Automating the Nightly Jobs

Overview

This process was created to eliminate the need for staff to manually complete the end of day processes. The whole process covers the following:

• The initiation of a check printer for overnight check printing
• Running FINISH
• Stopping Job Scheduler, Shared Branch, EFT, Internet and Telephone Banking
• Stopping FSP services
• Stopping the database
• Splitting mirrors
• Restarting the previously stopped services
• Running backup scripts
• Notification if something goes wrong

This process is easily accomplished with the use of the free software Expect. Created by Don Libes while working at NIST. This software is used to automate interactive applications and more. This is a very useful and free piece of software that has made automating many daily credit union tasks extremely easy. You can be notified of problems and success by emailing your choice of email addresses and even as a text message to a cell phone. The program to retrieve the next usable check number is provided for free by GHR Concepts LLC.

Programs and Information Needed

• Learn more about Expect
• Download the next check number program NEXT.CHECK.NUM
• Download production scripts with documentation: Market USA FCU's Scripts
• Expect requires Tcl to run. Learn about it from the Tcl Wiki
• Also on the Tcl Wiki is a section for the Expect Wiki
• Download Tcl 8.4 for your version of unix from www.activestate.com. You will have to look for it under Tcl and the Other Systems and Versions link
• Download Expect from expect.nist.gov. The link to download is near the beginning of the page.
• Tcl and Expect installation information.

Demos

• View the installation of expect
• View capturing a script using a version of autoexpect that provides structure we use and saves time editing scripts.
• View the editing of a script
• View expect initiating a check printer here

Additional Materials

• Download this document of sample expect script date functions provided by Brant Puttkammer at United Educators Credit Union. This is useful for example when you need to enter a date of 3 months ago in a program. Or if today is Friday then answer the prompt differently.
• The BEST way to learn and fully utilize expect is to get the book "Exploring Expect" by Don Libes. It can be purchased from www.amazon.com
• Email notifications requires configuring sendmail on your unix server, making sure your network allows the traffic, and configuring your email server