10965C ENU TrainerHandbook

MCT USE ONLY.
STUDENT USE PROHIBITED

O F FI C I AL M I CR O SO FT L EA R NI NG P R O DU CT
10965C
10965C: IT Service Management with
System Center Service Manager
MCT USE ONLY. STUDENT USE PROHIBITED
ii 10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager
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Product Number: 10965C
Part Number: C90-07385
Released: 02/2015
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Revised July 2013

10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager xi
xii 10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager
Acknowledgements
Microsoft Learning would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their contribution towards
developing this title. Their effort at various stages in the development has ensured that you have a good
classroom experience.
Gordon McKenna Content Developer

Gordon is a Microsoft System Center Cloud and Datacenter Management Most Valuable Professional
(MVP) with over 15 years of experience, and is an expert in Microsoft management technologies.
Currently, Gordon helps run the U.K.'s leading System Center consultancy, Inframon, and was personally
involved with some of the largest System Center implementations in EMEA. Gordon is a well-known
speaker on System Center and regularly appears at TechEd in the U.K. and the U.S. He is also a regular
speaker at MMS, WPC, and many partner and community events.
Sean Roberts Content Developer

Sean (MCTS, Bbus) is a joint owner of Inframon Ltd, a U.K.-based System Center consultancy. Originally
from a development background, Sean has over 15 years of experience designing business intelligence
solutions for many Fortune 500 companies. For seven years, he focused on building System Centerbased
operational reports and dashboards to help organizations measure, trend, and score their IT capabilities.
Justin Kimber Content Developer

Justin (MCTS, MCITP, MCSA, MCSE, MCP) has worked in the IT industry for over 17 years in various
systems management roles. For six years, he worked as technical director at Inframon, Ltd. In this role, he
was responsible for designing and implementing some of the largest systems management roll-outs in
EMEA. He was personally involved with the roll-out of a global, application monitoring platform for
Microsoft IT.
Alex Popham Content Developer

Alex has worked at Inframon Ltd for over 4 years and in the IT industry for 6 years. In this time he has
progressed to a senior consultant role providing System Center solutions for a number of large
enterprises. He designed and implemented Inframon Ltd.s hosted management system and service desk
which incorporates the whole System Center suite.
Andreas Baumgarten Technical Reviewer

Andreas Baumgarten (MVP), IT Architect with the German IT service provider H&D International Group.
Andreas has worked as a Microsoft IT professional for more than 20 years, with 14 of those years as a
Microsoft Certified Trainer. In October 2012, 2013 and 2014, he was awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable
Professional (MVP) title for System Center Cloud and Datacenter Management.
10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager xiii
Contents
Module 1: Service Management Overview
Module Overview 1-1
Lesson 1: Business Drivers behind IT Service Management 1-2
Lesson 2: Introduction to Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 1-5
Lesson 3: System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Overview and Key
Features 1-14
Lesson 4: Adopting ITIL/ MOF Best Practices with Service Manager 1-18
Lesson 5: Aligning IT Service Management Requirements to Service
Manager 1-32
Module Review and Takeaways 1-34
Module 2: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager

Module Overview 2-1
Lesson 1: System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Architecture and Core
Components 2-3
Lesson 2: Hardware, Software and Security Requirements 2-9
Lesson 3: Planning and Sizing a System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
Deployment 2-22
Lesson 4: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager 2-32
Lesson 5: Installing and Configuring the Service Manager Self-Service Portal 2-39
Lesson 6: Overview of the Service Manager Console 2-48
Lesson 7: Upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager 2-57
Lab A: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager 2-67
Lab B: Upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager 2-78
xiv 10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager
Module 3: Key Concepts and Features

Module Overview 3-1
Lesson 1: Overview of Management Packs 3-2
Lesson 2: Overview of the Service Manager CMDB 3-8
Lesson 3: Managing Activities 3-14
Lesson 4: Managing Workflows 3-24
Lesson 5: Managing Templates 3-29
Lesson 6: Security and User Roles 3-36
Lab: Configuring Service Manager for StockTrader and DinnerNow 3-42
Module 4: Configuring Service Manager for Your Environment

Module Overview 4-1
Lesson 1: System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Initial Configuration 4-2
Lesson 2: Configuring Business Services 4-11
Lesson 3: Configuring Access for your Support Teams 4-17
Lesson 4: Configuring Notifications 4-25
Lab: Configuring Service Manager For Your Environment 4-30
Module 5: Populating the Service Manager CMDB using Connectors

Module Overview 5-1
Lesson 1: Integrating Service Manager with Active Directory and other
System Center Components 5-2
Lesson 2: Integrating Service Manager with Exchange 5-10
Lab: Configuring Connectors in Service Manager 5-14
10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager xv
Module 6: Managing Incidents and Problems

Module Overview 6-1
Lesson 1: The Definition of an Incident and a Problem 6-2
Lesson 2: Managing Incidents 6-4
Lesson 3: Managing Problems 6-11
Lesson 4: Using Queues and Views with Incidents and Problems 6-17
Lab: Configuring Incident and Problem Management 6-21
Module 7: Managing Changes and Releases

Module Overview 7-1
Lesson 1: Managing Change Requests 7-2
Lesson 2: Managing Release Records 7-10
Lab: Configuring Change and Release Management 7-19
Module 8: Configuring and Managing the Service Catalog

Module Overview 8-1
Lesson 1: The Service Catalog, Request Offerings and Service Offerings 8-2
Lesson 2: Managing Service Requests and Catalog Groups 8-9
Lesson 3: The Self-Service Portal 8-13
Lab: Configuring Service Requests 8-18
Module 9: Automating Business Processes with Orchestrator

Module Overview 9-1
Lesson 1: Overview of Orchestrator 9-2
Lesson 2: Configuring Runbooks in Orchestrator 9-9
Lesson 3: Configuring Integration between Orchestrator and Service
Manager 9-14
Lesson 4: Creating a Request Offering in Service Manager to Initiate a
Runbook in Orchestrator 9-19
Lab: Automating IT Processes in Service Manager 9-23
xvi 10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager
Module 10: Configuring Service Level Management

Module Overview 10-1
Lesson 1: Configuring Service Level Management 10-2
Lesson 2: Viewing Service Level Agreement (SLA) Information in Service
Manager 10-9
Lab: Configuring Service Level Management 10-13
Module 11: Using Reports and Analyzing Data in Service Manager

Lesson 1: Running Reports in System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager 11-2
Lesson 2: Configuring and Running Data Warehouse Jobs 11-8
Lesson 3: Troubleshooting Failed Data Warehouse Jobs 11-13
Lesson 4: Data Warehouse Cubes 11-17
Lab: Configuring Reports and Analyzing Service Manager Data 11-21
Module 12: Advanced Troubleshooting and Disaster Recovery

Lesson 1: Performing Advanced Troubleshooting in Service Manager 12-2
Lesson 2: Performing Disaster Recovery in Service Manager 12-8
Lab: Performing Disaster Recovery in Service Manager 12-14
Module 13: Creating Forms and Items in Service Manager Using the Service Manager Authoring
Tool
Lesson 1: Key Concepts in Creating and Customizing Forms in the
Service Manager Authoring Tool 13-2
Lesson 2: Creating New and Customized Forms by Using the Service
Manager Authoring Tool 13-9
Lab: Creating Customized Forms by Using the Authoring Tool 13-21
Course Evaluation 13-32
10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager xvii
Lab Answer Keys

Module 1 Lab A: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager L01-1
Module 1 Lab B: Upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager L01-11
Module 2 Lab: Configuring Service Manager for StockTrader and
DinnerNow L02-1
Module 3 Lab: Configuring Service Manager For Your Environment L03-1
Module 4 Lab: Configuring Connectors in Service Manager L04-1
Module 5 Lab: Configuring Incident and Problem Management L05-1
Module 6 Lab: Configuring Change and Release Management L06-1
Module 7 Lab: Configuring Service Requests L07-1
Module 8 Lab: Automating IT Processes in Service Manager L08-1
Module 9 Lab: Configuring Service Level Management L09-1
Module 10 Lab: Configuring Reports and Analyzing Service Manager
Data L10-1
Module 11 Lab: Performing Disaster Recovery in Service Manager L11-1
Module 12 Lab: Creating Customized Forms by Using the Authoring
Tool L12-1
xviii 10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager
About This Course xix
About This Course

This section provides a brief description of the course, audience, suggested prerequisites, and course
objectives.
Course Description
This course describes how to deploy and configure Microsoft System Center Service Manager. This
course focuses on how to manage and administer a Microsoft System Centre Service Manager
environment.
Audience
This course is intended for cloud and datacenter administrators who are new to System Center 2012 R2
Service Manager and are responsible for deploying, configuring and operating it in their cloud or
datacenter.
Student Prerequisites
This course requires that you meet the following prerequisites:
Working knowledge of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2.
Working knowledge of SQL Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2012.
An understanding of the IT management processes that is included with ITIL and MOF.
Course Objectives
After completing this course, students will be able to:
Describe Service Manager 2012 R2.
Install Service Manager 2012 R2.
Configure base settings in Service Manager 2012 R2.
Configure Incident and Problem Management.
Configure Activity, Change, and Release Management.
Configure and Manage Service Requests.
Automate business processes with Service Manager and Orchestrator.
Configure Service Level Management.
Customize The Self-Service Portal.
Use Reports and Analyze Data in Service Manager.
Perform advanced troubleshooting and disaster recovery in Service Manager.
Customize Service Manager Forms.
Course Outline
The course outline is as follows:
Module 1: Service Management Overview.
Module 2: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager.
Module 3: Key Concepts and Features.
Module 4: Configuring Service Manager for your environment.
xx About This Course
Module 5: Populating the Service Manager CMDB using Connectors.

Module 6: Managing Incidents and Problems.
Module 7: Managing Changes and Releases.
Module 8: Configuring and Managing the Service Catalog.
Module 9: Automating Business Processes with Orchestrator.
Module 10: Configuring Service Level Management.
Module 11: Using Reports and Analyzing data in Service Manager.
Module 12: Advanced troubleshooting and disaster recovery.
Module 13: Creating custom forms and items in Service Manager using the Service Manager Authoring
Tool.
About This Course xxi
Course Materials
The following materials are included with your kit:
Course Handbook: a succinct classroom learning guide that provides the critical technical
information in a crisp, tightly-focused format, which is essential for an effective in-class learning
experience.
o Lessons: guide you through the learning objectives and provide the key points that are critical to
the success of the in-class learning experience.
o Labs: provide a real-world, hands-on platform for you to apply the knowledge and skills learned
in the module.
o Module Reviews and Takeaways: provide on-the-job reference material to boost knowledge
and skills retention.
o Lab Answer Keys: provide step-by-step lab solution guidance.
Additional Reading: Course Companion Content on the

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/companion-moc.aspx Site: searchable, easy-to-
browse digital content with integrated premium online resources that supplement the Course
Handbook.
Modules: include companion content, such as questions and answers, detailed demo steps and
additional reading links, for each lesson. Additionally, they include Lab Review questions and answers
and Module Reviews and Takeaways sections, which contain the review questions and answers, best
practices, common issues and troubleshooting tips with answers, and real-world issues and scenarios
with answers.
Resources: include well-categorized additional resources that give you immediate access to the most
current premium content on TechNet, MSDN, or Microsoft Press.
Additional Reading: Student Course files on the

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/companion-moc.aspx Site: includes the
Allfiles.exe, a self-extracting executable file that contains all required files for the labs and
demonstrations.
Course evaluation: at the end of the course, you will have the opportunity to complete an online
evaluation to provide feedback on the course, training facility, and instructor.
o To provide additional comments or feedback on the course, send an email to
support@mscourseware.com. To inquire about the Microsoft Certification Program, send an
email to mcphelp@microsoft.com.
xxii About This Course
Virtual Machine Environment

This section provides the information for setting up the classroom environment to support the business
scenario of the course.
Virtual Machine Configuration

In this course, you will use Microsoft Hyper-V to perform the labs.
Note: At the end of each lab, you must revert the virtual machines to a snapshot. You can
find the instructions for this procedure at the end of each lab
The following table shows the role of each virtual machine that is used in this course:
Virtual machine Role
LON-DC1 Domain controller for the Contoso domain
LON-DW2 Windows Server 2008 R2 used to host a System Center

2010 Service Manager Data Warehouse Management
Server
LON-SM0 Windows Server 2012 R2 hosting System Center 2012

R2 Service Manager
LON-SM1 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host a System Center

2012 R2 Service Manager Management Server
LON-SM2 Windows Server 2008 R2 used to host a System Center

2010 Service Manager Management Server
LON-SQ1 SQL Server 2012 hosting System Center 2012 R2

databases
LON-ST1 Windows Server 2008 R2 used to host the .NET

StockTrader application
LON-AP1 Windows Server 2012 R2 hosting SharePoint Server

2010 with SP2
LON-DW1 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host a System Center

2012 R2 Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management Server
LON-EX1 Windows Server 2012 hosting Exchange Server 2010

with SP3
LON-SC1 Windows Server 2012 R2 hosting System Center 2012

R2 components
LON-SM3 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host System Center

2012 R2 Service Manager
NYC-AP1 Windows Server 2012 R2 hosting SharePoint Server

2010 with SP2
NYC-DW1 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host a System Center

About This Course xxiii
Virtual machine Role

2012 R2 Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management Server
NYC-SM1 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host a System Center

2012 R2 Service Manager Management Server
Software Configuration
The following software is installed on each VM:
SQL Server 2012 with SP1
System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
Windows Server 2012
Windows Server 2012 R2
SharePoint Server 2010 with SP2
Exchange Server 2010 with SP3
StockTrader 5.5
Course Files
The files associated with the labs in this course are located in the <install_folder>\Labfiles\LabXX folder on
the student computers.
Classroom Setup
Each classroom computer will have the same virtual machine configured in the same way. You may be
accessing the lab virtual machines in either in a hosted online environment with a web browser or by
using Hyper-V on a local machine. The labs and virtual machines are the same in both scenarios however
there may be some slight variations because of hosting requirements. Any discrepancies will be called out
in the Lab Notes on the hosted lab platform. Your Microsoft Certified Trainer will provide details about
your specific lab environment..
Course Hardware Level

Where labs are being run locally, to ensure a satisfactory student experience, Microsoft Learning requires
a minimum equipment configuration for trainer and student computers in all Microsoft Certified Partner
for Learning Solutions (CPLS) classrooms in which Official Microsoft Learning Product courseware is
taught.
Hardware Level 7 (Please note the change to the drive configuration for this course)
64 bit Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) or AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) processor (2.8 Ghz
dual core or better recommended)
Note: The two host machines provided for the instructor and each student must use the same
processor architecture. Both host machines must be running either Intel Virtualization Technology
(Intel VT) or AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) processor, you cannot use one host machine with each
processor architecture.
Two 500 GB hard disks 7200 RPM SATA or faster. Each must be configured as a separate drive labeled
Drive C and Drive D.
xxiv About This Course
16 GB RAM or higher
DVD drive
Network adapter
Dual SVGA monitors 17 or larger supporting 1440X900 minimum resolution
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
Sound card with amplified speakers
Additional Learning Resources

Additional training and content resources are also available on the Microsoft Virtual Academy site,
http://www.MicrosoftVirtualAcademy.com, where you can view further study resources and online courses
related to this and other technologies. There are a variety of resource and formats available on this site to
assist you with general skills/career development and specific exam preparation.
1-1
Module 1
Service Management Overview
Contents:
Module Overview 1-1
Lesson 1: Business Drivers behind IT Service Management 1-2
Lesson 2: Introduction to Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 1-5
Lesson 3: System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Overview and Key Features 1-14
Lesson 4: Adopting ITIL/ MOF Best Practices with Service Manager 1-18
Lesson 5: Aligning IT Service Management Requirements to Service Manager 1-32
Module Overview
Before deciding on an IT Service Management tool you should understand the business drivers behind
choosing the most appropriate tool for your business. Effective IT Service Management includes process-
driven methodologies that cover a broad spectrum of IT functions. This can include Change Management,
Incident and Problem Management and Release Management. Although no organization typically adopts
any single IT Service Management methodology, most organizations, depending on their size and nature
of business will adopt a combination of processes and functions from many different IT Service
Management frameworks such as ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) or MOF (Microsoft Operations
Framework).
In this module you will learn many of the ITIL and MOF best practices and procedures in delivering
effective IT Service Management and how System Center 2012 Service Manager can be used to
implement them in your organization. You will also learn some of the key business drivers behind IT
Service Management.
Objectives
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Describe the business drivers behind IT Service Management.
Describe, at a high-level, System Center 2012 R2.
Describe, at a high level, System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager.
Describe how Service Manager adopts best practices found in ITIL and MOF.
1-2 Service Management Overview
Lesson 1
Business Drivers behind IT Service Management
To select the best IT Service Management tool for your organization, you will need to understand what
the key business drivers are. An example of a key business driver could be the requirement to ensure that
all Incidents raised with the Service Desk are recorded, categorized and prioritized based on their urgency
and business impact.
By identifying the business drivers, you can then map them to features within the IT Service Management
tool to ensure the feature meets your needs.
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to::
Describe the key business drivers behind IT Service Management
Describe how Service Manager meets the business drivers in IT Service Management
IT Service Management Business Drivers

Within most organizations information technology
is central to the operation. This includes the
technology that enables business operations to
function effectively and the underlying technical
infrastructure that supports them. As your business
and that of your competitors grow larger, the
reliance on technology increases. This reliance
puts pressure on the technology department to
deliver the following:
Services to meet current needs of the
organization
Services able to meet the future needs of the
organization
The alignment of IT services with changing business needs
These issues are common to most IT organizations. As a result, an organization needs to be agile in order
to keep up with supply and demand and the technical environment needs to follow the trend, by focusing
on reliability, capacity, security and availability.
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is part of a suite of best practice publications for
IT service management designed to help you maintain and control your IT infrastructure.
The main business drivers for adopting IT Service Management are:
Providing value for money by ensuring the quality of IT services including the business processes that
are required to support them.
Using structured frameworks for each service lifecycle.
Providing a uniformed method to implement effective Change, Release, Incident, Problem and
Service Management.
Using Configuration Management to ensure that assets are properly controlled ensuring that
information about them is kept up to date and available at all times.
10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager 1-3
Being more visible to the business and demonstrating value by proactively preventing Incidents from
occurring. When Incidents are un-avoidable, reducing their business impact.
Giving users the ability to manage their own requests.
Using automation to streamline processes where possible.
Enabling decision making at different levels to provide greater control to key stakeholders.
A clearer insight into the performance of the IT infrastructure
Service Manager and IT Service Management

