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This chapter contains the following sections:
You can edit many features of an existing workflow. You can:
Rename a workflow
Reorder inputs
Delete inputs
Rename inputs
Change an input from optional to mandatory (but not the reverse)
Edit tasks in the workflow
Delete tasks from a workflow
You can also:
Delete any or all versions of a single workflow
Delete the default version or all versions of multiple workflows at one time
The following sections describe these procedures.
Note | To modify a predefined workflow, we recommend that you create a new version of that workflow before making the changes. If you modify a default predefined workflow, you can affect what happens in Cisco UCS Director when you click an action button. Actions that you take in Cisco UCS Director, such as creating or modifying a VM, use the default predefined workflows. For example, when you click the Create button on the page, Cisco UCS Director runs the default Create HyperFlex Datastore workflow and creates a service request for the action. |
You can rename any workflow in UCS Director. Exception: you cannot rename a compound task.
Note | All versions of the workflow are renamed. |
You can delete one or more inputs while editing an existing workflow.
Note | You can also delete inputs in a cloned workflow. Alternatively, while editing a task, you can navigate to the Edit Workflow Inputs screen by clicking Manage Workflow User Inputs on the User Input Mapping page. |
To delete inputs from a workflow, do the following:
Click Next to move to the Edit User Outputs screen, then click Submit.
You can rename inputs while editing an existing workflow.
Alternatively, while editing a task, you can navigate to the Edit Workflow Inputs screen by clicking Manage Workflow User Inputs on the User Input Mapping page.
To rename inputs from an opened workflow, do the following:
Click Next to move to the Edit User Outputs page, then click Submit.
You can change the optionality (optional or required status) of workflow inputs.
Note | You cannot map an optional workflow input to a mandatory task input. Similarly, you cannot change an input from mandatory to optional if it is mapped to a mandatory task input. |
Select the workflow you want to edit and choose the Edit action.
Click Next to move to the Edit User Outputs screen, then click Submit.
You can edit a task in an existing workflow. The change is local to the workflow and version containing the edited task. For example, if you edit task A in version 0 of workflow X, the task remains unchanged in workflow Y and in version 1 of workflow X.
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. | ||||||||||||||||||
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. | ||||||||||||||||||
Step 3 | In the Workflow report, click the workflow you want to edit. | ||||||||||||||||||
Step 4 | Click Workflow Designer. | ||||||||||||||||||
Step 5 | In the workflow display, double-click the task that you want to edit. The Edit Task screen appears. | ||||||||||||||||||
Step 6 | On the Task Information screen, the following fields are available:
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Step 7 | Click Next. | ||||||||||||||||||
Step 8 | On the User Input Mappings screen, you can edit the following fields:
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Step 9 | Click Next. | ||||||||||||||||||
Step 10 | On the Task Input screen, you can edit the following fields:
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Step 11 | On the User Output Mapping screen, you can edit the following fields:
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Step 12 | Click Submit. |
You can use the search field in the Cisco UCS Director header to find and select a workflow from anywhere in Cisco UCS Director. You can then open the workflow in the Workflow Designer.
To find and edit a workflow from the Cisco UCS Director header:
You have previously created a workflow that you want to edit immediately from any page in Cisco UCS Director.
Step 1 | In the header bar of Cisco UCS Director, click the Search icon. The Search Category drop-down list and Search field are displayed. |
Step 2 | Select Workflow from the Search Category drop-down list. |
Step 3 | Begin entering the name of the workflow you want to open. Once there are three or more letters in the Search field, a drop-down list of workflow name matches appears. |
Step 4 | Finish entering the workflow name or select the workflow name from the drop-down list. |
The workflow opens in the Workflow Designer.
What to Do Next
Modify the workflow just as you would if you had selected the workflow from the Cisco UCS Director returns to the page you were on when you opened the Workflow Designer.
page. When you are done,You can delete any or all versions of a workflow.
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. |
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. |
Step 3 | Choose the workflow you want to delete. |
Step 4 | Click Delete. |
Step 5 | On the Delete Workflow(s) screen, choose the versions that you want to delete. To choose all versions for deletion, check the box at the top of the list. |
Step 6 | Click the Delete button. |
You can delete more than one workflow at a time.
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. | ||
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. | ||
Step 3 | Choose all the
workflow you want to delete.
