How do I configure the Entuity Integration for BMC Remedy AR System?

Entuity Integration configuration files

Before activating the Entuity AR System

To set up Entuity AR System accounts

To configure advanced actions

To configure the AR System server connection

To configure for the AR System schema

Sample AR System server configuration

To configure manual AR generation

To configure automatic AR generation

Entuity Integration configuration files:

Configuration of the Entuity Integration for BMC Remedy AR System integration is through application of configuration files and then running configure. You can also edit the configuration files to customize the sample integration.

Before activating the Entuity AR System:

The Entuity AR System is supplied with a default implementation. Before activating the Entuity AR System, you should:

• ensure you have set up Remedy AR System accounts for use with the integration.
• add to the Entuity server a license that includes Entuity AR System. By default, license.dat is installed to entuity_home\etc.
• consider renaming, or backing up, configuration files when you have amended the default settings.
• decide whether you want to run automatic AR generation. You should understand which managed object - event type combinations you want to allow to generate automatic AR generation. You can filter managed object and events through Entuity View filters.

To set up Entuity AR System accounts:

Entuity requires access to the AR System. You should set up an account or accounts that allow access to the AR System server, with both submitter and viewer permissions to the integration's AR forms. The account must:

• be a valid entry in the Peoples form.
• be created through the Application Administration tool.
• have Assignment Availability.
• be a member of Support Staff.

You can either accept the default account used by Entuity (creating it on your AR System server), or use a different AR System server account or accounts, which then require you to amend the user account details used by the Entuity integration. The user account information for Remedy AR System 7.0 is as follows:

To configure advanced actions:

The AR System menu is a configurable user menu. It determines the user menus available through the Entuity client and the type of data collected from Entuity's database when generating ARs, both manually and automatically. The sample integration is supplied with one user action configuration file, sw_remedy70_men_def.cfg.

This file is also where you determine the events that can generate an AR:

supportedEventTypes=*:*

where *:* is EventGroupID:EventID. This indicates all event groups and all events within those groups are enabled.

User menu configuration functionality is restricted to Entuity - please contact your Entuity representative if you require amendments to the AR System menu.

To configure the AR System server connection:

Entuity data extracted by EventActionApplication is forwarded to one or more AR System servers and to one or more AR System applications.

The AR System configuration file (by default arhelpdsk_server.cfg) is a plain text file with a connection section:

ARServer connection section - this identifies the AR System server(s) and applications with which arforward establishes a connection, and how they can be accessed. This section has the format (this sample section includes commented-out arguments, i.e. those prefixed by #):

[ARServer]
Server=10.44.1.103
MidTier=10.44.1.103
User=Demo
Pass=
#Auth=
#Port=2001
#Rpc=
Ssl=0
SchemaList=ARHelpDesk

Where:

• Server is a mandatory field that identifies the AR System server where ARs are created. This must be an AR System server that is known to the Remedy Mid Tier to which interactive integration connects. Ensure the network DNS settings are configured so the AR System server is visible to the Entuity server.
• User, Pass and Auth are the AR System user account details required for communication with the AR System server. These settings should meet the requirements for communicating with the Remedy Mid Tier and have permissions for both submitting and viewing the forms used in the integration on the name AR System servers.
  
  You can also specify user account details through the user action configuration file; user accounts defined there take precedence. However, Entuity recommend only setting user details, here, in the AR System configuration file.
• MidTier specifies the Remedy Mid Tier server and optionally the port if the Mid Tier is not using port 80. When not specified Server is used (and the default port 80).
• Port specifies the TCP port used by the AR System server. It is only required when the AR System server is not using a portmapper.
• Rpc is only required when communication is with a private AR System server queue.
• Ssl is only required when communication to the Remedy Mid Tier is through SSL, and then it must be set to 1.
• SchemaList specifies one or more Schema section identifiers. Multiple section identifiers are comma delimited.

To configure for the AR System schema:

The AR System schema configuration file is a plain text file with two sections: Schema section and ARServer Connection section.

1. Schema sections - identify the different AR System applications to which data is forwarded. It also maps the Entuity data to the appropriate fields in the AR System (defined in arhelpdsk70.cfg and arhelpdsk70_global.cfg).