Service Manager is the Microsoft solution for IT
Service Management. The Service Management
processes include:
Incident Management
Problem Management
Change Management
Release Management
Service Request Fulfillment
Configuration Management
It is important that you understand how Service Manager can help you to implement IT Service
Management. Service Manager provides a method of managing and controlling the various business
processes that occur within the IT environment and thereby giving business value to the organization.
Service Manager uses IT Service Management frameworks, which are an effective, clear and robust
method of organizing and presenting IT to the organization. The frameworks contain best practice
workflows that provide inter-related terminology, process and concepts, used to deliver and support
services to your users and customers. The ultimate aim is for the IT Service Desk to become more of a
service provider rather than being technology-centric.
Service Manager provides guidance so that you can deliver the expected level of service at an acceptable
level of risk. An environment is created whereby IT and the organization can work together towards a
common operational maturity. This can be achieved by using a model that proactively defines procedures
and processes that are both effective and efficient. Service Management in Service Manager provides you
with a logical method of decision-making, allowing stricter and more granular control within business
processes. This makes the planning, deployment and ongoing support of IT services clearer and more
defined.
Service Manager is involved in managing all processes and activities for an IT service. It can encompass
the delivery, operation and ongoing management of an IT service lifecycle such as:
Development and maintenance of an existing service offering
Help to maintain the smooth operation of day-to-day IT operations
The retirement of IT infrastructure.
IT Service Management as defined in Microsoft Operation Framework (MOF), groups these activities
together into phases such as Operate and Deliver phases. Service Manager, with an understanding of
these phases, supports IT organizations to achieve service level objectives, such as 99% uptime of a
business critical service or deploying an updated software package.
IT Service Management in Service Manager is based on best practices that can be found in the IT
Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and MOF. ITIL and MOF are covered in more detail later in this module.
Question: Name three business drivers behind IT Service Management
Lesson 2
Introduction to Microsoft System Center 2012 R2
Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 comprises a number of components that together provide IT Service
and Configuration Management, Monitoring and Process Automation across public, private and hybrid
clouds.
In this lesson you will be given a brief overview of the various components that comprise System Center
2012 R2 and how they are integrated to provide complete control of the IT environment.
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
Describe the key features of System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager.
Describe the key features of System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager.
Describe the key features of System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Manager.
Describe the key features of System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager.
Describe the key features of System Center 2012 R2 App Controller.
Describe the key features of System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator.
Monitoring with System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager

Operations Manager is a comprehensive
monitoring solution that provides support for
Windows server and desktop computers, in
addition to Sun Solaris and various Linux-based
and UNIX-based platforms.
By using Management Packs that contain
monitors, rules, tasks, and knowledge, Operations
Manager applies default best practice monitoring
to applications such as Microsoft SQL Server and
Microsoft SharePoint Server without the need for
the operator to be an expert in the monitored
application or operating systems.
Support for both physical and virtual computers and for network device monitoring allows Operations
Manager to provide an end-to-end monitoring platform that can be adapted to any IT environment.
Although Operations Manager monitors the server, client, and network infrastructure, it is also focused on
service monitoring. Monitoring the service includes the application, the server/client operating system
that the application relies on, the hardware that the operating system relies on, and the network
infrastructure binding it all together.
Operation Manager automatically discovers the various components of an application or service and
allows you to view the performance and health of the application in a single view. When Problems occur
in the application, the view automatically updates and displays the affected component, which enables
you to locate instantly the root cause of the Problem. Knowledge Base information is available when an
issue has been identified.
Other built-in features include desktop crash monitoring, security event monitoring, and Microsoft .NET
Framework application performance and exception monitoring. Synthetic transaction monitoring for web
and database applications is also included.
Operations Manager also includes a rich reporting feature that you can use to view historical reports
about performance and availability of the monitored infrastructure, which also allows for effective
capacity planning.
For more information about what's new in Operations Manager, go to the following website:
What's New in System Center 2012 for Operations Manager
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=390238
Benefits of Integrating Operations Manager with Service Manager

When Operations Manager and Service Manager
are integrated there are a number of additional
features that become available in Service Manager.
For example, by using the Operations Manager
alert connector in Service Manager Incidents in
Service Manager can be automatically created
based on alerts that have been generated in
Operations Manager.
In addition, by using the Operations Manager CI
connector in Service Manager, objects discovered
in Operations Manager such as hard disks,
databases and websites can be synchronized with
Configuration Items in Service Manager. This makes management of the IT environment much easier as
these Configuration Items can then be used with Work Items in Service Manager to help manage and
track issues related to them.
In addition to the two Operations Manager connectors mentioned above there is also a Service Manager
Management Pack for Operations Manager. The Service Manager Management Pack monitors the Service
Manager environment and generates alerts when there are issues detected with its database and
infrastructure components such as the Service Manager Management Server and Service Manager Data
Warehouse Management Server.
Automation with System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator

System Center 2012 Orchestrator is a workflow
management solution for the data center. By using
activities that are linked together, you can create
workflows that provide automation of many data
center functions.
Orchestrator uses Integration Packs, which provide
the activities related to the integration it provides.
For example, the System Center 2012 Operations
Manager Integration Pack contains activities, such
as Create Alert, that can be used to create an alert
in the Operations Manager environment that it
connects to.
The System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Integration Pack provides Service Manager activities such as
Create Object, which allows Orchestrator to create objects such as Incidents or Problems in the connected
Service Manager environment.
In addition to the Integration Packs for System Center 2012 R2, there are also Integration Packs available
for other technologies, including:
Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
Azure
HP iLO and OA
HP Operations Manager
HP Service Manager
IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus
SharePoint 2013
VMware vSphere
Using the Runbook designer in Orchestrator, you create a runbook, which contains the activities that
perform the workflow that you need to automate.
Imagine a scenario in which you need to restart a server based on a specific alert that Operations
Manager has generated. You can create a runbook in Orchestrator that monitors for the alert in the
Operations Manager environment. If the relevant alert is generated, it can then raise a Change Request in
Service Manager that requires an approval by a manager to restart the server. Orchestrator can then
monitor the Change Request in Service Manager and, when it has been approved, it can then
automatically restart the server.
For more information about Orchestrator, go to the following webpage:
Orchestrator
Benefits of Integrating Orchestrator with Service Manager

Similar to Operations Manager, there is an
Orchestrator connector in Service Manager which
synchronizes Runbooks created in Orchestrator
with Runbooks in Service Manager. This provides
the ability to initiate Orchestrator Runbooks from
Service Manager by using what is known as a
Runbook Automation Activity template.
When used with the Service Manager Self-Service
Portal service offerings can be created in Service
Manager that provide end-users the ability to
submit service requests that can then be used with
Orchestrator Runbooks to automate the request.
For example, an end-user may submit a service request in the Self-Service Portal that includes details of an
Active Directory group that they need to be a member of. Service Manager can capture the information
about the Active Directory Group and User Account and pass this information to an Orchestrator Runbook
which is then used to automate the process.
In addition to initiating Runbooks in Service Manager, there is also an Integration Pack for Service
Manager that provides Orchestrator with the ability to automate many tasks in Service Manager such as
creating an Incident or Problem Record.
Data Protection with System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager

System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager
(DPM) is the Microsoft backup and recovery
solution for the Windows Server and Windows
Client platforms. By using Volume Shadow Copy
Service (VSS), DPM can back up (protect) data
while the server or client operating system and
any applications are still running.
By first creating a replica of the data to be
protected, DPM only copies block-level Changes,
which means that subsequent backups are much
smaller in size. This allows for faster backups and
less network overhead when backups are being
performed.
DPM uses intelligent protection methods when it protects data sources such as SQL Server or SharePoint
Server. For example, when you protect a SQL server, DPM automatically protects the database and log
files that it relies on. When new databases are added to SQL server, DPM automatically discovers them
and starts protecting them without any user intervention.
DPM uses a storage pool to store protected data. The storage pool can be located on direct-attached
storage (DAS), a Fibre Channel storage area network (SAN), or on an Internet Small Computer System
Interface (iSCSI) storage device or SAN.
When protecting data by using DPM, you can choose various protection methodologies such as
Disk2Disk, Disk2Tape, and Disk2Disk2Tape. DPM can also be used to protect itself. For example, you
might have a local DPM server that is protecting the local Windows servers and client computers. A
second DPM server can be installed in a remote location that protects the local DPM servers. This provides
two main features:
1. The remote DPM server can act as a disaster recovery server. If the primary (or local) DPM server is
lost, the remote DPM server can be used to restore data directly to the protected servers and clients.
2. By using a remote (secondary) DPM server, you no longer need to have tapes manually transported
offsite to a safe location.
DPM is also monitored by Operations Manager, allowing many DPM tasks to be performed directly from
the Operations Manager console. The health and availability of the DPM server is monitored by
Operations Manager, including the data sources that DPM is protecting.
For more information about whats new in DPM 2012, go to the following website:
What's New in DPM
Benefits of Integrating DPM and Orchestrator with Service Manager

Although there is no direct integration between
Data Protection Manager and Service Manager,
when Orchestrator and Data Protection Manager
(DPM) are integrated, and Service Manager is
integrated with Orchestrator, you can initiate DPM
related Runbooks in Orchestrator from Service
Manager.
For example, you may want to offer a service to
your end-users where they request data to be
protected or recovered in a private cloud. Service
Manager can collect information about the
database name and DPM server on which the data
resides and then initiate a Runbook in Orchestrator to automate the process. This not only allows you to
automate the process end-to-end but also allows you to manage the process with Service Manager as you
can include Service Manager activities to approve or reject the request.
Managing Virtual Environments with System Center 2012 R2 Virtual

Machine Manager
System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager
(VMM) provides comprehensive management for
the virtualized data center environment. It includes
support for multiple virtualization technologies,
including Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer, and
VMware ESX.
By using VMM, you can provision physical
resources such as network and storage, compute
to virtual machines and services that you create,
and deploy to the private cloud.
When you create virtual machines and services by
using VMM, VMM uses virtual machine templates
and profiles such as the hardware, Guest operating system and application profiles. This allows you to
deploy virtual machines and services quickly and easily by having predefined virtual machine templates
that include the configuration of the virtual hardware, operating system, and applications that will be
running on them.
VMM includes the ability to deploy sysprepped versions of Windows and SQL Server, enabling you to
automate the configuration during deployment.
Microsoft Server Application Virtualization (Server App-V) technology is also included with VMM. With
this technology, you can package (sequence) a server application and deploy it with a virtual machine as
part of a service.
VMM is cluster aware and provides the ability to automatically migrate virtual machines between nodes of
a cluster based on resource availability. When you deploy virtual machines and services to a private cloud
created in VMM, VMM can automatically determine which virtualization host should be used to host the
virtual machine or service by using configurable placement rules.
VMM can also use power optimization, whereby it can use live migration to move virtual machines to
different virtualization hosts and then automatically turn off the unused virtualization host.
VMM also integrates with Operations Manager and can use Performance and Resource Optimization
(PRO) enabled management packs to automate remediate of the virtualized environment.
Operations Manager monitors the virtualization hosts in VMM and the virtual machines hosted on them.
For more information about what's new in VMM, go to the following website:
What's New in System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager
Benefits of Integrating VMM with Service Manager

When integration between VMM and Service
Manager has been configured, objects in VMM
such as VM Templates, Service Templates, Logical
Networks and VIP Templates are synchronized as
Configuration Items in Service Manager. When
Operations Manager and VMM are integrated,
Operations Manager discovers other VMM objects
such as Virtual Machines, Clouds and Host Groups.
When Service Manager is integrated with
Operations Manager using the Configuration
Items (CI) connector, this information is also
synchronized in Service Manager.
By integrating VMM with Service Manager you can track resources such as Clouds and Services that have
been deployed and associate Work Items such as Incidents and Problem Records with them so that you
can manage them appropriately.
When VMM, Service Manager and Orchestrator are integrated you also provide service offerings in the
Service Manager Self-Service Portal. For example, you may want to offer a service that allows end-users to
provision new virtual machines in a private cloud. Service Manager can collect the information relating to
the private cloud and the VM template to use and then initiate an Orchestrator Runbook that automates
the process.
Managing Operating System and Configuration with System Center 2012

R2 Configuration Manager
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
provides management capabilities for operating
system and application delivery, desktop
virtualization, and device management.
When you deploy operating systems by using
Configuration Manager, you can control how the
operating system is delivered. For example, you
can use the Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE)
method where the client connects to a distribution
point to install the operating system. You can also
use the Multicast deployment method, where the
distribution point simultaneously deploys the
operating system to multiple clients.
When you use Configuration Manager to deliver applications, it can automatically evaluate (based on
policies) the identity of the user and any application dependencies and device type to ensure that the
application is delivered in an optimized state to the device.
Compliance Settings (formerly Desired Configuration Management) is a key feature of Configuration
Manager. It allows computers to be evaluated against a baseline configuration. For example, a baseline
might contain a number of software updates that must be applied to a set of servers in the environment.
When the baseline is evaluated against a computer that does not have the specified updates applied,
Configuration Manager reports the configuration drift. This then allows you to apply the relevant software
updates to bring the server back into a compliant state. This can also be automated through
Configuration Manager.
Together with System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection, Configuration Manager also provides security
protection for systems by providing malware protection and vulnerability remediation. Software update
management is also included with Configuration Manager. Software update management provides
complete control of software updates, which should be applied to each managed system.
For more information about whats new in Configuration Manager, go to the following webpage:
Whats New in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
Benefits of Integrating Configuration Manager with Service Manager

When Configuration Manager and Service
Manager are integrated using Configuration
Manager connector in Service Manager, hardware
and software information that has been created in
Configuration Manager is synchronized as
Configuration Items in Service Manager. Mobile
device data for Windows Phones and Nokia
Devices is also synchronized. In addition, if
Orchestrator and Service Manager are integrated,
you can offer service requests in the Self-Service
Portal where end users can request computers
being added to a Configuration Manager
collection. This could facilitate automatic software deployment.
By synchronizing hardware and software information stored in Configuration Manager with Service
Manager as Configuration Items you can then associate them with Work Items in Service Manager such as
Change Requests or Incidents. This provides the ability to track and manage hardware and software that is
deployed in your environment and also provides a method of managing issues that are related to
hardware or software items.
Managing Public and Private Cloud Resources with System Center 2012 R2
App Controller
System Center 2012 App Controller provides a
web-based interface that allows the Configuration,
Management, and deployment of virtual machines
and services for both public and private clouds.
It provides a single interface that connects to both
private clouds hosted in VMM and Windows Azure
subscriptions in the public cloud.
When you use the App Controller interface, you
can view the virtual machines and services that are
being provided by the private cloud and view the
resources such as the RAM and CPU usage and the
operating system that is running on them.
When you view a service in VMM by using App Controller, you can open the diagram view to see the
relevant virtual machines that the service is made up of. The diagram view also enables you to see the
number of instances of a particular machine tier that have been deployed as part of the service.
When you manage services in App Controller, you also have the ability to upgrade them based on your
delegated access. For example, the VMM administrator could create an upgrade to a service in VMM and
delegate the action to an App Controller user (the application owner) so that they can decide when the
service should be upgraded.
App Controller also integrates with the VMM and Windows Azure resource libraries and enables you to
replicate information between VMM private cloud libraries. For example, you can copy a service from
production implementation and paste it into a staging implementation environment in order to work on
an upgrade. When you copy the service, App Controller allows you to select the relevant resources that
should be copied and, if there are already resources available such as a virtual hard disk, you can map the
resource instead of copying it, thereby reducing time and network bandwidth use.
Given the relevant access, you can also scale-out a machine tier in a service. This is useful when an
application owner knows that an application requires more resources, such as an additional web server.
For more information about App Controller, go to the following website:
App Controller
Operating a Self Service, Multi-Tenant Cloud with Windows Azure Pack

The Windows Azure Pack, although not strictly a
component of System Center 2012 R2, integrates
with System Center components such as Virtual
Machine Manager to provide Microsoft Azure
technologies for the datacenter.
Windows Azure Pack provides a method of
offering IT services such as Platform as a Service
(PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
through a self-service portal similar to that found
in Windows Azure. These services include:
Web Sites: Provides a scalable web hosting
platform that is used to deploy web sites that
support both ASP.NET and PHP.
Virtual Machines: Provides the ability to deploy both Windows and Linux virtual machines that can be
selected from a VM template gallery.
Databases: Provides the ability to provision SQL and MySQL databases with support for both stand-
alone and highly available environments.
Service Management Automation: Provides the ability to integrate and automate custom services for
tenants using Windows Azure Pack.
Service Bus: Provides a queue framework for messaging services between distributed applications
similar to the Microsoft Azure Service Bus.
The Windows Azure Pack is available to Microsoft customers with no additional cost. For more
information about Windows Azure Pack visit the following website:
Windows Azure Pack
Verify the correctness of the statement by placing a mark in the column to the right.
Statement Answer
System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager provides monitoring for only

Windows-based computers.
Lesson 3
System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Overview and
Key Features
Before you decide to use any IT Service Management solution you need to understand its features and
capabilities. You also need to know if it will be able to manage all of your current IT processes and
procedures. In this lesson you are given an overview of Service Manager including how it has evolved to
meet the current needs of the data center today.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the key features of System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager.
Describe how Service Manager has evolved to meet the business needs of the data center.
System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Key Features

Based around Information Technology
Infrastructure Library and Microsoft Operations
Framework, Service Manager is an IT Service
Management solution that you can use to adopt
your current Information Technology
Framework best practices into process-driven
workflows that can be managed and automated
by using a single intuitive interface.
Incident Management
As defined by Information Technology
Infrastructure Library, an Incident is an unplanned
disruption or degradation of service. Incident Management is concerned with resolving the Incident as
fast as possible rather than identifying a root cause. For example, a user receives an error when
attempting to open Microsoft Outlook, thereby restricting the users access to email. When an Incident
occurs, in order to troubleshoot and resolve it, typically much information needs to be obtained from
both the person that logged the Incident and the affected items (in this case, the end users computer and
Outlook).
Service Manager includes the ability to manage the complete life cycle of an Incident. When an Incident is
created in Service Manager, you enter relevant details, such as the affected user, the impact and urgency,
and a description of the Incident. Based on access to the Service Manager console, an Incident Resolver
can work on the Incident, updating it with relevant details as they work to resolve it.
Incidents can be created using various methods in Service Manager such as email or via the Self-Service
Portal. Further details on Incident Management are covered in Module 6, Configuring Incident and
Problem Management.
Problem Management
As defined by the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, a Problem is a cause of one or more
Incidents. For example, multiple Incidents can be created for Outlook when it fails to connect to a
Microsoft Exchange Server. By restarting the Exchange server, the Incident is resolved. A Problem record
could then be created to investigate the issue with the Exchange server. Problem records are created in
Service Manager and include much of the same criteria as Incidents. Problem records are used to record
information that helps determine the root cause of the Problem. Problem records can also include one or
more related Incidents. Problem analysts work on Problem records and, when resolved, the related
Incidents can also be resolved automatically.
Change Management
Change Management in Service Manager involves creating Change Requests. A typical Change Request
would be a configuration change of an Exchange server, for example, adding the Outlook Web Access
(OWA) role. When you manage Changes in the environment, the Change Management process is used to
ensure that any Change does not result in an Incident or Problem causing a service disruption or
degradation. Change Requests work closely with activities and Release records in Service Manager. For
example, a Change Request to configure the OWA role in Exchange might include a review activity that
requires IT management approval before the Change can take place. There might also be a link via a
dependent activity in the Change Request to a manual activity in a Release record that stipulates the
Change must be tested in the development environment first.
Release Management
Release Management in Service Manager involves creating Release records. Release records are used to
facilitate the interaction between Change Requests and activities. For example a project to upgrade a
service or applications might include multiple Change Requests such as upgrading servers, applying
software updates, or installing new features to an existing application. Release records can be used to
group approved Change Requests and schedule them for deployment after they have been tested and
confirmed as safe to release.
Service Level Management

Service Level Management in Service Manager provides a method of measuring Incidents and Service
Requests. For example, you might have a service level agreement (SLA) that dictates all Incidents with an
impact level of High should be resolved within six hours. With Service Level Management, you can
configure views and send notifications when Incidents are approaching or have breached this threshold.
Service Request Fulfillment

