Components (Topology Designs)

Use the Components area in topology designs to import, create, and configure components. A component represents one service design element required to realize a service subscription. CSA provides a number of components you can use for creating topology designs.

Component Types

There are three types of components:

• Concrete components are the most common components that you will interact with. Concrete components can contain properties, relationships, and operations. Concrete components can express support for capabilities, such as Server, Application Server, Database Server, and Web Server, and can also support characteristics. Concrete components can be included in a design.
• Abstract components provide a base type for other components and can be the target of relationships configured on a component. Abstract components can contain properties and relationships. Abstract components cannot express support for capabilities or characteristics. Abstract components cannot be included in a design. Abstract components cannot be created by the user.
• A capability is a special type of component that supports properties and relationships, but does not support operations or characteristics. When a concrete component supports a capability, the concrete component inherits the capability's relationships and must provide property mappings from the concrete component properties to the capability properties. Capabilities can be the target of relationships configured on a component. Capabilities can be included in a design, but for such a design to be successfully provisioned, another design must exist that contains a concrete component supporting the capability.

Component Palettes

Palettes are user-defined groupings of components. A component can belong to multiple palettes.

When you create a topology design, you can optionally select a palette. Selecting a palette will restrict the available components that can be used in the design to the components that exist in the palette.

Tags

Tags are user-defined, color-coded labels and images used to provide a structure for organizing and grouping topology components. A component can be assigned to multiple tags.

Tasks

• Select how to view components - By Palette, By Tag, or By Provider Type. Click an item in the left pane to see its components displayed in the right pane.
• Search Box - Enter text in the Search box.

Click the gear icon to perform the following tasks:

• Create Component - In the Create Topology Component dialog, enter the following information:
  • Display Name - A unique display name for the component.
  • Description - A brief description of the component.
  • Version - The version number of the component.
  • Functional Type - The functional type of the component can be Concrete or Capability.
  • Provider Type - Select a provider type for the component. Provider Type selection is supported only for Concrete functional types.
  • Image - An image that will display for the component.
  • Tags - Select one or more tags that will include the component.
• Import Component - Complete all steps in the Import Topology Component wizard. See Import Topology Components.
• Manage Component Tags - In the By Tag view, click the gear icon and select Manage Component Tags. Tags are user-defined, color-coded labels and images used to provide a structure for organizing and grouping topology components. A component can be assigned to multiple tags.

• Manage Component Palettes - In the By Palette view, click the gear icon and select Manage Component Palettes. In the Manage Components Palettes dialog, use the toolbar to add (create), edit, or delete a component palette.
• Select Palette Components - When you are in the By Palette view and when you have selected a user-created palette, click the gear icon and select Select Palette Components. In the Select Components dialog, add or remove available components. You can select one or multiple components and then click Add or Remove.
• Navigate to component details - Click the name of a component in the list to see more information about it, such as Overview, Properties, Relationships, and Operations.

Best Practices

If you have a large number of components, use tags to organize them into meaningful groups.