Alert Plus Utilities - Legacy

Summary

This article describes how to use the Alert Plus Utilities to automate configuration updates that must be performed when upgrading from Alert Plus 3.0 or earlier. 

The Alert Plus Utilities (no version number) packaged with Alert Plus 3.1 will only work correctly with Alert Plus 3.1*.
The Alert Plus Utilities (no version number) packaged with Alert Plus version 3.2.38 will only work correctly with Alert Plus 3.2.38.
The Alert Plus Utilities v3.2.2.0 packaged with Alert Plus version 3.2.52 will only work correctly with Alert Plus version 3.2.52.
The Alert Plus Utilities v3.2.4.0 and v3.2.5.0 can be used with versions Alert Plus versions above 3.2.52.

Use the Alert Plus Utilities that come with the installer for your version of Alert Plus, or see the attachments to this article.
We now have attachments with tools and instructions to run either a console application (for SP2007) or a PowerShell script (for SP2010 and SP2013) in order to upgrade or maintain single sites, all sites in a site collection, or all sites in a web application.

Before using the Alert Plus Utilities application, upgrade Alert Plus using the instructions that apply to your upgrade scenario in the Upgrading Alert Plussection of the Online Documentation:

Running Alert Plus Utilities

The Alert Plus Utilities application is included with the Setup program for Alert Plus 3.1 and higher. Click the Alert Plus Utilities link in the Components list on the left, read the information provided, and then click the Install button to launch the Alert Plus Utilities application.

Where and how do I run the Alert Plus Utilities:

• Where to run the Alert Plus Utilities:
  • SharePoint 2007: Run the Alert Plus Utilities on one of the servers in the SharePoint farm running the Windows SharePoint Services Web Application service. Refer to Topology and Services in SharePoint Central Administration for a list of servers running this service.
  • SharePoint 2010 and 2013: Run the Alert Plus Utilities on one of the servers in the SharePoint farm running the Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Web Application service. Refer to System Settings in SharePoint Central Administration for a list of servers running this service.
• Required permissions: The account running the Alert Plus Utilities application must have the same permissions as the application pool identity account for the Web application where Alert Plus is installed. Refer to the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager to identify the application pool identity account for each Web application.

TOP

Update Alert Plus

Use the Update Alert Plus tab when upgrading any version of Alert Plus to the latest version, or when Bamboo Support recommends you run it.

Alert Plus 3.1 and higher include configuration updates to custom alert schedules, event receiver architecture, List Rollup Schema CAML query structure, and the Alert+ Configuration List. These updates are not performed automatically when the Bamboo Alert Plus Web Part is upgraded from version 2.* to version 3.*, or from version 3.1 to version 3.2 and must be made by running the Alert Plus Utility for each individual site.

If Alert Plus is installed on many sites or if you have a large number of alerts with custom schedules or many List Rollup Schema alerts, the Alert Plus Utilities can perform these changes without having to visit every site or update individual alerts, if you download one of the attached zip files:

AlertPlusUtilitiesMultipleSites-Sharepoint2010.zip contains a PowerShell script which will let you update Alert Plus sites within a site collection or web application on SP2010 or SP2013. It also contains a Word document with instructions.

AlertPlusUtilitiesMultipleSites-SP2007.zip contains a console application which will let you update Alert Plus sites within a site collection or web application on SP2007. It also contains a Word document with instructions.

It is important to register the sites before running the update when upgrading from version 2.* to version 3* of Alert Plus.   If you have updated from one version of 3.* to another, then the sites are already registered.

Follow the instructions below to update individual site alert configuration using the Alert Plus Utilities:

1. In the Update Alert Plus tab, verify that all four update options are checked. Enter the URL of the site containing the Alert+ Configuration List and click the Update button.
2. Review the results of the update activities in the status box. For any errors or warnings, read the information provided for important troubleshooting steps.
3. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each site that contains an Alert+ Configuration List.
   

   Note: The Alert Plus Utilities option to fix custom schedules may not work for certain custom schedules. Alert IDs with schedules that could not be updated are listed in the status box after you click Update in the Update Alert Plus tab. To fix those schedules manually, modify the specified alert in the Alert Plus Web Part and update the Custom Schedule setting in the Event tab. For more information about available Custom Schedule updates, read the Event Tab section of the Alert Plus Online Documentation.

TOP

Register Site

Use the Register Site utility when upgrading from Alert Plus 2.8 or earlier. You do not need to use this utility when upgrading from Alert Plus 3.0 to 3.1 or higher.

Alert Plus 3.0 replaced the Web Service architecture of previous Alert Plus versions with SharePoint timer jobs. Previous Alert Plus versions registered sites to the Alert Plus Web Service using a file called data.xml. This file was located on the server where the Bamboo.AlertPlusService was installed (often an application server instead of a SharePoint Web front-end server). Alert Plus 3.0 and later registers sites using the site collection properties, no longer requiring the data.xml file. Site registration is updated to the new method by visiting the Web Part page where the Bamboo Alert Plus Web Part resides, a step in the Alert Plus 2.8 to 3.x upgrade process.

If you have many sites to update, the Alert Plus Utilities can update site registration without having to visit every site.

Follow the instructions below to update site registration using the Alert Plus Utilities:

1. In the Register Site tab, choose whether to register all Alert Plus sites at once using the Alert Plus 2.x data.xml file or to register sites one at a time by entering a Site URL. If you choose to use the data.xml file, the location where this file can be found is listed below the Browse box*. Registration for all sites listed in the data.xml file will be updated at once.
2. After selecting a registration method and entering required information for that method, click the Register Site button.
3. Review the results of the registration activities in the status box. For any errors or warnings, read the information provided for important troubleshooting steps.
4. If you are registering sites by Site URL, repeat steps 2 and 3 for each site containing an Alert+ Configuration List.

* The data.xml file is located in <%systemroot%>:\Documents and Settings\[user account running the Bamboo.AlertPlusService]\Local Settings\Application Data\Bamboo\Alert Plus\ on the server where the Bamboo.AlertPlusService for Alert Plus 2.8 or earlier was running. Bamboo recommends copying this file to the server where the Alert Plus Utilities is running.

Note: The Register Site utility also allows you to unregister sites, which does not happen automatically when the Alert Plus Web Part is removed from a site. Leaving a site registered even though it is not used does not cause problems, but you can unregister the site if you prefer not to see the log messages about a removed site in the SharePoint logs.

TOP

Event Registration Info

Use the Event Registration Info utility when prompted to do so by Bamboo Support.

The Event Registration Info utility displays event receiver information for SharePoint List or Library alerts.

For Alert Plus 2.*, 3.0 and 3.1, the event types that used event receivers were: An item in the list is created, An item in the list is modified, An item in the list is deleted, A list item is created or modified, and A specific column in the list changes.

For Alert Plus 3.2 and above, the only event types that use event receivers are: An item in the list is deleted and A specific column in the list changes.

The Event Registration Info utility lists all event receivers registered for a given site. Bamboo Support can use this diagnostic information when troubleshooting problems with alerts. The same information is available in the Support page of the Bamboo Alert Plus Web Part.

TOP

Update Event Receivers

Use the Update Event Receivers utility only when prompted to do so by Bamboo Support.

The Update Event Receivers utility allows event receiver configuration to be manually updated. Event receivers should never be modified manually unless prompted to do so by Bamboo Support.