Deploying PeopleTools Client on local desktop from the PeopleSoft Update Image installed on Windows VM

PeopleSoft latest image installed on the Virtual machine includes a client installer for setting up PeopleTools client tools such as Change Assistant, Configuration Manager, and Application Designer and an Oracle database client.

You can use the PeopleTools client( from tools_client folder) on the Virtual machine to install the standalone client on your local desktop on the network.

For standalone Tools Client installation on the local desktop, I assume that:

1. You have all required PeopleSoft DPKs in the DPK_INSTALL on the microsoft windows computer where you have install PeopleSoft Update Image.

2. You completed the setup of the PeopleSoft Image on the Virtual Machine and that has created the PI Home and Other required folders.

Once we get the confirmation on the above points,
Map you static IP which you have assigned to your image from your local desktop. For example if you static ip is \\116.121.23.41 then this IP should be accessible on the network and from your local desktop.
Once mapped the static ip, open windows power shell with administrater previliges and change the drive to the mapped drive. In my case it is as given below.

Navigate to tools_client and look for SetupPTClient.bat.

Execute SetupPTClient.bat with the option as below. SetupPTClient.bat is the interactive script that installs the PeopleSoft PeopleTools components including Oracle Client and Application Designer.

Once installed copy the tnsnames.ora from tools_client and copy it to C:\oracle\product\12.1.0\client_1\network\admin

PS V:\> .\SetupPTClient.bat -l

****** SetupPTClient started at 11:38:44.94 ******

This script will guide you through the deployment of PeopleTools Client components for your environment.

Is this deployment for a Update Manager Environment?
(A 'Y' will prompt you to setup a Target PeopleTools client deployment in
addition to the Source PeopleTools client.)
[Y/N]: N

Starting Tools Client Deployment!

Validating compatible Oracle DB Client for Source PeopleTools 8.55.07

Deploying Oracle DB Client for PTools Version - 8.55.07
Deploying Source PeopleTools 8.55.07 Client in C:\PT8.55.07_Client_ORA
Installing Change Assistant for PeopleTools 8.55.07 Client in C:\Program Files\PeopleSoft\Change Assistant The system cannot find the file specified.
'/s' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
Deployment of PeopleTools Client and installation of Change Assistant Complete.
Tools Client Deployment Ended.
"****** SetupPTClient ended at 11:53:39.72 ******"

Open pscfg.exe and configure the connect ID.
Open application designer from C:\PT8.55.07_Client_ORA\bin\client\winx86(from your local desktop) and login with your login credentials.

Process Scheduler starting Slow on Windows 2012 R2

We recently have upgraded to PeopleTools 8.55.05 and along with this we have upgraded our infrastructure also. For windows batch server, we have upgraded our infrastructure from windows 2008 R2 to Windows 2012 R2.

After installing new Tools version (PeopleTools 8.55.05) on windows 2012 R2 , we noticed performance issue while booting up the batch server. On windos 2012, each server process is taking approx 50-60 seconds to boot up and in turn the complete batch server is booting up in approximately 10 minutes. Before upgrade, we were on Tools 8.53 with windows 2008 and batch server boot up process was quite fast and as per the expectation.

As a part of our analysis we did a packet capture(using wireshark) and noticed a lot of NB (NetBios name resolution) and LLMNR (Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution) packets, which appeared to be slowing things down for the process scheduler processes.

For the box where the scheduler is booting up slow, we have noticed that prior to LDAP query there are series of DNS, NB and LLMNR queries to resolve the database name. However, on windows 2008 R2 , it just gets straight into the LDAP Query.

To force the scheduler process to directly go into the LDAP query, we have made the following changes:

  - Disabled "Link-Layer Topology Discovery Mapper I/O Driver" interface

  - Disabled "Link-Layer Topology Discovery Responder" interface

  - Disabled "Internet Protocol Version 6" interface

  - Disabled NetBIOS over TCP/IP

  - Disabled LLMNR by setting Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Network -> DNS Client -> Turn Off Multicast Name Resolution = Enabled

This has worked for us and we are able to boot up batch server fast on windows 2012 R2, however, having said this, we are still trying to understand why the process scheduler of Tools 8.55 is querying DNS, NB and LLMNR before LDAP query.

We are not sure if there is any change in the way process scheduler is going to communicate with underlying Operating System with PeopleTools 8.55.

If any of you have any idea on this, please let me know. I will happy to listen and discuss on the issue with you.

