1 Overview

This chapter introduces Oracle Communications Unified Inventory Management (UIM) cartridges and cartridge packs. It also introduces the concept of extending UIM by using them.

Note:

• The UIM_SDK_Home represents the directory of UIM_SDK.zip when unpacked from Oracle Software Delivery Cloud.

• In traditional environment, the SDK contents are available as part of UIM_Home. To refer any files, you can use UIM_SDK_Home or UIM_Home directories.

• In UIM cloud native environment, UIM_Home is not accessible in Kubernetes worker nodes. To refer any files, use UIM_SDK_Home instead of UIM_Home.

About Cartridges

You can extend UIM functionality dynamically without rebuilding the application. You do so by deploying cartridges into the application. A cartridge is a collection of entity specifications, characteristics, rulesets, and code that is defined in an Oracle Communications Design Studio project. The project is compiled into a deployable JAR file known as a cartridge.

When you deploy the cartridge into UIM, the data it contains becomes available in the application. For example, if you deploy a cartridge that includes several different types of logical device specifications, those specifications become available for creating logical device entities in UIM.

Oracle supplies cartridges in various ways to extend UIM.

• Samples: Sample cartridges and cartridge packs provides specifications, extensions, rulesets, and code that you can use as-is or as a starting point for your own development, testing, and experimentation. Some Oracle sample cartridge packs address particular technology domains, such as Carrier Ethernet, GSM/3GPP, and Cable TV. These cartridge packs can accelerate your deployment of a solution by supplying all or most of the required entity specifications. See "Sample Cartridges and Cartridge Packs" for more information.

• Base cartridges: Base cartridges provide fundamental capabilities and features required by cartridge packs and other cartridges. Cartridge packs and other cartridges are dependent on the data supplied by base cartridges. See "Base Cartridges" for more information.

• Required cartridges: Some cartridges are required to be open in the Design Studio workplace when you develop content for UIM. See "Required Cartridges" for more information.

The names of all Oracle-supplied cartridges, whether they are supplied in a cartridge pack, as base cartridges, or as samples, begin with ora_uim or OracleComms.

In addition to the cartridges supplied by Oracle, you can also create your own custom cartridges in Design Studio. For example, you can create custom specifications and rulesets that are specific to your business and technology, then deploy them to UIM.

Many cartridges, including those supplied by Oracle in cartridge packs and base cartridges, have accompanying ZIP archive files containing the Design Studio project data used to compile the cartridge. You can import the ZIP files into Design Studio to open the corresponding project for review or extension. The archive file is included in the larger cartridge pack ZIP file.

Understanding Cartridge Dependencies

Complete solutions in UIM include multiple cartridges with relationships to each other. For example, cartridge packs are divided into multiple cartridges, each providing a particular set of capabilities. Some cartridges can even be used in multiple cartridge packs. This modularity means that you can design any number of solutions with no rework required for shared capabilities.

These relationships create dependencies between cartridges. For example, suppose you include a specification from Cartridge A as a specification option in a configuration item in Cartridge B. In this situation, Cartridge B is dependent on Cartridge A. You must deploy Cartridge A before Cartridge B. Larger numbers of cartridges obviously lead to more complex dependencies.

Design Studio displays these dependencies in the Dependency tab of Inventory Project editors and prevents circular dependencies. UIM enforces these dependencies when you deploy cartridges. You see an error if you try to deploy a cartridge before all of its dependent cartridges have been deployed.

Base Cartridges

Base cartridges provide fundamental capabilities and features required by cartridge packs and inventory entities. Each base cartridge provides a different set of contents depending on its purpose. For the example, the base measurements cartridge provides measurement types, units of measure, and capacity types that you can use to define pipe capacity in UIM.

Cartridge packs and other cartridges require the content in the base cartridges and therefore have dependencies on them. Both UIM and Design Studio enforce these dependencies:

• You must open the necessary base cartridges in Design Studio in your workspace before you can compile cartridges dependent on them.

• You must deploy the necessary base cartridges to UIM before you deploy cartridge packs and cartridges dependent on them.

Although not all base cartridges are required by all cartridge packs, Oracle recommends that you deploy the base cartridges before deploying cartridge packs or other cartridges into UIM.

