Components

A component is a logical grouping of source information (software and/or file structures or other components) that define an application.

The N1 Service Provisioning System software supports two types of components, simple and composite. A simple component is a component that references a single source item. The type of source items that simple component references corresponds to the component's Component Type. For example, a file, a directory of files, a registry key, a COM object, a Java^TM Archive (JAR), an EAR, an IIS website, etc. A composite component is a component that references other components. Composite components can contain any number of simple and/or composite components.

All components, regardless of whether they are simple or composite have the following characteristics in common:

Name

A text field that identifies the component. This includes the path where the component is stored.

Type

A user definable object (Component Type) that is used to control how to handle source information. The component type object is actually another component that manages the acquisition and deployment of source objects such as files, directories, and configurations. The provisioning software comes populated with a large number of component types that support WebLogic and Windows, UNIX® , and some generic models.

Version

The revision number of the component. Each time a component is modified, the repository increments its version number.

Platform

Identifies the platform(s) or operating system(s) that are valid targets for the component's deployment.

Source

Identifies from where the component source information came. This include the path.

Checked in

The date and time when the component was checked in. That is, created or modified.

Checked in by

The user ID of the person who checked in the component. This provides an audit trail when trying to troubleshoot problems or inconsistencies.

Label

A user definable text string that can be used to control the sorting on the components page.

Description

A text string that describes the component object. This attribute is not used by the provisioning software but can provide meaningful information to the user.

For a more complete description of component attributes see Building a Component.

The N1 Service Provisioning System software stores each component along with metadata that contains important information about the component, including how to:

• Install and uninstall the component

• Configure the component

• Control the component (e.g., through administration consoles or other interfaces)

• Analyze the component in comparison to other application components (for example, specifying whether log files and /tmp directories should be considered in comparisons)

• Start up and shut down the component

By reading this metadata and comparing components, the provisioning software can identify and track dependencies among components.

Figure 1–2 shows the contents of a component.

Figure 1–2 N1 Service Provisioning System software components include software, templates, and metadata.

In addition to this metadata, components include configuration templates that enable IT operators to adjust specific configuration parameters—for example, port numbers—on a server-by-server basis or according to the rules defined in an execution plan. These variables can be set when an operation is performed, rather than being hard-coded in traditional data center scripts.

Component models are written in XML. The object model incorporates features from the Common Information Model (CIM) and from JSR-77, a Java Specification Request proposing a standard management model for J2EE components. Through the N1 Service Provisioning System software console, you can use component templates to quickly customize existing components. You can also author new templates for applications developed in-house. To perform advanced customizations on complex J2EE components, you can edit components through the HTML interface on the console or with an XML editing tool such as XML Spy.

The provisioning software stores components and plans in a secure repository. Using the console, you check components and plans in and out of the repository, run comparisons, and make changes.

To perform a data center operation such as a deployment, you apply plans to components. Through the N1 Service Provisioning System software , every data center operation incorporates all the knowledge available about each component. Errors are automatically detected. Missing information is flagged. Through automation, deployments and configuration changes become faster and more accurate.

The Component Library

N1 Service Provisioning System software makes it easy for IT operators to begin using component models right away. The Master Server includes a component library with templates for the most common components used in Internet data centers. Table 1–2 lists the templates included in the library.

Table 1–2 Templates in the Component Library

Application Component Templates	Simple Files and Directories  J2EE Enterprise Archive (EAR)  J2EE Web Archive (WAR)  J2EE Java Archive (JAR)  Solaris Package  Solaris OS Patch  IIS Web Site or Virtual Directory  COM+ Application  COM Component  MSI Application  Windows Registry Keys  Windows Data Source  .Net Application  ASP .Net Application
Web Server Templates	SunTMONE /iPlanetTM (admin with managed instances) Apache Web Server  Microsoft IIS (with Metabase settings)
Application Server Templates	BEA WebLogic (admin with simple, managed, and clustered instances)  IBM WebSphere (admin with simple and cloned instances)  Microsoft Component Services/COM+  Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS)

In addition to working with these components, the provisioning software can coordinate activities with standard databases, load balancers, and operating systems as part of deploying, configuring, and analyzing applications. Table 1–3 lists the databases, load balancers, and operating systems that can be acted upon.

Table 1–3 Databases, Operating Systems, and Load Balancers that can be acted upon

Databases	Oracle Enterprise  Microsoft SQL Server
Supported Operating Systems	SolarisTM 6, Solaris 7, or Solaris 8 releases IBM AIX 4.3.x, 5.1, 5.2  Red Hat Linux 7.2, 7.3, 8.0  Red Hat Advanced Server 2.1  Microsoft Windows Server 2000
Load Balancers	Nortel/Alteo WebSystems ACEdirector  Foundry ServerIron