Remediation Workflows

To understand what remediation Workflows are in Automic Intelligent Remediation, you need to know what Workflows are in the Automic Automation context.

This page includes the following:

Workflows in Automic Automation

Workflows are one of Automic Automation's key executable objects. Workflows serve as containers for objects that must be executed in a specific sequence and with specific parameters. An object that is inserted in a Workflow is called task. A Workflow can also be embedded in another Workflow. By linking the tasks in a Workflow, you establish the sequence of the executions. Thus, the tasks in a Workflow have a predecessor (the previous task in the sequence) and a successor (the next task). Workflows also have a START and an END node. You design them in the Workflow editor on the Workflows definition page.

A Workflow and its tasks have a parent/child relationship. The Workflow has its own properties, which its tasks inherit. However, the tasks also have their own properties, which can override the definitions in the Workflow.

The sequence of the tasks in the Workflow is part of the Workflow logic. However, you can set other parameters that contribute to build that logic. Some of the properties that you can define in the tasks also play an important role to decide when they are executed.

Types of Workflows

Automic Automation provides the following templates to create different types of Workflows:

  • FOREACH

    These Workflows represent loops. They repeat one or more tasks several times depending on the defined loop conditions. ForEach Workflows cannot be modified at runtime.

  • IF

    These Workflows represent IF statements. An IF Workflow contains two branches (True, False) to which you can assign tasks. You define a condition in the START node that determines which branch should be processed. IF Workflows cannot be modified at runtime.

    The structure of IF Workflows is predefined and cannot be modified; you can only add tasks to one of the branches and arrange them in series. If you need more complex structures, you must embed other Workflows.

    IF Workflows do not admit external dependencies

  • STANDARD

    You can add, order, and link tasks in a standard Workflow as you need. Active or stopped STANDARD Workflows can be modified at runtime.

  • AIOPS

    These are remediation Workflows that contain pre-configured attributes. These attributes connect and synchronize them with the alarms and with the processes that they remediate.

Note: ForEach and IF Workflows do not support bulk operations.

Types of Workflows

Automic Automation lets you create the following types of Workflows:

AIOps Workflow

This is he type of Workflow that is used to design remediation Workflows. Remediation Workflows that contain pre-configured attributes. These attributes connect and synchronize them with the alarms and with the processes that they remediate.

FOREACH

These Workflows represent loops. They repeat one or more tasks several times depending on the defined loop conditions. ForEach Workflows cannot be modified at runtime.

IF

These Workflows represent IF statements. An IF Workflow contains two branches (True, False) to which you can assign tasks. You define a condition in the START node that determines which branch should be processed. IF Workflows cannot be modified at runtime.

The structure of IF Workflows is predefined and cannot be modified; you can only add tasks to one of the branches and arrange them in series. If you need more complex structures, you must embed other Workflows.

IF Workflows do not admit external dependencies

STANDARD

You can add, order, and link tasks in a standard Workflow as you need. Active or stopped STANDARD Workflows can be modified at runtime.

Note: ForEach and IF Workflows do not support bulk operations.

Remediation Workflows

Remediation Workflows solve the issues that have triggered alarms in DX Operational Intelligence. For example, a CPU usage issue raises an alarm; a remediation Workflow solves the issue by restarting a server on the network where the issue occurred.

The integration between DX Operational Intelligence and Automic Intelligent Remediation lets you trigger remediation Workflows from within the alarm console in DX Operational Intelligence and monitor them in Automic Intelligent Remediation . The data about the incident and the alarm are passed onto the remediation Workflow as a JSON payload file. The payload data can be further used because remediation Workflows are created based on a specific template.

The AIOPS template is pre-configured. It creates a Workflow that already contains the first task, which is itself a Workflow called PCK.AUTOMIC_AIOPS_SHARED.PUB.ACTION.PARSE_JSON_INTO_VARIABLES.

The purpose of this Workflow is to parse the data of the alarm provided by the JSON payload into variables. The remediation Workflow uses these variables for its execution. You add the tasks you need after this first Workflow.

Rating Remediation Workflows

Automic Intelligent Remediation relies on the machine learning capabilities of DX Operational Intelligence for recommending the remediation Workflows that can solve the incidents. The recommendation engine, on the other hand, relies on user input for improving the quality of its recommendations. Provide your feedback after triggering a remediation Workflow and monitoring its result.

For information about how to rate the Workflow results, see How Relevant Remedial Actions Are Recommended and Create Policy from Workflow Recommendations at Using Automic Automation on DX SaaS.

Remediation Workflow Template

(Relevant for designers)

Automic Intelligent Remediation is supplied with out-of-the-box content to help you design remediation actions. This is why remediation Workflows are partially pre-configured. As an object designer, you create remediation Workflows using the default AIOPS Workflow template. You design Workflows in the Process Assembly perspective, which is the functional area in the user interface that contains all the tools you need for it.

The AIOPS template is pre-configured; it already contains a first task called PCK.AUTOMIC_AIOPS_SHARED.PUB.ACTION.PARSE_JSON_INTO_VARIABLES. This Workflow parses the data provided by the JSON payload of the alarm and translates it into the variables that the remediation Workflow will need for its execution.

After a remediation Workflow has executed, you can see the content JSON payload (and the variables its data have been parsed into) in the Details pane of the corresponding Workflow monitor.

Sample Remediation Workflows

Automic Intelligent Remediation is supplied with various partially pre-configured remediation Workflows that you must adapt to match your environment. These Workflows serve as examples of some of the common scenarios that can be automated. Use them as inspiration to create you own ones.

The sample Workflows are stored in the AIOPS folder in the Process Assembly perspective. These sample Workflows remediate some of the most common incidents

Copy the package that you need to a different folder in the Explorer. Modify and test it there. When you are satisfied with its behavior, copy it back to the AIOPS folder.

The AIOPS folder is synchronized with the alarm list in DX Operational Intelligence. The Workflows that you store here are immediately visible and available as remediation Workflows in DX Operational Intelligence. This applies also if you add sub folders with Workflows within those sub folders.

Pre-Configured Workflows as Action Packs

Automic Automation provides preconfigured Workflows, plugins and outbound integrations with third party products in the form of Packs (for plugins) and Action Packs (for preconfigured Workflows). Our Marketplace provides many useful, partially configured Workflows (so called Remediation Workflows in this context) ready to download. These Workflows execute operations that can go from simple (for example, check permissions on a Windows system) to very complex scenarios. The Marketplace provides these preconfigured Workflows in the form of Remediation Workflows.

On method of creating Workflows is modifying Actions and Action Packs to meet your needs.

For more information, see Pre-Configured Workflows as Action Packs.

See also: