Siebel Administration and Architecture Best Practices Summary

We have discussed in detail before about the best practices to be followed by a Siebel Administrator for optimal performance of a Siebel application. Here we are presenting a summary if the client , application server, gateway server and database server best practices.

Client Best Practices

Functional Testing

Test the application using every type of client that is expected to access it.

Performance Testing
Include the client environment in performance tests and establish configuration requirements for the client environment as part of benchmark testing.

Select the appropriate client
Ensure that the appropriate client is selected for deployment based upon requirements, both in terms of functionality and performance.

Set Expectations
When preparing to deploy the Siebel eBusiness application, ensure the user community understands the functionality delivered by the chosen client(s).

Network
Use performance benchmark testing to understand the network requirements of the customized Siebel eBusiness application.When designing the application, ensure that the design caters for the differing likely network connection quality depending on the channel being used.

Gateway Server Best Practices

High Availability
Employ a high-availability solution for the Name server to provide a failover in the event this component fails.

Backup
Ensure that the Name server files are part of the regular system back strategy.

Schedulers
When a clustered Name server is utilised, the Resonate Central Dispatch schedulers must be installed onto different machines. Use dedicated scheduler machines when the user community is to exceed 1,000 concurrent users.

Scheduling Rules
Always preserve the supplied scheduling rules in order to facilitate an easy recovery should an error be made. Adjust the scheduling rules carefully and in a controlled and orderly fashion, making small incremental adjustments.

Benchmark Testing
Deployments of many thousands of users, either concurrent or in total should be benchmark tested to ensure the hardware resources for the scheduler service is adequate.

Application Server Best Practices

High Availability
Use load balancing to achieve high availability of those components that support load balancing. Use hardware cluster solutions for those servers hosting components that are not load balance enabled.

Resonate Central Dispatch
Include resonate Central Dispatch if it is likely to be needed in the future, regardless of whether load balancing is required from inception.

Backup
Ensure the SRF, CFG and application specific files are secured in such a way that they can easily be reinstated should they be lost or corrupted.The directories that are used to support Siebel Remote should be held on a resilient disk array, such as RAID-5, in addition to being secured by backup.

Benchmark Testing
It is essential to conduct performance and scalability testing of all components, including the client environment and network.

Regression Testing
Test a number of scenarios that will give rise to errors. Use results of these errors and the accompanying log files as a knowledge base to assist support personnel.

Logging
Since the volume of data can be very high, it is recommended to run production servers with minimal logging and only increase the logging level if problems are encountered.

Capacity Planning
It is recommended to continually or at least periodically monitor the resource usage of the Siebel Application server.

Automation and Procedures
Ensure that the regular maintenance and administration tasks are automated through scripts and that fully tested procedures are in place.

Database Server Best Practices

Ongoing regular maintenance
Establish maintenance windows to provide for conducting regular maintenance of the database.

Performance testing & tuning
Conduct the testing and necessary tuning effort on a database instance that is representative of the production volume, especially data volumes and distribution.

Resource and database monitoring
Establish procedures and solutions for the ongoing monitoring of the database and the database server, including response times.

Backup strategy
Prior to going into production, establish the backup strategy and solution for the database.

Scalable platform
Ensure a scalable solution is employed for the database solution.

Control data model
Maintain control of the Siebel data model and consider carefully any changes.
Review the chapter “Adding Custom Extensions to the Data Model” in the Siebel Tools Reference document within Siebel Bookshelf before embarking on any changes to the data model.

Conclusion

When implementing Siebel eBusiness applications, there are a number of aspects and best practices that should be considered with reference to the architecture. This document has presented many of the recommendations and best practices that are generally applicable to a Siebel eBusiness Enterprise architecture.

It is important to also consider best practices and recommendations related to other aspects of the Siebel eBusiness application, such as configuration, SmartScript implementation and use of eScript.
In addition to the details contained within this document, Siebel Bookshelf should also be consulted for more complete details, including but not limited to:

• Performance Tuning Guide
• Siebel Web Client Administration Guide
• Siebel Wireless Administration Guide
• Implementing Load-Balancing with Central Dispatch
• Setting Up Your Siebel Environment
• Server Installation Guide (there are Windows and UNIX documents)
• Server Administration Guide
• Configuration Guidelines
• Application services integration reference

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High Interactivity Web Client

The high interactivity client framework is ideal for task-intensive, employee-facing applications, such as Siebel Call Center, Sales, Service, and Marketing. It improves user interface response time while maintaining the benefits of a completely Web-based client. It is easy to deploy and it does not require specific Siebel eBusiness application configuration changes.

The Siebel high interactivity framework contains the components shown below:

These components work together to render a rich user interface with:

• High-performing interactive controls
• Customized functionality provided by browser scripting
• Specialized functionality provided by java applets

The browser document object model (DOM) is the foundation for the Siebel HI framework. The DOM provides a standard way to programmatically build, navigate, or update the user interface.

The high interactivity Siebel eBusiness application takes advantage of:

• Java, for specialized applets like the CTI Toolbar and pipeline charts
• JavaScript technology for application menus and basic framework functions
• ActiveX, for features like keyboard accelerators and client integration
• Browser DOM, which enables features such as sending data-only updates to the server separately from layout updates

The table below summarizes the differences at a high level:

Many usability and performance features are built into Siebel applications and are available solely through the Siebel high interactivity framework:

• Calendar and calculator pop-ups
• MVG shuttle applets
• Keyboard accelerators
• Drag and drop attachments
• Rich text editing
• Email integration
• Implicit commit (save record)
• Text value wrapping

These are some additional features of the Siebel high interactivity framework:

• Query Assistant
• Selected record chevron
• Shortcuts and bookmarks
• Expanded text fields
• Enhanced scroll bars
• Double-click selecting
• Auto-complete pick list

The Siebel high interactivity framework uses advanced browser feature such as the DOM, Java, and ActiveX. Because the HI framework requires these technologies, only specific browsers and platforms can run Siebel eBusiness applications in HI mode. Use the Siebel System Requirements and Supported Platforms Guide to identify the latest platform and browser support information.

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What is Siebel Database Server

Siebel eBusiness application software supports a number of different relational database systems; the document “Siebel System Requirements and Supported Platforms” contains details of the supported vendors and versions.

Siebel eBusiness software is delivered complete with a database schema that must be created on the chosen database. This schema is managed as part of the Siebel application configuration process and allows for a number of different types of extensions as a result of configuration.

Each Siebel eBusiness component that requires access to the database, such as the Siebel Application server, will use ODBC. The Siebel Application servers will maintain multiple connections to the database server, including support for the user sessions. To avoid many thousands of connections, the Siebel Application server can be configured to use connection pooling. This will cause the Siebel Application server to use a single database connection to service multiple tasks or user sessions.
All data manipulation interactions that occur must do so through a Siebel eBusiness application component, since referential integrity and data quality are controlled at the application layer. Direct insert, update and delete operations against the database are not supported. Although data retrieval operations are permitted directly from the database, Siebel does not guarantee or warrant that the results achieved will be as required.

The Siebel eBusiness database contains user data, reference data and the application definition, also known as the Siebel Repository. Access to the data contained within the database is controlled through users’ responsibilities and positions defined within the application. Database security is not employed to control access to data elements or attributes and as a result, to preserve data security, users must not be given the means to access the database directly.

