ASM GAIA 10.4

Microsoft SCOM Connector

This section of the documentation contains technical specifications about the connector that is implemented to link ASM Core and Microsoft SCOM systems.

Including:

  • The name of the .NET assembly file

  • Connection methodology

  • The resource and link types that can be discovered on the application

  • The attributes of each resource and link types that can be imported into the ASM Core Configuration Management Database (CMDB)

For compatibility and version support details, refer to the ASM Connector Matrix.

You should familiarize yourself with the information in Installing Connectors before installing any connectors, and read the Integration topics for more information on how to configure them.

Use Case Scenario

Connector Description

The table below provides a description of the Microsoft SCOM connector.

Connection Parameters

The table below provides a description of the Microsoft SCOM connection parameters.

Customization

This connector permits extensions to the schema through customization of the configuration file. The possible customizations are listed below. However, the customizations are not limited to these:

  • New resource types

  • New resource properties

  • New link types

Resource Types

All exposed resource types inherit from a specific “Entity” type. The list of descendent types represents what is available after a default install. Actual type lists may vary between SCOM instances. All descendent types may have additional type-specific fields.

All exposed resource types share the following properties:

  • Name

  • Path

  • Display Name

  • FullName

  • IsManaged

  • LastModified

  • HealthState

  • StateLastModified

  • IsAvailable

  • AvailabilityLastModified

  • InMaintenanceMode

  • MaintenanceModeLastModified

  • MonitoringClassIds

  • LeastDerivedNonAbstractMonitoringClassId

  • Id

  • ManagementGroupId

The resource types available for mappings are:

Link Types

The table below provides all the SCOM link types that are exposed by the ASM Core Microsoft SCOM Connector.

Event Management

This section provides information about the Event Management capability of the SCOM connector.

Functionality Overview

The purpose of this functionality is to:

  • Automatically transpose alerts generated by SCOM into ASM Core calls or requests.

  • Maintain the consistency of the information held in the SCOM alert and in the item created in ASM Core.

Event Management Operation

The operation of this functionality relies on the connector monitoring the SCOM alerts in order to detect any new alerts. When such event occurs, the Integration Platform automatically compares the attributes of the new alert against some user-defined criteria. In case criteria are met, the platform proceeds with the creation of a call/problem or a request depending on the user settings.

From a practical point of view, SCOM alert attributes can be mapped to ASM Core fields. This mapping is used when creating a new call or request. Upon creation, the ASM Core call or request ID is sent back to SCOM and the appropriate alert record is updated to reflect the ID of the item that has been created in.

As the alert is updated, the connector ensures that these modifications are properly transmitted to the related ASM Core item. The current behavior of ASM Core, upon receipt of such updates and notifications, depends on the Event Mapping settings that are configured in ASM Core.

Eventually, physical actions on the network will be taken to fix the issue and the SCOM alert will be marked as Inactive or will disappear from its queue. This fact will also be transmitted to the relevant ASM Core item and the final result (Call Updated, Call Closed and so on) will again depend on the Event Mapping settings in ASM Core.

Specific Use Case

The following use case describes the scenario where an organization sets up integration between ASM Core and Microsoft SCOM. In this scenario, ASM Core is responsible for Service Desk and Change operations and SCOM is responsible for issuing alerts.

Event Management and Transactions

The use case scenario in the previous section, and more generally the Event Management operation of the connector, rely on a particular communication protocol between the two systems. This protocol is composed of different transactions that are detailed below.

The transactions and their descriptions are listed below.

Business Rules

The table below defines some business rules that specifically apply to the SCOM integration.

There are no business rules for the other transaction types.

Setting up the Event Management Functionality

Check the following items when setting up the Event Management functionality of the SCOM Connector:

  • Ensure that the Event Management checkbox is selected in the Integration Platform settings window.

  • Ensure that the SCOM Connector is installed and the check boxes in the Events and Visible columns are selected in the Integration Connectors window.

  • Ensure that a SCOM source is defined in the Integration Source window.

  • Ensure that a SCOM Event mapping is defined in the Event screen. This mapping should at least specify the action to be performed (log call/create request) when a notification is carried over, as well as the template to be used for this action.

Starting the Event Management Functionality

If the Event Management checkbox in the Integration Platform administration screen is selected, the Event Management functionality starts running as soon as a proper Event mapping is completed and saved. When starting, the connector immediately connects to SCOM system and logs a call/request for every alert that is present and fulfills the criteria that are implemented in the Event mapping. This can lead to a large number of calls/requests being created when activating the Event Management functionality.

One solution to avoid this behavior is to include in the Event criteria setting an item based on the TimeRaised attribute. For example, you could plan to “go live” with Event management on a precise date and, as a consequence, specify that the value of TimeRaised has to be after this date before any action can be triggered in ASM Core.

SCOM Alert Attributes

The table below lists all the SCOM alert attributes that are exposed by the ASM Core Microsoft SCOM Connector.