See "Base Cartridge Reference" for detailed information about the contents of the following base cartridges:

• Base Specifications cartridge: ora_uim_basespecifications

• Base Measurements cartridge: ora_uim_basemeasurements

• Base Phone Management cartridge: ora_uim_basephone_mgmt

• Telephone Number cartridges:

  • ora_uim_us_tn

  • ora_uim_canada_tn

  • ora_uim_norway_tn

  • ora_uim_uk_tn

  • ora_uim_saudi_arabia_tn

• Base Technologies cartridge: ora_uim_basetechnologies

See "Base Rulesets and Extension Points" for detailed information about the contents of the following base cartridges:

• Base Extension Points cartridge: ora_uim_baseextpts

• Base Rulesets cartridge: ora_uim_baserulesets

See "NFV Orchestration Base Cartridges" for detailed information about the contents of the following base cartridges:

• NFV Orchestration Base Specifications cartridge: OracleComms_NSO_BaseCartridge

• NFV Orchestration Base Tags cartridge: OracleComms_NSO_BaseTags

Deploying Base Cartridges

Base cartridges are packaged as JAR files and are part of the UIM installation. They are located in the UIM_home/cartridges/base directory while installing a traditional UIM environment. For UIM cloud native environment, the base cartridges are located in the UIM_SDK_Home/cartridges/base directory.

The base cartridges are independent of each other except for the country-specific Telephone Number cartridges, which are dependent on the Base Phone Management cartridge. You must first deploy the Base Phone Management cartridge to be able to deploy any of the country-specific Telephone Number cartridges into UIM.

You deploy base cartridges into UIM in the same manner as other cartridges. See "Deploying Cartridges" for more information.

Opening Base Cartridges

You must open base cartridges in Design Studio when you work with other cartridges that are dependent on them. You can also make additive extensions to base cartridges in separate cartridges. See the Design Studio Help and UIM Developer's Guide for information about opening files in Design Studio.

Note:

You should not unseal or modify base cartridges in Design Studio. See "Upgrading and Extending Cartridges and Cartridge Packs" for information about additively extending cartridges.

Required Cartridges

In addition to the base cartridges, Oracle supplies two cartridges that are required to develop UIM cartridges in Design Studio:

• ora_uim_model

• ora_uim_mds

The projects in these two cartridges must be open in your Design Studio workplace before you can compile a UIM cartridge.

Note:

Unlike base cartridges, ora_uim_mds and ora_uim_model are not deployed to UIM. They are required only in Design Studio.

The required cartridges for UIM traditional and cloud native are available in the following locations:

• UIM traditional:

  UIM_home/cartridges/base directory

• UIM cloud native:

  UIM_SDK_Home/cartridges/base directory

See Design Studio Help for information about open cartridges in Design Studio.

Note:

The information in the required cartridges reflects data that is installed in UIM. It can change when a UIM patch or upgrade is installed. Check with a system administrator to ensure that you use the current version of these cartridges.

About the Domain Model Cartridge

The Domain Model cartridge (ora_uim_model) is a read-only Design Studio project that represents the entities, data elements, and relationships defined in the UIM model. The ora_uim_model cartridge must be open in Design Studio when you create or use UIM cartridges.

The ora_uim_model cartridge includes the inventory entities on which UIM specifications are based. For example, the model cartridge includes an entity called BusinessInteraction. When you create a Business Interaction specification in Design Studio, you are extending the BusinessInteraction entity to define a new kind of business interaction. You can see the entities from which specifications are extended in the Extends tab of Specification editor.

You must import and open the ora_uim_model cartridge to make the entities in the corresponding project available in Design Studio.

You use the Design Studio Inventory Entity editor to review the inventory entities included in the ora_uim_model project. The editor displays the data elements defined for the entity and (when applicable) the parent entity from which the entity inherits data elements. This editor is read-only and is for informational purposes only.

About the MDS Cartridge

The MDS cartridge (ora_uim_mds) is a read-only Design Studio project that represents the contents of work areas and sections included in the UIM user interface. This information is used to populate the Pages/Panels field in Layout tabs of Design Studio specification editors. The ora_uim_mds cartridge must be open in Design Studio when you create or use UIM cartridges.

Sample Cartridges and Cartridge Packs

Oracle provides sample cartridges that you can use for testing and as the basis of your own development. There are two groups of samples available in two ways: examples and technology solutions.

