Adding and viewing supported API providers

API providers are the means by which BMC Helix Discovery can provide access to certain APIs. Some technologies can only be accessed by using an API, or return the most accurate and complete information through their APIs.

New API providers might be added as part of monthly TKU releases.

You can see the supported API provider requests in the BMC Helix Discovery UI.

To add supported API providers

API providers are added in product content as part of the normal monthly TKU update. Product content is supplied in an RPM bundled with the knowledge upload, in much the same way as Device RPMs (DRPMs). The content that may be added to support discovery of an API provider is shown below:

• API calls to the provider
• Reasoning rules for the API provider
• UI updates for:
  • Credentials – add the new API provider credential type.
  • Scan dialog – add the parameters required to scan the new API provider.
• Taxonomy updates
  
  • New node kinds – add new node kinds representing aspects of the new discovery target that are different from existing targets.
  • Updated visualizations to display the new node kinds.
  • Start anywhere application modeling support for the new node kinds.
  • Licensing report support

• Host Identity algorithm – add the ability to identify hosts or virtual machine variants particular to the new provider.

• Host scripts – add the ability to discover additional information on hosts or virtual machine variants particular to the new provider.

To install a new API provider, install the latest TKU which includes the provider. Not all monthly TKU releases include new API providers. 

To view supported API providers and their API requests 

To view the supported API provider requests, do the following:

1. Click the Administration icon  in the UI and in the Discovery section, click Cloud & API Providers.
   By default, the page displays the Cloud tab with the currently available cloud providers.
2. Click the API tab.
   The page displays the currently available API providers.
3. Click the link for the API provider for which you want to view the supported API provider requests. For example, click Kubernetes/OpenShift Cluster.
   
   
   
   A list of supported requests is displayed.
   
   
4. Click the link for a request to view its details. For example, click Kubernetes.ListConfigMaps.
   
   
   
   
5. The details dialog displays information on the request, sample TPL code, and, where applicable, a link to the API documentation for the target.