8 Plans and Profiles

Version Control

Profiles and plans versions are numbered sequentially. When you create a profile or plan, the version number is one. When you edit a profile or plan, you create a version that is referenced by a new number.

When you create a version, you have the option to automatically change the related plan during the update. When you do not choose that option, the operational and deployment plans that are using the profile are not updated with the new version. For example, you have a firmware profile that is using firmware image A, the profile version is one. You want to update the profile to use the latest firmware image, B. When you update the profile to change the image to B, version two of the profile is created. When you have five plans that are using version one of the firmware profile, all of those plans continue to use version one and image A. When you want the plans to use image B, you must manually update the plans to reference version two of the profile.

The same is true for plans. When you edit a deployment plan that is referred to by another plan in a complex plan, the referring plan is not automatically updated to refer to the edited plan's version unless you choose the option when you edit the plan.

You can view version details by highlighting the plan, then clicking the View Version Details icon. Use the arrows to view the different versions. When you want a plan to use the new version of the profile, edit the plan and associate it with the correct version of the profile. You can edit the following fields in an Operational Plan: Description, Failure Policy, and Associated Profile. You cannot edit the name of a profile or plan. When you want a different name, you must copy or create a profile and plan.

You can delete a version of a profile or plan. When you delete a version and more than one version exists, the previous version becomes the default. When only one version of the plan exists, both the profile and plan are deleted. When the plan is used in other plans, then the Delete Deployment Plan option is not enabled.

Actions for Operational Profiles and Plans

You can perform the following actions, depending on the role:

• Create an Operational Profile and Plan

• Edit an Operational Profile or Plan

• Copy an Operational Profile

• Delete an Operational Profile or Plan

Create an Operational Profile and Plan

An Operational Plan defines how an Operational Profile is deployed, and against which targets. By default, creating a profile also creates an Operational Plan.

You can save a shell script on the Enterprise Controller and download it into the plan, or you can enter the script in a text field when you create the plan. Both types of shell scripts are executed by the user. They differ in the location, either on the Enterprise Controller or on the remote Agent, and the user credentials needed to execute the profile.

An operational plan defines the targets and failure policy for an operational profile. The profile defines one or more operations that are to be performed on a managed resource or group of resources. For example, deploying thresholds onto a managed resource, or performing state changing actions such as shutting down all logical domains and then shutting down an Oracle VM Server for SPARC.

The profile uses a shell script to define the operations. When you do not have an operational profile, you can create a profile when you create the plan. When you create the profile, either download a shell script that is on the Enterprise Controller (EC Shell script), or enter the shell script (Remote Shell script) in the profile. The EC Shell and Remote Shell are both shell scripts that are executed by the user. They differ in the location (on the Enterprise Controller or on the remote Agent) and manner (user credentials) of the execution. The EC Shell is executed with the credentials of the user that is logged in. The Remote Shell can run on any managed system that contains a remote agent and is executed with root permissions.

1. Expand Plan Management in the Navigation pane, then click Operational Profiles.

2. Click Create Profile.

3. Name the new profile and add a description. Select a subtype from the list to identify the type of target for this profile. Click Next.

4. Define the script, then click Next.

   1. Define the type, either EC Shell or Remote Shell.

   2. Define the time out parameters.

   3. Type the script in the Script field, or click Load if you are loading an EC Shell script that is saved on the Enterprise Controller. Click View System Variables to see the available software-specific variables.

5. (Optional) Add user-defined variables in the Specify Additional Variables page. Click Next.

6. Review, then click Finish.

Edit an Operational Profile or Plan

When you edit a profile or plan, you create a version. When you create a version, you have the option to automatically change the related plans during the update. See Version Control for how versions are maintained.

You can view version details by highlighting the plan, then clicking the View Version Details icon. Use the arrows to view the different versions. When you want a plan to use the new version of the profile, edit the plan and associate it with the correct version of the profile. You can edit the following fields in an Operational Plan: Description, Failure Policy, and Associated Profile. You cannot edit the name of an Operational profile or plan. When you want a different name, you must copy or create a Operational Profile and Plan.

