1. Getting Started

• Collection lifecycle management on Technology Zone

• Guidance and Standards

• Branding Standards

• How to filter content and environments by Brand

2. Collections

• What is a collection?

  • Create a collection

• Edit a collection

• How to transfer ownership of a collection

3. Resources

• What is a Resource?

• Create a Resource

4. Environments

• Delete environment

• How do I search for an environments/collection?

• How do I share my environment with another user?

• How do I transfer my environment/reservation to another user?

5. Journey

• What is a journey

• Create a journey

Collections

Introduction to Collections - What is a collection?

• A collection is a group of related resources that can include additional or multiple nested collections.

What does a collection look like on IBM Technology Zone?
Here is an example of a simple collection: Custom ROKS & VMWare requests

See on this collection that there are resources to help the end user get started with one of the following environments, like the setup guide for the VMWare Cloud adoption lab.

NOTE: Collections can be customized to look more complex than this one. For example, collections with journeys. Read the Introduction to Journeys runbook to see how owners/authors can drive a specific learning journey with their collections by ordering resources and environments into tabs that we call journeys.

• A collection can encompass resources, environments, and journeys. It can be as complex or as simple as the owner/author deems fit to make the collection based on the experience they intend to drive to the consumer of their content.

• A collections is not limited to pointing to other additional collections from one collection. Collections can be nested within a collection and managed similar to a resource on a collection.

Here is an example of multiple nested collections on this main collection: Cloud Pak for Business Automation Activiation Kit

NOTE: The box icon represents that this resource is of type collection. Hover over the box to see the type for yourself.

How to create a collection

In this runbook we will walk through the required fields to submit a simple collection quickly on IBM Technology Zone!

1. Select the 'Contribute your content' button right from the home page.

2. Please read and agree to the "Content Contributor Guidelines" This will inform you of each content owner badge service level agreement that you must agree to before contributing to IBM Technology Zone.

3. Title of collection: Provide an intuitive title for this collection and see example displayed in the field.

4. Custom URL field: This field will populate automatically based on the title of the collection you provided in the previous step. Feel free to change and create a custom URL as you deem fit as the content owner.

Here is an example of a custom url on the site today:

• Custom URL field example: custom-roks-vm-ware-requests
• Resulted in collection URL being: https://techzone.ibm.com/collection/custom-roks-vm-ware-requests

5. Short business value statement: Provide one sentence that showcases the value of this collection to the end user when searching for this content.

See two examples of how this field will display from the search page:

Example one: Grid view (Otherwise known as tile view)

Example two: Table view (otherwise known as list view)

6. IBM Products field: Start typing in the product name that this collection is related to. A drop-down list will display once you are finished typing with results to choose from. Select the best product match from the list.

• In this example, I searched Cloud Pak for Data. Scroll through the results and choose the best match product based on the IBM product/solution that this collection intends to show the end user.

7. Brand field: This field is required but if you follow the previous step, this feild will automatically populate based on the Product that you input in the IBM Product field.

8. Visibility field: This field will allow you to select which users can view this collection.

• Selecting IBMers, means that IBMers when logged in will be able to view this collection.
• Selecting Business Partners, means that Business Partners when logged in will be able to view this collection.
• Selecting IBMers & Business Partners, means this collection will be visible to both to view this collection.

Select the appropriate visibility level based on the intent for this collection.

9. Now, lets leave this collection in a status of draft and proceed to Save this collection as you have it!

• Wait for the Collection saved notification to display before continuing.

How to edit a collection

1. Navigate to your collection from the My library tab in the top navigation bar.

2. Select My created resources to view all collections that you have created to date.

3. Select the collection that you would like to edit.

• Option 1: Click the collection tile iself to open the collection

• Option 2: Click the collection ellipsis and select View

4. From the view collection page, select the Edit button located in the top right of the collection banner.

Preview as you edit

Leverage the Preview option as you edit your collection to see how the changes will display on your collection once published.

• Preview option at the top of the page.

• Preview option at the bottom of the page.

Ownership Transfer

When the existing owner of a collection has an invalid IBM email (caused by separation from IBM typically) an automated job will fire an email off to all other contributors in that collection. Whomever claims the collection first will become the new owner of the collection.

The email contributors look will look similar to below.

If you are a contributor, you will be able to click the Update Ownership link on the bottom. Next click the accept ownership button to accept ownership of the collection.

Automated collection lifecycle management on Technology Zone

As of today, content contributors must adhere and agree to guidelines and standards before creating and publishing any collection on IBM Technology Zone. Refer to screenshot below on terms you agreed to as a contributor to maintain consistent, accessible, and quality content is published on the site.

