Artifact Management

Overview

Artifact Management is the tool used to manage an artifact and its instances by the administrative user of the organization. In KOS terminology an artifact represents a concept, not a file. For example, a device may need an admin ui. It hasn’t been written yet; there is no code, no KAB , or anything else other than the concept of the admin UI itself. It is possible to talk about it, schedule it, and plan for it even though it doesn’t exist yet. An instance in KOS is a KAB file, a particular artifact version. When you write the admin ui code and build a KAB, that is an instance. There can be many instances of an artifact. For example, there may be version 1.0, 1.1 and so on. Even for a given version, there may be multiple instances. For example, there may be an x86 and arm variant of version 1.0 of a given artifact. The Artifact Manager is a location where Admins can manage these artifacts and their instances, update descriptions and access, and go so fast as to enable deprecating and deleting older instances.

Artifact management tool also provides user access to Artifacts Stores for their organizational published artifacts. An artifact store is a server for holding KAB files, both published and pending publication. It can function as a Maven repository, a file storage space, or an HTTP server, with options for setting up with or without authentication. Organizations can create multiple artifact stores within KOS Studio. To establish an artifact store, an admin user can access the ‘Artifact Stores’ section from the Artifacts Management tool, streamlining the process for organizational use.

Accessing Artifact Management

To open Artifact Management:

  1. Open KOS Studio and log in as an Admin user.
  2. From the My Images windows, click on ‘Settings’.
  3. Select Artifact Management from the settings menu.

When you open Artifact Management, you’ll see a tabbed interface with the following main sections:

  • Published Artifacts (default view) – Your organization’s artifacts
  • Store Settings – Repository configuration

Each section has a left panel listing artifacts or stores and a detailed view on the right showing comprehensive information about the selected item.

Working with Published Artifacts

Published Artifacts are the artifacts owned and managed by your organization. This is the default view when opening Artifact Management.

Viewing Published Artifacts

  1. Open KOS Studio and log in as an Admin user.
  2. From the My Images windows, click on ‘Settings’.
  3. Select Artifact Management from the settings menu.
  4. Select the Artifacts tab.
  5. Artifacts tab displays the list of available artifacts. The artifact list displays:
  • Artifact names
  • Organizational structure (groups, subgroups)
  • Visual indicators for:
    • Hidden artifacts
    • Locked artifacts
    • Restricted artifacts
    • Layer KABs

Artifacts are automatically organized hierarchically and sorted alphabetically for easy navigation. The first artifact in the list is automatically selected.

Creating a New Artifact

Create a new artifact allows you to register your artifact with KOS Studio before you publish instances for the same.

  1. Open KOS Studio and log in as an Admin user.
  2. From the My Images windows, click on ‘Settings’.
  3. Select Artifact Management from the settings menu.
  4. Click the Create button in the Artifacts view
  5. In the “Create new artifact” modal, enter:
    • Name (required) – Must be unique within your organization
    • Description (optional) – Detailed information about the artifact
    • Layer (checkbox) – Check if this is a Layer KAB
    • Restricted (default: Public) – Control whether access is limited to specific projects
    • Group (optional) – Organize artifact into a named group
  6. Click Create

Note: If the artifact name already exists, you’ll receive an error message asking you to choose a different name.

Note : The Layer checkbox cannot be edited once the Artifact is created.

Viewing Artifact Details

When you select an artifact from the list of artifacts, the detail view displays:

  • Artifact name and description
  • Last update date/time
  • Restriction status (Public or Restricted)
  • Layer KAB indication
  • List of published versions
  • List of Projects the artifact is available

Version Information:

  • Versions marked as deprecated if all instances are deprecated
  • Versions marked as hidden if all instances are hidden

Instance Details: When you select a specific version, you’ll see:

  • All instances with their qualifiers (e.g., architecture, platform)
  • Instance descriptions
  • Creation date
  • Artifact Store
  • KAB ID and type
  • File size
  • Immutable Status
  • Deprecated and hidden status

Managing Project Access for Restricted Artifacts

If an artifact is marked as Restricted, you can control which projects have access:

  1. Select the restricted artifact
  2. Click on the Projects option in the detail view
  3. Review the list of projects showing:
    • Project names (sorted alphabetically)
    • Whether each project is Public or Restricted
    • Current access status for this artifact

Adding Project Access:

  • Find a project without access
  • Click the checkbox to add that project
  • The project will now have access to the artifact

Removing Project Access:

  • Find a project with access
  • Click the chec to remove that project
  • The project will no longer have access to the artifact

Viewing Only Projects with Access:

  • Use the filter option to show only projects that currently have access
  • Toggle back to see all projects in your organization

Changing Restriction Status:

  • For a Restricted artifact: Use the option to turn off restrictions and make it available to all projects
  • For a Public artifact: Use the option to turn on restrictions and limit access to specific projects

Note: You cannot change the restriction status of locked artifacts.

