Managing Workflows

This chapter contains the following sections:

Workflow Editing

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 HyperConverged > Datastore page, Cisco UCS Director runs the default Create HyperFlex Datastore workflow and creates a service request for the action.

Renaming Workflows

You can rename any workflow in UCS Director. Exception: you cannot rename a compound task.


Note

All versions of the workflow are renamed.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Orchestration.

Step 2

On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

Step 3

Choose the workflow that you want to rename.

Step 4

Click Edit.

Step 5

In Workflow Name on the Edit Workflow screen, enter the new name for the workflow.

Step 6

Click Next.

Step 7

On the Add User Inputs screen, click Next.

Step 8

On the Add User Outputs screen, click Submit.

Reordering Inputs

After creating a workflow, you can change the order in which workflow user inputs are processed when the workflow is executed.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Orchestration.

Step 2

On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

Step 3

Click Edit.

Step 4

On the Edit Workflow Details screen, click Next.

Step 5

On the Edit User Inputs screen, choose an input.

Step 6

Click the Up Arrow icon or Down Arrow icon to move the input up or down in the input order.

Alternatively, you can drag and drop an input to a different place in the list.

Step 7

Click Next.

Step 8

On the Edit Workflow Outputs screen, click Submit.

Deleting Workflow Inputs

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:

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Orchestration.

Step 2

On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

Step 3

Choose the workflow you want to edit.

Step 4

Click Edit.

Step 5

Click Next.

Step 6

In the Workflow User Inputs list on the Edit User Inputs screen, choose the inputs that you want to delete.

To select multiple inputs from the list, hold down the <Shift> key (for a range of items) or <Ctrl> key (to select individual items).

Step 7

Click Delete (X).

Step 8

On the Delete Entry screen, click Submit.

What to do next

Click Next to move to the Edit User Outputs screen, then click Submit.

Renaming Workflow Inputs

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:

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Orchestration.

Step 2

On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

Step 3

Choose the workflow you want to edit.

Step 4

Click Edit.

Step 5

Click Next.

Step 6

In the Workflow User Inputs list on the Edit User Inputs screen, choose the input that you want to edit.

Step 7

Click Edit.

Step 8

On the Edit Entry screen, replace the Input Label.

Step 9

Click Submit.

Step 10

To edit another input, repeat the previous four steps.

What to do next

Click Next to move to the Edit User Outputs page, then click Submit.

Changing Input Optional or Required Status

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.

Before you begin

Select the workflow you want to edit and choose the Edit action.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Orchestration.

Step 2

On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

Step 3

Choose the workflow you want to edit.

Step 4

Click Edit.

Step 5

Click Next.

Step 6

In the Workflow User Inputs list on the Edit User Inputs screen, choose the input that you want to edit.

Step 7

Click Edit.

Step 8

On the Edit Entry screen, check or uncheck Optional to make the input optional or required, respectively, at the time of execution.

Note

 

You cannot make a workflow user input optional if it is mapped to a mandatory task input.

Step 9

Click Submit.

What to do next

Click Next to move to the Edit User Outputs screen, then click Submit.

Editing a Task in an Existing Workflow

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.

Procedure

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:

Name Description

Task Name

You cannot change the name of the task.

Task Category

You cannot change the task category.

Task Type

You cannot change the task type.

Comment

You can change or add to the comment.

Retry Execution

You can check or uncheck Retry Execution. If Retry Execution is checked, Retry Count and Retry Frequency controls appear.

Disable Rollback

You can check or uncheck Disable Rollback. If Disable Rollback is checked, the task is unchecked in the Rollback Service Request screen and cannot be rolled back; see Rolling Back a Service Request.

If the task does not support rollback, checking Disable Rollback has no effect.

Retry Count

The number of times (up to 5) to retry the task on failure.

Retry Frequency

A comma-separated list of integers specifying how many seconds to wait between retries. For example, if you selected a retry count of three, enter 1, 10, 60 to retry after one, 10, and 60 seconds, respectively.

Step 7

Click Next.

Step 8

On the User Input Mappings screen, you can edit the following fields:

Name Description

Manage Workflow User Inputs

Click Manage Workflow User Inputs to add to or edit the workflow user inputs.

Task Input

Each task input is displayed as a heading on the remainder of this page. The input is labeled (Mandatory) if it is required.

Map to User Input

Check Map to User Input to populate the task input from a workflow user input at runtime.

User Input

This drop-down list appears if you check Map to User Input. Select the workflow user input to map to the task input.

Step 9

Click Next.

Step 10

On the Task Input screen, you can edit the following fields:

Name Description

(input label)

Each task input that was not mapped to a user input on the previous page is displayed with an appropriate input control (text field, drop-down list, and so on). Use the input controls to specify the value. Optional inputs can be left blank.

