System Center 2012 Service Manager Unleashed

System Center 2012 Service Manager Unleashed

by Kerrie Meyler
Released September 2014
Publisher(s): Sams
ISBN: 9780133744187

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Book description

This comprehensive resource will help you automate and optimize all facets of service management with System Center 2012 Service Manager.

Expert consultants offer deep “in the trenches” insights for improving problem resolution, change control, release management, asset lifecycle management, chargeback, and more. You’ll learn how to implement high-value best practices from ITIL and the Microsoft Operations Framework.

The authors begin with an expert overview of Service Manager, its evolution, and its new capabilities. Next, they walk through overall planning, design, implementation, and upgrades. Then, to help you focus your efforts, they present stepwise coverage of all topics in each feature area, linking technical information about Service Manager with essential knowledge about the technologies it depends on.

Whatever your role in deploying or running Service Manager, this guide will help you deliver more responsive support at lower cost and drive more value from all your IT investments.

• Leverage MOF and ITIL processes built into System Center 2012 Service Manager
• Plan and design your Service Manager deployment
• Install Service Manager or upgrade from earlier versions
• Efficiently administer work and configuration items
• Use connectors to integrate with Active Directory, Exchange, and System Center components
• Create service maps
• Enable end user access through Service Manager’s self-service portal
• Implement incident, problem, change, and release management
• Utilize workflows to automate key support processes
• Create service level agreements with calendars, metrics, and objectives
• Provide quick access to a standardized catalog of services
• Use notification to ensure that Service Manager items are promptly addressed
• Secure Service Manager and its data warehouse/reporting platform
• Perform maintenance, backup, and recovery
• Manage Service Manager performance
• Customize Service Manager