When defining the database, several accounts will be required. They are typically:

• Table or schema owner – SIEBEL
• Application administration user – SADMIN
• User role for all users – SSE_ROLE

The above is the information the Siebel eBusiness product is supplied preconfigured. The user accounts and roles must be added to the database by the database administrator, as must all user accounts.

Database Server Best Practices

The following best practices relate specifically to the database server component of the Siebel Enterprise. They should be considered in addition to any best practices or recommendations specified by the database vendor or administration team(s).

Ongoing regular maintenance
Establish maintenance windows to provide for conducting regular maintenance of the database. Without these opportunities to conduct maintenance, every task must be arranged separately with the user community and this can lead to user satisfaction issues.

Regular maintenance tasks would include defragmentation of database objects, creating new indexes. The database administrator should establish the program for regular maintenance in accordance with the requirements of the chosen database platform.

Performance testing & tuning
As with all aspects of the Siebel Enterprise, the database server must be the subject of an effective performance test. This must include the initial deployment as well as ongoing releases of new functionality, since these can have a significant impact on overall performance.

Conduct the testing and necessary tuning effort on a database instance that is representative of the production volume, especially data volumes and distribution. Conducting performance tests on a database that has minimal data will not provide an indication of the likely response times, resource requirements or query access plans.

When conducting performance tuning, consider testing new indexes on the database prior to defining them in Siebel Tools and also consider removing indexes. At all times the effect of the index changes must be evaluated for all areas of the application that access the affected data object. An index created to enhance one area of the application may in fact become and impediment to another area, depending how the data is accessed.
When migrating to the production environment, the Siebel Repository must contain the index definitions to be used. The migration process will build the indexes as they are defined in the Siebel Repository.

Resource and database monitoring
Establish procedures and solutions for the ongoing monitoring of the database and the database server. This includes the usage of the server resources, the responsiveness of the database and the general health of the various database objects, such as fragmentation of the database tables. The database vendor should have identified those aspects of the database that require monitoring.

Capacity planning
Capacity planning for the Siebel Enterprise as a whole is a good idea and in particular the database server. Ensure that the results of the resource monitoring are used for capacity planning as well as potential changes in the user community, the usage of the application and changes in application functionality.

Backup strategy
Prior to going into production, establish the backup strategy and solution for the database. When considering the backup strategy, ensure that the system can be easily and relatively quickly recovered.

Scalable platform
When deciding upon a platform for the database server, ensure a scalable solution is employed. Generally, during the production lifecycle of a Siebel eBusiness application, users and functionality are added over time. They each require additional resources and can lead to upgrades being necessary for the database server as well as other components. In general, replacing the database server is one of the most challenging tasks that could be undertaken within a Siebel Enterprise due to the amount of data that could have to be moved.
Avoid this operation as far as possible by ensuring the database server can be upgraded in place.

Control data model
The Siebel eBusiness data model that is supplied with the application offers a rich set of predefined tables and supporting indexes. Using Siebel Tools, the data model can be extended further with additional attributes, new indexes and new tables. Modifying the Siebel data model must not be considered a trivial task, since changes can have significant impacts in areas of the application.

Consider carefully any changes to the data model and consider the following:

• Maintain central control of the Siebel data model to co-ordinate changes
• Avoid reusing columns for diverse purposes
• Include the database administrator to ensure changes are valid
• Analyse the impact on database size and performance
• Avoid using joins for frequently required data
• Employ extension tables where data is not used frequently

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Unix/Linux/Solaris: Execute ps -ef | grep [directory path] (eg. ps -ef | grep /app/siebel/siebsrvr). ps -ef | grep sieb Ensure that all processes for that enterprise are killed. use kill -9 pid 4. Delete OSDF files that exists in directory %SIEBEL_ROOT%\sys with name like the ones below: osdf.[SiebelEnterprise].[SiebelServer] Where [SiebelEnterprise] = The Siebel Enterprise name [SiebelServer] = The Siebel Server name. You can also use the command as below to clean OSDF files % cleansync -f $SIEBEL_ROOT/siebsrvr/sys/osdf.<enterprise_name>.<server_name> -d 5. After OSDF files, please also ensure that you delete any shared memory files that exists in directory %SIEBEL_ROOT%\admin with name like:*.shm files. This shared memory file is maintained by each Siebel Server under the "admin" directory of its root installation. Though this file is automatically deleted when the Siebel server is shut down, if it still exists when the Siebel server is down then there is the likely possibility that it has been corrupted and has to be removed. You can delete it manually or by the command using below. Please ensure that if you have more than one Siebel Server, you have to delete the files from each server. % siebclean -f $SIEBEL_ROOT/siebsrvr/admin/<enterprise_name>.<server_name>.shm -q 6. Another quick test is to check for the Siebel enterprise logs. If there are no enterprise logs are getting generated then there are connectivity issues with the Siebel database. One of the possible reason is the change of Database password for SADMIN user. You just need to run odbcsql from siebsrvr/bin to check connectivity issues. The command is as cited below. odbcsql /u SADMIN /p SADMIN /s DSN Name 7. Ensure that you do cleanup of unwanted logarchive and log files so that fresh logs can be monitored and space can be freed up accordingly. It is recommended to move the Log Archives to a different machine if they are required from the Business point of view 8. Please ensure that you delete FDR and core files as these files consume large amounts of memory in the machines leading to servers not getting started. 9. In a Unix environment you can try to restart server after executing Siebel environment variable script ./siebenv.sh and then use the command start_server all However, if the server still does not restart, you need to check the enterprise logs for it for any possible errors. The enterprise log lies in the following location in the server machine. %SIEBEL_ROOT%\enterprises\[SiebelEnterprise]\[SiebelServer]\log The enterprise log has name with format: [SiebelEnterprise].[SiebelServer].log 10. Check that there is no Siebel processes for the enterprise that are still running. For Windows: Check Task Manager for any Siebel process for the enterprise still in running state.

Siebel Server is not coming up in Linux/Unix and Windows.

Server Busy Error for Siebel Server. Steps for Troubleshooting. There could be several cases where Siebel servers are not coming up or Siebel services are not running properly. We are discussing in detail about those scenarios and the solutions.

1. The first step is to ensure that you validate the .srf file is not corrupt by placing the SRF on a dedicated environment. If the dedicated client is facing issues there could be possibly two reasons as cited below.

• The SRF file in the server machine got corrupt. Replace your SRF with the backup.
• The Oracle Database Server itself is down. Restart the same.

2. Any changes or modification which lead to the corruption of Siebel Gateway Name Server information file siebns.dat will also result in the Siebel Servers not coming up. In general, NameSrvr logs tell us the connectivity related information and common errors like license key not found. Since there are multiple copies of siebns.dat, you can try to revert to an old working siebns.dat file. The servers will come up.

3. Stop Siebel servers after you set Siebel environment variables using the script ./siebenv.sh and then use the command stop_server all 

Unix/Linux/Solaris: Execute ps -ef | grep [directory path] (eg. ps -ef | grep /app/siebel/siebsrvr).

ps -ef | grep sieb

Ensure that all processes for that enterprise are killed.

use kill -9 pid

4. Delete OSDF files that exists in directory %SIEBEL_ROOT%\sys with name like the ones below:

osdf.[SiebelEnterprise].[SiebelServer]

Where [SiebelEnterprise] = The Siebel Enterprise name

[SiebelServer] = The Siebel Server name.