Step 11

On the User Output Mapping screen, you can edit the following fields:

Name Description

Task Output

Each task output is displayed as a heading on this page. The output is labeled (Mandatory) if it is required. The output heading labels are assigned automatically and cannot be modified.

Map to User Output

Check Map to User Output to populate a workflow user output from the task output at runtime.

User Output

This drop-down list appears if you check Map to User Output. Select the workflow user output to map to the task output.

Step 12

Click Submit.

Opening Workflow Designer from a Header Search

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:

Before you begin

You have previously created a workflow that you want to edit immediately from any page in Cisco UCS Director.

Procedure

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 Orchestration > Workflow page. When you are done, Cisco UCS Director returns to the page you were on when you opened the Workflow Designer.

Deleting a Workflow

You can delete any or all versions of a workflow.

Procedure

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.

Deleting Multiple Workflows

You can delete more than one workflow at a time.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Orchestration.

Step 2

On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

Step 3

Choose all the workflow you want to delete.

Note

 

Select multiple items as you would in any other application on your system. For example, in Windows, hold down the Ctrl key to choose more items or Shift to choose a range of items.

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.

Running a Quick Export on Workflows

Use the Quick Export option to select multiple workflows and export them to your machine.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Orchestration.

Step 2

On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

Step 3

Choose the workflows that you want to export.

Step 4

Click Quick Export.

The subsequent screen lists the following information for the selected workflows:

  • Script modules

  • Workflow

  • Custom tasks

  • Activities

  • Open APIs

Step 5

In the Export Workflow screen, complete the following information:

Name

Description

Exported By

Provide your name.

Comments

Enter any comments on the workflows that you have selected.

Encrypt the exported file

Check the Encrypt the exported file check box to encrypt the file to be exported. By default, the check box is checked.

Key

Enter the key for encrypting the file.

This field is displayed only when the Encrypt the exported file check box is checked.

Preserve the key as it is needed while importing the workflow for decryption.

Confirm Key

Enter the key again for confirmation.

This field is displayed only when the Encrypt the exported file check box is checked.

Exported File Name

Provide a file name.

Step 6

Click Export Workflow.

Exporting and Importing Cisco UCS Director Artifacts

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.

Exporting and Importing Artifact Files

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:

  • One or more workflows

  • One or more custom tasks

  • One or more script modules

  • One or more activities

  • One or more api's

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.

Custom inputs are exported when contained in a custom task. The custom inputs become available in Cisco UCS Director when the custom task is imported.

Exporting and Importing Workflows as Templates

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.

Exporting Workflows, Custom Tasks, Script Modules, and Activities

To export artifacts from Cisco UCS Director, do the following:

Note

Global variables associated with a workflow will be automatically exported while exporting a workflow.

Procedure

Step 1

Click Export.

Step 2

On the Select Workflows screen, choose the workflows that you want to export.

Note

 

Custom workflows, tasks, and scripts created in Cisco UCS Director before version 6.6 can fail to import if they contain XML data.

Step 3

Click Next.

Step 4

On the Select Custom Tasks screen, choose the custom tasks that you want to export.

Note

 

The exported custom task contains all custom inputs that are used by that custom task.

Step 5

Click Next.

Step 6

On the Export: Select Script Modules screen, choose the script modules that you want to export.

Step 7

Click Next.

Step 8

On the Export: Select Activities screen, choose the activities that you want to export.

Step 9

Click Next.

Step 10

On the Export: Select Open APIs screen, choose the APIs that you want to export.

Step 11

On the Export: Confirmation screen, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Exported By

Your name or a note on who is responsible for the export.

Comments

Comments about this export.

Encrypt the exported file

Check the Encrypt the exported file check box to encrypt the file to be exported. By default, the check box is checked.

Key

Enter the key for encrypting the file.

This field is displayed only when the Encrypt the exported file check box is checked.

Preserve the key as it is needed while importing the workflow for decryption.

Confirm Key

Enter the key again for confirmation.

This field is displayed only when the Encrypt the exported file check box is checked.

Exported File Name

The name of the file on your local system. Type only the base filename; the file type extension (.wfdx) is appended automatically.

Step 12

Click Export.

You are prompted to save the file.

Importing Workflows, Custom Tasks, Script Modules, and Activities

To import artifacts into Cisco UCS Director, do the following:


Note

Global variables associated with a workflow will be imported while importing a workflow if the global variable is not available in the appliance.

Procedure

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/Validation screen displays File ready for use and Key.

Step 7

Enter the key that was entered when exporting the file.

Step 8

Click Next.

The Import Policies screen displays a list of Cisco UCS Director objects contained in the uploaded file.