A Service Request in Service Manager provides the ability for organizations to publish preauthorized
services to end users. This could be the ability for an end user to submit a request to install additional
software on a client computer via the Self-Service Portal for example. Service Request Management in
Service Manager uses the service catalog that is made up of request offerings and service offerings that
can be published and made available to end users. Service Requests can also be tracked with Service Level
Management to help ensure SLAs are met when delivering services to the business.
Self-Service Portal
The Service Manager Self-Service Portal is a web interface that is primarily used by end users when
submitting requests for services, this includes raising Incidents. When Service Requests are configured in
Service Manager, they are then published and made available to end users of the Self-Service Portal.
When end users log on to the Self-Service Portal, the Service Requests made available to them are based
on their user role. This enables administrators to scope the Self-Service Portal by providing only the
Service Requests that are specific to the end user.
New and Updated Features in System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager

System Center 2012 was officially released as
Release to Manufacturing (RTM) and General
Availability in April 2012. This included a refresh of
the latest version of Service Manager.
Service Manager includes a number of new
features including:
Service Catalog. This allows Service Requests
to be published and made available to end
users in the Self-Service Portal.
New connectors for Orchestrator and VMM.
These were also included with System Center
2012 Service Manager. The Orchestrator connector allows Orchestrator runbooks to be imported into
Service Manager. Runbook activity templates can then be used with Service Requests to automate
many functions, such as a new user in AD DS. The Virtual Machine Manager connector is used to
import private cloud and virtual machine template information into Service Manager. This also
facilitates the automation of virtual machine provisioning.
OLAP cubes. These cubes for reporting were added in System Center 2012 Service Manager, which
allows for data mining capabilities, including the ability to export the data to Microsoft Excel and
create pivot tables.
Service Level Management. This feature is also new in System Center 2012 Service Manager. It
provides a method of reporting SLA information for Incidents and Service Requests.
Parallel activities. This feature was added to Change and Service Requests and Release records. It
enables multiple activities to run simultaneously.
Release management. This feature enables Release records to be created to manage the Release life
cycle with Change Requests.
Self-Service Portal. The Self-Service Portal uses a SharePoint website and a Web Content Server. Using
Microsoft Silverlight applications, it extends the features that are available to end users of the Self-
Service Portal.
Component Add-ons and extensions. This includes an Authoring Tool which is available to modify
existing Management Packs in Service Manager and author new Management Packs.
Service Pack 1 for System Center 2012 includes the following additional features:
Chargeback. This provides the ability to apply pricing on the fabric resources used in VMM for cloud-
based implementations. This includes new OLAP data cubes and Excel reports.
Updated Operations Manager integration. This automatically installs an Operations Manager 2012
SP1 agent with the installation of Service Manager.
Support for SQL Server 2012. This is also included for all Service Manager databases.
Support for Windows Server 2012. This has been included to allow for all Service Manager roles
except the Self-Service Portal to be installed on Windows Server 2012.
Support for Windows 8. This has been included for the Service Manager console and for end users
who access the Self-Service Portal.
R2 for System Center 2012 includes the following additional updates and support:
Support for Windows Server 2012 R2. Supports the latest Release of the Windows Server platform.
The self-service portal is now supported on Windows Server 2012 R2.
Support for Windows 8.1. This has been updated to include newer versions of Windows 8 for the
Service Manager console and the Self-Service Portal.
Update Rollup 3 (UR3). This is a cumulative update that contains minor bug fixes. It also includes
minor bug fixes from UR1 and UR2.
For more information about update rollup 3, go to the following website:
Update Rollup 3 for System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
Finally, although not specifically released as part of Service Pack 1, a new Microsoft Exchange Connector is
available. The connector provides connectivity between Service Manager and Exchange 2010 SP1 and
Exchange 2007 SP3. Features include the ability to process emails relating to Incidents and Change
Requests, such as resolving or closing an Incident, or by using special keywords. Change Request reviewers
can approve or reject Change Requests. New features in this release (v3.0) include support for Microsoft
Office 365, Service Requests, and Problem records. The Exchange connector is covered in a later module
in this course.
Lesson 4
Adopting ITIL/ MOF Best Practices with Service Manager
In order to understand how to implement and manage System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager you need
to have a good understanding of the concepts behind it and the methodologies that it adopts when
applying practices such as Incident Management and Change Management.
You may already be familiar with some of the MOF and ITIL IT Service Management frameworks and may
also adopt some of the processes and procedures in your IT environment. Although Service Manager does
not adhere specifically to either one framework it aligns itself to concepts and procedures covering both.
In this lesson you will learn some of the common best practices and principles that are followed with both
MOF and ITIL.
You should also know how these practices are adopted in System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager. It is
important to remember that both MOF and ITIL are frameworks that provide the starting point for you to
adopt and customize to your organizations needs. This final lesson provide an overview of some of the
typical IT Service Management functions that are carried out in the Datacenter or Private Cloud
environment including how Service Manager aligns to the ITIL and MOF best practices.
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
Describe some of the key best practices provided by MOF (Microsoft Operations Framework).
Describe some of the key best practices provided by ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure
Library).
Describe how Service Manager adopts ITIL and MOF best practices with Configuration Management.
Describe how Service Manager adopts ITIL and MOF best practices with Incident Management.
Describe how Service Manager adopts ITIL and MOF best practices with Change Management.
Describe how Service Manager adopts ITIL and MOF best practices with Release Management.
Describe how Service Manager adopts ITIL and MOF best practices with Problem Management.
Describe how Service Manager adopts ITIL and MOF best practices with Service Request Fulfillment.
Describe how Service Manager adopts ITIL and MOF best practices with Service Level Management.
Microsoft Operations Framework Overview

The Microsoft Operations Framework is a free,
downloadable framework from Microsoft that
provides practical guidance on the full life cycle of
IT Service Management. Its primary function is to
provide IT professionals with the knowledge of
how to combine business and IT goals, allowing
for the implementation of cost-effective and
reliable IT services. In order to understand how
Microsoft Operations Framework is used with IT
Service Management, you need to understand the
IT service life cycle.
The IT service life cycle

The IT service life cycle covers the life of an IT service. This includes the planning and optimizing of the IT
service so it aligns to the business and the design and delivery of the IT service. The IT life cycle also
includes the ongoing operation and support of the IT service. The planning, delivery, and operating of an
IT service can be thought of as phases in the IT life cycle as follows:
Planning phase. This is where the IT service generally starts its life cycle. This phase is used to plan and
optimize the IT service so it aligns to the business objectives of the organization.
Deliver phase. This is where the IT service is developed and then deployed to the organization.
Operate phase. This is where the IT service is maintained and supported to continue to meet the
organization business needs.
Encompassing these three phases is the Manage layer. The Manage layer ensures that there are operating
principles and best practices in place to help maintain the IT service so it can continue to provide relevant
business value to the organization. Best practices and operating principles include compliance, Change
Management, configuration, risk, and IT governance. The Manage layer provides these processes during
all phases of the IT life cycle.
Service Management Functions

Within each phase of the IT service life cycle are a number of Service Management functions. These
functions provide the definition of processes, roles, and activities that are implemented to ensure that the
IT service fulfills the requirements of the business. Within Microsoft Operations Framework is a separate
document describing the functions and processes involved with each Service Management function.
Customer Service Service Management Function

The Customer Service Service Management function sits within the Operate phase of the IT service life
cycle and is concerned with addressing the needs of the customer (or consumer) of the IT service. This
includes:
Recording customer requests.
Resolving requests for information, existing and new features, and Changes.
Resolving Incidents.
Ensuring good customer service.
Notice that resolving Incidents is a key function in the Customer Service Service Management function.
There are a number of roles related to the Customer Service Service Management function that relate to
Incident Management. These include the customer service representative (CSR) whose function is to
record and log customer Service Requests into the Service Desk system. There is also an Incident Resolver
role whose function is to investigate diagnoses and resolve Incidents.
This Service Management function details the various processes involved when managing customer
requests in the IT service life cycle.
As an example, the following processes are adopted when managing an Incident:
Process 1: Recording the Users Request
During this initial process, the user logs a request to the Service Desk via a telephone call, an email
message, or via a web portal. If the request is logged via a telephone call, the CSR records the users
contact information into the Helpdesk system. The CSR also records details of the request (in this case, the
Incident details).
Process 2: Classifying the Users Request

During this process, the request is categorized to determine the type of request, such as a Service
Fulfillment request. Or in this case, an Incident Resolution request. The next step in the process is to
determine whether the request is supported. If it is not supported, then what needs to be determined is
whether there is scope to override an unsupported request. The final step in this process is to prioritize
the request. This is achieved by determining the impact and urgency of the Incident in this case.
Process 3: Resolving the Request
In this process, the request (in this case, an Incident resolution request) is resolved. When Incidents are
resolved, the following activities are performed:
Troubleshooting the Incident
Escalating the Incident to Problem Management if necessary
Applying a fix or workaround
Process 4: Confirming Resolution and Closing the Request
When you close a request, the following activities are performed:
Confirming that the request has been resolved
Updating the request with any resolution details or comments
Closing the request
Process 5: Ensuring Good Service
In this final process, the Service Desk might contact the user to verify a successful resolution to the request
and might optionally send a user satisfaction survey for the user to complete. This forms part of the
Service Desk Quality Assurance policies.
Although this overview of Microsoft Operations Framework is by no means extensive, you should now be
able to understand some of the processes, procedures, and best practices that it offers in IT Service
Management.
For more information and to download Microsoft Operations Framework, go to the following webpage:
Microsoft Operations Framework
Information Technology Infrastructure Library Overview

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library
was developed by the Cabinet Office (part of the
government of the United Kingdom) to provide IT
Service Management to both public and private
sectors, including NASA, the NHS, and HSBC bank.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library is a
constantly evolving IT Service Management
framework that gathers and streamlines best
practices from public and private sectors
worldwide. Its advice includes input from experts
in many different types of organizations. Similar to
Microsoft Operations Framework, Information
Technology Infrastructure Library is based on a life cycle approach and covers five main publications:
Information Technology Infrastructure Library Service Strategy

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library Service Strategy includes best practices designed to
align IT and the business in order to bring the best out of each other. It also ensures that each element of
the service life cycle is focused on customer outcome.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library Service Design

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library Service Design provides guidance on the production
and maintenance of IT policies, documents, and architectures that are used to design IT infrastructure
service solutions and processes. This is designed to meet the current and future requirements of the
business.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library Service Transition

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library Service Transition provides process activities and
guidance for the transition of services in the operational business environment. It covers long-term
Change Management and Release and Deployment practices. It also ensures that risks, benefits, and
delivery mechanisms are also considered, in addition to the support of ongoing operational services.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library Service Operation

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library Service Operation publication provides guidance on
delivery and control activities that are designed to achieve operational excellence. Its primary focus is
service provisioning for the service provider.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library Continual Service Improvement

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library Continual Service Improvement publication focuses on
the continual improvements of an IT service by identifying and introducing Service Management
improvements. This publication also identifies potential issues that can arise when services are retired.
It should be noted that although Microsoft Operations Framework is free to use an IT Service
Management framework, Information Technology Infrastructure Library is not. Each of the Information
Technology Infrastructure Library publications previously listed can be purchased separately or as a
complete publication.
For more information about Information Technology Infrastructure Library, go to the following website:
Welcome to the Official ITIL Website
http://www.itil-officialsite.com/
Configuration Management in Service Manager Using ITIL and MOF

One of the most powerful features of Service
Manager is its integration with other toolsets or IT
components within the organization. For example,
integrating Service Manager with AD DS allows it
to store information in its configuration
management database CMDB about users, groups,
printers and computers. These are known as
Configuration Items within Service Manager and
can be used when creating work items, such as a
Change Request or an Incident, for example.
Collecting and managing these Configuration
Items is a key step in the configuration
management process in Information Technology Infrastructure Library and Microsoft Operations
Framework.
The best practice guidelines for the configuration management process are described in the following
paragraphs.
Identification of Configuration Items

Best practice guidelines state that there should be a process of identifying what Configuration Items are in
the environment in order to have a central point of reference for all Configuration Items. Service Manager
does this by using its connector framework. Connectors retrieve Configuration Item information from AD
DS, Operations Manager, Configuration Manager, and other System Center components and store
consolidated details of each Configuration Item in its CMDB. By having a central repository of
Configuration Items, IT staff no longer need to use multiple tools to gather information about the
environment, thereby making the process much easier and quicker.
Monitor and Verify

Best practice guidelines state that data stored in the CMDB should be verified against what is actually in
the environment. In Service Manager, you view the active Configuration Items, meaning that if a
Configuration Item in updated the environment, it is also updated in the CMDB.
Control and Maintain CMDB

Best practice guidelines state that data stored in the CMDB should be maintained and updated as the
environment Changes. Service Manager handles this by scheduling regular synchronization of the data
being collected. When connectors in Service Manager are configured, you specify a schedule, such as daily
or weekly, and a relevant time of the day, such as after a maintenance window. This ensures that the data
in the CMDB is always up to date.
Status Reporting and Verification

Best practice guidelines state that the status for each Configuration Item stored in the database should be
recorded so that when Configuration Items are updated, added, or removed, the CMDB is updated
accordingly. Service Manager handles this process by using a Configuration Item Status attribute for each
Configuration Item stored in the CMDB.
Verify and Audit

Best practice guidelines state that updates to the CMDB should be audited and provide a reporting
mechanism to facilitate configuration audits. Service Manager provides an audit trail for every
Configuration Item record stored in the CMDB. Service Manager also provides a number of built-in
reports such as the Incident details report that provides detailed information about specific Incidents,
including the affected Configuration Item related to them.
Evaluate and Improve Process

Best practice guidelines state that the configuration management process should integrate with other
Service Management processes, thereby improving the overall Service Management environment. In
Service Manager, Configuration Items are accessible from all other process modules and can be associated
with work items such as Problem records and Incidents.
Incident Management in Service Manager Using ITIL and MOF

In the previous topics, Information Technology
Framework, you were shown some of the Incident
Management processes that Information
Technology Infrastructure Library and Microsoft
Operations Framework provide best practice
guidelines for. Here you are shown how these
processes are mapped and used within Service
Manager.
Incident Identification and Logging

Best practice suggests that there should be
methods in place of identifying and logging
Incidents when they occur. This could be simply the process of an end user reporting the Incident to the
Service Desk, for example. The Service Desk operator then gathers the relevant information from the end
user to raise the Incident.
There should, however, be methods in place to automate the generation of Incidents in the Service Desk
when specific issues occur in the environmentfor example, when a business-critical website is no longer
operational. Service Manager provides various methods of identifying and recording Incidents. The
Operations Manager Alert connector, for example, can automatically generate an Incident in Service
Manager. Also, by using an Incident template, many of the fields within the Incident form can be auto-
populated. Incidents can also be logged by using the Service Manager Self-Service Portal or by an end
user sending an email message.
Incident Categorization
Best practice suggests that when Incidents are recorded, there should be the ability to provide a unique
categorization for themfor example, a software problem or a hardware problem. In Service Manager,
when Incidents are created, you can specify the classification category of the Incident. This can then be
used to group or report on Incidents based on category. There are a number of default classification
categories built into Service Manager, and custom categories can also be added for specific categories
relevant to your environment.
Incident Prioritization
Best practice suggests that when Incidents are recoded, there should be the ability to provide a unique
prioritization for them. This should include the ability to record the impact and urgency of the Incident,
which is then used to determine the priority that should be applied when analyzing and resolving the
Incident. For example, an Incident where a managing director of an organization cannot access the
Internet might have an impact rating of Low because it is not directly attributing to loss of business. It
might have an urgency rating of High, however, because the managing director requires access to the
Internet immediately.
Service Manager allows you to configure specific values for the Impact and Urgency fields when
generating Incidents, and then, based on the values set, will return a configurable priority, which can be
used to group and report on specific Incidents in the environment. This can also be used when
configuring views within Service Manager that allow specific operators such as Tier 1 or Tier 2 support
operators to view and work on Incidents that relate to them.
Incident and Investigation Diagnosis

Best practice suggests that when you diagnose an Incident, there should be methods that allow related
Configuration Items or business services have been impacted by the Incident to be associated with the
Incident. For example, when you create an Incident, you need to know if there are any other related
Incidents and what Configuration Items does the Incident relate to, such as the computer and user.
Service Manager provides the ability to link affected Configuration Items as related items to Incidents so
you can view instantly what impact the Incident has in the environment. Other related Incidents can also
be linked, allowing you to group similar Incidents together by using a parent/child-type scenario. This is
useful because when the parent Incident is resolved, Service Manager can automatically resolve the child
Incidents. For example, one parent Incident ticket that details an issue with an Exchange server might have
many child Incident tickets that report loss of email or Outlook issues.
Resolution and Recovery and Incident Closure

When you resolve Incidents, there should be methods in place to record details of how the Incident was
resolved. This might include log files and screenshots, for example, but also might include evidence that
the Incident has been resolved. There should also be a method of creating tasks that relate to the
Incident. For example, an Incident where an end-user cannot log on to her desktop computer might be
diagnosed as her user account being locked. An Incident task would be to unlock the end users user
account.
Service Manager provides the ability to assign activities to an Incident. Activities can be used to run
manual or automated processes, such as unlocking a user account as described earlier. You can also
include the impacted Configuration Items when adding activities to an Incident.
Knowledge Base articles can be added to Incidents in Service Manager that can be used to help diagnose
and resolve Incidents. End users are able to search Knowledge Base articles based on keywords and
comments, for example. This is useful because the Knowledge Base article might enable the end user to fix
the issue himself without the need of logging the Incident with the Service Desk.
When Incidents are resolved in Service Manager, you can add relevant time that analysts or external
sources such as vendors have spent on the Incident, which is useful when data needs to be gathered for
chargeback or SLA reports. The resolution details and resolution category, such as Fixed By Analyst or
Auto Resolved By Problem, can be included when resolving an Incident. If a similar Incident is raised in the
future, these details can be used to troubleshoot and resolve the Incident again, thereby saving time.
After the Incident is resolved in Service Manager it can then be closed. Typically, an Incident is only closed
when the end user who raised the Incident confirms that the Incident has been resolved satisfactorily.
When an Incident is closed, a comment is added that explains why the Incident is being closed. Closed
Incidents cannot be reactivated, whereas resolved Incidents can, so it is important to include as much
detail as possible when you close an Incident.
Change Management in Service Manager Using ITIL and MOF

When Changes need to occur in the IT
environment, there are also recommended best
practice processes and procedures that should be
followed as suggested by Information Technology
Framework. One of the primary goals in Change
Management is to reduce or remove the
possibility of downtime or loss of service during a
Change to the environment. The following
paragraphs describe the suggested processes that
should be adopted when you plan a Change and
how Service Manager applies these processes.
Create and Log the Request For Change

When you create a Request For Change, the Request For Change should record a detailed description of
the Change to be implemented. It should also include the affected items of the Change. For example, if a
software upgrade needs to be applied to an application, the Request For Change should include details of
the software to be upgraded and the computer or computers that it is to be installed on. This might also
include users of the application. If there are default, or common Changes that occur in the environment,
such as provisioning a new user in AD DS, then there should also be the ability to automate many of the
Request For Change fields, thereby reducing time and the possibility of error.
In Service Manager, a Request For Change is managed with a Change Request. Details such as the title
and description of the Change are recorded. Using the CMDB and related items, the Configuration Items
that the Change affects are also included in the Change Request. For standard or common Changes that
occur, Change Request templates can be used to automatically populate the Change Request with
relevant standard details.
Review Request For Change and Assess and Evaluate Change

