I have used this before but I had to look it up again…

Let’s say you make a manual change to the ar.conf file on the server and you don’t want to restart the server (some changes do require a restart, check the docs)

You can force the server to re-read the ar.conf file like this:

/bin/arsignald -c  

So, for Remedy 7.6.03 (or nearly any other) server (as the appropriate user):

/<install dir>/ar/bin/arsignald -c ServerName Port

e.g.:

/remedy/ar/bin/arsignald -c myserver 2100

One of the more annoying things that people run into when dealing with data directly from the Remedy database is conversion of date/time strings.

Remedy – and most unix systems – uses Epoch date.  This is simply the number of seconds since January 1st 1970.

To most people this is meaningless of course – however, if you are exporting the data and pulling it into Excel it’s easy to convert it to a date or time (or both).

Imagine you have exported the data and opened it in Excel – you will have a column of integers.  Let’s say that is in A1.

If you want the time only you would put this formula into B1:

=TIME(HOUR(A1),MINUTE(A1),SECOND(A1))

To get the date you do something very similar – enter this formula:

=date(year(a2),month(a2),day(a2))

That’s it – email me with questions.

The error message it gives is straight forward:

“No BMC Service Level Management products needing this patch were found on this system”.

That’s all well and good, except for two things:

1. SLM 7.6 is definitely installed
2. The installer didn’t prompt you for anything at this point except the license agreement – it doesn’t even ask you if you want to browse for the location of the application

Here’s a screenshot of it:

Checking on this further I re-read the patch install notes and found this embedded in them on page 3:

You must check your environment variables to see if BMC_SLM_HOME is present
before running ./setup.bin on UNIX.

Here’s the problem – there’s apparently nowhere in the universe that tells you WHAT the BMC_SLM_HOME environment variable is supposed to be set TO.

Google had never heard of it.

BMC Support was not immediately familiar with it – searching their KB’s – and ever PDF I have downloaded from them – resulted in zero results.

Fortunately this is an easy problem to solve.  This is one of those rare cases where the “HOME” is actually something logical – aka the install directory.

To fix the problem I just had to add this to the environment variable to the .profile for the user and then re-run the installer.  You could just do this command line as well:

BMC_SLM_HOME=/<my app install dir>/apps/ServiceLevelManagement
export BMC_SLM_HOME

Voila – problem fixed.

I was troubleshooting a performance problem with ITSM 7.03 and ran into errors in the arerror.log file referring to this form.  There were about 100,000 old records in this form that weren’t doing anything useful as far as I could tell – it looked like old trash data.

I wasn’t familiar with it – and I hadn’t bugged BMC for a while – so I shot a note to their tech support.

This is what they said:

The SYS:Application Status Enabler form is a system form used to enable child records after a parent record has been created.

For example, when creating an Incident and I also create a relationship record and a Work Info record. These child records are created with a Status of “Delete”.  When a child record is created it also creates a record in the SYS:Application Status Enabler form. In this case there are two records created in the SYS:Application Status Enabler form, one for the relationship record and the other for Work Info.

Upon saving the Incident it updates it corresponding records to the SYS:Application Status Enabler form which in turn runs workflow that updates the Status on the child records from a “Delete” state to and “Enabled” state.

After this operation is done there is workflow in place to delete the records. If you have old records in that form then there is no problem with purging them, since they are no longer serving any function.

So now you know

We had the email engine working fine for quite some time (ARS 7.1 on Solaris).

Then – one magical day after server patching – it quit.  The error messages reported in the email error logs form said this:

Connect failed
javax.mail.MessagingException: Connect failed;
nested exception is:
javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: PKIX path building failed: sun.security.provider.certpath.SunCertPathBuilderException: unable to find valid certification path to requested target
at com.sun.mail.pop3.POP3Store.protocolConnect(POP3Store.java:148)
at javax.mail.Service.connect(Service.java:275)
at javax.mail.Service.connect(Service.java:156)
at com.bmc.arsys.emaildaemon.ReceiverModule.initializeIncommingMailbox(ReceiverModule.java:1876)
at com.bmc.arsys.emaildaemon.ReceiverModule.doWork(ReceiverModule.java:216)
at com.bmc.arsys.emaildaemon.ThreadBase.run(ThreadBase.java:288)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:595)

….and it looked like this…

Remedy Email Engine SSL Error

As it turned out – it was a pretty easy fix.

