Home
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.
Creating components
A component consists of artifacts of a single source type and one or more processes. Component creation is the same for all source types, however; the content can be different.
Getting started with creating components
Components are the centerpiece of the HCL Launch deployment engine. Components associate deployable items (artifacts) with processes that deploy them.

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.
  - Creating components
    A component consists of artifacts of a single source type and one or more processes. Component creation is the same for all source types, however; the content can be different.
    - Getting started with creating components
      Components are the centerpiece of the HCL Launch deployment engine. Components associate deployable items (artifacts) with processes that deploy them.
    - Creating components from the file system
      You can create components by importing artifacts from the file system on the HCL Launch server. You can import a single version or automatically import versions as they are added to the file system.
    - Creating components from source-code management systems
      You can create components from the artifacts in various source-code management systems.
    - Creating components from build integration tools
      You can create components from the artifacts in various build integration tools.
    - Creating component versions with the command-line client
      If HCL Launch does not have a source configuration type for your external tool, you can use the udclient command-line client to manage components.
    - Importing components
      Importing and exporting can be especially useful if you have multiple HCL Launch servers, for example, and must quickly move or update components.
    - Exporting components
      Importing and exporting can be especially useful if you have multiple HCL Launch servers, for example, and must quickly move or update components.
  - Component processes
    A component process is a series of user-defined steps that operate on a component's artifacts.
  - Component versions
    Each time a component's artifacts are imported into the repository, including the first time, a separate version is stored in CodeStation. Versions can be assigned automatically by HCL Launch, applied manually, or come from a build server.
  - Component properties
    Components can have several types of properties. The server keeps track of changes to component properties as property versions.
  - Creating component manual tasks
    A component manual task interrupts a component process until manual intervention is done. To create a component manual task, add a manual step to a component process, and select a notification template.
  - Component templates
    With a component template, you can save and reuse component processes and properties and create components from them; template-based components inherit the template's properties and process.
  - Component change logs
    Change logs provide information about modifications to components.
  - Deleting components
    When a component is deleted, it cannot be activated later.
- 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.
- Application pipelines
  Allows you to run application processes in multiple environments and promote versions through a set of stages.
- 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.
- 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 you to retrieve credentials of individual servers from the Vault and authenticates a plug-in step in the deployment process.

Getting started with creating components

Components are the centerpiece of the HCL Launch deployment engine. Components associate deployable items (artifacts) with processes that deploy them.

The following diagram summarizes the basic steps for creating components:

The process editor, showing the
editing area and the list of available steps

The source type identifies the artifacts that the component uses. The source type can be almost anything that is associated with a software project. Sources are defined with source plug-ins.

Component versions are created when artifacts are imported into the artifact repository, CodeStation. Version history is maintained and components can be rolled back to earlier versions.

Component processes consist of user-configured steps that operate on components, typically by deploying them. Process steps are provided by automation plug-ins. Processes can be created with the process design editor or by using the command-line interface.

Related topics:

How to create manual tasks; see Creating manual application tasks
How to install plug-ins (see the HCL Launch Administration Guide)
How to create and use templates; see Component templates
How to import components; see Importing components