Creating virtual system patterns

Use the console to create virtual system patterns.

Before you begin

You must be granted access to patterns, access to create patterns, or have the Workload resources administration with full permissions to complete this task.

About this task

Use the Pattern Builder to create virtual system patterns. When you start the Pattern Builder, it opens in a separate window. If you are using Microsoft Edge, you might need to change your browser settings so the Pattern Builder is displayed correctly. Specifically, configure windows to open in a new tab in the current window. From the browser menu, click Tools > Internet Options.

Attention: You can optionally specify a password for some elements during pattern creation. These password fields are provided as a convenience during the testing and development process. Passwords must not be saved in the pattern for patterns that are used in a production environment. Instead, leave the field blank during pattern creation and specify the password when the pattern is deployed.

You can use the console, the command line interface, or the REST API to complete this task. For the command line and REST API information, see the Related information section.

Procedure

Click Patterns > Virtual System Patterns.
Click Create New.
Build your virtual system pattern:
1. Select a virtual system template or start from a blank pattern.
2. Set the Name and Version for the virtual system pattern.
  Note: Use a unique name and version combination for the pattern. If you attempt to create a pattern with the same name and version as an existing pattern, an error is displayed.
3. Click Start Building.
  The Pattern Builder opens in a new web browser page where you can build the virtual system pattern.
Specify the properties for the pattern in the pattern properties pane:

Name

The name of the virtual system pattern.

Version

The version of the virtual system pattern.

Description

Optional. The description of the virtual system pattern.

Type

Leave Pattern selected to create a virtual system pattern or select Pattern Template to create a virtual system template that is used as the basis for creating other virtual system patterns.

Lock option for plugin usage

Specify how this virtual system pattern is affected by upgrades to the pattern type or to IBM® Foundation Pattern.

Unlock plugins

If the pattern type is upgraded, use the latest versions of pattern type plug-ins. If IBM Foundation Pattern is upgraded, use the latest version.

Lock all plugins

Do not change the version of plug-ins or the version of the IBM Foundation Pattern that is associated with this virtual system pattern when an upgrade occurs.

Lock all plugins except Foundation plugins

If the pattern type is upgraded, do not change the version of the plug-ins that are associated with this virtual system pattern. If IBM Foundation Pattern is upgraded, use the latest version.

Note: If you select Lock all plugins or Lock all plugins except Foundation plugins, you can view a list of which plug-ins are locked. Click the Source tab in Pattern Builder. The application model source is displayed. Search for the element plugins to view the list.
Optional: In the Pattern-level Parameters section of the pattern properties pane, click Add new parameter to add a parameter or set of parameters to the virtual system pattern.
1. In the Pattern-level Parameter window, click Add from an existing component parameter or Add a new component parameter to provide component parameter information for the pattern-level parameters you are adding. This information includes a label, parameter type, ID, description, and default value.
If you selected a blank template, the canvas is empty and you can start building the virtual system pattern. If you selected a template, customize the virtual system pattern:
1. Drag the assets that you want to add to the virtual system pattern onto the canvas.
  Note:
  
  When you add an asset to the canvas, the properties for that asset are displayed in the right pane. The properties vary depending on the asset that you add. Required properties are denoted by a red asterisk. If a required property is not set, a warning icon displays on the asset in the canvas.
  
  The right pane displays the properties for the asset that is selected on the canvas. You can access the settings for an asset by selecting it on the canvas.
  
  Some properties have a lock symbol next to their value in the right pane. If you lock a property by clicking this symbol, that property is not configurable from the deployment page when a user deploys the virtual system pattern.
  
  Some properties have an icon with a green arrow next to them. Click this icon to add a reference to a component-level or pattern-level parameter as the value for the attribute, and create an explicit data dependency link. After you click the icon, the Add a reference page is displayed:
  
  Select whether you want to reference a component-level parameter or a pattern-level parameter.
  
  Then, select the component and an output attribute for that component that you want to reference.
  
  Click Add to create the reference.
  