Before Changes are applied in the environment, they should go through a review process. In this process,
the Change details are reviewed to determine whether any adverse effect could be caused by the Change,
and if so, what are the mitigations and back-out plan should an issue or Problem arise. After the Change
has been evaluated and approved, there should be a method of recording this information in order to
track the Change history, including when and who approved the Change.
Service Manager adopts this process by providing review activities that can be applied to Change
Requests. Review activities allow one or more reviewers to approve or reject the Change Request. When
adding a review activity to a Change Request, you can specify whether reviewers must vote and whether
they have the ability to veto the Change. You can also specify an approval condition such as Percentage
or Unanimous. This is useful because the Unanimous approval can be used when you know that all
reviewers must agree to the Change before it can be implemented. Alternatively the Percentage approval
can be used when two out of five reviewers must agree.
Plan, Update, Investigate, and Diagnose

Before the Change is implemented, if there are any planning activities to be performed, they should be
processed at this stage. For example, it might be that a software upgrade to an application requires that
the software is downloaded from an Internet source and then made available on a network share. Service
Manager manages this again through activities. A review activity can be used to approve or reject
planning activities that need to occur before the Change is implemented.
Coordinate Change Implementation, Review and Close the Change Record, and Post
the Implementation Report
When implementing the Change Request, there should be a method of recording all activities that occur
within the Changefor example, the software upgrade on the computer followed by a restart of the
computer followed by testing that the software upgrade has been applied successfully.
In Service Manager, this process is managed with manual control activities. Manual control activities
include details such as the affected Configuration Items; the activity implementer; the Priority, such as
High; and the stage, such as Develop or Test. When you add manual control activities to a Change
Request, they can be added as a parallel dependent or sequential activity. This means that activities can
be dependent or run at the same time. This is particularly useful when primary activities such as
downloading a software upgrade must be completed before installing the software upgrade, for example.
Approved Change Requests can also be linked with Release records. Release records can then be used to
group multiple Change Requests, schedule them, and deploy them in the most efficient method possible.
After the Change Request has been implemented the Change Requests Completed view in Service
Manager can be used to view details of all completed Changes. Additionally, the List Of Change Requests
report can be used to view the current status of Change Requests, including their category and who they
are assigned to.
Release Management in Service Manager Using ITIL and MOF

The purpose of the Release Management process
is to plan, schedule and control the deployment of
Releases to the IT environment.
Service Manager can control any type of Release
from a development stage through to the final
deployment. At each stage of a Release, Service
Manager provides a platform where you can plan,
manage, schedule and track the status of a
Release. For example, you could use it to
determine the method of an update and when it
will be deployed. If required, you can also attach
approved Change Requests to a Release record.
Successful Release Management enables a solution to be deployed to the IT environment with little or no
downtime. All types of deployments are included, not just the Release of a new solution. In fact, it is
commonly used to deploy updates to increase the stability of a server or environment, in a safe and
structured manner. This provides a level of control to the management of the IT infrastructure, to prevent
dangerous or unplanned Changes from being implemented.
You can also make the manual activities in a Release record dependent on the dependent activities within
a Change Request. The Release record and Change Request then complement each other with the details
of the proposed Change. The Release record is then used to control when the Change is applied. In most
cases, a Release cannot be performed without a Release record and a Change Request.
Creating a Release Record

When planning a deployment into any environment, a Release process is followed. In Service Manager, it
is possible to replicate these business processes by using Activities. Activities denote the different tasks
that are performed in the Release process.
A Release record in Service Manager has been designed to complement the ITIL and MOF methodologies.
When it is created, a Release record captures all of the relevant details of a deployment. Access to the
Release record can be limited to just the people who need it, such as Release Managers and Activity
Implementers. The Release record also includes a Release plan, scope, impact and risk.
The Scope of the Release

The scope of the Release is determined by what is being Released, the infrastructure it involves and the IT
environment effected. For example, an application update for all web servers in the production
environment. The Content Management Database (CMDB) will contain the components and
environments to be included in the scope of the Release.
In Service Manager, a Release record can be amended to attach Configuration Items (CI). This could
include individual computers, components of a computer or a complete business service. This creates a
Release package that provides the person implementing the solution with a clear insight into the
environment being modified.
Defining and Prioritizing a Release

Defining a Release record includes naming it, determining the sequence of deployment events and
making someone responsible for the Release. After defining and scoping a Release, enough knowledge is
captured to set a time to the Release such as Immediate.
In most cases, each Change Request will have a separate Release record. This makes defining a Release
simple and provides a structure to a project that has many Releases, in order to minimize the risk to
business critical environments. However, it is acceptable to use multiple Change Requests within a single
Release record. This could include multiple updates for an application that spans multiple servers.
In Service Manager, you can define and prioritize a Release by changing the properties of a Release
record. Properties include:
Impact (e.g. Standard, Significant or Major)
Risk (e.g. High, Medium and Low)
Priority (e.g. High, Medium and Low)
Description
Type (e.g. Planned and Unplanned)
Category (e.g. Project or Fix)
Scheduling a Release
Once the planning and change has been agreed, the Release needs to be scheduled. This involves
assigning the Release activities to an activity implementer, which includes a scheduled start date, start
time and the finish time when the activity should be completed.
Typically in a large project, each activity will be assigned a duration to ensure the project runs on
schedule.
This can be achieved in Service Manager by editing the Release records. The overall Release schedule can
be set. You can also set the schedules for individual activities that form part of the deployment process.
Problem Management in Service Manager Using ITIL and MOF

Problem Management is the process responsible
for managing Problems that arise in the IT
environment. Typically, Problems are created when
multiple Incidents relating to a single issue are
identified in a short space of time or an issue is too
complex to be defined as an Incident. Problem
Management is positioned in the Operate phase in
MOF.
Problem Management initially requires a Problem
analyst to identify a Problem with an IT service or
system and then record the event, operation and
Incident data. The Problem will then be researched
using multiple sources such as Problem analysis techniques or published sources to identify the root
cause. Once the root cause has been established, a fix or workaround can be developed. The fix or
workaround can be researched and used if the source is trusted such as, Knowledge Base articles.
Problem Management covers the following processes:
Document a Problem
Filter a Problem
Research a Problem
Research an outcome to the Problem
Document the Problem

Once a Problem has been identified, it needs to be documented. You will need to:
Classify it (for example, by setting a category)
Prioritize it (for example, by setting the impact and urgency)
Assign the affected components (for example, to an IT service or individual computer)
In order to document a Problem in Service Manager, you will need to create a Problem record and then
add all of the Problem data to it. The Problem record can be classified and prioritized and the relevant
Configuration Items can be assigned. Any new Incidents that are related to the Problem can also be
assigned.
Filter the Problem

Depending on the priority and classification of the Problem, a filter may need to be applied. The two
outcomes from the filter as defined in MOF are, pursue solving the issue relating to the Problem or dont
pursue the issue relating to the Problem. The decision will be based on:
Importance of finding the fix or workaround
The time it will take to investigate and implement the fix or workaround
The business justification
Service Manager will help the Problem analyst through the filter stage by:
Providing data from the Problem record
Providing access to an internal Knowledge Base where a fix may be present
Investigating Configuration Items to determine if a fix is a worthwhile task. For example, discovering a
Problem on an old server that is scheduled to be decommissioned.
Research the Problem

If the Problem is taken on, the research into the Problem must include:
Recreating the issue, if possible, in a test environment
Researching internal and external sources for workaround and fixes. For example, the organizations
internal Knowledge Base or the internet.
Performing a root cause analysis
Noting the symptoms and recording the observations
These research methods can be used in conjunction and can be repeated until the workaround or fix is
discovered for the Problem. Working through possible fixes and workarounds systematically eliminates
multiple variables obscuring the root cause.
Problem Management in Service Manager helps the Problem analyst to determine a root cause. The
internal Knowledge Base may contain a fix or workaround previously used for a similar Problem. It allows
the Problem analyst to make notes in a Problem record in order to track symptoms. Notes can also be left
for other Problem analysts in the organization. For example, if the Problem cannot be fixed by a tier one
analyst, they could leave a note to aid the tier three analyst.
Research the Outcome

After a Problem fix or workaround has been discovered, a decision needs to be made on implementation.
Either react or research another fix or workaround. If an outcome becomes difficult to find, re-evaluate
the Problem and establish a more achievable outcome. If a fix or workaround has been identified, then
Service Manager will help the Problem analyst move the Problem record into a Change Management
scenario. Details of the fix or workaround will have been captured in the Problem record.
Service Request Fulfillment in Service Manager Using ITIL and MOF

Service Request Fulfillment is part of the Customer
Service Service Management function. From an
end-user perspective, this includes ensuring that
Service Requests are fulfilled in a timely and
efficient manner.
Managing Service Requests is the primary function
of Service Request Fulfillment. Service Requests are
repeatable end user requests for a particular IT
service, such as new software or resetting a
password. A Service Request has to be a proven
process that has been performed successfully
many times, that is repeatable and pre-approved.
In Service Manager, Request Offerings are used to fulfill Service Requests. Request offerings are available
from the self-service portal accessed by the end users. This removes some telephone and email
correspondence from the IT Service Desk and it allows the end user control of the process. This means the
IT Service Desk can operate in a more effective manner and that the complexities of IT have been
simplified for the end user.
Creating and Recording a Service Request

When an end user wants to submit a Service Request to the IT service desk, they can do so either by
telephone or the self-service portal. If a Service Request is not created in the self-service portal, then a
Service Request analysis will need to record the Service Request and end user details. The analyst should
check if the request is possible and then categorize the request. Typically, a courteous automated email is
sent to inform the affected end user that the Service Request has been acknowledged.
If the end user did not use the self-service method, then the analyst can create a new Service Request via
the Service Manager console. When end users create a Service Request in the self-service portal, the
Service Request will be generated by the portal. The self-service portal is setup to capture details from the
end user that are recorded in the Service Request.
Resolving a Service Request

Resolving a Service Request can be actioned in different ways depending on the category. The different
categories may be:
Information Request (such as requesting information about an IT process or service)
Service Fulfillment Request (such as requesting that an application is added to an Active Directory
group)
New Service Request (such as requesting that a new application is deployed to a users desktop)
Resolving a request can be performed by manual tasks, automation or a combination of both. For
example, if a user requests new software, then the Service Request analyst has to manually check if
software licenses are available. When this has been done, the process triggers a task that automates the
deployment of the software to the users desktop.
Service Manager can resolve Service Requests in a manual or automated manner. When creating Service
Requests, the business process of how a Service Request is completed is captured in a template. This
makes any Service Request repeatable with very little risk to the environment. The process is actioned by
manual and runbook automated activities. As one activity is completed the next one is set in progress. For
example, after approval has been gained for a request, Service Manager will trigger an automated
workflow that will deploy the software to a users desktop without any manual intervention.
Confirming a Successful Request

Before closing a resolved Service Request, confirmation from the end user is required. Typically, this is by
email or telephone. Once confirmation has been received that the Service Request has been resolved, the
Service Request can be closed.
Service Manager tracks the status of every Service Request and allows a Service Request analyst to see the
progress of every activity. Automatic closure of resolved Service Requests is also possible.
Service Level Management in Service Manager Using ITIL and MOF

Service Level Management is responsible for
controlling the expectations of the organization
regarding the delivery and enhancements of IT
services. It ensures that the continuing
requirements and communication between the
organization and IT is proactively managed.
Service Level Management can also be used to set
expectations of external IT and customers.
Service levels are commonly set against Incidents
and Service Requests to measure the resolution
time, based on priority. This gives external and
internal users of the IT Service Desk an expectation
of when the item will be complete. Service Manager allows operators to set Service Level Agreements in
order to provide users with this information.
Setting Calendars and Holidays

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) list the operational hours of the IT Service Desk in order to set the agreed
time in which an Incident or Service Request must be resolved. For example, the SLA may state that a
priority three Incident must be fixed within four days. In which case, an Incident created on Friday must be
fixed by the following Wednesday, because the calendar attached to the SLA states that the working
hours are between Monday and Friday. You can also exclude particular dates from the SLA, such as
religious holidays.
Set Timings
Timings are set to control when the SLA starts and when the countdown is stopped. The SLA is started
when an Incident is created and stopped when an Incident is resolved. In Service Manager, this is known
as a Metric.
Service level Objectives

A Service Level Objective combines the parts that are needed to create a SLA. The three parts are:
Calendar
Metric
Queue
A queue is a method of grouping items together based on its properties. For example, if an SLA states
that priority 1 Incidents should be resolved in four hours, then a queue is created to apply the SLA only to
priority 1 Incidents.
Question: How is Incident prioritization managed in Service Manager?
Lesson 5
Aligning IT Service Management Requirements to Service
Manager
As the IT Administrator for Contoso you need to ensure that the proposed Service Management solution
fits the business and technical requirements of the organization. You already adopt many ITIL and MOF
best practices such as Change Management and Incident Management and need to know if System
Center 2012 R2 Service Manager can be used to build on these practices by providing the automation,
workflow management and reporting features that you currently do not have the ability to use.
Lesson Objectives
Map the key IT Service Management requirements to Service Manager.
Map Contosos IT Processes to ITIL, MOF and Service Manager

Contoso has set forth strategic objectives that
include optimizing its current datacenter by
moving to a hybrid cloud model that will deliver
end-to-end automation and control, service
catalog and self service provisioning underpinned
with elasticated resource allocation and
chargeback reporting.
Contoso wish to implement MOF/ITIL best
practices for delivering IT which entails the
creation of Incident, Change, Release and Problem
Management teams. Contoso has chosen System
Center 2012 R2 Service Manager as the tool to be
used by these teams.
Contosos two key line-of-business applications, StockTrader and DinnerNow, have been identified as the
first applications to be on boarded into the Service Management tool.
You have been tasked with delivering a customized solution to help achieve the following goals:
A highly available and resilient System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Infrastructure that is
integrated with the other System Center components.
An automatically populated CMDB that is connected to the hybrid cloud infrastructure.
An enhanced alert lifecycle management process by connecting monitoring to the Service
Management platform.
The 24x7 service desk team requires a tool for creating, escalating and resolving Incidents.
Better root cause analysis through effective Problem Management.
A controlled Release and Change Management process including automatic approval workflows and
automated actions.
End User self-service capability with knowledge management and email integration to reduce the
number of telephone calls to the service desk.
Automated self-service resource provisioning for the hybrid cloud.
Service Level Management, charge back and self-service reporting.

Extending Service Management by customizing the platform to meet the businesss needs.
Module Review and Takeaways

Review Question(s)
Question: How does Service Manager manage Incident categorization?
Real-world Issues and Scenarios

Before you start to plan your Service Manager deployment, you should have a basic understanding of the
processes and procedures as defined in Microsoft Operations Framework and Information Technology
Infrastructure Library. To learn more about Microsoft Operations Framework, you can go here:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=390245.
2-1
Module 2
Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
Contents:
Module Overview 2-1
Lesson 1: System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Architecture and Core
Components 2-3
Lesson 2: Hardware, Software and Security Requirements 2-9
Lesson 3: Planning and Sizing a System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
Deployment 2-22
Lesson 4: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager 2-32
Lesson 5: Installing and Configuring the Service Manager Self-Service Portal 2-39
Lesson 6: Overview of the Service Manager Console 2-48
Lesson 7: Upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager 2-57
Lab A: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager 2-67
Lab B: Upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager 2-78
Module Overview
Before you install Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager in any environment, there are many
factors that you need to consider. First, you need to understand your current IT environment. This
includes how many users and computers are in the environment, how many work items such as Incidents
and Change Requests are created on a weekly or monthly basis, and how many analysts will be using the
Service Manager console. This information is critical in planning a successful deployment of Service
Manager, because it will be used to determine the hardware required for the various Service Manager
components.
Service Manager relies on Microsoft SQL Server to store its operational and Data Warehouse databases, so
careful consideration should also be given to the configuration of SQL Server when deploying Service
Manager. This includes the disk subsystem, memory, and database collation.
In this module, you will learn about the key components and architecture of Service Manager, including
the hardware and software requirements. You will also learn about the security requirements and
considerations that should be taken into account before, during and after deploying Service Manager.
You will learn how to install the various components of Service Manager, including where components
can and cannot be shared on the same computer.
Finally, you will learn how to upgrade an existing System Center Service Manager 2010 environment to
System Center 2012 Service Manager.
2-2 Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
Objectives
Describe System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager architecture and core components.
Describe the Hardware, Software and Security requirements of System Center 2012 R2 Service
manager.
Plan and size a System Center 2012 R2 deployment.
Install System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager.
Install and configure the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
Use the Service Manager Console to confirm a successful deployment.
Upgrade Service Manager 2010 to System Center 2012 Service Manager.
Lesson 1
System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Architecture and
Core Components
A Service Manager deployment is comprised of five core components. Each component must be installed
on a domain-joined computer.
Before installing the Service Manager components, it is important to understand their functions and how
they communicate with each other. As this will help you both plan and troubleshoot a Service Manager
deployment.
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to describe the architecture and core components of:
Service Manager Management server
The Service Manager databases
Data Warehouse Management server
Service Manager console
Self-Service Portal
Service Manager Management Server

The Management server is the first component
that is deployed when Service Manager is installed.
The Management server manages work items such
as Changes and Incidents and also provides
management of users and tasks in Service
Manager. It has a direct connection to the Service
Manager database and the Data Warehouse
Management server and also provides a
connection point for the Service Manager console.
After it is installed, the Management server hosts
three Windows Services, as described in the
following table.
Service Manager
Management server Description
service name
Microsoft Monitoring The Microsoft Monitoring Agent service runs workflows that are defined by
Agent Management Packs and also monitors the health of the Management
server.
System Center Data The System Center Data Access Service provides the connection point to
Access Service the Service Manager database for the Service Manager console and Service
Manager connectors.
System Center The System Center Management Configuration Service provides

Management configuration settings for all Management servers in a Management Group
Configuration and provides the configuration for workflows that run in Service Manager.
As mentioned in the table, the Management server also manages connectors to other System Center 2012
R2 components. This provides the ability for Service Manager to import and synchronize objects from
other System Center 2012 R2 components. including:
System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager
System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator
System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Manager
Additionally, the Active Directory and Exchange connectors are managed by the Management server.
Service Manager connectors are covered in detail later in this course.
Multiple Management servers can be utilized in Service Manager. This approach provides several benefits,
including:
Load balancing.
An increased number of console connections.
Improved performance.
Disaster recovery.
When installing the first Management server in Service Manager, you are prompted for a Management
Group name. The Service Manager Management Group name has to be unique and cannot be changed
once the installation is complete. The Management group can be considered as a logical entity. The
settings, configuration and security roles apply to all Management servers in the same Management
group. The Management group defines the Management server and its associated databases.
For more information about the Service Manager parts, go to the following website.
System Center 2012 - Service Manager Parts
Service Manager Database and Data Warehouse Databases

