Management Pack
Applies To: System Center 2012 - Service Manager
[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]
A management pack comprises one or more of these components: a model, behavior logic, data sources, presentation, security settings, language packs, and resources. When you import a management pack into Service Manager, it becomes part of Service Manager and will be managed by Service Manager.
Management Packs and the System
A management pack can be defined and stored as an XML file. When this XML file is imported into Service Manager, it is stored in the database. The database creates tables to store all the classes, relationships, and other import information about the management pack. When the management pack is loaded by the Software Development Kit (SDK), it is broken out into an object model which you can use programmatically. To enable the SDK to load the management pack, you must provide the SDK with a management pack XML file.
In addition to use of the XML file, the SDK can manage management pack bundles. A management pack bundle is a single file that contains one or more management packs along with any required resource files such as graphical elements for the console.
To upgrade a management pack to a different version, reinstall the management pack. If the schema of the management pack has changed, Service Manager will update the data in the database as needed.
Management Pack Components
The following sections describe various components that could be included in a management pack.
Model
The model component in a management pack represents the structure of the data that a management pack defines and how it relates to other data. For more information, see Model.
Categories
Categories identify and control the behavior of management pack elements. Multiple categories can be associated with a single management pack. When a management pack defines something to be used by the Service Manager console, it can apply categories to enable or disable certain console features. The categories applied to an element do not need to be defined in the same management pack in which the element is defined.
Behavior Logic
You can create behavior logic rules to manage items within Service Manager. A rule has a source from which it supplies items that match specific trigger criteria. These items are then sent to the workflow and processed. A rule will only run when a specified target item is created, updated, or deleted. You can control which of these triggers will cause your rule to run. For more information about workflows, see Subscription and Workflow and Workflow Overview.
Presentation
A management pack can include items to present information to the user or receive input from the user. Presentation actions can include the creation of new Service Manager console items, views, forms, icons, and tasks. For more information about presentation see Presentation Overview.
Language Packs
When a management pack can potentially display text to the user, the text is declared in a language pack for that management pack. The text is called a display string. Each display string has an element identifier that maps it to the applicable management pack element, a possible sub-element identifier for use in special cases, the end-user-visible name of the text element, and the end-user-visible description of the text element. For example, a certain management pack class may have an identifier that is not user friendly for console display. The language pack would allow you to store and present a more user-friendly name and description for that management pack class.
Always define an English language pack. English is automatically used when the end user’s default language is undefined. The language defined by the language pack is identified by its three letter locale code. The following table provides examples of locale codes used by Service Manager.
| Locale Code | Language |
|---|---|
CHS |
Chinese (Simplified) |
CHT |
Chinese (Traditional) |
CSY |
Czech |
DAN |
Danish |
DEU |
German |
ELL |
Greek |
ENU |
English |
ESN |
Spanish |
FIN |
Finnish |
FRA |
French |
ITA |
Italian |
JPN |
Japanese |
KOR |
Korean |
NLD |
Dutch |
NOR |
Norwegian |
PLK |
Polish |
PTB |
Portuguese (Brazil) |
PTG |
Portuguese |
RUS |
Russian |
SVE |
Swedish |
TRK |
Turkish |
Resources
Resources are external files referenced by the management pack. The resources required by management packs should always be included in management pack bundles. When the resources have all been included in the bundle, the management pack will be properly installed by simply installing the bundle. The table below describes the types of resources you can define in management packs.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
Resource |
This is a generic file resource. The file name is required to specify this resource type. |
Assembly |
This is a .NET assembly resource. The file name and qualified name of the assembly are required to specify this resource type. |
Report |
This resource type refers to a report. The file name of the report is required to specify this resource type. |
Image |
An image resource is used by elements that display a graphical representation of themselves in the console. The file name of the image is required to specify this resource type. |
See Also
Concepts
Model
Subscription and Workflow
Workflow Overview
Presentation Overview