Copy an Operational Profile

You can copy an existing operational profile, rename it, and create a new profile and plan.

1. Expand Plan Management in the Navigation pane, then click Operational Profiles.

2. Select the profile in the center pane that you want to copy, then click the Copy Profile icon. Or you can double-click the profile in the center pane to display actions in the Actions pane.

3. Rename the new profile you are creating and revise the description, then click Next.

4. (Optional) Edit the script. Click Next.

5. (Optional) Edit the variables in the Specify Additional Variables page. Click Next.

6. Review, then click Finish.

Copy an Operational Plan

You can copy an existing operational plan, rename it, and create a new profile and plan.

1. Expand Plan Management in the Navigation pane, then click Operational Plans.

2. Select the plan in the center pane that you want to copy, then click the Copy Plan icon. Or you can double-click the plan in the center pane to display actions in the Actions pane.

3. Rename the new plan you are creating and revise the description. You can choose to change the Failure Policy for the new plan and change the Operational Plan steps. You can change the associated profile or plan for each step. To change the profile or plan, click the associated profile or plan to select from a list of available options. To add additional steps, click the Replicate Step icon, then select the profile or plan from the list to associate with that step. Click Save.

4. (Optional) Edit the script. Click Next.

5. (Optional) Edit the variables in the Specify Additional Variables page. Click Next.

6. Review, then click Finish.

Delete an Operational Profile or Plan

You can delete a version of a profile, or you can delete all versions of the profile and the associated plan.

You cannot delete a version of an operational plan version unless you created the version. Deleting a version of a plan might impact the Incident Knowledge Base or deployment plans that reference the version. Before deleting a version, verify that the version is not being used.

Policies

Policies are lists of actions that are explicitly approved or denied. Policies are specific to OS update and define the amount of user interaction you want when applying OS patches and packages. For example, you might want to automate applying fixes without user interaction, but you might want to pause a job and require user approval before performing a downgrade or uninstall. You can also deny certain actions, such as installing uncertified patches or packages.

Policy settings are hierarchical. When you have not defined a policy for a component, the policy for that component's parent applies. For example, it is possible to create a policy that allows the system to install a given component, but prohibits installing specific versions of that component.

Update policies are discussed in detail in Chapter 13, "Operating System Updates".

Profiles

Profiles define how a standard management tasks are performed. With the help of wizards, you create a customized set of profiles. Once created, authorized users can use the profiles to perform tasks, such as discovery and provisioning. The software has pre-defined profiles for some common OS tasks, such as reboot and check for installed security patches. You can choose to use the pre-defined profiles for those actions or create your own.

Profiles are organized in the UI by category. The profiles are discussed in more detail in various sections of the documentation. The following are the profile categories and where you can find more specific information about that task and profile:

• Discovery – See Chapter 2, "Asset Management"

• Service Processor – See Chapter 11, "Hardware"

• RAID Controller – See Chapter 11, "Hardware"

• Firmware – See Chapter 11, "Hardware"

• Dynamic System Domain – See Chapter 11, "Hardware"

• OS Provisioning – See Chapter 12, "Operating Systems"

• Logical Domain – See Chapter 15, "Oracle VM Server for SPARC"

• Solaris Zone – See Chapter 14, "Oracle Solaris Zones"

• Virtual Machine – See Chapter 16, "Oracle VM Server for x86"

• BIOS Configuration – See Chapter 11, "Hardware"

• Boot Environment – See Chapter 12, "Operating Systems"

• Storage Appliance Update – See Chapter 11, "Hardware"

• Update Policies – See Chapter 13, "Operating System Updates"

• Update Profiles – See Chapter 13, "Operating System Updates"

With the exception of the Discovery profile, these types of management profiles require a deployment plan to execute the tasks on specific targets. When you create a profile, the default setting is to create a corresponding deployment plan. See Deployment Plans for more information on these types of plans.