Table of contents

  1. About This eBook
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents at a Glance
  5. Table of Contents
  6. About the Authors
    1. About the Contributors
  7. Dedication
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. We Want to Hear from You!
  10. Reader Services
  11. Foreword
  12. Introduction
    1. A Toolset That Delivers IT as a Service
    2. About This Book
    3. Fast Track: A Quick Look at What’s New
    4. Disclaimers and Fine Print
  13. Part I: Service Manager Overview and Concepts
    1. Chapter 1. Service Management Basics
      1. Ten Reasons to Use Service Manager
      2. The Problem with Today’s Systems
        1. Why Do Systems Go Down?
        2. Configuration “Shift and Drift”
        3. System Isolation
        4. Lack of Historical Information
        5. Lack of Expertise
        6. Missing Incidents and Information
        7. Lack of Process Consistency
        8. Not Meeting Service Level Expectations
        9. What It’s All About
      3. Service Management Defined
        1. The Importance of Service Management to IT
        2. Key Concepts in IT Service Management
      4. Evolution of the CMDB
      5. Strategies for Service Management
        1. Microsoft’s Dynamic Systems Initiative
        2. Microsoft Product Integration
        3. MOF and ITIL
        4. COBIT: A Framework for IT Governance and Control
        5. Total Quality Management: TQM
        6. Six Sigma
        7. CMMI
        8. Business Process Management
        9. Service Management Mastery: ISO/IEC 20000
        10. Optimizing Your Infrastructure
      6. Bridging the Service Management Gap
        1. Delivering System Uptime
        2. Addressing Configuration “Shift and Drift”
        3. Consolidating Information
        4. Providing Historical Information
        5. Delivering Expertise
        6. Addressing Missing Incidents and Information
        7. Providing Process Consistency
        8. Meeting Service Level Agreements
      7. Overview of Microsoft System Center
        1. Reporting and Trend Analysis
        2. Operations Management
        3. Enterprise Client Management
        4. Endpoint Protection
        5. Service Management
        6. Protecting Data
        7. Virtual Machine Management
        8. Deploy and Manage in the Cloud
        9. Orchestration and Automation
        10. Cloud-Based Configuration Monitoring
      8. The Value Proposition of Service Manager
      9. Summary
    2. Chapter 2. Service Manager History and Terminology
      1. The History of Service Manager
        1. Service Manager 2010
        2. Service Manager 2012
      2. Service Manager Terminology
        1. Technical Terminology
        2. Functional Terminology
      3. Summary
    3. Chapter 3. MOF, ITIL, and System Center
      1. About ITIL
      2. About MOF
      3. MOF, ITIL, and the Cloud
      4. Applying IT Service Management
        1. Approaching IT Service Management Initiatives
        2. MOF and ITIL Processes Supported by Service Manager
      5. IT Service Management Processes in Service Manager
        1. About Incident Management
        2. About Service Request Fulfillment
        3. About Problem Management
        4. About Change Management
        5. About Release Management
        6. About Configuration Management
      6. Summary
    4. Chapter 4. Looking Inside System Center 2012 Service Manager
      1. Architectural Overview
      2. Management Group Defined
      3. Service Manager Server Features
        1. Using a Minimum Installation
        2. Adding Reporting Capabilities
        3. Service Manager Management Server
        4. Service Manager Database (ServiceManager)
        5. Data Warehouse Management Server
        6. Data Warehouse Database
        7. Service Manager Console
        8. Self-Service Portal (SSP)
      4. Windows Services
        1. System Center Data Access Service (OMSDK)
        2. Microsoft Monitoring Agent (HealthService)
        3. System Center Management Configuration (OMCFG)
      5. Service Manager Workflow
      6. Service Manager Connectors
      7. Modeling and Management Pack Schema
        1. Data Modeling
        2. Management Pack Schema
      8. Service Manager Console
      9. Communications
      10. Fast Track
      11. Summary
  14. Part II: Planning and Installation
    1. Chapter 5. Planning and Designing System Center 2012 Service Manager
      1. Planning to Use Service Manager
        1. Establishing and Optimizing the Business Requirements
        2. Scoping the Service Manager Deployment Objectives
        3. Assessing and Capturing the Current Environment
        4. Creating the Deployment Plan
        5. Review and Sign-Off of the Deployment Plan
      2. Planning to Deploy Service Manager
        1. Planning for Licensing
        2. Common Design Scenarios
        3. Capacity Planning
        4. Security and Authentication Planning
        5. Network Considerations
        6. Planning for Availability, Resilience, and Fault Tolerance
        7. Incorporating a Test Environment into the Design
      3. Summary
    2. Chapter 6. Installing and Upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager
      1. Pre-Installation Tasks
        1. Preparing and Understanding Installation Prerequisites
        2. Installing and Configuring Prerequisites
      2. Five-Server Scenario Installation
        1. Installing the Service Manager Management Server
        2. Installing the Service Manager Data Warehouse Management Server
        3. Installing the Service Manager Web Portal
      3. Three-Server Scenario Installation
      4. Upgrading to Service Manager 2012
        1. Upgrading the Data Warehouse Management Server
