© 2009 IBM Corporation

Hands-on Automation with STAF/STAX Parts 1 - 4

© 2009 IBM Corporation

PART 1A – STAF Introduction– Introduction– Basic STAF Concepts– The STAF Web Page– Getting Support– Installing STAF– Break/LAB 1A (Exercise 1.1)

PART 1B – Using STAF– Running STAF– Configuring STAF– Registering Services– Interacting with STAF– Basic STAF Commands– Break/LAB 1B (Exercises 1.2–1.5)

Part 1 Agenda (4 hours)

PART 1C – Leveraging STAF– STAF Services– Process Service– FS Service– Log Service– STAF Variables– Running a simple Testcase– Running a STAF-enabled Testcase– STAF Support for Java Testcases– The STAF Demo– Break/LAB 1C (Exercises 1.6-1.10)

PART 1D – Debugging STAF– Tracing– Debugging STAF– Break/LAB 1D (Exercise 1.11)

© 2009 IBM Corporation

PART 2A – STAX Introduction– What is STAX?– Technologies used in STAX– Concepts– Introduction to STAX XML

Elements– The STAX Web Page– STAX Requirements– STAX Machine Environment– Installing STAX– Configuring STAX– Using the STAX Monitor – Controlling Execution of STAX

Jobs– Understanding STAX Logs– Submitting STAX Requests – Break/LAB 2A (Exercises 2.1-2.3)

Part 2 Agenda (4 hours)

PART 2B – Creating STAX Jobs– Using Python in STAX XML Documents– Using XML to Define STAX Jobs– Understanding STAX XML Elements:

Fundamental Actions: <script>, <process>, <stafcmd>

Groupings: <sequence>, <function> Looping: <loop>, <iterate>, <break>,

<continue> Conditionals: <if>, <elseif>, <else> Execution Blocks: <block> Logging and Messages: <log>, <message>

– Creating a Simple STAX Job– Break/LAB 2C (Exercises 2.4-2.5)

PART 2C – Creating more complex STAX jobs– Understanding Additional STAX XML Elements:

Parallel Execution: <parallel>, <paralleliterate>

Testcases and Timers: <testcase>, <tcstatus>, <timer>

– Debugging STAX– Break/LAB 2C (Exercises 2.6-2.7)

© 2009 IBM Corporation

PART 3A – Additional STAF Services 1– FSExt, Zip– Monitor, ResPool– Trust, Service– Delay, Misc– LifeCycle– Break/LAB 3A (Exercise 3.1)

PART 3B – Additional STAF Services 2– Namespace– Email, Event– EventManager– Cron– HTTP– FTP– Break/LAB 3B (Exercise 3.2)

Part 3 Agenda (4 hours)

PART 3C – Advanced Topics 1– Writing custom STAF services– STAF Support for C++, Perl, Python,

and Tcl Testcases– STAF Support for Ant– STAF Support for shell-scripts– Marshalled Data– Private Data– Break/LAB 3C (Exercise 3.3)

PART 3D – Advanced Topics 2– Automation Tasks– End-to-end Automation with STAF– Keys to successful STAF/STAX

deployment – STAF Eclipse Plug-in– Contributing to STAF– Break

© 2009 IBM Corporation

PART 4A – Additional STAX Elements

– Signals and Exceptions: <raise>, <signalhander>, <try>, <catch>

– Defining Function Arguments– Subjobs– STAX File and Machine Caching– Break/LAB 4A (Exercise 4.1)

PART 4B – Sample STAX Jobs 1– DoesNothing.xml– RunNotepadProcess.xml– RunDelayRequest.xml– CheckSTAFCmdRC.xml– RunTestProcess.xml– UsingScripts.xml– FunctionParameters.xml– FunctionParametersLogging.xml– Break 4B

Part 4 Agenda (4 hours)

PART 4C – Sample STAX Jobs 2– ImportFunction.xml– Block.xml, Parallel.xml– Loop.xml, Testcase.xml– Timer.xml, Email.xml– DateTime.xml– Break 4C

PART 4D – Advanced Topics– STAXDoc– STAX Extensions– STAX Variables– STAXUtil Functions– Rational Quality Manager– STAXGlobal Class– Break/LAB 4D (Exercises 4.2-4.3)

PART 4E – STAX Debugging– Exception Stacktrace– Breakpoints– Break/LAB 4E (Exercise 4.4)