HCL Workload Automation on Now Readme File

Date
July 20, 2021
Product
HCL Workload Automation
General Description
HCL Workload Automation on Now

This readme file provides important information about HCL Now, HCL's Cloud-Native-as-a-Service that allows the freedom to deploy anywhere, power to innovate, and flexibility to scale on a dedicated environment.

To try out the HCL Workload Automation solution, you can request access to HCL SoFy, HCL's Solution Factory where you can get started deploying HCL Workload Automation in Kubernetes through cloud-centric technologies and practices. HCL Workload Automation on Now is available on the same HCL SoFy portal. For more information about HCL SoFy see HCL SoFy Docs. To request access, HCL SoFy access.

This readme file is the most current information for HCL Workload Automation on Now and takes precedence over all other documentation for this offering.

For the most up-to-date information about supported operating systems for the dynamic agent, see the document at the following URL: Supported Operating Systems.

About HCL Workload Automation on Now

HCL Workload Automation on Now offers a fully managed cloud experience. Outsource the administration and management of the server to HCL Software so you can concentrate on automating and enhancing your business processes.

HCL Now managed services take care of security and compliance and ongoing maintenance and upgrades to the latest releases of HCL Workload Automation.

HCL Workload Automation on Now uses the latest agent technology (dynamic agents) so that you have access to all of the job types available. The dynamic agent also complies with the latest security guidelines and requirements. Install dynamic agents where you want to define, run, and monitor your workloads, on cloud or on-premises.

After installing your agents, you model, submit, and monitor your workload using the Dynamic Workload Console. For more information about these operations, see the links in the section Reference.

Known limitations and workarounds

The following are software limitations and workarounds that affect HCL Workload Automation on Now.

Security
Access control lists are used to assign security roles to users or groups on a specific folder. Security domains are not supported.
Command-line interface
The composer and conman command-line interfaces are not supported.
FINAL job stream
The FINAL job stream is managed exclusively by HCL Software. The FINAL job stream runs the sequence of script files described in JnextPlan to generate the new production plan.

Installing the agent

Install agents where you want to define, run, and monitor your workloads.

Ensure that the user credentials used to install the agent have full control or, at a minimum, display privileges on the file AGENT_CERTIFICATE. For more information about how to create a user, see https://help.hcltechsw.com/workloadautomation/v95/distr/src_pi/awspiACL.html.

To install the agent, follow these high-level steps:
On Windows operating systems:
  1. Download the agent software image from the HCL License Portal page to your local workstation. Ensure you have enough temporary space.
  2. Log in as administrator on the workstation where you want to install the agent.
  3. From the image_directory\TWS\operating_system directory, run twsinst by using the following syntax. Only the minimum set of parameters necessary to install the dynamic agent are specified.
    cscript twsinst.vbs -new 
       -uname TWSuser1
       -password user_password
       -acceptlicense yes
       -agent dynamic
       -displayname my_agt_1
       -inst_dir "c:\Program Files\HCL\TWA_TWSuser1"
       -jmport 31114
       -tdwbport 31116
       -tdwbhostname <your_hwa_instancename>.hxwa.now.hclsoftware.cloud
       -wauser wauser
       -wapassword password 
       -gateway local
       -gwid gateway_id  my_agt_1_gw   
    For a description of the syntax parameters and a complete list of them, see Agent installation parameters - twsinst script.
    Note: twsinst for Windows is a Visual Basic Script (VBS) that you can run in CScript and WScript mode.

    The HCL Workload Automation user is automatically created. The software is installed by default in the HCL Workload Automation installation directory. The default value is %ProgramFiles%\HCL\TWA.

    If you enabled the Security Warning, a dialog box is displayed during the installation. In this case, answer Run to continue.

On UNIX and Linux operating systems:
  1. Download the agent software image from the HCL License Portal page to your local workstation. Ensure you have enough temporary space.
  2. If you plan to log in as root on the workstation where you will install the agent, create the HCL Workload Automation user. The software is installed by default in the user's home directory, referred to as /installation_dir/TWS.
    User:
    TWS_user
    Home:
    /installation_dir/TWS (for example: /home/user1/TWS where user1 is the name of HCL Workload Automation user). Ensure this directory has 755 permission.
    If you plan to log in as a non-root user (available only for dynamic agents), your login will become by default the only possible user of the agent. You do not need to create another HCL Workload Automation user, but make sure that you have a home directory (where the agent will be installed), and that it has 755 permission.
    Important: If you use the -su non-root username command in the shell where you are about to run twsinst, make sure that $HOME is set on your home directory as a non-root user (use echo $HOME to verify that the value returned corresponds to your home directory).
  3. Log in on the workstation where you want to install the agent.
  4. From the image_directory/TWS/operating_system directory, run twsinst by using the following syntax. Only the minimum set of parameters necessary to install the dynamic agent are specified.
    ./twsinst -new
       -uname TWSuser1
       -acceptlicense yes
       -agent dynamic
       -displayname my_agt_1
       -inst_dir "/opt/HCL/TWA_TWSuser1"
       -reset_perm
       -skipcheckprereq
       -tdwbport 31116
       -tdwbhostname <your_hwa_instancename>.hxwa.now.hclsoftware.cloud
       -wauser wauser
       -wapassword password 
       -gateway local
       -gwid gateway_id  my_agt_1_gw  
    
    For a description of the syntax parameters, see Agent installation parameters - twsinst script
If the installation fails, to understand the cause of the error see Analyzing return codes for agent installation, upgrade, restore, and uninstallation.

Reference