(screenshot below - this pop up modal displays after select "Share your content" button)

Due to the maintenance  of content authors collections being a manual process today, the IBM Technology Zone team is working on a solution to automate notifications to content authors when their collections have an identified issues to resolve regarding quality standards. Below are a list of issues that our team will be automating checks for regarding content issues:

1. Collection ownership: When and if a collection owner is not longer within IBM or their is no longer active, a new author/owner should be assigned.
2. Collection last updated date: Depending on your collections badge, different standards apply today: - Bronze & Silver adheres to a 90 day refresh cycle. - Gold adheres to a 60 day refresh cycle. - Platinum adheres to a 30 day refresh cycle.
3. Collection has proper taxonomy applied: Collections have to have valid IBM Federated catalog offerings applied for a consistent user experience searching for your content and for proper reporting offering usage metrics.
4. Collection has an associated brand: Collection have to have a brand applied for a consistent user experience searching for your content and to ensure proper reporting offering usage metrics are captured appropriately which is reliant on this field as well.
5. Collection has been badged appropriately: Collections must have a badge associated with their collection and should be reviewed when refresh cycle approaches to ensure that your collection still meets the minimal criteria for each badge at that time.

Why is this process being automated? As content contributors accumulate and contribute more collections the ability to manage timeframes of when updates should be made and the meta data underlying is tagged appropriately can be hard to maintain manually. We appreciate the contributions made to IBM Technology Zone, now let us help you manage it with friendly reminders and content checks.

What is changing:

Emails sent to authors to remind them to update content based on content badge standards. Refer to the above list of issues that our new validation service will check regarding your content.

What is a Resource?

Resource type definitions

This runbook will explain each resource type option that content owners can share to a collection and additionally provide insight to consumers of content on how to find a specific resource type on IBM Technology Zone.

Main agenda of a resource on IBM Technology Zone is a resource that leads to or supports a hands-on activity or demo. For more context, the resource needs to move the practioner forward so that it brings something real to the end user.

Below are the resource types available to associate on your collection today based on the resource agenda above:

Example 1: A video that walks through the hands-on demonstration is an acceptable resource to share on your collection.

Example 2: A Demo script that will help the practioner with the hands-on demonstration is an acceptable resource to share on your collection.

Example 3: A tutorial that is a step by step guide walking through a certain use case or scenario showing the hands-on activity is an acceptable resource to share on your collection.

How to create a resource on a collection

In this runbook we will walk through field by field how to add a resource to your collection.

1. Make sure you are on the edit collection form.

Reference the How to edit your collection runbook for additional help on this step.

2. Scroll down to the Resource section and select Add a resource.

3. Resource title: Provide an intuitive name for this resource.

4. Resource type field: Select the type of resource that you are adding to this collection. Reference the Resource type definitions runbook for more information on what types of resources you can share on your collection.

5. Short business value statement: Similar to the short business value statement for the collection, provide a compelling one sentence description outlineing the value that this resource will provide the end user after leveraging it.

6. Resource URL field: Provide the URL to the resource that you would like to share. The resource can live in Seismic, Box, Github, or any content management platform that the resource is located on.

BOX Warning: Please read through the Resource Box link best practices runbook to ensure that your Box url is accessible to the the intended visibility user level (Business Partners or IBMr).

GitHub Warning: (best practices coming soon)

Seismic Warning: (best practices coming soon)

7. Visibility field: Similar to the collection visibility level, you can decide to the resource level what a user can view depending if they are signed in as a Business Partner or an IBMr.

NOTE: You can check a collections visibility levels to be Business Partner and IBMr accessible and provide resources that are only IBMr or only Business Partner accessible as long as you indicate them as such with the visibility level fields for that collection and specific resource.

8. Status field: Choose Enabled for this to show as a published resource on this collection or Disabled to remove from view on the collection.

9. Save this resource and see your newly created resource reference below.

• Feel free to create additional resources by following the same instructions followed above.

10. Lastly, proceed down to the bottom of your edit collection form to save the entire collection with the newly added resource(s).

• Wait for the Collection saved notification to display before continuing.

11. You have now added your first resource(s)!!

Select the view tab at the top right hand corner of the edit collection form. If your new collection is not displaying yet, refresh your page a few times or wait a few minutes for your changes to update through the cached layer.

Collection Image Upload Recommendations

Content owners that would like to leverage the collection cover art field, please leverage the guidance below:

General Guidelines:

• Avoid Images with Text: Ensure the image does not contain any text as it may not display properly and can distract from the overall design.
• Simplicity is Key: Choose images where intricate details are not important. This ensures the image looks good across various screen sizes and resolutions.

Aspect Ratio:

• Preferred Aspect Ratio: 2:4 (2 units tall by 4 units wide). This aspect ratio is optimal for our platform and ensures the best display quality.
• Square Images: While uploading square images is acceptable, extremely tall or wide images will appear stretched. Aim for images that are more balanced in height and width.

