Configuring Group Preferences
About XPRESSO Group Preferences
Group Preferences provides a centralized registrar of settings that are commonly used and preferred by all users in a Group. They are configured by the Group Administrator to not only set a threshold for resources usage, but also to simplify and fast track the user workflow since they "pre-filled" most of the information users are prompted for in various configuration forms in XPRESSO. This negates the requirement for Group members to fill every single field on the configuration form.
IMPORTANT:
Group Administrators need to "actively" review the default preferences for their group on an ongoing basis to make sure they are configured appropriately so they meet the operational requirements for the Group and to optimize the resource usage capacity.
Why Group Preferences Matter?
Most Group preferences have an assigned "system-default" value to meet most operational requirements. Group Administrators are required to review and/or change the default preferences for the Group to make sure the preferences meet the operational requirements for the Group. This ensures:
- They are configured appropriately for each registered object in XPRESSO.
- They are set to the optimum level required to meet the operational needs for the intended Group. This greatly reduces the time of having every Group member select the required field from the associate menus when they are preparing and executing a Job.
General Rules that Apply to Group Preferences
The following rules apply to Group Preference:
All Group members can view their Group preferences but only the Group Administrator can set the default value for them.
Each XPRESSO Group could have a unique set of Group preferences tailored to their specific requirements.
Most preferences set on configuration forms are a default value only. You can override the default value to another value (if another value is available) when you configure an object/item on the XPRESSO dashboard.
Changes to the default Group Preferences do not affect any existing/configured Jobs and active Requests.
For some default Preference settings, the resource must first be registered before you set the default preference for it.
Group Preference Types
Group Administrators can configure the following Preference types for the Groups they manage:
Workflow Preferences: Contains all preferences related to the configuration of Job Runs and Job Profile settings and testbed and execution settings. For example: specifying Maximum Runtime/Request Lifetime, Testbed Queue Retention time, Job Request Priority, and Number of allowed Queued Job Runs.
Environment Preferences: Contains all preferences related to the configuration of the test environment/framework used to support the creation of new test suites, the execution environment, and supported platforms. For example: specify the testbed site and building locations, the default execution engine, the pyATS Harness Instance, and which OS to associate with a new platform or branch.
Docker Image Preferences: Contains all preferences related to the configuration of Docker Images such as the Pip Config Index URL and trusted host name, and the Python version used.
Reservation Preferences: Contains all preferences related to the configuration of Reservations such as the Reservation Priority, the minimum/maximum Reservation Duration, and the minimum Queue retention time.
Webhook Preferences: Contains all preferences related as to which state triggers the execution of a Webhook such as "Execute plugin in a Reserved State" vs. "Execute plugin in an Active State". Click on the plugin name to view the preference settings.
Notification Preferences: Contains all preferences related as to when Group Members are sent messages or notifications as a Reservation transitions through its various operational states such as Orchestrating, Queued, Reserved, and Active.
NOTE:
See the following for the other related Group settings on the Group Membership page:
- LaaS Instances and Domains for information about LaaS instances assigned to a Group (if assigned) or how the System Admin can add (register) a LaaS Instance in XPRESSO at a Group level.
- Lab VPN Access Settings for information about how to connect to external network devices and other resources using a VPN connection in order to create a reservation for these devices.
Viewing or Setting Group Preferences
All Member roles can view their Group Preferences in case they want to determine what the default values are. Only the Group Administrator can set the default values for Group Preferences.
To View or Set Group Preferences:
From the Main Navigation Bar, choose Settings, Contacts & Help→Group Management to open the Group Membership page.
Click the My Groups menu if required. The My Group page displays all the Groups you currently belong to.
Click on the Group of interest that you want to view or set your Group Preference for. The Group Details page opens displaying the Group Overview details.
Click Preferences→Preference_Type from the Left menu bar.
Make any required changes to the Group Preferences as appropriate. Refer to the tables below for detailed preference details.
To back out from any changes made, you can revert to the last previous "saved" permissions settings by clicking the Reset button (this button appears when a change is made).
Click the Save button if changes made are satisfactory.
