Posts

AWS (Amazon Web Services) for Dummies

Whether you are a CIO or a SysAdmin, as the world moves to the cloud, all IT professionals need to understand the cloud and be able to speak its language. In this 1 hour webinar, get a quick primer of several of the services available through AWS. Some of the topics covered include:

EC2 – Virtual Servers in the Cloud
S3 – Scalable Storage in the cloud
RDS – Managed Relational Database Service
And several more (Lambda, DynamoDB, Redshift…)

 

Going Live with Lawson V10 By May 31 2017

In this short webinar we’ll show you our tried and true methodology for upgrading to version 10 as quickly as possible without making any compromises in quality. We’ll also leave a 30 minute QA session to answer all your questions regarding the upgrade process.

Download Powerpoint

 

Infor Lawson 10x Upgrade

Nogalis Webinar: How to get on Lawson 10 by 5/31

Find out how you can start and finish your upgrade project before the May 31st deadline.
In this short webinar we’ll show you our tried and true methodology for upgrading to version 10 as quickly as possible without making any compromises in quality. We’ll also leave a 30 minute QA session to answer all your questions regarding the upgrade process.
When: Thursday January 26, 2017
               9:00 AM to 10:oo AM PST

This webinar is free to attend. Register Now

How to Backup LDAP in Lawson v10

You’re about to make some changes but want to create a backup for LDAP just in case there are any mistakes.

Let’s get started:

First thing we need to do is remote into the v10 server you want to backup LDAP.

Once in, create a “temp” directory somewhere in Lawson or lsfprod. For us, this will be Lawson\temp\<todays date>

Run CMD.exe as administrator:

How to Backup LDAP in v10 Lawson-1

Switch to drive Lawson is on, for us this is the D:\

Now type dsdbutil and hit enter, then type list instances and hit enter to get a list of instances.

How to Backup LDAP in v10 Lawson-2

Once you know what instance you want, type Activate instance <Instance Name>

This will set the instance name to backup.

Type ifm and press enter. To create the backup, type create full <directory output name>

Make sure there are no spaces in your directory output name.

Example:

create full D:\lawson\temp\20160531

Now check that directory and there should be a .dit file.

To restore an LDAP backup, turn off IBM Services in the correct order.

This should be:

  1. IBM Websphere app. server v8.5 Infot10Prod-app.
  2. IBM Websphere app. server v8.5 Node Agent
  3. IBM Cellmanager02

Turn off Prodinfor10ADLDS service (or similar name)

Then go to the <Drive>\Microsoft ADAM\ProdInfor10ADLDS\data directory and replace the .dit file with your backup (back up the existing .dit file just in case).

Start those IBM services back up in proper order along with Prodinfor10ADLDS.

Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment

System Preparation

  1. Get the latest BSI installation file and save to the Infor downloads folder on the server
  2. Run the executable to unpackage the installation files

Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-1
Database Preparation

Create the TF10 database

  1. Open SQL Server Management Studio
  2. Create TF10_10X database
    1. Right click on databases > New
    2. Set the file locations under General
      Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-2
    1. Options Menu
      1. Set collation to Latin1_General_Bin
      2. Recovery model = Full
      3. Compatibility Level = SQL Server 2008
      4. Keep the other defaults

Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-3
Create the TF10 user

  1. In SSMS, right click on the main Security server and select “new Login”
  2. Login name = tf10
  3. Use SQL Server authentication
    1. Password is usually tf10 unless the client request a different password
  4. Default Database = (your desired database name)
  5. Click OK
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-4
  1. Add the user to your database
    1. Expand the database in SSMS
    2. Expand the security folder
    3. Right click on Users > New
    4. User name = (tax factory user)
    5. Login name = (tax factory user)
    6. Default schema = leave blank for now
    7. Click Ok

Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-5
BSI SQL Scripts

  1. Locate the SQL scripts within the BSI installation files (ServerInstall/SQL)
    1. crtschma.sql
      1. Creates the tax factory schema
    2. tf10sqv.sql
      1. Creates the table structure for tax factory
    3. noessqv.sql
      1. Resets BSI TaxFactory extended security to off

Adjust Database Permissions

Adjust db permissions now that schema has been created:

  1. Edit the database user on the new database
  2. Make the new schema the Default schema
  3. Click OK
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-6
  1. Under Owned Schemas, select the new schema
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-7
  1. Under “Membership”, select db_owner
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-8
  1. Click OK

System Configuration

Set up ODBC

  1. Open the ODBC (64-bit) tool
  2. Go to the System DSN tab and click “Add”
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-9
  3. Driver is SQL Server
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-10
  1. Data source name = (meaningful name)
  2. Description = (meaningful description)
  3. Server = client’s database server name (SQL Server where you installed the database)
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-11
  1. Use SQL Server authentication
  2. Provide the login credentials
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-12
  1. Keep the defaults on the rest of the screens
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-13Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-14
  1. Test the data source
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-15Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-16Environment Variables
  1. Create dataset environment variable
  2. Create the TF10_CONNECT_STRING environment variable using the login credentials for the ODBC data source you just created
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-17Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-18
  1. Reboot for env variables to take effect

