Introduction to Plug-Ins

In general usage, plug-in applications are programs that can easily be installed and used as part of your web browser. A plug-in application is recognized automatically by the browser and its function is integrated into the main HTML file that is being presented. Web browser plug-in applications generally play sound or motion video or perform some other functions.

In the Sun N1 Service Provisioning System environment, a plug-in differs only slightly in concept from the general usage. A plug-in for the Sun N1 Service Provisioning System product is a packaged solution that extends the provisioning capability of the product for a specific platform, application, or environment. For example, you might create a plug-in solution for a specific application, such as Oracle 8i, or for some feature of an operating system, such as Solaris Zones.

A plug-in includes all of the relevant data that is needed to support a new custom application. The contents of the plug– in are described in the plug-in descriptor file. This file is located in a standard place within the plug–in packaging structure.

Acquiring Plug-Ins

Several plug–ins have been created for use with the Sun N1 Service Provisioning System. The plug-ins are available on the Sun N1 Service Provisioning System 5.2: Supplement CD and in the image downloaded from the Sun Download Center.

The plug-ins are packaged in Java archive files (.jar files). To make a given plug-in known to the Sun N1 Service Provisioning System product, you need to import the plug-in. For instructions to import a plug-in, see the user's guide associated with the plug-in that you want to import in the Plug-In User's Guide document collection at http://docs.sun.com/db/coll/1329.1.