Configuration Extensions and Collections
Configuration extensions provide a way to identify files and other configuration data that Cloud Control does not already collect. These customized configurations can be collected on well-known target types or on a target type introduced as part of the configuration extension definition. A set of configuration extensions called blueprints is available for download from Oracle. They are called blueprints because they lay out precisely the files and data to collect for a given platform such as Apache Tomcat.
A typical life cycle of a configuration extension might be as follows:
- Create a configuration extension and deploy it to several targets.
- Assess its effectiveness over time.
- Modify and fine-tune the specification and redeploy, perhaps across a wider spectrum.
- Undeploy and delete the specification if no longer pertinent.
This section covers the following topics:
Working with Configuration Extensions
This section describes how to create, edit, and otherwise manage configuration extensions. If you want to create a configuration extension that uses a custom target type, the suggested workflow is to first create the custom target type. Concurrent with that activity, you can also add a complementary new target to serve as a sample target instance.
Creating a Custom Target Type
If no existing target type satisfies your configuration extension requirements, you can create a custom target type.
Before creating a new target type, ensure that the administrator has installed the Software Library (from the Setup menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select Software Library). This must be done once, after Cloud Control installation.
It's not imperative that you add a new target instance during custom target type creation.You can do so subsequently by selecting Add New Custom Target from the Actions menu and following Steps 4 and 5 in the process above, this time selecting a custom target type from the drop-down list.
Creating or Editing a Configuration Extension
Use the following instructions to create, create like, or edit a configuration extension.
Given appropriate privileges, you can edit a configuration extension and save the edited version, in which case, the version number increases. You might also edit and save as a draft, or edit a draft for publishing. Note that when you edit a configuration extension, you cannot change the target type, as this would cause the underlying metadata to be incompatible with existing deployments of the configuration extension, see About Configuration Extensions and Privileges.
Note:
When you edit a deployed configuration extension, it is automatically redeployed upon saving. This does not apply to saving as draft.
When done, you can begin collecting configuration data by deploying the configuration extension to target instances, see About Configuration Extensions and Deployment.
Using the Files & Commands Tab
Return to Creating or Editing a Configuration Extension and resume with 7.
Using the SQL Tab
Create SQL query specifications as follows:
Return to Creating or Editing a Configuration Extension and resume with Step 7.
Setting Up Credentials When Creating a Configuration Extension
If you create a credential set while creating a configuration extension, you have to specify the credentials that make up the credential set. To do this, you have to return to the Configuration Extensions library and proceed as follows:
- From the Setup menu (top right of the page next to the Help menu), select Security, then select Monitoring Credentials.
- Select the applicable target type in the table and click Manage Monitoring Credentials.
- Select the row with the credential set name you created during the configuration extension definition for the given target type and click Set Credentials.
- Enter the username and password for the credential set and click Save (or Test and Save for database credentials).
- Return to the Files & Commands tab (Using the Files & Commands Tab) or SQL tab (Using the SQL Tab) description.
Setting Up Rules
Use rules to differentiate nodes in the parsed representation that have the same name. This is particularly important in comparisons and change history when trying to match nodes in the parsed tree, or when expressing SQL queries to verify compliance. Rules resolve to an identifier that is appended in square brackets to node text in the tree as a way of uniquely identifying the node. An operation such as a comparison will then use the combination of node text and bracketed identifier for evaluation purposes.
A rule consists of a condition and an expression, both of which must be valid XPath expressions. The condition resolves to a node that requires the identifier. The expression resolves to a string computation for the identifier. You can use a special case SKIP
expression to bypass the node specified in the condition; this is a convenient way to eliminate "noise." In other words, for purposes of comparison, ignore the node the condition resolves to.
Some parsers have default parser rules already defined. They execute automatically on the parsed representation. You can elect to use a subset of default rules, edit them, or override them with custom rules that you define.
The number in the Rules column is significant. Initially, the number is zero (0). A whole number greater than zero indicates the number of custom rules defined. Zero also appears for a parser that has default parser rules. So the appearance of a whole number in the column stipulates an override of default parser rules, if any, with the custom rules the number represents.
Set up rules as follows:
For examples of rules, see Using Parsed Files and Rules.
Return to the Files & Commands tab (Using the Files & Commands Tab) or SQL tab (Using the SQL Tab) description.
Managing Configuration Extensions
In addition to creating and editing configuration extensions, you manage them by doing the following:
- View the selected specification (read-only)
- Synchronize the selected specification with facets in the Compliance Library for facet monitoring
- Share configuration extensions by exporting them in XML file format and importing them from the local file system
- Delete the selected specification (requires the proper permissions)
Viewing a Configuration Extension
You can view a configuration extension in read-only mode to get an idea of the make-up of a specification. Perhaps, for example, to see if it is a likely candidate on which to base a new specification.
- In the Configuration Extensions library, select the specification table row and click View Details.
- Peruse the settings and rules on the various tabs.
Exporting a Configuration Extension
You can export a configuration extension as an XML file that can subsequently be imported into the same or another system.
- In the Configuration Extensions library, select the specification table row, then select Export from the Actions menu.
