VC/live
VC/live is a stand-alone installation of VC/m which is used for installing software on a machine which has no network connection to the VC/m server. The install function is designed to be as automated as possible so that the risk of mistakes is minimized.
VC/live is a single-user version with limited functionality. There are no systems and no change requests.
Using VC/live
To start VC/live:
do ^%vcl
Software is transferred from the VC/m server to the VC/live machine. The procedure has 3 steps:
-
The main VC/m server transfers the objects destined for the VC/live machine to
a local sequential file location.
The transfer on the main VC/m server creates a series of files with the same name but different extensions. One of the files has an extension of $. This is the control file and it contains all the information which VC/live requires about the objects and the locations which they belong in. There is also one file for each type of component which is to be installed. The extensions for these are the component type code.
- The user manually copies the files to a sequential file location on the VC/live machine using any available transfer protocol.
- VC/live reads the sequential files and installs the objects from this sequential file location into the installation location.
VC/setup
VC/setup is the application which allows you to configure VC/live.
To start VC/setup:
do ^%vcsetup
Installation Mode
A VC/live machine can be configured to install the objects in one of three different modes. Firstly, an operator can use the interactive 'Install' option from the menu. Secondly, a non-interactive batch job can be run at an appointed time. This could be run, for example, when a system re-starts after a nightly shutdown for backup. Thirdly, a background install daemon can be set up which is running all the time and will install the objects non-interactively when they are placed in the sequential file location.
Hot Backups and Rollback
The install function includes an option for a hot backup of the objects which are being replaced. This means that, when a new version of an object is installed, the displaced version will be transferred from the 'to location' into the designated backup location. If the new version turns out to have a problem, the old version of the object can be quickly re-instated from the hot backup location, using the 'Rollback' option. This is particularly useful for a live system.