System Center 2012 Service Manager Unleashed

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

Sample Content

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System Center 2012 Service Management Basics

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Table of Contents

Foreword       xxiv
Introduction     xxvi
A Toolset That Delivers IT as a Service      xxvi
About This Book      xxvii
Fast Track: A Quick Look at What’s New      xxviii
Disclaimers and Fine Print      xxix

PART I:  SERVICE MANAGER OVERVIEW AND CONCEPTS
Chapter 1  Service Management Basics      3
Ten Reasons to Use Service Manager      4
The Problem with Today’s Systems      5
   Why Do Systems Go Down?      6
   Configuration “Shift and Drift”      7
   System Isolation      8
   Lack of Historical Information      9
   Lack of Expertise      9
   Missing Incidents and Information      10
   Lack of Process Consistency      10
   Not Meeting Service Level Expectations      11
   What It’s All About     11
Service Management Defined      11
   The Importance of Service Management to IT      12
   Key Concepts in IT Service Management      12
Evolution of the CMDB      13
Strategies for Service Management     13
   Microsoft’s Dynamic Systems Initiative      14
   Microsoft Product Integration      14
   MOF and ITIL      16
   COBIT: A Framework for IT Governance and Control     17
   Total Quality Management: TQM     17
   Six Sigma      17
   CMMI     17
   Business Process Management      18
   Service Management Mastery: ISO/IEC 20000      18
   Optimizing Your Infrastructure      18
Bridging the Service Management Gap     22
   Delivering System Uptime      24
   Addressing Configuration “Shift and Drift”      24
   Consolidating Information      25
   Providing Historical Information     25
   Delivering Expertise      26
   Addressing Missing Incidents and Information      27
   Providing Process Consistency      27
   Meeting Service Level Agreements      27
Overview of Microsoft System Center      28
   Reporting and Trend Analysis      30
   Operations Management      31
   Enterprise Client Management      32
   Endpoint Protection     32
   Service Management      32
   Protecting Data      33
   Virtual Machine Management      33
   Deploy and Manage in the Cloud      34
   Orchestration and Automation      34
   Cloud-Based Configuration Monitoring     35
The Value Proposition of Service Manager      35
Summary       36
Chapter 2  Service Manager History and Terminology     37
The History of Service Manager     37
   Service Manager 2010     38
   Service Manager 2012     39
Service Manager Terminology      40
   Technical Terminology      40
   Functional Terminology     49
Summary      52
Chapter 3  MOF, ITIL, and System Center     53
About ITIL      53
About MOF     55
MOF, ITIL, and the Cloud      56
Applying IT Service Management      57
   Approaching IT Service Management Initiatives      58
   MOF and ITIL Processes Supported by Service Manager      59
IT Service Management Processes in Service Manager      59
   About Incident Management      60
   About Service Request Fulfillment      66
   About Problem Management      69
About Change Management      73
   About Release Management      79
   About Configuration Management      83
Summary      87
Chapter 4  Looking Inside System Center 2012 Service Manager     89
Architectural Overview      90
Management Group Defined      92
Service Manager Server Features      94
   Using a Minimum Installation      94
   Adding Reporting Capabilities      95
   Service Manager Management Server      96
   Service Manager Database (ServiceManager)      96
   Data Warehouse Management Server      96
   Data Warehouse Database      97
   Service Manager Console      98
   Self-Service Portal (SSP)      99
Windows Services      99
   System Center Data Access Service (OMSDK)      99
   Microsoft Monitoring Agent (HealthService)      100
   System Center Management Configuration (OMCFG)      101
Service Manager Workflow      102
Service Manager Connectors      104
Modeling and Management Pack Schema      105
   Data Modeling     105
   Management Pack Schema     107
Service Manager Console     109
Communications      114
Fast Track      115
Summary      115

