Release Notes
September 28, 2009, Version 7.0

System Requirements & Installation
About ActiveVOS 7.0
Supported Systems
Installation
Migrating to ActiveVOS 7.0
ActiveVOS Designer
What's New
Resolved Issues
Known Issues
ActiveVOS Server
What's New
Resolved Issues
Known Issues
Resources
Active Endpoints Forum Support
ActiveVOS Quick Start Guide

ActiveVOS 7.0

ActiveVOS is the industry leading Visual Orchestration System (VOS).

Supported Systems

A complete list of supported systems can be found at ActiveVOS System Support

Memory Recommendation for Server

We recommend the following application server memory settings:

• -Xms256m -Xmx1024m -XX:MaxPermSize=512M

Installation

Before installing ActiveVOS, make sure you have access to your ActiveVOS Designer and/or ActiveVOS Server licenses. Evaluation customers will only need a license for ActiveVOS Designer, and can use the embedded runtime engine for deployments. A link to download licenses was emailed to you or your company shortly after purchase or evaluation request.

Console-Mode Installation

Installation can be run from the command line in console mode using the following commands:

• On Windows

start /wait .exe -c


• On Linux

installer.sh -c

Installing Designer on Fedora 8

The following error may occur when running the ActiveVOS Designer installer on Fedora 8.

• Error: java: xcb_xlib.c:50: xcb_xlib_unlock: Assertion 'c->xlib.lock' failed.

The workaround is as follows:

• Change directory to the java directory
• Run: find libawt.so
• Change directory to the location of that file
• Backup the file (cp libawt.so libawt.so.backup)
• Run this command: : sed -i 's/XINERAMA/FAKEEXTN/g' libmawt.so

The installer should now run without issue.

Migrating to ActiveVOS 7.0

Upgrading to the ActiveVOS Designer

It is recommended that you uninstall prior versions of AtiveBPEL® Designer

• If your are re-installing to the same location after performing an uninstall, some derby files may remain on the file system resulting in an outdated database being used. If this issue arises, try installing Designer to a new directory.



• Migrating to a new version of Designer and using the same workspace
• The workspace records the path to the ActiveVOS embedded server (and startup settings) - which includes paths that contain version number. Existing embedded ActiveVos Servers should be removed and re-created:
• In the "Servers View" - Right-mouse and select "new server"
• Click "Configure runtime environments" link in the new server dialog
• Remove the existing embedded server from the preferences dialog
• Click "Add"
• Select "ActiveVOS_Embedded_Server", then click "finish"
• Click "Finish" on the new-server dialog to add the new server
• Delete the old server from the server view



Upgrading to the ActiveVOS Server

You can upgrade from an earlier version of ActiveVOS or ActiveBPEL® Enterprise server. However, you must be sure to follow the instructions below:

• Be sure to run the upgrade scripts for the database definitions
• The default database name has been changed to ActiveVOS



Migrating ActiveBPEL® for People

ActiveBPEL® for People was the first product to introduce human facing workflow to BPEL process execution - prior to release of the WS-BPEL Extension for People standard. ActiveVOS (versions 5.0 and later) are now completely alligned with the latest specification. There is unfortunately no automated migration for ActiveBPEL® for People - people activities to the new (specification aligned) people activity. Older versions of our people activity will need to be deleted from your process and recreated with the ActiveVOS Designr 5.0 or later, or by some other means.




ActiveVOS Designer

What's New in ActiveVOS Designer 7.0

Version 7.0 of ActiveVOS Designer adds the following new features and functionality:

• Optimized BPMN 2.0 Canvas
• Integrated AJAX Forms Design
• Continuous Integration
• Process Drill Down
• Expression Content Assist and Evaluation
• Command Shell Execution Service
• Log Service and Logging Improvements
• WS-Human Task SDK
• Document Generation

For more details, refer to the information below as well as the documentation included with 7.0.