Image Display Dynamics: - Centering: Images will be centered both vertically and horizontally on the screen. Ensure your subject is in the center for the best visual appeal. - Cover Fit: Images will cover the designated area completely. This means they might be stretched to fit the width or height, so avoid using images where this could distort important details.

Theme and Content: - Pattern-Centric Themes: Images with patterns or abstract designs work well. These images generally look good when stretched or resized, maintaining their visual appeal. - Minimal Fine Details: Opt for images without small, fine details that could be lost or blurred when the image is resized.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your images will look great and maintain their quality regardless of the screen size or browser used by your audience.

3. Environments

     a. What is an enviroment? 

     b. Create an environment 

     c. Reserve environment 

How to delete a reservation

1. Log in to the portal using your IBM id
2. Go to "My Library" and click on "My reservations"

3. From the list of your reservation - find the reservation that requires an extension
4. Click on the 3 vertical dots.

5. Select new date and time and click delete

Your reservation will be automatically deleted.

Note:

If any errors occur, request support on by creating a support case.. Please include your reservation information (environment id, dekstop url, cluster id, cluster name etc.)

How do I search for an environments/collection?

1. Search for environments

• Click on the Environments tab

• Enter desired environment name and click enter, a list of environments will be available to choose from

Example we enter cp4d, available "cp4d" environments is listed

We have Filter by and Show advanced filter which narrows down your search list, displaying only the data that interest you. Options available : Brand, Resource Type, Language, Audience, etc.

2. Search for Collections/resources

Enter the desired collection/resource name in the search box

click enter, a list of collections/resources will be available to choose from. Select your desired collection from the list to explore.

We have Filter by and Show advanced filter which narrows down your search list, displaying only the data that interest you.

Filter by: refine your list by "Brand", "Offerings", "Industry", "Resource Type" etc.

Show advanced: refine your list by "Owner", "collaborators", "Languages", "Audience" etc.

How do I share my environment with another user?

Share an environoment with an IBMr, a business partner, or even invite a client to access the environment. The following steps will show you how to manage your environment reservation to share with the entended user and how they will be invited to the environment per persona (IBMr, business partner, clients).

Important - Know who can reserve each infrastructure and who you can share with:

• Skytap environments: Reserved by IBMrs and Business Partners and can be shared amongst IBMrs, Business Partners, and Clients.
• IBM Cloud environments (this includes ROKS, Hosted, SaaS options): Reserved by IBMrs and Business Partners and can be shared amongst IBMrs, Business Partners, and Clients. Ensure that the user has accepted the IBM Cloud invite or they will not be able to access the environment. The IBM Cloud invite is an email sent to the IBMid email that the owner shared the environment with.
• AWS and Azure environments: Reserved by IBMrs and Business Partners and can be shared amongst IBMrs, Business Partners, and Clients.
• Fyre environments: Reserved ONLY by IBMrs at this time due to VPN access. Can ONLY be shared amongst IBMrs at this time.
   

How to share

1. Log in to the portal using your IBM id
2. Go to "My Library" and click on "My reservations"

3. Find the reservation that you would like to share
4. Click on the three vertical dots menu, select Share.

As the reservation owner, you can share the reservation, transfer ownership of the reservation, and extend once a valid opportunity is added to the reservation.

5. Enter the IBMid to whom you want to share this environment with. If you have multiple IBMid's that you would like to share this environment with, enter each IBMid and then seperate with a comma.

• If the user that you wish to share this environment with does not have an IBMid, please send them to this URL to get started creating their IBMid.

6. Click on "Share" blue button.

Important: Once shared it can not be revoked. Only by ITZ Admins per owner request.

7. An email will then be sent to the user that you shared the environment with. Access credentials included in the email.

Important: Not all environments trigger a shared email at this time. Shared emails will be sent with all IBM Cloud, Hosted, SaaS, AWS, and Azure environment reservations. The IBM Technology Zone team is working to integrate the Skytap, Fyre, and ROKS pipeline to have this same capability, but it is not available at this time.

IBMrs and Partners that you shared the environment with will be able to login to IBM Technology Zone and see a reservation card on their "My reservations" page. The shared environment will have (Shared) next to their status field. Users that are shared the environment will not be able to extend, share, or transfer the environment. These actions are owner actions and the user that was shared the environment will need to reach out to the owner to request these actions.

8. See who all you have shared this environment with right from the reservation card from "My reservations" page.

How do I transfer my environment/reservation to another user?

1. Log in to the portal using your IBM id
2. Go to "My Library" and click on "My reservations"

3. Find the reservation that needs to be transferred
4. Click on the elispe (3 dots), select Transfer

5. Enter the IBMid to transfer to, enter the resource name as shown in example below or you can click on the green square to copy text and paste. Note: all fields have to be field for "Transfer" to turn red

6. Click on "Transfer" red button
7. The environments automatically become available in the users "My reservation"
    

Important notes:

1. There are no limits to the number of times an environment can be transferred. An environment can only be transferred to one user per time
2. Once you transfer an environment it is removed from your "My reservation" view
3. You can request the environment be transferred back to you if you need it
4. Use case where transfers are suggested
   a. when you are going on a vacation you can transfer your reservation to a colleague to manage in your absence
   b. collaborating with a colleague

Introduction to journeys - What is a journey?