Simple Deployment Plans

The software provides you with the ability to create, configure, manage and execute deployment plans which drive the hardware, firmware and software provisioning activities in a repeatable fashion.

You create plans from defined templates. Each plan defines the sequence of steps that must be carried out for configuration or provisioning of a system. Plans might contain a single step or a sequence of multi-steps. Each step in the plan is configured by associating a profile or another plan.

A simple plan contains a single step with a single image. You can define the image used by the plan, but you cannot add more than one image or add steps.

The following plans are simple deployment plans:

• Configure RAID – Use this plan to configure the RAID controller on a server. See Configuring a RAID Controller for how to use the profile and plan.

• Configure Service Processor – Use this plan to configure the service processor on a chassis. See Configuring the Service Processor for how to use the profile and plan.

• Provision OS – Use this plan to provision an operating system. See Provisioning Operating Systems for how to use the profile and plan.

• Update Firmware – Use this plan to update firmware. See Firmware Provisioning for how to use the profile and plan.

• Update BIOS Configuration – Use this plan to update the BIOS configuration of servers. See Create BIOS Configuration Profile and Plan for how to use the profile and plan.

• Update Storage Appliances – Use this plan to update storage appliance software. See Storage Libraries for how to use the profile and plan.

• Create Oracle Solaris Zones – Use this plan to create zones. See Create Zone Profile and Deployment of Zone Plans for how to use the profile and plan.

• Create Virtual Machines – Use this plan to create virtual machines for Oracle VM Server for x86. See Create Virtual Machines and Create and Deploy Virtual Machine Plan for how to use the profile and plan.

• Create Dynamic System Domain – Use this plan to create dynamic system domains. See Configuring a Dynamic System Domain for how to use the profile and plan.

• Create Logical Domains – Use this plan to create logical domains. See Create Logical Domain Profile for how to use the profile and plan.

In most cases, when you create a profile, the default action also creates a simple deployment plan.

Multi-Step Deployment Plans

Several deployment templates with multi-step sequences are available. These plans are designed to provide you with a customized and repeatable way to perform common operations with a single click.

The following plans are multi-step deployment plans:

• Install Server – Use this plan to provision the server and update the OS.

• Software Deployment and Update – Use this plan to apply script based update profiles. See Update an Operating System From a Deployment Plan for how to use the profile and plan.

• Update Solaris 11 OS – Use this plan to update Oracle Solaris 11 operating systems. See Update Oracle Solaris 11 for how to use the profile and plan.

• Create Boot Environment – Use this plan to create Oracle Solaris boot environments. See Create an Oracle Solaris 11 Boot Environment and Create an Oracle Solaris 8, 9, or 10 Boot Environment for how to use the profile and plan.

• Update Firmware and Install Oracle VM Server for SPARC – Use this plan to update firmware and then install Oracle VM Server for SPARC on the system. See Installation of Oracle VM Server for SPARC for how to use the profile and plan.

The steps in a multi-step plan are defined in the template. You cannot skip steps or add steps.

Complex Deployment Plans

You can use a combination of profiles, deployment plans, and operational plans to create a complex deployment plan that enables you to automate a variety of detailed workflows into a single plan. Complex plans provide flexibility to structure plans that meet your local requirements, increasing consistency and allowing for a greater level of automation.

When you create complex deployment plans, you can choose to skip a step in the plan. Skipped steps are not processed when the plan is applied. You can replicate certain steps to perform the same operation but using a different profile or plan. You can also add one or more deployment plans and operational plans.

The following plans are complex deployment plans:

• Configure M-Series Hardware, Create and Install Domain – Use this plan to configure an M-Series server, create dynamic system domains, provision OS on the domains, and update the domains.

• Configure Server Hardware and Install OS – Use this plan to configure a service processor or a chassis, provision OS and update the OS.

• Configure and Install Dynamic System Domain – Use this plan to create dynamic system domains, provision and update OS on the domains.

