13 Deployment Manager

The Deployment Manager is a tool for exporting and importing your Oracle Identity Manager configurations. Deployment Manager enables you to export the objects that make up your Oracle Identity Manager configuration. Use the Deployment Manager to migrate a configuration from one deployment to another, for example, from a test to a production deployment, or to create a back up of your system.

Important: To use Deployment Manager, JRE 1.4.2 must be installed on any computer that is running the Oracle Identity Manager Administrative and User Console.

The Deployment Manager saves your settings in an XML file. Use the Deployment Manager to exchange Oracle Identity Manager items between environments. These items include:

• Adapters

• Error message and lookup definitions

• User group and administrative queue information

• User-defined field definitions

• Rule definitions

• E-mail definitions

• Password management

• Access policies

• IT Resources

• Resource objects

• User-created forms

• Organization and task scheduling information

The Deployment Manager lets you save your Oracle Identity Manager configurations in XML files. You can save some or all of the items (objects) in your configuration. This lets you develop and test your configurations in a test environment, and then import the finished items into your production environment. You can import and export an object and all of its dependent and related objects at the same time, or you can export just parts of it. This chapter covers the following topics related to Deployment Manager usage:

• Exporting Deployments

• Importing Deployments

• Best Practices

Exporting Deployments

You can export objects from your Oracle Identity Manager system and save them in an XML file. The Deployment Manager has an Export Wizard that enables you to build up your export file. Add objects by type, one type at a time (user groups, then forms, then processes, and so on). If you select an object that has child objects or dependencies, you have the option to add them or not. Once you add objects of one type, you can go back and add other objects to your XML files. When you have all the desired objects, the Deployment Manager saves them all at once into a single XML file.

Note: Exporting Resource Objects with User Defined Fields When user defined fields are associated with a specific resource object, then during the Export process one of the following events can occur: If the user defined fields contain values (entered information) the Deployment Manager will consider them as dependencies. If the user defined fields contain no values (the fields are blank), the Deployment Manager will not considered them as dependencies.

1. In the Oracle Identity Manager Administrative and User Console menu, click Deployment Management > Export. The Deployment Manager opens and the Export Wizard's Search Objects screen appears.

2. Use the Search Objects screen to locate and select objects to export.

   To search for objects:

   1. Use the drop-down menu to select an object type.

   2. Enter a search criterion (leave blank, an asterisk automatically appears, to find all the objects of the selected type).

   3. Click Search to find objects of the selected type.

   To select an object, click its checkbox. Click Cancel to quit the Wizard.

3. Click Select Children. The Select Children screen appears.

   The Select Children screen displays the selected objects and any of their children. Select which children to export.

   To select or remove an item, click its checkbox.

   1. Click Back to go to the Search Objects screen.

   2. Click Cancel to quit the Wizard.

4. Click Select Dependencies. The Select Dependencies screen appears.

   The Select Dependencies screen displays any objects required by the selected objects. Select which dependencies to export.

   To select or remove an item, click its checkbox.

   1. Click Back to go to the Select Children screen.

   2. Click Cancel to quit the Wizard.

5. Click Confirmation. The Confirmation screen appears.

6. Make sure all desired items are selected.

   1. Click Back to go to the Search Objects screen.

   2. Click Cancel to quit the Wizard.

   Click Add for Export. The Add More screen appears.

   
   

   Note: After you click Add for Export, you can still add more items to this export file.

   
   

7. You use the Wizard to add more items, or finish and exit the Wizard. Select the desired radio button and click OK.

   If you selected Add more, repeat Steps 2 through 7. Otherwise, the Export screen appears.

   The Export screen displays your current selections for export. Your selections have icons next to them that indicate what types of objects are selected. In the Summary information pane, the objects you are exporting are displayed. In the Unselected Dependencies pane, any dependencies or children of the selected objects that you chose not to export are listed.

8. Make any desired adjustments to your export by using the appropriate options:

   1. Click Reset to clear the form.

   2. Click Legend to see icon definitions

   3. Click Add Object to restart the Wizard and add more items to your export file.

   To remove an object from the Current Selections list:

   1. Right-click the object to remove and select Remove from the shortcut menu.

      
      

      Note: If the object has child objects, to remove them all at the same time, select Remove including children from the shortcut menu.

      
      

   2. Click Remove to confirm. The object is removed from the Current Selections list. If the object is a child or dependency of a selected item, it is added to the Unselected Children, or Unselected Dependencies list.

   3. To add an object back to the Current Selections list from the Unselected Children or Unselected Dependencies list, right-click the object and select Add. The object is added through the Wizard screens. Click to confirm and select any children or dependencies, as needed.

9. Once all the desired items are selected, click Export. The Add Description dialog box appears.

10. Enter a description for the file.

    
    

    Note: This description is displayed when the file is imported.

    
    

11. Click Export. The Save As dialog box appears.

    Enter a file name. You can browse to find a location.

