Creating custom parameters for load balancers

You can configure BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management to allow cloud administrators to select custom parameters when creating a load balancer pool. For example, you could create a timeout parameter for the load balancer pool.

This topic contains the following sections:

• • To create and use a custom parameter for a load balancer pool
  • Creating a custom load balancer parameter in BMC Network Automation
  • Creating a custom load balancer parameter menu item in BMC Atrium
  • Related topics

To create and use a custom parameter for a load balancer pool

1. In BMC Network Automation, customize the Create_Pool.xml file to add the new parameter, as described below in Creating a custom load balancer parameter in BMC Network Automation.
2. Create an entry for the parameter in the VLBPoolParameters form on the BMC AR System server enterprise host, as described below in Creating a custom load balancer parameter menu item in BMC Atrium.
3. Select the parameter while creating a load balancer pool, as described in Creating, copying, or editing a service blueprint.

Creating a custom load balancer parameter in BMC Network Automation

1. From BMC Network Automation, click the Admin tab.
2. Under the Network Administration section, click Device Adapters.
3. Expand the tree view nodes: Custom Actions > Load Balancer Provisioning.
4. Click the Export icon to the right of Create Pool to export the Baseline Content XML file to edit.
5. Edit the XML file.

6. In the <customDeviceCommandDeclaration> section of the XML file, create a new <runtimeParameter> entry.
   For example, to add a timeout parameter, you could add the following lines:

   <runtimeParameter>
   <name>timeout</name>
   <prompt>timeout</prompt>
   <type>text</type>
   <required>false</required>
   <sortOrder>13</sortOrder>
   <defaultValue>3600</defaultValue>
   </runtimeParameter>
   

   Later in the file, replace
   <command>timeout 3600</command> with <command>timeout %runtime.timeout%</command>.

7. Save the file with a new name.
8. Import the modified XML file into BMC Network Automation:
   1. On the Admin tab, click Network Admin > Device Adapters. 
   2. Click Import.
       The Import dialog box opens.
      
   3. Click Browse and select the file to import.
   4. (Optional) Remove the check mark from Enable New Device Adapters to disable the adapter after import.
   5. Click Import.
       The file is imported and scanned for errors. Error messages are displayed in the user interface.
       If the import is successful a 'User' event is logged with the name of the adapter being imported.
       If the adapter is enabled (the default mentioned in step 5), it becomes available to users.

Creating a custom load balancer parameter menu item in BMC Atrium

1. Open the Atrium:VLBPoolParameters form in NEW mode on the BMC AR System enterprise host.
    For example: http://<ar_mid_tier_hostname>:<web_server_port>/arsys/forms/<enterprise_ar_host_server>/Atrium:VLBPoolParameters 
   
2. Leave InstanceID blank.
    The value is automatically generated by the system.
3. Enter values for the following
   • Vendor — Enter a descriptive string that represents the vendor for the load balancer.
   • Device Type — Enter a descriptive string that represents the device type for the load balancer.
   • Parameter — Enter the exact name of the custom parameter specified in the Create Pool.xml file of BMC Network Automation.
   • Label — Enter a label that represents the default value specified in the Create Pool.xml file of BMC Network Automation.
   • Locale — Not used.
4. Save the form.

After the form is saved, these values appear in the following places in the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management user interface:

• As menu items in the Manage Load Balancers dialog box, in the Resources workspace
• As an additional parameter for a load balancer pool in a service blueprint in the Service Designer workspace
  
  

Related topics

Managing-load-balancers
Creating-network-containers