7.3

Software Component Considerations for Nesting Blueprints
For scalable blueprints, it is a best practice to create single layer blueprints that do not reuse other
blueprints. Normally, update processes during scale operations are triggered by implicit dependencies
such as dependencies you create when you bind a software property to a machine property. However,
implicit dependencies in a nested blueprint do not always trigger update processes. If you need to use
nested blueprints in a scalable blueprint, you can manually draw dependencies between components in
your nested blueprint to create explicit dependencies that always trigger an update.
Selecting a Machine Component that Supports Software
Components
You deliver Software components by placing them on top of supported machine components when you
assemble blueprints.
To support Software components, the machine blueprint you select must contain a machine component
based on a template, snapshot, or Amazon machine image that contains the guest agent and the
Software bootstrap agent, and it must use a supported provisioning method.
Because the Software agents do not support Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), use IPv4 settings.
If you are designing blueprints to be scalable, it is a best practice to create single layer blueprints that do
not reuse other blueprints. Normally, the update processes that are used during scale operations are
triggered by implicit dependencies such as property bindings. However, implicit dependencies in a nested
blueprint do not always trigger update processes.
While IaaS architects, application architects, and software architects can all assemble blueprints, only
IaaS architects can configure machine components. If you are not an IaaS architect, you cannot configure
your own machine components, but you can reuse machine blueprints that your IaaS architect created
and published.
To successfully add software components to the design canvas, you must also have business group
member, business group administrator, or tenant administrator role access to the target catalog.
If you need to use nested blueprints in a scalable blueprint, you can manually draw dependencies
between components in your nested blueprint to create explicit dependencies that always trigger an
update.
Table 3‑64. Provisioning Methods that Support Software
Machine Type Provisioning Method
vSphere Clone
vSphere Linked Clone
vCloud Director Clone
vCloud Air Clone
Amazon AWS Amazon Machine Image
Configuring vRealize Automation
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