Creating a system package

In order to perform an unattended installation of an operating system, you must create a system package for each server configuration you want to install.

A system package not only contains all the instructions needed to install an operating system over the network, it can also run jobs that install software and configure a machine for a particular purpose. Consequently, you may want to create a different system package for each type of server you want to provision rather than just creating one system package for each type of operating system you want to install.

A system package type uses installation files for a specific operating system. Consequently, system packages for the various types of Windows, Linux, and ESX operating systems are not interchangeable. Create separate system packages for servers running different operating systems.

Tip

When you define a system package, you must provide many categories of information. If you are creating multiple system packages with similar settings, you may want to create one system package and copy and paste that package to create another system package, adjusting settings as necessary.

Before you begin

In the Depot folder, create an appropriate folder for the system package.

To create a system package

In the Depot folder, right-click the folder where you want to add a new system package. From the pop-up menu, choose New => System package.
Provide information for the New System Package, as described in the following sections:
Click Finish.
The system package is created and opens in the content editor.
Define the system package.
- To define a system package for any type of supported Windows operating system, see "Defining settings for Windows servers" in the BMC BladeLogic Server Automation Users Guide.
- To define a system package for the Cirtix XenServer operating system, see "Defining settings for Citrix XenServers" in the BMC BladeLogic Server Automation Users Guide.
  Warning
  Note
  When defining a system package, note the presence of the Select Property icon next to various input fields. Whenever you see this icon next to an input field, it indicates that you can insert a parameter that refers to a local property to supply the value for the field.
When you finish defining the system package, select File => Save.

System Package Creation – General

The General panel lets you provide information that identifies also lets you identify the system package type on which the
based.
Field Definitions

Name	Enter an identifying name for the system package.
Description	(optional) Enter descriptive text for the system package.
Member of	Displays the folder/group to which this system package belongs.
System Package Type	The type of system package being created. Select a type.

System Package Creation – Properties

The Properties panel provides a list of properties automatically assigned to an object. In this list you can modify the value
of any properties that are defined as editable.

Modifying a property value

For any property that has a check in the Editable column, select the property and click in the Value column.

To set a property value back to its default value, click Reset to Default Value.
The value of the property is reset to the value it inherits from a built-in property class. The Value Source column shows the property class from which the value is inherited.
Depending on the type of property you are editing, you can take different actions to set a new value, such as entering an alphanumeric string, choosing from an enumerated list, or selecting a date.
To insert a parameter into the value, enter the value, bracketed with double question mark delimiters or click Select Property.

System Package Permissions

The Permissions panel is an access control list (ACL) granting roles access this system package.
ACLs control access to all objects, including the sharing of objects between roles.
Using the Permissions panel, you can add individual permissions to the system package. You can also set permissions by adding ACL templates.

Adding an authorization

An authorization grants permission to a role to perform a certain type of action on this object.
To add an authorization to this object, click Add Entry in the Access Control List area. Then use the Add New Entry dialog to specify the role and authorization you want to add.

Adding an ACL template

An ACL template is a group of predefined authorizations granted to roles. Using an ACL template, you can add a group of authorizations to this object.

To add an ACL template to this job, click Use ACL Template in the Access Control List area. Then use the Select ACL Template dialog to specify an ACL template that you want to add to this object.

If you want the contents of the selected ACL templates to replace all entries in the access control list, check Replace ACL with selected templates. If you do not check this option, the contents of the selected ACL templates are appended to any existing entries in the access control list.