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Mantle 2.0 Guide: Mantle Flow

Overview

This guide describes Mantle Flow, the automation and orchestration capability in Mantle 2.0. Mantle Flow is intended for post-deployment automation, allowing teams to execute repeatable workflows against systems that are already provisioned, reachable, and managed within the target environment.

Note: Screenshots below were extracted from the source DOCX and placed inline with the nearest matching procedural step.

Use this guide when you need to:

  • Upload and license Mantle Flow
  • Prepare DAGs, playbooks, and collections for execution
  • Assign automation assets to the correct groups
  • Launch workflows through the Mantle Flow Deployment Wizard
  • Monitor runs, review status, and retrieve output artifacts
  • Validate the environment with a simple HelloWorld flow

1. Mantle Flow Overview

Mantle Flow provides centralized automation orchestration within the Mantle platform. It allows users to define workflows as Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs), execute automation assets in the Mantle runtime, and monitor workflow progress through the Mantle interface.

1.1 What Mantle Flow is designed to do

Mantle Flow supports post-deployment automation and operational tasking, including:

  • Integrating deployed devices into the enterprise environment
  • Applying post-deployment configuration changes
  • Coordinating policy enforcement or operational updates
  • Running validation workflows and status checks

Mantle Flow is not intended to replace device provisioning or initial build workflows, and it does not perform physical deployment activities.

1.2 Architecture summary

Mantle Flow is the workflow orchestration layer within Mantle 2.0. In this model:

  • DAG assets define workflow order, dependencies, and execution logic
  • Mantle-managed assets such as Ansible playbooks are invoked by tasks within the DAG
  • The Mantle runtime provides the execution environment and required tooling
  • Mantle captures status, logging, and execution results for centralized visibility and governance

This separation between orchestration and execution allows Mantle Flow to coordinate complex workflows while preserving centralized control over automation assets and runtime behavior.

1.3 Execution model

When a workflow is executed, Mantle Flow follows this general sequence:

  1. The DAG asset is submitted to the Airflow orchestration engine.
  2. Airflow evaluates task dependencies and determines execution order.
  3. Eligible tasks are scheduled, with independent tasks able to run in parallel.
  4. Each task invokes its associated Mantle-managed automation asset.
  5. Mantle records task status, logs, and overall execution results.

2. Prerequisites and Requirements

Before enabling or using Mantle Flow, confirm the following requirements.

2.1 Platform prerequisites

  • A functional Mantle 2.0 deployment must already be installed and operational.
  • Target devices and systems must already be deployed, reachable, and accessible from the Mantle environment.
  • Required automation assets and any external dependencies must be prepared before execution.

2.2 Runtime compatibility

Automation assets should be written and tested against the runtime versions included in the Mantle release.

Component Runtime Version Applies To
Python (Airflow Runtime) 3.12 DAG parsing and execution
Python (Ansible Runtime) 3.11 Playbook execution environment
Mantle Flow 2.10 Workflow orchestration
Ansible Core 2.15 Playbook execution

2.3 Required Mantle assets

Mantle Flow relies on the following asset types:

  • DAG (Python) asset: defines task order, dependencies, and overall workflow behavior
  • Ansible playbooks: provide executable automation content when invoked by a DAG
  • Ansible collections: required when referenced by playbooks for dependency resolution

2.4 Required inputs

All variables marked as required by the DAG must be populated before execution. Values can be supplied either:

  • directly through the Mantle Flow form interface, or
  • through an uploaded JSON configuration file

Optional variables may also be supplied where supported by the workflow.

3. Enabling Mantle Flow

Once the base Mantle installation is complete, enabling Mantle Flow requires uploading a valid Mantle Flow license.

3.1 Open the Licenses page

  1. Log in to the Mantle web interface.
  2. In the lower-left navigation area, open Settings > Licenses.

Licenses navigation

If you are already working in Settings, you can also open the Licenses tab directly from the gear icon.

Licenses tab

3.2 Upload the Mantle Flow license

  1. On the Licenses page, select the green plus icon in the upper-right corner of the licenses table.

Add license

  1. Select the Mantle Flow license file.
  2. Choose Upload.

Upload license file

Mantle will initialize the core Mantle Flow services. You can verify the license from the Licenses page or from the license indicator in the lower-left navigation area.