• A sequenced navigation implemented via tabs to better guide consumers through the collection.

What does a journey look like on a collection?

• Reference Cloud Pak for Data collection as an example.

• Each tab is a journey specified and created by the content owner to help drive a particular engagement or activity.
• Each journey will have its own set of resources that align based on the content owners intent of the journey

How to create a journey

Reference the Introduction to journeys runbook to learn more about what a journey is and how to find them on a collection.

Before you get started

• You must first have a collection already created. Reference How to create a collection runbook.
• If you already have a collection, Reference the How to edit a collection runbook in order to add a journey.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: You must have resources or environments already created before adding a journey

Reference How to create a resource and How to create an environment runbooks to get started with this process.

Create a Journey

1. Once on the edit collection page scroll down to the journeys section.

2. Select "Add a journey" button to create your first journey.

3. Fill in the minimum required journey fields:

• Journey title - This will be the label you see on the tab of your collection.

Reference the Cloud Pak for Data collection example with screenshot provided above to see the journeys created for that collection.

• Description - Provide an overview of what value or end result this journey will provide to the consumer of this content.

• Visibility - Decide what users can see this journey. Is it just IBMr applicable? Is it specific to Business Partners? Select the necessary users that you want to be able to see this journey when visiting your collection.

• Status - Make sure that enabled is set if you want this to display on your published collection. Status of disabled will remove from the public view.

4. Now, lets associate which resources and environments that you would like to display in this collection.

• See in the bottom right hand corner of the journey edit form the resources and environments that you have created on this collection. Here is an example of what this section will look like if you have resources and environments already created. If you do not see a list of resources and collections, please reference the before you get started section above to get additional runbook support in how to add an environment or a resource on your collection.

• Drag and drop the resources and environments that you want on the journey tab to the right hand Journey section.

See and end result example below of after dragging and dropping the resources and environments to the Journey section that you would like to see dispaly under this journey tab.

Important Note: Resources and Environments that are NOT associated to a Journey will be universal resources that can be found under the journeys resources. See example of where the orphaned resources and environments will display.

5. Select 'Save' to capture this newly created journey.

Wait for the Journey saved notification to display before continuing to next step.

6. Navigate to the 'Preview' button at the bottom of the edit collection form to see how your new journey will display.

7. Then proceed down to the bottom of your edit collection form to save the entire collection with this newly added journey.

• Wait for the Collection saved notification to display before continuing.

8. You have now created your first Journey!!

Select the view tab at the top right hand corner of the edit collection form. If your new collection is not displaying yet, refresh your page a few times or wait a few minutes for your changes to update through the cached layer.

Collection Brand Filter

Learn how this filter gets populated and how to navigate to the Brand filter while on IBM Technology Zone

How to filter content and environments by Brand

There are multiple search pages on IBM Technology Zone to first be made aware of, that all have the same Brand filter available for use.

• Platinum search page with filter options: https://techzone.ibm.com/platinum

• Environments search page with filter options: https://techzone.ibm.com/environments

• Activation Kits search page with filter options: https://techzone.ibm.com/activationkits

• Experiences search page with filter options: https://techzone.ibm.com/experiences

• General ALL collections and resources search page with filter options: https://techzone.ibm.com/search

Picking the General All collections and resources search page as an example, find the Brand filter displaying first in the filter option list.

The Technology Zone team has provided an enhancement for Content Contributors while creating and modifying content to be able to select Brand from a normalized Brand list. The following Brand options will display if there are collections using this brand field.

• AI Applications

• Automation

• Data and AI

• IBM Z and LinuxONE

• Power

• Public Cloud

• Security

• Storage Systems

How to add a Brand to a collection - content contributor specific

You noticed that your collection does not display as a Branded filtered results based on the Brand you intended it to be under. How do I go about updating my collection to be filterable from the Brand field.

Step 1. Navigate to your collection and select edit in the top right banner.

Step 2. Scroll down to the Metadat section. Find the Brands field.

Step 3. Select the Brand option that relates to the offering in which this collection was build to help demo. (above are the listed Brand options that you will see display)

Step 4. Save your collection and then allow time for your results to display.

NOTE: To speed up the process, select the reindex option and then following the cache update option from your collection view page. The Reindex will force any data points that you updated on your collection to be updated within elastic search, meaning that the brand filter should be updated with the forced update. The cache update will speed up the refresh process for your collection to show the most recent version based on your changes while editing your collection.