Rational Automation Framework

Gain control over middleware environments. Automate complex administration and deployment tasks.

Rational Automation Framework is customizable and provides automation of build-outs, configuration management and application deployments.

Rational Automation Framework helps cut operational costs, improve productivity and gain control over complex middleware environments. It provides an extensible framework with rich automation support for a broad array of WebSphere middleware, WebLogic application server and JBoss application server.

  • New! Announcing Rational Automation Framework Version 3!
  • Increase productivity with reduced staffing needs for routine tasks: Automate manual, error-prone tasks, and free up scarce admin resources to focus on more strategic projects.
  • Improve application delivery speed, consistency and quality: Deliver business-critical applications with a consistent, accurate and repeatable process.
  • Reduce cost of compliance, disaster recovery and IT governance: Improve governance, disaster recovery planning and automated documentation for compliance mandates without additional overheads.
  • Automate environment build-outs, configuration management & application deployment tasks for a wide array of WebSphere middleware portfolio: WebSphere Foundation; WebSphere BPM Suite; and WebSphere Portal.
  • Extend the automation benefits and qualities of service to WebSphere Connectivity (MQ and WebSphere Message Broker); Oracle WebLogic Application Server and RedHat JBoss Application Server with the help of MidVision Extensions to IBM RAFW (link resides outside of ibm.com).
  • Facilitate team-based administration via a robust automation engine with enhanced performance and reliability.
  • Ensure rapid provisioning and efficient management of virtual patterns with WebSphere CloudBurst Appliance.
  • Enhance workflow management and control in enterprise data center environments via integration with Rational Asset Manager (RAM), source control tools, and LDAP directories.

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Features and benefits

Rational Automation Framework is a customizable framework to provide automation of environment build-outs, configuration management, and application deployments on heterogeneous middleware platforms.

FeaturesBenefits
Data-driven, centralized framework
  • Ensure that the right data is associated with the right application in the right environment—each time, every time
Rich user Interface
  • Design, edit, and manage middleware configuration data
    • Add new configurations to a cell which is especially useful when working with virtualized software images
    • Examine a live cell and store the configuration information as it exists in the cell
    • Easily move a configuration from one environment to another, while allowing environmental specific data to be replaced
    • Push a stored configuration to the runtime environment
  • Compare configuration data
    • Quickly identify and address differences between expected and actual cell data
    • Easily determine differences between environments, and verify similarities to prevent configuration drift
    • Execute a comparison between a stored configuration and the actual runtime configuration, highlighting the differences between them
  • Design, edit, manage, and run automation plan
    • Reduce time to market and continue to decrease time to market as subsequent environments are generated
  • View automation results
Environment generation wizard
  • Specify the criteria for the environment
  • Run project in an automated, hands-off manner
Self-documentation
  • Ensure that deployment process information is captured as artifacts are managed
    • Disparate teams can utilize artifacts in the same manner
Agent-less technology
  • Manage artifacts from a single central location
Deployment artifacts separate from deployment process
  • Promote reuse and increase scalability
Customizable framework
  • Leverage existing investment in tools and middleware management/deployment scripts while taking advantage of actions provided in RAF
Tasks organized into units
  • Connect to other software development processes to form a complete end-to-end automation solution extending from development through deployment

System requirements

The following information lists the basic hardware and software requirements for using IBM Rational Automation Framework.


