Topics: IBM Content Manager

TIFF plugin for ICM

If you're storing TIFF images in ICM, and you do not want to do any image conversion on the Resource Manager, and you also do not want to use the Java Applet, you might consider using a TIFF plugin for the browser. One can be found on www.alternatiff.com. It's freeware and is works perfectly.

Topics: IBM Content Manager↑

Installing ICM on Windows

IBM Content Manager can be installed on Windows 2000 server or later. To get it to install on a Windows XP system (e.g. for testing the ICM software), change the compatibility mode of the install program to Windows 2000. Now it won't complain about the wrong operating system.

But be aware that no official support is available for running an IBM Content Manager environment on Windows XP. Especially Content Manager OnDemand is very difficult to get it to run on Windows XP. Consider running your content manager environment under Windows 2000 or 2003 within VMware. This works fine.

Topics: IBM Content Manager↑

Running icmrm as a Windows service

If your installing ICM on a Windows system and you wish to run the Resource Manager as a system service, then open a DOS command window and go to the WebSphere installation directory (c:\Program Files\WebSphere\AppServer\bin). Then type:

WASService -add icmrm -serverName icmrm -userid icmadmin -password password -startArgs "-user icmadmin -password password"
-stopArgs "-user icmadmin -password password"
Now you can open the Services window (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services) to check the IBM WebSphere Application Server V5 - icmrm service.

Topics: ↑

How to catalog a DB2 database

  • Open DB2 Command Window
  • Run "C:\Program Files\IBM\cmgmt\cmbdbcat81" AIX CAT DBP001 KL101234 INSTP001 KL101234.FQDN.COM 50000
Where:
DBP001 is the actual database name
KL101234 is the alias you are going to use to connect to the database, you may keep it the same.
INSTP0001 is the DB2 instance name
Make sure to enter the fully qualified domain name as the hostname (kl101234.fqdn.com)
50000 is the default DB2 port

This is how to uncatalog a database:
  • db2 => list node directory (check node)
  • db2 => uncatalog node INSTP001
  • db2 => list database directory (check db)
  • db2 => uncatalog database KL101234
Test to see if it works:
In your DB2 command line window, run: db2
  • db2 => connect to KL101234 user icmadmin using icmadmin
  • db2 => list tables
Where: the default icmadmin userid is used with password (using) icmadmin

To get the new database to work with the IBM Content Manager Windows client and system administration client:
  • Add to file: C:\Program Files\ibm\CMgmt\cmbds.ini:
    FEDSERVER=KL101234
    FEDSERVERREPTYPE=DB2
    FEDSCHEMA=ICMADMIN
    FEDSSO=FALSE
    FEDDBAUTH=SERVER
    FEDREMOTE=TRUE
    FEDHOSTNAME=kl101234.fqdn.com
    FEDPORT=50000
    FEDREMOTEDB=DBP001
    FEDNODENAME=kl101234
    FEDOSTYPE=AIX
  • Add to file: C:\Program Files\ibm\CMgmt\cmbicmsrvs.ini:
    ICMSERVER=KL101234
    ICMSERVERREPTYPE=DB2
    ICMSCHEMA=ICMADMIN
    ICMSSO=FALSE
    ICMDBAUTH=SERVER
    ICMREMOTE=FALSE
    ICMHOSTNAME=
    ICMPORT=
    ICMREMOTEDB=
    ICMNODENAME=
    ICMOSTYPE=

  • Now you can startup the IBM Content Manager Windows client and system administration client and login.

Topics: IBM Content Manager↑

Tests to see if ICM is working correctly

Test access to the IBM HTTP Server by accessing the following URLs:

  • http://server.name.com
  • https://server.name.com
IBM HTTP Administration Server:
  • http://server.name.com:8008
WAS Admin console:
  • http://server.name.com:9090/admin
Snoop servlets:
  • http://server.name.com/snoop
  • http://server.name.com/icmrm/snoop
  • https://server.name.com/icmrm/SnoopServlet
  • http://server.name.com:9080/snoop
  • https://server.name.com:9443/snoop
  • http://server.name.com:9081/icmrm/snoop
  • https://server.name.com:9444/icmrm/snoop
Accessing the Resource Manager:
  • http://server.name.com/icmrm/ICMResourceManager
  • https://server.name.com:9444/icmrm/ICMResourceManager
  • https://server.name.com:9444/icmrm/ICMRMAdminServlet
    (log in with your "rmadmin" user and password)
  • https://server.name.com/icmrm/ICMRMAdminServlet/sms
  • http://server.name.com/icmrm/UTFTestServlet
  • https://server.name.com/icmrm/UTFTestServlet
Start the IBM Content Manager V8 Client for Windows and log in.
  • Import a document into the NOINDEX document type.
  • Do a basic search on the NOINDEX document type and find your imported document.
  • Double click the document to display it (if not already displayed).
  • Close the Windows client.
Now start the eClient:
  • For version 8.2: http://server.name.com/eClient82/IDMInit
  • For version 8.3: http://server.name.com:9083/eclient/IDMInit
  • Log in.
  • Do a search on the NOINDEX item type.
  • Find and display the imported document.
    (if no document displays, check if you installed and configured XVFB)
Start the System Administration Client.
  • Log in.
  • Click on Resource Managers.
  • Click on the plus (+) sign for Resource Managers.
  • Click on the resource manager that is shown.
  • If you have no error, SSL communication to the Resource Manager is working properly.

