Troubleshooting Oracle Fusion Middleware Online Documentation Library

6 Managing Connector Lifecycle 6-1 6 Managing Connector Lifecycle Oracle Identity Manager offers various solutions for integration with different kinds of IT-based resources in an organization. Oracle Identity Manager connectors are the recommended solution for integration between Oracle Identity Manager and resources that store and use user data. A connector enables exchange of user data between Oracle Identity Manager and a specific resource or target system. Oracle Identity Manager server uses connectors to perform operations on target systems. Oracle provides connectors for common enterprise resources. You can develop custom connectors for your own resources. A connector consists of the following artifacts: ■ Binaries JAR and DLL files that contain the connector code ■ Objects defined in Oracle Identity Manager, such as an IT resource, resource object, provisioning process and process tasks, process form and child forms, adapters and adapter tasks, lookup definitions, reconciliation rules, and scheduled tasks ■ Integration libraries that enable adapters to perform actions on the target system For some target systems, third-party integration libraries might be required to enable communication or specific functionality with the target systems. This chapter provides information about connector lifecycle management features. It is divided into the following sections: ■ Lifecycle of a Connector ■ Connector Lifecycle and Change Management Terminology ■ Viewing Connector Details ■ Installing Connectors ■ Defining Connectors ■ Cloning Connectors ■ Exporting Connector Object Definitions in Connector XML Format ■ Upgrading Connectors ■ Uninstalling Connectors See Also: Oracle Identity Manager Connector Concepts for detailed conceptual information about connectors and connector objects 6-2 Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrators Guide for Oracle Identity Manager

6.1 Lifecycle of a Connector

The following are stages in the lifecycle of a connector: Deployment A connector can be installed by clicking the Manage Connector menu on the Advanced Administration section of the Oracle Identity Manager Administrative and User Console. To complete the deployment procedure, you might also need to copy connector files and external code files to destination directories on Oracle Identity Manager and target system host computers. Some connectors require a Remote Manager, which is usually installed on the target system host computer. Some other connectors, specifically the identity connectors, require the local and remote connector server. The Deployment Manager offers an alternative approach to import definitions of the objects that constitute a connector. However, as explained later in this chapter, the Install Connectors feature is the recommended approach. Customization After deployment, you might customize a connector to meet business requirements that are not addressed by the default configuration of the connector. For example, you might add new attributes for reconciliation and provisioning with the target system. An enhancement of this type requires changes to be made in multiple connector objects, such as Resource Object, Process Definition, and Process Form. See Connector Documentation for detailed information about changes required in connector objects. Cloning You might have more than one installation of a target system. If you have a target system with multiple instances, and data is either same or shared or replicated, such as in Microsoft Exchange or Active Directory connectors, then you do not need to clone the connector. You need to create multiple IT resources for the instances. The target works as a single resource object. If you have a target system with different installations or schema or data, such as a LDAP server for internal users and another LDAP server for external, contractors, and consumers, then you need to clone the connector. The connectors will work as two separate targets. There might be a scenario where the connector attributes are different. Then instead of creating a new connector, the existing connector can be cloned by using the XML of See Also: ■ Oracle Identity Manager Connector documentation for information about copying connector files and external code files to destination directories on Oracle Identity Manager and target system host computers. Connector documentation is available on the Oracle Web site at the following URL: http:download.oracle.comdocscdE22999_01inde x.htm ■ Identity Connector Framework in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Developers Guide for Oracle Identity Manager for information about the Identity Connector Framework and how to use it to create an identity connector. Managing Connector Lifecycle 6-3 the original connector. The Clone Connectors feature of the Advanced Administration enables you to automatically generate copies of a set of connector objects. Upgrade To make use of new features introduced in later releases of a connector, you might upgrade a connector by applying patch sets released by Oracle. Typically, upgrading to a new release of a connector involves processes that range from simple changes such as a JAR file upgrade to changes that affect most of the adapter tasks that were shipped as part of the connector. You can use the Upgrade Connectors feature to upgrade a connector. Uninstalling If you stop using a connector, then this action is also provided to additional environments, such as System Integration Testing, User Acceptance Testing, and Staging, where that connector is also stopped. The need to keep a clean development environment that does not have any unnecessary Oracle Identity Manager objects, you would like to uninstall a particular connector version that you no longer need to use. The Uninstall Connectors utility enables you to uninstall connectors as well as individual connector objects. Figure 6–1 depicts the connector lifecycle: Note: Upgrading connectors preserve the existing customizations in a connector. Note: Uninstalling a connector is performed in the development environment and not in production environment. Note: You must have the System Administrator role to perform connector lifecycle management tasks, such as installing connectors including importing connector XML files by using the Deployment Manager, and cloning, defining, upgrading, and uninstalling connectors.