Operating SystemSoftwareHardware
Windows operating systems:
  • Windows Server 2008 (Intel)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (Intel)
  • Windows Server 2003: Service Pack 1 or later (Intel)
  • Windows Server 2003: Service Pack 2 (Intel)
  • Windows XP Professional: Service Pack 2 or later (Intel)

UNIX and Linux operating systems:
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Server (Intel)
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Server (Intel)
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Server (Intel)
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (Intel)
  • Solaris 9 and 10 (SPARC)
  • AIX® 5.3 and 6.1 (System p®, Power 5 and Power 6)
  • AIX 7.1 (System p, Power 7)
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10: Service Pack 2 (IBM System z®: S390x)
  • RedHat Enterprise Linux 4.6 and later (IBM System z: S390x)

Operating system requirements for the optional Eclipse client

Windows operating systems:
  • Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate (32 & 64 bit)
  • Windows Vista Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate (32 & 64 bit)
  • Windows XP Professional (32 bit)
  • Windows Server 2008 Standard and Enterprise (32 & 64 bit)
  • Windows Server 2003 Standard and Enterprise (32 & 64 bit)

Linux operating systems:
  • Red Hat Linux Desktop 5 (32 & 64 bit)
  • Red Hat Linux Desktop 6 (32 & 64 bit)
  • Red Hat Linux Enterprise Server 5 (32 & 64 bit)
  • Red Hat Linux Enterprise Server 6 (32 & 64 bit)
  • SUSE Linux Desktop 10 (32 & 64 bit)
  • SUSE Linux Desktop 11 (32 & 64 bit)
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (32 & 64 bit)
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (32 & 64 bit)
IBM Installation Manager requirements:
  • Installation Manager V1.4.4

Browser requirements:
  • Internet Explorer 8
  • Internet Explorer 7
  • Mozilla Firefox 4
  • Mozilla Firefox 3.x
  • Minimum resolution:
    1024 x 768.
  • Optimum resolution: 1280 x 1024 or higher

Java Requirements:
  • IBM Java SDK V6*
  • IBM Java SDK V5

*IBM Rational Automation Framework includes the Java SDK V6 that it requires on the framework server and on target systems.

The Rational Automation Framework web applications, rafservices and rafw, which include the Environment Generation wizard, are deployed on an application server that is supported by IBM Rational Build Forge. The supported application servers include IBM WebSphere® Application Server V6.1 (Java SDK V5) and WebSphere Application Server, V7.0 (Java SDK V6).

Rational Automation Framework users can write custom actions, which can include Java or Jython code. The Java requirements for custom actions are as follows:

  • Use Java SDK 5 to compile JAR files that are referenced as Ant tasks and executed only by Ant.
  • Compile JAR files that are executed by the wsadmin scripting client to use the lowest JDK version of the target system in which they run. For example, for wsadmin to run the Java program on a WebSphere V6.0 (JDK V1.4) target system, the program must be compiled by using JDK V1.4.

Software requirements for the optional Eclipse client

Java requirements:
  • Oracle or IBM Java JRE 1.6

Eclipse requirements
  • Eclipse SDK 3.6.2
Processor:
  • Intel Pentium processor at 500 MHz or faster
  • Intel EM64T or AMD Opteron
  • SPARC 32-bit or 64-bit
  • System p®, Power 5

Memory: Minimum 2 GB

Disk space:

Core product directories: The minimum space is 2 GB, which includes the space required for the provided Java software development kits (SDKs).

Media tree directory: The space required for the media tree varies for each product installation. The disk space required is equivalent to the size of the installation media that you copy to the media directory. The media tree can be on the framework server or on a shared network drive.

To estimate disk space requirements, include the space that is required by all products, product versions, and fix packs for each operating system that you plan to support. For help to determine space requirements, see IBM® WebSphere® product documentation.

Environments directory: The minimum is 1 GB. The actual space that is required is affected by the following factors:
  • The WebSphere cells that you define and the number of applications deployed per cell
  • The size of web application files, such as EAR files, shared libraries, and other files
  • The cell configuration files that are copied from WebSphere and saved to the RAFW_HOME/user/environments directory
To estimate space requirements for enterprise applications, see your WebSphere documentation.

IBM Installation Manager: The minimum space is 5 GB for the logs, metadata, and installation files.

Temporary directories: The minimum space is 1 GB for the logs, work, and user directories. To reclaim space, you can periodically delete the contents of the work and log directories.


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