How to use the HTML User Interface

You can use the HTML user interface to model components and to install components on target hosts.

Steps

1. Install a Remote Agent on each server that you want to model, whether it be a gold server, source code control system, or some other type of server.

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   Note –

   See the N1 Service Provisioning System 4.1 Installation Guide for information on installing Remote Agents.

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2. Define a host type for the host you will be modeling and for the hosts you will be deploying the application to. Include host type attributes (name-value pairs) for any configuration variables you want to set dynamically.

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   Note –

   For a description of host types, see Working With Host Types.

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3. Using the Hosts page, add each host to the host repository. The final step in adding a host is “preparing a host,” which enables the provisioning software to fine tune the configuration of the host's Remote Agent in preparation for operating upon the host.

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   Note –

   For more information about adding and preparing hosts, see Working with Hosts.

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4. If you are going to define multiple components from a collection of resources, you can check in resources next. Most likely, though, you're working with components that have their own set of resources, so you should begin by creating components directly.

   • Use the Components page to create a new component.

   • On the Component > Details page, add the resources that make up the component. If a resource has already been checked in, you add it as an existing resource. Otherwise, check in the resource as a new resource.

   • Save the component. Saving the component builds the component–that is, the N1 Service Provisioning System software saves the component with a specific name and version number and associates this specific version of the component with the specific versions of the resources that make it up.

5. You can now either install the component or to extend the component by editing XML.

   • With most components, you're now ready to run installation procedures using the install procedure that the provisioning software has automatically generated. To run an installation procedure–or some other extended control service associated with this component–display the Component > Details page for the component, select the check box for the procedure you want to run, and click run. This method of running procedures is called direct run.

   • If you want to add more information to the component, such as additional configuration variables, additional steps to perform during specific procedures, or more details about what to include and what to exclude during comparisons, check out the component, edit its XML, and then check it back in.

6. Once you've edited the XML, you're ready to continue with operations.

   If you want to install one component at a time on a single set of hosts, you can run the install procedure listed on the component details page of the component. If you want to automate the installation of the component on different sets of hosts, add dependency checking to the installation, synchronize steps in the installation, write a plan for the component, and then run the plan to install the component.