Default Group Preference Details
The following tables outlines which Group preferences can be configured by the Group Admin:
Workflow Preferences
Contains all preferences related to configuration of Job Runs and Job Profile settings and testbed and execution settings.
| Preference |
Details |
Preference |
Details |
| Interest List |
Specifies if emails sent within XPRESSO are automatically CC'ed to the XPRESSO Interest mailing list. Options are Set | Not Set. |
Request Priority |
Specifies the default priority of all Job Runs and requests. |
| Maximum Request Priority Change Allowed |
Specifies the maximum number of times a request priority can be changed. Enter a value of zero for unlimited. |
Request Interval for Priority Change |
Specifies the required time interval between a request priority change. Enter a value of zero for unlimited. |
| Maximum Runtime |
Specifies the default maximum runtime for new job profiles. |
Maximum Clean Runtime |
Specifies the default maximum clean runtime for new clean instructions. |
| Maximum Request Lifetime |
Specifies the maximum time to wait for a Job Request to finish after which its associate test result becomes irrelevant. |
Maximum Testbed Queue Retention |
Specifies the maximum time to wait in queue before a request gets cancelled automatically. |
| CDETS Attachment |
Specifies if you can enable or disable the showing of CDETS attachments when you create a Job Request. |
Fallback User ID for CDETS Attachment |
Specifies the Fallback User ID where the Job run submitter had a generic user Id. CDET does not support generic user Id for CDET attachment and does require a valid user within LDAP/CEC.
|
| Allow Queuing on a Disabled Engine |
Specifies if jobs are allowed to queue for execution on a disabled execution engine. |
Trade Posting |
Specifies if test results should be automatically posted to Cisco Trade via the Trade Log link on Job Request Pages. |
Environment Preferences
Contains all preferences related to the configuration of the test environment/framework used to support the creation of new test suites, the execution environment, and supported platforms.
| Preference |
Details |
Preference |
Details |
| Site Location |
Specifies the physical location of the testbed by geographical location. |
Building Location |
Specifies the specific building location of the testbed. |
| Jenkins Execution Instance |
Specifies the default Jenkins Instance to be used. |
Support for Tcl-ATS |
Toggles support for Tcl-ATS ON | OFF. |
| pyATS Harness Instance |
Specifies the default pyATS harness instance to be used. |
Tcl-ATS Harness Instance |
Specifies the default Tcl-ATS harness instance to be used. |
| OS |
Specifies the default (Internetwork) operating system revision to associate with a new platform or branch. |
Branch |
Specifies the default branch to be used in conjunction with a Job Run or Job Request. |
| Cloud Bind Mounts |
Add paths to mount host files/folders into the cloud execution environment. eg. /path/to/mount/ /path/host:/path/container |
|
|
Docker Image Preferences
Contains all preferences related to the configuration of Docker Images.
| Preference |
Details |
Preference |
Details |
| Pip Config Index URL |
Specifies the default URL for the Pip index, for example: http://pyats-pypi.cisco.com/simple |
Pip Config Trusted Host |
Specifies the default name of trusted host(s) used for Pip Config, for example: pypi.cisco.com |
| Python Version of Base Image |
Specifies the default version of Python to use with Docker Images; pyATS Image Builder uses a base image of python:{version}-slim.
|
— |
— |
Reservation Preferences
Contains all preferences related to the configuration of Reservations.
| Preference |
Details |
Preference |
Details |
| Reservation Priority |
Specifies the default priority for all testbed reservations. |
Maximum Reservation Queue Retention |
Specifies the maximum time to wait in the priority queue before an ad-hoc reservation gets auto-cancelled. |
| Minimum Reservation Duration |
Specifies the minimum reservation duration on a testbed. |
Maximum Reservation Duration |
Specifies the maximum reservation duration on a testbed. |
Webhook Preferences
Contains all preferences related to Webhooks.
| Preference |
Details |
Preference |
Details |
| CTC++ Code Coverage/Test Coverage on host and all embedded targets based on instrumented image |
Toggles support to enable CTC Webhooks ON | OFF. |
— |
— |
| CRFT - CRimson Function Tracking provides ALWAYS ON function level code instrumentation |
Toggles support to enable CRFT Webhooks ON | OFF. |
— |
— |
| The Btrace Trace-on-Failure infrastructure provides a mechanism to achieve a summary list of Application Contexts that have had an Error (ERR) or more severe failures and a detailed list of the btrace logs that precede the failure condition |
Toggles support to enable Btrace Webhooks ON | OFF. |
— |
— |
Notification Preferences
Contains all preferences related as to when Group Members are sent messages or notifications as a Reservation transitions through its various operational states.
| Preference |
Details |
Preference |
Details |
| Notification Alert sent (enable or disabled) when the ... |
Reservation is in one of the following states:
- Orchestrating
- Queued
- Reserved
- Active
- Terminal
|
Mail Alert sent (enable or disabled) when the ... |
Reservation is in one of the following states:
- Orchestrating
- Queued
- Reserved
- Active
- Terminal
|