Service Manager relies on SQL Server to host its
databases. When you install the first Management
server, the Service Manager database is created for
you. The default name of the database is
ServiceManager. The Service Manager database
stores data relating to the various work items such
as Incidents, Problems, and Change Requests. It
also stores data relating to configuration items
such as Windows-based computers, users, and
groups. Additionally, it stores the configuration of
Service Manager itself, such as the names of the
Management server computers and the
Management Packs that have been imported.
If the Service Manager Data Warehouse is installed, there are several additional databases that Service
Manager uses to store data for reporting and analysis purposes. The Data Warehouse databases are
created when the Service Manager Data Warehouse Management server is installed. They include the
following databases.
Data Warehouse
Description
database name
DWStagingAndConfig These first three databases make up the Data Warehouse database. They
store data in different stages of manipulation to prepare the data for
DWRepository reports in Service Manager. Data is manipulated in the Data Warehouse
through Service Manager jobs, as follows:
DWDataMart The Extract job extracts data from the Service Manager database and
writes it to the DWStagingAndConfig database. Each time the job runs, it
extracts the delta from its previous run. This helps minimize the jobs run-
time. There are two extract jobs that run, one for the Service Manager
Management Group and one for the Data Warehouse Management
Group. By default, this job runs every five minutes.
The Transform job takes raw data from the DWStagingAndConfig
database and applies reformatting, aggregation, and cleansing to the data
and then stores the transformed data in the DWRepository database. By
default, this job runs every ten minutes.
The Load job queries data in the DWRepository database and then inserts
the data into the DWDataMart database. The DWDataMart database is
where all Service Manager reports obtain their data. By default, this job
runs every hour.
DWASDatabase The DWASDatabase is used to store online analytical processing (OLAP)

cube data that is used for data mining in Service Manager with SQL Server
Analysis Services.
OMDWDataMart The OMDWDataMart database is used to store data from Operations

Manager.
CMDWDataMart The CMDWDataMart database is used to store data from Configuration

Manager.
For more information about the databases created by Service Manager, go to the following website:
Databases Created by System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Data Warehouse Management Server

The Data Warehouse Management server runs the
Extract, Transform, and Load jobs as described in
the Service Manager databases topic. These jobs
(or processes) extract data from the Service
Manager database and make it available in the
Data Warehouse databases. Additionally, the Data
Warehouse Management server is responsible for
grooming data from the Data Warehouse
databases.
During the installation of the Data Warehouse
Management server, you specify the SQL Server
database server where the DWStagingAndConfig,
DWRepository, and DWDataMart databases should be created. The OMDWDataMart and
CMDWDataMart databases are also created during the installation of the Data Warehouse Management
server. You can choose a different SQL Server database server for these two databases, which can be
useful when you are deploying Service Manager in a large enterprise when large amounts of data will be
collected and managed. By splitting the Data Warehouse databases and Data Warehouse datamarts, you
can improve performance of the Service Manager environment.
As you do when installing the Management server, you also specify a Data Warehouse Management
Group name when installing the Data Warehouse Management server. The name specified here must be
unique and cannot be the same Management Group name specified when you installed the Management
server, nor can it be the same name as any other Data Warehouse Management Group.
The Data Warehouse Management Group defines the Data Warehouse Management server and its
associated Data Warehouse databases.
After the Data Warehouse Management server is installed, the Service Manager Management Group is
then registered to the Data Warehouse Management Group. In large environments, multiple Service
Manager Management Groups can be created and registered with a single Data Warehouse Management
Group. This can be useful where management between departments or business units needs to be kept
separate. For example, each business unit can have a separate Service Manager Management Group that
is used to manage its own environment, but reporting can be shared across the whole organization.
Service Manager Console

The Service Manager console provides the
interface into Service Manager. Operators use the
various functions, such as Incident Management,
Problem Management, and Change Management
in the Service Manager console. The Service
Manager console is automatically installed when a
Service Manager Management server is installed,
but it can also be installed as a separate entity on
computers where administration of Service
Manager is required.
When you are logged onto the Service Manager
console as a Service Manager administrator, full
access to all of the Service Manager functions becomes available. The following table describes some of
the more common functions used within the six workspaces of the Service Manager console.
Workspace
Common functions
name
Administration From the Administration workspace, you can configure several Service Manager
settings, such as data retention settings that define how long data should be
kept in the Service Manager database before it is groomed (removed).
Connectors to other System Center 2012 components are also created from here.
Management Packs can also be imported and deleted. In the Security node, user
roles can be configured; these are used to control access to Service Manager.
Library From the Library workspace, you can configure templates for managing work
items such as Incidents and Change Requests. You can also create request and
service offerings from here; these can be used to provide pre-authorized services
(such as Incident Requests) to end users. Queues can also be created here; these
can be used to group similar work items, such as all Incidents with a high priority.
Work Items From the Work Items workspace, you manage most of the IT Service
Management processes, such as Incident Management, Problem Management,
and Release Management. For example, from the Incident Management node
you can view, create, assign, and modify Incidents. Incidents can also be resolved,
closed, and activated from here.
Configuration Configuration items in Service Manager are used to store information about the
Items environment in which Service Manager is running, such as the users, computers,
groups, software, and software update configuration items. Configuration Items
are used when creating work items such as Incidents. When creating an incident,
you include configuration items such as the user it is assigned to, the computers
and users that are affected by the incident, and the software that the incident
relates to. You can view and edit configuration items from here. When Service
Manager connectors are created, the objects that are synchronized with Service
Manager can be seen and edited as configuration items here. Additionally, you
can manually create configuration items such as a software item or a business
service.
Data From the Data Warehouse workspace, you can manage the Data Warehouse jobs
Warehouse such as the Extract, Transform, and Load jobs that were discussed earlier. You can
view the status of these jobs and modify the schedule in which they run. You can
also manage the OLAP cubes and create Analysis Library folders where data
mining reports can be shared.
Reporting From the Reporting workspace, you can run several reports, including Incident
Management, Problem Management, and Release Management reports. For
example, the Incident Details report provides information relating to a specific
Incident, including the title, description, classification, affected services, affected
configuration items, and related activities.
Although this is covered in greater detail later in this course, it should be noted that access to the Service
Manager console is scoped based on user role membership. For example, opening the console by using a
user account that is a member of the Administrators user role provides access to all workspaces in the
console. Opening the console by using a user account that is a member of the Incident Resolvers user role
makes only the Work Items, Configuration Items, and Reporting workspaces available. This is because an
Incident Resolver does not need the ability to administer the Service Manager environment, so
workspaces that include the ability to use the administrative functions are removed.
Service Manager Self-Service Portal

The Self-Service Portal provides web-based access
to features of Service Manager and consists of two
elements:
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Website

The SharePoint 2010 website is accompanied by
several applications that are built on Microsoft
Silverlight.
Web Content Server

The web content server is a web application that
runs on Internet Information Services. It provides
the link between the Silverlight applications and
the Service Manager database. By using the Self-Service Portal, users can access request and service
offerings that have been published in Service Manager. For example, when the Self-Service Portal is
installed, there is a Generic Incident Request offering that is automatically published to the portal. By
selecting the request, users can submit an Incident and include details such as the title, description,
category, and priority of the incident. After submitting the request, the user is given an incident request
(IR) number that can then be used to reference the request when contacting the helpdesk.
When an analyst opens the Service Manager console, the Incident can then be viewed in the All Incidents
view of the Work Items pane. More typically, however, a view that is scoped to display only Incidents
relevant to the analyst is used, such as the Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 view. As the analyst works on the
incident, he or she can update the action log and include details that the user can view in the portal. This
is useful because it provides a log history of actions performed when resolving Incidents, and it also keeps
the user who logged the incident updated. The user can also update the Incident from the portal by using
the User Input option. This updates the Incidents log entry in the Service Manager console so that the
analyst working on the Incident can also view the update.
When the analyst fixes the issue, he or she resolves the Incident in the Service Manager console, which
automatically resolves the Incident in the portal. The analyst can also add a comment when resolving the
Incident, which can also be viewed by the user in the portal.
Access to request and service offerings in the portal is controlled through the Service Manager user roles
and catalog item groups. By default, authenticated users are made members of the End Users user role in
Service Manager. This user role by default also has access to the Generic Incident Request catalog group.
The Generic Incident Request catalog items group contains the Generic Incident Request.
By using a combination of catalog item groups and user roles in Service Manager, you can restrict what
services are made available to end users of the Self-Service Portal.
For more information about the Self-Service Portal for Service Manager, go to the following website:
Self-Service Portal for System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Question: What are the three data warehouse jobs that take data from the Service Manager
database and make it available in the Data Warehouse database for reporting purposes?
Lesson 2
Hardware, Software and Security Requirements
There are many scenarios in which Service Manager can be deployed. You should be aware of the
minimum hardware and software requirements of each Service Manager component for the environment
you will be deploying to (for example, development or production). In a development or test
environment, for instance, you might decide to host all Service Manager components on virtual machines.
This will allow you to deploy Service Manager much more quickly and will involve less administrative
overhead when you are managing it. In a production environment, however, you might decide to adopt
physical machines to host all or some of the Service Manager components. When you are using physical
machines, it becomes more important to understand both the minimum and recommended hardware
requirements, because upgrading a physical machine with disk, CPU, and memory resources is much more
costly and time consuming than performing the same procedure on a virtual machine. In large
organizations where there are thousands or tens of thousands of users, it is also important to understand
how Service Manager can be scaled to manage environments of this size.
Before installing Service Manager, you will need to be aware of the security requirements, such as the
accounts and permissions required to install Service Manager and to register the Data Warehouse
Management Group for reporting and analysis.
To host Service Manager Management Group or Data Warehouse Management Group components on a
separate network secured by a firewall, you will need to know which TCP/IP ports should be opened so
that Service Manager components can communicate and also the direction the data will travel through
the firewall.
For more information about the hardware requirements for Service Manager, go to the following website:
Hardware Requirements for System Center 2012 - Service Manager
For more information about the software requirements for Service Manager, go to the following website:
Software Requirements for System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to describe the hardware and software requirements of
the:
Management server
Service Manager Database server
Service Manager Data Warehouse database server
Service Manager console
Self-Service Portal Web Content server
Self-Service Portal SharePoint Web Parts
Describe the security accounts used by Service Manager
Describe the security account requirements for Service Manager connectors
Describe the communication ports used by Service Manager
Management Server Hardware and Software Requirements

The minimum hardware and software
requirements for a Service Manager Management
server are as follows.
Hardware Requirements
Management server hardware Requirement
Processor 4-core, 2.66-gigahertz (GHz), 64-bit CPU
Memory 8 gigabytes (GB)
Disk 10 GB of available disk space
Software Requirements
Management server software Requirement
Operating system The Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system

with Service Pack 1 (SP1) Standard, Enterprise, or
Datacenter
or
The Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server
2012 R2 Standard or Datacenter operating
system
or
A Server Core installation of Windows Server
2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2 (Standard or
Datacenter)
Additional software requirements ADO.NET Data Services Update for Microsoft

.NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1) for
SQL Server 2008 R2 Native Client or SQL Server
2012 Native Client
Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable
Data Warehouse Management Server Hardware and Software

Requirements
requirements for a Service Manager Data
Warehouse Management server are as follows.

Requirement
hardware
Processor 4-core, 2.66-GHz, 64-bit CPU
Memory 8 GB (if the Data Warehouse Management

Group and SQL Server Analysis Services are
installed on the same computer, then 16 GB
of RAM is required)
Requirement
software
Operating system Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Standard,

Enterprise, or Datacenter
or
Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server
2012 R2 Standard or Datacenter
or
A Server Core installation of Windows
Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2
(Standard or Datacenter)
Additional software requirements SQL Server 2008 R2 Native Client or SQL

Server 2012 Native Client
Service Manager Database Server Hardware and Software Requirements

requirements for the Service Manager database
server are as follows.
Database server hardware Requirement
Processor 8-core, 2.66-GHz CPU
Memory 8 GB of RAM for 20,000 users, 32 GB of RAM for 50,000

users

RAID Level 1 or Level 10 drive
Database server software Requirement
Operating system Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Standard, Enterprise, or

Datacenter
or
Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2
Standard or Datacenter
or
A Server Core installation of Windows Server 2012 or
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Standard or Datacenter)
SQL Server SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 Standard or Datacenter

or
SQL Server 2008 R2 SP2 Standard or Datacenter
or
SQL Server 2012 Enterprise or Standard (64-bit)
or
SQL Server 2012 SP1 Enterprise or Standard (64-bit)
SQL Server Collation The SQL Server collation settings should be configured in
accordance with the supported languages in your
environment. For more information on SQL Server collation
settings for Service manager visit the following website.
Language Support for System Center 2012 -
Service Manager
Database server software Requirement
Additional software requirements SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)

The SQL Server and Analysis Services collation settings
must be the same for the computers hosting the Service
Manager database, Data Warehouse database, analysis
services database, and Reporting Services database.
SQL Server 2012 Analysis Management Objects
Service Manager Data Warehouse Database Server Hardware and Software

Requirements
requirements for the Service Manager Data
Warehouse database server are as follows.
Data Warehouse database server

Requirement
hardware
Memory 8 GB of RAM for 20,000 users, 32 GB of RAM for

50,000 users

RAID Level 1 or Level (1+0) drive
Requirement
software
Operating system Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Standard,

Enterprise, or Datacenter
or
Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012
R2 Standard or Datacenter
or
A Server Core installation of Windows Server
2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2 (Standard or
Datacenter)
SQL Server SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 Standard or Datacenter

or

Requirement
software
SQL Server 2008 R2 SP2 Standard or Datacenter
or
SQL Server 2012 Enterprise or Standard (64-bit)
or
SQL Server 2012 SP1 Enterprise or Standard
(64-bit)
SQL Server Collation The SQL Server collation settings should be

configured in accordance with the supported
languages in your environment. For more
information on SQL Server collation settings for
Service manager visit the following website.
Language Support for System Center
2012 - Service Manager
Additional Software Requirements SSRS

The SQL Server and Analysis Services collation
settings must be the same for the computers
hosting the Service Manager database, Data
Warehouse database, Analysis Services
database, and Reporting Services database.
SQL Server 2012 Analysis Management Objects
Service Manager Console Hardware and Software Requirements

requirements for the Service Manager console are
as follows.
Service Manager console hardware Requirement
Memory 4 GB of RAM

Service Manager console software Requirement
Operating system Windows 7

or
Windows 8
or
Windows 8.1
or
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
or
Windows Server 2012
or
Additional software requirements Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable

Microsoft Excel 2007 or later installed in
order to view OLAP data cubes
ADO.NET Data Services Update for .NET
Framework 3.5 SP1 for Windows Server
2008 R2
SQL Server 2012 Analysis Management
Objects
Self-Service Portal Web Content Server Hardware and Software

Requirements
requirements for the Self-Service Portal web
content server are as follows.
Self-Service Portal web content server

Requirement
hardware
Memory 16 GB of RAM for 20,000 users, 32 GB of

RAM for 50,000 users
Disk 80 GB of available hard disk space

Self-Service Portal web content server
Requirement
software
Operating system Windows Server 2008 R2 (with or without

SP1) Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter
or
Windows Server 2012 Standard or
Datacenter
or
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or
Datacenter
Additional software requirements Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)

7 with IIS 6 metabase compatibility installed
SQL Server 2012 Analysis Management
Objects
Self-Service Portal SharePoint Web Parts Hardware and Software

Requirements
requirements for the Self-Service Portal SharePoint
Web Parts are as follows.

Requirement
hardware
Memory 16 GB of RAM for 20,000 users, 32 GB of RAM

for 50,000 users
Disk 80 GB of available hard disk space
Requirement
software
Operating system Windows Server 2008 R2 (with or without SP1)

Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter
or
Windows Server 2012Standard or Datacenter

Requirement
software
or
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or
Datacenter
Other software requirements Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010

or
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
or
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for Internet Sites,
Enterprise
If your Service Manager database uses SQL
Server 2012, then you must have Service Pack
1 applied to your SharePoint 2010 installation.
Service Manager Security Accounts

During the installation of Service Manager, you are
required to enter the credentials for many security
accounts that are used by the various Service
Manager components. This includes securing
administrative access to the Service Manager
console. Detailed in the following table is a
description of security accounts that are required
when the Service Manager Management server is
installed, the permissions they require, and how
they are used in Service Manager.
Service Manager Management Server

Security Accounts
Account Permissions required Used in Service Manager for
Management Must be a domain user or a This account or group is added to the

Group domain group. The account Service Manager Administrators user role
Administrators used to install Service Manager and controls who has administrative access
is automatically added to the to the Service Manager console.
group specified here.
Service Manager Must be a domain user. The This is account is used as the Service
Services account account specified here must be Manager Operational Database account.
a member of the local The System Center Data Access Service and
administrators group on the System Center Management Configuration
computer hosting the service are configured to log on with this
Management server. account.
This account is made a member of the
sdk_users and configsvc_users database
roles for the Service Manager database.
Service Manager Must be a domain user. Must This account is used to run Service
also be a member of the local Manager workflows such as the New

Workflow account users group. If e-mail Service Request workflow. The account is
notifications are to be used in automatically added to the Service
Service Manager, then this Manager Workflows user role.
account must be mail enabled
and have an associated Simple
Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
mailbox. Additionally for e-mail
notification, this account must
be made a member of the
Administrators user role in
Service Manager.
When the Service Manager Data Warehouse Management server is installed, the following security
accounts are also used.
Service Manager Data Warehouse Management Server Security Accounts

Management Group Must be a domain user This account or group is added to the
Administrators or a domain group. Service Manager Data Warehouse
Administrators user role. As best practice,
this domain user or group is the same user
or group used when installing the Service
Manager Management Server.
Service Manager Services Must be a domain user. This account is used as the Data
account The account specified Warehouse System Run As account.
here must be a member This account is assigned to the software
of the local development kit (SDK) Service account and
administrators group on the Config account.
the computer hosting
The account is added as a member of the
the Data Warehouse
sdk_users and configsvc_users database
Management server. It
roles for the DWDataMart database.
must be the same
account that was The account is added as a member of the
specified as the Service db_datareader database role for the
Manager Services DWRepository database.
account when the The account is added as a member of the
Management server was configsvc_users database role for the
installed. Service Manager database.
Reporting account Must be a domain This account is used to retrieve data from
account. the DWDataMart database for reporting.
The account is added as a member to the
db_datareader database role for the
DWDataMart database.
The account is added as a member of the
reportuser database role for the
DWDatamart database.
Registering the Data Warehouse Management Group

After you have installed the Data Warehouse Management server, the Service Manager Management
Group must be registered with the Data Warehouse Management Group. The account used to register the
Management Groups must be a member of the Administrators user role in both Management Groups and
must be a member of the local administrators group on the Data Warehouse Management server.
Security Account Requirements for Connectors

For Service Manager to be able to connect to
other System Center 2012 components and import
data for its configuration items, the relevant
connector must be configured with necessary
credentials. This configuration typically requires a
Run As account when the connector is created in
Service Manager.
The following table lists each Service Manager
connector and includes the permissions that the
Run As account needs so that it can import data
from the connected component. The Active
Directory Connector is also included here for
completeness.
Service Manager connector Permissions required
Active Directory Must be a member of the local users group on the Service Manager
Management server.
Must have permissions to bind to the Active Directory controller that
it will use to import data from.
Must have Read permission on the objects in Active Directory Domain
Services (AD DS), such as users, computers, groups, and printers.
Must be a member of the Advanced Operator user role in Service
Manager.
Configuration Manager Must be a domain account.

Must be a member of the local users group on the Service Manager
Management server.
Must be a member of the smsdbrole_extract and db_datareader roles
on the System Center Configuration Manager database.
Manager.
Operations Manager Alert Must be a domain account.

Must be a member of the local users group on the Service Manager
Management server.
Must be an Operations Manager Administrator.
Manager.
Operations Manager Must be a domain account.