You can also use the command as below to clean OSDF files

• % cleansync -f $SIEBEL_ROOT/siebsrvr/sys/osdf.<enterprise_name>.<server_name> -d 

5. After OSDF files, please also ensure that you delete any shared memory files that exists in directory %SIEBEL_ROOT%\admin with name like:*.shm files.  This shared memory file is maintained by each Siebel Server under the "admin" directory of its root installation. Though this file is automatically deleted when the Siebel server is shut down, if it still exists when the Siebel server is down then there is the likely possibility that it has been corrupted and has to be removed. You can delete it manually or by the command using below. Please ensure that if you have more than one Siebel Server, you have to delete the files from each server.

• % siebclean -f $SIEBEL_ROOT/siebsrvr/admin/<enterprise_name>.<server_name>.shm -q 

6. Another quick test is to check for the Siebel enterprise logs. If there are no enterprise logs are getting generated then there are connectivity issues with the Siebel database. One of the possible reason is the change of Database password for SADMIN user.

You just need to run odbcsql from siebsrvr/bin to check connectivity issues. The command is as cited below.

odbcsql /u SADMIN /p SADMIN /s DSN Name

7. Ensure that you do cleanup of unwanted logarchive and log files so that fresh logs can be monitored and space can be freed up accordingly. It is recommended to move the Log Archives to a different machine if they are required from the Business point of view

8. Please ensure that you delete FDR and core files as these files consume large amounts of memory in the machines leading to servers not getting started.

9. In a Unix environment you can try to restart server after executing Siebel environment variable script ./siebenv.sh and then use the command start_server all

However, if the server still does not restart, you need to check the enterprise logs for it for any possible errors. 

The enterprise log lies in the following location in the server machine.

%SIEBEL_ROOT%\enterprises\[SiebelEnterprise]\[SiebelServer]\log

The enterprise log has name with format:

[SiebelEnterprise].[SiebelServer].log

10. Check that there is no Siebel processes for the enterprise that are still running. For Windows: Check Task Manager for any Siebel process for the enterprise still in running state.

11.If the Siebel environment has LDAP authentication, any changes and modification in the LDAP tree structure can also affect the environment to go down. This usually happens when you make the changes and propagate it across. Please verify if this is the case.

12. Use the command netstat -an|grep 2321 and verify that the SRBroker/SCBroker port is listening. 
You may get error messages like "SBL-NET-01218: The connection was refused by server crm. No component is listening on port 2321."

13. Use the command netstat -an|grep 2320 and verify that the Gateway Service port is open and listening.

14. Increase the log level of the server components so that SCBroker and SRBroker can be monitored From the log you would get very vital information that can be used for debugging.

In many of the troubleshooting steps mentioned above, it requires generation of Enterprise Server logs for finding the possible cases of errors. Please monitor the logs so there there is no disk space issue. 

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Siebel Server Commands using srvrmgr.

Navigate in command prompt to the Siebel Server SRVRMGR directory.

C:\sba80\siebsrvr\BIN>

In the command line window type the following.

srvrmgr /g <siebel_gateway_host_address> /e <siebel_enterprise_name> /s  <siebel_server_name> /u SADMIN /p SADMIN

• list servers
• set server SBLAPP1
• unset server SBLAPP1
• unset server
• list component groups
• disable component group Workflow\
• enable component group Remote for server <siebel_server_name>
• assign component group Remote to server <siebel_server_name>
• shutdown appserver <siebel_server_name>
• startup appserver <siebel_server_name>

Siebel Server Log Level for components

• list evtloglvl for component eCommunicationsObjMgr_enu
• change evtloglvl Error=5 for component eCommunicationsObjMgr_enu
• change evtloglvl GenericLog=1, Performance=1, Trace=0, TaskConfig=0, SrmRouting=0,
• SQLParseAndExecute=1,
• SQLSlowQuery=4, Perf=1, ProcReq=1 for comp WorkMon
• activate component definition GenNewDb for server <siebel_server_name>

Siebel Server List Commands for components.

• list session for comp eComm% login SADMIN
• list active sessions for comp eCommunica% login SADMIN for server %SBL%
• list comp WfProcMgr% for server %
• list comp WfProcMgr%
• list task for comp eCommunicationsObjMgr_enu
• list parameters for server %
• list advanced parameters for server %
• list tasks for process (siebel 8.1)

Siebel SRVRMGR List commands:

•  list { component groups | compgrps }
•  list { component definitions | comp defs }
•  list { component types | comp types }
•  list { parameter definitions | param defs }
•  list { stateval definitions | sval defs }
•  list { statistic definitions | stat defs }
•  list [siebel] servers
•  list all servers
•  list tasks
•  list session
•  list { evtloglvl  | event loglevel }
•  list { named subsystem }
•  list { subsystems }
•  list { components | comps }
•  list { parameters | params }
•  list { enterprise parameters | ent params }
•  list { state values | statevals | svals }
•  list { statistics | stats }

Siebel Server commands:

•  startup appserver <server_name>
•  shutdown appserver <server_name>

Siebel Component Group SRVRMGR commands:

•  create component group
•  enable component group
•  disable component group
•  remove component group
•  delete component group
•  assign component group

Siebel Component commands:

•  startup component
•  pause component
•  resume component
•  shutdown component
•  auto start component
•  manual start component
•  shutdown fast component

Siebel Component Definition commands:

•  create component definition
•  activate component definition
•  deactivate component definition
•  delete component definition

Siebel Task management commands:

•  run task
•  start task
•  pause task
•  resume task
•  stop task

Siebel Parameter management commands:

•  change parameter
•  delete parameter

Siebel Event logging level management commands:

•  change { evtloglvl  | event loglevel }

Siebel Named Subsystem Commands:

•  create named subsystem
•  delete named subsystem

Siebel Local commands:

•  show
•  show <variable>
•  set
•  set <variable> <value>
•  unset <variable>
•  alias {<aliasName> <aliasValue>} (to add a new alias)
•  alias                            (to list all the existing aliases)
•  unalias <aliasName>              (to remove an existing alias)
•  save preferences                 (to save the preferences)
•  load preferences                 (to load the preferences)
•  configure list <ValidListCmd> 
•  [show [ all | <column_name>   [ (column_width[disp_fmt]) ] [ as column_display_name ]
•  [, <column_name> ] [ (column_width[disp_fmt]) ] [ as column_display_name ] ... ] ]

Siebel Spool and Read commands:

•  Turn Spool on:  spool <filename>
•  Turn spool off:  spool off     
•  read <filename>

Siebel essential commands:

•  backup namesrvr [File name]
•  refresh enterprise [server] | entsrvr | ent server
•  sleep <second>
•  flush fdr for { process | proc } <OS_process_id>
•  [ [app] server <server_name> ]

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Accenture Siebel Administration Interview Questions collection.