12. Click Save. The Export Success dialog appears.

13. Click Close.

Importing Deployments

You can import objects, saved in an XML file using the Deployment Manager, into your Oracle Identity Manager system. When you import an XML file, you can import all or part of the file. The Deployment Manager also allows you to import multiple XML files at once. The Deployment Manager checks to make sure the dependencies for any objects you are importing are available, either in the import or in your system. During import, you are given the option to substitute an object you are importing for one in your system. For example, you can substitute a group specified in the XML file for a group in your system.

This section includes the following subsections:

• Deployment Manager Behavior on Re-Imported Scheduled Task

• Importing an XML File

Note: Before importing data that contains references to menu items, you must first create the menu items in the target system.

Deployment Manager Behavior on Re-Imported Scheduled Task

Under normal circumstances, you would import a Scheduled Task into your Oracle Identity Manager environment and later change the values to meet your production requirements. However, if you import the same Scheduled Task a second time into the same Oracle Identity Manager server, the Deployment Manager does not overwrite the attribute values in the database. Instead the Deployment Manager compares the attribute value of the re-imported XML file to any corresponding attribute values in the database.

The following table summarizes the Deployment Manager's behavior on Scheduled Task re-import.

Does the Scheduled Task have attribute values in the XML file being imported?	Are there any corresponding attribute values in the database?	Deployment Manager Action
Yes	No	Store attribute values in the database
No	Yes	Delete existing attribute values in the database
Yes	Yes (Newer attribute values indicated by timestamp)	No change in the database
Yes (Newer attribute values indicated by timestamp)	Yes	Update the database with the newest attribute values

Importing an XML File

1. In the Administrative and User Console menu, click Deployment Management > Import.

2. Then choose a file for import dialog box appears.

3. Click Open. The File Preview screen appears.

4. Click Add File. The Substitutions screen appears

5. To substitute a name, click in the New Name field adjacent to the item you want to replace, and enter the desired name.

   
   

   Note: You can only substitute items that exist in the target system.

   
   

6. After making the desired substitutions, click Next.

7. If you are exporting an IT Resource Instance, then the Provide IT Resource Instance Data screen is displayed. Otherwise you are redirected to the Confirmation screen.

8. Modify the values in the current resource instance and click Next.

   OR

   Click Skip to skip the current resource instance.

   OR

   Click <<New Instance>> to create a new resource instance.

9. The Confirmation screen appears. Check that the information is correct. To go back and make changes, click Back.

   OR

   Click View Selections.

   The Deployment Manager Import screen displays your current selections.

   The Import screen also displays icons next to your current selections. The icons indicate what types of objects are selected. The icons on the right indicate the status of the icons. The file names of any selected files, summary information about the objects you are importing, and substitution information is displayed on the left-hand side of the screen. On the right, the Objects Removed from Import list displays any objects in the XML file that will not be imported.

10. Make any desired adjustments to your import:

    1. Click Reset to clear the form.

    2. Click Legend to see icon definitions

    3. To remove an object from the Current Selections list:

       1) Right-click the object to remove and select Remove from the shortcut menu.

       2) Click Remove to confirm. The item is added to the Objects Removed From Import list.

       
       

       Note: If the object has child objects, to remove them all at the same time, select Remove including children from the shortcut menu.

       
       

    4. To add an item back to the Current Selections list, right-click it and select Add.

       
       

       Note: If the object has child objects, to add them all at the same time, select Add including children from the shortcut menu.

       
       

    5. To make substitution, click Add Substitutions.

    6. To add objects from another XML file, click Add File (and repeat Steps 2. through 7).

    7. Click Show Information to see information about your import.

       The Information screen appears and shows basic information about your import.

    8. To see more information, click the Show Info Level Messages checkbox, to select it.

    9. Click Show Messages.

    10. Click Close to close the Information screen.

11. To import the current selections, click Import. A confirmation dialog box appears.

12. Click Import. The import success dialog appears.

13. Click OK. The objects are added to your Oracle Identity Manager system.

Best Practices

Some of the suggested practices and pitfalls to avoid while using Deployment Manager are as follows:

• Understand the limitations of the Deployment Manager to effectively use all its functionality.

• Do not export system objects.

• Group definition data and operation data separately.

• Use logical names for form versions.

• Specify intuitive Export Descriptions.

• Check all warnings before performing any imports

• Check the required dependencies in the target system before performing any exports.

• Understand how scheduled task attributes are affected by imports.

• Compile adapters and enable scheduled tasks.

• Export entity adapters separately with only essential mappings, and then manually create the required mappings.

• Back up the database before importing it into the production environment.

• Ensure that the correct version of the form is active during a UDF or form import

• Perform imports during periods of low activity in the system.

  
  

  Note: For detailed information on best practices related to using the Deployment Manager, refer to the Oracle Identity Manager Best Practices Guide.