White Paper: AutoMate BPA Server 7 A major advance in the automation of systems and applications across multiple-machine networks

Transcription

1 White Paper: AutoMate BPA Server 7 A major advance in the automation of systems and applications across multiple-machine networks Joe Kosco Chief Operating Officer Network Automation, Inc. 654 South Western Avenue Los Angeles, CA networkautomation.com

2 ABSTRACT AutoMate BPA Server 7 is a revolutionary advance in the automation of systems and applications across multiple-machine networks. No other automation software has the power and range of capabilities offered by AutoMate BPA Server, while also making automation so easy and intuitive. This whitepaper discusses the benefits it offers, as well as a detailed perspective on the underlying technology and architecture. BENEFITS Power and simplicity most IT managers and professionals believe these qualities are mutually exclusive when it comes to automation software. Not so with AutoMate BPA Server because of its unique architecture and focus on intuitive interfaces for design and development. AutoMate BPA Server bridges the gap between power and simplicity. This is accomplished by logically separating high-level business process design from the intricate work of developing detailed automation tasks. At the high-level, AutoMate BPA Server provides intuitive workflow tools for creating and managing automated processes. Workflows serve two very important functions. First, they visually represent business processes and information flows so that nontechnical managers and IT professionals can jointly see, understand, and even design their processes. Second, workflows contain all the information the events and schedules that trigger automation; the tasks and machines that execute automation; and the conditions which control automation flow that is necessary for their operation and management. In addition to workflows, AutoMate BPA Server provides an extensive array of tools for creating sophisticated tasks without the need for writing code. This speeds up application development while reducing required expertise, resulting in a vast reduction of costs. Furthermore, AutoMate BPA Server reduces the hassles and expense of maintaining code over the long haul. It is this approach enterprise automation powered by workflows coupled with intuitive, no code task development that separates AutoMate BPA Server from any other software product in the market. ARCHITECTURE AutoMate BPA Server is comprised of several components for complete enterprise automation, including server, agent, and development client. Server The server component of AutoMate BPA Server is the nerve center and repository of all information necessary for the management and control of automation. Server runs as a.net service and stores objects in XML-format in an internal database, or optionally, in a connected database server such as Microsoft SQL Server. Server objects include workflows which are comprised of reusable objects also stored in the repository. These objects include tasks (which are detailed instructions for automation processing), conditions (which enable workflow

3 initiation and decision-making), and flow controls (which relate workflows objects and enable conditional branching). In operation, the server is the multi-threaded communication hub between connected agents which are responsible for workflow execution and processing. A given server s capacity for automating agents is dictated by the number of client access licenses which can range from one to thousands of machines. To upgrade a server s capacity for automating more machines, additional client access licenses can easily be added. For development and management, clients connect to server over TCP/IP. These clients provide complete functionality for creating and editing workflows and tasks, managing users and agents, and accessing reports vital for administration of the automation network. Server Management Console The Server Management Console (or SMC) is the one-stop resource for centralized management and administration. User-Based Roles and Rights Users must log into SMC, and administrators can specify a given user s credentials, role, and rights. Options for roles include Developer (who create workflows, tasks, and conditions, as well as access objects from the Repository), Manager (who has the same rights as Developer plus the ability to promote objects from testing environments to production), and Administrator (who has complete access and control over everything including server configuration, users, and agents). Agent Management SMC provides tools for installing and uninstalling agents responsible for workflow processing. Administrators can see all agents connected to the server and the maximum number of agents the server can support. Administrators can also set the properties for each agent on the network. Reusable Object Repository Administrators, managers, and developers have access to previously created objects in the repository including tasks, conditions, and events. These objects can easily be edited and incorporated into new workflows. Reporting To view workflow execution in real time or track historical performance, SMC provides a rich reporting interface. A wide selection of summary graphs, charts and tables display the status and properties of workflows, allowing operators to see the system status and history at a glance. Server Settings SMC enables administrators to control important preferences; default properties for users, agents, and workflow objects; server settings; licensing and more. Agents