        2. Upgrading the Service Manager Management Server
        3. Upgrading the Service Manager Console
      5. Troubleshooting Installations and Upgrades
      6. Recommended Post-Installation Tasks
        1. For New Installations
        2. Post-Installation Tasks for Upgraded Environments
      7. Removing a Service Manager Installation
      8. Summary
  15. Part III: Service Manager Operations
    1. Chapter 7. Using Service Manager
      1. Service Manager Console Overview
        1. Administration of Service Manager with the Service Manager Console
        2. Administration Workspace Node Overview
      2. Service Manager Portal Overview
        1. Portal Main Page
        2. Service Offerings
        3. Request Offerings
        4. Knowledge Articles
        5. My Requests
        6. My Activities
      3. Fast Track
      4. Summary
    2. Chapter 8. Working with Connectors
      1. Understanding the Connector Framework
        1. Configuration Item Connectors
        2. Work Item Connectors
        3. Hybrid Service Manager Connectors
      2. Creating and Working with Configuration Item Connectors
        1. Creating an Active Directory Connector
        2. Creating a Configuration Manager Connector
        3. Creating and Working with an Operations Manager Configuration Item Connector
        4. Creating a Virtual Machine Manager Connector
        5. Creating a CSV Connector
      3. Creating and Working with Work Item Connectors
        1. Creating and Working with the Operations Manager Alert Connector
        2. Creating and Working with the Orchestrator Connector
        3. Creating and Working with the Exchange Connector
        4. Connector Maintenance and Troubleshooting
      4. Summary
    3. Chapter 9. Business Services
      1. Introducing Business Services in Service Manager
        1. Defining Business Services
        2. Characteristics of a Business Service
      2. Using Operations Manager with Business Services
        1. Distributed Applications in Operations Manager
        2. Distributed Application Best Practices
        3. Service Maps as the Foundation of a Business Service
      3. Creating a Business Service
        1. Building an Operations Manager Distributed Application
        2. Exporting the Operations Manager Management Pack
        3. Importing the Management Pack into Service Manager
      4. Using Non-Operations Manager Components
        1. Authoring a Management Pack
        2. Importing and Using the Management Pack
      5. Updating a Business Service
      6. Automatically Mapping Operations Manager Incidents to a Business Service
      7. Fast Track
      8. Summary
    4. Chapter 10. Service Manager Service Catalog
      1. Understanding the Service Catalog
      2. Service Catalog Permissions
        1. Granting User Access to the Self-Service Portal
        2. Creating a Catalog Item Group
        3. Creating a User Role
      3. Using Service Offerings
      4. About Request Offerings
        1. Using Request Offering Templates
        2. Creating a Request Offering
        3. Copying Request Offerings
      5. Adding Request Offerings to Service Offerings
      6. Working in the Self-Service Portal
      7. Using the Knowledge Base
      8. Fast Track
      9. Summary
    5. Chapter 11. Incident Management
      1. Understanding the Incident Management Process
      2. Incident Management in Service Manager
      3. Incident Management Process Activities
        1. Incident Creation
        2. Incident Detection and Recording
        3. Incident Classification and Initial Support
        4. Incident Investigation and Diagnosis
        5. Escalating Incidents
        6. Incident Resolution and Recovery
        7. Closing Incidents
      4. Configuring Incident Management
        1. Incident User Roles, Groups, Queues, and Lists
        2. Configuring General Incident Settings
        3. Configuring Incoming Emailed Incidents
        4. Configuring Operations Manager Integration
        5. Configuring Configuration Manager DCM Integration
      5. Automating Incident Management
        1. Creating Incident Management Templates
        2. Creating Incident Management Workflows
        3. Automating Incoming Operations Manager Alerts
        4. Creating a Desired Configuration Management Workflow
      6. Service Level Management
        1. Creating a Service Level Objective Calendar Item
        2. Creating a Service Level Objective Metric
        3. Creating a Service Level Objective
      7. Incident Management for End Users
        1. Creating Incidents
        2. Incident Follow-Up
        3. Resolving and Closing Incidents
      8. Fast Track
      9. Summary
    6. Chapter 12. Automation and Chargeback
      1. Overview of Service Management and Automation
        1. The Role of Automation
        2. Service Manager’s Role in Private Cloud
      2. Workflows in Service Manager
      3. Service Manager SMLets
      4. Orchestrator and Service Manager
      5. Overview of Chargeback
      6. Installing and Using Chargeback
        1. Operations Manager Management Server Configuration
        2. Service Manager Management Server Configuration
        3. Configuring Chargeback
        4. Using Chargeback Reports
      7. Fast Track
      8. Summary
    7. Chapter 13. Problem Management
      1. Understanding the Problem Management Process
        1. Comparing Incident Management with Problem Management
        2. Problem Management Functionality
      2. Problem Management in Service Manager
      3. Problem Management Process Activities
        1. Problem Detection
        2. Problem Recording, Classification, and Prioritization
