Alcatel-Lucent VitalQIP Workflow Manager

Alcatel-Lucent VitalQIP Workflow Manager
Streamline IP address management processes and
cut administrative costs with Alcatel-Lucent’s VitalQIP
Workflow Manager

Easy-to-use workflow management tool helps rapidly
create and implement IP address processes and policies
Benefits
• Automate IP address management
• Easily adapt to changing organizational policies and processes
• Provide standardization of processes and centralized control of workflows
• Rich and growing catalog of workflows and interfaces to VitalQIP software
• Capture “IP domain operations” expertise into workflows for error-free, consistent implementation
• Enable self service for non-experienced users to run IPAM processes
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Streamline IP Address Management
Market-leading VitalQIP software helps efficiently configure, automate, integrate and administer IP services across the
entire network — locally or globally. This powerful management software centralizes planning and administration,
enabling the rapid provisioning of address space and reliable delivery of critical IP name and services throughout the
network. Compatible with multiple technologies and platforms, it helps streamline management tasks with a comprehensive
suite of integrated tools and user interfaces.
Centralized management and control of workflows
VitalQIP Workflow Manager (WFM) software’s core engine gives network administrators a graphical representation of business
flows. As the VitalQIP Workflow Manager guides the flows through the process steps (tasks), it calculates milestones/due
dates for key events in the process flow. WFM tracks data as the tasks complete while monitoring and reporting on
jeopardy conditions. WFM enables automated and error-free sharing of relevant data across various application interfaces
such as VitalQIP command line interfaces (CLI). WFM software also provides activity management through a Web-based
GUI, giving extensive user management capabilities, and acts as a natural flow integrator between applications.
Creating and modifying workflows
VitalQIP Workflow Manager includes a process design tool to create and modify workflows. The tool exports graphical
representations of business flows to XML files that can be interpreted by WFM to execute the processes. This tool is
Java-based and runs on a standalone PC. Connectivity to the WFM server is only required when loading the workflows.
The tool enables a business analyst to design the process exactly the way you want it to be run. Any process changes
can be done in seconds and then loaded to the workflow engine. This provides a seamless integration between process
design and implementation. In addition, Workflow Manager Task and Interface Configurator provide a comprehensive
development environment for building custom application interfaces that can be stored and re-used.
Rich and growing catalog of pre-packaged workflows
The product includes a catalog of pre-packaged workflow, ready to be used “as is”, or
modified to fit your specific operational needs:
• VitalQIP QuickStart (create initial organization, domain, servers, network and subnets)
• Server Management (add or delete and DNS or DHCP server, perform a manual push)
• Domain Management (add/update/delete a domain)
• Network Management (add or delete a network)
• Subnet Management (add or delete a subnet on a network)
• Object Management (add, change, move or delete a static IP objects)
• Alias Management (add, move, swap or delete aliases)
• Contacts and Locations (add or delete a contact or location)
• Address Allocation (send update to RIR DB, send request to RIR, assign customer address)
• Organization Management (add a new organization)
• Others: Copy VitalQIP Administrator, Send external notification via SOAP
More workflows are being added.
Alcatel-Lucent | VitalQIP Workflow Manager 3

