Managing blueprint definitions

To access the Manage Blueprint Definitions page

You can perform all of the operations required on blueprint definitions by using the Manage Blueprint Definitions page. 

1. Click Model > Services & Applications.
2. On the Services & Applications page, click Create/Import.
3. Click the Create With Blueprints tab.
4. Click Manage Blueprint Definitions.

Default blueprints

The following default blueprints are available out of the box, but you must first import them to be able to view them on the Manage Blueprint Definitions page:

As a service designer, you can create additional blueprints using the default blueprints. For more information, see To create a blueprint from another blueprint.

To import and enable the default blueprints

To use the default blueprints in services, you need to import them first and then enable them.

1. On the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, from the action menu, select Import BMC default Blueprints.
   The BMC default blueprints are imported and can be seen in the list.
2. Enable the blueprints that you require (Action > Enable).
   For more information, see To enable a blueprint.

To create a blueprint from the available nodes and their relationships

1. On the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, click Create.
2. Specify the name, description, and provider (domain) details for the blueprint.
   For example, Kubernetes (K8s) Upgrade Deployment, K8s deployment template, apex.com.
   
3. In the Select Nodes section, perform the following steps:
   1. Click + Add Nodes.
      The Add Nodes page displays a list of all available nodes for selection.
   2. Filter and add the required nodes by performing one of the following steps:
      • Type the name of the nodes (minimum three characters) that you are want to add.
      • Select a category to narrow down the list of nodes.
        The filtered nodes are listed.
   3. Select one or more nodes and click Add (incl. related) to add the node with all the related elements or click Add to add only the selected node or nodes.
   4. Click Close to close the Add Nodes page.
   5. (Optional) To undo the selected nodes and start over, click Clear Content and perform steps 3 a to 3 c again.
   6. (Optional) Set the service topology display option as either Organic or Hierarchic (default).

4. Click Next Step >.
   The blueprint is created with a default filter with the Name attribute added to the start node. 

   Important

   The newly created blueprints are disabled by default. For information about enabling a blueprint, see To enable a blueprint.

To modify a blueprint

When you have created and saved a blueprint, you can modify it. If you observe an error on any of the nodes, resolve it. For more information, see To resolve errors when selecting a node kind.

1. Perform the following actions to make modifications to the blueprint:
   1. (Optional) Edit the default filter criterion or add more filter criteria:
      1. Select the start node.
      2. On the Define Node Rule page, from Actions, select Edit.
      3. On the Define Filter Criteria page, from Actions, select Edit.
      4. Click Set as variable and update the message in the Define user prompt message text box if needed.
      5. Select a named attribute.
      6. (Optional) Select an extended attribute:
         1. From the Actions menu, select Use Extended Attributes.
         2. Select extended attributes from the displayed list.
      7. Click Add New Filter Criteria to add more filter criteria.
      8. Click Save and close.
      9. Click Save and close on the Define Node Rule page.
   2. (Optional) To change the list view, from the Available Node Kinds section, select Tile view or List view .
   3. (Optional) To add an additional node to the blueprint, select a node kind from the Available Node Kinds section. You can also use the filter to choose the node kind by name.
   4. Click the selected node kind to define node rules.
   5. (Optional) Change the node kind from the list by selecting one or more kinds.
   6. (Optional) Select an unwanted node kind from the map and delete it.
   7. (Optional) Include (default) or exclude the content of a node kind. You have an option to exclude the content of a node kind and keep only the related nodes as part of a blueprint. 
   8. (Optional) Add or edit the filter criteria and save the changes. For more information on resolving the node kind errors, see To resolve errors when selecting a node kind.
2. (Optional) Click Next step to preview the blueprint model.
3. In the right pane, select a node to use to preview the blueprint. Use the filter to find the required start node. The preview is displayed in the left pane. 
4. Click Save to save the blueprint.
   For more information on viewing the list of blueprints, see To view the blueprints.