Configuration Item Must be a member of the local users group on the Service Manager
Management server.
Must be an Operations Manager Operator.
Manager.
Orchestrator Must have Read and List permissions to the root Runbook folder and
all child objects in Orchestrator.
Must have the Publish permission to the root Runbook folder and all
child objects in Orchestrator.
Service Manager connector Permissions required
Virtual Machine Manager Must be a member of the local administrators group on the Virtual
Machine Manager server.
Must be a member of the Administrators role in Virtual Machine
Manager.
Must be a member of the Advance Operator role in Service Manager.
Note that as a best practice, a different account should be used for each connector. This ensures that a
separate process is created for each connector when it is used. Using the same account for multiple
connectors will result in a single process being created, which can cause performance-related issues.
For more information about accounts required during setup, go to the following website:
Accounts Required During Setup
Service Manager Communication Ports

In order to ensure that data communication can
flow between the various Service Manager
components, it is important that the relevant
TCP/IP ports be open on the computers that host
each component. The following table details each
port, including the direction of data flow between
each Service Manager component.
Service Manager Port Assignments

Service Manager
TCP Port and direction Service Manager component
component
Service Manager console 5724 ---> Service Manager Management

server
Service Manager console 5724 ---> Data Warehouse Management

server
Service Manager 1433 ---> Remote Service Manager

Management server database
Service Manager 5724 ---> Data Warehouse server

Management server
Service Manager 5724 ---> Operations Manager Alert and

Management server CI connectors
Service Manager 389 ---> Active Directory connector

Management server
Service Manager 1433 ---> Configuration Manager

Management server connector
Service Manager
TCP Port and direction Service Manager component
component
Data Warehouse 1433 ---> Remote Data Warehouse

Management server database server
Data Warehouse 1433 ---> Remote Service Manager

Management server database server
Data Warehouse 2383 ---> SQL Server Analysis Services

Management server
SQL Server Reporting 1433 ---> Remote Data Warehouse

Services server database server
Web browser 80 ---> SSRS
Web browser [Configured during SharePoint Web Parts server

setup]
--->
Web browser [Configured during Web Content Server

setup]
--->
Web Content Server 1433 ---> Service Manager database
For more information about the port assignments for Service Manager, go to the following website:
Port Assignments for System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Question: What are the security requirements of the account used to register the Service
Manager Data Warehouse Management Group with the Service Manager Management
Group?
Statement Answer
The Service Manager console cannot be installed on a computer running the

Windows 7 operating system.
Lesson 3
Planning and Sizing a System Center 2012 R2 Service
Manager Deployment
To ensure Service Manager can manage and scale service management needs of your organization, you
will need to plan and size the deployment accordingly.
There are several factors that should be considered when planning a Service Manager deployment, these
include the number of users and computers to be supported in the environment and an estimation of the
Incidents and Changes requests that may be generated. Additionally, if you plan to offer service request
fulfillment for your end-users you must have an understanding of the number of service requests you
expect to receive. These factors will impact the sizing of the Service Manager databases and hardware
required to run the Service Manager components.
In this lesson you will learn about the key factors that should be considered when planning for a Service
Manager deployment.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the key factors to be considered when planning for Service Manager.
Understand the High Availability options that are available in Service Manager.
Describe deployment scenarios for Service Manager.
Key Factors to be Considered When Planning for Service Manager

There are a number of key factors you will need to
take into account before a Service Manager 2012
R2 deployment can occur. These range from the
number of users to the amount of work items that
will be created.
The key factors include:
The number of users to support.
The number of computers to support.
The number of new Incidents expected to be
generated per month.
The number of new Change Requests expected to be created per month.
The number of Service Manager Consoles opened concurrently.
If the Service Manager Self-Service Portal is to be implemented.
If any connectors are going to be implemented.
There are two common bottlenecks when deploying and using Service Manager 2012 R2. The first is the
memory and disk I/O on the computer running SQL Server. A significant load and large data volumes
stored in the Service Manager databases will cause slow performance. In which case, better performance
will be achieved with additional memory and faster I/O subsystem resources.
The second bottleneck is the amount of connected consoles to any Service Manager Management server.
You can relieve this by installing additional Service Manager Management servers solely for console
connection. If adding Service Manager Management servers to the Management Group is not possible,
then invest by making additional resources such as CPU and memory, available to the current Service
Manager Management servers.
The Service Manager Management servers and Service Manager databases should be on a low latency
network as performance will be significantly degraded if the network latency is high.
Response time of the Service Manager console will vary depending on the network latency between the
users computer and the Management server. The table below shows what to expect and any
recommendations.
Network Latency Result
Network latency < 100 milliseconds The response times in the Service manager console are
good.
Network latency 150 to 200 milliseconds The Service Manager console is usable but notes
performance degradation in some scenarios. If the
console is unusable plan to use RDC (Remote Desktop
Connection).
Network latency > 200 milliseconds The overall response times of the Service Manager
console are poor. Plan to use RDC for operational tasks
Microsoft provides a sizing tool for Service Manager 2012 R2. This tool gives you the ability to provide
details of your IT infrastructure and user base. It will then give an assessment of what IT infrastructure will
be needed for a production deployment of Server Manager 2012 R2. It will also provide a topology
diagram within a Visio document for the scenario it recommends.
For more information about the sizing tool including topology diagrams for various Service Manager
deployment scenarios, go to the following website:
Planning for Performance and Scalability in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
As an example, the following output from the sizing tool gives a real world example of the hardware
requirements for a Service Manager deployment.
Contoso require a Service Manager infrastructure that will:
Contain 20,000 Computers
Support 20,000 Users
Have two new Incidents per month per computer
Have 2000 new Change Requests per month
Have 40 60 concurrent console connections
After configuring these values the sizing tool provides a complete infrastructure (including server
specifications) of what is required for Contosos Service Manager infrastructure. This is included in the
table below:
Role Hardware
Service Manager Management Server 2 disk RAID 1

8 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
10 GB of available hard disk space
Data Warehouse Management Server 2 disk RAID 1

8 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Service Manager Database Server 4 disk RAID 1+0 (Data)

2 disk RAID 1 (Log)
8 - 16 GB RAM, depending on the size of the
expected database
8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Data Warehouse Database Server 4 disk RAID 1+0 (Data)

2 disk RAID 1 (Log)
expected database
8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Self-Service Portal: Web Content Server 1 GB of available hard disk space

expected database
4-Core 2.66 GHz CPU
Self-Service Portal: SharePoint Web Parts 80 GB of available hard disk space

8 GB RAM
4-Core 2.66 GHz CPU
Service Manager Database Size Retention for Work Items (days) - 90

Number of work items for computers/month -
42000
Total Size (GB) 40.90
Suggested Space Allocation with 50% buffer (GB)
61.35
Service Manager Data Warehouse Database Number of Days - 1095

Sizes DWStagingandConfig 122.70
Repository 368.10
DWDataMart 368.10
TempDB 306.75
DWASDataBase 110.43
Suggested Space Allocation with 50% buffer (GB)
1276.08
High Availability Options in Service Manager

High Availability in Service Manager is not
available on all components with the Service
Manager Management Group and Service
Manager Data Warehouse Management Group.
For example, neither the Service Manager
Management Server nor Data Warehouse
Management Server is cluster aware so they are
not supported in a clustered environment.
You can however deploy multiple Service Manager
Management Servers and provide load balancing
for Service Manager Console connections using
Microsoft Network Load Balancing (NLB). This
provides load balancing only for console connections however. Service Manager workflows that run on
the primary Service Manager Management Server are not load-balanced when multiple Service Manager
Management Servers are deployed.
If the primary Service Manager Management Server fails you must either promote a secondary Service
Manager Management Server to be the primary or install a new Service Manager Management Server
using the existing Service Manager Management Server encryption key that was created when Service
Manager was first installed. Alternatively you can restore the Service Manager Management Server from
backup.
Note: Recovering from a failed Service Manager Management Server is covered in detail in
Module 12 - Advanced Troubleshooting and Disaster Recovery.
We recommend installing an additional Service Manager Management Server for every 40 to 50 Service
Manager consoles that will be used in the environment.
High Availability for the Service Manager and Data Warehouse databases
High Availability for both the Service Manager and Data Warehouse databases can be provided through
either shared storage on a an SQL Server failover cluster or though SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability
Groups as described below:
Shared Storage SQL Server Failover Cluster
In this scenario SQL Server is deployed across a two-node active/passive cluster on either physical or
virtual servers. The Service Manager databases are located on shared storage from which the SQL Server
on the active cluster node provides access to Service Manager. If the active node fails the passive node
becomes active and takes over the role of providing access to the database.
SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups
With SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups the databases are replicated to provide complete
redundancy. If a member within the availability group fails another member which has an updated
synchronous copy of the databases will be used as a failover for the databases. Multiple members can be
added to provide additional redundancy.
Some of the key factors that should be considered when using SQL Server AlwaysOn with Service
Manager include:
The amount of storage needed for all Service Manager Databases.
The latency between computers that host SQL Server with SQL AlwaysOn functionality.
Only the default instance of a SQL Server instance is supported when SQL AlwaysOn functionality is
implemented. Named SQL Server instances are not supported for any Service manager 2012 R2
database when SQL AlwaysOn functionality is implemented.
Whether backup operations should run on the Service Manager database and DWDataMart database
when the availability group is running as a secondary replica.
For more information about configuring Service Manager with SQL Server AlwaysOn visit the following
website:
How to install Service Manager 2012 SP1 with a SQL 2012 AlwaysON Availability Groups?
Service Manager Deployment Scenarios

To help you to understand the deployment
scenarios of Service Manager for different
organizations and their requirements, there are
four examples listed below:
Test Scenario
This scenario should only be used for evaluating
Service Manager 2012 R2 and would not be
recommended in a production environment.
Server 1 Service Manager Management Server,
Service Manager Database, SharePoint server/site
with the web content server and Service Manager
console.
Server 2 Service Manager Data Warehouse Management Server, Data Warehouse Databases
Server Hardware
Server 1 12 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server 2 8 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
This configuration gives you an environment that can support the maximum values shown below. This is
including all Service Manager connectors being enabled.
Description Value
Number of Supported Users 500
Number of Computers 500
New Incidents per month per computer 2
New Change Requests per month 20

Description Value
Number of Concurrent Consoles 2
Small Scenario
This scenario should be used in small environments with up to 2000 supported users.
Server 1 Service Manager Management Server, Service Manager Database, and Service Manager
console.
Server 3 - SharePoint server/site with the web content server
Server Hardware
Server 1 12 GB RAM
8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server 2 8 GB RAM
8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server 3 4 GB RAM
8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Description Value
Number of Supported Users 501 - 2000
Number of Concurrent Consoles 10
Medium Scenario
This scenario would be used for a small to medium organization to provide a stable IT Service
Management solution for up to 5,000 users. Please refer to the maximum load table below to ensure that
this deployment scenario would fit your organization.
Server 1 Service Manager Management Server, Service Manager Database and Service Manager console.
Server 3 - SharePoint server/site with the web content server
Server Hardware
Server 1 12 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server Hardware
Server 2 12 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server 3 16 GB RAM
8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
This configuration gives you an environment that can support the maximum values shown below. This
includes the Service Manager connectors being enabled.
Description Value
Number of Supported Users 2,001 to 5,000
Number of Concurrent Consoles 15 to 30
Large Scenario
This scenario would be used in a medium to large organization to provide a stable IT Service
Management solution for up to 20,000 users. Please refer to the maximum load table below to ensure this
deployment scenario fits your organization.
Server 1 Service Manager Management Server and Service Manager console.
Server 2 Service Manager Data Warehouse Management Server
Server 3 Service Manager Database Server
Server 4 Service Manager Data Warehouse Database Server
Server 5 Self-Service Portal with web content server
Server 6 Self-Service Portal with SharePoint web parts
Server Hardware
Server 1 8 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
40 GB of available hard disk space (2 disk RAID 1)
Server 2 8 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server 3 8 - 32 GB RAM (database size depending)

8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
4 RAID 1+0 disks for data (Sized using the sizing
tool)
Server Hardware
2 RAID 1 disk drives for logs
Server 4 8 GB RAM
8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
tool)

4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server 6 8 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Description Value
Number of Supported Users 5,001 to 20,000
Number of Computers 20,000
Number of Concurrent Consoles 40 to 50
Advanced Scenario
This scenario would be used in a medium to large organization to provide a stable IT Service
Management solution for to 20,000+ users. This scenario also includes the option of scaling out the
number of Service Manager Management servers to cope with additional users, computers, console
connections and an increased number of work items.
Please refer to the maximum load table below to ensure that this deployment scenario fits your
organization.
Server 1 Service Manager Management Server and Service Manager console.
Server 2 Service Manager Data Warehouse Management Server
Server 3 Service Manager Database Server
Server 4 Service Manager Data Warehouse Database Server
Server 5 Self-Service Portal with web content server
Server 6 Self-Service Portal with SharePoint web parts
Server 7 Additional Service Manager Management Servers.
Server Hardware
Server 1 12 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server 2 12 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU

8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
tool)
Server 4 16 GB RAM
8-core 2.66 GHz CPU
tool)

4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server 6 16 GB RAM
4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
Server 7 Additional Service Manager 12 GB RAM

Management Servers 4-core 2.66 GHz CPU
This configuration gives you an environment that can support the values shown below. If the
organizations needs increase more than the table shows, additional resources on existing servers and
additional servers may be required.
Description Value
Number of Supported Users 20,000+
Number of Computers 20,000 to 50,000+
New Change Requests per month 2000+
Number of Concurrent Consoles 50+

Additional Notes
As organizations grow in size so must the IT Service Management infrastructure. As more consoles are
connecting and more computer and user objects are added, this has to be accounted for by increasing
the amount of memory and CPU on Service Manager Management servers and increasing the memory
and CPU on the Service Manager database servers.
If a huge increase of work items and user/computer objects occurs, then commission a new Service
Manager Management server to just handle console connection traffic. Ensure all console users connect to
the new Management server only to relieve the existing Management server from the workload.
The Service manager Self-Service Portal components shouldnt be installed on the same server as a
Management server. It is possible to install the Self-Service Portal on an existing Management server but it
will not be possible to de-install it at a later date.
It is possible to make the Service Manager Management server and Data Warehouse Management server
recoverable from a disaster, but this will only work if there is a pair of Management servers of the same
type. When the first Management server is installed into the environment an encryption key is created.
The encryption key must be backed up and kept as recovery will not be possible without it. If a
Management server falls into a disaster state and cannot be recovered, another Management server can
be promoted using the encryption key and the environment will keep functioning. For example, the
environment may have a secondary Management server that just handles console traffic. If the primary
Management server develops a fault, the secondary Management server can be promoted to become
primary.
Service Manager 2012 R2 now fully supports SQL Server 2012 AlwaysOn functionality. This functionality
gives the organization the ability to have the Service Manager databases on a highly available and
disaster recoverable solution. This functionality is the preferred solution due to the simplified deployment
and management experience compared to the traditional SQL cluster scenario that was used in previous
System Center versions.
For more information about SQL Server AlwaysOn for Service Manager, go to the following website:
SQL Server Requirements for System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Question: Name three key factors that should be taken into account before deploying
Service Manager.
Lesson 4
Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
Before installing Service Manager, you should understand the order in which the various components
should be installed. This includes the components of the Service Manager Management Group and the
Data Warehouse Management Group. You also need to know how the Service Manager Management
Group is registered with the Data Warehouse Management Group.
After installing the Service Manager Management Group and registering it with the Data Warehouse
Management Group, you should also be aware of the various data warehouse jobs that should be run in
order to make reporting available.
Lesson Objectives
Install the Service Manager Management server.
Install the Service Manager Data Warehouse Management server.
Register the Service Manager Management Group with the Data Warehouse Management Group.
The Process of Installing the Service Manager Management Server

The Service Manager Management server is the
first component installed in a Service Manager
Management Group. During the installation, you
specify several settings for the Management
Group, including the Management Group name,
the database server name, the database name, and
the Service Manager Services account credentials.
You install the Management server by selecting
the Service Manager Management Server link
from the Service Manager Setup Wizard that starts
when you run Setup.exe from the Service Manager
media. During installation of the Management
server, the Service Manager database and Service Manager console are also installed.
The following table describes the settings that must be configured when you install the Service Manager
Management server by using the Service Manager Setup Wizard.
Service Manager Setup Wizard

page for Management server Description
installation
Product Registration On the Product Registration page, you can enter the Service
Manager product key or optionally choose to install an evaluation
edition. The latter option is useful if you are installing Service
Manager in a test or evaluation environment. If you select the
Install As An Evaluation Edition option, you can use Service
Manager as a 180-day trial. If an Evaluation Edition is selected it
wont be possible to enter a product key to get a full Service
Manager installation.
Installation Location On the Installation Location page, you can specify where the
installation files will be placed. The wizard also verifies that there is

page for Management server Description
installation
enough free disk space on the selected drive.
Prerequisites\System Check On the System Check Results page, the hardware and software
Results prerequisites for the Service Manager Management server are
checked. The components checked include the memory,
processor, Windows service pack, and Microsoft Report Viewer
Redistributable. If any prerequisite is not met or if the check
results in a warning, resolution information is provided to assist
with resolving the identified issue.
Configure The Service Manager On the Configure The Service Manager Database page, you
Database specify the name of the database server and SQL Server instance
on which the Service Manager database will be installed. You can
also specify the database name, the initial size of the database,
and the data and log file paths for the database. If you are
installing a secondary Management server, the details specified
here are those of the existing Service Manager database server,
and the Use An Existing Database option is selected. The existing
database is then also selected.
Configure The Service Manager On the Configure The Service Manager Management Group page,
Management Group you enter a unique name for the Service Manager Management
Group. Typically the Service Manager Management Group name
represents the name of the organization or business unit in which
Service Manager is being installed. You also select a user or group
that will be configured as the Management Group administrators
on this page. This user or group is automatically added to the
Service Manager Administrators user role. Members of this user
role have full control in Service Manager.
Configure The Account For On the Configure The Account For Service Manager Services page,
Service Manager Services you specify whether the local system account or a selected
domain account should be used for the Service Manager Services
account. The credentials supplied here will be used for the System
Center Data Access Service and the System Center Management
Configuration service logon credentials.
Configure The Service Manager On the Configure The Service Manager Workflow Account page
Workflow Account you specify whether the local system account or a selected
domain account should be used for the Service Manager
Workflow account. The credentials specified here are used to
create the Workflow Run As account in Service Manager and are
also added to the Workflows user role.
After you have completed the Service Manager Setup Wizard, the Management server, Service Manager
database, and Service Manager console are installed. A link to the Service Manager console is
automatically added to the Start menu. By default, the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard is
started after you install the Management server. This is used to back up or restore the encryption key that
is used to secure sensitive data such as Run As accounts in the Service Manager database. In disaster
recovery scenarios, the encryption key is used to recover this data, so it is important that a backup of the
encryption key is taken. When a backup is taken, a password has to be specified to protect the backup. It
is important this password is backed up in a secure location.
For more information about how to install the Management server (two-computer scenario), go to the
following website:
How to Install the Service Manager Management Server (Two-Computer Scenario)
For more information about how to back up the encryption key, go to the following website:
How to Back Up the Encryption Key in Service Manager
The Process of Installing the Service Manager Data Warehouse

Management Server
The Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management server is the second Service Manager
component that is installed. It cannot be installed
on the computer that is running the Service
Manager Management server. During the
installation of the Data Warehouse Management
server, you specify several settings, including the
Data Warehouse database server and the Data
Warehouse Management Group name.
You install the Data Warehouse Management
server by selecting the Service Manager Data
Warehouse Management Server link from the
Service Manager Setup Wizard that starts when you run Setup.exe from the Service Manager media.
The following table describes the settings that must be configured when you install the Service Manager
Data Warehouse Management server by using the Service Manager Setup Wizard.