An example: Swapping Aliases
The following scenario illustrates how WFM works with
VitalQIP. Alias names are used by applications to point to a
server, so moving the alias from one object to another allows
for switching computing environments without having to
reprogram the application. In this example we are swapping
two aliases.
Without WFM, a person would put in a request to the IT Help
Desk via an e-mail, phone call, or web form. The IT Help
Desk would evaluate the request and make sure the data is
correct and complete. The requestor may be contacted for
additional information.
Companies often have a “maintenance window” whereby
all IPAM changes need to be made during certain hours such
as “only between 12 midnight and 6 in the morning” or days
such as “only on Tuesdays and Thursdays”. Administrators
prefer to make network changes during hours when network
use is at a minimum. Or sometimes a project may require all
changes to be done in the same time window making off
hours more ideal.
The IT Help Desk person who is responsible for the request
waits until the maintenance window timeframe and then
proceeds to remove the aliases and then add them back. After
the work is done, he or she may notify the original requester.
Some things that can go wrong are:
• The original request may be incomplete or incorrect
• When trying to reach the requester, the requester could not be contacted
• The request to swap aliases may be done too soon or too late (outside the maintenance window)
• The person doing the actual deletion and adding of aliases may make a mistake
• The swapped aliases may not be actually in DNS, causing calls to the Help Desk
• The IT Help Desk person may neglect to notify the requester.
Also, there is no mechanism to undo all the work. If the requester changed his or her mind, a new request is required.
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With WFM, the process is far more reliable and faster.
• The requestor enters the request on a web page
• The data entered are validated
• After the request is sent, an e-mail is automatically
sent to the requester with the information entered
• WFM will then communicate with VitalQIP to retrieve
the records for the aliases, determine the primary
DNS servers, the subnets and the IP addresses
• WFM will perform an nslookup to make sure the
aliases are in DNS
• WFM will wait until the maintenance window (if
present) and then execute the swapping of aliases
in a matter of seconds
• After the swapping, another nslookup is performed
to make sure the aliases are in DNS with their new
IP addresses
• If needed WFM may also clear the cache on the
DNS servers
• An e-mail can be sent to the requester indicating
that the request has been completed
The requester may close the request by clicking on an
embedded link in the e-mail or may chose to undo the
work by clinking on another link.
The advantages are clear:
• Requesters do not need to know VitalQIP
• Requesters do not need to know the IPAM processes
• Routine requests can be handled through self service.
IT Help Desk personnel can concentrate on more
complex problems
• Processes are performed uniformly. Each time the
process is run, it is run the same way and no steps
are bypassed
• Processes are performed more accurately and faster
• Complete log is available of who did what and what
task was executed when
Summary of Features
• Web-based GUI
• Tool to create and modify workflows that can be
loaded to the workflow engine
• Pre-packaged workflows - Over 35 workflows are
included and more will be added
• Pre-packaged application interfaces:
¬ VitalQIP CLI commands
¬ Workflow based automated tasks are included with
the product.
Besides executing CLI commands in VitalQIP, WFM can
also perform process branching based on the value of an
attribute, set an attribute to a specific value, establish (or
break) parent/child relationships between requests, perform
lookups, send e-mails, suspend and activate processing,
and more. Over 25 automated tasks are part of the
system’s “task catalog.” More tasks will be added based
on market needs.
• VitalQIP 7.x SOAP interface
• Hardware, OS, database, and software requirements
¬ Sun ® low/midrange servers (depending on your
operational needs)
¬ Operating system- Solaris ® 9/10 (Solaris 10 preferred)
¬ Database - Oracle ® 9.x/10x (Oracle 10.2 preferred)
¬ Software - VitalQIP Release 6.1 SP1/QIP6.2/ QIP7.x
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V i t a l Q I P I P M a n a g e m e n t S o f t w a re
delivers services without boundaries
Alcatel-Lucent is a proven global provider of market leading
IT management solutions that maximizes profitability and
productivity and helps you leverage IT investment for a
competitive advantage. Alcatel-Lucent’s award-winning
Vital software is used today by more than 900 customers
world-wide, including over 75% of the Fortune 100.
Alcatel-Lucent leverages innovations from Bell Labs and
experience and expertise from Worldwide Services to provide
high performing and highly scalable solutions that increases
IT staff productivity by enabling user technology and ensures
network and applications performance for improved service
availability. Alcatel-Lucent partners with world-class business
partners, system integrators and hardware vendors to
deliver proven solutions that maximize the return on your
IT investments.
To learn more about these and other management solutions,
contact your Alcatel-Lucent sales representative, authorized
reseller or sales agent. You can also visit our web site at
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/vital.
Alcatel, Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent and Alcatel-Lucent logo are trademarks of Alcatel-Lucent. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The information presented is subject to
change without notice. Alcatel-Lucent assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein.
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