4 To enable multiple-machine automation, the server component connects with execution agents via TCP/IP. Agents can detect system, application and network events/conditions that can trigger workflows, as well as initiate conditional branching within workflows. Agents run as a Win32 service and have a wide range of capabilities for detecting events and automating complex processes without code. These agents can interpret AutoMate s XMLbased task language and execute detailed AutoMate tasks comprised of more than 200 different actions. Development and Management Client The development and management client component of AutoMate BPA Server provides all the tools for designing, developing, managing, and administering the server and execution agent components. Workflow Designer Workflow Designer is a powerful tool for designing and developing automated business processes. Icons including tasks, conditions, and flow controls are dragged-and-dropped using a highly visual, intuitive interface that even non-technical users can employ. Depending on a given user s preference, design can remain at a very high level where tasks and conditions are simply named and connected with arrows, or it can be detailed where tasks are developed, machines specified, and conditions created. Aside from creating new objects, reusable objects can be dragged-and-dropped into Workflow Designer from the object repository. This makes incorporating previously created tasks, schedule templates, and conditions into new workflows a snap, and eliminates the duplication of effort. Tasks Tasks are the workhorses of workflows and provide the instructions for automated execution on agents. They are built using the Task Builder which is detailed below. Conditions Conditions are closely correlated with the system, application, and network events that transpire across the automation network. In addition to the events themselves, conditions also encapsulate state changes that events typically produce. For example, the appearance of a file in a network share is an event, and the existence of that file is a state. Both the event and the state are conditions the event is when the file exists and the state is if the file exists. Thus, conditions can be used to initiate workflows (i.e., trigger workflow A when file X appears), wait for certain events to transpire before an active workflow is permitted to proceed past a certain point (i.e., after workflow A is initiated, wait for the Notepad Window to appear before continuing), or to make a decision and conditional branch within the workflow (i.e., after workflow A is initiated, evaluate whether the Notepad Window is open if yes, execute Task 1; if no, execute Task 2). While the concept of conditions as both events and states might be a little confusing at first, implementation of the idea makes Workflow Designer incredibly powerful. With conditions,

5 designers can create incredibly nimble and intelligent workflows. Conditions make workflows nimble because automation processes are triggered and resumed by events, not just by predefined, hard-coded calendars. They also make workflows intelligent and flexible because decisions (whether by human beings or machines) are almost always made on the status (or state) of something. Workflow Designer offers a large number of conditions including Schedule, File, WMI, SNMP, Service, Process, Window, Startup, and much more. Flow Controls Flow controls include the elements that relate tasks and conditions together and make the workflow a cohesive unit. Success and Failure arrows: These arrows stem from tasks and conditions and show the path the workflow travails depending on the success or failure of the object in question. Evaluate object and Answer arrow: The Evaluate object determines the value of a variable or expression generated within the workflow. The Answer arrow (which contains a value) stems from the evaluate object and illustrates the path the workflow will take when the Evaluate object and Answer arrow are equal. Machine/Agent Specification Workflow Designer enables designers to specify which machines/agents execute the various tasks and conditions within a given workflow. Connected machines appear in a list in conjunction with the workflow objects, and the designer simply selects the appropriate machine for executing the task or evaluating the condition. Task Builder Task Builder is an extremely powerful application for building sophisticated automation tasks without writing code. Task Builders interface consists of a palette of Actions and a Steps pane. Task developers simply drag-and-drop plain-english Actions into the sequence of Steps desired for execution. Over 200 Actions are available to automate operations involving FTP, files, text manipulation, XML, Active Directory, databases, Microsoft Excel, terminal emulation, SNMP, and much more. Tasks can be designed to be extremely flexible using variables and an array options for looping and conditional decision-making. Just about any process can be automated using these actions, which have the ability to run the scripts, batch files, and executables that may already be part of the IT department s infrastructure. CONCLUSIONS AutoMate BPA Server is the only platform that spans all phases of the automation lifecycle including development, deployment and management. It provides the tools to design, build, and test automated business processes without writing code. Business and IT managers can create high-level workflows in minutes, and developers can create detailed tasks with intuitive, dragand-drop tools in hours. It also provides the power to deploy automation across multiple-

6 machine networks with a few mouse clicks, and to integrate automated execution into business processes involving one machine or the entire enterprise. Finally, it facilitates the management of automation by centralizing storage and control. It eliminates code maintenance and duplicate effort, and enables visualization of business process automation with real-time notification and reporting.