Optimized BPMN 2.0 Canvas

• The ActiveVOS Designer canvas displays processes using standard BPMN 2.0 notation. Objects from the palette can be dropped into structured areas on the canvas, automatically creating links and formatted structures - significantly reducing the amount of time required to model a process while promoting a best practices approach to process design.

Integrated AJAX Forms Design

• Visual drag and drop forms designer allows developers to easily design and deploy rich AJAX forms to the ActiveVOS Server. Developers and business analysts can quickly create and/or integrate compelling user interfaces into newly deployed processes.

Continuous Integration

• ActiveVOS now supports continuous integration practices permitting development teams to employ the same testing methodologies for BPM that they use for any other development project. Support for continuous integration testing mothodologies eliminates barriers to the adoption of BPM as the default development tool for applications.

Process Drill Down

• Large process models with many activities and sub-processes can be difficult to view and understand. Users can now manage the readibility of large processes by collapsing and expanding containers with a simple mouse click. Navigate between different levels of process detail using simple and intuitive navigation breadcrumbs.

Expression Content Assist and Evaluation

• XPath and XQuery expression builders now offer content-assist and expression evaluation, improving development time while removing much of the guess work in creating expressions.

Command Shell Execution Service

• Access to legacy scripts in the ActiveVOS execution environment makes it easier for development teams to build new processes that leverage existing applications.

Log Service and Logging Improvements

• "Logging as a service" makes it possible for developers to fully instrument processes to assist in problem determination and isolation.

WS-Human Task SDK

• ActiveVOS WS-Human Task SDK provides developers with the ability to interact with the task management system and supporting identity service to exetnd existing applications.

Document Generation

• Automatically generate process documentation that includes the process diagram and detailed sections describing participants, activities and conditional logic within the process.



Resolved Issues - Designer

3643	The second (or greater) time you execute an On Event, when you select Execute, focus does not move to the Event
6490	When navigating directly from one activity to another (with focus on the Input and/or Output Data tabs) - Input/Output variable definitions are lost. The result, is error markers are shown for the activities and underlying BPEL requires manual editing (missing attribute "InputVariable="parameters" needs to be added back into BPEL source)
6561	After closing then re-opening a project, the invoke activity sometimes loses its variable assignment.




Known Issues - Designer

00926	Schemas imported via wsdl:import do not resolve in wsdl:types section	Many WSDL generators create this type of WSDL definition but it is not WS-I compliant. All schema imports should be in the <wsdl:types> section of the WSDL definition.
02038	Extraneous namespaces may be added to expressions	This does not cause any known issues
02305	The namespace prefix of a fault name is not displayed in the designer	You can look at the BPEL source to find the namespace prefix
03468	Process builder does not validate correctly when changing xsd used in a wsdl.	If you alter a schema file used in a wsdl, which in turn is used by a process, you will not receive problem items or visual indicators when the change (should) invalidate both the wsdl and the bpel process. You need to manually do a clean on the project to see problems/errors and visual indicators. Conversely, if you correct the problem, problem items and visual indicators remain until you clean.
03492	If you remove process nature from a project, previous errors that were found still display	Delete and re-import the project to remove messages
03498	There is no visual indication in the Project Explorer if an imported wsdl in your WebRefrences project folder contains an error
03647	Renaming a .bpel can cause unexpected behavior	If you rename a .bpel process, activities added to the process may not be populated to the outline.
03680	When you drag and drop an operation into a scope, the scope is sometimes all blue
03694	Tabbed properties disappear for the executing activity when simulating	In simulation, when executing an activity - the properties view displays all properties in a tabular fashion (similar to version 4.1 view)
03743	WSDL that imports WSDL via a project location may not resolving correctly	Try importing from file location instead of project location.
03795	ArrayIndexOutofBounds error thrown when attempting to save changed service name of an imported WSDL	Make changes outside of Designer and re-import
04246	WS-HT getMyTasks operation does does not return tasks if maxTasks element is not set.	Provide a value to maxTasks (optional element).
04549	Task reports are not available if server is stopped and unlicensed	Typically this happens when initially starting the enterprise server because it is unlicensed and therefore stopped.
04598	Errors appear in the error log when defining a new server from the Project Explorer (Right Mouse / New / Other / Server)	Update WTP plugins to the latest version. The errors do not affect functionality of the server wizard or view.
05007	Linux Designer - Opening help from the embedded server wizard results in the help panel being opened in a manner that requires the user to close the wizard to read it.	--
05324	When adding a correlation set to a one-way invoke (eg. only an input variable is assigned) - Response and Request-Response options are still available to the user (resulting in an error if selected).	This will be addressed in a future release.
6188	Copy and paste of bpel file causes conflict error	This appears to be a defect in Eclipse WTP see https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=224775
6190	Moving two BPEL files at the same time causes refresh to fail	This appears to be a defect in Eclipse Project Explorer or the JDT plugin which contributes to it.
6530	Web Services explorer fails to support SOAP12 services	To be addressed in a future version.
6656	Unable to run JBoss Messaging JMS client code in embedded server	Use standalone server http://forums.activevos.com/showthread.php?p=14980




