What's new in CF222
The following features and updates are available to customers installing HCL Digital Experience (DX) Container Update CF222 on supported platforms:
All Digital Experience Versions (8.5, 9.0, 9.5)
- WAS versions 8.5.5.26, 9.0.5.20, and later now supported
- Updated documentation for creating categories by using external URLs
- Updated documentation for WAB filters
- Updated documentation for generating WCM search URLs
- New guidance for cleaning up WCM items
- Notice of deprecation of Textbox.io Rich Text Editor
Digital Experience 8.5 and 9.0 Versions
- End of Support announced for Digital Experience v8.5 and 9
- Automatically apply 9.5 from a later CF installation
Digital Experience 9.5 Container Version
- Values moved from incubator to the main section of
values.yaml - DAM Indexing - Updated API endpoints
- New sizing guidance for rendering in a medium configuration
- Documentation for using Logstash to push pod logs to OpenSearch
- Notice of deprecation of non-OCI-based registry for Harbor Helm chart repository
- Notice of deprecation of customized OpenLDAP container in a later CF
- Removal of automated Pod restart on ConfigMap updates
Go to the HCL Software Support Site/HCL DX Software Fix list for the list of software fixes, including Container Update releases.
All Digital Experience Versions (8.5, 9.0, 9.5)
WAS versions 8.5.5.26, 9.0.5.20, and later now supported
As stated in ConfigEngine errors when updating WebSphere Application Server (WAS) to Fix pack v9.0.5.19 & v8.5.5.25, the WAS fix packs 9.0.5.19 and 8.5.5.25 or later were not supported due to changes in the WAS ANT implementation.
Starting CF222, this issue has been addressed. HCL DX now ships with the WAS fix pack 9.0.5.20 applied.
As stated in ConfigEngine errors when updating WebSphere Application Server (WAS) to Fix pack v9.0.5.19 & v8.5.5.25, the WAS fix packs 9.0.5.19 and 8.5.5.25 or later were not supported due to changes in the WAS ANT implementation.
Starting CF222, this issue has been addressed. HCL DX now supports versions 8.5.5.26, 9.0.5.20, and later versions of WAS.
Updated documentation for creating categories by using external URLs
The topic Creating categories by using external URLs is updated to contain instructions on how to create portlet entity feeds.
The topic Creating categories by using external URLs is updated to contain instructions on how to create portlet entity feeds.
Updated documentation for WAB filters
The topic Content provider policy requests and responses is updated to include a sample code of a Web Application Bridge (WAB) filter and instructions on how to add a filter.
The topic Content provider policy requests and responses is updated to include a sample code of a Web Application Bridge (WAB) filter and instructions on how to add a filter.
Updated documentation for generating WCM Search URLs
The topic HCL Web Content Manager Support Tools is updated to include steps on how to generate a WCM search URL to be used within a content source. Note that Administrator access is required to generate a WCM Search URL.
The topic HCL Web Content Manager Support Tools is updated to include steps on how to generate a WCM search URL to be used within a content source. Note that Administrator access is required to generate a WCM Search URL.
New guidance for cleaning up WCM items
The amount of Web Content Manager (WCM) items can accumulate over time. To maintain good system performance, it is recommended to clean up old items that are no longer needed. See the new topic Cleaning up WCM items for more information.
The amount of Web Content Manager (WCM) items can accumulate over time. To maintain good system performance, it is recommended to clean up old items that are no longer needed. See the new topic Cleaning up WCM items for more information.
Notice of deprecation of Textbox.io Rich Text Editor
The Textbox.io Rich Text Editor component in the HCL Digital Experience software is deprecated effective January 31, 2023 and End of Support (EOS) is on January 31, 2024. See the Help Center topic Deprecated features for more information.
The Textbox.io Rich Text Editor component in the HCL Digital Experience software is deprecated effective January 31, 2023 and End of Support (EOS) is on January 31, 2024. See the Help Center topic Deprecated features for more information.
Digital Experience 8.5 and 9.0 Versions
End of Support announced for Digital Experience v8.5 and 9
On June 30, 2023, HCL Software announced End of Support for HCL Digital Experience versions 8.5 and 9, effective June 30, 2025. Customers are encouraged to upgrade to HCL Digital Experience version 9.5, released in a continuous delivery model. Refer to the Deprecated features page for more information.
Automatically apply 9.5 from a later CF installation
In CF219, a feature was introduced where DX version 9.5 is automatically applied to an 8.5 or 9.0 installation if the configuration setting install_95=true is set. Note that a later CF might apply 9.5 by default unless you set install_95=false. This statement is not a guarantee of future releases or their features.
Digital Experience 9.5 Container Version
Values moved from incubator to the main section of values.yaml
Values for heartbeat intervals and threshold times are moved from the incubator to the main section. If those values are changed in your values.yaml or custom values.yaml file, adjust them accordingly. For more information, see Cleanup and Rendition Version Regeneration.
DAM Indexing - Updated API endpoints
The API endpoint used for creating the damContentSourceID is now /dx/api/search/v2/contentsources while the endpoint for starting the reindexing process is /dx/api/dam/v1/reindex.
New sizing guidance for rendering in a medium configuration
Results of DX sizing tests for rendering in a Kubernetes medium configuration are now available. This guidance presents the key performance indicators (KPIs) and discusses how adjustments to the pod configuration can make improvements in the responsiveness of the system. For more information, see the topic Sizing guidance for rendering in a Kubernetes medium configuration.
Documentation for using Logstash to push pod logs to OpenSearch
As applications scale, managing Kubernetes logs is important for monitoring, debugging, and compliance. The new topic Using Logstash to push pod logs to OpenSearch provides the steps for configuring Logstash and Filebeat to have Kubernetes pod logs forwarded to OpenSearch, an open source search and analytics engine.
Notice of deprecation of non-OCI-based registry for Harbor Helm chart repository
Starting CF216, the Harbor repository is updated with an OCI-based registry and the Helm chart command is updated to be OCI-compliant. Instructions on how to pull Helm charts using OCI commands are now available. For more information, see the Help Center topics Configure Harbor Helm Repository and Download and Deploy from HCL Harbor Repository.
Notice of deprecation of customized OpenLDAP container in a later CF
Note that in a later CF, HCL DX will no longer build and ship its custom OpenLDAP container and will instead use an open source container. By using the robust and well-maintained Bitnami© OpenLDAP image, HCL DX can focus on delivering enhanced features and support without the overhead of maintaining its customized container. This shift is to provide you with more reliable and up-to-date solutions for your test environments. The new alternative, Bitnami©, will be provided but will not ship with the release. Sample LDIF (LDAP data interchange format) files for your OpenLDAP configuration will also be available.
This statement is not a guarantee of future releases or their features.
Removal of automated Pod restart on ConfigMap updates
Runtime Controller triggering Pod restarts for direct configuration changes in ConfigMaps is removed. You must restart the appropriate Pods manually to apply the changes made to the ConfigMaps for testing configurations. For more information, see Deprecated features.
Access the latest HCL Digital Experience 9.5 Education Materials on HCLSoftware U
The HCLSoftware U offers technical education for the HCL Software portfolio of products, organized by practitioner role. See the HCL Digital Experience section of HCLSoftware U and the What’s New for Digital Experience section for more information.