page for Data Warehouse Description
Management server installation
Product Registration On the Product Registration page, you can enter the Service
Manager product key or optionally choose to install an
evaluation edition. The latter option is useful if you are
installing Service Manager in a test or evaluation environment.
If you select the Install As An Evaluation Edition option, you
can use Service Manager as a 180-day trial. If an Evaluation
Edition is selected it wont be possible to enter a product key
to get a full Service Manager installation.
Installation Location On the Installation Location page, you can specify where the
installation files will be placed. The wizard also verifies that
there is enough free disk space on the selected drive.
Prerequisites\System Check Results On the System Check Results page, the hardware and software
prerequisites for the Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management server are checked. The components checked
include the memory, processor, Windows service pack, and
SQL Server Analysis Management Objects. If any prerequisite is
not met or if the check results in a warning, resolution

information is provided to assist with resolving the identified
issue.
Configure The Data Warehouse On the Configure The Data Warehouse Databases page, you
Databases specify the name of the database server and SQL Server
instance on which the DWStagingAndConfig, DWRepository,
and DWDataMart databases will be installed. You can
optionally use the Use An Existing Database option if the
databases already exist on a database server. This is useful in
disaster recovery scenarios where the Data Warehouse
Management server is being reinstalled due to a failure. Note
that the Service Manager encryption key must be restored on
the computer that will be hosting the Data Warehouse
Management server in a disaster recovery scenario.
Configure Additional Data On the Configure Additional Data Warehouse Datamarts page,
Warehouse Datamarts you specify the database server and SQL Server instance on
which the OMDWDataMart and CMDWDataMart databases
will be installed. You can also change the initial size of the
databases here. By default, 2,000 megabytes (MB) is
configured.
Configure The Data Warehouse On the Configure The Data Warehouse Management Group
Management Group page, you enter a unique name for the Service Manager Data
Warehouse Management Group. Typically the Data Warehouse
Management Group name represents the name of the
organization or business unit in which Service Manager is
installed. The name specified here cannot be the same name as
any other Service Manager Management Group. The prefix
DW_ is added to the Management Group name and cannot be
removed. You also select a user or group that will be
configured as the Management Group administrators on this
page. This user or group is automatically added to the Service
Manager Data Warehouse Administrators user role.
Configure The Reporting Server For On the Configure The Reporting Server For The Data
The Data Warehouse Warehouse page, you specify the report server name and
report server instance that will be used for Service Manager
reports. Additionally, you select the web service URL from
which the ReportServer is accessed. If the reporting server is
hosted on a remote computer, there are some additional steps
that must be performed before you can install the Data
Warehouse Management server. These steps are covered in
detail in the Service Manager Deployment Guide and include:
Copying Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Reporting.Code.dll
from the Service Manager installation media to the computer
that is hosting SSRS.
Adding a code segment to the rssrvpolicy configuration file on
the computer that is hosting SSRS.
Adding an Extension tag to the existing Data segment in the
rsreportserver configuration file on the same computer.
Before you can progress past this page in the wizard, you must
select the I Have Taken The Manual Steps To Configure The
Remote SQL Server Reporting Services As Described In The
Service Manager Deployment Guide check box.

Configure The Account For Service On the Configure The Account For Service Manager Services
Manager Services page, you specify a domain account that should be used for
the Service Manager Services account. The Test Credentials
button is used here to confirm that the account has local
administrative rights and will be mapped to the relevant SQL
Server roles.
Configure The Reporting Account On the Configure The Reporting Account page, you specify the
credentials for a domain account that will be used to read the
Data Warehouse reporting data sources and generate reports.
The Test Credentials button is used here to confirm that the
credentials were accepted.
Configure Analysis Services For On the Configure Analysis Services For OLAP Cubes page, you
OLAP Cubes specify the name of the database server and SQL Server
instance on which the Data Warehouse OLAP cubes will be
installed. You can use the Use An Existing Database option if
you want to use an existing database; otherwise, by default, a
new database named DWASDatabase will be created. You can
optionally change the database name and the storage
directory in which the database will be stored.
Configure Analysis Services On the Configure Analysis Services Credential page, you
Credential specify the credentials for a domain account that will be used
to communicate with the datamarts. This account must be an
administrator on the computer hosting SQL Server Analysis
Services.
After you have completed the Service Manager Setup Wizard, the Data Warehouse Management server is
installed. By default, the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard is started after you install the Data
Warehouse Management server. This is used to back up or restore the encryption key that is used to
secure sensitive data in the Data Warehouse databases. In disaster recovery scenarios, the encryption key
is used to recover this data, so it is important that a backup of the encryption key is taken. When a backup
is taken, a password has to be specified to protect the backup. It is important this password is backed up
in a secure location.
For more information about how to install the Data Warehouse (two-computer scenario), go to the
following website:
How to Install the Service Manager Data Warehouse (Two-Computer Scenario)
For more information about how to back up the encryption key, go to the following website:
How to Back Up the Encryption Key in Service Manager
The Process of Registering the Service Manager Management Group with

the Data Warehouse Management Group
Before reporting and analysis of Service Manager
data can be performed, the Service Manager
Management Group must be registered with the
Data Warehouse Management Group. This
procedure allows for multiple Service Manager
Management Groups to be registered with a
single Data Warehouse Management Group. In
large organizations where multiple Service
Manager Management Groups are installed based
on business units or geographical locations, a
single Data Warehouse Management Group can
be used to provide reporting for all Management
Groups.
Registering with the Data Warehouse Management Group is performed by using the Register With Service
Manager Data Warehouse task that is available from the Administration workspace in the Service
Manager console.
When you select the Register With Service Manager Data Warehouse task, the Data Warehouse
Registration Wizard opens. The following table describes the pages of the Data Warehouse Registration
Wizard, including the settings that must be configured on each page.
Data Warehouse Registration Wizard page Description
Data Warehouse On the Data Warehouse page, you specify the

computer name of the Data Warehouse Management
server. The user running the wizard must have
administrator privileges in both the Service Manager
and Data Warehouse Management Groups. The Test
Connection button is used on this page to confirm
that connection to the Data Warehouse Management
server is successful.
Credentials On the Credentials page, you can select the Run As

account that should be used by the Data Warehouse
to connect to the Service Manager. The account
specified here will be made a member of the Service
Manager Administrators user role and will be granted
Read access to the Service Manager database.
Alternatively, you can create a new Run As account
that will be used.
Summary On the Summary page, you are shown the selected

Data Warehouse Management server and the Run As
account. You can complete the wizard by clicking the
Create button, or you can go back through the wizard
and make any relevant Changes.
After you have completed the Data Warehouse Registration Wizard, the registration is configured and the
Data Warehouse registration process is started. Before reporting can be used in Service Manager, there
are several Data Warehouse jobs that must have completed at least once.
How to Confirm that the Data Warehouse Registration Process Is Complete

After you have registered with the Service Manager Data Warehouse, the Management Packs in Service
Manager are imported into the Data Warehouse. This process can take up to three hours to complete. The
Data Warehouse registration is complete when all Management Packs have been imported.
To confirm that all Management Packs have been imported, you can use the synchronization job details
for the MPSyncJob. To do this, from the Data Warehouse workspace in the Service Manager console,
select the Data Warehouse Jobs view. In the details pane, select MPSyncJob. The synchronization job
details are displayed in the results pane. Registration is complete when the status column for all
Management Packs displays Associated or Imported.
After the Management Packs have been imported, the following four additional jobs are created in the
Data Warehouse Jobs view:
Extract_<Service Manager Management Group name>
Extract_<data warehouse Management Group name>
Load.Common
Transform.Common
If these four jobs do not appear, then you can manually run the MPSyncJob again by selecting the
Resume task from the Tasks pane after selecting MPSyncJob from the Data Warehouse Jobs view.
You can also edit the properties of the jobs in the Data Warehouse Jobs view and modify the schedule on
which they run. This is useful when jobs are taking longer than expected due to large amounts of data
being processed. For example, the MPSyncJob is scheduled to run every hour. By editing the properties of
the job, you can change the schedule so that it runs every two hours.
For more information about managing the Data Warehouse in Service Manager, go to the following
website:
Managing the Data Warehouse in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Question: What is the first component that is installed when you are deploying a new
Service Manager Management Group?
Lesson 5
Installing and Configuring the Service Manager Self-
Service Portal
After installing the Service Manager Management Group and Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management Group you should then install the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
In addition, most organizations customize the Self-Service Portal to include the company logo and
change the look and feel of the portal to bring it more in-line with corporate standards. In this lesson you
will learn how to install the Self-Service Portal and customize it to include a company logo.
Lesson Objectives
Install the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
Update the Title and Image of the Self-Service Portal.
Add a Navigation Link to the Self-Service Portal.
Update the Theme of the Self-Service Portal.
Add an Announcement page to the Self-Service Portal.
Edit Web Parts in the Self-Service Portal.
Modifying the Language for the Self-Service Portal.
The Process of Installing the Self-Service Portal

The Self-Service Portal for Service Manager is built
on a SharePoint website and a Web Content
Server. The SharePoint website includes several
Silverlight applications that allow end users to
access Service Manager features through a web
browser.
The Self-Service Portal can be installed on one
computer, or the two elements can be split across
multiple computers, such as when SharePoint is
installed in a farm. In this configuration, the Web
Content Server is installed on the SharePoint
application servers, and the Web Parts are installed
to the web farm servers. To install the Self-Service Portal, you select the Service Manager Web Portal
option from the Service Manager Setup Wizard that starts when you run Setup.exe from the Service
Manager media.
Detailed in the following table are the pages of the Service Manager Setup Wizard, including the settings
that must be configured when you are installing the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
Service Manager Setup Wizard page for Self-Service

Description
Portal installation
Portal Parts On the Portal Parts page, you select which

components you want to install. You can
install the web content server, the SharePoint
Web Parts, or both components at the same
time. For the purposes of this course, it is
assumed that both components will be
installed.
Product Registration On the Product Registration page, you

supply the name and organization that will
be used to identify the installation of the
Self-Service Portal. You must also accept the
license terms before proceeding past this
page.
Installation Location On the Installation Location page, you can

change where the installation files will be
placed for the virtual website. The default
location is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\System
Center Service Manager Portal. The disk
space available for the drive selected here is
also verified to have at least 1 GB free.
System Check Results On the System Check Results page the

hardware and software prerequisites are
verified, including memory, CPU, IIS,
ASP.NET, and SharePoint Server 2010. If any
prerequisites are not met or if the check
results in warning, information is supplied
that can be used to resolve the issue.
Configure The Service Manager Self-Service Portal On the Configure The Service Manager Self-
Name And Port Service Portal Name And Port page, you can
change the website name and port for the
Self-Service Portal. The default website name
is SCSMWebContentServer, and the default
port is 443. As this website will not be
accessed by users, it is best practice to
change the port to 444 if SSL is used. If
Secure Socket Layer SSL encryption is to be
used to provide a secure connection to the
website, an SSL Certificate must be installed
and selected here. If SSL is not required, the
Enable SSL Encryption option can be cleared
and the relevant port, such as 80, can be
added.
Select The Service Manager Database On the Select The Service Manager Database
page, you specify the database server, SQL
Server instance, and Service Manager
database that the Self-Service Portal will use.
Configure The Account For The Self-Service Portal On the Configure The Account For The Self-
Service Portal page, you enter the credentials
of a domain account that the Self-Service
Portal will use to access the Service Manager
database. The account specified will be
Service Manager Setup Wizard page for Self-Service

Description
Portal installation
added to the Service Manger Administrators
user role. The Test Credentials button on this
page is used to confirm that the credentials
are correct. It must be used before you can
continue.
Configure The Service Manager SharePoint Web Site On the Configure The Service Manager
SharePoint Web Site page, you specify the
name and port number for the SharePoint
website. You also specify the name of the
database server, SQL Server instance, and
database where the SharePoint database is
installed. If SSL is not used to encrypt the
connection, the Enable SSL Encryption option
can be cleared here and a different port can
be specified. By default, the port will be 444,
but best practice states that this should be
changed to 443 as users will access this page.
Configure The Account For The Service Manager On the Configure The Account For The
SharePoint Application Pool Service Manager SharePoint Application Pool
page, you enter the credentials for the
account that will be used for the SharePoint
application pool. The Test Credentials button
must be used to verify the credentials before
continuing.
Help Improve Microsoft System Center 2012 On the Help Improve Microsoft System
Service Manager Center 2012 Service Manager page, you
can opt to participate in the Customer
Experience Improvement Program. If this
option is if selected, data is collected relating
to the use of Microsoft applications and sent
to Microsoft to help improve those
applications.
Use Microsoft Update To Help Keep Your Computer On the Use Microsoft Update To Help Keep
Secure And Up-To-Date Your Computer Secure And Up-To-Date
page, you can opt to include Service
Manager when Microsoft updates are
checked, and specify whether a machine-
wide automatic update should be performed.
Installation Summary On the Installation Summary page, you can

view configuration settings that will be
applied when you install the Self-Service
Portal, such as the web content server
website port and SharePoint website name. If
necessary, you can go back through the
wizard and make any relevant changes
before clicking Install on this page.
After you click Install on the Installation Summary page, the Self-Service Portal is installed. When
installation is complete, the Setup Completed Successfully page displays the URLs that have been
configured for the web content server and the SharePoint site portal. The URL for the SharePoint site
portal points to the location from which users will access the Self-Service Portal. If there were any issues
during the installation, the link to the setup log can be used to view the installation log file and
troubleshoot any installation issues.
For more information about the Self-Service Portal for Service Manager, go to the following website:
Updating the Title and Image

When the Self-Service Portal is opened, the Home
page is displayed along with a title and image at
the upper left of the page. One of the first
customizations that most organizations want to
make in the Self-Service Portal is to change the
title and replace the image with a company logo.
By default, the title is set to SMPortal and the
image is set to a .png file.
To change this, in the Self-Service Portal, from the
Site Actions menu, the Site Settings page is
opened. On the Site Settings page, under Look
And Feel, you select Title, Description And Icon.
On the Title, Description And Icon page, three sections can be edited as described in the following table:
Section Description
Title And Description In this section, you enter the title that will be displayed in the Self-
Service Portal. You can also include a description here. The title will
appear on every page in the Self-Service Portal.
Logo URL And In this section, you enter the URL of the image that should be
Description displayed next to the title. Many formats can be used for the image,
such as .bmp, .gif, and .png. The images should be a maximum of 60
60 pixels. For ease of use, you can copy the image to the images
folder of the Self-Service Portal, which is typically C:\Program
Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server
Extensions\14\template\images. Then in the Logo URL section you
specify the URL as
http://<ServerName:port>/_layoputs/images/imagename.gif. You can
also add a description here as well.
Web Site Address In this section, you change the website address that users type into
their browser to access the Self-Service Portal. By default, this is
http://<ServerName:port>/SMPortal. The SMPortal part of the
address can be changed here.
After making changes to these sections, the settings are applied immediately and will be shown in the
Self-Service Portal by refreshing the page or closing and then opening the Self-Service Portal.
For more information about how to update the portal title and image, go to the following webpage:
How to Update the Portal Title and Image
Adding a Navigation Link

By default, there are four navigation links in the
Self-Service Portal. These are:
Home
Help Articles
My Requests
My Activities
By adding your own navigation links, you can
customize the portal to include links to internal or
external sources, such as an intranet or a search
engine.
To add a navigation link, you first open the Site Settings page from the Site Actions menu. On the Site
Settings page, under Look And Feel, you select Quick Launch. On the Quick Launch page, the New
Navigation Link option is used to add a new link. The following table describes the settings configured
when using the New Navigation Link option:
New Navigation Link

Description
settings
URL Here you enter the web address that will redirect the user when
the user selects the navigation link in the Self-Service Portal. For
example, http://bing.com.
Description An optional description of the link can also be included here. If a

description is not specified, then the URL is displayed as the
navigation link name.
Heading You can also create a new heading by using the New Heading
option (on the previous page) and then specify the heading here,
which is useful when grouping similar navigation links.
After adding navigation links, you can optionally change the order in which they are displayed in the Self-
Service Portal by using the Change Order option.
For more information about how to add navigation links, go to the following webpage:
How to Add Navigation Links
Updating the Theme

The theme for the Self-Service Portal is used to
determine the color scheme and fonts that are
used for the heading and body text. By default,
the SMPortalTheme is set, which displays the blue
and light grey colors when using the Self-Service
Portal. A number of preset themes can be
selected, or you can completely customize a
theme by selecting relevant colors for specific
sections of the Self-Service Portal.
To change or customize the theme, open the Site
Settings page from the Site Actions menu. On the
Site Settings page, under Look And Feel, you
select Site Theme. On the Site Theme page, the current theme is displayed, including the colors and fonts
that are included as part of that theme.
To change the theme, you simply select a theme such as Azure in the right pane. The center pane changes
to show the colors that are used in the selected theme. You can then use the Preview button to preview
the theme before applying the changes to the Self Service Portal.
Note: If you receive an Unable To Generate Themed Styles For The Selected Theme error
message after clicking the Preview button, check that the currently logged-on user has Design
permissions to the site.
To customize a theme, you can also choose the Select A Color link that is provided for sections of the Self-
Service Portal, such as the Text/Background or Hyperlink sections. Additionally, you can change the font
that is used in the headings and body of the Self-Service Portal.
After you have finished customizing a theme, you click the Apply button to save the changes to the
theme and apply the settings to the Self-Service Portal, or you can press the Cancel button to discard any
changes you have made.
After you apply the settings, the changes appear immediately in the Self-Service Portal by refreshing the
webpage or closing and opening the Self-Service Portal.
For more information about how to update the portal theme, go to the following website:
How to Update the Portal Theme
Adding an Announcement Page

Announcements can be used to notify end users
or administrators of important events that will
affect them and/or the Self-Service Portal. For
example, you might have a pending software
upgrade to the helpdesk system. In this case, an
announcement could be added to the Self-Service
Portal notifying end users that the helpdesk will be
unavailable during this time. This type of
Announcement is not the same as the
Announcements listed in the Administration pane
in the Service Manage Console.
To add an announcement to the Self-Service
Portal, you must first create a new navigation link that will be used to add an Announcements link to the
Self-Service Portal.
When creating the navigation link, you specify /SMPortal/Lists/Announcements/AllItems.aspx as the web
address and include a description such as Announcements.
This adds the Announcements navigation link to the Self-Service Portal. To create an announcement, you
click the Announcements link and then click the Add New Announcement link. This opens an
Announcements New Item window where you add the title, such as Helpdesk Closed, and the body, such
as Due To Upgrade.
You can optionally include an expiry date for the announcement, which is useful if you know when the
announcement will no longer be valid. Additionally, you can attach a file to the announcement. This is
useful when you want to include additional details, such as a document providing more information
about the announcement. Finally, you save the announcement to publish it to the Self-Service Portal.
When end users click the Announcement link in the Self-Service Portal, any published announcement will
be displayed by using the title that was added when the announcement was created. When you click an
announcement, the tile body, expires, and attachments information is displayed.
Users can then view any associated attachments, and if notifications have been configured in SharePoint,
they can use the Alert Me option to be notified when changes to the announcement have been applied.
For more information about how to add a portal announcement page, go to the following website:
How to Add a Portal Announcement Page
Modifying the Help Articles Web Part

