IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server version 3 release notes

IBM® InfoSphere™ Traceability Server version 3 is available. Compatibility, installation, and other getting-started issues are addressed.

Contents

Introduction

IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server version 3 helps enterprises capture, manage, and share track-and-trace information about products and assets for real-time analysis and decision making. Traceability data is used for a variety of operations and solutions, including monitoring pharmaceutical supplies, tracking automotive assets, tracing food products, and overseeing other supply chain needs.

IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server version 3 offers a framework to build solutions that use the sensor and other traceability data. Built on a standards-based, scalable and security-rich architecture, IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server version 3 delivers sophisticated technology used by a variety of tools and operations to enable multiple business use cases. The insight and intelligence gained from these applications can generate significant savings by helping companies streamline their critical business and supply chain processes.

New features

Key features of IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server version 3 include:
Event capture
  • A more robust and better performing capture that reads, validates, records, and updates the state of traced entities
  • New functionality for event validation, event extensibility, and synchronous/asynchronous invocation patterns
  • Compliance with the Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) V1.0.1 standard, including support for EPCIS queries
Track and trace
  • Track and trace data model that presents EPCIS event data in an operational view
  • Optimized operational query performance by supporting rapid operational queries
Operational queries
  • A set of out-of-the-box operational queries for common operational questions
  • Option to generate custom operational queries to leverage serialization-enabled insights into your supply chain process
  • Reduced development time and cost for custom applications
Installation and configuration
  • A new installation tool to provide a more user-friendly and quicker installation process
  • Provision of a default installation or ability to tailor the installation process for your business environment
  • An optimized and easier system configuration by separating configuration of IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server, IBM WebSphere® Application Server, WebSphere MQ, and the database from the installation process
  • A launchpad used as a starting point for the IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server installation, configuration, and deployment to enhance a user-friendly experience
High availability
  • A mechanism that offers failover support for the software stack
Master data enhancements
  • Improvements that help manage vocabularies, domains, and hierarchies
  • Support to work with Location master data that is stored on the Master Data Management Server 9.0.1
  • Support for a delta update of EPCIS hierarchies
  • Enhancements to support master data import that contains special XML characters
Serial number management improvements
  • A feature that helps regulate resources, rules, and policies, including a user interface for managing serial numbers

Changed functionality

IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server version 3 contains some changes in functionality:
MaxEventCount parameter
The MaxEventCount parameter can be specified in one of two places: as part of a simple event query (SimpleEventQuery) and in the RFIDICServer.xml file. In IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server Version 2, if this parameter was specified in both places, the parameter in the query took precedence. In IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server version 3, the opposite is true: if the parameter is specified in both places, the smaller of the two takes precedence.

Hardware and software requirements

Complete hardware and software requirements can be found in the IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server Information Center.

Installation and configuration information

You can install and configure IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server version 3 either with the installation tool or with scripts.

Before you install the product, read the installation instructions in the IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server Information Center.

Known limitations, problems, and workarounds

As limitations and problems are discovered and resolved, the IBM Support team updates the online knowledge base. By searching the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), you can find solutions to problems that you experience. To learn more, see the Support Portal fact sheet.

Following is a description of a current limitation with the product:
Current® limitation
During event metadata definition in the EPCISDocumentMetaData.xml file, if an attribute definition of an event extension includes a namespace prefix in its path, you must prepend the full namespace URL plus the # symbol to the attribute name. Otherwise, you will experience problems when you query the attribute. Once this limitation is addressed, you can have a namespace prefix in the attribute path without also needing to include the namespace URL and the # symbol in the attribute name.
A correct example follows: 
</tns:EventType>
          <Name>ObjectEvent</Name>
          <Path>ObjectEvent</Path>          
          <Attribute>eventTime</Attribute>
          <Attribute>recordTime</Attribute>
          ...

          <!-- object event extension attributes -->
          <Attribute>http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/prod/ts/rcm#assetType</Attribute>   Namespace URL and "#" are pre-pended
        </tns:EventType>

...