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Step 4 | Click Delete All. | ||
Step 5 | On the Delete Workflow screen, check Delete All Versions if you want to delete all versions of the selected workflows. Otherwise only the default version is deleted. | ||
Step 6 | Click Delete. |
You can export and import workflows, custom tasks, script modules, and activities in Cisco UCS Director. This is useful if, for example, you want to:
Move or copy workflows or other entities to different Cisco UCS Director instances.
Back up or store entities.
Use templates to standardize workflows.
Cisco UCS Director artifacts are exported from and imported to Cisco UCS Director in a single package. The you exported or imported file has a.wfdx extension and is an XML file containing a serialized representation of the objects. The file contains at least one of the following:
For example, you might import a file that contains only a single custom task; or a file that contains several workflows, a script module, and a few activities; and so on.
You can export and import workflows as templates.
When you export a template, all of the tasks within the workflow are retained. When you create a new workflow using a template, task inputs that have been mapped to workflow inputs cannot be modified. However, you can modify inputs which have not been mapped.
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. | ||||||||
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. | ||||||||
Step 3 | Click Export. | ||||||||
Step 4 | On the Select Workflows screen, choose the workflows that you want to export. | ||||||||
Step 5 | Click Next. | ||||||||
Step 6 | On the Select Custom Tasks screen, choose the custom tasks that you want to export. | ||||||||
Step 7 | Click Next. | ||||||||
Step 8 | On the Export: Select Script Modules screen, choose the script modules that you want to export. | ||||||||
Step 9 | Click Next. | ||||||||
Step 10 | On the Export: Select Activities screen, choose the activities that you want to export. | ||||||||
Step 11 | Click Next. | ||||||||
Step 12 | On the Export: Confirmation screen, complete the following fields:
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Step 13 | Click Export. |
You are prompted to save the file.
To import artifacts into Cisco UCS Director, do the following:
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 3 | Click Import. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 4 | On the Import screen, click Select a File. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 5 | On the Choose File to Upload screen, choose the file to be imported. Cisco UCS Director import and export files have a .wfdx file extension. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 6 | Click Open. When the file is uploaded, the File Upload screen displays File ready for use. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 7 | Click Next. The Import screen displays a list of Cisco UCS Director objects contained in the uploaded file. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 8 | (Optional) Specify how objects are handled if they duplicate names already in the workflow folder. On the Import screen, complete the following fields:
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Step 9 | Click Import. |
A workflow template is like an outline of a workflow. It contains placeholders for all the tasks in the workflow, but is not executable.
A workflow template is useful when you want to import a workflow to a different Cisco UCS Director instance, especially if the workflow is large or contains custom tasks.
A workflow template contains the following elements:
Task names. Only the names are exported; the tasks themselves must exist in the Cisco UCS Director environment in order to execute.
Workflow structure (connections between tasks).
Input names.
A workflow template does not contain these elements:
Custom tasks. Since only task names are exported in a template, you must import custom tasks in the new Cisco UCS Director environment in order for them to execute.
Admin input values. Since the elements referred to by input values are unlikely to exist in the new Cisco UCS Director environment, input values must be redefined.
Custom workflow input values. As with admin input values, workflow input values must be redefined.
You can export a workflow as a template. To export a workflow as a template:
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. | ||||||
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. | ||||||
Step 3 | Choose the workflow you want to export. | ||||||
Step 4 | Click Export As Template. | ||||||
Step 5 | On the Export as Template screeen, complete the following fields:
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Step 6 | Click Submit. You are prompted to save the template to your system.
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To import a workflow template:
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. |
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. |
Step 3 | Click Import. |
Step 4 | On the Import screen, click Upload. |
Step 5 | On the File Upload screen, click Click and select a file from your computer. |
Step 6 | Select the template file. Cisco UCS Director template files have a .wft file extension. When the file is uploaded, the File Upload dialog displays File ready for use. |
Step 7 | Dismiss the File Upload dialog. |
Step 8 | On the Import Template screen, click Submit. |
The template appears on the Workflow Templates page.
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. | ||||||
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflow Templates. | ||||||
Step 3 | Choose a template. | ||||||
Step 4 | Click Create Workflow. | ||||||
Step 5 | On the Overview screen, complete the following fields:
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Step 6 | Click Next. | ||||||
Step 7 | Click through the remaining screens of the Create Workflow from Template wizard. You can change any editable task-specific inputs that appear. | ||||||
Step 8 | Click Submit. |
The workflow is created in the Template Workflows folder on the Workflows page.
