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ACS Ease operation

Theme: Configure
Who Is It For? Automation Engineer

What is it?​

Once the sma.acs.ACSEase connector is registered with the OpCon system, you can define agents and tasks. All definitions must be created in Solution Manager.

Bundle task types require the EASE-LOCAL, EASE-LOCAL-BUNDLE-RSJEDIT, EASE-BUNDLE-SEQ-FTP, and EASE-BUNDLE-SEQ-PROMPT schedules to be installed on the local OpCon system.

The EASE-LOCAL schedule contains container jobs that inject the EASE-LOCAL-BUNDLE-RSJEDIT, EASE-BUNDLE-SEQ-FTP, and EASE-BUNDLE-SEQ-PROMPT sub-schedules. The sub-schedules contain ACS Ease tasks to run the task sequence for the selected bundle. Each task is submitted to the Ease DataCenter for execution. You can view individual job logs and restart individual tasks if needed.

After inserting the schedules, update the sub-schedule tasks to reference the correct Ease agent and an all-days frequency.

The agent definition contains a Debug option for troubleshooting. When selected, all request and response data is logged to the task job log.

  • Use this page to define an ACS Ease agent connection to the Ease DataCenter and create ACS Ease task definitions in Solution Manager.
  • Use the bundle task types when a single Ease operation requires executing a sequence of tasks, such as RSJ, MONITOR, SEQ, or FTP operations.

Defining ACS Ease connection​

The agent definition configures the OpCon Rest-API connections to your local OpCon system and the Ease DataCenter.

Fields shown in red are required. Global properties are supported.

Defining a Connection

Defining a Connection

To define an ACS Ease connection, complete the following steps:

  1. Open Solution Manager.

  2. Select Library.

  3. Go to Administration and select Agents.

  4. Select +Add to add a new agent definition.

  5. Enter the agent details:

    • Enter a unique name for the connection.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Type list.
    • Select General Settings
    • Verify that the NetCom Name is set to <Default> or the SMA Relay name if Relay is being used.
    • Select ACS Ease Settings
    • In the Customer Id field enter customer number provided by the Ease DataCenter.
    • In the Retain Log Files field enter a value defining the number of days to retain log files (default is 30 days).
    • In the Ease DataCenter section
      • In the Ease URL field enter the host and port number provided by the Ease DataCenter (host:port).
      • In the Ease User field enter the user name provided by the Ease DataCenter.
      • In the Ease User Password filed enter the password associated with the provided Ease User.
      • In the Local DataCenter section
      • In the OpCon URL filed enter the host and port number of the local OpCon system (host:port).
      • In the User field enter the user name for the local OpCon system.
      • In the User Password filed enter the password associated with the local OpCon User.

  6. Select Save.

  7. Select Communication Settings. Verify that the Requires XML Escape Sequences: User-Defined field is set to True. If it is not, set the field to True and select Save.

  8. Start the connection by selecting the Change Communication Status button and selecting Enable Full Comm.. The agent connection is enabled.

Configuration options​

The following settings are available when defining an ACS Ease agent. Fields marked as required must be populated before the connection can be enabled. Global properties are supported for all value fields.

SettingWhat It DoesDefaultNotes
Customer IdThe customer number allocated by the Ease DataCenter—Required
Retain Log FilesNumber of days to retain connector log files30—
Ease URLHost and port of the Ease DataCenter OpCon Rest-API—Format: host:port. Required
Ease UserUser name allocated by the Ease DataCenter—Required
Ease User PasswordPassword for the Ease DataCenter user—Required
OpCon URLHost and port of the local OpCon system—Format: host:port. Required
UserUser name for the local OpCon system—Required
User PasswordPassword for the local OpCon user—Required
NetCom NameThe SMANetCom or SMA Relay instance managing this connection<Default>Set to the SMA Relay name if using a Relay installation
Requires XML Escape Sequences: User-DefinedControls XML encoding for task payloads—Must be set to True
DebugLogs all request and response data to the task job logOffEnable only during troubleshooting

Exception handling​

The agent does not connect after selecting Enable Full Comm. Enable the Debug option on the agent definition and retry the connection. Review the task job log for request and response details to identify the cause of the failure. Verify that the Ease URL and OpCon URL values are correct and reachable from the OpCon server.

Tasks submitted to the Ease DataCenter fail or return unexpected results. Verify that the Requires XML Escape Sequences: User-Defined field in Communication Settings is set to True. If not, update the field, save the agent definition, and resubmit the task.

Bundle tasks fail to execute. Verify that the EASE-LOCAL, EASE-LOCAL-BUNDLE-RSJEDIT, EASE-BUNDLE-SEQ-FTP, and EASE-BUNDLE-SEQ-PROMPT schedules are installed on the local OpCon system. Verify that the tasks in each sub-schedule reference the correct Ease agent and have an all-days frequency definition assigned.

