Download and deploy a simple K2 package (legacy K2 Workspace)

In this tutorial, you will download and deploy a sample workflow using the K2 Package and Deployment tool. Once the workflow has been deployed, you will start several instances of the workflow to use throughout the exercises.

The first step you need to take is to download a K2 project file that you will then deploy to the K2 server. This project file contains a basic workflow that was created in K2 Studio. Once deployed, you will start a number of process instances to use in the tutorial steps. To deploy this solution, you will use the K2 Package and Deployment tool.

In a real-world environment, a K2 package could be created by a developer from your development K2 environment, or perhaps you may have downloaded the package from the K2 community site or another resource. In this case, K2 is providing a simple workflow in a K2 package so you can learn how to deploy a simple K2 package.

Step 1 Tasks

  1. Download the K2 project file located at http://help.k2.com/files/9762.
  2. Use the K2 Package and Deployment tool to deploy the project file. (Start > All Programs > K2 blackpearl > K2 Package and Deployment)
  3. Confirm the Workflow Administration Sample Process is shown under the Workflow Server > Processes node in K2 Workspace. (Start > All Programs > K2 blackpearl > K2 blackpearl Workspace)
  1. Download the K2 project file located at http://help.k2.com/files/9762 and Save As to your desktop. (To download the file, enter the file URL in your browser. You should then see a message with the options to either Open the file, Save or Save As. Select Save As and save the file to your desktop.)
  2. Launch the K2 Package and Deployment tool.
    (Start > All Programs > K2 blackpearl > K2 Package and Deployment)

  3. From the right-side Actions column, click Deploy Package.

  4. For the File Name, Browse to the K2 project file that you previously saved to your desktop. (The file name will be: K2Learning-100.DND_BasicK2Administration.kspx.) Keep the default values for the remaining deployment options and click Next.
  5. On the Validate the deployment package screen, wait a few seconds until you see the Ready indicator in the Status column. Click Next to continue.

  6. Allow a minute or two for the package deployment to process and complete. When you see the green 'success' indicators next to the deployment Descriptions, click Finish. Exit the K2 Package and Deployment tool.

    7. Now you will confirm the workflow appears in K2 Workspace. In later steps, you will start a number of process instances to use in our tutorial.

  7. Launch K2 Workspace. (Start Button > All Programs > K2 blackpearl > K2 blackpearl Workspace). If this menu does not appear on your machine, ask your K2 administrator for the URL to your K2 workspace site.
  8. From the navigation bar, click Management, then Management Console.

  9. Expand the K2 server node (your server name may not be the same as the image below), then Workflow Server > Processes > K2 Learning\Workflow Administration. Confirm there is a Process named Workflow Administration Sample within this tree.

    10. K2 Learning\Workflow Administration is the name and file folder for the K2 project that was created for this tutorial. The Process name is Workflow Administration Sample. When you create a Process (in K2 Studio or K2 Designer or K2 Visual Studio) and deploy it, K2 creates a Process definition in K2 Workspace. Each process then has its own set of variables such as Process Rights, Instance management, Version management, etc.

STEP 1 REVIEW

In this step, you downloaded and deployed a sample process to use in later tutorials. The deployment package was actually a K2 project file, which could have been deployed from K2 for Visual Studio as well. You used the K2 Package and Deployment tool as an option, to give you experience for using this tool in your own environment to deploy projects between environments.

Now that you have successfully deployed our project and workflow, you can move on to the next section, Managing Processes and Process Instances.