  Tip:
  
  For example, if your pattern contains a DB2® component and a WebSphere® Application Server component, you might want the db_user parameter for the DB2 component to reference the WASROOT output attribute of the WebSphere Application Server component.
  
  Refer to the documentation for the pattern that you are using for specific details about its components and attributes.
  
  If you want to remove an asset from the canvas, click Remove component on the asset.
  
  After you build your pattern, you can change to the List View tab to view the topology as a vertical list of components. You can configure the values for the properties in the pattern from the canvas, or from the List View tab.
  Images
  
  Virtual images provide the operating system and product binary files that are required to create a virtual system instance. Some virtual images include only the operating system files, while others also include product binary files.
  If multiple versions of the image are available, such as 8.5.5.0 and 8.5.5.1, select the version that you want to deploy with the pattern after you add the image to the canvas.
  Restriction: You cannot create or edit a virtual machine by specifying its name as purevCenter. This name is reserved. Instead, specify a different name.
  
  Scripts
  Scripts can include almost any set of executable files and artifacts that are valid for the target virtual machine environment. Create these scripts on your local workstation, in Cloud Pak System Software for Power®, or by using the Plug-in Development Kit. Then, import the script package to the system so that it is available in the catalog and in the Assets palette in the Pattern Builder.
  Note:
  
  Scripts cannot be added to the canvas directly. You must add them to images or components.
  
  If multiple versions of the script are available, such as 1.0 and 2.0, select the version that you want to use with the pattern after you add the script to the canvas.
  
  You cannot add scripts to some images, such as the DataPower® image. If an image does not support scripts, a message displays on the canvas when you attempt to add the script to the image.
  
  Tip: If you move a script package from one virtual image to another virtual image, the configuration settings are preserved except for the hosted link on the previous virtual image.
  
  For more information about creating script packages, see the Related information section.
  Software Components
  
  Software components install, and possibly configure software on the virtual system pattern.
  For more information about software components, see Software components.
  
  Other Components
  
  For more information about Other Components, see Other components.
  
  Pattern components
  
  Pattern components deploy a target virtual system pattern.
  Note: You cannot add any other components, such as a script package, to a pattern component.
  
  For more information about pattern components, see Working with pattern components.
2. Edit the connections between assets, as needed. To add a link between two assets, hover over one of the assets until the blue circle turns orange. Helper text describes the asset that is associated with the link. Select the circle, drag a connection to the second asset until the asset is highlighted, and then release. When you create a link between two assets, you can map a property of one asset to a property of the asset to which it is linked.
  For example, you might have one image with a software component that requires a DB2 server, and another image with a software component that installs a DB2 server. You can link the software component to the DB2 server. When you create the link, you are prompted to map the properties between the two assets. You can map the DB2 server IP address property for the first software component to the Server IP address property for the second software component.
3. Add policies to the pattern or a component, as needed.
  You can apply a policy globally at the pattern level, or apply it to a specific component that supports the policy. When you apply a policy globally, it is applied to all components in the virtual system pattern that support it. If you apply a policy to a specific component and also apply it to the whole virtual system pattern, the configuration of the component-specific policy overrides the pattern level policy.
  
  To add policies to the virtual system pattern, click Add policy to pattern and select a policy, or select a component part on the canvas and click the Add a Component Policy icon to add a component-specific policy.
  
  For more information about the policies that you can add to the pattern or a component, see Policies.
  