• What is the use of Workflow Monitoring Agents in Siebel CRM?
• Explain what is shm file in Siebel and what is the importance of it?
• If all the users of the Siebel application are reporting slow response for a particular view, what can be the possible cause and how will you troubleshoot?
• Explain what is the use of lbconfig.txt file on webserver in Siebel?
• Suppose you increased log levels for a particular component to all 4 but still the detailed logs are not getting generated. What troubleshooting steps will you take?
• Explain in detail the process to change SADMIN production password?
• What is the use of OSDF file in Siebel? Is it present for a Siebel environment running on windows platform or only in Unix?
• Explain how will you clean up the Siebel Filesystem? What is the utility provided by Siebel for it? 
• What is the concept of shell in Siebel? What are the different types of shells?
• What if Siebel Gateway goes down in a running Siebel Enterprise?  What will happen to the existing users? Will new users be able to login?
• Can I have (build) an enterprise with webservers on Windows Platform and Object Manager servers on Solaris Platform and workflow servers again on windows platform OR vice – versa?
• Where is the Application timeout defined for Siebel?
• Suppose you have done srf replacement and repository migration from dev to test environment and a message which was  getting displayed on button click in dev environment is not getting displayed in test environment – what can be the cause of the issue?
• How are asynchronous requests processed in Siebel?
• How will you identify if Siebns.dat file is corrupt or not?
• What are the checks you do when the users report slow response?
• How does a User request flow when the user hits the Siebel URL?
• What is the concept of subsystem in Siebel?
• What is the significance of connect string in eaaps.cfg file? What all parameters are there in the connect string?
• How will you check or identify if the SRF file is corrupt or not?
• What is the difference between Siebel SIA and Siebel SEA?
• While doing Repository import – if the Database goes down – what are the steps you will perform?
• How will you do crash analysis in Siebel?
• If a developer makes changes to an applet – what will you do – srf replacement or repository migration and why?
• What if I define a parameter at subsystem level and then define the same parameter at Siebel Server level? Which one will take effect and why?

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Siebel Administration Interview Questions asked in IBM.

Please use the comment section to answer the questions.

1. Explain what are the steps to be followed in Siebel Repository Migration?
2. Explain the steps involved in Siebel Local Database Extract?
3. Why do we need to Apply and Activate in Siebel Tools?
4. What is the difference between incremental compile and full compile?  When to go for which?
5. What is the concept of Max MTS and Min MTS in Siebel. Is it related to performance tuning?
6. Name the subsystems involved in MQ integration with Siebel?
7. After generation of the browser script is there a way by which we can update the same at Web Server without restarting the Web Server?
8. If you make the parameter Extract All Repository set to False while doing Local Database Extract what will happen?
9. What is the sequence to be followed for starting up the a Siebel enterprise?
10. Explain what do you mean by Max Tasks?
11. How can you increase the log level for Siebel Gateway?
12. Can you have multiple databases in the same Siebel Enterprise?
13. What is the default value of sisnapi connection per session?
14. How can you increase log levels for a particular type of event say ALL SQL Events for a particular Siebel component?
15. What do you mean by the Siebel component SCBroker? Explain its function.
16. Can you run GenNewDB job once and use the result of the same – multiple times? If yes – how many times? If NO – why?
17. How will you increase the log levels for Siebel tools or how will you get the SQLs generate by Siebel tools?
18. Can one Siebel gateway cater to more than one Siebel enterprise? If the answer is yes, why is not recommended?
19. Explain what steps you will follow to troubleshoot the Server Busy Error?
20. What is the purpose of File System Manager Component in Siebel?
21. Explain how are Max Tasks, Max MTS and Min MTS calculations done in Siebel?
22. Does Siebel allows multiple Gateways in the same enterprise?
23. What is the effect if I change the default value of sisnapi connection per session to a lower value than the default value?
24. What if File System Manager Component on a server goes down?
25. What is the function of the component SRProc? What is the significance of it?
26. What is SRBroker? What kind of request processing is it used in – synchronous or asynchronous?
27. What is the function of diccache.dat file in Siebel? Explain its significance.
28. Explain how will you merge two cfg files in Siebel?
29. How will you regenerate siebsvc or Siebel service file?
30. What is the function of anonymous user defined in eapps.cfg?

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Listing the biggest source of Siebel Administration Articles and Tutorials.

Siebel Interview Question	Siebel Certifications
Siebel Admin Tutorials	Siebel Troubleshooting
Siebel Best Practices	Siebel Tutorials

• Siebel Server Down Troubleshooting
• Siebel srvrmgr Commands in Windows
• Accenture Siebel Admin Interview Questions
• IBM Siebel Admin Interview Questions
• Siebel Gateway Server Connection Brokering and Resonate Central
• Siebel Administration Concepts on best practices of Siebel Architecture
• Siebel Admin Interview Question, Explanation and Answers
• Siebel 8 Admin Question Answers and Explanation.
• Siebel Gateway Server is not running
• Siebel Gateway Server Installation Issue
• Configure Siebel Server for a new database
• Siebel Error Codes and Troubleshooting Guide
• Configuration files for Siebel Gateway and Siebel Server
• Siebel Gateway Uninstallation in Windows
• Steps in Installing Siebel in a windows/unix box
• Siebel Server Administration Best Practices
• Siebel Admin Inteview Questions and Answers
• Siebel Administration Interview Questions

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Siebel Connection Brokering and Resonate Central.

What is Siebel Gateway Server Connection Brokering.

Connection Broker is a server component in Siebel which does intraserver load balancing, in other words it directs client connection requests to the least-laden Siebel Server operating the desired component, as a result it provides greater scalability and higher availability and thus results in performance improvement of the Siebel application.

Siebel Connection broker (SCBroker) has its own service running and it uses the Resonate Central Dispatch for distributing Web server connection requests across multiple Siebel Servers. To know more information about Siebel connection brokering and its concepts, please see “Implementing Load-Balancing with Central Dispatch” provided in Siebel Bookshelf.

Siebel Connection Broker (SCBroker) is always enabled by default and has several important parameters which are cited below.

PortNumber - Specifies the port number on which SCBroker listens. The default is 2321 which is specified during installation, but you can also change the port number later.

DfltTasks - Specifies the default number of processes for SCBroker. Recommended value is 2.

MaxTasks - Specifies the maximum number of processes for SCBroker. Recommended value is 2. This value cannot be less than DfltTasks and hence is dependent on it.

AutoRestart - Default is On. If there is a situation when SCBroker terminates abnormally, this setting allows it to restart the SCBroker automatically. As such, setting this parameter to Off or False is not recommended because it many lead to undesirable behavior.

ConnForwardAlgorithm. This algorithm is nothing but the routing scheme for SCBroker to use when routing intraserver requests to Application Object manager (AOM)  processes

What is Siebel Central Dispatch Scheduler?

The Central Dispatch Scheduler component determines which server to direct a request to by collecting current loading information from an agent component. It is recommended to install Central Dispatch on each Siebel Server on which you want to employ Siebel load balancing, and on any other machines and systems that will be dedicated for the Central Dispatch primary scheduler and backup scheduler.

For installation of please refer to "Installation Tasks for Central Dispatch" article on Oracle Support.

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Siebel Administration Concepts on the best practices of Siebel Architecture.

Plan the implementation
Use the deployment planning worksheets included in Siebel Bookshelf to plan and document the Siebel eBusiness Enterprise. Any other standard planning worksheet can also be used which lists in detail the steps.

Examine and document the network infrastructure
Analyse and document the network infrastructure available, including bandwidth and latency, for the locations from which the Siebel Enterprise will be accessed.

Establish maintenance procedures and automation
Ensure that clear procedures and automated routines exist for administration and support tasks. Also establish regular maintenance slots for downtime.

Train and certify administrative staff
To ensure the Siebel eBusiness Enterprise is properly and efficiently maintained and administered, the system administrators and support personnel should receive adequate Siebel training and technical resources.
Always ensure they are kept informed of upcoming new releases and enhancements.

Consider the development environment similar to production
The development environment contains the Siebel Repository and should not be considered as a research tool for designing or trialling aspects of design and configuration. Provide a test environment for application configuration personnel to research and trial potential solutions to requirements.