For some reason the patching (OS level patching by another group) had overwritten our CACERTS file.  We didn’t notice immediately because the replacement file had approximately the right size and date.

So – if you run into the “PKIX path building failed:  unable to find valid certification path to requested” error – re-import or otherwise replace your SSL certificates.

-William

‘Twas the night before Christmas,

And I – mop in hand –

Had just started in

Cleaning porcelain tile-land

The kitchen, the hall, the mud room too

Also the foyer, there was much to do.

I swept then I mopped, and did it up quick –

So it would dry long before St. Nick

When out in the entrance I heard yell and a thud

I dropped all my stuff and thought “aw….CRUD”

And there on the floor lying perfectly still

Was that jolly old elf, a total fresh kill

The tracks told the story and told it quite well

First the chimney, then the tile, then a long slip and he fell.

I stood a long moment, trying to be shrewd.

Was this illegal? Was there a treaty? Was I really screwed?

And then the answer came in a flash – and I ran

to the basement, to find the Halloween stash

With my pirate costume on, I bowed and I begged

“Please FSM – please save the day”

Out on the lawn I heard a loud BOOM

I sprang to the stoop and looked out from the room

“On cavatappi, on spaghetti, al Dente, of course!”

“We have a true pirate to save from the courts!”

His noodly appendage struck out, and raised that old elf

Who stood, looked at FSM, and shook off his own self.

The two had a moment there alone in the snow -

Two imaginary characters respectfully saying Hello

And ever since that day all I get is some coal.

I am on Facebook from time to time but I haven’t gotten into any of the really popular games.  From a marketing/innovation standpoint though I do find them amazing – the number of people who are joining Cafe World (Mafia Wars, etc) is astronomical.  Last I heard it was 500,000+ a DAY joining.

It’s already one of the most successful Facebook apps ever launched.

In any case – some guy is selling a Cafe World Secrets guide on Clickbank available here if that’s your thing (Disclaimer: Affiliate link, etc etc).

B.

In previous versions of Remedy it was necessary to do custom workflow and forms in order to “audit” the data contents of a field.  An audit is simply a historical recording of the values of a field in a record.

For example, a “Status” field in an Incident may change to these values over the course of the life of the Incident: 

• New
• Assigned
• Work In Progress
• Resolved

An “audit” of this field would show the following: 

• Date/Time of the entry and change
• User who made the change
• Updated value

Previous versions of Remedy required custom forms, custom workflow, and various other development efforts in order to accomplish this.  As of Remedy AR Server version 7.x this can be accomplished by a Remedy Developer through configuration of the back end forms.

Setting up Auditing in Remedy 7.x

To implement Auditing in Remedy 7 the following steps need to be performed: 

1. Identify audit form naming
2. Identify fields to audit
3. Identify audit operation
4. Set up auditing on the form
5. Set up auditing on the individual fields

Identify Audit Form Naming

The system will automatically create an audit form.  However, the name needs to be specified.  Typically this is the name of the original form plus the word “Audit”.  For example, the HPD:HelpDesk audit form could be named “HPD:HelpDesk Audit”.

Identify Fields to Audit

Identifying the fields to audit is a step that needs careful consideration.  Auditing every field on a form can cause performance issues.  Also, some fields can not be audited.  This includes the core fields (field id 1-6; field 7 – Status – can be audited).

The system automatically adds some fields to the audit table in order to facilitate auditing.  These include the user, Audit time/date, and other information.

Typically you will want to audit application fields that are used for reporting or quality analysis.  An example of this includes: 

• Assigned to Group/Person
• Status

• Classification

Identify Audit Operation

There are three possible audit operations.  For each field identified in the previous step we need to identify the audit operation to be performed.  The possibilities for an audited field are: 

• Audit – Whenever a value changes in this field the “Audit” operation will take place.  This means a new record will be created in the audit table and include this value.
• Copy – Any time an audit is triggered this field will be copied.  For example, if the status changes from “New” to “Assigned” but the “Assigned to User” does not change but was set to “Copy” the “Assigned to User” would still copy to the audit form.  This is the preferred setting for data that may not change but is wanted in the audit log.
• Audit and Copy – A copy of the data is triggered every time this field changes or whenever another field triggers an audit operation.  This is the preferred setting for data that is likely to change and is in the audit log.

