Create an SSH workflow

Create the SSH workflow needed to power off the VM. Use the SSH custom activity that you already created.

Vorbereitungen

• Have an SSH custom activity already created
• Role required: workflow designer or admin

Warum und wann dieser Vorgang ausgeführt wird

When you create a workflow, you associate it with a table and with an activity.

• You can create the workflow on a table at the global-level or a table on the application-level. Use the global table to make the workflow available to use with all ServiceNow applications. Here, we use a table for the Cloud Provisioning and Governance, so this workflow will only be available to use with that application.
• You can create the workflow from the Workflow Editor or from the Activity Designer. Here, the Activity Designer is used.

Prozedur

1. From the Activity Designer, select the Workflows tab at the right, then click the + (plus sign) to add a new workflow.
2. In the New Workflow window, perform these steps:
   1. Enter a unique name for the workflow.
   2. From the Table drop-down, select the table to use.
      Search for and use the Virtual Machine instance cmdb_ci_vm_instance because we intend to use the workflow to power off a VM.
   3. Click Submit.
3. When the workflow displays in the canvas, perform these steps:
   1. Delete the connection line between the start point and end point of the workflow.
   2. Right-click the more info canvas and select Edit Inputs.
   3. Create the following inputs:
      Hinweis:

      Take the input names from the Column field, not from the Label field. If the workflow is associated with a global-level table, the input name in the Column field is prefixed with u_, for example, u_ipaddress. Here, the table is application-level, so it needs no prefix.

      Tabelle : 1. Workflow inputs

      Type	Label	Column (automatically added)	Max Length
      String	IPAddress	ipaddress	100
      String	CredentialTag	credentialtag	100

   4. Click Submit.
4. Right-click the canvas and select Add Custom Activity.
5. In the Versions window, search for and select the activity you created earlier in Create the SSH custom activity.
6. In the New Activity window for that activity (Workflow Activity New record [Diagrammer view]), perform these steps:
   1. Enter a name for the activity.
   2. In the Host field, type the input mapping that the activity expects.

      That is, the IP address of the host: ${workflow.inputs.u_ipaddress}.

      Use this expression to the IP address:

      $(Script:CMPVMUtils.getReachableIp[arg=$(Stack.items[Virtual Server].attributes[sys_id])])

   3. In the Command field, type shutdown -h now
   4. In the Credential tag field, type ${workflow.inputs.u_credentialtag}

      Use this expression to get the credential tag:

      $(Script:CMPVMUtils.getCredentialAlias[arg=${Stack.items[Virtual Server].attributes[sys_id]}])

   5. Click Submit.
      The activity displays in the workflow canvas.
7. Right-click the canvas, and select Add Core Activity to add a run script activity.
8. In the Workflow Activity Definitions window, search for and select Run Script.
9. In the New Activity: Run Script window, perform these steps:
   1. Type a name for the activity.
   2. Cut and paste a script (appropriate for your environment) in the Script field.

      This script updates the state of the VM after it is shut down.

      Example script:

      if ( gs.nil(data.get(3).error)) {
                          current.state = 'off';
                          current.setWorkflow(false);
                          current.update();
      }
      

   3. Click Submit.
10. In the canvas, connect the connectors between the Begin point, the activity, the Run Script, and the End point.
11. Click Publish to make the workflow available.
12. Validate the workflow by using the workflow validation.
    Hinweis:

    The system does not recommend the use of current.update(). This can be ignored.