  Tip: If you move a policy from one virtual image or component to another virtual image or component, the configuration settings are preserved except for the hosted link on the previous virtual image or component.
Optional: Click the Add a Component Add-on icon on the image to add an add-on. For more information about add-ons, see the Related concepts section.
Tip: If you move an add-on from one virtual image to another virtual image, the configuration settings are preserved except for the hosted link on the previous virtual image.
Optional: Click Advanced Options on the canvas to configure advanced options. The advanced options that are available depend on the topology of the virtual system pattern you are editing.
Note: When you open the advanced options editor for a new virtual system pattern that has no advanced options set, the displayed settings are the recommended values for the topology.
Optional: If your pattern includes a WebSphere Application Server software component, configure these properties:
- Specify the location of the WebSphere Application Server installation.
  Note: This property is mapped to the installation directory property of the WebSphere Application Server software component, so it should be populated automatically. If it is not populated, enter the installation location manually.
- If there is more than one WebSphere Application Server on the node, and you want to specify the order in which the servers are restarted, specify the order in the WAS Servers Restarting Order property. Enter the server names in the required order. Separate the server names with semicolons.
- Specify the WebSphere Application Server user name.
For Red Hat operating system-based deployments, you have two options for applying operating system updates as part of pattern deployment:
- To apply updates to a specific virtual machine, add the Install Red Hat OS patches using YUM software component to that image, and list the updates that you want to apply as part of pattern deployment in the YUM Package list parameter.
- If you want to apply updates to every virtual machine as part of pattern deployment, add three pattern-level parameters: yum_pkg_list, vm_policy, and vm_up2date. Complete these steps to create the parameters:
  1. Click a blank part of the canvas to display the pattern attributes in the right pane.
  2. In the Pattern-level Parameters section, click Add new parameter, and then click Add a new component parameter.
  3. For the first parameter, provide this information:
    
    Label
    
    Specify YUM Package List.
    
    Parameter Type
    
    Select string.
    
    ID
    
    Specify yum_pkg_list.
    
    Description
    
    Optional. Specify a description for the parameter.
    
    Default Value
    
    Optional. Specify a default value for the parameter.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Repeat those steps to create the second and third parameters. For the second parameter, provide this information:
    
    Label
    
    Specify a label: Fail deployment if specified package list cannot be installed?.
    
    Parameter Type
    
    Select boolean. Notice that the Default Value field changes from a text string field to a check box.
    
    ID
    
    Specify vm_policy.
    
    Description
    
    Optional. Specify a description for the parameter.
    
    Default Value
    
    False (cleared). Indicates that the packages are installed on best case effort, and pattern deployment does not fail if some or all of the packages cannot be installed.
    
    For the third parameter, provide this information:
    
    Label
    
    Specify a label: Update the virtual machine with the latest OS patches.
    
    Parameter Type
    
    Select boolean. Notice that the Default Value field changes from a text string field to a check box.
    
    ID
    
    Specify vm_up2date.
    
    Description
    
    Optional. Specify a description for the parameter.
    
    Default Value
    
    Click this check box to indicate true.
  6. List the updates that you want to apply as part of pattern deployment in the YUM Package list parameter that you created.
  Tip: Hover your cursor over the parameter name to display the parameter description as hover help, and to display the Edit, Delete, and Lock icons. To make updates to the parameter information, click the Edit icon to display the Pattern-level Parameter window and make your updates.
Set the order of deployment for each of the components in the pattern.
1. Use the Move up and Move down options on software components and scripts to determine the order in which components are started.
2. Change to the Ordering tab to change the order for other components in the pattern. You can also modify the order for software components and scripts from this tab.
Click Save.
Set the user access controls.
1. On the Virtual System Patterns details page, locate the Access granted to field.
  
  Note: Initially, this field is set to the role of the owner of the pattern.
2. Click Add more to provide access for more users or groups.
  For each user or group in this list, you can specify whether the user or group must be given read, write, or all access by selecting the name. When a user or group is first added to the list, it has read-only access. The access level can be changed by clicking the read link next to the name.
3. To remove a user or group from the access list, click the remove link next to the name.
  
  If a user has read-only access to a pattern, the user can deploy the pattern with the assumption that the user has access to all the pattern resources, such as images and scripts. The read-only user can also change non-locked deployment parameters at deployment time, such as port numbers and passwords.
  
  However, if a read-only user views the pattern source in the Pattern Builder, the displayed passwords are not the passwords that are configured by the owner, but the default display password, which is <xor>dXV1dXV1dXU=. When a read-only user deploys the pattern, the user might enter new passwords in any password field that is not locked. Any passwords that are not changed by the read-only user can use the values that are configured by the pattern owner.