Requesting cloud services

This topic describes how to request cloud service offerings from the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management My Cloud Services console.

Your cloud administrator determines which services are available to you in the service catalog. For example, your catalog of services might include offerings such as a Windows server; network-attached storage; a Linux, Apache HTTP server; MySQL; PHP/Perl/Python (LAMP) stack; or a turnkey instance of a web commerce site. You can request only services that are available in the catalog.

This topic contains the following sections:

To request a service

After logging in to the My Cloud Services console, search the Catalog for a service that you want to request, add it to your cart, and then submit your request.

1. In the Catalog tab of the My Cloud Services console, use any of the following methods to locate a service:
   • Use your browser's scroll bar to browse the tiles for available services.
   • Enter search text in the Search Offerings field, and press Enter. You can add multiple search terms. The Catalog is updated automatically to list all the services that match any of the search terms you entered. Click the X next to a search term to remove it from the Search Offerings field.
     

   • Select one or more categories in the Filter list. Any categories you select are added to the Search Offerings field, and the Catalog is updated automatically to list only the services in the categories you selected.
     
     
     For more information about searching, see Searching in the My Cloud Services console.

     Note

     When running the My Cloud Services Console in the Chrome browser, you cannot select filters on the Catalog page when you use the keyboard (for example, pressing the space bar to select a filter) to interact with the UI. Instead, use Shift+space bar to select the filters.

2. When you have located a service you want to select, click its tile in the Catalog.
   The Catalog details page appears for the catalog item you selected.
   
   
   The estimated cost is calculated in the left column. In the example above, there is no cost for the service.

3. (Optional) If you are a cloud administrator or a tenant administrator, click Change owner and set the owner for the request. (See To request a service on behalf of another user.)If your administrator has enabled this functionality for end users, you can change the owner. (Administrators: See Giving end users more control over services.)

4. (Optional) If you want an email to be sent when this service is provisioned, select the Email technical owner when provisioned check box.
5. An email will be sent to the user if an email address is assigned to that user in the system. (For information about configuring users, see Adding people records from a template.)

Enter the following information about the service:

Some offerings (such as Storage) will not include all of these fields.

After you have completed all required fields, the Add to Cart button is enabled.

1. Review and edit the configuration of each tier in your service.
   Each tier has configuration categories for Hardware, Software, Operating System, and Networking. (Some offerings, such as Storage, will not include all of the categories.) Click the arrow in the category name to collapse or expand these categories. If your service has more than one tier, click the arrow next to the tier name to collapse or expand that entire tier. 

   Note

   While configuring your request, if you want to reset the service request screen back to its default settings, click Reset to baseline configuration. (The fields in the General section will not be affected.)

   Be aware that if you select an option, new required fields (such as User Name or Password) might appear. You must complete all required fields in all tiers; otherwise, the Add to Cart button will not be enabled.

2. Complete the following steps for each tier.
   
   1. Review and edit the Hardware category.
      
      The current number or amount of servers, CPUs, and memory in this tier appear on the left and top of the category.  If the administrator configured the server to allow you to increase the number or amount, a slider appears to allow you to make a change.
      
      If the cloud administrator has configured the service to allow multiple disks, you can click Add Disk and specify the optional disks.
      
      
   2. Review and edit the Software category.
      
      This category lists the included software and available (optional) software you can add for this tier. If the cloud administrator requires you to enter information for the software, provide that information in the available fields. For example, for an Apache server, you might need to specify the installation directory and a port number. If any software packages are available, you can select a package.
      
      If the cloud administrator included options, select the software you would like to add.
   3. Review and edit the Operating System category.
      
      The operating system that is installed is listed. If the cloud administrator has made other operating systems available, you can select a different operating system.
   4. Review and edit the Networking category.
      
      This category lists the network interface cards (NICs) included for this tier. If the cloud administrator has configured the service to allow multiple NICs, you can click Add NICs to select another NIC.

   If you change the configuration options, the estimated total cost and your available quota are updated.
   
   
   If your cloud administrator has provided option sets as part of the service, you can select the set of options that you want. This simplifies the configuration process by providing sets of options that can span hardware, software, operating system, and network configurations.
   
   The following example shows an option set (in the Development section) with Dev Tools + More Memory + More Disk Space selected, which changes the configuration in the Hardware and Software panels.

   

   Note

   If you manually configure a tier after selecting an option set, the option set is removed from your service request. For example, if you selected an option set that defines the number of CPUs in a tier, manually changing the number of CPUs in the Hardware category removes the option set. You can can click Reset or Remove on the Hardware or Software panel to change configuration options.

3. If you want more than one instance of the configured service, enter that number in the Quantity field.
   Changes to the Quantity field update the estimated total cost and your available quota.
   
4. When you are satisfied with the configuration of this service, click Add to Cart.
   The My Cart drop-down window opens, showing a brief summary of the services in your cart.
   
   The Configuration screen remains open, with your options still selected. If you want to request another instance of this service, enter new details for the instance, change options you want changed, and then click Add another to Cart.
5. When you have added all of the services you want to request, perform one of the following actions:
   • In the My Cart drop-down window, click Proceed to Checkout.
   • From any screen in the My Cloud Services console, click My Cart.
   The My Cart screen appears, showing the resources ready to be submitted.
   
6. Review the services you configured.
   • To edit a service, click Edit and enter new options in the Configuration screen.
   • To remove a service, click Delete.
   • To remove all items from the cart, click Empty Cart.
7. Click Next.
   The Cart Checkout Information screen appears.
   
8. In the Order Details section, complete all fields present. 
   Your cloud administrator configures which fields appear in the Order Details section. By default, the following fields are available:
   • Charge Code—Select a code to which the cost of your request will be charged.
   • Decommission Date—Select the date at which your services will be decommissioned.

   Note

    The cloud administrator may add other fields to the Order Details section. See Customizing the Cart Checkout page for more information.

9. Click Submit Request.
   The My Requests section of the My Resources tab appears, showing the provisioning status of your request. You can also see the status in the Resource List or Activity Log section of the My Resources tab. When you click Submit Request, all of the items in the cart are submitted, and the cart is emptied.

To request a service on behalf of another user

If you are a cloud or tenant administrator, you can request the service on behalf of another user by changing the owner before your submit the request.

Version 4.6 and later

1. Before you click Submit Request, click Change owner near the top of the Catalog details page.
2. In the Technical Owner field that appears, start typing the name, ID, or tenant of the user you want to be the new owner.
   A drop-down list is populated as you type.
   

3. Select the name of the user you want to add.
   The new user is listed as the owner.If your administrator has enabled this functionality for end users, you can change the owner. (Administrators: See Giving end users more control over services.)

Version 4.5

1. Before you click Submit Request, click Change owner near the top of the Catalog details page.
   The Select Owner dialog box appears. 
   
2. In the Tenant field, select the tenant of the user who will own this service.
3. In the User field, select the user who will own this service.
4. Click OK.

The following BMC Communities video (4:04) describes how a cloud or tenant administrator can request cloud services on behalf of another user. The video shows how to perform the steps in the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management Administration Console and in the My Cloud Services console.

https://youtu.be/08zNxAAsyrI

Related topics

Managing cloud resources

Managing servers in a service

Downloading log files for service offering instance failures

Retrying provisioning service offering instances