        3. Problem Investigation and Diagnosis
        4. Known Error Control in Service Manager
        5. Problem Resolution
        6. Problem Closure
      4. Configuring Problem Management
        1. Problem Management Console Tasks
        2. Problem Management User Roles, Groups, Queues, and Lists
        3. Configuring General Problem Management Settings
        4. Configuring Notification
      5. Automating Problem Management
      6. Fast Track
      7. Summary
    8. Chapter 14. Change Request and Configuration Management
      1. Change Management in Service Manager
      2. Change Management Process Activities
        1. Configuration Item Baselines
        2. Initiating and Recording Changes
        3. Classifying Changes
        4. Approving and Scheduling Changes
        5. Coordinating Change Implementations
        6. Reviewing and Closing Changes
      3. Configuring Change Management
        1. Change Management Console Tasks
        2. Change Management User Roles, Groups, Queues, and Lists
        3. Configuring General Change Request Management Settings
        4. Configuring Notification
        5. Creating a Change Request Template
        6. Change Management Workflows
      4. Fast Track
      5. Summary
    9. Chapter 15. Release Management
      1. Understanding the Release Management Process
      2. Release Management in Service Manager
      3. Release Management Process Activities
        1. Release Planning
        2. Building and Testing the Release
        3. Release Deployment
        4. Release Evaluation and KPI Measurement
      4. Configuring Release Management
        1. Using Release Management Console Tasks
        2. Creating Release Management User Roles, Groups, Queues, and Lists
        3. Configuring General Release Management Settings
        4. Configuring Release Templates
        5. Building Release Records
      5. Fast Track
      6. Summary
  16. Part IV: Administering Service Manager
    1. Chapter 16. Managing Notifications
      1. Notification Overview
      2. Notification Setup
        1. Using Recipients
        2. Configuring Notification Channels
        3. Creating Templates
        4. Using Subscriptions
        5. Incorporating Different Languages in Subscriptions
        6. Adding Localization to Notification Emails
        7. Culture XX is a Neutral Culture
      3. Using Notification Workflows
        1. Configuring a Workflow to Change the Impact of an Incident
        2. Using the Workflow
      4. Notification for Review Activities
        1. Creating a Notification Template
        2. Configuring an Activity Event Workflow
      5. Creating Recurring Notifications
      6. Fast Track
      7. Summary
    2. Chapter 17. Service Manager Security
      1. Role-Based Security
        1. Security Boundary Scoping
        2. User Experience Optimization Scoping
        3. Operations on the Data Access Service
        4. About User Roles
        5. Default User Roles
        6. User Role Profiles
        7. Best Practices for Creating Custom User Roles
      2. Data Warehouse and Reporting Security
        1. Data Warehouse Administrators User Role
        2. Granting Access to Reports
      3. Advanced User Role Scenarios
        1. Scoping Knowledge Articles
        2. Scoping Announcements
        3. Scoping Software Packages
      4. Run As Accounts
        1. Run As Account Usage Scenarios
        2. Out of the Box Run As Accounts
        3. Creating and Using Custom Run As Accounts
      5. Security Best Practices
        1. Securing Database Access
        2. Enabling Auditing
      6. Fast Track
      7. Summary
    3. Chapter 18. Maintenance, Backup, and Recovery
      1. Performing Maintenance
      2. Planning and Performing Backup
        1. Scheduling Considerations
        2. Configuration Backup
        3. SQL Server Database Backup
        4. Operating System Backup
      3. Planning and Performing Recovery
        1. Configuration and Settings Recovery
        2. Feature Recovery
        3. Full Operating System Recovery
      4. Summary
    4. Chapter 19. Managing Service Manager Performance
      1. Understanding Service Manager Performance
      2. Service Manager Console Performance
        1. Infrastructure Performance
        2. Configuration Performance
      3. Self-Service Portal Performance
        1. Self-Service Portal Sizing
        2. SharePoint 2010 Performance
        3. Web Content Server Performance
        4. Custom Icons
      4. Service Manager SQL Server Database Performance
        1. Input/Output per Second (IOPS)
        2. Database and Log Files
        3. Available Memory
        4. Placement of TempDB
      5. Service Manager Data Warehouse SQL Server Database Performance
        1. Splitting Data Warehouse Databases
        2. Cube Processing
      6. Data Collection and Connectors
        1. Types of Data
        2. Connector Settings
      7. Service Manager Management Server Performance
        1. Using Orchestrator Runbooks
        2. Using Groups and Queues
        3. Use of Workflows
      8. Testing Performance
        1. Stress Testing Service Manager
        2. Lab Resources
      9. Service Manager Add-ons
        1. Cireson
        2. Gridpro
      10. Summary
  17. Part V: Beyond Service Manager
    1. Chapter 20. Management Packs
      1. Management Packs Defined
      2. Purpose of Management Packs
        1. Uninstalling Management Packs
        2. Transporting Management Packs
        3. Management Pack Versioning
        4. Management Pack Componentization
      3. Working with Management Packs
        1. Sealed and Unsealed Management Packs
        2. Management Pack Deployment
