Creating or modifying an operation

The portal provides a standard interface for defining all types of operations except provisioning. A simple wizard steps you through the process of creating an operation. 

To create an operation, specify the type of operation, the content that defines the operation, and its targets. You can also optionally specify the notifications the operation generates and a schedule for when it runs. 

This topic describes the full capabilities available when you create an operation. It includes the sections listed below. For a compact example demonstrating how to create a typical operation, see Example-of-creating-an-operation.

Types of operations

The following operation types are possible in BladeLogic Portal:

  • Batch — Concatenates a series of jobs. To define a Batch operation, you must identify a Batch Job in BMC Server Automation.
  • Compliance — Determines whether BMC Server Automation components satisfy compliance rules established for a component template. To define a Compliance operation, you must identify a Compliance Job that was defined in BMC Server Automation or select a component template and define your own operation.
  • Deploy — Deploys content to one or more target servers or BMC Server Automation components. To define a Deploy operation, you must identify a Deploy Job that was defined in BMC Server Automation or select content to deploy (such as a BLPackage) and define your own operation
  • NSH Script — Deploys and executes a Network Shell (NSH) script. To define an NSH Script operation, you must identify an NSH Script Job that was defined in BMC Server Automation or select an NSH script and define your own operation.
  • Patch Analysis — Examines the patch configuration on one or more servers based on a collection of patches called a patch catalog. To define a Patch Analysis operation, you must identify a Patching Job that was defined in BMC Server Automation or select a patch catalog and define your own operation. For a detailed description, see Creating-or-modifying-a-Patch-Analysis-operation.
  • Provisioning — Creates a new instance of a virtual machine (VM), including all computing, storage, and network capabilities and an unattended installation of an operating system. Optional post-install procedures can configure the newly provisioned VM. Although the process of creating a Provisioning wizard includes steps common to all portal operations, other steps are different enough that the procedure is described separately in Creating-a-Provisioning-operation.

Note

This release does not support operations based on jobs that use an integration with BMC Remedy ITSM to obtain approvals.

To create or modify an operation

  1. To create or modify an operation, do one of the following actions from the operations list page:
    • Click the Create Operation drop-down list and select a type of operation.
    • Position your cursor over an existing operation and click Edit.

      The Create Operation page opens. It presents the steps you must follow to create or modify an operation. Headings in a ribbon of chevrons at the top of the page identify each step. After you provide all required information, proceed to the next page by clicking Next (at bottom left) or clicking the next chevron.

      At any time you can click Back (at bottom left, not the browser's Back button) to display the previous page in the process.

      The blue boxes at right summarize the information provided for each step in the process.

      CreateOperationWindow.gif

  2. Depending on the type of job you selected, the Operation wizard requires you to complete different pages. Each row in the table below provides links to the steps required for each page. 

    Tip

    Press "f" to view the table in full screen view.

    Operation Type

    Definition

    Content

    Targets

    Local Properties

    Parameters

    Notifications

    Schedule & Run

    Batch

    RequiredInfoIcon.gif

    RequiredInfoIcon.gif

    View onlyInfoIcon.gif

    NA

    NA

    View onlyInfoIcon.gif

    View onlyInfoIcon.gif

    Compliance

    RequiredInfoIcon.gif

    RequiredInfoIcon.gif

    Required for operations based on templates; view only for operations based on jobsInfoIcon.gif

    NA

    NA

    Optional for operations based on templates; view only for operations based on jobsInfoIcon.gif

    Optional for operations based on templates; view only for operations based on jobsInfoIcon.gif

    Deploy

    RequiredInfoIcon.gif

    RequiredInfoIcon.gif

    View only InfoIcon.gif 

    Applicable only to operations based on packagesInfoIcon.gif

    NA

    View only InfoIcon.gif 

    View only InfoIcon.gif 

    NSH Script

    RequiredInfoIcon.gif

    RequiredInfoIcon.gif

    Required for operations based on scripts; view only for operations based on jobs InfoIcon.gif 

    NA

    Applicable only to operations based on NSH scriptsInfoIcon.gif

    Optional for operations based on scripts; view only for operations based on jobs InfoIcon.gif 

    Optional for operations based on scripts; view only for operations based on jobsInfoIcon.gif

    Patch Analysis

    Provisioning

  3. When you are done defining the operation, take any of the following actions:
    • Click Execute Now to save the operation and run it immediately.
    • Click Finish to save a new operation or Update to save a modified operation.