Ensure the development environment is regularly secured to backup and consider the impact of it becoming unavailable on the development effort.

Ensure that the development environment is a volume environment
Databases without data will almost always perform better than databases that contain volume. Therefore, to mitigate the possibility that configuration work could seriously impact performance, ensure the development environment database contains volume data.

This will help the configuration team to test their solutions to help avoid creating configuration that may not scale as the database size increases.

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Siebel Administration Interview Questions and Explanation.

What is Siebel Native Load Balancer?

Its new in Siebel 7.7. A software component that provides load balancing.

Scalability

• Allows Siebel to easily support very large numbers of concurrent users
• Can easily add additional servers.

Utilization

• By distributing load to unused resources makes optimal use of available hardware.

Performance

• By distributing load to unused resources minimizes hardware bottlenecks.
• Without the maintenance overhead of Resonate
• Resonate Central Dispatch is no longer supported as of Siebel 7.7.

Availability

• If a load-balanced component becomes unavailable on one server, it can still be accessed through other load-balanced servers.

Security

• Simple firewall configuration – 1 VIP/Vport only
• Allows change of port used (I.e. HTTP Tunneling)
• Round-robin through SWSE naming directory
• Load balance by number of running tasks of OM instances
• Listen to both static and configurable port
• Support SISNAPI reconnect out of box.

Siebel 3rd Party HTTP Load Balancer

• A hardware component that provides load balancing

Scalability

• Allows Siebel to easily support very large numbers of concurrent users
• Can easily add additional servers

Utilization

• By distributing load to unused resources makes optimal use of available hardware

Performance

• By distributing load to unused resources minimizes hardware bottlenecks

Availability

• If a load-balanced component becomes unavailable on one server, it can still be accessed through other load-balanced servers

Security

• Simple firewall configuration – 1 VIP/Vport only
• Allows change of port used (I.e. HTTP Tunneling)
• Supports complex network technologies (I.e. NAT)

What is Siebel Connection Broker (SCBroker)?

Siebel Connection Broker is a server component. At least one instance of SC Broker must be running and by default it is always on.

• Load balance is by least # of running tasks for all processes belong to a particular component
• Load balancing scheme is not configurable
• By default listens on static port 2321

Siebel Web Server Extension (SWSE)

• Siebel Web Server Extension (SWSE) is a plug-in that runs within the Siebel Web Server Interacts with Web server for all incoming and outgoing Web requests
• Direct requests via the Siebel Object Manager to the Siebel Web Engine. It handles all files with .SWE extension in the URL.
• Manages network connections to the application servers
• Requests a new network connection for each new user session
• Connection is generally persistent, until processes terminated at either end points or SISNAPI connection timeout
• Contains two layers
• Web framework layer –interacts with web client infrastructure
• Session manager layer – manages SISNAPI connections to the application server
• Siebel-Provided load balancing logic resides in the Session Manager layer

Siebel File System

• The Siebel File System consists of a shared directory that is network-accessible to the Siebel Server and contains the physical files used by Siebel clients. To gain access to files, web clients connect directly to the appropriate Siebel Server to request file uploads or downloads. The Siebel Server then accesses the Siebel File System using the File System Manager (FSM) server component. File System Manager will process these requests through interaction with the Siebel File System directory.
• When using Siebel Mobile Web Client in connected mode (also known as the Dedicated Web Client), you may want to connect directly to the Siebel File System without going through the File System Manager

Siebel Database

• The backend data store for Siebel Enterprise
• Customer Data
• Seed Data

Siebel Report Server

• Actuate Report Server
• Generates and manages reports
• Contains the Report Encyclopedia, which is a shared repository that stores report items along with related data, such as access privileges and request queues
• Actuate Active Portal
• Provides access to the Siebel Reports Server from the World Wide Web
• Allows users to access and work with reports through any web browser
• Actuate Management Console
• Offers the capability to manage one or more Actuate Report Server and Encyclopedia
• Siebel Report Server Access
• A Siebel integration component that includes Siebel Report executables, templates, and other Siebel-specific library files.
• Communication between Siebel Object Manager and Reports Server
• Pre Siebel 7.7: Report Server API
• Siebel 7.7: SOAP
• Clustering support in Siebel 7.7.

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Siebel Administration Quick Refresh, Answers and Explanation.

Siebel Enterprise Architecture Components.

Just for a quick refresh, Siebel Enterprise Environment contains:-

• Siebel Gateway Server
• Siebel Server
• Siebel Native Load Balancer
• 3rd Party HTTP Load Balancer
• Siebel Web Server/SWSE/SWE
• Siebel File System
• Siebel Database
• Siebel Report Server
• Web Client
• Mobile Web Client
• Dedicated Web Client

1. Gateway Server

• Serves as a single entry point for accessing Siebel Servers and provides enhanced scalability, load balancing, and high availability across the Enterprise Server.
• Name Server
• Siebel Gateway Server does not function as a resource intensive server. With clustering technologies and powerful CPU(s), it usually scales up very well.

2. Siebel Server

• The Siebel Server is the middle-tier platform that supports both back end and interactive processes for every Siebel client. These processes are component within the Siebel Server architecture, and support functions such as:
• Mobile web client synchronization
• Operation of business logic for Siebel web clients, as well as connectivity and access to the database server and file system
• Integration with legacy or third-party data
• Automatic assignment of new accounts, opportunities, service requests, and other records
• Workflow management
• Siebel server runs as a service on Microsoft NT/Windows 2000 platform and runs as background daemon processes on Unix platforms.
• Unlike Siebel Gateway Name Server, Siebel server is a heavy-duty constituent of Siebel Enterprise. This is particularly true in Siebel7, as it needs even more processing power than in prior releases due to the fact that Siebel7 fully supports the three-tiers architecture.
• With proper load balancing, Siebel Server can scale up with more powerful CPU(s) and scale out with more servers.

3. Server Component

• The various programs that operate on the Siebel Server are implemented as components. A component represents only a specific type of program; a component is executed or operated as a task, or instantiate of a component, on a specific Siebel Server.
• Server Request Broker, Server Request Processor, Server Connection Broker, File System Manager.

4. Server Component Group

• A collection of components that provide related Siebel Server functionality and are grouped together for ease of administration.
• Assignment Management.
• Made up of the following components: Assignment Manager, Batch Assignment, Siebel Call Center
• Made up of the following components: Call Center Object Manager, Service OM

Siebel Remote
Made up of the following components: Database Extract, Generate New Database, Parallel Database Extract, Replication Agent, Synchronization Manager, Transaction Merger, Transaction Processor, Transaction Router

• Call Center Object Manager
• Assignment Manager
• Workflow Manager
• Communication Manager
• EAI Object Manager

5. Siebel Object Manager

• A Siebel component that runs on Siebel server
• Instantiates and processes UI, Business Objects, and Data Object layers
• Handles communications with the Siebel Web Server Extension and the database.
• Manages user connections
• Multi-Process
• Multiple SOM processes per Server Component
• Dynamic load balancing allows Siebel Object Manager to run across multiple machines
• Multi-Threaded
• Process overhead spreads across all threads in a process, reducing server CPU and RAM requirements.

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Siebel : After moving the Oracle database to a new machine, how to configure the Siebel Server to point to the new database.

The Oracle Database Administrator (DBA) may choose to move the Oracle database from machine A to machine B for a number of reasons. If this is a planned move, then the instructions below should be tested in Test environment first and a backup taken prior to a Production move.