• Configure and Install Logical Domains – Use this plan to create logical domains and provision OS on the logical domains.

Edit a Profile

Editing a profile enables you to change the profile configuration. Changing values other than the name or description will create a new version. When a profile is referenced by one or more deployment plans, the default action is to update the referring plans to the new version.

To Edit a Profile

1. Expand Plan Management in the Navigation pane.

2. Select a profile from the Profiles and Policies tree.

3. Click Edit Profile.

4. Complete the changes, then click Finish.

Edit a Deployment Plan

You can edit the deployment plan details, alter the plan configuration by skipping steps in the plan, change the profile or plan bound to each step, or save the plan under a different name to create a new plan.

To Edit a Deployment Plan

1. Select Plan Management from the Navigation pane.

2. You can use either of the way to select Edit Deployment Plan option:

   • Method 1 – Select the deployment type from the tree and select a plan from the list. The Edit Deployment Plan icon is enabled. Click the Edit Deployment Plan icon.

   • Method 2 – Expand the selected deployment type and select a plan from the list. The plan details are displayed. Select Edit Deployment Plan from the Actions pane. The Edit Deployment Plan window is displayed.

3. Edit the following details of the plan:

   • Plan Name – When you can modify the name of the plan, a new plan is created. Edit the name to create a new plan.

   • Description – Provide a description of the plan.

   • Failure Policy – Select whether you want the plan execution to stop at failure or complete as much as possible.

4. You can configure a step of the plan by setting or changing the associated profile, or by creating a new profile.

5. You can edit the plan by replicating the steps and associate targets depending on the type of plan selected, if any.

6. Click Save to save any changes made to the plan. When you have changed the name, a new plan is saved with the version v1.

Copy a Deployment Plan

You can copy an existing deployment plan, rename it, and create a new plan.

To Copy a Deployment Plan

1. Select Plan Management from the Navigation pane.

2. You can use either of the way to select Copy Deployment Plan:

   • Method 1 – Select the deployment type from the tree and select a plan from the list. The Copy Deployment Plan icon is enabled. Click the Copy Deployment Plan icon.

   • Method 2 – Expand the selected deployment type and select a plan from the list. The plan details are displayed. Select Copy Deployment Plan from the Actions pane. The Create a Deployment Plan window is displayed.

3. Edit the following details of the plan:

   • Description – Provide a description of the plan.

   • Plan Name – By default, the plan name is Copy of <plan name>. For example, Copy of Firmware Update. You can modify the name.

   • Failure Policy – Select whether the plan execution is to stop at failure or complete as much as possible.

4. You can configure a step of the plan by setting or changing the associated profile, or by creating a new profile.

5. You can edit the plan by replicating the steps and associate targets, depending on the type of plan selected.

6. Click Save the new plan. A new plan is saved with the version v1.

Deploy a Plan

When you deploy a plan, you select the target assets against which the plan is executed. After you select the targets, you have the option to temporarily override the profile configuration for specific assets before you deploy the plan.

Many actions use deployment plans. See the How To tab in the documentation library at http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=oc121&id=howto for a list of end-to-end examples that use profiles and plans.

Delete a Deployment Plan

You can delete a deployment plan or only a version of the plan. When the selected deployment plan is not referenced by any other plans, you can confirm deleting the plan or its version. When the plan is used in other plans, the Delete Deployment Plan option is not be enabled.

To Delete a Deployment Plan

1. Select Plan Management from the Navigation pane.

2. You can use either of the way to select Delete Deployment Plan option:

   • Method 1 – Select the deployment type from the tree. The plans of that type are listed in the center pane. Select a plan from the list. The Delete Deployment Plan and Delete Version icon is enabled. Click Delete Deployment Plan or Delete Version icon accordingly.

   • Method 2 – Expand the selected deployment type and select a plan from the list. The plan details are displayed. Select Delete Deployment Plan or Delete Version from the Actions pane. The Delete Plan window is displayed.

3. Click Delete to confirm the delete action.