Create Pool & Virtual Server (BIG-IP) - Operations Manager

You have now built out all of the different pieces for this exercise: a JSON Form as well as a workflow with both a Child Job and a newly-created Transformation. Next we will create an Operations Manager catalog entry that will tie this together with a manual trigger.

Operations Manager Video

Step 1

Before we begin, you will need a IPv4 Start and End Range. This is used for Pool Member Nodes and for Virtual Server IP Addresses. If you have not already done so, please run through the instructions in the Asset Reservation guide.  If you have already reserved your assets, you may skip to step 2.

Step 2

Click Operations Manager in the left navigation menu. 

Step 3

One of the primary objectives of Operations Manager is to define how you will expose your workflow. You may choose not to enable access to Automation Studio for certain teams and  only allow them to access specific Operations Manager Automations based on their operational role. Operations Manager allows users to control when, how, and with what data a workflow should run. 

Create a new automation by clicking the + at the top of the left navigation panel.

Step 4

The Create Automation window opens. Type Lab - Create Pool and Virtual Server - F5 - XX in the Name field. (XX represent your initials). Click Create.

Step 5

From here we will take the various pieces of our automation, such as our workflow and form, and link them together. First, select Lab - Create Pool and Virtual Server - F5 - XX from the Workflow dropdown.

Step 6

We are ready to create a new trigger.  Triggers define how the automation will be kicked off. These include an API endpoint, a scheduled trigger, an event trigger, or a manual trigger. For this exercise we will use a Manual trigger. 

Click the + below Trigger.

Step 7

Name the Trigger Form Trigger and select the Type of Manual.

Step 8

This automation will need some user input, so click into the Form field. Select Create Pool and Virtual Server - F5 form.

Step 9

Click Save Changes.

Step 10

The Form Trigger is can be seen in the middle and we are ready to run the automation. Click the  ▶ button.

Step 11

Complete the form with the following values:

Step 14

For the form input From, click + Row twice to enter two Pool Members. 

Step 15

Enter any pool member Name and Service Port within the two new rows and press tab to move to the right. For the Address fields, it is important to use a unique IP Address provided in the Asset Reservation workflow.

Step 16

Similarly, complete the values for the Virtual Server to be provisioned:

 Click Run Manually at the bottom.

Step 17

All tasks in the workflow have completed. Next, click on the three dots next to Create Virtual Server. This is one of the pre-built workflows you reviewed earlier and was incorporated into our parent workflow through the use of a child job task. Click on View. 

Step 18

Here, you can view the incoming variables received by this task. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen to view all variables. 

Next, Click on Outgoing.

Step 19

The outgoing variables used for the creation of our virtual server are shown. 

Step 20

Next, click on the three dots next to Create Virtual Server and select Open. This will open the Create Virtual Server pre-built workflow. You can then review the status of variables for all of this workflows tasks.