The Siebel Administrator and Oracle DBA have two options for pointing the Siebel Server(s) and dedicated clients to the new database:

Option 1 – Only update the SQL*net TNS Alias
If the TNS alias name does not need to be changed then only the connection details, most probably the HOST and SERVICE_NAME (or SID), need to be updated. The following tnsnames.ora file is for information only, as Oracle Systems, Inc. recommends that changes to the tnsnames.ora be made using the Oracle supplied Net Manager Tool. Note that the DBA will be able to provide the new settings.

Change:

SiebelDB.SIEBEL.COM = (DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS_LIST = (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = machineA)(PORT = 1521)) ) (CONNECT_DATA = (SERVER = DEDICATED) (SERVICE_NAME = SiebelDB) ) )

To:

SiebelDB.SIEBEL.COM = (DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS_LIST = (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = machineB)(PORT = 1521)) ) (CONNECT_DATA = (SERVER = DEDICATED) (SERVICE_NAME = NewSiebelDB) ) )

Option 2 – Create a new TNS Alias
If a new TNS Alias needs to be created then several steps need to be followed:
1. Create the new TNS alias using the Oracle supplied Net Manager Tool.

2. Modify the appropriate Configuration (CFG) file to reference the new TNS alias created in the above step. In the [ServerDataSrc] section, change the value of the parameter called ”ConnectString” to the new TNS alias. Make this change for all the dedicated client CFG files and all the CFG files under the SiebSrvr\bin directory (version 6.x) or SiebSrvr\bin\ (version 7.x).

3. Modify the Siebel Servers ODBC Data Source Name (DSN). Change the Server Name entry to use the new TNS alias using the ODBC Data Source Administrator on the machine where the Siebel Server is installed. The System DSN is in the format of SiebSrvr_.

4. Modify the ODBC Data Source Name (DSN) for any dedicated clients. Change the Server Name entry to use the new TNS alias using the ODBC Data Source Administrator on the machine where the dedicated client is installed. The User DSN is in the format of SEAW .

5. The Siebel Server will need to be stopped and restarted for this change to take effect.

For Siebel 7.x only
6. Update the gateway configuration information. By default the Object Managers no longer read the CFG files for the database connect string (see the OM parameter called ’OM – Read Configuration From Server Component Parameters’). Therefore the gateway configuration for that enterprise will need to be updated to reflect the new TNS alias. The commands to use are below, but first the Siebel Administrators will need to backup the Siebns.dat, either manually by copying the file or using the SRVRMGR backup nameserver command, for example:

SRVRMGR> backup nameserver SRVRMGR> change parameter DSConnectString= for named subsystem ServerDataSrc

Note: to change the ODBC Data Source Name using the client GUI, perform the steps as follows:
1. Navigate to View > Site Map > Server Administration > Enterprise Configuration. (version 7.x) or View> Site Map > Administration – Server Configuration > Enterprises (version 8.x).
2. Click on the Enterprise Profile Configuration tab (version 7.x) or Profile Configuration tab (version 8.x)..
3. Select ServerDataSrc in the top list applet.
4. In the lower applet, find the DSConnectString and change its value to the new TNS alias.
5. The Siebel Server will need to be stopped and restarted for this change to take effect.

Check All Siebel Administration Tutorials

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Some of the common error codes and how to do Troubleshooting.

Handshake failed
Symptom or Error Message
Handshake failed.

Cause 1. The VIP assigned to the Central Dispatch site is in use by another machine.
2. Insufficient memory in application server.
3. ODBC Driver files inconsistency.
4. The sssasrm and sssasrp library files are inaccessible to the AIX user used to start the Siebel server.
5. Full disk drive.
6. The Siebel server is installed on an unsupported operating system.

Diagnostic Steps
1. Refer to Technical Note 419 on SupportWeb.
2. Confirm the OS is listed in the Siebel System Requirements and Supported Platforms guide.
3. Test the ODBC connectivity on all nodes. Refer to ”FAQ 1113: ’How do I test connectivity through ODBC data sources created by Siebel?’ ”
4. Ensure ”$SIEBEL_ROOT/lib” is specified in the path environment variables LIBPATH or LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
5. Ensure there is space on the disk drive.
6. Ensure the OS is supported.

Solution
1. Assign a unique IP address to the VIP.
2. Increase memory on the application server machine.
3. Reinstall the ODBC drivers.
4. Amend the siebenv.sh or siebenv.csh file (depending on the UNIX shell used) with the LIBPATH or LD_LIBRARY_PATH ”$SIEBEL_ROOT/lib” environment variables.
5. Allocate more space on the drive.
6. Install the application server on a supported operating system.

SVR-00026: Unable to allocate shared memory

Symptom or Error Message
SVR-00026: Unable to allocate shared memory
Cause
1. The shared memory file (default name: $.$.shm) may be present, preventing the server from creating a new version.
2. The Siebel server process may be unable to create a shared memory file because of permissions or lack of disk space.
3. The Max Tasks component parameter may be too large.

Diagnostic Steps
1. Inspect the enterprise.Siebel.log file for error messages.
2. Find out how the Siebel Server service ended the last time.
3. Inspect the component and Siebsrvr log files.

Solution
1. Delete or rename the .shm memory file (and kill processes which have a lock on the file) and restart the Siebel Server
2. Set the corrections permissions or free sufficient disk space
3. Back-up siebns.dat, copy an earlier siebns.dat.nnn files in the \admin directory to siebns.dat, then restart the Siebel Server.

REPIMEXP-ERR-1109

Symptom or Error Message
REPIMEXP-ERR-1109: Unable to read value from export file (%s)
Cause
1. Incorrect parameters in the imprep.ksh file (pre-Siebel 7.x)
2. Incorrect ODBC driver and driver manager versions
3. The mstrep.dat file may be corrupt.

Diagnostic Steps
1. Inspect the imprep_prim.log file.
2. Confirm the version of ODBC Driver installed.

Solution
1. Ensure imprep.ksh parameters are correct and change if necessary.
2. Ensure the ODBC version matches the System Requirements and Supported Platform guide.
3. Replace the mstrep.dat file.
start_ns or start_server is not working


Symptom or Error Message Siebel Gateway or Application servers can’t be started with the start_ns or start_server commands.

Cause 
Siebel environment setup and UNIX setup needs to be analyzed and corrected.

Diagnostic Steps and Solution
Use the following steps to troubleshoot an issue when the client-server connection is not working:
1. Verify the environment variables PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH or LIBPATH (on AIX) or SHLIB_PATH (on HP_UX) and ensure that the Siebel root directory and Database client paths are correct, for example:
PATH=/usr/lib:/usr/bin:/usr/ucb:/etc:/export/home/oracle/ora817/bin:/
export/home/oracle/ora817/lib:/export/home/siebel/ie5/bin:/usr/local/
bin:/export/home/siebel/java1.3.1/j2sdk1_3_1/include:/usr/X/bin:.:/
export/home/siebel/siebel704/bin:/export/home/siebel/siebel704/mw/
bin:/export/home/siebel/siebel704/SYBSsa70/bin

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib:/export/home/siebel/siebel704/lib:/
export/home/siebel/siebel704/mw/lib:/export/home/oracle/ora817/
lib:/export/home/siebel/siebel704/SYBSsa70/lib:/export/home/
siebel/siebel704/lib/odbc/merant:/export/home/siebel/siebel704/lib/
odbc/merant

Verify database environment using odbcsql connect. Run queries against the database to ensure that tables have data.
2. Ensure network ports are not blocked:
• netstat –a | grep WAI

• Too many entries with TIME_WAIT and FIN_WAIT is not good.
• Wait for these ports to become free, or reboot the system to clear them

• netstat –a | grep

• Ensure gateway is up and the port is in LISTEN mode.