Defining tasks​

The ACS Ease Connection supports the following task types:

Task TypeDescription
BUNDLE-RSJEDITMONITOR and RSJEDIT tasks
BUNDLE-SEQ-FTPSEQ, COPY-RPT-OUT and RUN-FTP-OUT tasks
BUNDLE-SEQ-PROMPTSEQ and PROMPT tasks
COPY-DATA-TO-LTRFILECopy outgoing Data File to Letter Files for FTP
COPY-RENAME-LTRFILE-OUTCopy or Rename Letter File for FTP
COPY-RPT-OUTCopy Report to Letter Files for FTP
FILEPERMSUpdate Letter File Privileges to 774
MONITORFile Monitor for Incoming File
MOVE-LTRFILE-TO-DATAMove incoming Letter File to Data Files
PROMPTAnswer a Single Prompt
PROMPTSEQAnswer a Single Prompt with a SEQ
RUN-FTP-OUTFTP Letter File off Symitar
RENAME-LTRFILE-INRename Letter File Removing Prefix
RESETReset a Single Prompt
RSJRun Symitar Job (single-threaded)
RSJEDITRuns Symitar Job with Edit File
RSJMULTIRun Symitar Job (multi-threaded)
SEQCollect the SEQ of a Report and store it in a global property on the local OpCon system
SEQ-SENDCopy Specified SEQ to Reports for FTP
TRANSLATE2COMMASAnswer a Single Prompt containing commas

Defining tasks only requires providing the values associated with the specific task. It is possible to use global properties when defining tasks.

BUNDLE-RSJEDIT Task​

Defining a BUNDLE-RSJEDIT Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select BUNDLE-RSJEDIT : MONITOR and RSJEDIT tasks from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type BUNDLE-RSJEDIT.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Job Name field enter the the name of the RSJ job associated with the RSJ task.
    • In the Monitor File field enter the monitor file name associated with the MONITOR task.
    • In the Edit File field enter the edit file name associated with the RSJ task.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

BUNDLE-SEQ-FTP Task​

Defining a BUNDLE-SEQ-FTP Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select BUNDLE-SEQ-FTP : SEQ, COPY-RPT-OUT and RUN-FTP-OUT tasks from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type BUNDLE-SEQ-FTP.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Job Name field enter the the name of the RSJ job associated with the SEQ task.
    • In the Output File field enter the output file name associated with the COPY-RPT-OUT and RUN-FTP-OUT tasks.
    • In the Email field enter an email address that will receive notification when the transfer is complete.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

BUNDLE-SEQ-PROMPT Task​

Defining a BUNDLE-SEQ-PROMPT Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select BUNDLE-SEQ-PROMPT : SEQ, and PROMPT tasks from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type BUNDLE-SEQ-PROMPT.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Job Name field enter the the name of the RSJ job associated with the SEQ task.
    • In the Prompt Job Name field enter the name of the RSJ job associated with this PROMPTSEQ task.
    • In the Prompt field enter prompt to submit.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

COPY-DATA-TO-LTRFILE Task​

Defining a COPY-DATA-TO-LTRFILE Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select COPY-DATA-TO-LTRFILE : Copy outgoing Data File to Letter Files for FTP from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type COPY-DATA-TO-LTRFILE.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Source File field enter the source file name associated with the task.
    • In the Output File field enter the output file name associated with the task.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

COPY-RENAME-LTRFILE-OUT Task​

Defining a COPY-RENAME-LTRFILE-OUT Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select COPY-RENAME-LTRFILE-OUT : Copy or Rename Letter File for FTP from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type COPY-RENAME-LTRFILE-OUT.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • select an Action from the Action list.
    • In the Source File field enter the source file name associated with the task.
    • In the Output File field enter the output file name associated with the task.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

COPY-RPT-OUT Task​

Defining a COPY-RPT-OUT Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select COPY-RPT-OUT : Copy Report to Letter Files for FTP from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type COPY-RPT-OUT.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Output File field enter the output file name associated with the task.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

FILEPERMS Task​

Defining a FILEPERMS Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select FILEPERMS : Update Letter File Privileges to 774 from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type FILEPERMS.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the File field enter the letter file name whose privileges will be updated.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

MONITOR Task​

Defining a MONITOR Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select MONITOR : File Monitor for Incoming File from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type MONITOR.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the File field enter the monitor file name associated with the task.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

