EAR support for JBoss EAP 6
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.5
PRPC deployment in JBoss EAP 6 as an EAR archive is now supported.
If you need to deploy the JBoss EAR file, go to My Support Portal and submit a Support Request. GCS can assist you with the procedure.
Access Manager portal
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.5
Changes to the Access Manager simplify the process of modifying the access rights of features for an application. The changes, including creation of an Access Manager portal, make it easier for non-technical users, such as business architects, to set access rights even if they may not have a deep understanding of Pega 7's security model and class inheritance structure.
Small distribution kit
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.5
A new “small” release distribution format for Maintenance Levels (ML) is now available, designed to significantly increase adoption via:
- Minimal package size and faster download time
- Minimal install time via tactical changes to the upgrade implementation and process
This kit contains streamlined installers (both UI and command-line installers) and specialized error handling for ML updates (for example, a “small” kit will only work if an existing version of the same release is already installed).
The kit assembly has also been automated, which includes the construction of a PRPC_Rules.jar archive containing cumulative rules since the GA release.
A “small” kit will work for any prior ML release within a major release (for example, the “small” ML5 distribution kit will update any customer on 7.1 ML1 through 7.1 ML4).
Improved data page performance
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.5
Improvements have been made with queueing and processing of asynchronously-loaded data pages to reduce the number of calls to the database and avoid generating performance problems because of unneeded asynchronous requests.
Restricted SMA access
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.5
System Management Application (SMA) remote connections are not supported on JBoss EAP 6.x. This means SMA users may only monitor locally connected systems. Ensure that the "Local JVM Connection..." option is selected when configuring PRPC nodes:
DB2-LUW database logfile size increase
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.5
To avoid running out of logfile space due to large transaction sets during the rule base load of a Pega 7.1.x install, upgrade, or maintenance level update, systems supported by a DB2-LUW database platform should increase the LOGFILSIZ parameter to at least 4096 pages from the default size of 1000 pages.
After the size has been increased, restart the database to ensure that the new setting is loaded into the database correctly.
Need to run script before updating Multitenant systems
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.5
When updating or upgrading a Multitenant system from Pega 7.1.5 or 7.1.6 to Pega 7.1.7, if that system uses either an Oracle or a PostgreSQL database, you may encounter the error:
“Table must be empty to add column.”
The Multitenant architecture requires an additional column on a number of the PRPC database tables (“pzTenantID”). In Pega 7.1.7, two additional PRPC tables were tenant-qualified: pc_schedule_task and pr_index_schedule_task. The Multitenant column is added to these tables by the update/upgrade process. However, Oracle and PostgreSQL do not allow the addition of a non-null column to an existing table unless the table is empty, so updating or upgrading systems on those databases displays the error detailed above.
To avoid this error, before beginning the update or upgrade, it is necessary to run a script:
- Oracle —
OracleMTupgrade.sql
- PostgreSQL —
PostgresMTupgrade.sql
For updates, these scripts are located in the /scripts/ddl
directory.
For upgrades, these scripts are located in the /Resourcekit/AdditionalUpgradeScripts
directory.
Support for encrypted traffic in a cluster
Valid from Pega Version 7.3
The Pega 7 Platform includes the Ignite platform, which supports encryption for intra-cluster communications. You can now configure encryption for intra-cluster traffic for compliance with regulatory or organizational security requirements.
For more information, see Enabling encrypted traffic between nodes.
Batch database processing improvements
Valid from Pega Version 7.3
Batch database processing has been enhanced to ensure that a constraint violation does not occur when you save transactions to a table with a foreign key dependency. Because batch processing changes the order of save operations, it is disabled for transactions with foreign key dependencies. Disabling batch processing ensures that a record with a foreign key dependency on another record will not be written before the record on which it is dependent.
For more information about how batch database processing works and how to enable and disable it, see Batch processing during database write operations.
Improve cluster security by limiting concurrent operator sessions
Valid from Pega Version 7.3
You can increase the security of a Pega® Platform cluster by limiting the number of concurrent sessions allowed for each operator. Because operators typically do not require multiple concurrent sessions for performing their work, limiting the number of sessions reduces the chance that an unknown or untrusted person could access systems in the cluster. Use the new setting Number of concurrent sessions allowed for each operator on the Production tab of the System Data Instance form to configure the number of concurrent sessions for operators. You must restart your system when you change this setting. You can also create a list of operators by using the presence/maxsessions/operators/whitelist Dynamic System Setting, to which the maximum number of concurrent sessions setting will not apply.
For more information, see System form - Completing the Production tab.