Chapter 14 Configuring Jobs

Netscape Certificate Management System (CMS) provides a customizable Job Scheduler component that supports various mechanisms for scheduling cron jobs. This chapter explains how to configure Certificate Management System to use specific job plug-in modules for accomplishing jobs. The chapter also shows how plug-in implementations and configured instances for various job items appear in the configuration file.

• Job Management
• Job Plug-in Implementation and Instance
• Managing Jobs
• Managing Job Plug-in Modules

• By making changes to the job-specific parameters from the CMS window. See "Job Management from the CMS Window".
• By editing the parameters in the configuration file. See "Job Scheduler Parameters in the Configuration File".

Figure 14.1 shows the CMS window, which provides the required user interface to support job management.

• Configuration of currently registered job plug-ins
• Registration of new (custom) job plug-ins

The Job Instance tab lists jobs that are currently scheduled for the server, so that you can manage them at a single place. From this tab you can perform the following operations:

Delete. The delete operation allows you to remove unwanted jobs from the CMS configuration. For instructions on deleting jobs, see "Deleting a Job".

Edit/View. The edit operation allows you to view and modify configuration parameter values of currently configured jobs. You modify the parameter values with the help of the job instance editor (see "Job Instance Editor"). For instructions on modifying jobs, see "Modifying a Job".

Job Instance Editor

The job instance editor is designed to be generic. Its simple graphical interface enables you to create new job instances and modify the configuration of individual jobs. When you are adding a new job, the editor shows the configuration parameters pertaining to the plug-in module you selected. When you are modifying a job, the editor shows the configuration parameters pertaining to the job you selected.

The Job Plugin Registration tab lists the currently registered job plug-in modules for the selected CMS instance and gives you access to the window from which you can register new modules. On this tab you will find the names of registered plug-in modules listed on the left and the path to the Java class that implements the plug-in module listed on the right.

When you save the changes, Certificate Management System loads the plug- in module implementation for the job and displays it in the list of currently registered plug-in modules. For instructions on registering new modules, see "Registering a Job Plug-in Module".

Job Plugin Registration Editor

The job plug-in registration editor allows you to register new job plug-in modules in the CMS framework. Registering a new module involves specifying its name and the full name of the Java class that implements the module.

The sample in Figure 14.2 shows how Job Scheduler-specific information appears in the configuration file. Keep the following points in mind:

• All job-specific information, such as registered job implementations and configured instances, appears in the Job Scheduler section of the configuration file.
• Each registered job plug-in is identified by its implementation name.
• Each job (or configured instance of a job plug-in module) is identified by the name you specified when creating it.
• You can create as many instances of an implementation as you like; each instance must have a unique name. For details, see "Job Plug-in Implementation and Instance".

Figure 14.2 Job-specific parameters in the configuration file

Jobs are implemented as Java classes, which are then registered with Certificate Management System as plug-ins. You can use a given implementation of a job plug-in module and configure multiple instances of it. Each instance must have a unique name (an alphanumeric string with no spaces) and can contain different input parameter values to apply to different jobs. In other words, a given job implementation can be shared by multiple configurations. You can also distinguish the applicability of configured instances by including appropriate instance names.

• Adding a Job
• Deleting a Job
• Modifying a Job
• Setting the Job Scheduler Frequency

Adding a job to the CMS configuration involves creating a new instance of an already registered plug-in module, assigning a unique name (an alphanumeric string with no spaces) for the instance, and entering appropriate values for the parameters that define the plug-in module you want to create an instance of.

To add a job to the CMS configuration:

1. Access the CMS window (see "Accessing the CMS Window").
2. Click the Configuration tab.
3. In the navigation tree, click Job Scheduler, then click Jobs.

The Job Instance tab appears. It lists any currently configured jobs. For information about this tab, see "Job Instance Tab".



4. Click Add.

The Select Job Plugin Implementation window appears. It lists the currently registered job plug-in modules.



5. Select a plug-in module.

The following choices are the ones provided out of the box with Certificate Management System. If you have registered any custom job plug-in modules, they too will be available for selection.

• RenewalNotificationJob

A schedulable job that notifies end entities by email that their certificates are about to expire and must be renewed. It can also send a summary of these notices to agents. For details, see "Certificate Renewal Notifications".

• RequestInQueueJob

A schedulable job that notifies agents at regular intervals of the current state of the request queue. For details, see "Notification of Request Queue Status".

• UnpublishExpiredJob

A schedulable job that updates the configured publishing directory periodically by removing expired certificates. It can also send a summary of removed certificates to agents or administrators. For details, see "Directory Update and Notification".

For the purposes of this instruction, assume that you selected RenewalNotificationJob.

6. Click Next.

The Configure Job Instance Parameters window appears. It lists the configuration information required for this job. For information on how this window works, see "Job Instance Editor".



7. In the Job Instance ID field, type a unique name for this job that will help you identify it.

For the name, be sure to use an alphanumeric string with no spaces.

8. In the configuration area, specify the required information by filling in parameter values in the text fields in the right column.

If you do not want to set any restrictions on a particular parameter, leave its value field blank.