ActiveVOS Server

What's New in ActiveVOS Server 7.0

Version 7.0 of ActiveVOS Server adds the following new features and functionality:

• ActiveVOS Central
• Permalinks for ActiveVOS forms
• Reporting Service
• BPMN Process Detail - Console View
• Bulk Process Administration
• Multi-Site Clustering Improvement
• EJB Invoke Handler

For more details, refer to the information below as well as the documentation included with 7.0.




ActiveVOS Central

• ActiveVOS Central is a new business process management application where a user can:
  • Initiate a process by submitting a request form
  • lookup status of requests that have been submitted
  • claim and work on tasks
  • access custom reports

Permalinks for ActiveVOS forms

• ActiveVOS Designer's Request and Lookup forms can be invoked from web pages, portals or email - via permanent URLs - making it possible to kickoff processes and track activity and status using ActiveVOS forms capabilities from anywhere and any application.

Reporting Service

• This new service makes it possible to schedule the generation and distribution of reports by providing access to ActiveVOS BPM reports using permalinks.

BPMN Process Detail - Console View

• The same BPMN 2.0 style representation used in ActiveVOS Designer is carried forward during deployment and runtime to the console view. The diagram of a running process, now matches the diagram of the model as it appeared on the ActiveVOS Designer canvas, improving collaboration between operations, developers and business analysts in the event that running processes need to be reviewed.

Bulk Process Administration

• The ActiveVOS console has been enhanced to allow multi-select of processes instances from the console. Operators can now perform actions such as "resume", "suspend" and "fault" to a group of processes at a single time.

Multi-Site Clustering Improvement

• ActiveVOS now has improved multi-site cluster capabilities in the way it handles inter-site communication interruptions - offering operations staff more capabilities to maintain uninterrupted BPM services.

EJB Invoke Handler

• The POJO invoke handler was extended to support EJB, so new object instances are created via JNDI lookup.



Resolved Issues - Server

5512	Process remails in loaded state after recovering from a server or database crash.
6288	Running a scheduled database delete does not execute the selected delete options.

Known Issues - Server

Platform Issues

WebLogic	There is an conflict with the version of castor that ships with WebLogic	To resolve the issue you must do one of the following Remove the castor-xml_0.9.4.jar from the Receive/weblogic90/common/lib - the version of castor will then be loaded from our directory Replace the castor-xml_0.9.4.jar with the castor jar that we ship
WebSphere	There is an issue with the Oracle driver when running under load using WebSphere 6.0.1	Only occurs on this platform combination.

