This Readme provides the latest information about ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.3.

ALM Solutions Connector (ALM SC) is a flexible set of services and programs for Windows or UNIX/Linux platforms that enables you to deploy to z/OS through Micro Focus ChangeMan ZMF.

Note: This product was named ZMF Connector for versions 6.0 to 6.1.2. For earlier versions, it was named Mainframe Connector.

About this release

What's new?	For a list of enhancements in ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.3, see What's new in ALM SC 6.2.3.
Download	Download the ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.3 zip file from the ALM Solutions Connector product page. Note: Ensure that Micro Focus Common Tools are up to date. If your current Tomcat version is earlier than 8.5.33.0, download and install the latest Common Tools.
Install / upgrade ALM Solutions Connector	To install ALM SC or upgrade it from version 6.0 or later, follow the instructions in Install or upgrade ALM Solutions Connector. To upgrade from versions earlier than 6.0, contact Support for assistance.
Integrate ChangeMan ZMF with Release Control	To integrate ChangeMan ZMF with Release Control 6.0.1 and later, use the ChangeMan ZMF plugin and ALM Solutions Connector. Note: There are additional ways to integrate products with ChangeMan ZMF using ALM Solutions Connector. For help with custom integrations, contact Support.
Install / upgrade the ChangeMan ZMF plugin for Release Control	To install the ChangeMan ZMF plugin for Release Control, see the Release Control Plugin Help in the Documentation Center. The ChangeMan ZMF plugin 3.8 is required to use ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.3. To upgrade the ChangeMan ZMF plugin, see the Release Control Plugins Readme in the Documentation Center.
Supported platforms	For details about supported platforms, see the Supported Platforms.
Known issues	For a list of known issues, see the Known issues.
Documentation	For configuration details, see the ALM Solutions Connector Configuration Guide. The guide covers the integration with Release Control.
Helpful links	To learn more about the ALM Solutions Connector, see the Knowledge Base.

What's new in ALM SC 6.2.3

The new changes and enhancements in the latest ALM Solutions Connector version include:

ZMF support

Added support for ZMF 8.2 Patch 4.
The almzmfws services were renamed to the zmfws services

The almzmfws services are now called the zmfws services. This change is relevant for administrators installing and upgrading ALM Solutions Connector.
Security updates

Known security issues are fixed, and third-party tools are upgraded to newer and more secure versions.
Updates for Changeman ZMF plugin 3.11

The envList service is introduced to help synchronize time between the Release Control and Changeman ZMF systems.

Install or upgrade ALM Solutions Connector

To install ALM Solutions Connector or upgrade it from version 6.0 or later to the latest version:

Download the latest ALM Solutions Connector installation files from the ALM Solutions Connector product page.
(Optional) If your current Tomcat version is earlier than 8.5.33.0, download and install the latest Common Tools.
If you are upgrading, back up your earlier version. Copy the following directories:
- almsernet
- almzmf
- almzmfalf
- almzmfws
Place them in a backup location, for example: C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\common\tomcat\8.5\webapps
Install the new version of the ALM Solutions Connector services:
1. Extract the following war files from the installation zip file:
  - almsernet.war
  - almzmf.war
  - almzmfalf.war
  - zmfws.war
2. Stop Common Tomcat.
3. Ensure that the Common Tomcat directory is writeable and none of the existing services files are in use.
4. Copy all the war files into the Common Tomcat webapps directory, for example: C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\common\tomcat\8.5\webapps
5. Start Common Tomcat. When running, the server automatically unpacks and deploys the war files.

After installing the ALM Solutions Connector services, manually configure resource properties for the following services:

almzmfalf
almsernet
almzmf

If they are not encrypted, you can use your backed-up versions of the properties files to get the values you need for setup.

Note: In ALM Solutions Connector 6.2.3, the almzmfws services were renamed to the zmfws services. Though the zmfws services need no additional configuration, they are used when deployment tasks run.

The host and port information for ChangeMan ZMF as well as the URL for ALM Solutions Connector are specified in the ChangeMan ZMF plugin configuration. You can define multiple plugin configurations that point to different ChangeMan ZMF systems and ALM Solutions Connector configurations.

For details, see the ALM Solutions Connector Configuration Guide > Install and Configure the ALM Solutions Connector Services.

Known issues

Here are the issues known to exist at the time of release:

Audit requests do not show as completed if the audit return code is 20.

If you run a change package audit request, and the ChangeMan ZMF task is somehow terminated during the run, the audit return code returned to ALM Solutions Connector is 20. In this situation, the audit task may not show as completed in the integrating product, even if it is successfully completed in ChangeMan ZMF (DEF275298).

Legal Notices

Disclaimer

Certain versions of software and/or documents (“Material”) accessible here may contain branding from Hewlett-Packard Company (now HP Inc.) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company. As of September 1, 2017, the Material is now offered by Micro Focus, a separately owned and operated company. Any reference to the HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise/HPE marks is historical in nature, and the HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise/HPE marks are the property of their respective owners.

Warranty

The only warranties for products and services of Micro Focus and its affiliates and licensors (“Micro Focus”) are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Micro Focus shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.

Restricted Rights Legend

Contains Confidential Information. Except as specifically indicated otherwise, a valid license is required for possession, use or copying. Consistent with FAR 12.211 and 12.212, Commercial Computer Software, Computer Software Documentation, and Technical Data for Commercial Items are licensed to the U.S. Government under vendor's standard commercial license.

Comodo Code Signing Certificate

The code signing certificate for ALM Solutions Connector was changed from Verisign to Comodo starting on January 1, 2017.

If you are installing this product on a computer with an older version of Windows, or on a computer without automatic Windows updates, the Comodo root certificate may not automatically be included as a trusted root certificate.

In such cases, we recommend manually configuring Comodo as a trusted root certificate.

For more details, see: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/dn265983.aspx.

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