Released this week, Nolio ASAP 3.2 offers more features and benefits for clients than ever before, whilst simultaneously expanding the scope of operations and tightening security.

Nolio’s latest version of its innovative application release solution features:

1. Support for more platforms – including zLinux s390x SUSE 10 ES and Oracle Enterprise Linux 5 update 6 32/64bit
2. Support for more database management systems - such as MS SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008
   
3. More actions - enabling simple administrative tasks for WebLogic, WebSphere and Solaris
4. Assistance with routine tasks on Source Control such as SVN actions
   
5. New Actions for F5, file/folders and IIS7
6. Integration with SVN source control tools & simple network management protocol (SNMP)
7. Enhanced actions for xml files, IIS7, installation & operations systems
8. Multi-Server Type Agent – users can now assign an agent to multiple server type, enabling the agent to perform different types of tasks
9. Increased Security - enhancements have been made to the password parameters

New design features have also been implemented to Nolio ASAP 3.2, improving flexibility and usability for clients. Users can now employ an enhanced conflict manager to rapidly identify and resolve any bugs or conflicts in a process (such as missing mandatory inputs or multiple source updates). Clients now also have the option to revert the value of a parameter that was overridden during the design process.

The upgrades installed in Nolio ASAP 3.2 will improve productivity, efficiency and usability for all the global enterprises, online services and SaaS businesses that rely on Nolio ASAP to automate and manage their data center applications. Nolio ASAP offers a complete application-centric automation solution for error-free, low-overhead, and compliant application deployment and maintenance.

Click here to find out more about Nolio’s automated application release solutions.

Warning: The sample provided is for demonstration purposes only and shouldn’t be taken to heart. Comparing two strings is done natively in Nolio with no coding or scripting.

Running PowerShell From With Nolio

PowerShell commands can be executed from within Nolio using the Run Command Line Action. The syntax would be something like this: powershell -command "&{.\yourpsfile.ps1 }". In the Nolio Action, you can use the expected return code field to let Nolio know what value should be expect from the script and act accordingly. The issue that Mr. Benny brings up is that the default return code of PowerShell scripts are always 0 (zero), even in the case where the script completely fails.  The reason being is that we’re apparently running the PowerShell script externally and the %errorlevel% is not passed through.

There is however a way to catch the real return code by adding appropriate exit handling in the script itself and using the following syntax to execute the PowerShell:

powershell -command "&{.\yourpsfile.ps1; exit $GLOBAL:LASTEXITCODE }"

Lets use the example myps.ps1 script:
PARAM ($Str1,$str2)
if ($str1.length -lt $str2.length){"string 1 length is less than string 2";exit 1}
if ($str1.length -eq $str2.length){"strings are equal";exit 2}
if ($str1.length -gt $str2.length){"string 1 length is greater than string 2";exit 3}

Wrapping all this up in a Nolio Action will look like this:

And the results of that action will be:

Just remember, as mentioned in the warning at the beginning of this post, this is a pretty backward way of comparing two strings when your application deployment is done with Nolio. Just use the Compare Two Strings Action, plug in your parameters, and Bob’s your uncle.

Read more about Nolio ASAP and application deployment automation platforms.

Nolio Improves Application Release Productivity 30% With Latest Release of Nolio ASAP
Nolio, a leading provider of application release automation, today announced Nolio ASAP 3.1, the latest version of its software platform designed to enable IT operations and Devops teams to be 30 percent more productive and eliminate human error during maintenance and upgrades of data center enterprise applications.

The latest version of Nolio’s Application Service Automation Platform (ASAP) brings a new level of transparency and control to upgrading, patching and maintaining enterprise applications. By eliminating the introduction of human error through automatic ‘hand off’ release deployment workflows during the application lifecycle, Nolio ASAP 3.1 dramatically reduces the possibility of any human errors.

To further leverage the power of automation, Nolio 3.1 allows users to increase the number of processes, which can be executed in the ‘early hours’ maintenance window that most major IT organizations use to ensure business continuity within their core business hours. Improved user-defined ‘playback’ capabilities, including enhanced user intervention bypass process segments, result in 30 percent uplift in productivity for release managers.

“When I initially coined the concept ‘devops,’ I set out to bridge two cultures — one concerned with developing software and the other operating them,” said Patrick Debois, independent Devops consultant commented. “Tools were not part of my thinking, but the current tool chain evolution reflects those ideas. Configuration management tools are expanding toward application deployment, and deployment tools, like Nolio’s solution, are expanding toward management. These overlapping innovations are another step forward in supporting my vision of collaboration across existing boundaries become reality.”