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Modeling software deployment
Modeling software deployment in HCL Launch includes configuring components and component processes and adding those components to applications. Then, you use processes to deploy the components to environments.
Processes
Processes are automated tasks that run on agents.
Process step types and logic
When you design processes, you use different kinds of process steps and joining techniques. You can assign properties to process steps and use them to control step execution.
Post-processing scripts
Post-processing scripts run after a step finishes. Typically, post-processing scripts ensure that expected results occurred.
Storing reusable post-processing scripts
You can store post-processing scripts on the server so you can reuse them in component processes and in generic processes.

Modeling software deployment
Modeling software deployment in HCL Launch includes configuring components and component processes and adding those components to applications. Then, you use processes to deploy the components to environments.
- Components
  Components represent deployable items along with user-defined processes that operate on them, usually by deploying them.
- Resources
  A resource is a logical deployment target that typically resolves to an agent and a user-defined construct that is based on the architectural model of HCL Launch.
- Applications
  Applications are responsible for bringing together all the components that must be deployed together.
- Application environments
  An environment is a user-defined collection of resources that hosts an application.
- Application templates
  With an application template, you can save and reuse a collection of resources, environments, processes, and tagged components or component templates to create a standardized application.
- Application processes
  Application processes, like component processes, are created with the process editor. You use application processes to deploy or to roll back components.
- Application blueprints
  An application blueprint maps application components to a resource template. When you create an environment or provision one from the cloud, you can use the blueprint as a model.
- Snapshots
  A snapshot is a collection of specific versions of components and processes. Typically, a snapshot represents a set of component versions that are known to work together. In most cases, snapshots include all of the components in an application.
- Creating manual application tasks
  A manual application task interrupts an application process until manual intervention is done. To create a manual task, add a manual step to an application process and select a notification template.
- Approval process
  You can add approval requirements to deployments. Deployments with approvals cannot be completed until all approvers respond. Approvers can respond to requests on the Work Items tab, or by email.
- Inventories
  You use different inventories to track installed components and properties in HCL Launch elements.
- Processes
  Processes are automated tasks that run on agents.
  - Process step types and logic
    When you design processes, you use different kinds of process steps and joining techniques. You can assign properties to process steps and use them to control step execution.
    - Conditional processes
      Every connection (except connections from the Start step) has a delete tool and conditional flag. The conditional flag sets a condition on a connection.
    - Switch steps
      A switch step is a utility step that you use to branch process, based on the value of a property.
    - Pausing a process
      You can pause a process to include some updates in an already running process and then resume it. This allows you to apply multiple fixes in between pausing and resuming without requesting a new process.
    - Branching and joining steps
      You can branch processes so that multiple steps run at the same time. You can also merge processes to return to running a single step at a time.
    - Process step properties
      All steps have the following properties: exitCode, status, and lines of interest (LOI, which are items that the post-processing script finds in the step's output log).
    - Process step preconditions
      Most steps in a process can have a precondition. If the Precondition field is available, the process supports a precondition. This precondition determines whether the step runs. Like post-processing scripts, preconditions use JavaScript™ 1.7.
    - Adding deployment warnings
      Warning statuses provide a way to easily identify deployments that require closer inspection that had been marked during the process execution.
    - Post-processing scripts
      Post-processing scripts run after a step finishes. Typically, post-processing scripts ensure that expected results occurred.
      - Storing reusable post-processing scripts
        You can store post-processing scripts on the server so you can reuse them in component processes and in generic processes.
      - Examples of post-processing scripts
        Post-processing scripts are written in JavaScript™.
  - Component processes
    A component process is a series of user-defined steps that operate on a component's artifacts. Each component has at least one process that is defined for it and can have several.
  - Application processes
    You can use application processes to deploy or to roll back components.
  - Generic processes
    Generic processes are not specific to a particular component and can be used in any number of applications. They are like general purpose processes. You can use generic processes to download and install packages on the system or perform other configuration management related tasks such as configuring SSH or completing FTP tasks. With a generic process, for example, you can update Linux agents that were recently installed by using SSH to run as a service on a Linux computer. Linux agents cannot be updated in this way during a remote installation.
  - Editing processes
    In the process editor you organize the steps in a process, specify their properties, and connect them to each other.
  - Working on processes in safe edit mode
    Safe editing enables you to test component processes before making them available in normal environments. Make updates to your component process, test those updates safely, and then promote to a new version when you are ready.
  - Running processes
    The way you run a process is different for each type of process.
  - Adding process properties
    A process property provides a way to add user-supplied information to a process. A running process can prompt users for information and then incorporate it into the process. For example, if the process entails authenticating with another server, you can require that a user enter an ID and a password for the process to continue. Properties are defined in the Edit Property dialog box.
  - Copying process steps
    You can copy and paste process steps in all process types: component, application, approval, and generic.
  - Manage process step authentication
    Use token restrictions to manage process step authentication.
  - User impersonation for process steps
    HCL Launch can use user impersonation when an agent must run a command for which it might not otherwise have permission, or when a specific user must be employed for a process.
  - Process steps: Reference
    Application processes, component processes, and generic processes are created with the process editor.
- Statuses
  Create and apply statuses to track component inventory states or to track component versions in environments and resources.
- Properties
  Properties are variables that store information about many different elements, including components, environments, processes, and applications. You can also set global properties for the system.
- Tags
  A tag is a user-defined, shared, short label that you use to classify, view, and conduct operations on objects such as applications, components, agents, and resources.
- Webhooks
  Using the webhooks, you can send text-based responses to users in messaging platform such as MS Teams and Slack when a specific event occurs during deployment process.
- Secret Stores
  Allows HCL Launch to retrieve credentials of individual servers from the Vault and authenticates a plug-in step in the deployment process.

Storing reusable post-processing scripts

You can store post-processing scripts on the server so you can reuse them in component processes and in generic processes.

About this task

When a step finishes, the agent runs the post-processing script for that step. When the agent runs the script, it first loads the server log file. It finds the exit code property of the target step with regular expressions that are defined in the script. It then applies any actions that are defined in the script before it runs the next step.

The HCL Launch server log file is normally found in the following location: server_installation_directory/var/log/deployserver.out.

Procedure

Click Settings > Post Processing Scripts and then click Create Script.
The Edit Script window opens, as shown in the following figure.
Specify a name for the process step.
Give a description for the process step.
Specify the teams that can access and edit the script.
Enter or paste the script into the Script Body field.
See the roll-over help next to the field for information about the properties and variables that are available for user-defined scripts.
Post-processing scripts must set the Status property to specify the status of the script. The script can specify any value for the Status property. For example, to specify that the script was a success, run the following command in the post-processing script:
```
properties.put("Status","Success");
```