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  2. Administering Connections 6.5 CR1Welcome to the HCL Connections documentation site. HCL Connections is social networking software designed for the workplace. Its features help you to establish dynamic networks that connect you to the people and information you need to achieve your business goals.
  3. InstallingTo install HCL Connections™, you need to follow a detailed series of procedures.
  4. Post-installation tasksAfter installation, you need to perform further tasks to ensure an efficient deployment.
  5. Configuring additional HCL Connections applicationsYou must perform additional tasks to enable HCL Connections for the Orient Me home page, the Touchpoint interactive user experience, Community Libraries, Community Surveys, Metrics applications, and more.
  6. Component Pack for Connections™The Component Pack for HCL Connections™ introduces several offerings that enhance collaboration and boost productivity. Read on to understand the offerings, what resources Component Pack requires, sizing considerations for Kubernetes, and a high-level installation roadmap.
  7. Configuring the Component PackConfigure the offerings and related components in the Component Pack for HCL Connections™.
  8. Configuring the Elasticsearch Metrics componentConfigure the Elasticsearch offering of the Component Pack for HCL Connections™ to provide Metrics data.
  • Administering Connections 6.5 CR1Welcome to the HCL Connections documentation site. HCL Connections is social networking software designed for the workplace. Its features help you to establish dynamic networks that connect you to the people and information you need to achieve your business goals.
    • What's new in HCL ConnectionsFind out about features that are new or updated in this release of HCL Connections.
    • Product overviewLearn how to deploy, customize, and administer the HCL Connections social networking product.
    • PlanningBefore installing HCL Connections™, study the system requirements, deployment options, and documentation conventions.
    • InstallingTo install HCL Connections™, you need to follow a detailed series of procedures.
      • The installation processReview the steps that are required to install HCL Connections.
      • Pre-installation tasksComplete the following tasks before installing HCL Connections. If you are migrating from a prior release of HCL Connections, do not complete the tasks for creating databases or populating the Profiles database. The migration process handles those tasks automatically.
      • Installing HCL ConnectionsSelect the HCL Connections applications that you plan to use and install them in a clustered deployment.
      • Post-installation tasksAfter installation, you need to perform further tasks to ensure an efficient deployment.
        • Registering custom widgetsRegister all custom and third-party widgets starting with HCL Connections™ 6 CR1 \IFR1 to ensure they meet security requirements and can display in communities.
        • Reviewing the JVM heap sizeReview the size of the Java™ Virtual Machine heap and adjust it, if necessary, to avoid out-of-memory errors or to suit your hardware capabilities.
        • Configuring IBM® HTTP ServerWhen you have successfully installed HCL Connections™ to run on WebSphere® Application Server, you can configure IBM® HTTP Server to handle web traffic.
        • Configuring the Home page administratorCreate an administrator for Home page so that you can make changes to the application such as adding and removing widgets.
        • Configuring additional HCL Connections applicationsYou must perform additional tasks to enable HCL Connections for the Orient Me home page, the Touchpoint interactive user experience, Community Libraries, Community Surveys, Metrics applications, and more.
          • Component Pack for Connections™The Component Pack for HCL Connections™ introduces several offerings that enhance collaboration and boost productivity. Read on to understand the offerings, what resources Component Pack requires, sizing considerations for Kubernetes, and a high-level installation roadmap.
            • Component Pack offeringsThe Component Pack for HCL Connections™ introduces new connectivity capabilities that enhance collaboration and boost productivity.
            • Understanding Component Pack infrastructureComponent Pack for HCL Connections™ is both designed and deployed upon a different software stack from Connections. Therefore, it requires a separate hardware infrastructure. Its architecture consists of three main components.
            • Prerequisites for Component PackOn a very high level, to install and successfully run HCL Component Pack, you will need HCL Connections plus the following additional resources:
            • Installing and upgrading Component PackPerform a fresh installation, upgrade an existing deployment of Component Pack for HCL Connections™, troubleshoot the installation or upgrade process, or uninstall the Component Pack.
            • Configuring the Component PackConfigure the offerings and related components in the Component Pack for HCL Connections™.
              • Configuring the Orient Me componentAdditional configuration is required for the Orient Me component to populate it with Connections data and to enable the notification center and a menu option for managing home pages.
              • Configuring the Customizer componentConfigure the Customizer offering of the Component Pack for HCL Connections™ by setting up a reverse proxy server.
              • Configuring the Elasticsearch Metrics componentConfigure the Elasticsearch offering of the Component Pack for HCL Connections™ to provide Metrics data.
                • Removing SSL settings that were configured for type-ahead searchTemporarily remove SSL settings that were configured for type-ahead search in an HCL Connections™ deployment, so that you can successfully enable Metrics.
                • Granting access to global Elasticsearch MetricsConfigure the metrics-report-run security role to grant users the authority to view and interact with global metrics.
                • Granting access to Elasticsearch Metrics for communitiesConfigure the community-metrics-run security role to grant users the authority to view community metrics using static reports.
                • Changing the number of shards for the Elasticsearch Metrics indexIf your environment requires, you can change the default number of shards that will be assigned to the Elasticsearch Metrics index when it is created.
                • Enabling Elasticsearch Metrics to connect to a Component Pack serverFor the Elasticsearch Metrics component to work with HCL Connections™ Component Pack, you must run a script on the Component Pack system to set the Elasticsearch server base URL in Highway. Also, WebSphere Application Server, which hosts the Metrics component, must run Java 8 and use an SSL client certificate when sending HTTPS requests to Elasticsearch on the Component Pack system.
                • Deploying Elasticsearch Metrics as your first use of metricsDeploying Elasticsearch-based metrics for HCL Connections™ involves testing the environment and then switching users to the Elasticsearch Metrics component.
                • Deploying Elasticsearch Metrics with the data migrated from the metrics relational databaseIf you previously used Cognos® to provide Metrics data for your HCL Connections™ deployment, Metrics events data is stored in your RDBMS, while older data is stored in the Cognos Power Cube. You can deploy Elasticsearch Metrics with the existing Metrics events data in your RDBMS. The procedure involves migrating the events data, testing the environment, and then switching users to the Elasticsearch Metrics component.
            • Customizing email notifications using the app registryIf Component Pack for HCL Connections™ is installed in your deployment, you can use the app registry to change the look and content email notifications and newsletters, making them particular to your organization.
            • Integrating third-party applications: Activities PlusActivities Plus is the first third-party application integrated with Component Pack. Activities Plus is the team collaboration tool (replacement of Connections Activities) that makes work easier and more intuitive.
          • Setting up stand-alone ElasticsearchDeploy Elasticsearch as a stand-alone server for use with HCL Connections™, instead of deploying it as part of the Component Pack for Connections.
          • Setting up type-ahead searchEnable type-ahead search in HCL Connections™ to suggest items in the search box based on content that is relevant to each user.
          • Installing Customizer LiteThis topic describes how to install Customizer Lite. There are two deployment options, hereby referred to as Customizer Lite and Customizer Lite HA. Customizer Lite – the most basic deployment using a single Docker node running a single instance of each required service and Customizer Lite HA – a more resilient deployment using a pair (or more) of Docker nodes all running instances of each required service with requests load balanced across available nodes.
          • Configuring Connections Content Manager for LibrariesIf you installed the Connections Content Manager add-on, you must configure FileNet® to work with Connections Content Manager. Choose the instructions that match your deployment: either an existing FileNet® deployment, which you installed independently before you installed HCL Connections or a new, integrated FileNet® deployment that is part of a new HCL Connections installation.
          • Optional: Configuring HCL Connections Docs with CCMYou can enable community members to edit files in Community libraries online if you have already installed HCL Connections Docs.
          • Installing Community SurveysIf you want to be able to conduct surveys within Communities to capture data and share it easily with your community in an activity stream, enable Community Surveys.
      • Optional: Installing and configuring Tiny Editors for HCL ConnectionsThe Tiny editors are alternative rich-text editors which can be installed for HCL Connections™. They provide additional features and extensive customization options not available with the default editor.
      • Copying Search conversion tools to local nodes for AIX and LinuxTo enable full indexing of data, copy the Search conversion tools to local nodes.
      • Copying Search conversion tools to local nodes for WindowsTo enable full indexing of data, copy the Search conversion tools to local nodes.
      • Optional post-installation tasksComplete the post-installation tasks that are relevant to your deployment.
    • Uninstalling HCL ConnectionsUninstall HCL Connections.
    • Migrating and updatingMigrate HCL Connections™ and its supporting software to the latest release and then update the installation with the latest deployment, interim fixes, or Cumulative Refresh (CR).
    • AdministeringRun administration and maintenance tasks to keep your environment up-to-date. For example, learn how to customize your deployment or how to use the wsadmin utility to edit configuration files. You can also schedule tasks, maintain application databases, moderate content, or manage users and their roles.
    • CustomizingCustomize HCL Connections™ to fit your environment.
    • SecurityHCL Connections™ provides a flexible security infrastructure that supports an open, easily shareable data model.
    • MobileSee the HCL Connections™ Mobile documentation for Connections Cloud and Connections on-premises.
    • DevelopingGet information about how to use the APIs provided with HCL Connections™ and how to use Connections Customizer to modify the Connections pages that are returned to users.
    • Troubleshooting and supportTo isolate and resolve problems with your HCL products, you can use the troubleshooting and support information. This information contains instructions for using the problem-determination resources that are provided with your HCL products, including HCL Connections™.

