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BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation 4.3.00

This section provides information about the integration between BMC Release Process Management and BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation.

Integration overview

BMC Release Process Management enables you to integrate with version 4.3.00 of BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation (BMC VaraLogix Q). You can use the BMC Release Process Management interface to perform various functions in BMC VaraLogix Q while carrying out your deployment process.

Note

You can integrate version 4.3.00 of BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation with BMC Release Process Management 2.6.00 only if you are using BMC Release Process Management 2.6.00 as a part of the BMC Release Lifecycle Management 4.3.00 Suite.

BMC provides a default set of automation scripts that you can import from the library and start using directly. You can use the automation scripts to perform the following actions in BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation by using the BMC Release Process Management user interface:

  • Create an instance for an existing package
  • Deploy an instance for an existing package
  • Deploy an instance (for a package) by specifying the exact instance name
  • Create and deploy an instance for an existing package
  • Create an instance for an existing repository
  • Deploy an instance for an existing repository
  • Create and deploy an instance for an existing repository

You can also modify the existing scripts or  create your own new scripts  . 

Before you start using automation scripts, you must perform certain configurations to integrate version 4.3.00 of BMC VaraLogix Q with version 2.6.00 of BMC Release Process Management.

Integration workflow

The following figure illustrates the integration workflow of BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation 4.3.00 with BMC Release Process Management 2.6.00. The numbers represent steps in the workflow.

BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation integration workflow

Integration workflow.png

The workflow comprises the following steps, represented by the numbers in the preceding illustration:

  1. The application team (internal team) performs setup tasks in BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation 4.3.00. such as creating packages, processes, actions, channel templates, and repositories.

  2. The application team configures servers (virtual machines, load balancers, or hypervisors) for the application that they want to deploy. They also prepare the topology by creating channels, routes, and environments.

    Note

    (Optional) The application team can perform deployment tasks in their own development and QA environments by using BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation 4.3.00 and without configuring BMC Release Process Management 2.6.00.

  3. The Coordinator configures an application and environments in BMC Release Process Management and optionally maps properties of BMC Release Process Management with properties in BMC VaraLogix Q.
  4. The Requestor creates a deployment request in BMC Release Process Management with appropriate steps to perform deployment tasks (by using automation scripts) and runs the request.
  5. The deployment tasks are executed in BMC VaraLogix Q (for example, deploying a package instance).
  6. The application team performs a sanity check to ensure that the application is deployed correctly.
  7. The application team checks configuration drift data regarding instances associated with packages or repositories over a period of time by using BMC VaraLogix Q.

The application team can repeat step 4to step 7for new versions of the same application or for deploying different applications.

Sample use cases for the workflow

The following use cases define the preceding integration workflow. These use cases demonstrate different ways in which you can deploy an online library web application called eBooks.war. 

Use case 1
  1. John logs into BMC VaraLogix Q and performs the following setup tasks:
    1. Create the following packages:
      1. Create a package (eBooks Portal), add a reference to this package consisting of the .war location (eBooks.war), and add a property to this package (eBooks_dbHostName).
      2. Create another package (eBooks DB) and add a reference consisting of the SQL file location (eBooks_Oracle.sql).
    2. Create a channel template, eBooks CT1, with the type set to Weblogic 10.
    3. Create the following processes for the packages and add the deployment activities:
      1. Create a "Deploy eBooks.war" process for the "eBooks Portal" package and add the following activities and trigger to this process:
        • Stop the Websphere 8 service, using the Invoke Action activity library.
        • Delete log files of the earlier Weblogic installation if it exists, using the Delete File or Directory activity library.
        • Send instance contents, using the Send Instance Contents activity library.
        • Start the Websphere 8 service, using the Invoke Action activity library.
        • Configure the JDBC data source, using the Invoke Action (using a Bma action) activity library and the "eBooks_dbHostName" property that you created earlier.
        • Add a trigger: *.war.
      2. Create a process, "Deploy eBooks Oracle DB," for the "eBooks DB" package and add the following activities and trigger to this process:
        • Create an activity, "Oracle Exec," to create the Oracle database schema and run the SQL file by using the Invoke Action activity library.
        • Add a trigger for eBooks_Oracle.sql.
    4. Enroll your target servers (virtual machine, load balancers, or hypervisors) and establish a connection with them for deploying the eBooks application and use this for both packages. 
    5. Create the following items:

      1. Create the eBooks webapp and eBooks database" channels.

        Note: You need a channel for each server that you create.

