A common request from Cloud customers is to add or update plugins into their environment, as they do not have access to the Tomcat deployments directly.
Plugin additions and updates are fairly simple. The process consists of two major steps:
However, there are some things to be wary of and some suggested proactices, so we'll go into further detail below.
Deploying Strategy plugins in Strategy Cloud Environments:
Step 1.
Make sure that the plugin is located in the customer share location (mstradmincifs>all customer cfs links>customer).
Note: Customers are encouraged or requested to copy the plugins to the customer share location, as it allows for easier tracking and saves time, but customers can sometimes put the plugins they want added in different places, such as through email or the download site. If the plugin is not in the customer share location, you will need to download the plugin locally and copy it to the sare location.
Furthermore, plugins can be given any name, but some customers key their code to a specific name of the plugin. So, please copy the plugins with the same name as provided. However, for older copies stored in the share, add on the system date so that it is easier to identify which plugin is the newest version (and when the older copies have been added).
Step 2.
A few customers have different deployment names for their customized environment. However, for the majority of Cloud customers, they will want the plugin deployed to "Strategy/plugins". Thus, before deplying a plugin, please confirm two things:
Step 3.
If the plugin is being updated, the existing plugin will first need to be removed using the "rm -rf" command. However, if you're adding in a brand new plugin, this step can be skipped. Specifically, please refer to the following for the appropriate syntax only after you've already navigated to the appropriate plugin directory (As mentioned previously, typically "/opt/apache/tomcat/latest/webapps/Strategy/plugins"):
rm -rf pluginname
*where pluginname is replaced with the actual name of the plugin
Step 4.
Then, copy in the plugin from the shared location.
Note: You will also need to "-rf" here as well since the entire folder is needed, or else the plugin will be ignored.
Please use the following syntax:
cp -rf directory ./
*where directory refers to the customer shared location the plugin is located. In Cloud 1.0, the location will be as following: /shared/Customer\ Viewable/plugins. In Cloud 3.0, the location will typically be as following : /customer_data
Furthermore, by using the "ll" command to look at the update command, one can usually confirm whether copying the plugin succeeded.
Step 5.
Tomcat will need to be restarted. After confirming with the customer the best time to restart Tomcat, please use the following commands:
/opt/apache/tomcat/latest/bin/shutdown.sh
/opt/apache/tomcat/latest/bin/startup.sh
*make sure to send an email to "Cloud Restarts" before restarting Tomcat