- Browse to a file system location where you want to save the specification as an XML file. The saved file takes the name of the configuration extension by default.
Importing a Configuration Extension
Given appropriate privileges, you can import a configuration extension that was previously exported as an XML file.
- In the Configuration Extensions library, select the specification table row, then select Import from the Actions menu.
- Browse to the file location. Select the file and click the Import button on the dialog.
The imported specification appears in the Configuration Extensions library.
Deleting a Configuration Extension
You must be the owner or otherwise have sufficient privileges to delete a configuration extension. Note that there are dependencies that potentially impact deletion, including deployments, job schedules, existing collections, and so forth.
- In the Configuration Extensions library, select the specification table row and click Delete.
- The system validates permissions and otherwise checks for dependencies that might prevent the deletion, although some dependencies cannot be verified until a job submission involving the configuration extension.
About Configuration Extensions and Versioning
When you create a configuration extension, you have options to save or save as draft. A normal save action makes the specification publicly available to the general user community. A save as draft action keeps the specification private to you. How you use these actions when creating and editing specifications influences the mechanics of versioning. Consider the following scenarios:
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You create and save a configuration extension; this is public version 1. You subsequently edit public1 and save as a draft; this becomes draft1. Public1 is still generally available. You edit draft1 and publish; this becomes public2. Note that in parallel, someone else with the proper permissions can also edit public1 and save as a draft to create version 1 of draft2.
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You create and save a configuration extension as a draft; this is version1 of draft1. You edit and save again; this becomes version 2 of draft1. Repeat the edit-and-save operation; this becomes version 3 of draft1. Edit version 3 of draft1 and publish; this becomes public version 1.
About Configuration Extensions and Privileges
Working with configuration extensions requires privileges specific to the given operation you want to perform.
Operation | Required Privilege (Role) |
---|---|
Create new target type |
To create a new target type, ensure that the administrator has installed a software library (from the Setup menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select Software Library). This must be done once, after Cloud Control installation. |
Create new target instance |
|
Create or import configuration extension |
"Manage configuration extensions owned by user" (or the more powerful "Manage configuration extensions owned by any user") |
Associate configuration extension with an auto-synchronized monitoring facet |
|
Edit or delete configuration extension |
Differs, depending on the specific activity within the realm of editing:
|
Deploy or undeploy configuration extension on a target |
"Manage target metrics" privilege on the target instance; "Create" privilege for Job System resource type (to schedule deployment/undeployment;) EM_PLUGIN_AGENT_ADMIN (to deploy a plug-in to a Management Agent) |
Create a new credential set |
Superuser |
View configuration extension definition |
None |
View configuration extension collected data |
Regular "target instance view" privilege |
Note that editing an imported configuration extension may be restricted to edits that do not change the version, depending on options set during export. One such permissible edit would be to credential set information.
About Configuration Extensions and Deployment
Deployment of a configuration extension means to direct the specification to a target where a monitoring Management Agent will collect configuration data based on the specification's definition. A configuration extension can be deployed to multiple targets. You must have sufficient privileges to deploy and undeploy configuration extensions.
Manage deployments by performing the following actions:
Deploying and Undeploying Configuration Extensions
Deployment of a configuration extension means to direct the specification to a target where a monitoring Management Agent will collect configuration data based on the specification's definition. A configuration extension can be deployed to multiple targets. You must have sufficient privileges to deploy and undeploy configuration extensions.
To deploy a configuration extension:
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In the Configuration Extensions library, select the specification table row and click Manage Deployments.
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On the Deployments page, click Add. In the dialog that opens, search for and select targets of the specified target type where you want to deploy the configuration extension.
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When you close the dialog (click Select), a new column appears denoting a pending action of Deploy and the status becomes Selected for Deployment.
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Proceed as follows:
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Click Apply to confirm the action while remaining on the Deployments page. The action column disappears, and the status becomes Deployment job in progress.
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Click OK to schedule the deployment and return to the library.
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Click Cancel to void the request and return to the library.
-
-
Click Refresh Status on the Deployments page to confirm a successful outcome.
Usually, if you update a deployed configuration extension (CE), redeployment occurs automatically. However, redeployment will not be initiated when certain CE attributes are modified, such as the sample target.
To undeploy a configuration extension:
When viewing configuration extensions in the library, a green check mark in the Deployments column denotes currently deployed configuration extensions. The number in the column indicates how many targets the configuration extension has been deployed to. Click the number to navigate to the relevant deployments page.
Extending Configuration Data Collections
There are two options available to extend configuration data collections using a configuration extension specification:
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Add additional collection items to an existing target type
-
Add a custom target type with new collection items
Extending Existing Target Collections
The following instructions describe how to extend the configuration data Cloud Control collects for an existing target type. The listener target type, for example, does not collect the sqlnet.ora
file as provided by Oracle. To extend the listener data collection to include this item, take the following steps:
Use this description as a template for extending existing configuration data collections.
Adding New Target Data Collections
The following instructions describe how to extend the configuration data Cloud Control collects by adding a new target type. The example assumes to collect data for a custom Apache web server target type.
First, create a custom target type.
Use this description as a template for extending configuration data collections through custom target types.