Creating segments

Segments are containers for tasks that have some business-meaningful relationship and that must be finished together.

About this task

When you create a segment, you choose whether the tasks it contains are done in order sequentially or simultaneously. Your choice determines how the segment's duration is calculated. A segment's duration is used to determine overall deployment progress. If you select parallel, all tasks are assumed to start when the segment starts, and the duration of the segment is equal to the length of the longest task. If you select sequential, tasks are also assumed to start when the segment starts (unless you select the Sequential Execution Enforced option), but segment duration is calculated by adding the times for all tasks. Automatic tasks start as soon as the segment starts. Finally, if you choose Sequential and the Sequential Execution Enforced option, only the first task starts when the segment starts, and all tasks must be done in order.

Procedure

  1. Click Releases and Deployments.
  2. On the Deployment Plans tab, click the name of the deployment plan.
  3. On the plan page, click Create Segment.
  4. Type a name in the Name field.
  5. Select an option from the Execution Pattern list box:
    • Parallel

      If you select this option, the total time for the segment is determined by the duration of the longest task. Tasks can start in any order and run concurrently. This option is the default value.

    • Sequential

      If you select this option, the total time for the segment is calculated by adding the times for all tasks.

      Selecting this option makes the Sequential Execution Enforced option available. Selecting this option ensures that all tasks are run in order. If you select Sequential but not Sequential Execution Enforced, the time estimate for the segment assumes that the tasks run one at a time, but you can run the tasks at the same time.

  6. Optional: Select a role from the Executor Role list box. If a role is selected, only users with that role can run the segment. The default value is none.
  7. Optional: Use the Prerequisites area to designate segments as prerequisites. Unless the segment is the first one that you created, you can designate other segments as prerequisites for the new one. Any segment can be selected except one that has the current segment itself as a prerequisite. Segments that have the current segment as a prerequisite are not available for selection. Any segment that does not have the selected segment itself as a prerequisite can be designated. A segment can have any number of segment prerequisites. A segment cannot be started until all prerequisite segments finish.
  8. Click Save. The new segment is added to the end of the segment list. To reposition a segment, use the Move Up or Move Down arrows .
    Note: The order in which segments are displayed does not affect the order in which they can be started.

What to do next

Add tasks to the new segment.

Feedback