Notes

  • After you complete the Content page, you can click Finish to save the operation even if some pages are incomplete.
  • If you select a job on the Content page, all other steps in the wizard become read-only and you can click Finish to save the operation. However, there are two exceptions:
    • If you are defining a Deploy operation and you select a Deploy Job as content, the job could potentially require you to provide a value for a local property, so the Local Properties step remains active.
    • If you are defining an NSH Script operation and you select an NSH Script Job as content, the job could potentially require you to provide a value for a parameter, so the Parameters step remains active.

 The following sections describe in detail each page in the Operation wizard, and the steps required for each page.

Definition

The Definition page provides general information about the operation.

Failed to execute the [export-ignore] macro. Cause: [Missing macro content: this macro requires content (a body)]. Click on this message for details.

Content

The Content page specifies the content that an operation uses when it executes. You can only specify content when creating an operation; for an existing operation, you cannot modify content. Typically, when specifying content, you select a BMC Server Automation job. 

Find content by using any of the procedures described below:

Unsupported parameter for macro: id, tags, title, nopanel, MultiExcerptName, PageWithExcerpt Due of this, the macro might have some unexpected results.

Unsupported parameter for macro: nopanel, MultiExcerptName, PageWithExcerpt Due of this, the macro might have some unexpected results.

Failed to execute the [export-ignore] macro. Cause: [Missing macro content: this macro requires content (a body)]. Click on this message for details.

Targets

The Targets page specifies the targets that an operation acts on when it executes. For targets, you can choose servers, server groups, components, or component groups.

Excerpt named Targets was not found in document xwiki:Automation-DevSecOps.Server-Automation.BMC-BladeLogic-Portal.blp12.Using.Help-reference.Creating-an-operation-Targets.WebHome.

Failed to execute the [export-ignore] macro. Cause: [Missing macro content: this macro requires content (a body)]. Click on this message for details.

Notifications

The Notifications page defines notifications that are generated based on conditions you specify. For example, you can instruct the portal to send an email when an operation fails or aborts.

Failed to execute the [export-ignore] macro. Cause: [Missing macro content: this macro requires content (a body)]. Click on this message for details.

Schedule and Run

The Schedule & Run page is where you schedule the execution of an operation. From this page, you can also run an operation immediately.

Note

If an operation uses a deploy template based on an Advanced Deploy Job in BMC Server Automation, you cannot set a schedule using the Schedule & Run page. Instead, the operation uses the schedule defined in the deploy template.

Excerpt named ScheduleRun was not found in document xwiki:Automation-DevSecOps.Server-Automation.BMC-BladeLogic-Portal.blp12.Using.Help-reference.Creating-an-operation-Schedule-and-Run.WebHome.

Failed to execute the [export-ignore] macro. Cause: [Missing macro content: this macro requires content (a body)]. Click on this message for details.

Local Properties

In the Local Properties page, you can review and modify values for local properties that are used when a Deploy job in BMC Server Automation deploys a BLPackage for which local properties have been defined. Typically, local properties are used to deploy a package multiple times to the same target server.

Failed to execute the [export-ignore] macro. Cause: [Missing macro content: this macro requires content (a body)]. Click on this message for details.

Parameters

In the Parameters page, you can review and modify values for parameters that are used when an NSH Script Job in BMC Server Automation runs a script. The Parameters page is only available when you create or modify an NSH Script operation.

Failed to execute the [export-ignore] macro. Cause: [Missing macro content: this macro requires content (a body)]. Click on this message for details.

 

Tip: For faster searching, add an asterisk to the end of your partial query. Example: cert*