Installing Adapters (Optional)

Adding a new adapter

IP uses network and OSS adapters to facilitate the integration of IP with various systems and applications. To add a new adapter to IP, the adapter must be installed under node_modules within the IP installation directory.

An adapter should be installed "from source" without using a package manager. For custom adapters, use the appropriate scope (e.g., “@customername” or “@customercreatedvalue”) to which the adapter source applies.

Example

cd /opt/pronghorn/current/node_modules/@itentialopensource
git clone git@gitlab.com:itentialopensource/adapters/persistence/adapter-db_mongo
cd adapter-db_mongo
npm ci

When you must upgrade, or change versions of an adapter, run the following.

cd /opt/pronghorn/current/node_modules/@itentialopensource/adapter-db_mongo
git checkout <branchname>
git pull

# If you need to see a list of all the tags/version numbers: `git tag`.

git checkout <your desired version number>
git pull
rm -rf node_modules
npm ci

Instantiate the adapter

Once the adapter is installed, restart IP and the adapter will be auto-discovered during IP startup and become available when adding an adapter via the IP UI.

To add an available adapter to IP:

1. Login to IP and select Admin Essentials in the left navbar.

   Figure 1: Admin Essentials
   

2. Click the plus (+) icon in the top toolbar of the Admin Essentials application to open the Create dialog.

3. Select Adapter from the dropdown menu, enter the desired name of the adapter and select the type, and then click Save.

   Figure 2: Create Adapter
   

4. A skeleton JSON object of the Service Config for the adapter will be created and can be edited to match your environment by enabling the Service Config editor using the toggle switch (top-right).

   Figure 3: Adapter Configuration
   

5. Click Save to retain your config changes for the adapter.

   Figure 4: Save Config
   

6. The adapter will display under the Adapters menu in the left navbar, and from the Adapters collection view when you click the search icon (magnifying glass) in the top toolbar and select the Adapters tab.

   Figure 5: Adapters Collection
   

7. Adapter connectivity can be confirmed from the Admin Essentials home page in the Alerts dashboard.

   Figure 6: Alerts
   

Import the service config for an adapter

Itential enables you to build your own custom adapters to integrate specific network applications with IP. Use the following steps to import the service config for your custom adapter.

From the Admin Essentials home page:

1. Click the Import icon in the top toolbar to display the Import dialog.

2. Select Adapter from the dropdown.

3. You can import (upload) your Adapter file by drag-and-drop, or click Browse Files to find and select the Adapter you want to import.

   Figure 7: Adapter Import
   

4. Once the Adapter is imported, the name of the Adapter will pre-populate from the file, along with a description, in the Import modal. You can change the description, as needed, to provide specific information for your import and to better communicate what the adapter is used for within your platform.

5. Once you click the Import button, and upon successful import, the Adapter will be added to the collection list in the left sidebar.

Figure 8: Adapters Collection

Related Reading

• For information on adapter integration, see IP Integrations.
• Go to the Itential Open Source Repository for a library of all adapters.
• See Troubleshooting an Adapter for additional help information.
• See Adapters Technical Resources for a library of information related to adapters, including Itential's Adapter Builder.