PART II:  PLANNING AND INSTALLATION
Chapter 5  Planning and Designing System Center 2012 Service Manager 119
Planning to Use Service Manager      120
   Establishing and Optimizing the Business Requirements      120
   Scoping the Service Manager Deployment Objectives      120
   Assessing and Capturing the Current Environment      122
   Creating the Deployment Plan      124
   Review and Sign-Off of the Deployment Plan      127
Planning to Deploy Service Manager      128
   Planning for Licensing      128
   Common Design Scenarios      131
Capacity Planning      135
   Security and Authentication Planning      137
   Network Considerations     140
   Planning for Availability, Resilience, and Fault Tolerance      141
   Incorporating a Test Environment into the Design      144
Summary      145
Chapter 6  Installing and Upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager     147
Pre-Installation Tasks      148
   Preparing and Understanding Installation Prerequisites      148
   Installing and Configuring Prerequisites      152
Five-Server Scenario Installation      155
   Installing the Service Manager Management Server      155
   Installing the Service Manager Data Warehouse Management Server      162
   Installing the Service Manager Web Portal      172
Three-Server Scenario Installation      178
Upgrading to Service Manager 2012      179
   Upgrading the Data Warehouse Management Server      180
   Upgrading the Service Manager Management Server      186
   Upgrading the Service Manager Console      188
Troubleshooting Installations and Upgrades      191
Recommended Post-Installation Tasks      192
   For New Installations      192
   Post-Installation Tasks for Upgraded Environments      193
Removing a Service Manager Installation      193
Summary     194

