Objects in an object store contain data that is specific to the environment in which the object store resides. This environment-specific data includes the object store IDs and the access control lists for the objects. To import objects into a different environment, you must first update the environment-specific data in those objects. FileNet Deployment Manager helps you with this task.
You use FileNet Deployment Manager first to create an environment definition for each of your deployment environments. As part of this definition, you provide the configuration information that the tool needs to connect to the environment.
You then use FileNet Deployment Manager to retrieve information that identifies the object stores and security principals in that environment. The tool places this information in files called half maps, which are stored along with the configuration information as part of the environment definition.
To define a specific deployment, you configure a source-destination pair that identifies the source and destination environments for the deployment. An environment definition, which can be used in multiple source-destination pairs, might represent a source environment in one pair and a destination environment in another pair. For example, if the deployment sequence is from development to test to production, you would need two source-destination pairs. In one pair, test would be the destination environment. In the other pair, test would be the source environment.
As part of configuring the source-destination pair, you use FileNet Deployment Manager to map the environment-specific information for the deployment. This mapping process combines the information from the half maps for each environment to create two data maps. For each object store in the source environment, the object store data map identifies the corresponding object store in the destination environment. For each user or group in the source environment, the security principal data map identifies the user and group in the destination environment that is to be assigned the access privileges of that principal.
Prior to importing data to the destination environment, you use FileNet Deployment Manager to convert the assets in the export files you created with Enterprise Manager. The Convert Assets deployment operation uses the information in the data maps to replace object store and principal information in the export files and any external content files with the values that are appropriate for the destination environment. If the object store and principal data in the environments is unchanged, you can reuse the same source-destination pair to convert application data for subsequent deployments. If changes occur in an environment, you simply update the environment definition and then re-create the maps in the source-destination pair.
This section provides the information you need to begin using the FileNet Deployment Manager user interface. For information about defining an environment, see Concepts: define the deployment environment. For information about using the Convert Assets deployment operation, see Convert objects for import. For information about using the command-line interface, see Deployment command-line reference.
NOTE To access FileNet Deployment Manager functionality using a screen reader or alternate input source, use the command-line interface instead of the user interface.