Nolio FAQ
Q: What load do agents typically place on servers? What restrictions can be implemented?(Security, Agent)
- A: 30Mb memory footprint . Agent is Idle until an automated workflow has been activated on the specific agent machine.
Back to Top Q: How does the server-based Nolio licensing deal with non-production, DR and virtual servers?(Agent)
- A: Nolio licenses are per agents. Every server (virtual and physical) that requires automation, needs an agent to be installed.
Back to Top Q: The stored procedure can be updated by distributing the code to the relevant DB, and run the relevant SQL to update it. Nolio provides both a file distribution, and SQL query actions.(Security)
- A: Nolio can read or "manually" insert the Tag name or Remedy ticket number every time a workflow is activated.
Back to Top Q: How would the system deploy schema changes to a database (e.g. a new version of a stored proc)?(Actions)
- A: The stored procedure can be updated by distributing the code to the relevant DB, and run the relevant SQL to update it. Nolio provides both a file distribution, and SQL query actions.
Back to Top Q: What O/S versions & architectures are supported (e.g. Sol 8/10 on Intel/Sparc, etc.)?(Agent)
- A: Nolio platform and Agents are written in Java and are multiplatform (Win/Linux/Unix)
Back to Top Q: What optimisations are in place for WAN-based deployments?(Server)
- A: Nolio Center Server distributes the deployment files to Nolio Execution Servers (usually there is at least 1 Nolio Execution server per Datacenter). Nolio Execution Server than distribute the deployment files locally in the datacenter.
Back to Top Q: How do agents manage/store credentials to the secure accounts they need access to (e.g. database logons, UNIX accounts for each application)?(Security)
- A: Passwords are stored in the DB encrypted(MD5).
Passwords are kept encrypted, being sent to the agents encrypted, and only the agents has the key to decrypt the passwords.Encryption uses 3DES algorithm.
Back to Top Q: What security controls are in place around connecting to agents?(Security)
- A: HTTPS/SSL
Encryption algorithm after TLS handshake: RC4, 128bit, digest MD5
Back to Top Q: Can multiple users run multiple releases concurrently? E.g. A user in HK and a user in AU both running releases of different apps at the same time that may touch the same machine?(UI, Processes, Execution Server)
- A: Multiple users can run multiple releases concurrently. Nolio protects the customer and prevent 2 users to run processes concurrently on the same server (so there will be no collision).
Back to Top Q: Can I develop and test a workflow in a non-prod environment and then "promote" it into production, being sure what we use in prod is what was tested in non-prod?(Processes)
- A: Nolio workflows are based on “Application Architecture/Model”. Once a model and workflows are defined, Nolio will run the same workflows model in multiple/different environments. Nolio’s parameters mechanism allow the user to control “differences” between Test and Production environments
Example: in QA the deployment will be done to “Dir C:” and in Production servers to “D: “ ).
Back to Top Q: What are the change controls around Nolio's workflows?(Security)
- A: Nolio has a permission mechanism that allows control over the following levels:
- Who can create/edit/delete a workflow
- Who can publish (approve it) to be available for Activation (per Application, per Environment)
- Who can activate a process (per application, per environment).
Back to Top Q: What is file parameter and when should I use it?(Actions)
- A: File parameters may be used to specify the location of executable or other file types that need to be integrated into the published application.
The files should be located on the Nolio Server or be accessible by it. When the file parameter is used in an action running on the remote server (agent), the file itself will be automatically copied from the Nolio Server. This is especially useful when there is no direct connection between the original location of the file and the remote servers.
Back to Top Q: How can I verify that files were copy correctly?(Actions)
- A: When copying files to a remote location, you should always make sure that the files were copied in their entirety.
Using the Nolio Action "Get File Checksum", you can generate a checksum for the file before and after the copy, and then compare the checksums to ensure that no corruption occurred.
Back to Top Q: How can a process continue to run after a system reboot?(Processes, Actions, Agent)
- A: The Nolio agent runs as a service or daemon and automatically starts on boot, just like similar processes such as Apache, MySQL, etc.
Specifically, the “restart host” action will ensure the continued run of a Nolio Process after reboot, enabling a controlled reboot as a part of a Nolio Process.
Back to Top Q: Is there a Nolio Agent for Solaris?(Agent)
- A: Yes. Nolio supports Solaris x86 and Solaris Sparc 32. The Nolio Agents can be downloaded from the product download section.
Back to Top Q: Can Maven or Ant trigger a Nolio process?(API)
- A: Yes. Using Nolio's CLI API, you can trigger a process with Ant. It will look something like this:
<project name="efx" default="all"><target name="all"><exec dir="/app/efxdemo/thirdparty/Nolio/NolioCLI"
executable="./ExecutionRelay.sh"><arg line='-u superuser -p xxxx -a eFX -e "UAT Env" -f "CLI Test" -s {127.0.0.1}'/></exec></target></project>
Back to Top Q: Is there a Nolio API to support integration with other software and hardware service management solutions.(Server)
- A: Yes. Nolio has both a SOAP and CLI API.
