How to: Enable Pre-defined Constraints
Predefined constraints aggregate groups of settings that specify common requirements for either applications or logical servers. Constraints are the means through which an application can specify requirements on a logical server and vice versa. Predefined constraints are provided for each prototype application and logical server that ships with the Distributed System Designers; these constraints can only be set in Application Designer and Logical Datacenter Designer. Examples of predefined constraints include ASP.NET Security (in Logical Datacenter Designer) and Operating System (in Application Designer).
Logical servers can also set requirements on the types of applications that can be hosted on the server. Applications can set requirements on the types of logical servers that will host them. These requirements are called hosting constraints. Predefined constraints for a given item are organized beneath a corresponding hosting constraint. For example, to set the ASP.NET security constraint on an IIS Web Server, you first have to enable the ASP.NET hosting constraint to allow the server to host Web applications.
Use the following procedure to enable predefined constraints for applications in Application Designer or logical servers in Logical Datacenter Designer.
To set a constraint
Select an application or logical server.
In the case of a logical server, the constraint will be applied to any application bound to that server in a deployment diagram. In the case of an application, the constraint will specify requirements of the application on the logical server hosting it.
View the Settings and Constraints Editor.
Under Application Constraints (for Logical Datacenter Designer) or Logical Server Constraints (for Application Designer), ensure that the appropriate hosting constraint is selected.
Select the predefined constraint check box to enable that constraint. (For example, Operating System or ASP.NET Security)
In the constraint dialog box, set the values you want for this constraint.
Predefined constraint dialog boxes contain some additional logic applied to settings. For example, in the ASP.NET Security Constraint, if you do not select Forms Authentication as your security mode, the options in the Forms Authentication field are unavailable. Options provided in the predefined constraints dialog boxes do not have to map settings on a one-to-one basis. That is, a single option might wrap up several settings. The description pane located below the settings options in the constraint dialog box shows which settings a specific option affects.
If the group of predefined constraints does not include settings you want to constrain, you can author a user-defined constraint. For more information, see How to: Author User Defined Constraints.
See Also
Tasks
How to: Author User Defined Constraints
Other Resources
Constraining Application and Application Hosting Relationships