9. Click OK.

The CMS configuration is modified. If the changes you made require you to restart the server, you will be prompted accordingly. In that case, restart the server.

You can delete unwanted jobs from the CMS configuration, by using the CMS window. If you think you might need a job in the future, instead of deleting it from the configuration you should disable it by setting the enable parameter value to false. In this way, you can avoid re-creating the job in the future. Because Certificate Management System executes only those jobs that are currently enabled, keeping unwanted jobs in a disabled state in the configuration does not affect the server's functioning.

1. Access the CMS window (see "Accessing the CMS Window").
2. Click the Configuration tab.
3. In the navigation tree, click Job Scheduler, then click Jobs.

The Job Instance tab appears. It lists any currently configured jobs. For information about this tab, see "Job Instance Tab".

4. In the Instance Name list, select the job you want to delete and click Delete.
5. When prompted, confirm the delete action.

The CMS configuration is modified. If the changes you made require you to restart the server, you will be prompted accordingly. In that case, restart the server.

Modifying a job involves changing the configuration parameter values of the job instance; you cannot change the name of a job. To change the name of a job, create a new job using the same job plug-in module (that you used to create the job you want to rename) with the same parameter values, and delete the old one.

During installation, both Certificate Manager and Registration Manager create default jobs. Table 14.1 lists these jobs. After installation, you must verify whether you want to use these jobs, check how these jobs are configured, and make the appropriate configuration changes. If you don't want to use a job, delete it from the configuration following the instructions in "Deleting a Job". If you want to create a new job, follow the instructions in "Adding a Job".

1. Access the CMS window (see "Accessing the CMS Window").
2. Click the Configuration tab.
3. In the navigation tree, click Job Scheduler, then click Jobs.

The Job Instance tab appears. It lists any currently configured jobs. For information about this tab, see "Job Instance Tab".



4. In the Instance Name list, select the job you want to modify and click Edit.

The Configure Job Instance Parameters window appears, showing how this job is currently configured. For information on how this window works, see "Job Instance Editor".



5. Make the necessary changes by filling in parameter values in the text fields in the right column.

If you do not want to set any restrictions on a particular parameter, leave its value field blank.

6. Click OK.

The CMS configuration is modified. If the changes you made require you to restart the server, you will be prompted accordingly. In that case, restart the server.

You can schedule the frequency at which the Job Scheduler daemon should check if any of the configured jobs need to be executed. To do this:

1. Access the CMS window (see "Accessing the CMS Window").
2. Click the Configuration tab.
3. In the navigation tree, click Job Scheduler.

The General Settings tab appears. It shows whether the Job Scheduler component is currently enabled or disabled.



4. Enter information as appropriate:

Enable Job Scheduler. Check this option to enable the Job Scheduler. To disable the Job Scheduler uncheck the option; disabling turns off all the jobs.

Check Frequency. Type the frequency at which the Job Scheduler daemon thread should wake up and call the configured jobs that meet the cron specification (see "Schedule for Executing Jobs"). By default, it is set to one minute.

5. To save your changes, click Save.

The CMS configuration is modified. If the changes you made require you to restart the server, you will be prompted accordingly. In that case, restart the server.

• Registering a Job Plug-in Module
• Deleting a Job Scheduler Plug-in

You can register custom job plug-in modules from the CMS window. Before registering a module, be sure to put the Java class for the plug-in module in the classes directory.

1. Access the CMS window (see "Accessing the CMS Window").
2. Click the Configuration tab.
3. In the navigation tree, click Job Scheduler, then click Jobs.

The Job Instance tab appears. It lists any currently configured jobs.

4. Click the Job Plugin Registration tab.

The Job Plugin Registration tab appears. It lists currently registered job plug- in modules. For information about this tab, see "Job Plugin Registration Tab".



5. Click Register.

The Register Job Scheduler Plugin Implementation window appears. For information on how this window works, see "Job Plugin Registration Editor".



6. Specify information as appropriate:

Plugin name. Type the name of the plug-in module.

Class name. Type the full name of the class for this plug-in module--that is, the path to the implementing Java class. If this class is part of a package, be sure to include the package name. For example, if you are registering a class named myJob and if this class is in a package named com.myCompany, type com.myCompany.myJob.

7. Click OK.

The CMS configuration is modified. If the changes you made require you to restart the server, you will be prompted accordingly. In that case, restart the server.

You can delete unwanted job plug-in modules by using the CMS window. Before deleting a module, be sure to delete all the instances that are based on this module; for instructions, see "Deleting a Job".

1. Access the CMS window (see "Accessing the CMS Window").
2. Click the Configuration tab.
3. In the navigation tree, click Job Scheduler, then click Jobs.

The Job Instance tab appears. It lists any currently configured instances.

4. Click the Job Plugin Registration tab.

The Job Plugin Registration tab appears. It lists currently registered job plug- in modules. For information about this tab, see "Job Plugin Registration Tab".

5. In the Plugin Name list, select the plug-in module you want to delete and click Delete.
6. When prompted, confirm the delete action.

The CMS configuration is modified. If the changes you made require you to restart the server, you will be prompted accordingly. In that case, restart the server.