Examples

The following three UIM sample cartridges provide working examples of specific UIM features. You can find them on the computer where you installed UIM in the UIM_Home/cartridges/sample directory for traditional UIM or in the UIM_SDK_Home/cartridges/sample directory for UIM cloud native.

• ora_uim_servicetopology_sample

  The UIM topology is a graphical representation of the spatial relationships and connectivity among your related inventory entities. The ora_uim_servicetopology_sample cartridge contains characteristics, specifications, extension points, and rulesets that collectively provide a working example of extending the topology of a specific service.

• ora_uim_pathanalysis_sample

  UIM can use an algorithm to determine the path between entities. This algorithm is called the path analysis. The ora_uim_pathanalysis_sample cartridge contains characteristics, specifications, extension points, and rulesets that collectively provide a working example of extending the path analysis of a specific service.

• ora_uim_geocoder_sample

  Geocoding is the process of associating geographic coordinates, such as latitude and longitude, with other geographic data, such as street addresses or postal codes. The ora_uim_geocoder_sample cartridge contains characteristics, specifications, extension points, and rulesets that collectively provide a working example for geocoding a US address.

  Note:

  To use the ora_uim_geocoder_sample cartridge, you must license Oracle Spatial 11g. In addition, you must have geocoding data in Oracle Spatial format, such as that purchased from a third-party vendor like NAVTEQ.

Technology Solutions

UIM provides sample cartridges and cartridge packs that address specific technology domains. Some have full documentation. For example, the UIM Carrier Ethernet cartridge includes specifications and other artifacts that enable you to implement a Carrier Ethernet solution.

UIM also provides sample federation cartridge packs that enable communication, cooperation, and data exchange with external systems. See UIM Developer's Guide for more information about federation and the federation cartridge packs.

The Devices sample cartridge pack includes specifications for many types of equipment and devices. The cartridge pack includes cartridges for specific manufacturers as well as for generic equipment. Device specifications are manufacturer- and model-specific. For example, Figure 1-1 shows some of the Logical Device sample specifications provided for Alcatel-Lucent.

Figure 1-1 Alcatel-Lucent Logical Device Specifications

Description of "Figure 1-1 Alcatel-Lucent Logical Device Specifications"

Downloading Sample Cartridges

The sample cartridges and cartridge packs are available for download as part of the UIM software from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud at:

https://edelivery.oracle.com/

The sample cartridge packs and their documentation are included in the OracleComms_UIM_CartridgePacks.zip file.

• Federation Data Domain cartridge pack

• Federation Protocol cartridge pack

• Devices cartridge pack

• UIM Carrier Ethernet cartridge

• UIM Packet cartridge

• UIM DSL cartridge

• Cable TV cartridge pack

• Consumer VoIP cartridge pack

• GSM 3GPP cartridge pack

• L2 VPN cartridge pack

• Metro Ethernet cartridge pack

• MPLS L3 VPN cartridge pack

• Channelized Connectivity cartridge pack

• Mobile GSM cartridge pack

Using Sample Cartridges and Cartridge Packs

To use sample cartridges and cartridge packs, you can:

• Deploy the sample into a UIM test environment to analyze the data and give you ideas for implementing a customized version in a production environment.

• Import the sample cartridge into Oracle Communications Design Studio to analyze the characteristics, specifications, extension points, and rulesets to understand how to implement a customized version in a production environment.

Sample cartridges all have dependencies on base cartridges, such as the ora_uim_baseextpts cartridge. The individual cartridges in cartridge packs also have dependencies on each other.

You must open the base cartridges and other cartridges on which a sample has dependencies in Design Studio before making changes or compiling. Similarly, you must deploy all cartridges on which a sample cartridge has dependencies into UIM before deploying the sample.

Note:

Oracle recommends that you deploy all of the base cartridges into UIM.

For instructions on how to import a sample cartridge into Design Studio, see the Design Studio Help. When sample cartridges are imported into Design Studio, the project within the cartridge is compiled. If compiler errors are present, you must configure the project library list. See UIM Developer's Guide for more information. See "Deploying Cartridges" for more information about deploying cartridges to UIM test environments.

To ensure data consistency, you must observe certain guidelines and best practices when extending and upgrading sample cartridges. See "Upgrading and Extending Cartridges and Cartridge Packs" for more information.

Sample cartridges are sealed to protect them from accidental modification. Oracle recommends that you leave them sealed and make additive changes rather than direct modifications.