What to Do Next
Open the workflow in the Workflow Designer and configure it to work in its new environment.
Name | Purpose | Description |
---|---|---|
Customer Onboarding |
Customer onboarding in a secure multitenancy setting |
The workflow does the following:
|
Deploy ESXi Host |
Deployment of a new blade as an ESXi Host on a VMware (vCenter) account |
The workflow does the following: |
Deploy ESXi Host with ONTAP |
Deployment of a new blade as an ESXi Host on a VMware (vCenter) account. | Workflow does the following: |
Deploy ESXi Host of Local Storage (without a Cisco Nexus 1000v Series switch) |
Deployment of a new blade as an ESXi local storage host (without using a Cisco Nexus 1000v Series switch) on a VMware (vCenter) account |
The workflow does the following: |
Attach VLAN to Storage Controller |
Attaching a NetApp storage controller's Ethernet ports to a new VLAN |
The workflow does the following: |
Cisco UCS Director provides a set of features for managing versions of a workflow. See Workflow Versioning.
The following sections discuss how to manage workflow versions.
You can create a new version of a workflow. You can then modify the new version without changing the old version.
You have an existing workflow that you want to modify.
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. | ||||||
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. | ||||||
Step 3 | Choose the workflow to duplicate. | ||||||
Step 4 | Click Create New Version. | ||||||
Step 5 | On the Create New Version screen, complete the following fields:
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Step 6 | Click Submit. The new version opens in the Workflow Designer. | ||||||
Step 7 | In Workflow Designer, complete your changes for the workflow. | ||||||
Step 8 | Click Close. |
If the Manage Versions settings specify Set latest version as default, the new version becomes the default version. The Workflows report displays the new version of the workflow under the Version column.
If the Manage Version settings specify Set selected version as default, the new version is created but the default version does not change. See Choosing the Default Version of a Workflow.
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. | ||||||||
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. | ||||||||
Step 3 | From the More Actions drop-down list, choose Manage Versions. | ||||||||
Step 4 | On the Manage Versions screen, complete the following fields:
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Step 5 | Click Submit. |
When you update a compound task, the new version of the compound task replaces the old one in all workflows that use the compound task.
However, it is possible for some versions of a workflow to be compound tasks while other versions of the same workflow are not. Normally, the behavior of a workflow is defined by the workflow's default version, but this is sometimes not the case with compound tasks.
If the default version of a workflow is not a compound task, then when the workflow is called as a compound task the system uses the most recent version of the workflow that is defined as a compound task. This can be confusing. The following example illustrates this behavior.
Step 1 | Save CTv0 as a normal (non-compound-task) workflow: |
Step 2 | In the Workflow Designer, validate WF. Validation fails with the message The task "Compound add user" does not exist anymore. |
Step 3 | Create a new
version of
CT (CTv1).
|
Step 4 | Validate WF again, as in Step 2. Validation fails with the message The task "Compound add user" does not exist anymore. |
Step 5 | Make CTv1 a compound task. |
Step 6 | Validate WF again. Validation is successful. |
Step 7 | Change the
default version of
CT back to
CTv0.
|
Step 8 | Validate WF again. Validation is successful. Note that WF is using CTv1 as the compound task, even though CTv0 is the default. Be aware that this can cause confusion if you have more than one version of a workflow that is used as a compound task. |
You can clone a workflow. The cloned workflow is identical to the original workflow. You can edit the new workflow immediately. You might do this, for example, to create a workflow that is similar to the original workflow but which has different inputs. The new workflow has a new, separate version history.
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. |
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. |
Step 3 | Select the workflow you want to clone. |
Step 4 | Click Clone. The Clone Workflow screen comes up. |
Step 5 | Edit the workflow details, inputs, and outputs. See Creating a Workflow. You must enter a new name for the workflow. |
Step 6 | Click Next to proceed to the Workflow User Inputs screen. |
Step 7 | Edit the workflow user inputs. |
You can create a graphics image of a workflow. To capture an image, do the following:
Step 1 | Choose Orchestration. |
Step 2 | On the Orchestration page, click Workflows. |
Step 3 | Choose a workflow. |
Step 4 | Click Workflow Designer. |
Step 5 | From the Workflow Designer Action Menu click the Export as Image icon. The entire workflow is converted to a .png file and displayed in a new browser window. |
Step 6 | You can save the image using your browser. |