Configuring the Elasticsearch Metrics component

Configure the Elasticsearch offering of the Component Pack for HCL Connections™ to provide Metrics data.

After you have configured Elasticsearch, review the topic on Backing up and restoring data for Elasticsearch-based components

  • Removing SSL settings that were configured for type-ahead search
    Temporarily remove SSL settings that were configured for type-ahead search in an HCL Connections deployment, so that you can successfully enable Metrics.
  • Granting access to global Elasticsearch Metrics
    Configure the metrics-report-run security role to grant users the authority to view and interact with global metrics.
  • Granting access to Elasticsearch Metrics for communities
    Configure the community-metrics-run security role to grant users the authority to view community metrics using static reports.
  • Changing the number of shards for the Elasticsearch Metrics index
    If your environment requires, you can change the default number of shards that will be assigned to the Elasticsearch Metrics index when it is created.
  • Enabling Elasticsearch Metrics to connect to a Component Pack server
    For the Elasticsearch Metrics component to work with HCL Connections Component Pack, you must run a script on the Component Pack system to set the Elasticsearch server base URL in Highway. Also, WebSphere Application Server, which hosts the Metrics component, must run Java 8 and use an SSL client certificate when sending HTTPS requests to Elasticsearch on the Component Pack system.
  • Deploying Elasticsearch Metrics as your first use of metrics
    Deploying Elasticsearch-based metrics for HCL Connections involves testing the environment and then switching users to the Elasticsearch Metrics component.
  • Deploying Elasticsearch Metrics with the data migrated from the metrics relational database
    If you previously used Cognos® to provide Metrics data for your HCL Connections deployment, Metrics events data is stored in your RDBMS, while older data is stored in the Cognos Power Cube. You can deploy Elasticsearch Metrics with the existing Metrics events data in your RDBMS. The procedure involves migrating the events data, testing the environment, and then switching users to the Elasticsearch Metrics component.
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