The AR System section has the following format:

[ARHelpDesk]
Form=HPD:IncidentInterface_Create
View=Dialog
Mappinglist=ARAction,
= ARSubmitter,
= ARSummary,
= ARLongDescr,
= ARImpact,
= ARUrgency,
= ARFirstName,
= ARLastName,
= ARStatus,
= ARServiceType,
= ARReportedSource,
ResultForm=HPD:Help Desk
ResultLink=1000000161

Where:

• [ARHelpDesk] is the schema name which must be listed in SchemaList. Schemas not included to SchemaList are not applied to arforward.
• Form identifies the AR System form to which data is to be forwarded.
• View is the AR System view. It is only required if a View is required when connecting through the Remedy Mid Tier.
• MappingList identifies the mapping sections between the Entuity and AR System data fields. Multiple mappings are comma-delimited.
• ResultForm, identifies the AR System form in which the new incident details are displayed. When a form is not identified the details are displayed in the form to which it was written.
• ResultLink, where a result form is specified the user must give a field that is common to both forms and whose value uniquely identifies the identifier of the result form.
  • Together, ResultForm and ResultLink allow Entuity Integration for BMC Remedy AR System to submit data using one form, and view the created AR System incident in a second results form.

The Field Mapping section has the following format:

[ARServiceType]
Field=1000000099
Value=Infrastructure Event
Datatype=4

Where:

• [ARServiceType] is the mapping name which must be listed in MappingList. Mappings not included to MappingList are not applied to arforward.
• Field specifies the numeric identifier of the AR System application field that is to be updated.
• Value specifies the value written to AR System application field. This can be a:
  
  • literal value, e.g. Infrastructure Event.
  • format string that takes values from forkevent and uses them as input parameters to arforward.
• Datatype specifies the AR System database data type for the field using its numeric value. For example, 0 indicates a null value:
  
  • 0, NULL value
  • 1, Keyword
  • 2, Integer
  • 3, Real
  • 4, Character
  • 5, Diary
  • 6, Enumeration
  • 7, Time
  • 10, Decimal
  • 13, Date
  • 14, Time of day.

Entuity recommends that you always consult the AR System documentation.

The previous field mapping extract example identifies the AR type as Infrastructure Event. The sample ARs are all of that type. The following field mapping extracts illustrate how different types of information can be passed to the AR System application.

To use field values, you must use the $n notation. In the same integration, arforward extracts two values:

• $1, a short description of the raising event or managed object.
• $2, the fuller description of the raising event or managed object.

These parameters are associated with AR form fields. For example, the following section:

[ARSummary]
Field=1000000000
Value=$1
Datatype=4

passes the value of $1, which (for automatically generated ARs) is the event identifier, to the Help Desk Description field (identified as field 1000000000.

Value can handle combined literal and format string parameters. For example:

Value=”Received automatic incident “ + $1

is displayed in the target AR System field as:

Received automatic incident Event AvailMonitor Node Down occurred on 10.44.1.126

Where:

• ”Received automatic incident“ are literal strings. Notice they include the spacesnecessary for a well formed layout.
• $1 is a parameter with the value Event AvailMonitor Node Down occurred on 10.44.1.126.
• + is the conjugating symbol.

Using AR System alias

When the field is an enumeration or a selection list, and if alias has been configured in the AR System Server, it can be used instead of the numeric value of the enumeration. In the following example, Datatype=2 so the AR System field identifier is set to an integer value:

[ARSource]
Field=1000000215
Value=4
Datatype=2

In this example, Datatype=2 so the AR System field identifier is set to a character alias:

[ARSource]
Field=1000000215
Value=Systems Management
Datatype=4

Using AR System Keywords

The following example shows an AR System keyword being used as the value for an AR field:

[ARSubmitter]
Field=2
Value=1
Datatype=1

Datatype=1 indicates an AR System keyword, and the keyword is a value by integer 1 ($USER$) so the current user name is the value of this field.

