IDS and future RUNDATE

Question

Hi,
We are working on a project that will be deployed in production on May 29, 2011. In the Documaker library, we have many resources with the same effective date. In our setup, the RUNDATE is part of the extract file, so we are able currently to test these new resources with Documaker server. As part of our tests, we also archive the transactions and all of that is running fine.
Using Workstation, I can acces the archive and, by changing the date in the RUNDATE field, on the "Formset Retrieve" screen, I can retrieve transactions with a future run date. All the ressources with an effective date of 2011-05-29 are also retrieved, displayed and printed properly.
The issue we now have is with IDS. Whenever we try to generate a PDF from one of these future transactions, we get nothing back.
Using DsiCoTB, I can see that IDS does not read the transaction's RUNDATE; it uses the system date as the RUNDATE, so all the resources that will only become available on or after 2011-05-29 (no previous versions available) cause errors when trying to create the PDF.
I have tried, in DsiCoTB, to add the exact RUNDATE as part of my request, but that also failed.
How can I pass along the RUNDATE to IDS so that it can retrieve these "future" transactions like workstation does?
Thanks,
Gaétan
Edited by: GaetanB on 2010-11-22 12:06
With the help of OCS and Scott Griesser, we have a solution. It might be helpful for any company running test cycles like we do.
Before deploying changes in Production, we go through different stages: Integration, System Test, Acceptance and Model Office. For each stage, we run full cycles of testing, including creating, modifying and cancelling policies, and printing the related documents. Each test cycle uses what we call a simulation date. During cycle 1, we will create a policy. Then, during cycle 2, where the simulation date is usually 10 days after the simulation date for cycle 1, we will modify or cancel some policies. The simulation date is also the date passed along to Documaker as the RUNDATE.
What we will do is to modify the web application calling IDS to include the simulation date as the value for the variable ARCEFFECTIVEDATE. When we get to the production environment, the simulation date is always replaced with the current system date, so our web application remains unchanged between the test environments and Production.
This is standard method we use with all of our applications, so we are fine with this setup.
Edited by: GaetanB on 2010-11-23 15:20

Answer 1

IDS checks traffic flows and alerts on anomalies or triggers of signatures. IPS does the same thing but it can also prevent attacks by accessing your devices and making ACL/firewall changes to block the offender. IPS is the next generation of IDS.