Back to Top Q: Are there provisions for event driven actions?(Server, Execution Server)
- A: Yes.
Back to Top Q: Does Nolio also support automation of actions via scripting?(Processes, Actions)
- A: Yes, you can write any script and nolio will execute/manage and audit it.
Back to Top Q: Is the Nolio Agent supported on an IBM Z server.(Agent)
- A: Nolio Agents can run on any machine which can run Java RunTime.
Back to Top Q: What managed application databases are supported (MS SQL, DB2, Oracle, MySQL, etc).(Actions)
- A: MS SQL, DB2, Oracle, MySQL
Back to Top Q: What database does the Nolio Server use itself?(Server)
- A: MySql
Back to Top Q: Is the code infrastructure for Nolio Automation Center written exclusively in Java or other languages (eg, C++, .Net, other, messaging system to agents), or other open source languages?(Server)
- A: Java. There are some open source we are using, all mentioned in the license.
Back to Top Q: In the scenario where my Nolio Server is communicating to the Execution Server via a VPN connection, does the connection need to be open for the duration of the process run?(Security, Server, Agent, Execution Server)
- A: Once the process starts its execution, the VPN to the Nolio Server may be dropped. In this case, you will not be able to get an online status of the progress. If user inputs are required during the execution, the execution server will need to wait for the connection to be restored in order for the user input request to display.
For a better experience, you may set all required “User Inputs” prior to starting the execution, and then in the event that there are no errors during the execution, it will run to the end, updating the Nolio Server once the VPN connection is re-established.
Back to Top Q: I get a "bin/unpack200: not found" error when installing Nolio on Linux(Installation, Server, Agent, Execution Server)
- A: In order to solve this problem, make sure that you have ia32-sun-java6-bin or ia32-sun-java5-bin installed on your system.
Back to Top Q: My data center has both Microsoft and Linux servers. Does Nolio support such an environment?()
- A: Nolio's Automation Center is built on Java, hence we support all platforms that can run Java, including MS, Unix/ Linux, Windows, and Solaris.
Back to Top Q: Can I write aditional actions for my Nolio setup?(Actions)
- A: Yes. Nolio has a full SDK, the Actions Development Kit, for developing built in native actions. The actions are coded in Java and are added to Nolio's action menu. In addition, for generic actions, you can use the pre-built default actions; 'Run Command Line', 'Run Process', 'Run Process as User', 'Run Windows Process', 'Run Windows Script', 'Soap Request'.
Back to Top Q: Can I backup/export my processes and workflows?(Server, Processes)
- A: Yes. All user defined workflows and processes and be exported and then later imported back into the Nolio Automation Center.
Back to Top Q: Why can't I see the process in the environments tab?(Security, Processes)
- A: After a process is designed or edited, it's new or edited version needs to be "published". Only a user with significant permissions can publish processes to specific environments. Environments can be labs, production, staging, QA, or any other product life cycle operational server group.
Back to Top Q: Can I schedule processes to run at specific dates and times?(Server, Processes)
- A: Yes. Nolio has a built in scheduler module for running processes at pre-defined times. Further more, you can define who receives email notificaitons of the results.
Back to Top Q: Can Nolio agents run on a mainframe?(Agent)
- A: As long as your Operating System has a valid Java Runtime Environment (JRE), the Nolio agent should run without issue.
Back to Top Q: Does Nolio support version control systems, such as SVN?(Security)
- A: Yes, all automation design definitions (Actions, Workflows, Processes,
Components, Architectures) are exportable to a single file that can be
managed in a versioning system.
Nolio has in its current version the capability to export/import any design
definition, this is mainly used for versioning systems and synchronization with different groups working on different Nolio systems inside and outside the organization.
Back to Top Q: How well does Nolio integrate with third pary software?(Server)
- A: Nolio has open architecture where automated workflows can be automatically generated by 3rd party products (release management, sccm, operations tools, monitoring, etc) by either Nolio’s CLI (command Line Interface) or Nolio’s web services.
Back to Top Q: What are the minimum system requirements to install Nolio?(Installation)
- A: For complete installation of Nolio Automation Center OR for installation of Nolio Data Management Server, Nolio Execution Server or Nolio MySQL Database:
- CPU: Pentium 4 and higher (recommended higher i.e. Dual-Core, etc.)
- Memory: At least 2 Gigabytes
- Available Disk Space: At least 2 Gigabytes
For installation of the Nolio Agent:
- CPU: Pentium 4 and higher (recommended higher i.e. Dual-Core, etc.)
- Memory: At least 256 Megabytes
- Available Disk Space: At least 300 Megabytes
Back to Top Q: Can I define a global process that can be used between applications?(Processes)
- A: The current version on Nolio doesn't support such global processes, but this is something in our product road map. In the interim, an application can be defined with a hierarchy, and all the "global" processes can be placed in a single container that can be used within the same application.
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