3. Use ps -ef|grep sieb to check if the processes come up at all. Look for process names containing the string ”sieb”.

4. Check connectivity of all machines using ping.

5. Shared memory cleanup
• Ensure that Gateway and Siebel servers are stopped.
• Remove *.shm files in SIEBEL_ROOT/admin directory.
• Restart the servers.


6. Mainwin environment cleanup
Run $SIEBEL_ROOT/mwcleanup and delete files in /tmp.
Could not start the Siebel Server [xxxx] service on…; Error 2182: The requested service has already been started. 

Symptom or Error Message
1. Could not start the Siebel Server [xxxx] service on …
2. Error 2182: The requested service has already been started.

Cause
The machine was not rebooted before re-installing the Siebel Server.
Diagnostic Steps And Solution
Reboot the machine and restart Siebel Server.
Received error 127 () looking up the specified Gateway Server
Symptom or Error Message
Received error 127 () looking up the specified Gateway Server. Please check your installation guide or contact your system administrator.

Cause
If the network connection is down or the Gateway service is not fully started while installing the Siebel server, the above error may appear.

Diagnostic Steps
1. Check the network connectivity.
2. Check the Gateway service status.


Solution
1. Ensure the network connection is not blocked or lagged and allows the Siebel Server to connect to the machine on which the Gateway is installed.
2. Make sure that Siebel Gateway service is up and running. On Windows servers, it may be necessary to create a script to manually start the services, allowing two minutes between Gateway and Server start-ups.
Unable to install Siebel enterprise server over Siebel enterprise server. Installed product has newer version 

Symptom or Error Message
Customers receive the error message ”Unable to install Siebel enterprise server over Siebel enterprise server: installed product has newer version” when installing the Siebel Report Server or Siebel Database Server.

Cause
Users are installing another Siebel product under an existing Siebel Root directory that has already been patched. For example, users install the Siebel Report Server version 7.5.2 under the Siebel Root directory that has version 7.5.2.8 installed.

Diagnostic Steps
Under the Siebel Root directory\siebsrvr, look at the base.txt file and ensure it is the same version as the Siebel product that is being installed. 

Solution
If the Siebel Server has already been patched, then do one of the following:
1. Install another environment with the Siebel Server and Database Server in a new directory.
2. Reinstall the whole environment again.
If the behavior is encountered while installing the Siebel Report Server, then run the Siebel installer, select a new instance and specify a different directory then the Siebel Root to install the Siebel Report Server. After installing the Siebel Report Server version 7.5.2 users will need to apply the patch to bring it up to 7.5.2.8.

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Which configuration files are required for the Siebel Gateway and Siebel Server to start properly?

Generally speaking it is a good idea to secure the entire /gtwysrvr, /siebsrvr, and /SWEAPP/bin directory trees. In addition to true configuration files, there are a number of utility programs and other files that users should not be messing with. When securing these make sure that the account the Siebel services / daemons run under is included in the necessary permissions.

The specific files that are used depends on which application object managers and functionalities you are using. Pretty much any file with a .cfg extension should not be changed without an understanding of what you are doing. The config files primarily reside in the /siebsrvr/bin/[lang] directories. For example, for American English they would be in /siebsrvr/bin/ENU.

A second set of important config files are the eapps.cfg, eapps_fins.cfg, and eapps_sia.cfg files. These are located in /SWE/bin or /SWEAPP/bin. These files control the behavior of the Siebel Web Server Extensions and while they will not prevent the Gateway or Siebel Server from starting, they will prevent connectivity through the web thin client if the settings are incorrect.

Two additional files that can never be edited directly by any use are the siebns.dat file and the .srf file (usually siebel.srf). If these files are corrupted, restoration of the system is very difficult without good backups. The siebns.dat file lives in /gtwysrvr/admin and the .srf file resides in /siebsrvr/objects/[lang].

Finally, there are system or third party files that could cause problems if they are edited inappropriately. These include the vpd.properties file, the odbc.ini file, and any other configuration files specific to your database or webserver being used.

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The requirement is to uninstall the siebel server and the siebel gateway server.

Correct steps on how to uninstall the siebel server and siebel gateway on a microsoft cluster server.

If you have installed Siebel Gateway and Siebel Server on only one node at the moment, and you would like to uninstall them, please, treat it as it was on a single machine (non-clustered) and follow the normal uninstall procedures (Uninstalling Siebel eBusiness Applications chapter of the installation guide)

The uninstall instructions of the Clustering chapter is assuming that the Siebel Server and Gateway are completely installed, on both nodes.

The idea of uninstalling Gateway on cluster is basically to remove the services from the second node, and then perform the normal process to uninstall the gateway from the primary node (which will use the siebctl.exe).

Note that when you uninstall the Siebel software from the primary node, it will remove the "siebctl" executable, so you will need to run the "siebctl" commands on the secondary node before uninstalling from the primary node.

Hence, these are the steps to uninstall the Gateway:

1. Move the group to the secondary node. Make sure that Gateway service is not runing.

2. Remove the services in the secondary node. You have two options on how to do this:

2.a. Run the siebctl commands to remove the services on the secondary node.
i. launch command prompt window

ii. navigate to your gtwysrvr\bin and type:
siebctl -S GtwyNS -h -d

2.b. Using rm_gtwy.scm.
i. make a copy of Start>PRogram> Siebel Enterprise 7.5> Configure Gateway Server

ii. Right click on the copied Configure Gateway Server (you may want to rename it?) and select Properties. If you have installed on node 1 then copy the shortcut link to node 2 where you want to remove the services created using clsuter_gtwy.bat.

iii. In the Shortcut Target you should see some strings but look for gateway.scm. Rename this to rm_gtwy.scm

3. Switch back or move the cluster group to the primary node. Make sure that Gateway service is not running.

4. Uninstall the gateway or the siebel server on the primary node following the standard uninstallation procedures.

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Siebel Architecture Best Practices, principles and practices.

Use dedicated hardware for Siebel Applications
For production environments and to some extent development & test environments, the hardware must be dedicated to a single Siebel eBusiness Enterprise.

Hardware requirements
It is strongly recommended to use a Siebel Expert Services Sizing Review to achieve an informed estimate of the likely hardware requirements for the Siebel Enterprise.See also the Siebel Bookshelf documentation “Siebel System Requirements and Supported Platforms” for version 8.x.

Conduct benchmark testing
To finalise hardware requirements for the Siebel eBusiness application, it is strongly recommended to conduct benchmark testing. Before conducting benchmark testing, establish the criteria, goals and scenarios for the testing effort.

Employ known hardware and platforms
As far as is practical, it is recommended to utilize hardware and systems software that is already known to the organization.Implement production architecture in a development or test environment.To ensure that all functionality is supported and performs well within the production architecture, ensure that an environment exists that mirrors the production architecture for testing.

Design scalability into the solution
When devising the structure of the Siebel eBusiness Enterprise, include the potential to scale the environment to support more users, higher transaction volumes or more complex processing.
 