      2. Create the eBooks Release Route routeand add the following environments under this route:
        1. eBooks Pre-Production
        2. eBooks Testing
  2. He now logs into BMC Release Process Management version 2.6.00 as a Coordinator (or Administrator) and performs the following setup tasks:
    1. Create an eBooks application.
    2. Create eBooks Pre-Production and eBooks Testing environments.
      Recommendation: BMC recommends that you use the same environment names in BMC Release Process Management as the ones that you used in BMC VaraLogix Q.
    3. Create eBooks_db (manual) and eBooks_portal components and assign both components to both the eBooks Pre-Production and eBooks Testing environments.
  3. He performs the following tasks in BMC Release Process Management version 2.6.00 as a Deployer (or Administrator):
    1. Navigate to Environment > Automation and import all the resource automation and automation scripts available for RLM Deployment Engine.
    2. Navigate to System > Integrations and create an integration server to be able to integrate BMC VaraLogix Q with BMC Release Process Management.
    3. Navigate to Environment > Properties and create a property, DE_eBooks_dbHostName, so that you can map it with the eBooks_dbHostName property of BMC VaraLogix Q. By doing this, you can override the value of the "eBooks _dbHostName" property by using BMC Release Process Management at the time of adding a step. For more information, see Set-property-values-for-a-package-repository-or-instance.
    4. Navigate to the Requests tab and create Request 1001, named "Deploy the .war file of the eBooks web application, Version 1."
    5. Add the following steps under Request 1001:
      1. Step 1: Raise a request for approval for changing the product environment to deploy the eBooks application (by using your ticketing system). This is necessary for approval for deploying the .war file and for creating the database for the eBooks application (a manual step).
      2. Step 2: Deploy the .war file of the application by creating an instance for the "eBooks Portal" package and deploying it by using the Rlm create and deploy package instance automation script.
      3. Step 3: Deploy the database schema of the application by creating an instance for the "eBooks DB" package and deploying it by using the Rlm create and deploy package instance automation script.
      4. Step 4: Perform a sanity check of the eBooks application (a manual step).
      5. Step 5: Update the status of the request in your ticketing system to indicate that the request was successfully completed (a manual step).
    6. Run Request 1001.
      The application deployment is complete.
  4. He performs a sanity check of the eBooks application to verify that it was successfully deployed.
  5. He now logs into BMC VaraLogix Q and navigates to Config > Channels to view the configuration drift data.
Use case 2
  1. John logs into BMC VaraLogix Q and performs the following setup tasks:
    1. Create the following packages:
      1. Create a package (eBooks Portal), add a reference to this package consisting of the .war location (eBooks.war), and add a property to this package (eBooks_dbHostName).
      2. Create another package (eBooks DB) and add a reference consisting of the SQL file location (eBooks_Oracle.sql).
    2. Create a channel template, eBooks CT1, with the type set to Weblogic 10.
    3. Create the following processes for the packages and add the deployment activities:
      1. Create a process "Deploy eBooks.war" for the "eBooks Portal" package and add the following activities and trigger to this process:
        • Stop the Websphere 8 service using the Invoke Action activity library.
        • Delete log files of the earlier Weblogic installation if it exists, using the Delete File or Directory activity library.
        • Send instance contents, using the Send Instance Contents activity library.
        • Start the Websphere 8 service, using the Invoke Action activity library.
        • Configure the JDBC data source, using Invoke Action (using a Bma action) activity library and the "eBooks_dbHostName" property that you created earlier.
        • Add a trigger: *.war.
      2. Create a process, "Deploy eBooks Oracle DB," for the "eBooks DB" package and add the following activities and trigger to this process:
        • Create an "Oracle Exec" activity to create the Oracle database schema and run the SQL file by using the Invoke Action activity library.
        • Add a trigger for eBooks_Oracle.sql.
    4. Enroll your target servers (virtual machine, load balancers, or hypervisors) and establish a connection with them for deploying the eBooks application and use this for both the packages.
    5. Create the following items:

      1. Create channels with the names "eBooks webapp" and "eBooks database."

        Note: You need a channel for each server you create.