Step 9

(Optional) On the Import Policies screen, specify how objects are handled if they duplicate names already in the workflow folder. On the Import screen, complete the following fields:

Name Description

Workflows

Choose from the following options to specify how identically named workflows are handled:

  • Replace—Replace the existing workflow with the imported workflow.

  • Keep Both—Import the workflow as a new version.

  • Skip—Do not import the workflow.

Custom Tasks

Choose from the following options to specify how identically named custom tasks are handled:

  • Replace

  • Keep Both

  • Skip

Script Modules

Choose from the following options to specify how identically named script modules are handled:

  • Replace

  • Keep Both

  • Skip

Activities

Choose from the following options to specify how identically named activities are handled:

  • Replace

  • Keep Both

  • Skip

Import Workflows to Folder

Check Import Workflows to Folder to import the workflows. If you do not check Import Workflows to Folder and if no existing version of a workflow exists, that workflow is not imported.

Select Folder

Choose a folder into which to import the workflows. If you chose [New Folder..] in the drop-down list, the New Folder field appears.

New Folder

Enter the name of the new folder to create as your import folder.

Step 10

Click Import.

Workflow Templates

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.

Exporting Workflows as Templates

You can export a workflow as a template. To export a workflow as a template:

Procedure

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:

Name Description

Template Name

The name for the template.

Description

A description of the template.

Step 6

Click Submit.

You are prompted to save the template to your system.

Note

 

The template is saved under a system-generated filename. The template name you assign is for display in Cisco UCS Director only.

Importing a Workflow Template

To import a workflow template:

Procedure

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.

Creating a Workflow from a Template

Procedure

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:

Name Description

Name

The name of the workflow to be created.

Description

An optional description for the workflow.

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.

Predefined Templates

Cisco UCS Director installs with the following predefined templates. The templates are available, along with any user-imported templates, on the Policies > Orchestration > Workflow Templates screen.
Name Purpose Description

Customer Onboarding

Customer onboarding in a secure multitenancy setting

The workflow does the following:

  • Creates a virtual data center (VDC)

  • Generates a VLAN from the selected VLAN policy

  • Creates a VLAN on the selected Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches

  • Creates a port profile on selected Nexus 1000v Series switches

  • Creates a VLAN interface

  • Creates flexible volume

  • Creates and establishes a vFiler on the controller

  • Mounts the storage as a data store on a selected host node

Deploy ESXi Host

Deployment of a new blade as an ESXi Host on a VMware (vCenter) account

The workflow does the following:

  • Creates a service profile
  • Associates the service profile to a selected server
  • Configures SAN zones on a Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switch
  • Establishes a PXE boot
  • Monitors PXE booting and registers the host with a selected VMware (vCenter) account

Deploy ESXi Host with ONTAP

Deployment of a new blade as an ESXi Host on a VMware (vCenter) account. Workflow does the following:
  • Creates a service profile
  • Associates the service profile to a selected server
  • Configures SAN zones on a Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switch
  • Establishes a PXE boot
  • Monitors PXE booting and registers the host with a selected VMware (vCenter) account

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:

  • Creates a service profile
  • Associates the service profile to a selected server
  • Configures SAN Zones on a Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switch
  • Establishes a PXE boot
  • Monitors PXE booting and registers the host with a selected VMware (vCenter) account

Attach VLAN to Storage Controller

Attaching a NetApp storage controller's Ethernet ports to a new VLAN

The workflow does the following:

  • Generates a VLAN from the selected VLAN policy
  • Creates a VLAN on the selected devices
  • Creates a VLAN interface
  • Creates a vFiler on the controller

Workflow Version History

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.

Creating a New Version of a Workflow

You can create a new version of a workflow. You can then modify the new version without changing the old version.

Before you begin

You have an existing workflow that you want to modify.

Procedure

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:

Name Description

Version Label

The label for the version. The default label for a new workflow is zero, so consider labeling new versions numerically starting from one.

Description

A description for the version.

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.

Choosing the Default Version of a Workflow

Procedure

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:

Name Description

Show latest version

Check Show latest version to set the default version of a workflow to be the last version that was created. The default version of a workflow is displayed in the Workflows page. If you create a new version of a workflow, the new version becomes the default.

For example, if the latest version of a workflow is X.0, the Version Label column in the Workflows page displays X.0. If you then create a version X.1, the Version Label column displays X.1.

Set default version

Check Set default version to set the default version of a workflow to be the version that you select. The default version of a workflow is displayed in the Workflows page. If you create a new version of a workflow, your selected version remains the default.

For example, if the latest version of a workflow is X.0, the Version Label column in the Workflows page displays X.0. If you then create a version X.1, the Version Label column remains X.0.