MOVE-LTRFILE-TO-DATA Task​

Defining a MOVE-LTRFILE-TO-DATA Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select MOVE-LTRFILE-TO-DATA : Move incoming Letter File to Data Files from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type MOVE-LTRFILE-TO-DATA.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Source File field enter the source file name associated with the task.
    • In the Output File field enter the output file name associated with the task.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

PROMPT Task​

Defining a PROMPT Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select PROMPT : Answer a Single Prompt from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type PROMPT.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Job Name field enter the the name of the RSJ job associated with this request.
    • In the Prompt field enter prompt.
    • In the Response field enter the response to the associated prompt.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

PROMPTSEQ Task​

Defining a PROMPTSEQ Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select PROMPTSEQ : Answer a Single Prompt with a SEQ from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type PROMPTSEQ.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Job Name field enter the name of the RSJ job associated with this request.
    • In the Prompt field enter prompt to submit.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

RUN-FTP-OUT Task​

Defining a RUN-FTP-OUT Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select RUN-FTP-OUT : FTP Letter File off Symitar from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type RUN-FTP-OUT.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Output File field enter the output file name associated with the task.
    • In the Email field enter an email address that will receive notification when the transfer is complete.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

RENAME-LTRFILE-IN Task​

Defining a RENAME-LTRFILE-IN Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACSEase from the Job Type list.
    • Select RENAME-LTRFILE-IN : Rename Letter File Removing Prefix from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type RENAME-LTRFILE-IN.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • select an Action from the Action list.
    • In the Source File field enter the source file name associated with the task.
    • In the Output File field enter the output file name associated with the task.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

RSJ Task​

Defining a RSJ Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select RSJ : Run Symitar Job (single-threaded) from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type RSJ.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Job Name field enter the the name of the RSJ job associated with this request.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

RSJEDIT Task​

Defining a RSJEDIT Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select RSJEDIT :Runs Symitar Job with Edit File from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type RSJEDIT.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Job Name field enter the name of the RSJ job associated with this request.
    • In the Edit File field enter the edit file name associated with the task.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

RSJMULTI Task​

Defining a RSJMULTI Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select RSJMULTI : Run Symitar Job (multi-threaded) from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type RSJMULTI.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Job Name field enter the name of the RSJ job associated with this request.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

SEQ Task​

Defining a SEQ Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select SEQ : Collect the SEQ of a Report from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type SEQ.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier that will be used to create a schedule instance property containing the sequence number on the Ease Datacenter OpCOn environment. Any (.) period or (_) underscore characters are removed and the adjust identier is prefixed with SEQ-. The sequence number value is retrieved from the Ease Datacenter and stored in a global property on the local system. If the Identifier is ABC.DEF then the sequence number will be stored on the local system in a property SEQ-ABCDEF.
    • In the Job Name field enter the name of the RSJ job associated with this request.
    • In the Report Name field enter the report name associated with the task.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

SEQ-SEND Task​

Defining a SEQ-SEND Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select SEQ-SEND : Copy Specified SEQ to Reports for FTP from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type SEQ-SEND.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Seq field enter the six digit number of the desired report.
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

TRANSLATE2COMMAS Task​

Defining a TRANSLATE2COMMAS Master Job

  1. Open Solution Manager.
  2. From the Home page select Library
  3. From the Administration Menu select Master Jobs.
  4. Select +Add to add a new master job definition.
  5. Fill in the task details.
    • Select the Schedule name from the list.
    • In the Name field enter a unique name for the task within the schedule.
    • Select ACS Ease from the Job Type list.
    • Select TRANSLATE2COMMAS : Answer a Single Prompt containing commas from the Task Type list.

Enter details for Task Type TRANSLATE2COMMAS.

  1. Select the Task Details button.
  2. In the Integration Selection section, select the primary integration which is an ACSEase connection previously defined.
  3. In the TaskConfiguration section
    • In the Identifier field enter a unique identifier for the task.
    • In the Prompt field enter the prompt value for the job.
    • In the Response field enter the response with (^) that will be converted to commas (,).
  4. Select Save. The task definition is saved.

Glossary​

ACS (Agentless Connector System) — An OpCon Agent type that provides a framework for connector development. ACS connectors are .dll files placed in a monitored folder and loaded into the OpCon environment at startup.

Container job — An OpCon job type that injects a sub-schedule into the daily schedule. Used by the EASE-LOCAL schedule to trigger bundle sub-schedules.

Ease DataCenter — The remote OpCon system managed by Ease, to which ACS Ease tasks are submitted for execution. Job logs from Ease DataCenter tasks are retrieved and appended to the local task job log.

EASE-LOCAL — The local OpCon schedule that contains container jobs used to trigger bundle sub-schedules.

Sub-schedule — A schedule triggered by a container job. Sub-schedules contain the individual ACS Ease tasks that execute the sequence of operations within a bundle task type.