Clean Up DPK Deployed PeopleSoft environment

To remove the DPK deployed PeopleSoft environment follow the steps below

For Windows server we need to execute the command as below:

./psft-dpk-setup.ps1 -cleanup

For Linux based server or any other flavour of unix the command is:

./psft-dpk-setup.sh --cleanup


I have seen in my scenario where the above given Manual method of cleanup was failing and not clearing all the files on the server. This was happening due to the space in the folder or having some folders with large name.In one of the case, I have seen re-installation was failing because one folder was not cleared in the cleanup process and that folder was having a large directory name.In case if the automated method of cleaning is failing then an alternate way to 'cleanup' is to manually remove the existing installation:

- Locate the default.yaml file in /etc/Puppet/data on Linux platforms and in

C:\ProgramData\PuppetLabs\Puppet\etc\data on Microsoft Windows platforms.

- Change the ensure value in default.yaml from 'present' to 'absent'

- Change directory to this location /etc/puppet/manifests on Linux platforms and

C:\programdata\puppetlabs\puppet\etc\manifests on Microsoft Windows platform

And finally execute the command below

- Run puppet apply site.pp --debug –trace

This will remove the existing installation from the server.

Leave your comment on the topic.

PeopleSoft Customization yaml file

After deployment of DPK, I was trying to execute the psft_customizations.yaml using the non-root user i.e, the specific user which we normally use for installing the PeopleSoft Stack components. I was using user_name and group_name twice in the psft_customizations.yaml which was causing it to fail. That is for oracle_group and psft_group, I was using the same group profile and similarly for psft_user and oracle_user, I was using the same userid. Puppet don't allow you to give same group name(profile) and same user_name twice in the customization file. As a workaround for this issue, I have removed the user section from psft_customizations.yaml and ran it with default users i.e, psadm1, psadm2, psadm3 and Oracle. You can then give the permission to these users to execute as per your setup requirement or alternatively you can change the ownership of the installation done by these default users. You can only get these default users created on your system, if you have the super user access to the box where you are attempting to install DPK and PeopleSoft components.
As a solution to this,if you are intending to use one user name and user group for both PeopleSoft and Oracle installation then you can give that username and group name once at the top of the file psft_customizations.yaml and that should not be repeated for PeopleSoft and Oracle separately in the file.
For example: The section below should be in the top of the file with other content

psft_user_name: hr92ut

psft_group_name: psadmin_prd

Hope this will help you to resolve the user profile issue in psft_customizations.yaml file where you are intending to use the signle user to use for the entire installation using DPK, however if you face any issue, pls leave a comment or email me and I will respond at the earliest possible.

Giving Custom Name to the Image in Oracle Virtual Box

Users can give the custom name for the image running in Oracle Virtual Box. This can be achieved by the following defined method

1. When we import the ova file in the virtual box, at that time, double click the name for the importing image in the configuration column and change it to your cutomized name.

2. If you imported it with the default name, then in the later stage, when the image is powered off, right click in the virtual box and click setting. In the setting , change the name field and hit enter.

PeopleTools DPK Installation- Important Commands

Oracle PeopleSoft provide the commands which are available for PeopleSoft Deployment Package.

DPK provides the flexibility to install domains separately on different physical and logical machines.

Following DPK commands could be execute in Windows Powershell and Unix/Linux boxes

DPK provide the option to specify default option also as

domain_type (the default is all) : domain_type all

1. For App Server domain

--env_type midtier --domain_type appserver

2. For App Batch Domain (for App Server & Process Scheduler on on one machine)

--env_type midtier --domain_type appbatch

3. For PIA Domain

--env_type midtier --domain_type pia

4. For a Process Scheduler Domain

--env_type midtier --domain_type prcs

5. This command setups a fulltier (database and midtier) PeopleSoft environment using the DPK zips from the directory /opt/psft/dpks.

--dpk_src_dir /opt/psft/dpks

7. This command deploys just the PS_HOME. It does not setup any PeopleSoft environment. Just installs PS_HOME and none of the other 3rd party components.

--env_type midtier --deploy_only --deploy_type tools_home

Applying customizations for deployment ONLY through puppet failing with the error

After I created the psft_customizations.yaml and executed the command puppet apply site.pp --debug --trace under manifests, it was failing with the errors as below. I was intending to apply the deployment customization in the peoplesoft application and was looking to use the user profile for deployment as delivered default i.e, psadm1,psadm2,psadm3 and oracle2.