Set up Auditing on the Form

Setting up auditing for a particular form requires Remedy Administrator access.  To turn on auditing you must first log into Remedy Administrator and open the form.

Once the form is open select the “Form Properties” window.  Then select the “Audit” tab: 

Remedy Form Auditing

Check the “Enable” box to turn on Auditing.

For the “Audit style” select “Form”.  This means a record-based audit style will be used.

The other option is “Log”.  Log auditing records all information to a single field and this is non-reportable and has limited usefulness.

Enter the name of the “Audit Form” that you previously determined (e.g., “HPD:HelpDesk Audit”).

If necessary enter a qualification.  For example, you may only want to audit records that have a classification of “Security Issue”.  A sample qualification might be:

‘Categorization Tier 1′ = “Security Issue”

When done press “OK” and save the form.  The audit form will automatically be created.

Set Up Auditing on the Individual Fields

After turning on auditing and saving the form you need to configure each individual field that is identified for auditing.  This also must be done in the Remedy Administrator tool. 

Open the form in the Remedy Administrator tool.  Select the first field that needs to be audited.  Then select the “Field Properties” button and go to the “Attributes” tab: 

Auditing Options

Select the “Audit Option” identified earlier for this field (“Audit”, “Copy”, or “Audit and Copy”). 

Repeat this step for each field that needs to be audited and save the form.

It is also possible to set up multiple fields at the same time.  To do this follow these steps: 

1. Open the form (auditing for the form needs to be turned on)
2. Go to the “Form/Multiple Field Properties” menu option 
3. Select each field that needs to be audited and change the “Audit Option” to the appropriate operation identified previously.
4. Save the form when finished.

Final Steps

After completing the steps above auditing is configured but may not be completely useful.  For example it may be necessary to create a join form with the original form and the audit form to facilitate reporting.

To test the auditing you can create a record in the original form.  Then change the value of a field set to be audited and re-save the record.

Check the audit form.  Each action should cause a new audit entry.

In BMC Remedy SLM you need to create a new holiday calendar every year (assuming your organization closes for holidays…).

I got this question a day or two ago.  It’s a good question because there are two steps.  The first one is easy – you create the calendar.

The second one is the easy one to forget – you have to associate the calendar with your SLM Business Schedule.  If you skil that step – your calendar doesn’t work!

Fortunately this is pretty easy.

1.) Log into Remedy User

2.) Open the Home Page and go to Application Administration:

3.) Go to the “Custom Configuration” tab – expand the Service Level Management item and the Configure Business Time item.  Double click on Shared Entity/Segments:

4.) Select the Business Time Segment tab – the following screen appears

5.) Select the “Create” button

6.) Create the new FY Calendar using this example – this is for the US Federal fiscal year 2010:

7. ) The following fields must be entered for the calendar to work correctly:

1. Description
2. Enable (check the box)
3. Availability – set to “Unavailable” since the center is closed on Holidays
4. Status – leave as “Draft”
5. Action – set to “Create as Described”
6. Duration type – set to Recurring
7. Start Date – Fiscal Year start date (10/1/20??)
8. Start Time – 12:00:00 AM
9. End Date – Fiscal Year end date (9/30/20??)
10. End Time – 11:59:59 PM
11. Recurrence Type – Specific Dates
12. Specific Dates – the upcoming Postal Holidays, separated by a semi-colon and then a space.

8.) Save the Calendar.  Return to the previous screen.

9.) On the Business Schedules form choose the Business Time Entity tab:

10.) Choose the “Relate Activity” button

11.) Press the “Search” button on the screen that appears.

12.) Select the new Holiday calendar you created.

13.) Choose the “Relate Selected Record” button

14.) Confirm the new calendar is related to the schedule back on the previous screen.

That’s it – you are done.  Just make sure you do steps 9-13.  Otherwise it won’t work!

assignee

The person assigned the responsibility of working on any of the following activities: change request, incident ticket, problem investigation, known error, solution database entry, and so on.

 assignment

Automatically or manually assigning a group or individual the responsibility of resolving an issue or request. ITSM applications use the Assignment form for group automatic assignment and the Assignment Engine for individual automatic assignment.

broadcast message

An application feature that enables users to create messages that can be viewed by the ntire organization or by users in specific groups.

CAB

See change advisory board (CAB)

change advisory board (CAB)

A group that advises change management on the implementation of significant changes to the IT infrastructure. This group is often made up of representatives from various IT areas and business units.