License present

Note: Uploading the license enables the feature, but workflows still require automation assets such as DAGs, playbooks, and collections before they can be executed.

4. Preparing Automation Assets

After Mantle Flow is enabled, there are two core preparation tasks before a workflow can run:

  1. Upload the required automation assets.
  2. Assign the required assets to the appropriate user group.

4.1 Upload automation assets

  1. From the Mantle home page, enter the Run Automation & Playbooks scope. This simplifies the asset upload workflow.

Run Automation & Playbooks scope

  1. Open the Assets page from the navigation menu.

Assets page

  1. Select the green plus icon in the upper-right corner of the assets table.

Add asset

  1. Upload the asset files and open the Upload Assets tab.

Upload assets tab

  1. Assign the correct asset type to each file. For items of type Playbook, use the default subtype.

Asset type selection

  1. Select Upload All to validate and upload the assets.

After a successful validation, the assets should appear on the Assets page.

4.2 Assign assets to a group

By default, uploaded assets are global and are not automatically available for Mantle Flow execution. DAG assets must be mapped to the correct group before users in that scope can run them.

  1. Open the Groups page and select the group you want to configure.
  2. Open the Assets tab.
  3. Select the green plus icon.
  4. Choose the required assets and select Add All Selected Assets.

Assign assets to group

The assets will then appear in the group's Assets tab.

Important: DAGs must be assigned to a group to be usable in Mantle Flow. Playbooks and collections may also be added for convenience, but they are not required to be group-mapped even when referenced by a DAG.

4.3 Enable group-driven asset management (optional)

If you want group administrators to manage assets directly at the group level, enable group-scoped asset management.

  1. Open the target group.
  2. Go to the Settings tab.
  3. Turn on Allow Group Assets.

Enable group assets

Once enabled, the Upload Group Assets tab becomes available in the asset upload workflow.

Upload Group Assets tab

5. Running a Flow

Once Mantle Flow is enabled and the required assets are in place, workflows can be executed through the Mantle Flow Deployment Wizard.

Mantle Flow supports two input methods:

  • Configuration Object Upload: a full Mantle Flow configuration file containing all workflow parameters
  • Manual Variable Input: values supplied directly in the wizard or by uploading a JSON variable file

The deployment wizard is organized into four steps:

  1. Flow selection and optional configuration upload
  2. Variable definition
  3. Credential validation, when applicable
  4. Configuration review and submission

5.1 Access the Flow Deployment Wizard

  1. Navigate to the Mantle home page and enter Run Automation & Playbooks.

Automation scope entry

  1. If you belong to multiple groups, use the scope pill to select the group from which the flow should run.

Scope pill selection

  1. On the Mantle Flow Dashboard, select New Flow in the upper-right corner.

New Flow button

If a group is still not selected, Mantle will prompt you to choose one before continuing.

Select group prompt

5.2 Step 1: Flow selection and configuration upload

  1. In the first wizard step, select the flow you want to execute from the list of flows assigned to the current group.

Flow selection table

  1. If the expected flow does not appear, confirm that the DAG has been assigned to the active group.

Assigned flow example

  1. Optionally upload a Mantle configuration object to prepopulate the workflow configuration.

Configuration object upload

Configuration objects are useful when workflows are standardized or when you want to reuse a known-good run configuration.

5.3 Step 2: Variable definition

The wizard identifies the variables required by the selected flow and presents them for input.

Variable form

Variables can be populated in either of the following ways:

  • Manual Input: enter values directly into the form
  • JSON Variable Upload: upload a JSON file that contains values for the defined workflow variables

JSON variable upload

A separate JSON file can also be used to prepopulate the same fields.

JSON upload option

Example JSON input:

Example JSON file

Variable indicators are color-coded:

  • Green: a value has been provided
  • Yellow: a required value is still missing

Once all required variables are complete, select Next.

5.4 Step 3: Credential validation (optional)

If LDAP authentication is enabled for the Mantle instance, users may be prompted to validate domain credentials before execution.

Credential validation

  1. Enter the required credentials.
  2. Select Verify Credentials.
  3. Select Next to continue.

Note: Skip Verification is available for workflows that do not require domain credentials. If used on workflows that do require them, the necessary credentials will not be passed to the flow and task execution may fail.

5.5 Step 4: Configuration review and submission

In the final wizard step, review the generated configuration and confirm that the workflow is ready to run.

