows from moving, 
    do the following:
      1. Position and resize all task windows as desired.
      2. End Operations Utility (both the GUI and the TCM service).
      3. Add property tcm.taskGUIManager.saveGeometries=false to
          tcmOverride.properties.
      4. Restart Operations Utility.  Now the task windows will
          appear in the positions you specified and will not move.
          However, any additional position or size changes you make
          will no longer be saved.

3.1.5 On RedHat 7.1, operation windows which are closed and later 
    reopened may progressively shrink in size.  Simply drag the 
    corner of the window to resize it.

3.1.6 Performing flash recovery on Turbolinux 7 clients in DHCP
    environments can cause unexpected behavior unless you follow
    the procedure explained in the GUI-based online help text.


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3.2 Thin Client Express and Thin Client Manager booted clients.
---------------------------------------------------------------

3.2.1 SNMP and Administrator passwords

    When restoring a V2R1 profile to a new 'out of box' machine there
    exists a possibility of password mismatch between TCM and the
    client box. If the profile contains passwords that are different
    than the passwords currently set on the client, the passwords will
    need to be reset via the Configuration Tool on the client to match
    the values in TCM.

3.2.2 Boot from Server Operation

    The boot server specified in the Simplified menu will be used as
    the workstation configuration server and the authentication
    server.

    From the Advanced menu you cannot use Flash as the workstation
    configuration server.

3.2.3 Authenticate from Server Operation

    The authenticate from server specified in the Simplified menu will
    also be used as the workstation configuration server.

    When using this operation, you will always boot from flash. If
    you wish to boot from a server, use the Advanced option of the
    Boot from Server operation.

    From the Advanced menu, you cannot use Flash as the workstation
    configuration server.

3.2.4 Backup or Restore Configuration Files

    When you plan to do a common restore, always specify a name for
    the backup Create new profile option. Do not leave this field
    blank. If the profile name is left blank, the backup will work
    and a folder is created with the workstation MAC address as the
    name. If you plan to only use the corresponding restore, then
    leaving the Create new profile field blank on backup will result
    in a successful restore.

    The inclusion of SNMP Community Names and Administrator Password
    in the backup profile is now optional. If you wish to restore
    the profile to multiple workstations and do not want common
    passwords, do not include password information in the backup.

3.2.5 DHCP Considerations

    With the additional support in the firmware (01/12/01 and 07/10/01
    levels) and enhancements in this release of TCM, the operations 
    that change boot or authentication servers for clients that are 
    managed via DHCP are now supported. Essentially, TCM will change 
    the mode of the firmware to "DHCP Override" -- the client will 
    obtain IP information (client IP, gateway, and DNS) from the DHCP 
    server and will obtain all other boot information from the 
    firmware values as set by TCM. It is important to note that once 
    these operations are used on the clients, TCM will manage their 
    boot and authentication server settings rather than DHCP.

    For DHCP managed clients, the Boot From Server, Authenticate from
    Server, Boot from Flash, and the Flash Recovery operation is 
    allowed when the client has the 01/12/01(or later) level firmware 
    (and an error is presented if the firmware level is not supported 
    for this operation). It is strongly recommended the Linux clients 
    are using the 01/12/01 or later firmware (and this release of TCM 
    provides a Firmware Update function to assist with updating 
    firmware on the clients).

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 3.3 Thin Client for Linux and Thin Client Linux Express clients
----------------------------------------------------------------

3.3.1 Software Update Operation

    Clients not running Turbolinux 7 should use Flash Recovery to
    obtain Turbolinux 7 due to format changes on the flash card.
    Software updates on Turbolinux 7 clients should only be from 
    Turbolinux 7 images.

3.3.2 Boot From Server Operation

    The Advanced menus to specify the workstation configuration server
    and authentication server are disabled for Linux clients. The
    Linux client does not support remote management of these servers
    at this time.

3.3.3 Authenticate from Server Operation

    This operation is disabled for Linux clients. At this time, Linux
    clients only support local authentication.

3.3.4 Backup or Restore Configuration Files

    SNMP Community Names and the Administrator Password are not
    included in the default list of files for the backup profile.

    If the client you backup or restore is configured to send
    SNMP traps (see Operation Completion Status Indication below),
    you will receive a trap indicating the success or failure
    of the backup or restore.

3.3.5 Operation Completion Status Indication

    The Linux client has the ability to send an SNMP trap to the
    Operations Utility when it has completed the Backup or Restore
    Configuration Files, Flash Recovery, or Software Update 
    operations.  This trap indicates to the user of the Operations 
    Utility whether the operation has succeeded or failed. However, 
    the clients must first be configured to send the traps to the
    Operations Utility. See the Operations Utility product Help
    for more information about configuring clients to send traps.

3.3.6 SNMP Trap Considerations

    For workstations that are configured to send SNMP traps to the
    Operations Utility, the workstation is automatically
    added to the workstation list. However, the TCM Operations
    Utility assumes that the default SNMP Community Names are being
    used on the workstation. If the community names have changed
    from the default, then the Operations Utility may not have the
    correct community names to perform management operations. The
    user will need to use the Passwords tab of the Properties
    notebook to set the community names that the Operations Utility
    will use to match those already on the client.

    The Configure SNMP Traps operation does not show the current
    values of the four trap servers on the workstation. If you are
    unsure of which trap server is in which position then use the
    operation to set all the trap servers that are needed.

3.3.7 DHCP Considerations

    With the additional support in the firmware (01/12/01 and 07/10/01
    levels) and enhancements in this release of TCM, the operations 
    that change boot or authentication servers for clients that are 
    managed via DHCP are now supported. Essentially, TCM will change 
    the mode of the firmware to "DHCP Override" -- the client will 
    obtain IP information (client IP, gateway, and DNS) from the DHCP 
    server and will obtain all other boot information from the 
    firmware values as set by TCM. It is important to note that once 
    these operations are used on the clients, TCM will manage their 
    boot and authentication server settings rather than DHCP.

    For DHCP managed clients, the Boot From Server, Authenticate from
    Server, Boot from Flash, and the Flash Recovery operation is 
    allowed when the client has the 01/12/01(or later) level firmware 
    (and an error is presented if the firmware level is not supported 
    for this operation). It is strongly recommended the Linux clients 
    are using the 01/12/01 or later firmware (and this release of TCM 
    provides a Firmware Update function to assist with updating 
    firmware on the clients).

3.3.8 Profile Considerations
    When profiles are requested from the TCM Profile Server, the
    workstation or user is automatically added to the resource list
    if it was previously unknown.

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4.0  CHANGE HISTORY
-------------------

02/02/2001 - Version 2 Release 1 Service Update 1
04/30/2001 - Version 2 Release 1 Service Update 2
08/03/2001 - Version 2 Release 1 Service Update 3
12/14/2001 - Version 2 Release 2 
02/06/2002 - Version 2 Release 2 Service Update 1 
05/20/2002 - Version 2 Release 2 Service Update 2
    - Fixed Back and Restore operation for Turbo Linux 7 SU 1 clients.

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5.0  TRADEMARKS
---------------

The following terms are trademarks of the International Business
Machines Corporation (IBM) in the United States, or other countries or
both:

        IBM
        NetVista N2200e, Thin Client Express
        NetVista N2800e, Thin Client Express
        NetVista N2200 Thin Client Linux
        NetVista N2200l Thin Client for Linux
        NetVista N2200n Thin Client for Linux Express
        NetVista N70 Thin Client for Linux
        NetVista Thin Client Manager Operations Utility

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service
marks of others.

(C) Copyright IBM Corporation 2000-2002. All rights reserved.