      <tns:AttributeMetaData>
        <Name>http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/prod/ts/rcm#assetType</Name>   Namespace URL and "#" are pre-pended
        <Path>rcm:assetType</Path>   Namespace prefix is included
        <Required>false</Required>
        <Type>string</Type>
        <MaxSize>100</MaxSize>
        <TableName>event</TableName>
        <ColumnName>asset_type</ColumnName>
       </tns:AttributeMetaData>
An incorrect example follows: 
</tns:EventType>
          <Name>ObjectEvent</Name>
          <Path>ObjectEvent</Path>          
          <Attribute>eventTime</Attribute>
          <Attribute>recordTime</Attribute>
          ...

          <!-- object event extension attributes -->
          <Attribute>assetType</Attribute>   Namespace URL and "#" are missing
        </tns:EventType>

...

      <tns:AttributeMetaData>
        <Name>assetType</Name>   Namespace URL and "#" are missing
        <Path>rcm:assetType</Path>   Namespace prefix is present
        <Required>false</Required>
        <Type>string</Type>
        <MaxSize>100</MaxSize>
        <TableName>event</TableName>
        <ColumnName>asset_type</ColumnName>
       </tns:AttributeMetaData>
Following is a list of known problems and workarounds:
If you try to extract the release image using the native AIX® or Solaris tar command, you may get an @LongLink error.
Install and use the GNU version of tar, found at http://www.gnu.org, when you extract the IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server tar image on AIX or Solaris. The IBM Installation Manager installation kits that are included on the product DVD media use a directory structure that may be too deep for some Unix platforms, namely AIX and Solaris. This error is caused by the length of the filename, which includes the full path of the file, because it is too long for the native OS command. If you are using the DVD to install the product, you will not encounter this problem.
An event that is returned by the SimpleEventQuery has the attributes listed in a different order than the original submitted event, making the event non-compliant with the EPCIS requirement that attributes be in a certain order.
Order the attributes in the EPCISDocumentMetaData.xml file in the order in which they appear in the original event that IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server captures.
If you have security enabled and make a group change, your changes may not be detected.
If you make a group change, you must restart IBM WebSphere Application Server. This workaround applies to IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server installations with security enabled. If the group membership for a user is changed in the OS or directory (LDAP), the IBM WebSphere Application Server instance containing IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server must be restarted for the changes to be detected.
If you update master data or remove elements, the capture validation rules continue to accept events with the deleted master data.
Since validation rules do not recognize that master data elements have been deleted unless IBM WebSphere Application Server is restarted, restart IBM WebSphere Application Server whenever master data is deleted.
After you deploy a TSAR file, you receive a ClassCastException in response to some web service calls or notice that validation rules do not execute.
Because the TSAR deployment scripts start and stop IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server applications but not applications for IBM WebSphere Application Server, restart IBM WebSphere Application Server after you deploy a TSAR file.
If you add a new custom entity that is not supported by the default IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server configuration, you will receive a NameNotFoundException for the ts/cache/NewEntityName name.
If you add any custom entity, define the metadata for the new custom entity and create a IBM WebSphere Application Server cache through the IBM WebSphere Application Server Administrative Console for the new entity. The cache framework expects the following naming convention for the JNDI cache name: ts/cache/NewEntityName, where NewEntityName is the metadata file.IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server supports product, location, source, and partner as default entities.

Deprecated products

The following products and services have been deprecated:
  • the solution class loader web service
  • the event model used by custom-written alerts
  • any namespace that contains the rfidic string

See the hardware and software requirements topic for the complete list of IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server version requirements.

Documentation updates

Product information can be viewed in the IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server Information Center. Online product information contains links to useful topics in the online libraries for all of the component products. Viewing this information enables you to find useful information more quickly and easily.

You can also reference the IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server developerWorks® Exchange for supplementary, complementary information about the product.

To learn about IBM Cognos®, visit the Cognos website .

Contacting Customer Support

If you live in the U.S.A., you can call one of the following numbers:
  • 1-800-IBM-SERV (1-800-426-7378) for customer service.
  • 1-888-426-4343 to learn about available service options.

Notices and trademarks

The following terms are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both:
  • AIX
  • Cognos
  • DB2®
  • IBM
  • InfoSphere
  • Tivoli®
  • WebSphere

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