Version

If you chose Set default version, check one version from the list to be the default version.

Step 5

Click Submit.

Managing Versions of a Compound Task

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.

Before you begin

  1. Create a compound task called CT. Note that in the Workflow tab, the Version Label for CT is shown as 0. We will refer to this version of CT as CTv0.

  2. Include the compound task in a workflow called WF.

  3. Validate the workflow WF. Validation should pass.

Procedure

Step 1

Save CTv0 as a normal (non-compound-task) workflow:

  1. Choose Orchestration.

  2. On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

  3. Choose the compound task workflow CTv0.

  4. Click Edit Workflow.

  5. Uncheck Save as Compound Task.

  6. Click through to the Edit User Outputs screen and click Submit.

Step 2

In the Workflow Designer, validate WF.

  1. On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

  2. Choose the workflow WF.

  3. Click Workflow Designer.

  4. On the Workflow Designer page, click Validate Workflow.

Validation fails with the message The task "Compound add user" does not exist anymore.

Step 3

Create a new version of CT (CTv1).

  1. On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

  2. Choose the workflow CTv0.

  3. Click Create New Version.

  4. On the Create New Version screen, enter the required fields:

    • Version Label - Something recognizable, for example v1.

    • Description - Any description.

  5. Click Submit.

  6. When the Workflow Designer comes up, click Close.

  7. Click Edit.

  8. Verify that for CTv1, Save as Compound Task is unchecked.

  9. Close the Edit Workflow page.

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.

  1. On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

  2. Choose the workflow CT.

  3. Click Edit Workflow.

  4. Check Save as Compound Task.

  5. Click through to the Edit User Outputs page and click Submit.

Step 6

Validate WF again.

Validation is successful.

Step 7

Change the default version of CT back to CTv0.

  1. On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

  2. Choose the workflow CT.

  3. Click Manage Versions.

  4. On the Manage Versions screen, uncheck Set Latest Version as Default.

  5. Check Set Selected Version as Default.

  6. In the table, check CTv0.

  7. Click Submit.

In the Workflows tab, Version Label is now 0, indicating that CTv0 is the default version of CT.

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.

Cloning a Workflow

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.

Procedure

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.

Searching and Exporting a Workflow

The Cisco UCS Director allows you to search a workflow and export the searched workflow in the following formats:

  • CSV

  • wfdx

The exported searched workflow can then be imported in a different Cisco UCS Director appliance.

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Orchestration.

Step 2

On the Orchestration page, click Workflows.

Step 3

Click Search Workflow icon.

Step 4

On the Search Details screen, from the Search Workflow by drop-down list, choose one of the following options by which you want to search a workflow.

Name Description

Tasks

When selected, a Select button appears.

Click the Select button. The Tasks page shows a list of tasks. Choose the required task and click Select.

Activities

When selected, an Activities drop-down list appears. Choose the required activity.

Workflow Inputs

When selected, a Select button appears.

Click the Select button. The Workflow Inputs page shows a list of workflow inputs. Choose the required workflow input and click Select.

Workflow Outputs

When selected, a Select button appears.

Click the Select button. The Workflow Outputs page shows a list of workflow outputs. Choose the required workflow output and click Select.

Global Variables

When selected, a Select button appears.

Click the Select button. The Global Variables page shows a list of Global variables. Choose the required Global variable and click Select.

Note

 

When you select any item, the following message is displayed:

Report is loading..
The searched workflow is listed with the following details:

  • Workflow Id

  • Name

  • Folder Name

  • Version

Step 5

To export the searched workflow in a CSV format, click the Export button.

The following message is displayed and the CSV file is downloaded in your default downloads location:

File export is in progress...

Step 6

To export the searched workflow in a wfdx format, click the Export Searched Workflows check box.

Step 7

From the searched workflows result, select the check boxes to select the required workflows.

Step 8

Enter the details in the fields according to the details given in the table below.

Name

Description

Exported By field

Specify the name or email id of the user who exports the searched workflow.

Comments field

Enter descriptive information about the searched workflow export.

Encrypt the exported file check box

If you want to encrypt the exported file with your own key, select this check box. When you select this check box, the following fields appear:

  • Key

  • Confirm Key

Key field

Enter a password that can contain Alphanumeric characters.

Confirm Key field

Re-enter the password.

Note

 

Preserve the key as it is needed while importing the workflow for decryption.

Exported File Name field

Specify a name to uniquely identify the file in a file system.

Step 9

Click the Export button.

The following message is displayed and the wfdx file is downloaded in your default downloads location:

File export is in progress..

Important

 

Same key must be given during import of the wfdx file as given during export of the file.

Saving a Picture of a Workflow

You can create a graphics image of a workflow. To capture an image, do the following:

Procedure

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.