Variables

In any Ivanti Automation environment, there will be Tasks that are used many times over, with just minor changes to their configuration. When configuring these Tasks, the values of many fields can be replaced with Variables. For example, you may configure Variables to specify a Domain, Security Context and Domain controller for usage in a Task Manage Active Directory Computer. This creates a generic Task that can be used by all customers in your multi-tenant site. At the customer site, the owner of a specific Team or Agent can override the global values with a custom-value that only applies to their site.

Global Variables act as placeholders for customer-specific values in various fields, such as server names, passwords or credentials. The actual values of these fields are resolved at the moment of Job execution, rather than at the moment of Job scheduling (like parameters).

Why use Variables?

For multi-tenant sites, to manage different settings for different customers and assigned projects, and to exchange Modules, Projects and Run Books with other branches of an organization.

Navigation

At Variables, you can set up Variables on global level. By default, the global values are inherited by all< TE>s and Agents. On Team or Agent level, you can override the global value and specify a Team-specific or Agent-specific values. Nested Teams do not inherit their settings from the Team in which they are nested.

Configuration

Variable

When adding a new Variable, select one of the following types:

  • Credentials: this is a combination of domain\user name and password. Use this in a user name field for which there is also a password field, for example in the Security Context of a Task. The matching password field will be disabled, as this type of Variable will fill both. The password is always masked.
  • Password: this is a password only. Use this in password fields that are not part of a set of credentials, for example for the password for a new local user. The value of this type of Variable is always masked. Its input must be entered twice for confirmation.
  • Text: this is a text string of a single line. Use this in any field that needs to contain text, for example file name, Organizational Unit name, etc.

When deleting a Variable, its value will no longer be resolved in the Tasks in which it is used, but becomes an actual value. For example, if you have used a Variable ^[CustomerName] in a field in a Task, and delete this Variable without changing its value in this Task, the actual value of the field becomes "^[CustomerName]".

  • It is not possible to base the value of a Variable on another Variable, a parameter or a function. These values cannot be resolved.
  • The use of Global Variables in Run Book parameters, conditions and evaluators is not supported.

Category

To structure your Variables, you can create categories. The category General is a default category and cannot be edited or removed. The name of a Variable or category must be unique in your Ivanti Automation environment.

When moving Variables to another category, select Move from the puntjes for one specific Variable or select multiple Variables and choose Move from the Actions menu. The number of selected items is shown as in indicator. You can undo the moving within 5 seconds.

Variable usage information

When editing an existing variable, click Usage to see a list of modules, projects, and runbooks using that variable. Clicking an item in the Usage list takes you to the properties for that item. The Usage view also helps you identify unused variables that you can safely delete.