Editing Artifacts

To edit an artifact:

  1. Select the artifact from the list
  2. Click the Edit button
  3. In the “Edit artifact” modal, you can modify:
    • Description (optional)
    • Restricted status (Public/Restricted)
    • Hide – Make the artifact invisible in certain views
    • Lock – Prevent further modifications
    • Group – Add or change group assignment

Note: The artifact name and Layer status cannot be changed after creation.

Editing Instances

To edit a specific instance:

  1. Select the artifact, then the version, then the instance
  2. Click Edit for the instance
  3. In the “Edit instance” modal, you can modify:
    • Description (optional)
    • Deprecated status – Mark outdated instances
    • Hide – Make the instance invisible
    • Group – Organize within artifact groups

Note: Qualifiers (such as architecture) cannot be changed. You cannot edit instances of locked artifacts.

Organizing with Groups

Groups help organize related artifacts for easier management:

Adding a Group:

  1. Select an artifact not currently in a group
  2. Click the Add Group option
  3. Enter a single group tag in the modal
  4. The artifact will appear under the group name in the list

Editing a Group:

  1. Select an artifact already in a group
  2. Click the Edit Group option
  3. Modify the group tag as needed

Artifacts within groups are sorted alphabetically, and groups themselves can contain subgroups and sub-subgroups for deeper organization.

Deleting Artifacts and Instances

Deleting an Artifact:

  1. Select the artifact you want to delete
  2. Click the Delete button
  3. In the validation modal, type the artifact name exactly to confirm
  4. Click Delete

Warning: This permanently removes the artifact from all images, devices, releases, and all associated versions and instances.

Deleting an Instance:

  1. Select the specific instance you want to delete
  2. Click the Delete button for the instance
  3. Type the artifact name to confirm
  4. Click Delete

Important Restrictions:

  • You cannot delete locked artifacts or instances

Managing Artifact Store Settings

Artifact Store Settings allow you to configure the repositories where artifact instances are stored. Stores can be HTTP servers, Maven repositories, or local directories.

Viewing Artifact Stores

The Store Settings view displays all configured stores with:

  • Store name (sorted alphabetically)
  • Type (HTTP, Maven, or Local)
  • Location:
    • HTTP/Maven: URL
    • Local: Directory path
  • Authentication requirement (Yes/No for Maven; No for HTTP and Local)

Creating a New Artifact Store

To create a new store:

  1. Click the Create Store button in Store Settings
  2. In the “Create store” modal, enter:
    • Name (required) – Must be unique
    • Type (required) – Select HTTP, Maven, or Local
    • Description (optional)
  3. Depending on the type selected, additional fields appear:

For HTTP stores:

  • URL (required) – The HTTP server address

For Maven stores:

  • URL (required) – The Maven repository address
  • Requires Auth (checkbox) – Check if authentication is needed

For Local stores:

  • Directory (required) – File picker to select location (defaults to User Home)
  1. Click Create

Editing Artifact Stores

To edit a store:

  1. Select the store from the list
  2. Click the Edit option
  3. In the “Update store” modal, you can modify:
    • Description (optional)
    • Locked status
    • URL (for HTTP stores only)
    • Requires Auth (for Maven stores only)
  4. Click Update

Note: The store name, type, and certain type-specific fields (Maven URL, Local directory) cannot be changed after creation.

Deleting Artifact Stores

To delete a store:

  1. Select the store you want to delete
  2. Click the Delete option
  3. In the validation modal, type the store name exactly
  4. Click Delete

Warning: This permanently removes access to all instances stored in that repository.

Note: You cannot delete locked stores.

Managing Store Authentication

For Maven stores that require authentication:

  1. Select the store from the list
  2. Click the Store Authentication option in the store details
  3. This will open the Store Authentication Tool where you can manage credentials

Working Offline

Artifact Management continues to function with limited capabilities when KOS Studio loses connection to the KOS Server. An offline indicator will appear when the connection is lost, and disabled features will be clearly marked.

Tips for Effective Artifact Management

  • Use Groups Strategically: Organize artifacts into logical groups (by product, feature, or team) to make navigation easier as your artifact library grows
  • Lock Production Artifacts: Use the lock feature to prevent accidental modifications to artifacts that are in active use
  • Manage Versions Carefully: Mark outdated instances as deprecated rather than deleting them immediately, allowing dependent systems time to migrate
  • Restrict Sensitive Artifacts: Use the restriction feature to control access to proprietary or sensitive artifacts on a per-project basis
  • Maintain Descriptions: Keep artifact and instance descriptions up to date to help team members understand what each artifact does
  • Regular Store Maintenance: Periodically review your artifact stores and remove any that are no longer in use