AIP Console - Delivery Modes

Created by James Hurrell on Jun 13, 2023

Valid for Console ≥ 1.26.

Introduction

Console provides two delivery modes:

ModeDescriptionBenefitsDisadvantages
Standard, with version history

This mode is the standard mode that has been used in all releases of Console and is the default for Console ≥ 1.26 when using the Workflow - Application onboarding without Fast Scan.

  • Source code for a given version is:
    • either uploaded as a ZIP file and is then unpacked in the upload folder on the relevant Node
    • or accessed directly from the specified source folder location
  • Source code is then compressed and copied into the Delivery folder, therefore retaining version history
  • Source code is then copied to the Deploy folder and is analyzed from there.

The copying of source code multiple times into various different folders can reduce overall version processing time (i.e. total time taken from specifying the source code to generating the snapshot) and increase the amount of disk space required for source code storage.

  • Version history is retained - i.e source code/configuration from previous versions. Enables previous versions to be set as the current version and re-analyzed.
  • Possible to change from ZIP to source code folder (or vice versa) as the method of source code deployments once a first version has been delivered.
  • Overall application onboarding time may be slower, especially for larger applications.
  • More disk space is required to store the source code in multiple locations.
Rapid, without version history

This mode was introduced in Console 1.26 and is used by default in the Workflow - Application onboarding with Fast Scan and can be specifically selected when using the Workflow - Application onboarding without Fast Scan. It provides a faster delivery process by skipping some steps related to the management of source code for analysis:

  • Source code for a given version is:
    • either uploaded as a ZIP file and is then unpacked in the upload folder (on the relevant Node (1.x) or in the shared folder location (2.x)
    • or accessed directly from the specified source code folder
  • Source code is is analyzed from the above locations.

Therefore:

  • Source code is never compressed and copied into the Delivery folder, therefore no version history is retained. 
  • Source code is, for the most part, never copied to the Deploy folder. Note, however, that certain types of source code which require further extraction and processing, such as .castextraction files or PDS dump files will still be copied to the Deploy folder.

Skipping two copy actions to move the source code to different folders can significantly improve overall version processing time (i.e. total time taken from specifying the source code to generating the snapshot) especially when the source code volume is very large.

  • Overall application onboarding time may be quicker, especially for larger applications, due to reduced number of times the version source code needs to be copied and moved around.
  • Less disk space required for source code storage.
  • Version history is NOT retained - i.e source code/configuration from previous versions. It is therefore not possible to set a previous version as the current and re-analyze it.
  • Not possible to change from ZIP to source folder location (or vice versa) as the method of source code deployments once a first version has been delivered.

Choosing a delivery mode - legacy onboarding only

The delivery mode can only be chosen when using the Workflow - Application onboarding without Fast Scan.

The delivery mode is chosen in Workflow - Application onboarding without Fast Scan when an application is first created and it is not possible to change to a different delivery mode once the choice has been made. The choice is made in the application creation dialog box (see Application onboarding without Fast Scan - Add a new Application). By default the Manage Version History option is ticked - this means that standard mode with version history will be used. Unticking the option will cause the rapid mode without version history to be used:

UI differences in rapid delivery mode

When an application is created using rapid delivery mode, there are various slight differences that indicate the mode is active:

Banner

In the Application - Overview panel a banner will be displayed to indicate that rapid delivery mode is active for the Application:

Exclusions

When adding a new version in Console ≥ 1.26, the Exclusions panel contains an option called Retain source code zip in the application upload folder which has been made available to ensure that source code can be retained if required:

Source code handling in each Delivery mode

Delivery ModeDelivery type (zip/source folder location)Is source code deleted after delivery?Is source code deleted after unzipping for preview when configuring exclusions?Can source code be compressed and backed up?
StandardZipYesYesYes, via Backup Application option when adding a new version. Only possible when using the Workflow - Application onboarding without Fast Scan.
StandardSource Folder LocationNoNoYes, via Backup Application option when adding a new version. Only possible when using the Workflow - Application onboarding without Fast Scan.
RapidZipOptional NoYes, via the option Retain source code zip in the application upload folder when adding a new version and configuring exclusions. Only possible when using the Workflow - Application onboarding without Fast Scan.
RapidSource Folder LocationNoNoYes, via the option Retain source code zip in the application upload folder when adding a new version and configuring exclusions. Only possible when using the Workflow - Application onboarding without Fast Scan.