Managing servers

Server definitions connect the deployment server to the target computers that provide the components for package instances and to the computers that deploy the package instances. A server definition identifies the target and the agent, such as Network Shell (NSH). The dispatcher communicates with that target computer to run the automation tasks there. Computers that are linked this way are referred to as managed computers.

This topic provides the following information: 

To add servers to bring computers under system management

This procedure adds a server definition for a managed computer.

1. On the System tab, from the left menu, click Servers.
2. Click New Server.
3. In the Hostname box, enter the host name of the target computer that you want to add to the system.
   The entry can be anything from localhost to an IP address.
4. (Optional) In the Create Channel Template list, select a channel template to create a channel immediately instead of requiring a separate step on the Topology tab, or leave None selected.
   
5. (Optional) In the Zones list, select a zone to which you want to add a server. Otherwise, the server is added to the default Undefined zone. For more information, see Zones.
6. In the Roles box, select a role for the server.

7. In the Agent list, select the agent to be used for communicating with the dispatcher.
   If you select nsh, ssh, chef, or puppet, the Agent Server box appears.

   Note

   Bridge agents in BMC Release Process Management 5.0 differ from the old legacy bridge agents of the pre-4.4 versions. For more information, see Dispatchers and bridges.

8. In the Agent Server box, enter the server ID of the dispatcher.
9. In the Remote Platform list, select the platform for the target computer (the one you defined in Hostname).
10. Click Create.

The server appears in the Servers list. Now, you can create channels to deploy applications and perform other tasks on the target computer.

To add managed servers by importing a list

You can add server definitions for multiple computers at the same time.

1. Create a file with the .txt extension, in which you list all the hosts that you want to add. Specify only one host computer on each line. For example:
   host1
   host2
   host3 

   Note

   If you use a dispatcher, the list of the hosts that you want to add must contain the targets with the same platforms.

2. Save the file on your computer.
3. On the System tab, from the left menu, click Servers.
4. Click Import List.

5. Browse and select or enter the path and the file name for the previously created file, which contains the list of servers to be added.

6. From the menus, choose the channel template, role, and agent to use for the managed computers.

7. Click Create.
   The new set of managed servers appears in the list of servers.

To view server information and verify installation

1. On the System tab, from the left menu, click Servers.
2. Find the server in the list and click its name to view details.
3. To verify that a server is correctly installed, check the Summary and Server Data sections on the server details page.

On the Capabilities tab, the system also lists the installed server modules and their versions on the managed computer. For more information about modules, see Managing activity libraries and action packs.

Related topics

Installing and starting dispatchers and bridges

Enabling role-based access permissions for a server