Mapping Entuity Severity Levels to AR System Severity Levels

The following example shows how to map Entuity Severity Levels to AR System Severity Levels. The ARImpact section includes a Mapping parameter which references the SeverityMap secton. The SeverityMap section maps Entuity event severity levels to AR System incident severity levels. The severity is mapped by inclusion of the line EntuityField=Severity.

[ARImpact]
Field=1000000163
Value=3-Moderate/Limited
Datatype=4
Mapping=SeverityMap
[SeverityMap]
EntuityField=Severity
event_severity_info=4-Minor/Localized
event_severity_warn_low=3-Moderate/Limited
event_severity_warn_medium=3-Moderate/Limited
event_severity_warn_high=2-Significant/Large
event_severity_critical=1-Extensive/Widespread

Sample AR System server configuration:

The following sample configuration file is supplied with the Entuity Integration for BMC Remedy AR System integration:

# This configuration file maps the following command line parameter
list:
# arforward -file ${EntuityInstall}/etc/arhelpdsk70.cfg -user UserName
[-pass Password -auth Auth -port Port -rpc RPC] -plist -p1 "Short
description text" -p2 "Long description text"
# This line includes the file containing the ARServer connection
!arhelpdsk_server.cfg
# In order for the creation of the Incident to succeed using these
fields, automatic assignment group must be configured on the Remedy
server.
# This example section shows a create form, and a display form which
share a mutual field. In the case of # HPD:Help Desk, the Incident Id
field 1000000161 is populated by workflow behind the IncidentInterface
form when the entry is successfully created.
[ARHelpDesk]
Form=HPD:IncidentInterface_Create
View=Dialog
Mappinglist=ARAction,
= ARSubmitter,
= ARSummary,
= ARLongDescr,
= ARImpact,
= ARUrgency,
= ARFirstName,
= ARLastName,
= ARStatus,
= ARServiceType,
ResultForm=HPD:Help Desk
ResultLink=1000000161

# The above MappingList uses some of these fields: for each field that
is to be populated, list it in the MappingList and supply the Field
number, the Field datatype and the Field value.
[ARIncidentId]
Field=1000000161
Value=13
Datatype=1
[ARSubmitter]
Field=2
Value=1
Datatype=1
[ARSummary]
Field=1000000000
Value=$1
Datatype=4
[ARLongDescr]
Field=1000000151
Value=$2
Datatype=4
[ARImpact]
Field=1000000163
Value=3-Moderate/Limited
Datatype=4
Mapping=SeverityMap
[SeverityMap]
EntuityField=Severity
event_severity_info=4-Minor/Localized
event_severity_warn_low=3-Moderate/Limited
event_severity_warn_medium=3-Moderate/Limited
event_severity_warn_high=2-Significant/Large
event_severity_critical=1-Extensive/Widespread
[ARUrgency]
Field=1000000162
Value=3-Medium
Datatype=4
[ARPriority]
Field=1000000164
Value=Medium
Datatype=4
[ARFirstName]
Field=1000000019
Value=EYE
Datatype=4
[ARLastName]
Field=1000000018
Value=User
Datatype=4
[ARPhone]
Field=1000000056
Value=0044(0)2074444829
Datatype=4
[ARStatus]
Field=7
Value=New
Datatype=4
[ARReason]
Field=1000000881
Value=Request
Datatype=4
[ARReasonHidden]
Field=1000000150
Value=Request
Datatype=4
[ARServiceType]
Field=1000000099
Value=Infrastructure Event
Datatype=4
[ARSource]
Field=1000000215
Value=Systems Management
Datatype=4
[ARAction]
Field=1000000076
Value=CREATE
Datatype=4
[ARReportedSource]
Field=1000000215
Value=Direct Input
Datatype=4

To configure manual AR generation:

Entuity recommends configuring the Entuity integration for BMC Remedy AR System through configure. This will allow manual AR generation from Entuity. Please see this article for further help and information on how to configure Entuity to interactively generate ARs.

To configure automatic AR generation:

After configuring interactive AR generation, you can configure automatic AR generation. The Entuity integration allows you to automatically forward events to the AR System and automatically raise ARs. Please see this article for further help and information on how to configure automatic AR generation in the Entuity integration for BMC Remedy AR System.