To create a blueprint from the available node kinds 

1. On the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, click Create.
2. Specify the name, description, and provider (domain) details for the blueprint.
   For example, Kubernetes (K8s) Upgrade Deployment, K8s deployment template, apex.com.
3. Click Next Step and do the following:
   1. (Optional) To change the list view, from the Available Node Kinds section, select Tile view or List view .
   2. (Optional) In the Available Node Kinds section, type the name of the node kind or directly select the node kind of your choice from the list to add to the node rules.
      A default filter with the Name attribute is added to the first node. 
   3. If you observe an error on any of the nodes, resolve it. For more information, see To resolve errors when selecting a node kind
   4. Click the selected node kind to define node rules.
   5. (Optional) Change the node kind from the list by selecting one or more kinds.
   6. (Optional) Select an unwanted node kind from the map and delete it.
   7. (Optional) Set the service topology display option as either Organic or Hierarchic (default).
   8. (Optional) Include (default) or exclude the content of a node kind. You have an option to exclude the content of a node kind and keep only the related nodes as part of a blueprint. 
   9. (Optional) Add or edit the filter criteria and save the changes. For more information on resolving the node kind errors, see To resolve errors when selecting a node kind.
4. Click Next step to preview the blueprint model.
5. In the right pane, select a node to use to preview the blueprint. Use the filter to find the required start node. The preview is displayed in the left pane. 
6. Click Save to save the blueprint.
   For more information on viewing the list of blueprints, see To view the blueprints.

To resolve errors when selecting a node kind

While you are creating or editing a blueprint, you might encounter an error. The error icon is displayed above the node kind that you select. 
Perform the following steps to resolve the error:

Hover over the node kind for the tips and based on the error tips, do one of the following actions:

• Ensure that there are no unconnected nodes. There must be only one starting node in the model.
• If there is only one starting node with an error icon, do the following steps:
  1. Click the node to view the Define Node Rule page.
  2. Either select Add New Filter > Add New Filter Criteria and add filter criteria or select Edit > Edit and edit filter criteria.
     You can add only one filter to a root node and a maximum of three filters to a child node.
     1. Click Set as variable and type a message in the Define user prompt message text box.
     2. Select a named attribute.
     3. (Optional) Select an extended attribute:
        1. From the Actions menu, select Use Extended Attributes.
        2. Select extended attributes from the displayed list.
  3. Click Save and close.
  4. Click Save and close on the Define Node Rule page. The error message on the node disappears.

To view the blueprints 

You can view a list of all enabled or disabled blueprints from the Manage Blueprint Definitions page. Disabled blueprints are not shown by default.

• To view the list of all enabled and disabled blueprints, click Show disabled. The button label changes to Hide disabled.
• To view only the list of all enabled blueprints, click Hide disabled.

To create a blueprint from another blueprint 

1. On the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, select a blueprint from the list and select Action > Create new Blueprint from option.
2. Edit the Blueprint rules as required and click Next Step (Preview result) to preview the model.
3. Click Save to save the blueprint.
   For more information on viewing the list of blueprints, see To view the blueprints.

To view the details of a blueprint

1. On the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, select a blueprint from the list and select Action > View option.
2. (Optional) Change the display to Organic or Hierarchic (default) view. 
3. View and click Close.

To edit a blueprint

You cannot edit the default blueprints.

1. From the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, choose a blueprint from the list and select Action > Edit option.
2. Edit the Blueprint rules as required.
   For more information, see the node selection and making modifications steps of To create a blueprint from the available nodes and their relationships or the a blueprint from the available node kinds sections.
3. Click Next Step (Preview result) to preview the blueprint model.
4. Click Save to save the blueprint.
   For more information on viewing the list of blueprints, see To view the blueprints.

To list the related services of a blueprint

1. From the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, choose a blueprint from the list and select Action > List related Services option.
   
2. (Optional) Use the action menu to sort the list in ascending or descending order.
3. Click Close.

To enable a blueprint 

A disabled blueprint cannot be used. You must enable it to make it available to be used as part of a service model.

1. From the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, select a blueprint from the list and select Action >Enable.  
2. Click Hide disabled to view the list of all enabled blueprints.
3. Check that the newly enabled blueprint is visible in the Manage Blueprint Definitions list.

To disable a blueprint

Disabling a blueprint makes it unavailable for a service model.

1. On the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, select a blueprint from the list and select Action > Disable.
2. Click Show disabled to view the list of all disabled blueprints.
3. Check that the disabled blueprint is visible in the Manage Blueprint Definitions list.

To export a blueprint

1. From the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, select a blueprint from the list and select Action >Export to save the blueprint as a JSON file into your default download folder.
2. (Optional) Open the JSON file and verify it is exported correctly.

To import a blueprint

1. On the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, click Import.
2. Navigate to the folder where you have saved or downloaded the exported JSON blueprint file and click Show disabled to view the imported blueprints in disabled state.

To delete a blueprint

You can only delete blueprints that are not part of a service; the Delete option is disabled for a blueprint that is part of a service.Perform the following steps to delete a blueprint:

1. From the Manage Blueprint Definitions page, select a blueprint from the list and select Action > Delete.
2. Click Proceed to delete the blueprint.

Where to go from here

Once you have created blueprints, you can use them to model your services. For details, see Modeling services by using blueprints.