Overview

Introduction

This section of the documentation is dedicated to the CloudBlue Connect Extension for the CloudBlue Commerce (a.k.a. “Odin Automation”, “Odin Service Automation”, “OA” or “OSA”).

This Extension enables out-of-the-box integration between CloudBlue Connect and CloudBlue Commerce as schematically illustrated below:

Operating as middleware between APIs of these 2 systems and automating business functionality outlined in this article.

Video Overview

Use the following video for a quick overview of the Extension functionality:

Configuration and Discovery

Review configuration of connectivity to the Distributor account in CloudBlue Connect with health check capabilities and discover products that are available for deployment with the native interface of the Provider Control Panel of the CloudBlue Commerce:

Both versions of the Provider Control Panel (PCP) of CloudBlue Commerce are supported to cover all versions of the CloudBlue Commerce.

Products Lifecycle Management

CloudBlue Connect extension supports full lifecycle management of Products in the CloudBlue Commerce from initial installation to the upgrade with the workflows outlined below.

Product installation

1. APS Application Package, representing Product version, is imported into the CloudBlue Commerce.
2. APS Application Instance is created based on using the corresponding version of the APS Application Package.
3. Resource Types required by the system based on the “Application Service Reference” and “Application Service” Resource Classes are created.
4. Resource Types that represent Product Items are created using the “Application Counted Reference” Resource Class.
5. Service Templates that contains all of the Resource Types created in steps 3 and 4 are created

Product Upgrade

1. APS Application Package representing Product version is imported into the CloudBlue Commerce.
2. Existing APS Application Instance is upgraded to the new version of the APS Application Package.
3. Resource Types that represent new Product Items are created using one of two possible options:
   1. Default: using the “Application Counted Reference” Resource Classes
   2. Compatibility Mode: using the “Application Counter” Resource Classes in case Product was initially set up using those Resource Classes

Please note that Resource Types created during the upgrade are never automatically added to the Service Template to allow operators to choose the required business scenario while working with the Product Configurations Manager (PCM) to finalize product setup.

Audit Log

All installation and upgrade operations are preserved in the consolidated audit log per product, as illustrated below:

Application Packages, Application Instances, Resource Types, and Service Templates created in the process are recorded and available for review and analysis.

Product Configuration Manager

All Product APS Application Instances are integrated with the Product Configurations Manager (PCM), also known as Initialization wizard (or “Init Wizard), that can be launched using the “Configure Product” button in the Application Instance details screen of the Provider Control Panel v1, as illustrated below:

For details on the PCM, please refer to the following section of the CloudBlue Commerce documentation.

Components

CloudBlue Connect Extension for the CloudBlue Commerce platform consists of the 3 major software components, as schematically illustrated in the following diagram:

All of which collectively referred to as “Connect Extension”.

A. Adapter Package

Adapter Package is used to initialize integration between two systems and maintain API connectivity.

B. Extension Package

Extension Package is used to implement Distributor and Reseller level configuration and management functions.

C. Product Package

Product Package is used to manage individual product definition and various product-level integration points in the CloudBlue Commerce.

Compatibility

CloudBlue Connect Extension is compatible with the following versions of the CloudBlue Commerce:

Please refer to the https://www.cloudblue.com/support/commerce-releases for more details on each of the CloudBlue Commerce versions.