PART III:  SERVICE MANAGER OPERATIONS
Chapter 7  Using Service Manager     197
Service Manager Console Overview      198
   Administration of Service Manager with the Service Manager Console      202
   Administration Workspace Node Overview      202
Service Manager Portal Overview      211
   Portal Main Page      213
   Service Offerings      214
   Request Offerings      215
   Knowledge Articles     215
   My Requests      215
   My Activities      216
Fast Track      217
Summary      217
Chapter 8  Working with Connectors     219
Understanding the Connector Framework      219
   Configuration Item Connectors      222
   Work Item Connectors     231
   Hybrid Service Manager Connectors      232
Creating and Working with Configuration Item Connectors      233
  Creating an Active Directory Connector      233
   Creating a Configuration Manager Connector      240
   Creating and Working with an Operations Manager  Configuration Item Connector      244
   Creating a Virtual Machine Manager Connector      248
   Creating a CSV Connector      252
Creating and Working with Work Item Connectors      258
   Creating and Working with the Operations Manager Alert Connector      258
   Creating and Working with the Orchestrator Connector      261
   Creating and Working with the Exchange Connector      266
   Connector Maintenance and Troubleshooting      269
Summary      270
Chapter 9  Business Services     271
Introducing Business Services in Service Manager      271
   Defining Business Services      272
   Characteristics of a Business Service      274
Using Operations Manager with Business Services      277
   Distributed Applications in Operations Manager      277
   Distributed Application Best Practices      278
   Service Maps as the Foundation of a Business Service      279
Creating a Business Service      281
   Building an Operations Manager Distributed Application      281
   Exporting the Operations Manager Management Pack      284
   Importing the Management Pack into Service Manager      286
Using Non-Operations Manager Components      291
   Authoring a Management Pack      292
   Importing and Using the Management Pack     294
Updating a Business Service      296
Automatically Mapping Operations Manager Incidents to a Business Service      298
Fast Track      302
Summary      302
Chapter 10  Service Manager Service Catalog     303
Understanding the Service Catalog      303
Service Catalog Permissions      305
   Granting User Access to the Self-Service Portal       306
   Creating a Catalog Item Group     306
   Creating a User Role      307
Using Service Offerings     308
About Request Offerings      310
   Using Request Offering Templates      311
   Creating a Request Offering      315
   Copying Request Offerings      324
Adding Request Offerings to Service Offerings      325
Working in the Self-Service Portal      326
Using the Knowledge Base      331
Fast Track      335
Summary     335
Chapter 11  Incident Management     337
Understanding the Incident Management Process      337
Incident Management in Service Manager      339
Incident Management Process Activities      344
   Incident Creation      345
   Incident Detection and Recording      346
   Incident Classification and Initial Support      347
   Incident Investigation and Diagnosis      350
   Escalating Incidents     352
   Incident Resolution and Recovery      352
   Closing Incidents      353
Configuring Incident Management      354
   Incident User Roles, Groups, Queues, and Lists      354
   Configuring General Incident Settings      362
  Configuring Incoming Emailed Incidents      368
   Configuring Operations Manager Integration      374
   Configuring Configuration Manager DCM Integration      376
Automating Incident Management      376
   Creating Incident Management Templates      378
   Creating Incident Management Workflows      380
   Automating Incoming Operations Manager Alerts      384
Creating a Desired Configuration Management Workflow      385
Service Level Management      389
   Creating a Service Level Objective Calendar Item      391
   Creating a Service Level Objective Metric      392
   Creating a Service Level Objective      394
Incident Management for End Users      396
   Creating Incidents      397
   Incident Follow-Up      397
   Resolving and Closing Incidents      398
Fast Track      398
Summary      398
Chapter 12  Automation and Chargeback     399
Overview of Service Management and Automation     401
   The Role of Automation      401
   Service Manager’s Role in Private Cloud      402
Workflows in Service Manager      404
Service Manager SMLets      407
Orchestrator and Service Manager      412
Overview of Chargeback      415
Installing and Using Chargeback      417
   Operations Manager Management Server Configuration      418
   Service Manager Management Server Configuration      420
   Configuring Chargeback      421
   Using Chargeback Reports      422
Fast Track      424
Summary      424
Chapter 13  Problem Management     425
Understanding the Problem Management Process      425
   Comparing Incident Management with Problem Management      426
   Problem Management Functionality      426
Problem Management in Service Manager      428
Problem Management Process Activities      432
   Problem Detection      434
   Problem Recording, Classification, and Prioritization      435
   Problem Investigation and Diagnosis      437
   Known Error Control in Service Manager      438
   Problem Resolution      440
   Problem Closure      440
Configuring Problem Management      441
   Problem Management Console Tasks      441
Problem Management User Roles, Groups, Queues, and Lists     442
   Configuring General Problem Management Settings      443
   Configuring Notification      444
Automating Problem Management      445
Fast Track     445
Summary     445
Chapter 14  Change Request and Configuration Management     447
Change Management in Service Manager      447
Change Management Process Activities      451
   Configuration Item Baselines      453
   Initiating and Recording Changes      454
   Classifying Changes       459
   Approving and Scheduling Changes       460
   Coordinating Change Implementations      462
   Reviewing and Closing Changes     465
Configuring Change Management      465
   Change Management Console Tasks      466
   Change Management User Roles, Groups, Queues, and Lists     467
   Configuring General Change Request Management Settings      468
   Configuring Notification      469
   Creating a Change Request Template      470
   Change Management Workflows      472
Fast Track      474
Summary      475
Chapter 15  Release Management     477
Understanding the Release Management Process      477
Release Management in Service Manager      479
Release Management Process Activities      482
   Release Planning      483
   Building and Testing the Release      486
   Release Deployment      488
   Release Evaluation and KPI Measurement      491
Configuring Release Management      492
   Using Release Management Console Tasks     493
   Creating Release Management User Roles, Groups, Queues, and Lists      494
   Configuring General Release Management Settings      494
   Configuring Release Templates      496
   Building Release Records      498
Fast Track      501
Summary      502

