Configuring Friends And Consumers

A Collaboration Link is a link between two elements that belong to different applications. Typically, when a Collaboration Link is created from one Application A to one Application B, a back link is created (automatically) from Application B to Application A, so both elements may have a way to navigate to each other. In this scenario, where a link can exist either because it was created on its own, or because it was created as the back link of the other link, it is often useful to distinguish their nature with a role name:

• Outgoing link: is the Collaboration Link that was created on its own.
• Incoming link: is the Collaboration Link that was created as the back link of the other link.

Henceforth, when a Collaboration Link in Windchill is said to be an outgoing link, it means it is a link whose creation was triggered from Windchill (creating a back link on the ELM Application), whereas if it is an incoming link it means it is a link that was created as back link on Windchill (due to a creation triggered from the ELM Application).

Creating Collaboration Links is speaking about trust between different applications. The triggering application of the Collaboration Link creation must access to the resources (artifacts) of the other application, and this one must allow the modification of them in order to create the link. All this must happen in an atmosphere of trust: applications must be registered in each other to allow this behavior only between registered applications. Now, the application allowing the access/modification of its resources is called the friend application, whereas the one requesting such access/modification is called the consumer application.

In this scenario, if Windchill wanted to access/modify the resources of DOORS Next Generation (DNG), for example, DNG would need to be registered in Windchill as a friend, and at the same time, Windchill would need to be registered in DNG as a consumer... All this would be good enough if only Windchill required to create Collaboration Links, but what about if DNG users also wanted to create links from their side? In this case, and to allow bidirectional creation of links, Windchill would need to be registered also as a friend in DNG, and at the same time, DNG would need to be registered as a consumer in Windchill.

There are normally two ways to establish this connectivity:

• By requesting a provisional key.
  1. The friend application is registered first on the consumer.
  2. While registering, the consumer asks the friend to generate a provisional key working for a given password.
  3. If the friend application accepts the request, it registers the consumer on its side and returns the provisional key to it.
  4. The consumer will be able to use this key and password to access the friend once the provisional key becomes authorized.
   
• By reusing an authorized key.
  1. The consumer application is registered first on the friend.
  2. While registering, the friend administrator sets an authorized key and password for the consumer.
  3. The friend administrator needs to communicate, to the consumer administrator, the key and password set.
  4. The consumer administrator registers the friend using the given key and password.

As you can see, everything is about a key and a password, the difference between last approaches is how they generate and share the key. Getting back to the Windchill-DNG example, you will need to:

• Make Windchill a friend of DNG by requesting a provisional key.
  1. You need to register Windchill as a friend of DNG first.
  2. While registering, you need to request a provisional key working for a password you choose.
  3. If Windchill accepts the request, it registers DNG as a consumer of it and returns the provisional key to it.
  4. You need to call/wait for the Windchill administrator to change the provisional key to an authorized key before you can access Windchill.
   
• Make DNG a friend of Windchill by reusing an authorized key.
  1. You ask DNG administrator to register Windchill as a consumer first.
  2. While registering, DNG administrator sets an authorized key and password for Windchill.
  3. DNG administrator needs to communicate you the key and password set.
  4. You can now register DNG as a friend of Windchill using the given key and password.

This would be a good moment to get in touch with the ELM Application administrator and agree on which method you both will use, keep in mind that whereas OSLC Connect for Windchill supports one the method of making friends with an existing key, most ELM Applications just support the method of requesting provisional keys. But wait a moment, which ELM Applications need become friends of Windchill? And how is a friend or consumer registered on Windchill?

Following is what you need to do to complete this configuration:

1. Refer to related tasks in order to know how to manage (register) friends and consumers on Windchill.
2. Get in touch with Windchill product administrators and ask them:
   1. which ELM Applications need become friends of Windchill ^[1].
   2. whether they will need Global Configurations when connecting to ELM Applications.
   3. whether they require Jazz Reporting Service and/or IBM Engineering Lifecycle Optimization.
    
3. Get in touch with corresponding ELM Applications administrators to agree which method to use for friending your applications with each other.
4. Register, with the aid of ELM Applications administrators, required friends and consumers according to Windchill product administrators needs.

Change Management resources

If Global configurations are used, you need also to:

1. Confirm with ELM administrators that ELM Link Index Provider (LDX) application is installed in their ELM instance ^{[2], [3]}.
2. Ask LDX administrator to register a new data source for Windchill's Change Management resources using some consumer credentials previously registered in Windchill^[4].

Architecture Management resources

If Global configurations are used, you need also to:

1. Make sure Windchill and ELM Global Configuration Management applications become friends with each other.
2. Configure the Tracked Resource Set user as described in the Configuring Consumers for TRS page.

Reporting Services

If Jazz Reporting Service and/or RELM are required, you need also to:

1. Confirm with ELM administrators that ELM Lifecycle Query Engine (LQE) application is installed in their ELM instance ^{[2], [3]}.
2. Configure the Tracked Resource Set user as described in the Configuring Consumers for TRS page.
3. Ask LQE administrator to register new data sources for Windchill's Change Management / Architecture Management resources and another for Windchill's Process resources, both using ELM LDX consumer credentials ^[6].

^[1] Do not forget this implies Windchill needs become friend of them as well. ^[2] You can not continue if this application is not available, it is mandatory for this feature. ^[3] On Checking ELM Registered Applications topic, ELM administrators can find a guide to figure it out. ^[4] On Configuring LDX with Windchill's Change Management data source topic, LDX administrator can find a guide to do it. ^[5] On Configuring LQE with Windchill's data sources topic, LQE administrator can find guides to do it.
Managing Friends
Managing Consumers