Home
Modeling software deployment
Modeling software deployment in HCL Launch includes configuring components and component processes and adding those components to applications. Then, you use processes to deploy the components to environments.
Secret Stores
Allows HCL Launch to retrieve credentials of individual servers from the Vault and authenticates a plug-in step in the deployment process.
Managing Vault secret stores
Manage secret stores from the Secret Store tab by creating secret stores and adding AppRoles to a secret store.

Modeling software deployment
Modeling software deployment in HCL Launch includes configuring components and component processes and adding those components to applications. Then, you use processes to deploy the components to environments.
- Components
  Components represent deployable items along with user-defined processes that operate on them, usually by deploying them.
- Resources
  A resource is a logical deployment target that typically resolves to an agent and a user-defined construct that is based on the architectural model of HCL Launch.
- Applications
  Applications are responsible for bringing together all the components that must be deployed together.
- Application environments
  An environment is a user-defined collection of resources that hosts an application.
- Application templates
  With an application template, you can save and reuse a collection of resources, environments, processes, and tagged components or component templates to create a standardized application.
- Application processes
  Application processes, like component processes, are created with the process editor. You use application processes to deploy or to roll back components.
- Application blueprints
  An application blueprint maps application components to a resource template. When you create an environment or provision one from the cloud, you can use the blueprint as a model.
- Snapshots
  A snapshot is a collection of specific versions of components and processes. Typically, a snapshot represents a set of component versions that are known to work together. In most cases, snapshots include all of the components in an application.
- Creating manual application tasks
  A manual application task interrupts an application process until manual intervention is done. To create a manual task, add a manual step to an application process and select a notification template.
- Approval process
  You can add approval requirements to deployments. Deployments with approvals cannot be completed until all approvers respond. Approvers can respond to requests on the Work Items tab, or by email.
- Inventories
  You use different inventories to track installed components and properties in HCL Launch elements.
- Processes
  Processes are automated tasks that run on agents.
- Statuses
  Create and apply statuses to track component inventory states or to track component versions in environments and resources.
- Properties
  Properties are variables that store information about many different elements, including components, environments, processes, and applications. You can also set global properties for the system.
- Tags
  A tag is a user-defined, shared, short label that you use to classify, view, and conduct operations on objects such as applications, components, agents, and resources.
- Webhooks
  Using the webhooks, you can send text-based responses to users in messaging platform such as MS Teams and Slack when a specific event occurs during deployment process.
- Secret Stores
  Allows HCL Launch to retrieve credentials of individual servers from the Vault and authenticates a plug-in step in the deployment process.
  - Managing Vault secret stores
    Manage secret stores from the Secret Store tab by creating secret stores and adding AppRoles to a secret store.

Managing Vault secret stores

Manage secret stores from the Secret Store tab by creating secret stores and adding AppRoles to a secret store.

Before you begin

Pre-requisite

Make sure the Vault server is installed and you have the server address ready.

About this task

Procedure

Create secret stores and manage them from the Secret Stores tab.

Procedure

Click Create Vault Secret Store.

Configure the secret store in the Manage Vault Secret Store window:


Parameter	Description
Name	Identifies the Vault secret store name.
Description	Conveys more information about the Vault.
Teams	Allow access of a Vault secret store to specific teams.
URL	Indicates the Vault server address.

Note: The secret store name field does not allow characters other than a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and -.

Save your changes.
The secret store lists in the Secret Stores page.

Add AppRole to the secret store.

Cick on the secret store where you want to add the AppRole.
The Configuration page is displayed.
Click App Roles.
Click Create Vault AppRole.
The Manage Vault AppRole window is displayed.

Configure the AppRole in the Manage Vault AppRole window:


Parameter	Description
Name	Identifies the Vault AppRole name.
AppRole Id	Specifies the RoleID of the AppRole.
Secret Id	Specifies the SecretID of the AppRole.
Teams	Allow access of an AppRole to specific teams.

Note: The AppRole name field does not allow characters other than a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and -.

Save your changes.
The AppRole is added to the Vault AppRoles page.

Create a process with step that references vault property with syntax:
```
${p:secret:vault:<secretStoreName>:<vaultAppRoleName>:<vaultSecretPath>:<vault-key>}
```
You can use the vault property in an automation or source config plug-in step.
Run the process.
When the process runs, on reaching the step where the property is defined, the process validates and authenticates the credentials from the Vault.