How To Create Plans

You can create an auto-generated plan, create a completely custom plan, or start with an auto-generated plan and customize it.

The N1 Service Provisioning System software can automatically generate a plan consisting of multiple “direct run” procedures. You can run this plan directly or save it for use as a template for more sophisticated plans that you author in XML.

For deployments that involve the coordination of multiple components, multiple host sets, or both, write a plan and use the provisioning software XML schema to define operations such as dependency checks and scripting that executes commands on an application console. Once the plan is written, you need to check it into the plan repository.

How To Create Auto Generated Plans

Steps

1. In the left-hand navigation menu, click components.

   The HTML user interface displays the components page, which lists the components already checked in to the database.

2. In the table listing components, find the row describing the component you would like to deploy, and click details.

   The HTML user interface displays a Components Details page for the component.

3. In the component procedures table, click the checkbox next to the name of each procedure you want to include in the plan.

4. When you have selected all the procedures you want to include, click the link labeled generate plan with checked procedures.

   The HTML user interface displays a Plan Advanced Edit page for the plan.

5. Click check in.

How To Create Custom Plans

You can begin by writing the XML code for the plan using a schema-validating editor such as TurboXML or you can write the XML code within the HTML user interface. The following description assumes that you will write the XML code using an external editor.

Steps

1. Using a schema-validating editor, write your plan using the XML schema elements described in N1 Service Provisioning System 4.1 Reference Guide.

2. When you have finished writing the plan, log in through your web browser.

3. In the left-hand navigation menu, click plans located under the application deployment heading.

   The HTML user interface displays the plans page, which lists the plans already checked in to the database.

4. In the top row of the table listing plans, enter a name and a brief description for the plan you want to create, and click create.

   The HTML user interface displays a Plan Advanced Edit page for the plan . Note that the provisioning software has populated the plan definition with an XML skeleton.

   In the text box, enter the XML for the plan. To upload a plan stored on your local system, enter the path of the file or use the browse button, then click Replace.

5. Click the check in button.

   The HTML user interface displays a new page, telling you that you are about to check in a plan. It assigns the plan version 1.0.

6. Click continue to check in to finish checking in the plan.