Identity Manager 8.1 - Operational Guide

Types of transport packages

The One Identity Manager schema is customized by loading so-called ‘transport packages’. One Identity Manager recognizes the following types of transport packages that can be copied to the database depending on requirements.

Related Topics

• Basics for transporting modifications
• Creating a transport package with the Database Transporter
• Importing a transport package with the Database Transporter

Basics for transporting modifications

Different methods are implemented for transporting modifications.

• Transport of single objects is done through the object layer.

  When you import a transport package, the permissions, templates and customizer in the target database are taken into account.

  This method is used, for example, if you use the Database Transporter program to create and import custom configuration packages that contain modifications to a system user, modifications starting from a defined date or to individual objects.

• The transport of the entire system configuration is done through a transfer buffer.

  All relevant tables are checked when creating the transport package. The condition applied to the table, defines which objects are transported. The primary key is used to establish whether the transport entry has a GUID module and whether it is transferred to the source database transfer buffer. The transfer buffer is read and transport package is created. When importing into the target database, the contents of the transport package is transferred to the target database's transfer buffer. The information is then transferred to the target tables.

  This method is used if you use the Database Transporter program to create and import custom configuration packages that contain the complete system configuration. This method is also used to install and update the One Identity Manager schema using the Configuration Wizard.

When a transport package is imported into a One Identity Manager database, the following operations are carried out:

• Inserting objects

  No object was found in the destination database using the primary key or alternative key, therefore a new object is created with this key value.

• Updating objects

  An object found in the target database using the primary key will be updated. The update is done using the configuration buffer.

  If transporting modifies a default configuration, the default configuration is moved into the configuration buffer. You can retrieve changes from the configuration buffer and restore the default configuration in this way.

  If, during a One Identity Manager version upgrade, the default configuration is changed by a service pack, a complete version upgrade or by loading a hotfix package, a check is made to see if it has already been customized. In this case, the modified default configuration is copied to the configuration buffer. This ensures that customizations do not go missing.

• Deleting objects

  Objects that are no longer needed are deleted. This operation is always executed if the entire system configuration is transported.

Related Topics

• General notes about transporting changes
• Creating a transport package with the Database Transporter
• Importing a transport package with the Database Transporter

General notes about transporting changes

To exchange customizations between the development database, test database and the productive database, use the Database Transporter to create transport packages. You also use the Database Transporter to import the transport packages into the target database.

Notes about creating transport packages

• To copy individual objects into a transport package, specify the export criteria in Database Transporter. For example, you can export all changes made by a system user, changes made starting from a defined date or change labels. We recommend that you limit the custom configuration package if you are transporting individual changes.
• You should only create a transport for the full system configuration if you want to copy all the adjustments to the system configuration from a test database into an initial productive database.
• To import transport packages with the Database Transporter, the user needs the program function Allows transport packages to be imported into the database (Transport_Import).
• The export date, the export description, database revision and the name of the export file in the source database transport history are recorded when a transport package is created with the Database Transporter.

Notes about importing transport packages

• Test the changes in a test environment before you load a transport package in a production system.

• You can display the contents of a transport package with the Database Transporter before you import.

• Before importing a transport package, you can protect individual properties from being overwritten in the target database.

• To import transport packages with Database Transporter, the user requires the Allows transport packages to be imported into the database (Transport_Import) program function.

• Start Database Transporter on an administrative workstation.

• The database is set to single-user mode for the duration of the import. Close all existing connections to the database before starting the import.

• When you import a transport package with schema extensions, the database is set to maintenance mode. Objects cannot be processed in the database during this time.

• When importing a transport of the system configuration into a target database, you must also follow the Notes about importing the system configuration.
• When you import a transport package with the Database Transporter, the import date and description, the database version, and the transport package name are recorded in the transport history of the target database.

Related Topics

• Protecting individual properties from being overwritten
• Displaying transport history
• Creating a transport package with the Database Transporter
• Importing a transport package with the Database Transporter
• Displaying contents of a transport package

Protecting individual properties from being overwritten

Before importing a transport package, you can protect individual properties from being overwritten in the target database.

For example, you might want to block processing:

• Configuration parameters and their values should not be overwritten when a test environment is transported to a productive system.
• Server configurations should neither be overwritten in the test environment nor the productive system during a transport.

To unlock and unlock a single property

1. Open the object in Designer or Manager.
2. Click the property name and select one of the following options from the context menu:
   • Prohibit modification: The property is locked for editing. The input field is locked and grayed-out.
   • Permit modification: The property is unlocked and available for editing.