Configuration types for integration servers
Integration servers require two types of resources to run and provide an integration that you develop: one or more BAR files that contain development resources, and configuration files for setting up the integration server.
The BAR file contains authored integration artifacts that include message flows, message sets, ESQL files, Java code, stylesheets, and maps. The configuration files can define any environment-specific settings, or contain secrets or data that should not be checked into a source control system. Separating the BAR file artifacts from the configuration files in this way eliminates the need to edit a BAR file before you deploy it to different environments such as development and production. When you create an integration server to run the integration that is packaged in the BAR file, you can select or create your preferred configurations that should be applied to the BAR file.
Before you deploy your integration to an environment, you can customize the BAR file to configure
properties or requirements that define how the integration server should run and how it should
connect to external systems. You configure such
customizations by creating configuration objects that can be applied to one or more integration
servers, and which are shared by all users with access to the App Connect Dashboard instance. The defined configuration objects are stored in
files that will be processed before your deployed integration server starts.
The Configuration component in App Connect Dashboard enables you to define
configuration objects by type such as Accounts
(for specifying account details for
connecting to referenced applications), Agentx
(for connecting to a switch server),
or Policy project
(for specifying a set of policies).
From your App Connect Dashboard instance, you can work with
configuration objects from the Configuration page, or while creating an
integration server.
Managing configuration objects from the Configuration page
The Configuration page provides a way to manage configuration objects independently of integration servers. You can open this page by clicking the Configuration icon in the navigation pane. All configuration objects that you and other users have created in the Dashboard are displayed in the configurations table.
- If an App Connect Designer instance is created in the same namespace as
your App Connect Dashboard instance, the configurations table will include
configurations that were automatically created when the Designer instance was created. These
configurations will be prefixed with the name of the Designer instance. For example, if the Designer
instance is named
des-quickstart
, you'll see configurations of various types that are named in the formatdes-quickstart-designer-xxx
, wherexxx
represents an abbreviation of the configuration type. Do not delete these configurations. - If a switch server is installed in the same namespace as your App Connect Dashboard instance (for callable flow capability and remote
administration), two preconfigured entries named
default-agentx
anddefault-agenta
will also be displayed by default in the configurations table. These entries represent the configuration objects (of typeAgentx
andAgentA
) for the switch server.
- Creating a configuration object
-
To create a configuration object of a particular type, click Create configuration. You can then select a configuration type and define valid content in the
Create configuration
panel. For more information, see the Learn more about the configuration types links at the bottom of this topic. - Updating a configuration object
-
To replace the content or settings of an existing configuration object with an updated definition, open the options menu for that configuration object and click Update.
When the
Update configuration
panel opens, update the configuration object as follows:- If the configuration object is of type
Accounts
, which contains secrets, any fields that cannot be updated are disabled in Form view. The fields with sensitive data (which are depicted with a Show/Hide password icon ), will reveal a value ofREDACTED
if you click the icon. You cannot view the existing values for security reasons, but you can overwrite them if required; for example, to change a password or specify a new client ID or secret. (If you do not need to update aREDACTED
value, you can leave it untouched. The textREDACTED
is purely for display purposes and masks the real value.)For fields with non-sensitive data, the data is shown in plain text that you can overwrite. (Values that you do not update will remain unchanged.)
Note:You can update the fields in Form view, but not in Code view.
You can also use the Import file icon to import an accounts.yaml file that contains updated values for the configuration object. The settings in the file will completely overwrite your existing account details.
You can also add or remove accounts as part of the update.
- For configuration object types that contain secrets and present a text editor for the content
(for example,
Agentx
orsetdbparms.txt
), any fields that cannot be updated are disabled, and the text editor displays a value ofREDACTED
for security reasons. You can overwrite this value by pasting the contents of an existing file in the text editor (for example, agentx.json or setdbparms.txt).You can also use the Import file icon to import a file that contains updated contents for the configuration object. When you click View file contents to return to the text editor, you'll see the contents of the imported file.
- For the remaining configuration types, you can update the settings in the text editor, or import
an updated file to replace the existing content. (Any fields that cannot be updated are disabled.)
You can complete either of the following steps depending on the configuration type:
- Overwrite the content of the text editor by pasting the contents of an existing file. Or use the Import file icon to import a file that contains updated contents for the configuration object, and then click View file contents to view the contents in the text editor.
- Drag and drop the file into the boxed area, or click within the boxed area to select the file from a file browser.
To save your changes, click the Update button. The updated configuration will be applied to all integration servers that use that configuration object. For information about the content and file formats that are required for the configuration types, see the Learn more about the configuration types links at the bottom of this topic.
- If the configuration object is of type
- Deleting a configuration object
-
To delete a configuration object that's no longer needed, open the options menu for that configuration object, click Delete, and then confirm the deletion. A configuration object cannot be deleted if it's currently deployed to an integration server.
You can use the search box to filter the entries in the configurations table.
Creating and selecting configuration objects while deploying an integration server
While creating an integration server on the
Create an App Connect Integration Server
page, you can view all existing
configuration objects (that you and other users have created) when you progress to the
Configuration view. These configuration objects are displayed in the
configurations table and you can either select one or more configuration objects to use with the
integration server, or you can create configuration objects by clicking Create
configuration. For information about creating configuration objects, see the Learn more about the configuration types links at the bottom of this topic.
After creating a configuration object, you can select its check box if you want to apply that
configuration to the integration server.
If a switch server is installed in the same namespace as your App Connect Dashboard instance (for callable flow capability), a preconfigured
default-agentx
entry will be displayed by default in the configurations table. This
entry represents the configuration object for the switch server. When you create an integration
server that includes a callable flow, the default-agentx
check box will be selected
by default. Only clear this check box if you intend to use an external switch server instead. For
information about creating a configuration object for an external switch server, see Agentx type. You must select this new configuration entry for the integration server
before you create the server.
You can also update and delete configuration objects as described in the previous section.
You can use the search box to filter the entries in the configurations table.
Learn more about the configuration types
Use the following links to learn more about each configuration type: