Creating your own Integration Pack for Orchestrator

In [SCOrch] Installing Orchestrator Integration Toolkit I showed how to get around installing the necessary tools for creating your own Integration packs.
I will now show how to create an activity that will raise an error. [SCOrch] Error handling runbooks in SC Orchestrator - Part 1 showed that there is a need for doing exactly that as I will examplify in part 2 (comming soon).

First we start the Orchestrator Command-Line Activity Wizard. Click Next and enter a name for the .NET assembly the wizard will eventually create. The name is used as a namespace identifier for the assembly. The assembly file will by default be saved to the Documents Library.

Click Next, then Add. Name the Command Raise Error and the Mode Run Windows PowerShell. Optionally provide a description.

In the Arguments tab click Add and enter Message. Click OK.

Again under the Arguments tab click Insert and select $(Message). Edit the Command Line to Throw $(Message). Click OK.

We now have a command (activity) that will "fail" everytime. We can even provide a message that will be displayed in the Orchestrator log. Click next and let it brew. When done click Build Integration Pack. The Orchestrator Integration Pack Wizard will start and the assembly we just created is already added. Click Next and enter the details. Category name is what is displayed in Orchestrator, and Product name is displayed in the SC 2012 Orchestrator Deployment Manager, but other than that you can enter pretty much what you like.

Click Next. If you like you can provide an icon for the Raise Error activity. Select it and click edit, then modify and select an icon of your liking. Click Next and then Next again. Enter a name for the Integration Pack (it doesn't add .oip itself, so help it out). Click Next and let it brew once again, then Finish. The file is saved to the Documents Library.

Next install the IP using the Deployment Manager (I might show how in a later installment - it's really easy!).

Links

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh855854.aspx - The documentation is actually fairly decent. There is a part explaining how to test the assembly before putting it in an IP and deploying that IP (saves some time!)

tags: Orchestrator, Integration Pack