Creating environments

Before you can run a deployment, you must define at least one environment that associates components with an agent on the target host. This initial environment is typically uncontrolled and often used to create snapshots.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have at least one base resources to contain the new environment. See Resources.

Procedure

  1. Open the Create New Environment window by clicking Applications > [select application] > Environments > Add New Environment and then enter the following information:
    The Create New Environment window, showing fields for the name, description, blueprint, teams, and other properties
    • Name and Description. The name is used as part of the deployment process and typically corresponds to the target environment. For example, if you are deploying to an integration environment, "SIT" might appropriate.
    • To ensure that components cannot be deployed to the environment without first being approved, click the Require Approvals check box. If checked, IBM® UrbanCode Deploy enforces an approval process before the deployment can be deployed to the environment. Initial deployments are typically done in uncontrolled environments. After the deployment is successful, you can configure an approvals process as the application moves along the development pipeline. If you are setting up more than one environment, consider creating an approvals process for at least one of them.
    • In the Blueprint list, select the blueprint to use for the environment.
    • If you selected a blueprint, specify the resource to contain the new environment in the Base Resource field. This base resource is a container for the resources in the environment. The base resource is used only for organizational purposes.
    • If the Lock Snapshots check box is selected, snapshots added to this environment are locked (for the selected environment) to prevent changes.
    • The Color picker enables you to apply a visual identifier to the environment. The selected color appears in the UI.
    • The Inherit Cleanup Settings check box determines how many component versions are kept in CodeStation, and how long they are kept. If checked, the application uses the values that are specified on the System Settings pane. If cleared, the Days to Keep Versions (initially set to -1, keep indefinitely) and Number of Versions to Keep (initially set to -1, keep all) fields are displayed, which enable you to define custom values. The default value is checked.
  2. Click Save. If you are creating an environment that is based on a cloud-based blueprint, the Environment Blueprint Properties window opens, as shown in the following figure. From this window, you can customize the properties for each virtual node in the cloud resource request, such as the starting user names and passwords.
    The Environment Blueprint Properties window, showing the name of the new environment and links to customize the properties for each node
  3. If you are creating an environment that is based on a blueprint, specify the following information on this window:
    • In the Cloud Connection field, make sure that the connection to your cloud system is listed. This list shows connections that you have access to, based on the security settings for those connections.
    • In the Choose Location field, specify where to store the virtual nodes and how to allocate IP addresses to those nodes. Select Cloud Group to store the virtual nodes on one of the hypervisors in a cloud group. Select Environment Profile to provision the virtual nodes according to an environment profile. For more information on cloud groups and environment profiles, see the documentation for your cloud system.
      Note: If you need to specify both the environment profile and the IP group, first specify the environment profile on this page. Then, on the properties page for each node, specify the IP group for each node.
      Note: For IBM PureApplication® System, you must use an environment profile; cloud groups are not supported.
    • If you selected Cloud Group, select a cloud group in the Cloud Group field.
    • If you selected Environment Profile, select an environment profile in the Environment Profile field.
    • Under Set property values for nodes to be created for this environment, you can customize the properties for the request. To customize these properties, click the node. A window opens that shows the properties for the node, including virtual image properties such as memory, number of CPUs, and starting passwords. The window also shows the properties for each script package on the node.
      Note: In some cases, you must specify certain properties before you can submit the request. In this case, when you click Save, a popup window lists the required properties that are not specified.
  4. Click Save to submit the request.

Results

The new environment appears in the Environments pane. If you used a cloud-based blueprint, the server submits the cloud resource request, and when the cloud resources are ready, the agents contact the server and are added to the environment. You can see the cloud resources by opening the console for your cloud system.

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