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Motivation
SOS is moving the JobScheduler architecture towards improved cross-platform support.
User needs have been identified
to support more Unix platforms and versions.
- to provide a more simple deployment of JobScheduler at enterprise level.
- Correspondingly SOS provides a Scala / Java based JobScheduler Universal Agent that is platform independent and is easily deployed.
Key Features
Platform Independence
- The Agent is developed with Scala and Java. The only requirement is a Java Runtime Environment starting from version 1.8.
- Technically the JobScheduler Universal Agent can be operated on any platform that is Java aware.
- see Platform Support
Zero Configuration
- The Agent has been designed to require zero configuration:
- An Agent is not configured for a specific Master. Instead the Agent serves requests from any Master and is addressed by Process Classes of a Master.
- Agent configuration is not required.
- Easy Deployment
- Deploying the Agent to hundreds of servers is a task of minutes.
- JobScheduler can be used to automate the deployment of Agents. Alternatively popular tools such as Puppet® can be applied.
Agent Clustering
- A number of JobScheduler Agents can be configured in an Agent Cluster for redundancy and fail-over of Agents.
- Fixed Priority Scheduling
- JobScheduler Master will select the first available Agent for execution of jobs.
- If an Agent is not available then the next available Agent is selected from the Agent Cluster.
- Round-Robin Scheduling
- JobScheduler Master switches the Agent for each job execution.
- If an Agent is not available then the next available Agent is selected from the Agent Cluster.
- See How to use Agents with Fixed Priority Scheduling and Round-Robin Scheduling
User Switching
- The Universal Agent can switch user accounts on Windows Systems, with authentication information being stored in the Windows Credential Manager. This solution provides a secure and compliant implementation that does not require the main Agent process to be run as root.
Display feature availability StartingFromRelease 1.11.4
- See JobScheduler Universal Agent - Running jobs as a different user
Download & Installation
- The JobScheduler Universal Agent has been available since August 2015 starting with Release 1.10.0.
- See Downloads
- See Installation & Operation instructions
Job and Job Chain Execution
- Jobs and Job Chains are linked to Agents by means of Process Classes.
- A process class is assigned an Agent.
- A job or job chain is assigned a process class.
- A job chain can be configured to use:
- A default process class for subsequent job nodes. This enables a more flexible configuration than assigning the process class to a specific job that would be used for all jobs chains.
- A second process class for File Watching that is assigned an Agent that triggers file orders for incoming files on the Agent host.
- See How to execute Jobs and Job Chains with Agents
Migration Strategy
- Users of the existing JobScheduler instances on platforms different from Windows and Linux are asked to consider the proposed Migration Strategy.
- Commercial license holders of JobScheduler on platforms different from Windows and Linux can ask for our Migration Service.
Feedback
- We ask our community to engage in testing of the JobScheduler Universal Agent for additional platforms, operating systems and versions.
- Please send us an e-mail and let us know the platforms that you operate the JobScheduler Universal Agent for and tell us about your experiences.
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Overview
SOS GmbH will provide a platform independent JobScheduler Agent expected for the 3rd quarter of 2015.
Current Platform Support
At the present time the platforms Windows and Linux are supported platforms, while other Unix systems are platforms with limited support.
- Supported Platforms:
- Windows and Linux
- Explanation: Supported platform means that SOS compiles tests and ships the product for supported platforms. Set-up is available. Build support, installation support and product maintenance are provided for customers with commercial licenses.
- Platforms with limited Support:
- Solaris SPARC, AIX, HP-UX etc.
- Explanation: Limited Support means that users may build binaries from source code as there is no set-up available. Build support, installation support and product maintenance are provided for customers with commercial licenses.
- For more details please see this FAQ:
Future Platform Support
The JobScheduler Agent will be become platform independent. This constitutes a major change (improvement) to the role and functionalities of the JobScheduler Agents for Unix Systems. The previous distinction between supported platforms and platforms with limited support will then become obsolete.
- Supported Platforms:
- Windows and Linux include the JobScheduler Passive Cluster, Active Cluster, Master / Agent Cluster and Supervisor.
- For Unix systems such as Solaris SPARC, AIX, HP-UX etc. platform independent Agent will be provided.
- Explanation: This means you will have to run your JobScheduler Master on either Windows or Linux, and then use any number of JobScheduler Agents for other Unix platforms.
- Platform Support:
- Support is available for all platforms, SOS provides binaries for all platforms.
- Explanation: The distinction between supported platforms and platforms with limited support is now obsolete. SOS compiles tests and ships the product for supported platforms. Set-up is available. Build support, installation support and product maintenance are provided for customers with commercial licenses.
Strategy for Deployment
Deployments for JobScheduler in environments that include different systems such as Windows, Linux and other Unix systems can be applied in two steps.
- Step 1: Before release of platform independent JobScheduler Agent:
- Purchase license package for Linux/Windows for the JobScheduler Master
- Purchase license package for Unix system for the JobScheduler Agent
- Explanation: this will allow you to use the current JobScheduler features, while the Agent will work with an earlier version until in Step 2 the new platform independent Agent is available.
- See here the available versions
- Step 2: After release of platform independent JobScheduler Agent:
- The earlier JobScheduler Agent version used in Step 1 will now be replaced by the platform independent JobScheduler Agent.
- For the migration to the platform independent Agent no additional license fees will apply.
Recommendation for Evaluation
We recommend for your evaluation bevore arrival of the platform independent Agent that you
- use a current release as JobScheduler Master for Linux,
- use Agentless Scheduling by SSH where applicable,
- use a JobScheduler release 1.3.x as Agent for Unix systems other than Linux.