Content Packs

Content is information that OMi uses to describe and enrich the objects or configuration items that you are monitoring in your IT environment. The objects can be, for example, network hardware, operating systems, applications, services or users.

Content for a specific management area can be contained in a dedicated content pack. A content pack can contain a complete snapshot of all, or any part of, your content -- the rules, tools, mappings, indicators and assignments that you define and configure to help users manage your IT environment. Content packs are used to exchange customized data between instances of OMi, for example in test and production environments.

The Content Packs Manager helps you manage packs of content data. It enables you to create a content pack, save it in a file, install or update content, and take content from one installed instance of OMi and upload it to another, using the export and import features.

Content packs are forward compatible; you can import content packs developed for an earlier version of OMi to a later one. However, content packs are not necessarily backward compatible; it is therefore recommended that content packs are developed on the lowest OMi version they must support.

OMi provides a number of packs, for example for Smart Plug-ins (SPIs), that you can either use in the default configuration or, if necessary, modify to suit the demands of your environment. Such content is usually specified as Predefined, and can be modified (Predefined (Customized)). This modified content can be reverted to the predefined values.

You can use the Content Packs Manager to perform the following tasks:

• Define the contents of a content pack and save the definition. For details, see Define Content Packs.
• Manage dependencies between content packs. For details, see Dependencies in Content Packs.
• Export a content pack (definition and content) and the data it references to a file called a content pack. For details, see Export Content Packs.
• Import a content pack (definition and content) and the data it references. For details, see Import Content Packs.

Content types are referred to using the following terminology:

• Predefined Content

  Predefined content is usually content provided by HPE or HPE Partners and is designed to provide the initial configurations for an OMi installation. After installing a predefined content pack, you may change these initial artifacts to suit your environment and management needs. Any modified predefined artifacts are labeled as Predefined (Customized). It is not possible to remove predefined artifacts, but you can revert any customized artifacts to their original, "predefined" values.

• Custom Content

  Custom content is content that is created by the customer, for example for managing a custom, in-house application, and is labeled as Custom.

• Customized Content

  Modified predefined artifacts are labeled as Predefined (Customized). You can revert any customized artifacts to their original, "predefined" values.

Content pack types are referred to using the following terminology:

• Predefined Content Pack

  Predefined content packs are collections of predefined content typically provided by HPE or HPE Partners and are designed to provide the initial configurations for an OMi installation.

  After installing a predefined content pack, you may change these initial artifacts to suit your environment and management needs. Any modified predefined artifacts are labeled as Predefined (Customized). It is not possible to remove predefined artifacts, but you can revert any customized artifacts to their original, "predefined" values.

  When importing the content of predefined content packs, this content is labeled as Predefined.

  • Predefined content packs must contain unique content. It is not possible to include identical content in more than one predefined content pack. This is checked on export and an appropriate error message displayed.

  • Predefined content packs must not contain referenced content.

  • Predefined content packs cannot be modified or directly deleted (as opposed to artifacts which can be modified). If you want to make changes to a predefined content pack, you must create a new version. When you import a new predefined content pack version, it overwrites the old version.

    Note To modify a predefined content pack, select Create a New Version of the Selected Content Pack Definition and specify a new version number. For more details, see How to Create a New Version of a Predefined Content Pack Definition.

    It is only possible to delete a predefined content pack in Content Pack Development mode (enabled in the Infrastructure Setting: Operations Management - Content Manager Settings).

• Custom Content Pack

  Custom content packs are collections of content typically created by the OMi user, for example for managing a custom, in-house application.

  When importing the content of custom content packs, this content is labeled as Custom.

  Custom content packs can have the same content as other custom or predefined content packs.

Content Pack Definitions serve two purposes:

• Creating Content Packs including the artifacts referenced by it.

• Describing predefined content of the system, serving as an inventory of predefined content.

A Content Pack Definition is identified by its name and version. It is not possible to have two Content Pack Definitions in the system with same name and version. It is possible to duplicate any definition by specifying either different name or different version. A new or duplicated content pack definition is labeled as a custom definition.

Only one Content Pack Definition with a given name can be predefined. If a Content Pack with predefined content based on a Content Pack Definition with the same name is imported, its definition does replace the existing definition.

Predefined content packs with predefined content from HPE are imported during the OMi product installation. You can change the predefined artifacts, which then are marked as Predefined (Customized). You can also revert customized artifacts to their original predefined values, but you cannot delete them.

The features and functionality of the Content Pack manager are accessible from following interfaces.

• Content Packs User Interface

  For details, see Define Content Packs.

• ContentManager Command-line Interface (CLI)

  The features and functionality of the Content Pack manager are also accessible using the ContentManager command-line interface. You can access the ContentManager command-line interface directly, in a shell, or remotely, for example, in a script.

  For details, see ContentManager Command-Line Interface.

  Note You cannot use the ContentManager command-line interface to create a content pack definition.

• ContentAutoUpload Command-line Interface (CLI)

  During OMi installation, all predefined Content Pack Definition files are automatically uploaded from the default content pack location on the Data Processing Server:

  <OMi_HOME>/conf/opr/content/<locale>

  Using the ContentAutoUpload, you can:

  • Trigger the default content pack upload again

  • Specify a different folder from where content packs are uploaded

  For details, see ContentAutoUpload Command-Line Interface.