Understanding Profiles

A profile is required to register an instance with OS Management Hub. Profiles provide a way to consistently define how an instance registers with the service.

An instance registers with one and only one profile. However, you can use a single profile repeatedly to register multiple instances with the service. The profile specifies the associations to apply to an instance at registration. This can include software sources, lifecycle stage membership, or group membership. Once registered, the profile is no longer used by the instance.

Important

A profile is only used for registration. After an instance registers, the profile no longer has any effect on the instance. To change instance settings after registration, such as attached software sources, do so directly through OS Management Hub. For example, Attaching Software Sources to an Instance.

Location Specific

Profiles are specific to instance location: OCI and non-OCI (on-premises or third-party cloud). Even if the OS version and architecture of the instance is the same, you can't use an OCI profile for a non-OCI instance (and vice versa). Profiles can't be shared because non-OCI instances require a management station and software entitlements can differ across OCI and non-OCI environments.

Service-provided

OS Management Hub provides a set of basic profiles within the root compartment that you can use to register Windows OCI instances. These profiles provide the minimal set of information required to register a standalone instance with the service. You can't move, edit, or delete service-provided profiles.

OS Management Hub provides the following service-provided profiles:

Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2022

Note

There are no service-provided profiles for Oracle Linux instances.

User-defined

You can create profiles to define the software sources to attach to the instance, the lifecycle environment for the instance, or the group to assign to the instance. User-defined profiles can reside in any compartment.

You can create the following types of profiles:

Software Source: A software source profile defines the software sources to attach to the instance when it registers with the service. The software sources must match the OS vendor, OS version, and architecture of the instance. Software source profiles don't apply to Windows instances.
Group: A group profile defines the group to associate with the instance when it registers with the service. The instance must match the location, OS vendor, OS version, and architecture of the group. As a member of the group, OS Management Hub includes the instance in the group's scheduled jobs.; For Oracle Linux instances, OS Management Hubapplies the software sources, packages, and modules defined within the group manifest when the instance joins the group.
Lifecycle Environment: A lifecycle environment profile defines the lifecycle environment and lifecycle stage to associate with the instance when it registers with the service. The lifecycle environment must match the OS vendor, OS version, and architecture of the instance. If the lifecycle stage has a versioned custom software source promoted to it, OS Management Hub attaches the versioned source and installs the content when the instance joins the stage. Lifecycle environment profiles don't apply to Windows instances.

Default

You can specify a default profile to use when registering a particular OCI instance. There can be only one default profile per location, OS vender, OS version, and architecture. Default profiles must reside in the root compartment.

When you register an instance and don't specify a profile, OS Management Hub uses the default profile matching the instances OS version and architecture. Default profiles are most useful with automation to streamline the registration process.

Initially, the service-provided profiles are marked as default. You can set any profile (user-defined or service-provided) that resides in the root compartment as a default. You can also clear the default setting and have no default profile.

Management Station

Management station profiles are created when you create the management station. The profile defines the configuration details of the management station. The profile is used only a single time to register the associated management station. Unlike other profiles, it can't be used to register additional management stations.