PART IV:  ADMINISTERING SERVICE MANAGER
Chapter 16  Managing Notifications     505
Notification Overview      505
Notification Setup     506
   Using Recipients      506
   Configuring Notification Channels      508
   Creating Templates      510
   Using Subscriptions      512
   Incorporating Different Languages in Subscriptions      515
   Adding Localization to Notification Emails      517
   Culture XX is a Neutral Culture      519
Using Notification Workflows     520
   Configuring a Workflow to Change the Impact of an Incident      521
   Using the Workflow      524
Notification for Review Activities      526
   Creating a Notification Template      527
   Configuring an Activity Event Workflow      528
Creating Recurring Notifications      531
Fast Track      533
Summary      533
Chapter 17  Service Manager Security     535
Role-Based Security      536
   Security Boundary Scoping      536
   User Experience Optimization Scoping       537
   Operations on the Data Access Service       537
   About User Roles       538
   Default User Roles      538
   User Role Profiles      539
   Best Practices for Creating Custom User Roles      543
Data Warehouse and Reporting Security      557
   Data Warehouse Administrators User Role      558
   Granting Access to Reports      558
Advanced User Role Scenarios       559
   Scoping Knowledge Articles      560
   Scoping Announcements       561
   Scoping Software Packages      561
Run As Accounts       562
   Run As Account Usage Scenarios      562
   Out of the Box Run As Accounts      563
Creating and Using Custom Run As Accounts      564
Security Best Practices      571
   Securing Database Access      572
   Enabling Auditing     572
Fast Track      573
Summary      574
Chapter 18  Maintenance, Backup, and Recovery     575
Performing Maintenance      577
Planning and Performing Backup      578
   Scheduling Considerations      580
   Configuration Backup      581
   SQL Server Database Backup      585
   Operating System Backup      593
Planning and Performing Recovery      593
   Configuration and Settings Recovery      594
   Feature Recovery     594
   Full Operating System Recovery     598
Summary      598
Chapter 19  Managing Service Manager Performance      599
Understanding Service Manager Performance      600
Service Manager Console Performance      602
   Infrastructure Performance      602
   Configuration Performance      603
Self-Service Portal Performance      610
   Self-Service Portal Sizing      610
   SharePoint 2010 Performance      610
   Web Content Server Performance      610
   Custom Icons      611
Service Manager SQL Server Database Performance      612
   Input/Output per Second (IOPS)     613
   Database and Log Files      613
   Available Memory     613
   Placement of TempDB     613
Service Manager Data Warehouse SQL Server Database Performance      614
   Splitting Data Warehouse Databases      614
   Cube Processing     614
Data Collection and Connectors      615
   Types of Data      615
Connector Settings      617
Service Manager Management Server Performance      618
   Using Orchestrator Runbooks      618
   Using Groups and Queues      619
   Use of Workflows      619
Testing Performance      620
   Stress Testing Service Manager      621
   Lab Resources      622
Service Manager Add-ons      624
   Cireson     624
   Gridpro      624
Summary     625