From the error message, I analysed that puppet script is unable to create the user profile folders in the home directory i.e,

/home/psadm1
/home/psadm2
/home/psadm3
/home/oracle2

Error: Could not set 'present' on ensure: No such file or directory - /home/psadm2/.profile at 59:/etc/puppet/modules/pt_profile/manifests/pt_system/users.pp
/usr/share/ruby/vendor_ruby/puppet/type/file.rb:812:in `initialize'
/usr/share/ruby/vendor_ruby/puppet/type/file.rb:812:in `open'

/usr/share/ruby/vendor_ruby/puppet/util/command_line.rb:146:in `run'

/usr/share/ruby/vendor_ruby/puppet/util/command_line.rb:92:in `execute'

/usr/bin/puppet:8:in `<main>'

Wrapped exception:

No such file or directory - /home/psadm2/.profile

/usr/s

Error: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_system::Users/File[/home/psadm2/.profile]/ensure: change from absent to present failed: Could not set 'present' on ensure: No such file or directory - /home/psadm2/.profile at 59:/etc/puppet/modules/pt_profile/manifests/pt_system/users.pp

Notice: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_system::Users/Exec[chage -d 0 psadm2]: Dependency File[/home/psadm2/.profile] has failures: true

Warning: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_system::Users/Exec[chage -d 0 psadm2]: Skipping because of failed dependencies

Error: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_system::Users/File[/home/psadm3/.profile]/ensure: change from absent to present failed: Could not set 'present' on ensure: No such file or directory - /home/psadm3/.profile at 59:/etc/puppet/modules/pt_profile/manifests/pt_system/users.pp

Notice: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_system::Users/Exec[chage -d 0 psadm3]: Dependency File[/home/psadm3/.profile] has failures: true

Warning: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_system::Users/Exec[chage -d 0 psadm3]: Skipping because of failed dependencies

Error: Could not set 'present' on ensure: No such file or directory - /home/oracle2/.profile at 59:/etc/puppet/modules/pt_profile/manifests/pt_system/users.pp

/usr/share/ruby/vendor_ruby/puppet/type/file.rb:812:in `initialize'

Error: Could not set 'present' on ensure: No such file or directory - /home/oracle2/.profile at 59:/etc/puppet/modules/pt_profile/manifests/pt_system/users.pp

/usr/share/ruby/vendor_ruby/puppet/type/file.rb:812:in `initialize'

Error: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_system::Users/File[/home/oracle2/.profile]/ensure: change from absent to present failed: Could not set 'present' on ensure: No such file or directory - /home/oracle2/.profile at 59:/etc/puppet/modules/pt_profile/manifests/pt_system/users.pp

Notice: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_system::Users/Exec[chage -d 0 oracle2]: Dependency File[/home/oracle2/.profile] has failures: true

Warning: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_system::Users/Exec[chage -d 0 oracle2]: Skipping because of failed dependencies

Warning: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_tools_deployment/Notify[Applying pt_profile::pt_tools_deployment]: Skipping because of failed dependencies

Warning: /Stage[main]/Pt_setup::Tools_deployment/File[/home/fs91dev/ps_home8.55.05]: Skipping because of failed dependencies

Warning: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_psft_environment/Pt_setup::User_environment[oracle2_environment]/File[oracle2_environment]: Skipping because of failed dependencies

Warning: /Stage[main]/Pt_profile::Pt_psft_environment/Pt_setup::User_environment[psadm2_environment]/File[psadm2_environment]: Skipping because of failed dependencies

Solution

As a solution to the issue, I have created the user profile folders manually in the home directory using the root linux user(note that I am installing PeopleSoft PeopleTools using the root user). 

mkdir psadm1 psadm2 psadm3 oracle2

drwxr-xr-x.  2 root      root           6 May 23 15:16 psadm1

drwxr-xr-x.  2 root      root           6 May 23 15:16 psadm2

drwxr-xr-x.  2 root      root           6 May 23 15:16 psadm3

drwxr-xr-x.  2 root      root           6 May 23 15:16 oracle2

Once done, I navigated to /etc/puppet/manifests and executed the command 

 puppet apply site.pp --debug --trace

This deployed the customized components in the server.

Ensure to change the permission and owner post deploying the tools and components.

You can also delete the user folders created above manually once the deployment is completed.