Configuration review

When the configuration is correct, select Deploy to start the flow.

6. Monitoring and Reviewing Flow Runs

After submission, Mantle presents the Track Flow page so users can monitor workflow progression, review metadata, and inspect output.

6.1 Track Flow page overview

The Track Flow page provides a real-time view of the active DAG run.

Track Flow page

The left-side metadata table identifies the selected flow, run ID, creation time, and initiating user.

Flow metadata

The center status section shows runtime state, completion state, timestamps, and duration.

Flow status section

Status represents the overall DAG outcome. Depending on DAG logic, it is possible for some tasks to fail while the overall flow still reports success.

The donut chart on the right shows task status distribution.

Task status donut chart

6.2 Flow summary and downloadable configuration

If defined by the DAG, a Flow Summary object appears at the top-right of the Track Flow card after execution completes.

Flow Summary button

The summary provides a concise operational view of the run without requiring a full log review.

Flow Summary example

Next to the summary is a Download dropdown that allows the user to export the generated configuration object for reuse in future runs.

Download configuration object

6.3 Flow diagram and logs

Below the Track Flow card, Mantle displays a Flow Diagram that updates dynamically as tasks complete.

Flow diagram

To review logs, select Open Logs at the bottom of the page.

Open Logs control

The log pane expands so users can browse task output and execution details.

Expanded logs

6.4 Flow Dashboard

The Flow Dashboard provides historical visibility into previous runs as well as flows that are still in progress.

At the top of the dashboard, a bar chart shows the distribution of flow statuses over time. The visible data range is user-selectable and defaults to the previous week.

For a single-group scope:

Single group dashboard

For a multi-group automation scope:

Multi-group dashboard

The table at the bottom of the dashboard lists historical flow runs and their statuses. Selecting a row opens the Track Flow page for that specific run.

Each row also includes an Actions menu with options such as:

  • Rebuild: retrieves the prior configuration object, reopens the wizard, and repopulates the flow variables
  • Delete: removes the run from the history list and attempts to cancel remaining tasks if the flow is still active

Flow actions menu

7. Supported Automation Assets

Mantle Flow currently supports multiple automation asset types that can be orchestrated through DAG-based workflows.

7.1 Currently supported asset types

  • Ansible Playbooks: primary automation mechanism for Mantle Flow workflows
  • Bash Scripts*: supported when defined within a DAG or embedded in a playbook
  • Python Scripts*: supported when defined within a DAG or embedded in a playbook
  • PowerShell Scripts: currently supported when executed through an Ansible playbook

* Bash and Python scripts are currently supported when defined within a DAG or embedded in a playbook.

7.2 Current execution model

At this time, Mantle Flow primarily orchestrates automation through DAG-based workflows. Scripts are generally executed as part of a workflow task rather than as standalone assets.

7.3 Planned support

Future versions of Mantle Flow are expected to expand support for:

  • standalone Bash scripts
  • standalone Python scripts
  • standalone PowerShell scripts

8. Environment Validation with HelloWorld

Once Mantle Flow is enabled and the required configuration is complete, validate the environment with a simple HelloWorld flow. This confirms that the platform can successfully parse the DAG, execute the automation task, and expose the result in the Mantle interface.

8.1 What the validation confirms

A successful validation run confirms:

  • asset upload and group assignment are functioning
  • DAG parsing and orchestration are working
  • automation tasks can execute successfully
  • logs and output are visible in the interface

8.2 Validation assets

The validation workflow requires a minimal set of assets:

  • HelloWorld DAG: defines a simple workflow with a single task
  • HelloWorld Playbook: prints a confirmation message during execution

The source document references example assets, but does not include inline examples in the exported content.

8.3 Upload and run the validation flow

  1. Upload the HelloWorld DAG and playbook using the asset upload procedure described earlier in this guide.
  2. Ensure the DAG is assigned to the correct user group.
  3. Open the Flow Deployment Wizard.
  4. Select the HelloWorld flow.
  5. Provide the required string variable when prompted.
  6. Deploy the workflow.

8.4 Expected result

If the environment is configured correctly:

  • the HelloWorld flow appears in the flow selection table
  • the workflow runs without errors
  • the task logs display the validation message

Example output:

Mantle Flow validation successful

If this output appears in the task logs and the flow completes successfully, the Mantle Flow environment has been validated.