Overview
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The SnapCenter Server enables you to deploy and manage your applications as plug-ins to SnapCenter. Applications of your choice can be plugged into the SnapCenter Server for data protection and management capabilities.
SnapCenter enables you to develop custom plug-ins using different programming languages. You can develop a custom plug-in using Perl, Java, BATCH, or other Scripting languages.
To use custom plug-ins in SnapCenter, you must perform the following tasks:
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Create a plug-in for your application using the instructions in this guide
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Create a description file
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Export the custom plug-in to install it on the SnapCenter host
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Upload the plug-in zip file into SnapCenter Server
Generic plug-in handling in all API calls
For every API call, use the following information:
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Plug-in parameters
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Exit codes
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Log error messages
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Data consistency
Use Plug-in parameters
A set of parameters are passed to the plug-in as part of every API call made. The following table lists the specific information for the parameters.
| Parameter | Purpose |
|---|---|
ACTION |
Determines the workflow name. For example, discover, backup, fileOrVolRestore or cloneVolAndLun |
RESOURCES |
Lists resources to be protected. A resource is identified by UID and Type. The list is presented to the plug-in in the following format: “<UID>,<TYPE>;<UID>,<TYPE>”. For example, “Instance1,Instance;Instance2\\DB1,Database” |
APP_NAME |
Determines which plug-in is being used. For example, DB2, MYSQL. SnapCenter Server has built-in support for the listed applications. This parameter is case sensitive. |
APP_IGNORE_ERROR |
(Y or N) This causes SnapCenter to exit or not exit when an application error is encountered. This is useful when you are backing up multiple databases and do not want a single failure to stop the backup operation. |
<RESOURCE_NAME>__APP_INSTANCE_USERNAME |
SnapCenter credential is set for the resource. |
<RESOURCE_NAME>_APP_INSTANCE_PASSWORD |
SnapCenter credential is set for the resource. |
<RESOURCE_NAME>_<CUSTOM_PARAM> |
Every Resource level custom key value is available to plug-ins prefixed with “<RESOURCE_NAME>_”. For example, if a custom key is “MASTER_SLAVE” for a resource named “MySQLDB”, then it will be available as MySQLDB_MASTER_SLAVE |
Use exit codes
The plug-in returns the status of the operation back to the host by means of exit codes. Each code has a specific meaning and the plug-in uses the right exit code to indicate the same.
The following table depicts error codes and their meaning.
| Exit code | Purpose |
|---|---|
0 |
Successful operation. |
99 |
Requested operation is not supported or implemented. |
100 |
Failed operation, skip unquiesce, and exit. Unquiesce is by default. |
101 |
Failed operation, continue with backup operation. |
other |
Failed operation, run unquiesce, and exit. |
Log error messages
The error messages are passed from the plug-in to the SnapCenter Server. The message includes the message, log level, and time stamp.
The following table lists levels and their purposes.
| Parameter | Purpose |
|---|---|
INFO |
informational message |
WARN |
warning message |
ERROR |
error message |
DEBUG |
debug message |
TRACE |
trace message |
Preserve data consistency
Custom plug-ins preserve data between operations of the same workflow execution. For example, a plug-in can store data at the end of quiesce, which can be used during unquiesce operation.
The data to be preserved is set as part of result object by plug-in. It follows a specific format and is described in detail under each style of plug-in development.