      2. Create the "eBooks Release Route" route and add the following environments under this route:
        1. eBooks Pre-Production
        2. eBooks Testing
  2. He now logs into BMC Release Process Management version 2.6.00 as a Coordinator (or Administrator) and performs the following setup tasks:
    1. Create an application "ebooks".
    2. Create the "eBooks Pre-Production" and "eBooks Testing" environments.
      Recommendation: BMC recommends that you use the same environment names in BMC Release Process Management as the ones that you used in BMC VaraLogix Q.
    3. Create the "eBooks_db (manual)" and "eBooks_portal" components and assign both components to both the "eBooks Pre-Production" and "eBooks Testing" environments.
  3. He performs the following tasks in BMC Release Process Management version 2.6.00 as a Deployer (or Administrator).
    1. Navigate to Environment > Automation and import all the resource automation and automation scripts available for RLM Deployment Engine.
    2. Navigate to System > Integrations and create an integration server to be able to successfully integrate BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation with BMC Release Process Management.
    3. Navigate to Environment > Properties and create a property, "DE_eBooks_dbHostName" so that you can map it with the "eBooks_dbHostName" property of BMC VaraLogix Q Deployment Automation. By doing this, you can override the value of the "eBooks _dbHostName" property by using BMC Release Process Management at the time of adding a step. For more information, see Set-property-values-for-a-package-repository-or-instance.
    4. Navigate to the Requests tab and create Request 1001, named "Deploy the .war file of the eBooks web application."
    5. Add the following steps under Request 1001:
      1. Step 1: Raise a request to get an approval for changing the product environment to deploy the eBooks application version 1 (by using your ticketing system). This is necessary for approval for deploying the .war file and for creating the database for the eBooks application (manual step).
      2. Step 2: Deploy the .war file of the application by creating an instance for the "eBooks Portal" package and deploying it by using the Rlm create and deploy package instance automation script.
      3. Step 3: Deploy the database schema of the application by creating an instance for the "eBooks DB" package and deploying it by using the Rlm create and deploy package instance automation script.
      4. Step 4: Perform a sanity check of the eBooks application (manual step).
      5. Step 5: Update the status of the request in your ticketing system to indicate that the request was successfully completed (manual step).
    6. Run the Request 1001.
      The application deployment is complete.
  4. He performs a sanity check of the eBooks application to verify that it was successfully deployed.
  5. He logs into BMC VaraLogix Q and navigates to Config > Channels to view the configuration drift data.
  6. He now logs into BMC Release Process Management version 2.6.00 as a Deployer (or Administrator) and performs the following tasks:
    1. Navigate to the Requests tab and create Request 1002 named, "Deploy the .war file of the eBooks web application, version 2."
    2. Add the following steps under Request 1002:
      1. Step 1: Deploy the .war file of the application by creating an instance, "3.5.00" for the "eBooks Portal" package and deploying it by using the Rlm create and deploy package instance automation script.
      2. Step 2: Ask for approval from the Product Operations team for carrying out the deployment of the .war file for the eBooks application, version 2 (manual step).
      3. Step 3: After you have approval, deploy the .war file instance “3.5.00” by using the Rlm deploy package instance by name automation script.
      4. Step 4: Perform a sanity check of the eBooks application, version 2 (manual step).
  7. Run the Request 1002.
  8. The application deployment for version 2 is complete.
  9. He actually performs a sanity check of the eBooks application, version 2 to verify that it was successfully deployed.
  10. He now logs into BMC VaraLogix Q and navigates to Config > Channels to view the configuration drift data.

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