Automate by Madhu Kanoor and Greg McCullough at ManageIQ Design Summit 2016 Git Integration demo: https://youtu.be/hntHJk4uTqs Expression Methods demo: https://youtu.be/YQoNBkzPePU

1. Automate
Madhu Kanoor, Greg McCullough

2. Agenda
Recently Added Features
Future Enhancements

3. Recently Added Features
RBAC
METHOD::
.missing - (instance_name)

4. RBAC
Automate Methods should only be allowed to see objects that
they can access based on Tenant.
Backward Compatibility
● Enable RBAC $evm.enable_rbac
● Disable RBAC $evm.disable_rbac
● Query RBAC $evm.rbac_enabled?
Default Setting
● Disabled

5. RBAC
Future Version
● Global Automate configuration
○ Strict (Default)
○ Method controlled
○ Disabled

6. METHOD::
● Optionally allows a state field to directly contain a method
● Methods can be stored in the same class
Advantages
● Don’t need method instances to accompany each method
● Reduces the number of instances in the Automate
Database

7. METHOD::
Before: After:

8. METHOD::

9. .missing - (instance_name)
The .missing instance contains default values for use when
an instance is not found.
● A new attribute _missing_instance contains the name of
the original instance
● Can be used in substitution e.g ${#_missing_instance}
● This attribute is only available on the .missing instance

10. .missing - (instance_name)
Advantages
● Reduces the number of instances in Automate
● Can be substituted into any field

11. _missing_instance
/ConfigurationManagement/AnsibleTower/Operations/JobTemplate/MyTemplate
.missing
If MyTemplate doesn’t exist
_missing_instance = MyTemplate

12. Future Enhancements
Git integration
Expression Method
Consolidated Email
Enhanced state-machine messaging
State-machine stats
Custom buttons - Multiple Items
Scheduled Automate Tasks

13. Git Integration
● Import an Automate Domain from Git Repositories
● User can select a Branch or Tag
● Automate Model stored in Postgres DB and shared between
appliances
● Branches and Tags stored in Postgres DB
● Domains are locked
● Sync overwrites existing domain

14. ● A single appliance acts as a Git Owner
● Refresh and Import calls get routed to the Git Owner
Appliance
● Rest API call to initiate domain updates
Git Integration

15. Git Integration
Appliance1
Appliance 2
Appliance 3
Appliance 4
Repos
Postgres
Repos

16. Git Integration
Demo

17. Expression Method
New Automate Method that uses Expressions
● Expression Method runs inside the Automate Engine
● Ideal for Dynamic Dialogs
● Results can be processed as Hash, Array
● RBAC enforced
● Expression stored in Automate model
● Works on a single database object
Advantages:
● Performance - No DRb overhead

18. Comparison of Expression Method
Engine
DRb (Server)
DRb (Client)
Method
Script
Postgres
Engine
Regular Automate Method
Automate Expression
Method

19. Editing Expression Methods

20. Sample

21. Expression Method
● Demo

22. Email Consolidation
● Uses a single built-in method
● Define email parameters in instance
● Fetch values from config object
● Default implementation does not require scripts

23. Model Comparison
Classes Instances External
Methods
Built-in
Methods
Current Model 15 41 39 1
Consolidated 1 61 0 1

24. New Email Class and Instances

25. New Email Schema

26. Sample Email Instance

27. New features to support Consolidated Email
● Null Coalescing Operator
● Substitution support for methods with arguments
● Accessing VMDB Objects from model

28. Null Coalescing Operator
● Multiple String values separated by “||”
● Evaluated on new attribute data type “Null Coalescing”
● Order dependent, left to right evaluation
● First non-blank value is used
● Skip and warn about missing objects
e.g.
${/#owner.email} || ${/#miq_request.get_option(:owner_email)} ||
${/#miq_request.requester.email} || ${/#config.to_email_address}

30. Substitution enhancement
● Support methods with arguments
● ${/#miq_request.get_option(:owner_email)}

31. Accessing VMDB objects
● Class Schema allows for the following new data types
○ EMS (Provider)
○ Host
○ Policy
○ Provision
○ Request
○ Server
○ Storage
○ User
○ VM (or Template)

33. Enhanced State Machine Messaging
● Adopted Kevin Morey’s update_provision_status method enhancements
Sample

34. State Machine Runtime Statistics
● Record the following stats when we execute a state
○ Start Time
○ End Time
○ Number of Retries
○ Status (ok/retry/warn/error)
○ Server IDs where it was executed
● State Machine Visualizer
○ During execution

35. Additional Items
● Custom Button Multi Select
○ Allow user to select multiple items (vm, host, …)
● Rest Integration
○ RBAC
● Running automate methods inside a docker container
○ Security
● Schedule Automate Tasks
○ Schedule Automate Tasks from UI

36. Q&A