User's Manual
Table Of Contents
- Contents
- About This Guide
- Chapter 1
- Active System Manager Overview
- Chapter 2
- Getting Started
- Chapter 3
- Account Management
- Chapter 4
- User Profile Management
- Managing Security Functions
- Managing Groups
- Defining Permissions
- Modifying Permissions
- Managing Authentication Repositories
- Chapter 5
- Inventory Management
- Understanding Resource Modeling
- Building a Standard Active System Manager Inventory
- Configuring Discovery Setup
- Running Discovery
- Using Resource Types
- Using Resource Instances
- Building Resource Instances
- Modifying Core Properties for Resource Instances
- Modifying Resource Instance Resource Availability Dates
- Modifying Resource Instance Interfaces
- Displaying the Resource Availability Calendar View
- Deleting Resource Instances
- Setting Inventory Parameter Values
- Resolving Resource Dependencies
- Using Resource Interface Types
- Linking Resources
- Importing Inventory
- Importing Connectivity
- Exporting Connectivity
- Managing Resource Pools
- Managing Maintenance Windows
- Managing Virtual Resources
- Chapter 6
- Firmware Management
- Creating Active System Manager Software Repositories
- Updating Dell Chassis Firmware from the Operations Center
- Updating Dell Server Firmware
- Updating Dell Blade/Rack Servers Firmware from the Operation Center
- Updating Dell Blade/Rack Servers Firmware from an Active Session
- Updating Dell Blade/Rack Servers Firmware Using the Attach Server Profile Virtual Operation
- Updating Dell Blade/Rack Servers Firmware through an Orchestration
- Updating Dell Blade/Rack Servers Firmware Using the Attach Server Profile Custom Operation
- Minimum Firmware Versions for Active System Manager Components
- Chapter 7
- Server Template and Profiles
- Creating a Server Template
- Editing a Server Template
- Adding or Editing BIOS Information on a Server Template
- Adding or Editing RAID Information on a Server Template
- Adding or Editing Firmware Settings on a Server Template
- Adding or Editing Networks Settings on a Server Template
- Naming Conventions when using Orchestrations
- Server Profiles
- Chapter 8
- Using Inventory
- Chapter 9
- Repository Management
- Chapter 10
- Network Management
- Chapter 11
- Template Management
- Template Types
- Working with Templates
- Creating New Templates
- Saving Templates
- Changing Template Ownership and Permissions
- Opening Templates
- Closing Templates
- Deleting Templates
- Managing Template History Details
- Filtering Templates
- Validating Templates
- Importing Templates
- Exporting Templates
- Attaching a Template Image
- Scheduling Templates
- Archiving Templates using the Templates View
- Restoring Archived Templates
- Updating Templates using the Template Editor
- Viewing and Modifying Template Properties
- Adding Resource Types
- Setting Resource Type Properties for Scheduling
- Deleting Resource Types
- Adding Resource Types Based on Manufacturer Only
- Adding Resource Instances
- Modifying Resource Properties
- Deleting Resource Instances
- Defining Provisioning Policies
- Supporting Layer 2 Switching
- Using Annotations
- Updating Templates using the Link Editor
- Associating an Orchestration Workflow with Templates
- Chapter 12
- Session Management
- Introducing the Sessions Perspective
- Working with Running Sessions
- Scheduling a Session Using Templates
- Creating an Instant Session
- Opening Sessions
- Opening the Session Editor
- Using the Sessions Calendar
- Viewing Session Properties
- Editing Default Session Properties
- Assigning and Changing Session Ownership
- Canceling Sessions
- Deleting Sessions
- Purging Sessions
- Rescheduling Sessions
- Managing Session Links
- Handling Link Preemption
- Managing Session Resources
- Associating Scripts to Sessions
- Archiving Sessions
- Supporting Layer 2 Switching
- Saving Sessions
- Configuring Session Notifications and Reminders
- Starting and Stopping ASAP Rescheduling
- Managing Virtual Resources
- Chapter 13
- Orchestration Management
- Chapter 14
- Working with Test and Script Execution
- Chapter 15
- Reports
- Chapter 16
- Settings
- Chapter 17
- Dashboard
Working with Resource Adapters
9-16 Active System Manager User Guide, Release 7.1
Working with Resource Adapters
In the Active System Manager system, resources—and therefore Resource Adapters (RAs)—are organized
into a couple of categories:
• Managed Resources—Explicitly specified in Template designs, scheduled by the users and set up and
configured in live or active sessions. Managed Resources may include switches, routers, servers and
SAN equipment. Examples of the types of control methods used for managed resources may include
operations such as Acquire Control, Discover Inventory, Send Command, Apply OS Image, Load
Configuration, Save Configuration or Reboot.
• Control Resources—Form what may be considered the control and connection plane of the
environment. These resources help create or realize the Template designs that are authored by the users.
Rather than being explicitly specified in Template designs, these resources work implicitly “behind the
scenes” to connect and configure the Managed Resources and to perform various control actions.
Control Resources may include physical layer switches (electrical or optical,) Layer 2 switches, power
controllers and terminal servers. Examples of the types of methods used for control resources may
include operations such as Acquire Control, Make Link, Break Link, Configure VLAN, Power On or
Power Off.
The Resource Adapter Framework (RAF) supports a wide range of protocols and methods including Telnet,
SSH, SNMP, Sockets, TL1, XML, HTTPs, SOAP, WSDL, CORBA and various TMF standards. Once
adapters are created using a Software Development Kit (SDK) they can simply be plugged-in to the Active
System Manager system, without any changes to the operating software.
The RAF is a fundamental element that provides flexibility and extensibility to the Active System Manager
architecture, and which enables Active System Manager to be used across a wide range of technologies and
applications.
Resource adapters are built using the Dell software development kit and can be deployed using the Active
System Manager application.
The following topics describe how to work with Resource Adapters:
• Opening the Resource Adapters View
• Opening the Resource Adapter Editor
• Deleting Resource Adapters
• Deleting Resource Adapters
• Editing Resource Adapters
• Exporting Resource Adapters
• Deleting Resource Adapters