Ops Manager Tile Developer Guide

This topic exists to help VMware Tanzu Partners learn the high-level process of building and publishing an Ops Manager tile on VMware Tanzu Network.

For advanced developers with previous experience building tiles, see Property and Template References and Development Workflow Reference.

What is a Tile?

Tiles are packaged software that can be integrated into Ops Manager. Operators can install tiles on Ops Manager. Developers can use these services after they are installed.

Tile developers can publish tiles on VMware Tanzu Network, where services and tiles are available for download.

Tile Structure

Tiles are packaged as compressed files with a .pivotal file extension. These compressed files require three subdirectories: metadata, migrations, and releases.

When you package your software with Tile Generator, it generates these subdirectories for you. You can perform different actions within each subdirectory:

Directory	Description
metadata	Configure settings for your software in a YAML file.
migrations	Track changes across different releases in a .js file. Only tiles with multiple releases use this subdirectory. Do not modify the files in this subdirectory during your first tile release.
releases	Deploy your service source code and other inputs for your build, such as a BOSH release.

Why Build a Tile?

There are multiple reasons to build and publish a tile on VMware Tanzu Network. Tiles can help you:

• Find the widest possible audience for your service.
• Join a growing ecosystem that can integrate your service.
• Enable operators and app developers to interact with your service in an accessible and standardized way.

Building Your First Tile

There are two options for building your first tile. You can either attend partner days or develop independently. However, VMware strongly recommends attending Partner Days for hands-on guidance.

Attending Partner Days

Partner Days are the single best resource to introduce you to Ops Manager and tile development. During these three-day workshops, VMware and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) engineers collaborate to prototype and build a software integration with Ops Manager.

These events streamline your development process by providing hands-on guidance, giving you a head start for publishing a tile on VMware Tanzu Network. The workshop is free for all VMware Tanzu partners.

VMware recommends any interested partner to register for Partner Days. If you are not a VMware Tanzu partner yet, you can sign up for the partner program.

Developing Independently

If you want to build a tile without attending Partner Days, follow the procedure below to minimize the learning curve for tile development.

Creating a tile is a complex process and can be time consuming to complete on your own. You can message the VMware Tanzu Partners Slack channel with questions if you register for the VMware Tanzu Partner program.

1. Decide What to Build

If you use Tile Generator to package your software you also need to determine the inputs you need to build before development. Inputs for your tile also depend on the service you are providing.

Before starting tile development, see How TAS for VMs and Ops Manager Services Work.

Depending on what you build, you might need to install the following tools:

• Tile Generator: Used to package your software into a tile.

• BOSH Command Line Interface (CLI): A CLI for running BOSH commands. You need BOSH commands to run Tile Generator.

• Cloud Foundry Command Line Interface (cf CLI): A CLI for deploying and managing apps on Cloud Foundry. If you are developing on Cloud Foundry, you use cf CLI when building your tile.

• Kubernetes Command Line Tool (kubectl): A CLI for deploying and managing apps on Kubernetes. If you are developing on Kubernetes, you use kubectl when building your tile.

• CF Dev (optional): A lightweight VMware Tanzu Application Service for VMs installation for deploying and debugging apps locally. You can use CF Dev if you want to run TAS for VMs on your local workstation.

2. Generate a Tile

Tile Generator is a tool that simplifies the building process for tiles. To use Tile Generator, upload your software components, such as the service broker, buildpack, and Docker image, and the tool generates a base tile.

For information about setting up Tile Generator and building a base tile, see Tile Generator.

3. Test Your Tile

Before you publish your tile, you can test it manually using a Partner Integration Environment (PIE). In PIE you can see how the tile functions on an IaaS, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud Platform (GCP). You can upload, configure, and install your tile in PIE just like an operator would.

To gain access to your PIE, reach out to your contact at VMware or register as a partner.

If you already have access to your PIE, for information information about how to log in, see Development Environments.

4. Document Your Tile

When you are ready to publish your tile, write documentation. Documentation is valuable for operators who use your tile.

For more information about how to write and publish documentation for your tile, see Tile Documentation.

5. Publish Your Tile on VMware Tanzu Network

Contact your VMware representative who can guide you through the process of uploading your tile to VMware Tanzu Network. When you upload your tile to VMware Tanzu Network, it becomes available for operators and developers to do the following:

Audience	Benefits
Operators	Download and install your service as a tile. Configure your service using a UI. Update your service with a single click.
Developers	See your service on VMware Tanzu Network. Select service plans to which they would like to subscribe. Create instances of your service and call them from their apps. Support a continuous and fast development cycle.

For information about the release cycle for Partner tiles, see Partner Software Release Cycle.

Contact Us

If you want to learn more about the VMware Tanzu ISV Partner Program or request help with your integration project, see Contact Us.