CI

See configuration item (CI).

Company field

A field in ITSM that controls multi-tenancy. It shows only data for the companies for which you have permission. See also multi-tenancy.

configuration item (CI)

An infrastructure component or an item associated with the infrastructure that is (or will be) under the control of configuration management, for example, a Request for Change. A CI can be complex or simple, large or small. CIs can include entire systems or be a single module or minor component. CIs can also include records of people (users and customers) and locations.

configuration management

The process of maintaining detailed IT inventory records. It involves identifying and defining the CIs in a system, recording and reporting the status of all CIs and requests for change, and verifying the completeness and correctness of all CIs. See also configuration item (CI).

dashboard

Web-based, graphical user interface using flashboards where compliance and service target results can be viewed by service level managers, service delivery managers, other IT professionals, and customers or line of business owners. See also service level agreement (SLA), service target, and flashboard.

decision tree

A step-by-step guide set up by an administrator. It guides the user through a questionnaire and, based on the user’s answers, completes part of the form for a new incident.

form

A collection of fields that represents a record of information in the AR System. AR System administrators can define and change the fields and workflow associated with a form. An AR System application can include many forms.

impacted area

Companies, locations, or organizations affected by changes or updates to CIs.

incident

Any event that is not part of the standard operation of a service and that causes an interruption to or reduction in the quality of that service. See also incident management and problem investigation.

incident management

As a concept, a reactive process typically initiated in response to a customer’s call. The primary goal of the incident management process is to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible and with minimum disruption to the business.

incident manager

A person who monitors incident tickets and activities to help plan resources and to identify incident trends. The incident manager also handles assignments.

incident matching

A search process in Incident Management that can be used to search for other incidents, problem investigations, known errors, and solution database entries that share some of the same characteristics as the current incident, such as product categorization.

incident owner

The user who records the incident. This user might differ from the current incident assignee. See also assignee.

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)

A set of guidelines for the management and provision of operational IT services.

known error

A problem that has been successfully diagnosed and for which a temporary work-around or permanent solution to the known error has been identified. See also problem and work-around.

multi-tenancy

A feature in ITSM that uses the Company field to limit access by individuals. The Company field can be used to represent a company, department, or other group. The Company field also can be used to control access in a hosted environment. By default, ITSM applications operate in multi-tenancy mode. See also single-tenancy.

navigation pane

An area on the left side of consoles that provides links to functionality and links to other programs.

notification

A message sent to a user by workflow.  Notification can be in the form of an alert, email message, or other method using integrations.

operational catalog

A feature in which operational categories for service requests are defined.

process flow

Shows the progress of a request as it moves through the stages of its life cycle. It does this within a form, such as an incident request. A diagram shows the stages of the process, as indicated by best practices, rooted in ITIL processes. It indicates the current stage and state of the request. The

process flow diagram also serves as a wizard, guiding the user through the life cycle.

product categorization

A five-tier hierarchical representation of products as defined in the Product Catalog configuration form. This categorization is included in records to specify the range of products to which the record applies.

registered user

A user who has an entry in the People form with an AR System login ID.

reminder

A message similar to an AR System notification, except that you can define the content of a reminder and specify when to send it.

requester

A person in the organization who needs assistance from the IT support staff. A requester is usually an employee in the organization who needs to have a change implemented or an incident resolved.

single-tenancy

A feature that allows selection of a default company for company fields in ITSM. Single-tenancy mode is required to give unknown users access to the ITSM Requester console. See also multi-tenancy.

submitter

A person who reports a problem, makes a request, or enters information into a database. See also change request.

task

A unit of work that needs to be completed as a step in implementing an incident or problem investigation. In the Change Management application, you can also group a number of activities for requests with a number of actions that need to be completed before the request can be resolved. Your administrator creates task templates and task group templates that you can reuse for the same types of requests. Tasks can be manual or automatic.

task management system (TMS)

A sub-system that is used to create task templates and task group templates. Besides the ability to set up predecessor-successor relationships, TMS supports branching and multiple task paths as well as the data exchange between activities.

template

1. A set of predefined criteria or settings that can be used by many agreements or service

targets. See also service level agreement (SLA).

2. A form set up by an administrator that a user can select to complete an incident ticket or a change request with information consistent with the user’s support group and the type of incident or change request.