Topics: IBM Content Manager↑

ICM System Administration

ICM is a complex system. It uses several different parts: DB2 database, WebSphere, HTTP Server, ICM software and of course the operating system. This usually leads to confusion about who's administering the system.

Usually the DBA or the storage administrator will be made responsible for the ICM system. The DBA, because ICM is in the DB2 portfolio of IBM. The storage administrator, because ICM usually stores large amounts of data and requires a difficult backup methodology.

But in the end, it doesn't matter much, as long as there is a team responsible for the ICM system at whole, who knows the different parts of the system, and how they work together. And knows who to contact if a problem is very specific to a certain part of the ICM system, like database, or backup.

Topics: DB2, IBM Content Manager↑

IBM Content Manager version information

For Websphere Application Server: versionInfo.sh (default in the subdir bin of the WebSphere installation directory:

# /usr/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/versionInfo.sh
For DB2 Universal database (version 5):
# su - db2inst1 -c db2level
For IBM Content Manager (version 8):
# /usr/lpp/icm/bin/cmlevel
Content Manager eClient (version 8):
# /opt/IBM/CMeClient/cmlevel
EIP:
# /usr/lpp/cmb/bin/cmlevel
Java:
# java -version
All other software, on AIX use:
# lslpp -l

Topics: DB2, IBM Content Manager↑

IBM Content Manager links

A number of external links, related to IBM Content Manager:

Official IBM sites:

Content ManagerRelated links:

Topics: DB2, IBM Content Manager, Spectrum Protect↑

IBM Content Manager introduction

IBM (DB2) Content Manager Version is a product available for Microsoft Windows, AIX, Sun Solaris and Linux. The former name of IBM Content Manager was Visual Info. Actually, the Content Manager portfolio from IBM is much larger, than this single product. Basically, there are 2 products, the first one called IBM Content Manager, and the second one IBM Content Manager OnDemand. Besides these two, there are a lot of additional tools and products.

ICM is a system for the management of business content, or Enterprise Content Management (ECM). It handles all types of digitized content, based on access via browsers, similar to Documentum. In other words: ICM is a system which allows storage of digitized documents, which can be retrieved via a web browser. Content Manager OnDemand is specifically used for storing spooled output and usually replaces the older Microfiche.

In general, most organizations have well-developed information systems in place for storing, sorting and retrieving text-based data records (business or structured data). These same organizations however, usually do not have the same type of data storage and retrieval systems in place for the large and growing mass of digital media (unstructured or semi-unstructured data).

The concept of Enterprise Content Management is to bring under the control of one system a platform independent integrated solution for storing and managing large quantities of multimedia content as well as the traditional relational database data. This allows database management facilities such as referential integrity, transactional integrity, robustness and archival and retrieval to be utilized to manage the full range of data objects within the modern enterprise.

Data stored by IBM Content Manager can be categorized as follows:

  • Operational content: Scanned images (often in TIFF format - Tag Image File Format), Facsimiles, Computer generated output.
  • Workgroup documents: Word processors (like MS Word, WordPerfect, Adobe FrameMaker, Lotus), Spreadsheets (MS Excel and Lotus 1-2-3), Presentation graphics.
  • Media Assets: Audio and Video (MPEG).
  • Web Content: HTML, graphics, business content.
Forrester conducted a research of various Enterprise Content Management suites in June and July 2005. They concluded that IBM Content Manager, together with Documentum, is one of the market leaders in its field: "IBM and EMC are clear ECM suite leaders. IBM and EMC have both been in the ECM market for the longest time and have ECM strategies that align with IT's needs." - The Forrester Wave, Enterprise Content Management Suites, Q3 2005 - October 7, 2005.

IBM Content Manager consists of the following parts:

Library Server

Is actually built upon a DB2 (or Oracle, but mostly DB2) database for the index of the digitized content. It is where you define the information that you store in your library. All user access for digitized content is validated by the library server. The library server also maintains referential integrity between the indexing information in the database and the objects themselves. There is at least one library server in an ICM implementation.

Resource Managers

Resource managers are the repositories that contain the digitized content and manage the storage and retrieval of objects. The resource manager provides hierarchical storage management (HSM) when used in conjunction with TSM / IBM Spectrum Protect. There is at least one and usually more resource managers in an ICM implementation. The Resource Manager is also built upon a DB2 database and is actually the index to the resources (= files) on a filesystem.

Mid-tier server

Functions as a broker that mediates communications between the client (web browser) and the library server. This is implemented via IBM WebSphere Application Server.

Clients

Users access the content via the eClient in a Web Browser, with JavaServer Pages (JSP), servlets and a viewer applet that runs on IBM WebSphere Application Server. Also a normal (fat) Windows client, and an administrative client is available.


A standalone configuration of IBM Content Manager

The latest version of IBM Content Manager and OnDemand is version 8.3. Version 9 of IBM Content Manager will presumably combine the two products of ICM and OnDemand into 1 product (but this is only a rumour up till now). Version 8.3 from OnDemand is the same as version 7.1.2.

Topics: WebSphere↑

WebSphere links

A number of external links, related to WebSphere Application Server:

Official IBM sites:

Related links:

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