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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.
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.
Responding to approval requests
If a deployment requires approval, create an approval process that generates an approval request. Approvers respond to the requests on the Work Items tab where they approve or deny requests. You can also allow approvers to respond to requests through email.

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.
  - Creating an approval process
    You can add approval requirements to deployments. The approval process identifies the deployment and the role of the approver. You respond to approval requests on the Work Items page, or, depending on the configuration, through email.
  - Managing an external approval process
    If you have a process step that requires validation on an external application before deployment, you can create an approval process and assign it to environments. With this approval process, the deployment runs automatically and only when it is approved.
  - Responding to approval requests
    If a deployment requires approval, create an approval process that generates an approval request. Approvers respond to the requests on the Work Items tab where they approve or deny requests. You can also allow approvers to respond to requests through 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.
- 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.

Responding to approval requests

If a deployment requires approval, create an approval process that generates an approval request. Approvers respond to the requests on the Work Items tab where they approve or deny requests. You can also allow approvers to respond to requests through email.

Until a job is approved, an unscheduled deployment remains idle. If time elapses on a scheduled job that needs approval, the job fails. This control allows the approver to verify the deployment details, and choose the time that it is deployed. Notifications are sent to users who are eligible to complete an approval step if the system is configured with an email server and the user has an email address set.

You can review your approval requests in the Works Items tab. This page displays the name of the process, when the request was submitted, who requested the process, and the snapshot or version used. You can also view details of the environment or resource by clicking the link in the Environment/Resource column. They can view the details of the target by clicking the link in the target column. Or they can view details on the request by selecting the View Request in the Actions column. The Actions column is also where the approver can respond to the request.

Beginning with version 7.1.1, you can also respond to approval requests through email. An email request provides a link where you can approve or deny the request. The linked-URL does not require a logon to the Web application. If a request requires several approvals, each approver receives a unique link where they can respond.

An open request displays the status as Pending Response. To respond to a request, click actions, and then Respond. The approver has the option of leaving a comment. If a request is rejected, the process does not run. If approved, the process begins.