Copy application files

  1. Copy new tf10api.dll from the installation files (ServerInstall\server) to Lawson application server (C:\Windows\System32 & C:\Windows\System)
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-19

Installation

Install Client Application

  1. Obtain BSI password needed for TF10 install from BSI Customer Services
  2. Install TF10 – TF10ClientInstall.exe on the BSI application server (adding a new BSI instance such as test, qa, test, etc)
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-20
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-21
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-22(password obtained from BSI customer services)
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-23
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-24
    1. If prompted to install Web Server, refer to Apache Tomcat installation instructions
      Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-25
  1. Select the Tomcat installation directory (will most likely default)
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-26
  1. Select the JRE configuration file (will most likely default)
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-27
  1. Choose the XML server corresponding to the system configuration
  2. Select a directory for the server base
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-28
  1. Choose Install
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-29
  1. Enter the corresponding system information and click Next
    1. Clicking on the MS SQL Server ODBC configuraiton will prompt the system to ass if you use Windows Authentication. Select “No”.
      Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-30
      Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-31
      Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-32
  1. Can install up to 3 test instances on same server, but each one would have different WEB Server Service Port
  2. Repeat this section for the remaining test instances
  3. When you are finished with all instances, select the environments to be installed and click “FINISH”
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-33
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-34

Test the install

  1. Open <server>:<port> for the initial test
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-35
  1. Open the custom site that you installed and log in
  2. Check the System tools
    1. Regulatory bulletins should be 0
    2. Cyclic should be blank
  3. Log into server:port/ef10x/PRD
    1. Where “x” is the cyclical release and “PRD” is the environment
      Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-36

Cyclical Data Refresh

  1. Back up new 10x database
  2. Back up the current 901 BSI database
  3. Restore the 901 data to the 10x database to preserve all the tax updates.
    1. NOTE: During db restore, be SURE to confirm the target db file names, will probably need to change.
    2. Kill the bsi services running on bsi xml server, then sp_who2 to kill any remaining processes
    3. Take db offline
      Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-37Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-38
    1. Restore the database
    2. Restore of db disconnects users
      1. Assign the tax factory and db_owner schemas to dbo
      2. Delete and recreate tax factory user following instructions above
        Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-39
        Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-40
  1. Log into the BSI site and verify that the Cyclical update inofrmation is now populated

Install Machine Key

As INFO: table containing the BSI machine key:
Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-41

  1. Install Machine Key – if/when we have it
    1. Generate from BSI site, Maintenance, Maintain Machine Key
    2. Bring up web client, System Tools, Database Tools, Install Machine Key
  2. Can skip the load regulatory bulletins, cyclic files, etc, since DB restore was performed

PRTFX

  1. Open LID
  2. Type in msgmnt
  3. Update Lawson PRTFX Message Definition, (change bottom TF90 to TF10)
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-42
  1. Compile the prtf program, (needed after changing the TF90 to TF10 in screen above)
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-43
  1. Test with LID
    1. Click Refresh Version
    2. Click “test TaxFactory US”
      1. Will generate a licensing error if the machine key isn’t installed yet
        Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-44
  1. New jobs should start reflecting in BSI TaxFactory Product in Message Viewer

Apache Tomcat Installation

  1. Download the required installation files from the Apache website
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-45
  1. Save the executable
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-46
  1. Run the executable
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-47
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-48
  1. Customize the Windows service name
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-49
  2. Select the JRE path (will likely default)Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-50
  3. Choose the install locationInstalling BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-51
  4. After the installation is complete, change the service to startup type Automatic
    Installing BSI TaxFactory 10 for Your New Lawson 10 Environment-52

How to Call AGS and DME Directly in Version 10

Not much has changed in this version of Lawson when it comes to AGS and DME. You can still use them directly whenever you doubt your security access or if you just want to get a sanity check. I have created this article to provide you a quick reference on how they should be run:

AGS:
To add a Nogalis Currency code:
https://<your server>/servlet/Router/Transaction/Erp?_PDL=TEST&_TKN=CU01.1&_EVT=ADD&_f1=A&_f2=NOG&_f3=Nogalis
To delete the Nogalis Currency code
https://<your server>/servlet/Router/Transaction/Erp?_PDL=TEST&_TKN=CU01.1&_EVT=CHG&_f1=D&_f2=NOG&_f3=Nogalis
DME:
To list all currency codes
https://<your server>/servlet/Router/Data/Erp?PROD=TEST&FILE=CUCODES
All of the above examples will need to be modified with your server name and your productline. In the above cases, the TEST productline was used.