Product Issues

00910	The Process details page of the Administration Console will throw an exception if the server is running in a headless mode if not configured for graphical display.	The Process details page renders a graphical representation of the running or completed process and relies on GUI components from the Java's SWT package, such as Fonts. If you are running on a headless server (i.e., the server does not have a graphic subsystem), you may see one of the following errors in the Stack trace: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: sun/awt/X11GraphicsEnvironment Can't connect to X11 window server using ':0.0' as the value of the DISPLAY variable There are a several ways to correct this error: Configure the JVM with system property java.awt.headless=true This method requires the system property java.awt.headless=true to be set in your JVM. Go to Administration Console's Servers-> Process Definitions -> JVM -> Generic JVM Settings. Add the setting -Djava.awt.headless=true At the Command line, start the JVM with arguments -Djava.awt.headless=true Run a X-windows virtual frame buffer (Xvfb) For details, see your system administrator. Disable the graphic image generation of the Administration Console's Process Details page You can disable the process view graph by adding a Servlet init parameter in the web.xml file. For details on this please contact Active Endpoints support.
01170	If you deploy a service.wsdd file into Tomcat server in a directory other than the bpr directory and restart the server any WSR's that are deployed in the bpr directory will not get loaded.	Make sure you deploy all service.wsdd files in the same way.
01861	When the engine can not connect to the database only some of the license page displays	Correct the database connection issue and then access the page
02265	When running a process that contains a parallel forEach activity and the number of iterations is very large (i.e., 10K - 20K) all available memory can be allocated to one process instance or in a worse case the server to run out of memory and no be able to restart	Make sure that you have set the maximum number of threads per- active processes reference a schema or WSDL resource before deleting from the Resource catalog
02529	A Null pointer exception is thrown if you attempt to run a process after a referenced schema or WSDL file has been deleted	Make sure that no active processes reference a schema or WSDL resource before deleting from the Resource catalog
02852	The Resource Catalog and Deployed Services page do not filter out System Resources	No work around at this time
03248	Alarms remain listed in the queue after the process has completed. This happens when a running process is persisted to a database, and the server is restarted.	No workaround available at this time.
03696	Validation error on a properly formatted message where schema-A **includes** schema-B and 'elementFormDefault' valuse are not same in each schema.	Castor models the result of an include as a single schema object with only 1 value for 'elementFromDefault' (value is last one read). Modify schemas to use **import** instead of include, or make sure 'elementFromDefault' values are consistent.
03845	Illegal Access Errors when attempting to shut down the embedded engine before it has completely stated	Check the console to ensure the engine has completed it's startup before shutting down.
03914	Task explicitly assigned to a user on the excluded list does not appear in the inbox when they login	This use case is not well defined in the current specification. Waiting for clarity on proper handling of this use case.
04188	Workflow Application Server Error signing off the inbox on Solaris WebSphere. 404 error - The requested resource was not found 404 error - SRVE0190E: File not found: /ibm_security_logout Request URI: / aetask/ibm_security_logout	This only happens when global security is turned off.
04761	Deleting a resource from the catalog resets the filter to "All".	--
04934	Caching allows a user to view admin console pages after logging out (as admin) by hitting the browsers "back" button.	Use IE browser setting "check for new content every time I visit a new web page". Note: Attempting actions such as deploying a process are not allowed because security is checked each time such an activity is invoked.
04976	Enterprise installation displays an error in the output tab during installation. The following snippet is an example: "... [null] : Error! file:///home/ebolles/Oracle_rc10_Secure/activeVOS_6.0.0/server-enterprise/tomcat_config/bin/resources/xsl/reportconfig.tomcat.xsl: line 35: Attribute 'name' outside of element."	This is essentially a rogue error with no actual impact on performance.
05103	After database upgrade, the (old) process logs are no longer available in the active process detail page.	--
05264	Weblogic console periodically displays deployments as stuck in "Start Running" state instead of "Started".	This is essentially a rogue error with no actual impact on performance.
05484	Process Service Times report does not display data for services that are inside a Pick	To be addressed in a future version.
05486	Active Response Time report displays PA's that use the same task twice	To be addressed in a future version.

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