Creating network pod blueprints

Pods are built from pod blueprints, which define the pod architecture and include a definition of the physical pod topology. Pod blueprints are created by modifying an XML document and then importing it into BMC Network Automation. You then create the pod in BMC Network Automation by specifying the imported pod blueprint. After you create the pod, you onboard the pod into BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management.

The following BMC Communities video (4:45) describes how to create a basic pod blueprint in BMC Network Automation and import it into BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management.

https://youtu.be/ej3txuCh0Wo

To create a network pod blueprint

1. Review the Pod model  (in the BMC Network Automation documentation) to understand the context of a pod and pod blueprints.
2. Gather information about the network devices that you plan to use for your cloud's virtual infrastructure.
   For example, gather the names and credentials of the physical firewall host, load balancer host, distribution switch host, and access switches that you plan to use in your pod.
3. On the BMC Network Automation host, navigate to BCAN_HOME\public\bmc\bca-networks\csm.

4. Open a previously created pod blueprint XML file or one of the pod blueprint XML files provided with the product in an editor.

   Note

   You can also start with the skeleton pod blueprint file, and fill in the portions you require, and comment out the other portions of the file.

5. Save the XML file with a new name that you want to use for this pod blueprint.

6. Modify the new XML pod blueprint file as needed.
   For more information, see Pod blueprint XML reference.

7. Import the modified XML into BMC Network Automation using the import script.

   1. Find the script in the bcan-import-export.v.r.mm.zip file in the BCAN_HOME\public\bmc\bca-networks\extras directory.
      When the file is unzipped, the scripts are in the bin subdirectory.
      The lib subdirectory contains the libraries needed to run the scripts —a .bat script for Microsoft Windows and a .sh script for Linux.

   2. From the command line, run the script to import the pod blueprint XML file:
      import.bat -url <url> -user <user> -password <password> <xml-filename>