Review the Performance Tuning Guide
Review “Performance Tuning Guide” in the System Administration section of Siebel Bookshelf.

The following summarizes the principle best practices related to implementing Siebel eBusiness architecture.

• Utilize dedicated hardware for each Siebel Enterprise.
• Implement the same architecture as Production in one of the development or test environments
• Conduct a Siebel Expert Services Sizing Review for an informed estimate of hardware.
• Carry out benchmark tests and include the client environment and network infrastructure.
• Design the architecture for scalability from the outset.
• Document the current network infrastructure including latency and available bandwidth
• Ensure staff are Siebel trained and certified (mandatory for Siebel SupportWeb access)
• Establish regular occurrences of downtime for maintenance.
• Establish administrative and maintenance procedures and toolsets.
• Employ a hardware cluster for each production Siebel Gateway server.
• Use dedicated Resonate Schedulers for concurrent user populations above 1,000.
• Establish clear backup strategies for each element of the Siebel Enterprise.
• Implement Resonate Central Dispatch from the outset to avoid re-installation.
• Maintain central control of the Siebel Data Model and consult DBAs regarding change.
• Treat the development environment as almost a production environment.
• Ensure that the development environment is a volume environment

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Siebel Web Client, Dedicated and Wireless Client Architecture.

Siebel Dedicated Web Client Architecture

The Siebel Dedicated Web Client connects directly to a database server for all data access, and does not store any Siebel data locally. The Dedicated Web Client runs in a standard browser on the end user's client computer, but does not connect to a Web server. All layers of the Siebel eBusiness Applications architecture, except for the database, reside on the user computer.

Employing this client is not normally recommended for general usage due to the large footprint on the client machine as well as the maintenance overhead. This type of client can be useful in some administration situations, such as when access to the Siebel Enterprise server has been compromised. Such a situation should however be rectified as soon as possible.

Siebel Mobile Web Client Architecture

The Siebel Mobile Web Client is designed for local data access, without the need to be connected to a server. Each mobile machine includes a local database, which the mobile user periodically synchronizes with the Siebel (enterprise) database. The Mobile Web Client runs in a standard browser on the end user's client computer, such as a laptop, but does not connect to a Web server. All layers of the Siebel eBusiness Applications architecture reside on the user computer.

Siebel Remote deployments require careful planning and must be incorporated into the overall design of the Siebel eBusiness application configuration. It is essential to be mindful of the database size and transaction volume that will be placed upon the mobile client as a result of configuration and usage. These will have a significant impact on the overall performance of the Siebel Mobile Web Client and consequently will lead to user adoption problems if these issues are not considered properly.

The subject of deploying Siebel Remote should be covered separately to this document. See also the Siebel Bookshelf document “Remote and Replication Manager Administration Guide” for further details on the architecture and configuration.

Siebel Wireless Client

Siebel eBusiness includes support for WML based wireless devices through optional modules installed at the server side. To support other markup languages a gateway will be necessary since only WML, HTML and XML are currently available in the Siebel eBusiness environment. See the “Siebel Wireless Administration Guide” section “Supporting Wireless Requests with Multiple Markup Languages” for further details.
Additionally, a wireless gateway is required and this is also not part of the Siebel eBusiness distribution.
The application must be configured in the same way as the HTML based version, although a different approach to designing the user interface is necessary.
License keys are available for the following Siebel Wireless applications:

• Siebel Sales Wireless
• Siebel Service Wireless
• Siebel PRM Wireless
• Siebel Self-Service Wireless

If Siebel Wireless applications are to be accessed through external wireless gateway servers outside of the network firewall, an external IP address must be established. This external IP address can be filtered to allow only certain originating IP addresses, protocols, and ports to enter the enterprise's router.

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Steps involved in Installing Siebel Server in Linux/Unix environment.

Siebel Server Installation and Setup Steps.

Installing Siebel Software
Documents to be followed.

• Server Installation Guide

• Web Client Administration Guide

Steps:

• Prepare for Installation

Verify prerequisites

Supported HW, Supported OS, Required Third-party SW
ID which SW on which machines
Fast Ethernet between SS + DB Server

•  What Naming conventions should be used? (i.e. GW1, D1, S1, W1)
•  What Directory Structures should be used?
•  Siebel Service Owner Account/OS Account
•  Need Siebel Service Owner account for Enterprise server processes

Siebel Monitoring Account for Resonate
RDBMS Account(s)

Install RDBMS + Create Siebel Database

• Empty database/tablespace with miniimum requirements based on your project’s sizing
• Oracle, DB2, SQLServer

Create Siebel File System

• Must be accessible from machines running ES + Clients
• Must support long and case-sensitive filenames

Install  and Verify Siebel Software

Install Siebel Gateway Server

• May install on M machines in high-availability environment
• Verify by viewing directory + log files + seeing that NT/UNIX process is running

Install Siebel Enterprise Server

• · Run Enterprise prior to 1st Siebel Server (subsequent SS will specify this ES)
• · Must specify name of a SINGLE database

Install Siebel Server

Inspect SESsetup.log; verify NT/UNIX process is running for each SS

Install Siebel Database Server

• Run install.ksh
• Run grantusr.sql

Creates Siebel default users

• · Table owner = SIEBEL
• · Verify: log files + db connectivity + schema + seed data + repository data

Installation of Siebel Web Server Extension

• Install WebServer
• Install SWSE (eappweb.exe install program)
• Inspect virtual diectories.

Siebel Third-party products

• Post Installation
• Verify Client
• License Keys : Entered using tools

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Siebel Server Administration Recommended Practices, Siebel Server Administration Best Practices.

Sharing few best practices for Server Administration.

1. The recommended method for revising the lbconfig.txt file is to regenerate it.

2. It is recommended that you make a backup of the Siebel Gateway Name Server data—which contains configuration information from the Enterprise and Siebel Servers—prior to and after making any configuration changes, especially creating new component definitions and adding or deleting Siebel Servers. The Siebel Gateway Name Server information is stored in the siebns.dat file located in the Administration folder of the Siebel Gateway Name Server root directory. The backup procedure flushes out the latest changes from memory into the siebns.dat file and makes a backup copy.

3.Each Siebel application is preconfigured to use one of the deployment modes i.e. Standard interactivity and High Interactivity. In most cases, it is recommended not to change the deployment mode from its default mode.

4. A browser running a high-interactivity application should be enabled to work with (download, instantiate, and script) ActiveX controls. It is recommended that the URL for Siebel Business Applications be part of a zone for which security settings are defined.

5. the Browser Health Check. In general, it is recommended that you enable the browser health check when you are deploying new or upgraded Siebel applications, or deploying applications to large numbers of new users or users whose browsers are newly installed. You should also enable the browser health check in environments that are configured with high security levels, or where installed Java software may not meet requirements for your Siebel high interactivity applications.

6. OM-Model Cache Maximum. This Server parameter determines the size of the cache for model objects in Object Manager-based server components, such as Business Service Manager and Workflow Process Manager. Each model in the cache creates two database connections for the life of the model (one connection for insert, update, and delete operations; the other connection for read-only operations). The model cache improves performance for the object manager server components, and it is generally recommended not to disable this parameter.

7. SISNAPI Connection Maximum Idle Time. This Server parameter configures connection timeout between the Web server and the Siebel Server. Valid values are numeric, specifying the period of idle time (in seconds) after which the connection is disconnected by the component. It is recommended that you set this parameter to a value slightly below the firewall connection timeout value

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