        3. Creating a Management Pack Using the Service Manager Console
        4. Viewing the Properties of a Management Pack
        5. Exporting a Management Pack
        6. Importing a Management Pack
      4. Management Pack Bundles
      5. Management Pack Schema
        1. Identity Section
        2. Versioning
        3. About References
        4. Entity Types Section
        5. Secure References
        6. Using Categories
        7. About Templates
        8. Presentation Section
        9. Language Packs
        10. Resources Section
        11. Image Files
        12. About Enumerations
        13. Combination Classes
        14. Console Tasks
        15. Resources
        16. Forms
      6. Management Pack Best Practices
      7. Fast Track
      8. Summary
    2. Chapter 21. Data Warehouse and Reporting
      1. Data Warehouse Overview
        1. Data Warehouse Explained
        2. Service Manager Data Warehouse Rationale
        3. Online Analytical Processing Explained
        4. Analysis Library Explained
        5. SQL Server Reporting Services Explained
        6. PowerPivot Explained
        7. PerformancePoint Explained
      2. Data Warehouse Architecture
        1. Data Warehouse Services
        2. Data Warehouse Databases
        3. Management Pack Synchronization Process
        4. Extract, Transform, and Load Process
        5. Data Warehouse Jobs
        6. Data Warehouse Schema
      3. Deploying the Data Warehouse
      4. Data Warehouse Reporting
        1. Reporting Permissions
        2. Viewing Standard Reports
        3. Favorite and Linked Reports
        4. Subscribing to and Publishing Reports in SSRS
        5. Reports Using Excel PowerPivot
        6. Using Analysis Library to Store and View PowerPivot Reports
        7. Dashboards in SharePoint PerformancePoint
      5. Fast Track
      6. Summary
    3. Chapter 22. Customizing Service Manager
      1. Planning Your Customization
        1. What You Can Customize
        2. Planning for Management Packs Customization
        3. About Data Modeling
        4. Presenting Data in Service Manager
        5. Automating Processes with Workflows
        6. Utilizing Groups and Queues
        7. General Considerations for Customization
        8. Required Knowledge
      2. Performing Customizations in Service Manager
        1. Customizing the Console
        2. Creating Data Models
        3. Creating Workflows
        4. Customizing Service Manager Forms
      3. Fast Track
      4. Summary
    4. Chapter 23. Advanced Customization Scenarios
      1. Creating Console Tasks Using PowerShell
      2. Using Custom Data Models
      3. Creating a Management Pack Using Visual Studio Authoring Extensions
        1. Creating the Management Pack
        2. Defining the Management Pack Display Name
        3. Adding References to the Management Pack
        4. Creating the Building Base Class
        5. Creating the Odyssey Building Room Class
        6. Adding the Room Availability Enumeration to the Room Class
        7. Adding the BuildingHasRoom Custom Relationship Type
        8. Creating the Odyssey Building Bank Class
        9. Adding a Type Projection to the Bank Class
        10. Creating a Strong Name Key
        11. Building and Sealing the Management Pack
      4. Adding Views to the Management Pack
        1. Customizing View Columns
        2. Creating Custom Views
      5. Creating Console Forms
      6. Additional Resources
        1. Viewing Criteria Based on Tokens
        2. Building a Custom UserControl to Integrate into Forms
        3. Additional Custom Console Tasks
        4. Additional Form Customizations
        5. Using the TechNet Gallery for Service Manager
      7. Fast Track
      8. Summary
    5. Chapter 24. Using PowerShell
      1. Windows PowerShell Cmdlet Primer
        1. Frequently Used and Useful Cmdlets
        2. Using the PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment
      2. Service Manager and PowerShell
        1. Connecting to Service Manager Management Server from PowerShell
        2. Service Manager Cmdlet Use Cases
        3. Writing Service Manager PowerShell Scripts
        4. Service Manager PowerShell Script Use Cases
      3. Using PowerShell for Data Warehouse Administration
        1. Data Warehouse Cmdlet Use Cases
        2. Using PowerShell to Manage the Data Warehouse
      4. SMLets PowerShell Module
        1. Installing SMLets
        2. Using SMLets
      5. Fast Track
      6. Summary
  18. Part VI: Appendixes
    1. Appendix A. User Role Profiles Supplement
      1. User Role Profile Classes and Relationship Permissions
      2. Mapping User Role Profiles with ITIL/MOF Roles
        1. ITIL Role Types
        2. Microsoft Operations Framework Role Types
        3. Operations and Service Monitoring and Control SMF Role Types
        4. Customer Service SMF Role Types
        5. Change and Configuration SMF Role Types
    2. Appendix B. Reference URLs
      1. General Resources
      2. Microsoft’s Service Manager Resources
      3. Other Service Manager Resources
      4. Service Manager Authoring
      5. PowerShell and SMLets
      6. Service Manager Connectors
      7. System Center 2012
      8. SQL Server Resources
      9. Reporting and Data Warehouse Resources
      10. Blogs
      11. Public Forums
    3. Appendix C. Available Online
      1. Backup and Recovery
      2. Managing Workflows
      3. Building a Management Pack
      4. Adding Service Components to a Business Service
      5. Live Links
  19. Index

Product information

  • Title: System Center 2012 Service Manager Unleashed
  • Author(s): Kerrie Meyler
  • Release date: September 2014
  • Publisher(s): Sams
  • ISBN: 9780133744187