Set up CI/CD integration

Set up the connection between ALM Octane and your CI/CD server.

Overview

Integrating ALM Octane with CI/CD servers lets you do the following:

Type Details
CI

Integration with CI servers is the basis for working with pipelines in ALM Octane, and for integrating ALM Octane with UFT One.
CD

Integration with CD servers helps you automate the deployment of application changes via release process auto actions.
    Caution:

  • The permission mechanism of ALM Octane is not synchronized with the permission mechanism of the CI/CD server. Therefore, ALM Octane users may have access to information from the CI/CD server that they would otherwise not be authorized to access, such as log files and stack traces.

  • All ALM Octane integrations, and particularly CI/CD server integrations, use the SSL protocol.

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CI server integration: prerequisites

Before you begin, prepare the following:

  • Obtain API Access. Ask your space admin for an API access Client ID and Client secret. The plugin uses these for authentication when communicating with ALM Octane.

    The space admin can obtain the Client ID and Client secret in ALM Octane Settings. The access keys must be assigned the CI/CD Integration role in all relevant workspaces. For details, see API access.

  • Obtain access to a CI server that meets the necessary requirements. For the CI servers that are supported by the Application Automation Tools plugins, see Support Matrix.

  • Install the Application Automation Tools plugin on your CI server. Download, install, and configure the plugin that enables ALM Octane integration with your CI server.

    Plugins enable ALM Octane to retrieve and display your CI server's build pipelines, synchronize test run results with the CI server, and trigger pipeline runs on the CI server. For details, see Install and configure the plugin on your CI server.

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Add CI/CD servers on ALM Octane

For ALM Octane to integrate with CI/CD servers, the servers and their URLs must be added in ALM Octane.

To add a CI/CD server to ALM Octane:

  1. In Settings > Spaces, select a workspace.

  2. Go to the DevOps tab, and on the left pane, select the server type: CI Servers or CD Servers.

  3. Add a server and provide server details:

    4. Type Details
    CI server

    Click + CI Server, and then define the following fields:

    • Name: Enter a name for the CI server.

    • URL: Select the URL from the list of servers.

      Note the following:

      The list displays all servers that meet the following conditions:

      • The server has the Application Automation Tools plugin installed and configured to access your ALM Octane.

      • The API Access keys that the plugin is using are assigned the CI/CD Integration role in the current workspace.

    Click Add.
    CD server

    Click + Deployment Automation Server, and then define the following fields:

    • Name: Enter a name for the CD server.
    • URL: Enter the CD server URL.

    • User name and Password: Provide credentials you use to access the CD server.

      Note: Ensure that a server user whose credentials you enter has permissions to run processes on the CD server.

    Click Test Connection. If the connection is successful, click Add.

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Manage your CI/CD servers

In the list of servers, you can add or remove CI/CD servers, view information about each server, and suspend or resume the connection between ALM Octane and the server.

Open the list of servers

This list provides information about the servers' status, type, URL, and more.

  1. In Settings > Spaces, select a workspace.

  2. Click the DevOps tab. On the left pane, select CI Servers or CD Servers.

    The list displays all servers that were previously connected to ALM Octane.

  3. Select the columns that you want displayed. For example, for each CI server, you can see:

    • Whether the server is currently connected.

    • The server type.

    • The version of the plugin installed on the server, or the SDK version used to develop the plugin.

      Keep your plugin up-to-date to benefit from all the latest enhancements and functionality. If your SDK version is outdated, a red status icon is displayed, and functionality is impaired.

    • A link to the server's URL.

      For this link to work properly, your server must have its Site URL properly configured.

    Note: When the URL of a CI server changes, the change is reflected in ALM Octane automatically after a slight delay. You do not need to update the URL directly in ALM Octane.

Suspend and resume data transfer from Jenkins to ALM Octane

Instruct a selected CI server to stop sending information to ALM Octane. This includes information such as pipeline runs, test runs, SCM commits, and code coverage data.

A suspension may be useful, for example, in the following situations:

  • Your CI server is undergoing maintenance and you don't want experimental data to be sent to ALM Octane.

  • You are investigating unexpected behavior on your CI server and you want to isolate the server.

  • The network between your CI server and ALM Octane is going to be disconnected for maintenance and you want to reduce overload on the CI server during that time.

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Next steps: