Getting Ready to Use StarTeam Notification Agent

Each instance of StarTeam Notification Agent can monitor only one server configuration. That means that you must run StarTeam Notification Agent once for each server configuration to be monitored.

Before you can run an instance of StarTeam Notification Agent, you must:

• Create a mailbox in your mail system for the sole use of the StarTeam Notification Agent instance if you will be sending email notification messages that require a response. You will use a different email address for each server configuration, as one instance of StarTeam Notification Agent can monitor only one server configuration. You may need to request that this mailbox be created by an MIS representative. If you have more than one server configuration, each server configuration will need its own mailbox.
• Decide what StarTeam user name and password will be used by StarTeam Notification Agent. We recommend dedicating a user license to StarTeam Notification Agent. However, you can use an existing user, if you prefer. If you do this:

  The user must have an email address listed in the server’s User Manager. StarTeam Notification Agent does not have to use that user’s email address, but the user must have one.

  If the user name to be used by StarTeam Notification Agent is that of a team member and you plan to send email notification messages that require a response, StarTeam Notification Agent must use a different email address. You will not want to fill the team member’s mailbox with email from the StarTeam Notification Agent.

  For details about adding users, see the StarTeam Administrator’s Guide.

  Note: Be sure that the user who runs StarTeam Notification Agent has adequate access rights.
• Consider whether you want other forms of notification to be enabled at the same time as Notification Agent. For example, you may want to turn off email notification or status tray notification.

  Email notification per server configuration

  • If you enable e-mail notification, all users will receive email when:
    • A change request, requirement, or task for which the team member is responsible is created or modified. For example, a user may need to fix it or verify a change request.
    • A topic that has the team member as a recipient is created or modified. (If a topic has no recipients listed, no one receives notification.)

    This type of notification is either on for all users or off for all users.

    This type of notification can be redundant or conflict with StarTeam Notification Agent email messages.

    Redundant example

    Suppose StarTeam Notification Agent has been set up to request users to accept or decline responsibility for an item at a particular step. Suppose that one user has been sent email to that effect. The user accepts responsibility and receives both confirmation email from StarTeam Notification Agent and notification email from the StarTeam Server.

    Conflict example

    Suppose StarTeam Notification Agent has been set up to manage responsibility. Suppose that one user has been sent email to that effect. Suppose that another user forgets to let StarTeam Notification Agent manage the responsibility field and changes the responsibility for an item manually to the first user. The first user accepts responsibility using the email message from StarTeam Notification Agent. StarTeam Notification Agent notices that the item’s responsibility has already changed. It notifies the first user that it did not make him the responsible party because the item has already be updated. At about the same time, the StarTeam Server notifies the first user that he is responsible for the item. This can be very confusing for the first user and can be avoided if only StarTeam Notification Agent sets responsibility for such items or if the StarTeam Server’s email notification is turned off.

  Status tray notification per user

  The application client notifies you by placing icons in the status tray of the task bar whenever:

  • A change request that is the user’s responsibility is created or modified.
  • A requirement that is the user s responsibility is created or modified.
  • A task that is the user’s responsibility has been created or modified.
  • A topic (that has the user as a recipient) has been created or modified. If a topic has no recipients listed, no one receives notification.

  This type of notification is turned on and off per component and per user. There are personal options for system tray notification in the Microsoft Windows client. The StarTeam Cross-Platform Client does not have this functionality.

• Run StarTeam Notification Agent setup to identify each server configuration to be monitored by StarTeam Notification Agent and to set notification properties for that configuration.

  As part of this process, a StarTeam Notification Agent folder will be added to the server configuration’s StarFlow Extensions project. StarTeam Notification Agent uses this folder to

  store the setup information for the server configuration in a file named NotificationAgent.conf.xml.

  This process also creates a serveraddress_port.nac file (for example, orion_49201.nac) for each server configuration. The .nac file contains the mailbox password but in an encrypted format. The file is stored in StarTeam Notification Agent’s installation folder.