PART V:  BEYOND SERVICE MANAGER
Chapter 20  Management Packs      629
Management Packs Defined      630
Purpose of Management Packs      632
   Uninstalling Management Packs      633
   Transporting Management Packs      633
   Management Pack Versioning      634
   Management Pack Componentization      634
Working with Management Packs      634
   Sealed and Unsealed Management Packs      634
   Management Pack Deployment      636
   Creating a Management Pack Using the Service Manager  Console      638
   Viewing the Properties of a Management Pack      639
   Exporting a Management Pack      641
   Importing a Management Pack      642
Management Pack Bundles      644
Management Pack Schema      645
   Identity Section      646
   Versioning      646
   About References      646
   Entity Types Section      648
   Secure References     648
   Using Categories      648
   About Templates      648
   Presentation Section      649
   Language Packs      650
   Resources Section      650
Image Files      651
   About Enumerations      651
   Combination Classes      651
   Console Tasks      653
   Resources      654
   Forms      654
Management Pack Best Practices      655
Fast Track      657
Summary      657
Chapter 21  Data Warehouse and Reporting     659
Data Warehouse Overview      660
   Data Warehouse Explained      660
   Service Manager Data Warehouse Rationale      662
   Online Analytical Processing Explained      663
   Analysis Library Explained      664
   SQL Server Reporting Services Explained      664
   PowerPivot Explained      664
   PerformancePoint Explained      664
Data Warehouse Architecture      665
   Data Warehouse Services      665
   Data Warehouse Databases      665
   Management Pack Synchronization Process      666
   Extract, Transform, and Load Process      666
   Data Warehouse Jobs      667
   Data Warehouse Schema      669
Deploying the Data Warehouse      669
Data Warehouse Reporting      672
   Reporting Permissions      672
   Viewing Standard Reports      673
   Favorite and Linked Reports      673
   Subscribing to and Publishing Reports in SSRS      674
   Reports Using Excel PowerPivot      676
   Using Analysis Library to Store and View PowerPivot Reports      679
   Dashboards in SharePoint PerformancePoint     680
Fast Track      684
Summary      684
Chapter 22  Customizing Service Manager     685
Planning Your Customization      685
   What You Can Customize      686
   Planning for Management Packs Customization      687
About Data Modeling      690
   Presenting Data in Service Manager      697
   Automating Processes with Workflows      705
   Utilizing Groups and Queues      707
   General Considerations for Customization      708
   Required Knowledge     709
Performing Customizations in Service Manager     709
   Customizing the Console      710
   Creating Data Models      723
   Creating Workflows      739
   Customizing Service Manager Forms     747
Fast Track      753
Summary      754
Chapter 23  Advanced Customization Scenarios     755
Creating Console Tasks Using PowerShell      756
Using Custom Data Models     760
Creating a Management Pack Using Visual Studio Authoring Extensions      763
   Creating the Management Pack      763
   Defining the Management Pack Display Name      764
   Adding References to the Management Pack      765
   Creating the Building Base Class     766
   Creating the Odyssey Building Room Class      768
   Adding the Room Availability Enumeration to the Room Class      769
   Adding the BuildingHasRoom Custom Relationship Type      771
   Creating the Odyssey Building Bank Class      772
   Adding a Type Projection to the Bank Class      773
   Creating a Strong Name Key      774
   Building and Sealing the Management Pack       775
Adding Views to the Management Pack      777
   Customizing View Columns      783
   Creating Custom Views      785
Creating Console Forms      789
Additional Resources      797
   Viewing Criteria Based on Tokens      797
   Building a Custom UserControl to Integrate into Forms     798
   Additional Custom Console Tasks      798
   Additional Form Customizations      798
   Using the TechNet Gallery for Service Manager      798
Fast Track      798
Summary      799
Chapter 24  Using PowerShell     801
Windows PowerShell Cmdlet Primer      802
   Frequently Used and Useful Cmdlets      802
   Using the PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment      811
Service Manager and PowerShell      812
   Connecting to Service Manager Management Server from PowerShell      813
   Service Manager Cmdlet Use Cases      814
   Writing Service Manager PowerShell Scripts      816
   Service Manager PowerShell Script Use Cases      818
Using PowerShell for Data Warehouse Administration      822
   Data Warehouse Cmdlet Use Cases     822
   Using PowerShell to Manage the Data Warehouse      830
SMLets PowerShell Module      830
   Installing SMLets      831
   Using SMLets      831
Fast Track     837
Summary      838

PART VI:  APPENDIXES
Appendix A   User Role Profiles Supplement     841
User Role Profile Classes and Relationship Permissions      841
Mapping User Role Profiles with ITIL/MOF Roles      854
   ITIL Role Types      854
   Microsoft Operations Framework Role Types     856
   Operations and Service Monitoring and Control SMF Role Types      856
   Customer Service SMF Role Types      858
   Change and Configuration SMF Role Types      859
Appendix B   Reference URLs      861
General Resources      861
Microsoft’s Service Manager Resources      864
Other Service Manager Resources      867
Service Manager Authoring      869
PowerShell and SMLets     871
Service Manager Connectors      873
System Center 2012      875
SQL Server Resources      876
Reporting and Data Warehouse Resources      877
Blogs      879
Public Forums      880
Appendix C   Available Online     883
Backup and Recovery      883
Managing Workflows      884
Building a Management Pack      884
Adding Service Components to a Business Service      884
Live Links     884
Index     885

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