You create Role specifications to define the functions played by entities in an inventory. For example, an instance of a Party specification called Individual could have the role of subscriber or employee.
When working with Role specifications, see the following topics:
An entity can play multiple roles simultaneously and its roles can change over time. For example, an instance of a Party specification called Organization could be both a supplier and a customer, either at the same time or at different times.
When a role specification is created you must select one or more role-enabled entity types to which the role applies. When an instance of the selected entity type is created in UIM, the role may be optionally applied to the entity. For example the role of MPLS can be applied to a Logical Device and a Pipe, indicating that they both support MPLS technology.
An entity's role might be relevant to its involvements with other entities. See "Working with Involvement Specifications" for more information about involvements.
Not all entity types can be assigned roles. In UIM, role-enabled entities have Role areas on their Summary pages.
When you create a Role specification, you can optionally select a role type.
The following are the role types:
Technology: This role defines the technology that an entity operates under or supports.
Function: This role defines the function that an entity plays.
Topology: This role defines the role the topology plays in the network topology, such as hub or spoke.
Target: This role identifies the entity as a target for activation systems. See "About Network Targets" for more information.
Configuring a Role Specification
A network target is a resource on which services or other resources must be activated. For example, in a GSM network, a voice mail service must be activated on a voice mail server. In this scenario, the voice mail server is the target for the voice mail account.
In Design Studio, you can create Role specifications with the Target role type. In UIM, Role entities based on specifications of the Target role type can be associated to logical devices and parties to identify them as network targets.
When you assign a Target role to a Logical Device or Party entity, it becomes a target for other entities associated with it in various ways. Logical devices are network targets for:
Logical device accounts associated with them
Logical devices in their hierarchies (unless those logical devices are themselves network targets)
Device interfaces in their hierarchies
Any entities with which they have custom involvements based on the Manages (Oracle Provided) base specification
Parties can be network targets for:
Any entities associated with them
Any entities with which they have custom involvements based on the Manages (Oracle Provided) base specification
When configuring Role specifications, you specify role types and valid entity types.
To configure Role specifications:
Create a new Role specification or navigate to the editor of an existing one.
See "Creating New Specifications" for more information.
In the Role Specification editor, click the Properties tab.
In the Role Type field, select Technology, Function, Topology, or Target.
See "About Role Specifications" for more information.
In the Available Entity Types list, select the entity type or types that you want to be able to have this role.
Click the right arrow button to move the entity types to the Selected Entity Types list.
If necessary, you can use the left arrow button to move entity types back to the Available Entity Types list.
From the File menu, select Save.
Use the Role Specification editor to define the functions played by entities in an inventory.
When working with the Role Specification editor, see the following topics:
Use the Properties tab to select a role type for the role specification that you create.
| Field | Use |
|---|---|
| Role Type | Select a role type when you create a role specification. Select one of the following:
|
| Available Entity Types | Displays the entity types that are available for selection. |
| Selected Entity Types | Displays the entity types that have been selected. |