In addition to modifying the theme that is used for
the Self-Service Portal, you can also modify the
settings for individual Web Parts. For example, you
might want to change the style of the Help
Articles Web Part so that it uses a different font or
has a different foreground color than the rest of
the Self-Service Portal. This can be useful when
you need to highlight or draw attention to a
specific part of the Self-Service Portal.
To modify the style of the Help Articles Web Part,
you simply select Help Articles in the Self-Service
Portal and then from the Site Actions menus,
select Edit Page. In the Knowledge Article Web Part window that opens, move the mouse pointer to the
right side of the page, click the list, and then select Edit Web Part.
This opens the Web Parts properties where a number of settings can be changed, including the
background color for the page or the foreground color of the page title. Other settings that can be
changed include those listed in the following table.
Property Setting that can be modified
Page Title Font Family

Font Size
List Title Font Style
Article Title
Article Description
Create Request Button
After you have made any relevant changes, you can click the Apply and OK buttons to save and publish
the changes to the Self-Service Portal.
For more information about how to modify the Help Article Web Part, go to the following website:
How to Modify the Help Article Web Part
Selecting the Self-Service Portal Language

When the Self-Service Portal is used in a
multilingual environment, it is important that end
users can use the features of the portal by using
their own language. In order to support multiple
languages in the Self-Service Portal, you must first
install the SharePoint 2010 language packs.
After you install the appropriate language pack,
you must run the SharePoint 2010 Products
Configuration Wizard to update SharePoint with
the new language packs.
There are two language pack versions available as
detailed in the following table.
Language pack version Download link
SharePoint 2010 Server http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=390322
SharePoint 2010 Foundation http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=390323
To configure language packs for the Self-Service Portal, you open the Self-Service Portal and from the Site
Actions menu, click Site Settings. On the Site Settings page, under Site Administration, you click Language
Settings. On the Language Settings page, you select the default language and any other languages that
should be made available to users in the Self-Service Portal.
Then from the Site Actions\Site Settings page, use the Quick Launch option to modify language settings
for Home, Help Articles, My Requests, and My Activities.
When end users log in to the Self-Service Portal, from the list on the upper-right side of the webpage,
they can use the Select Display Language option that will become available to change the language they
need the Self-Service Portal to be displayed in.
For more information about how to select the Self Service Portal language, go to the following website:
How to Select the Self Service Portal Language
Statement Answer
Both components of the Service Manager Self-Service Portal must be

installed on the same computer?
Lesson 6
Overview of the Service Manager Console
After the Service Manager components have been installed, you will need to learn how to navigate
through the various workspaces and views in the Service Manager Console.
This will help you understand where key administration and configuration tasks are performed such as
creating Incidents and Change Requests.
In this lesson you will be given an overview of the Service Manager Console. You will also learn some of
the key administration and configuration tasks that are performed in each workspace.
Lesson Objectives
Describe key functions in the Administration workspace
Describe key functions in the Work Items workspace
Describe key functions in the Configuration Items workspace
Describe key functions in the Library workspace
Describe key functions in the Data Warehouse workspace
Describe key functions in the Reporting workspace
The Administration Workspace

The Administration workspace provides the
operator with options to configure the Service
Manager environment. This workspace is the
primary location for administrators of the
environment.
When the Administration workspace is first
opened, the central pane of the console displays
links to common administrator tasks without the
requirement of locating the same feature in the
left pane. These tasks include Registering a Data
Warehouse, Import Management Packs, Creating
connectors and Importing user Accounts. These
are good links to utilize when building a new Service Manager environment. The ability to quickly and
easily attach the Data Warehouse Management group to the new Service Manager environment is a key
function of the central pane.
The left pane contains multiple selections to allow the operator to manipulate the Service Manager
environment to fit the organizations needs. The table below summarizes each node in the left pane.
Node Use
Announcements This provides an administrator with the ability to post an

announcement to administrators in the Service Manager Console.
Such as a planned maintenance of a Service Manager management
server. In addition, notification subscriptions can be configured so
that relevant users are notified via email with the details of the
outage.
Connectors The Connectors node provides administrators with the ability to

connect to other Microsoft technologies. This gives Service Manager
the ability to gather data from other sources such as Active
Directory or Configuration Manager.
Deleted Items This node gives the administrator the ability to restore mistakenly
deleted Configuration Items (CI). It is like a recycle bin for the
Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
Management Packs The Management Packs node gives an administrator of the

environment the ability to import new Service manager
Management Packs as well as export and delete Management
Packs.
Notifications This node allows an administrator to create notification rules that

will alert operators or end users with updates to work items. This
node also gives an administrator the ability to create notification
channels and notification templates.
Security The Security node provides an administrator with the ability to

manage user roles within the environment. You can also change
and store run as accounts within Service manager safely to be used
where needed in the application.
Service Level Management This node allows an administrator to set up service level objects
based on set criteria as governed by the organization.
Settings The Settings node allows an administrator to make global setting

changes to the different work item categories. It also allows changes
to knowledge and data retention settings.
Workflows This node allows administrators to create workflows that will

represent business processes in the organizations. Workflows for
Activity, Change, Incident, Configuration Management, Release
Record and Service Request work item types can be configured in
this node. The status of all workflows can be viewed with the ability
to disable user created workflows.
The Work Items Workspace

The Work Items workspace provides an operator
with a view into work items within the
environment. This is the primary workspace for an
operator of the Service Manager environment.
The Work Item workspace can be locked down to
an individual or group of users. This allows a rigid
structure to an IT service desk team allowing a
multiple tier system to be implemented. This also
allows larger organizations with separate Release
and Change Management teams to only access
what they require. Additional views can be created
under any of the six work item categories to
further customize the operator experience.
The left pane in the Work Items workspace offers six nodes to an operator (permissions depending). The
table below summarizes the available nodes.
Node Use
Activity Management This node contains all activity work items. It is sub-divided into the
different types of activity. When a sub-node from the activity node is
selected it is sub-divided again to show activity items. The items can
be viewed for the logged in user, All activities, completed and
cancelled activities as well as activities that are currently in progress.
Change Management The Change Management node contains all change work items for
the environment. When the node is selected it breaks down into sub
nodes which provide different views into Change Requests. These
include Changes for the logged in user, closed and cancelled
Changes, on hold and in review Changes, and completed Changes.
Incident Management This node contains all incident work items for the environment. When
the node is selected it expands into sub nodes which provide different
views into the organizations Incidents. These include Incidents
assigned to the logged in user, all open Incidents, Incidents with
service level breaches, overdue and pending Incidents.
Problem Management The Problem Management node contains all Problem work items for
the environment. When the node is expanded into its sub nodes, it
provides different views of the Problem work items. These include the
logged in users Problems, active known errors, active Problems,
closed Problems and resolved Problems.
Release Management Folder This node contains all Release Management records for the
environment. When the node is expanded into its sub-nodes, it
provides multiple views into the environments Release records. These
include the logged in users or users group Release records, failed or
cancelled Release records and completed Release records.
Service Request Fulfillment The Service Request node contains all service requests for the
environment. When the node is expanded into its sub-nodes, it
provides multiple views into completed and outstanding Service
Requests. These include Service Requests assigned to the logged in
user, cancelled and failed Requests, Requests breaching service levels
and completed Service Requests.
The Configuration Items Workspace

The Configuration Items workspace provides
multiple views into the Configuration
Management database (CMDB). This workspace
primarily used by advanced operators.
All CMDB data within the environment can be
viewed from this workspace. The data is populated
most commonly through connectors, although the
Configuration Items workspace allows a user to
manually create data for the CMDB.
There are multiple built-in views that are created
at install time. More specific or granular views can
also be created within this workspace. Folder and
custom views can also be created to suit the organizations needs.
The left pane in the Configuration Items workspace offers eight nodes to an operator (permissions
depending). The table below summarizes the available nodes.
Node Use
Builds This node gives an unfiltered view of all builds within the IT environment.
The build item defines software and its version for a Release package for
instance, 32bit and 64bit versions of software. This data will be created
manually using this node.
Business Services The Business Services node gives an unfiltered view of all Business
Services within the IT environment. This data is automatically populated
by the Operations Manager CI connector (if Operations Manager is used
by the organization). Within Operations manager it would be a
Distributed Application Diagram (DAD model). Additional Business
Services can be added manually within this node if required.
Computers This node gives an unfiltered view of all computers within the
IT environment. This data is automatically populated by the Active
Directory, Operations Manager CI and Configuration Manager connector.
Additional computers can be added manually from within this node. Sub-
node views display filtered information on computers with active Change
Requests and active Incidents attached to them.
Environments The Environments node gives an unfiltered view of all environments that
can be used with Release packages. For instance for test and
development, pre-production and production environments. This data
will be created manually using this node.
Printers This node gives an unfiltered view of all printers within the organization.
This data is automatically populated by the Active Director connector.
Additional printers can be added manually from within this node.
Software The Software node provides reference information on what software is

installed within the IT environment. This data is automatically populated
by the Configuration Manager connector (if Configuration Manager is
used by the organization). Software information can be added manually
from within this node. Sub-node views display filtered information on
updates with active Change Requests and active Incidents attached to
them.
Node Use
Software Updates This node provides reference information on the software updates within
the IT environment. This data is automatically populated by the
Configuration Manager connector (if Configuration Manager is used by
the organization and Configuration Manager is used for software
updates). Software update information can be added manually from
within this node. Sub-node views display filtered information on updates
with active Change Requests and active Incidents attached to them.
Users This node gives an unfiltered view of all users that have been either
imported into the CMDB via the Active Directory connector or created
manually within the Service Manager console. By default it will limit the
view to the first 500 users but search functionality is available.
The Library Workspace

The Library workspace provides an advanced
operator with the functionality to tailor the Service
Manager environment to the organizations
requirements. This workspace is primary used by
administrators and advanced operators.
The nodes within this workspace allow
customizations to fields in drop down list boxes
within Work Items. It also allows modifications to
the queues so that the structure of the IT Service
Desk can fit within the Service Manager
environment.
Templates can be created to auto-populate new
work items with constant text. Groups can be utilized to manage configuration items to keep objects from
the same or different classes together.
The service catalog that is presented to end users through the self-service portal is configured in this
workspace. The knowledge that is captured from a resolved incident or Problem is created in this
workspace.
The left pane in the Library workspace offers eight nodes to an advanced operator (permissions
depending). The table below summarizes the available nodes.
Node Use
Groups The Groups node gives the operator an unfiltered view into all
groups that have already been created. It also gives a link to
create new groups. Groups are collections of Configuration
Management database (CMDB) objects. The default groups are
Generic Incident Request Catalog Items Group and Global
Operators Group.
Knowledge This node contains sub-nodes that will display available

knowledge articles to operators and published knowledge
articles for users. The sub-nodes filter views based on archived,
draft and published articles. There is also an unfiltered view
which displays all articles. New knowledge articles can be
created from this node.
Node Use
Lists The Lists node displays an unfiltered view of all lists that are
present in the Service Manager environment. Lists contain the
selections for a user to choose from when a drop down is
present in a work item or knowledge article. Any list can be
selected from the central pane and edited to meet the needs of
the organization. This does not include configuration items.
Queues This node displays an unfiltered view into all queues in the
Service Manager environment. Queues group work items based
on a specific criteria which could be based on user, priority of
work item or what tier an item has been assigned to. New
queues can be created in this node.
Runbooks The Runbooks node displays all runbooks that are present in the
Orchestrator environment that the Orchestrator connector has
connected to. This is a read-only view and is used for reference
only. However, the runbooks listed here can be used in runbook
activities in the Service manager environment.
Service Catalog This node contains two sub-nodes of Request Offerings and
Service Offerings. The request offering node is an action or item
that is available to end-users via the selfservice portal. The
service offering is how multiple request offerings are grouped
together and displayed in the self-service portal. Under both
sub-nodes, there are further sub-nodes that provide filtered
views of draft and published offerings including an unfiltered
view all.
Tasks The Tasks node provides an unfiltered view of all tasks in the
Service Manager environment. A task is where a command line is
run with optional parameters to perform an action in or outside
of the Service Manager environment. The task appears as a link
in the Service Manager console when the appropriate work item
is selected. Tasks can be created in this node manually.
Templates This node displays all templates within the Service Manager
environment. Templates are pre-populated forms that can be
used when creating any work item. New templates can be
created in this node manually
The Data Warehouse Workspace

The Data Warehouse workspace gives an
administrator the ability to change settings and
functionality of the Service Manager Data
Warehouse that has been registered to this Service
Manager environment.
The Data Warehouse within a Service Manager
environment resides on its own Management
group. It contains all the same components as the
Service Manager Management group. The Data
Warehouse has three primary functions, which are:
1) improving performance by extracting data from
the Service manager database, 2).providing long term data storage in a more manageable way and 3)
using historical data for reports by using SQL reporting services within the Data Warehouse Management
group.
The workspace gives an administrator the ability to check which Management Packs have been
synchronized across to the Data Warehouse Management group. The same user can also check what Data
Warehouse jobs are running and will have the ability to trigger them manually.
An administrator of the Data Warehouse Management group can also view the OLAP cubes, analysis
libraries and change user roles.
The left pane in the Data Warehouse workspace offers six nodes to an administrator. The table below
summarizes the available nodes.
Node Use
Analysis Libraries The Analysis Libraries node provides a list of all libraries that have
been added to the Service Manager environment. The libraries are file
storage areas, such as network shares, used to store Microsoft excel
data files. Analysis library folders can be added from this node.
Cubes This node displays a list of all the OLAP cubes available to Data
Warehouse operators. OLAP cubes provide rapid analysis of large
amounts of data by searchable access at any data point. OLAP cubes
are processed everyday by default but can be triggered manually in
this node. Until the cube has been processed the work items that
have been modified or created will not show in reports.
Data Sources The Data Sources node displays all data sources that are registered to
this Service Manager Management group. A typical install will only
have two once a Data Warehouse is registered but a Data Warehouse
can be attached to multiple Service manager environments. A new
data source can be added in this node.
Data Warehouse Jobs This node displays all the Data Warehouse jobs that are executed in
this Service Manager environment. These jobs transform, move and
sync data between the Management groups. All jobs are on a
schedule but can be executed manually in this node.
Management Packs The Management Packs node displays all Management Packs that
exist in the Data Warehouse Management group. The Management
Packs will have been imported during install or synchronized across
from the Service Manager Management Group. A manual restart of
Management Pack deployment can be triggered in this node.
Security The Security node provides a Data Warehouse administrator the

ability to manage user roles within the Data Warehouse Management
group. It also provides the ability to change and store run as accounts
within the Service Manager Data Warehouse Management group
safely, to be used where needed in the application.
The Reporting Workspace

The Reporting workspace provides a selection of
out of the box reports developed by Microsoft
using SQL reporting services and the Service
Manager Data Warehouse. This workspace will be
primarily used by service desk managers and
report operators.
Reports allow the organization to view trends and
data from across the business environment. There
are many reports available to a reporting operator
across all aspects of work and configuration items.
For example, a report can be easily generated that
will display the number of Incidents a particular
service desk operator has completed over a specified period. Reports can be used to identify high risk or
costly computers in the IT environment by ascertaining how many Incidents have been created with a link
to them. The Service Manager environment is not bound to just out of the box reports, the flexibility is
there for a SQL report developer to create custom reports for the organization.
The left pane in the Reporting workspace offers eight report nodes to a report operator. The table below
summarizes the available nodes.
Node Use
Activity Management This node contains reports that will query the activity class. They
include reports that will provide a list of all activities, just manual or
review activities and the distribution of activities.
Change Management This node contains reports that will query the Change request or
Change Management class. They include reports that will provide a KPI
trend, details about an individual Change and a list of all Changes.
Configuration This node contains two reports that will query the computer class in the
Management CMDB. One will provide a computers details based on records held in
the CMDB and the other will provide a list of computers held in the
CMDB.
Configuration Manager This node contains one report that will show power activity for
computers in the CMDB
Incident Management This node contains reports that will query the Incident record or
Incident Management class. They include reports that will provide a KPI
trend, details about an individual incident and a list of all Incidents.
Problem Management This node contains reports that will query the Problem record or
Problem Management class. They include reports that will provide a list
of configuration items with the most Incidents linked to it, an individual
Problem and its details and a list of all Problems.
Release Management This node contains two reports that will query the Release record or
Release Management class. One report will list Release records and the
other will provide details of an individual Release record.
Service Management This node contains two reports that will provide a report on the KPI
trends and the other will provide a scorecard-like report on the health
of a service.
Demonstration: Using the Service Manager Console

In this demonstration you will see the various workspaces in the Service Manager Console.
Demonstration Steps
1. To perform this task, use the computer and tool information in the following table.
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Tool Service Manager console
Pane All
View All
2. Open the Service Manager console and then review the various options that are available in the
following panes:
Administration
Library
Work Items
Configuration Items
Data Warehouse
Reporting
3. Close the Service Manager console and log off LON-SM1.
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the reporting pane to appear.
Question: In which workspace would you create an Incident in the Service Manager console?
Lesson 7
Upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager
In organizations where Service Manager 2010 has been deployed and has been in use for a significant
amount of time, there will undoubtedly be a large amount of data collected relating to Incidents,
Problems, and Changes that have occurred in the IT environment. Additionally, there will be a lot of
reporting data in the Data Warehouse databases that is used to report on various Incidents and activities
that have occurred.
In this scenario, where organizations wish to use the new features of Service Manager such as Service
Request Fulfillment and the new Self-Service Portal, it is important you understand how Service Manager
is upgraded to allow them to continue to use the data already collected by Service Manager 2010.
As part of your upgrade plan you should also consider the hardware and software requirements for
Service Manager 2012.
Additionally you may have existing customizations that have been applied in Service Manager 2010 that
you want to be made available after upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the steps involved when planning to upgrade to System Center 2012 Service Manager.
Describe the component upgrade order when upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager.
The Process of Planning the Upgrade From Service Manager 2010 to

System Center 2012 Service Manager
Before you upgrade to System Center 2012 Service
Manager, it is important that you plan the
upgrade accordingly. For example, the
components must be upgraded in a specific order,
and there is additional software that is required by
System Center 2012 Service Manager that must be
installed before upgrading Service Manager 2010.
The only upgrade approach from Service Manager
2010 to System Center 2012 SP1 that is supported
is an in-place upgrade. In an in-place upgrade, the
same hardware is used and is upgraded in place.
Other upgrade approaches, such as side-by-side
and rolling upgrades, are not supported. Before you upgrade Service Manager 2010, you should ensure
that SP 1 and Cumulative Update 3 (CU3) have been applied.
It is recommended that you install Service Manager 2010 SP1 CU3 in a test environment first and replicate
the production databases to it. This will allow you to test the upgrade fully before upgrading the
production environment.
Hardware and Additional Software Requirements

Before upgrading to System Center 2012, you should ensure that the computers to be upgraded meet the
minimum hardware recommendations. Additionally, you should ensure that all relevant software
requirements for System Center 2012 Service Manager are met.
This is important, because there have been some changes in software requirements in System Center 2012
Service Manager. For example, the Service Manager console is no longer supported on Windows XP.
Similarly, computers that run Windows Vista must have Service Pack 2 installed.
It is also important to note that the Service Manager and Data Warehouse Management servers are no
longer supported on Windows 2008. Windows Server 2008 R2 is supported, as long as SP1 has been
applied.
There is also additional software that is required by System Center 2012 which includes:
Windows PowerShell 2.0

This is required for both the Service Manager Management server and Data Warehouse Management
server. For the Service Manager console, either Windows PowerShell 1.0 or Windows PowerShell 2.0 can
be used.
SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS)

This is required by the Data Warehouse reporting, so that it can work with the OLAP cubes.
SQL Server 2008 R2 Native Client

This is required by the Service Manager Management server and the Data Warehouse Management
server.
ADO.NET Data Services Update for .NET Framework 3.5 SP1

This is required by the Service Manager Management server, Data Warehouse Management server,
Service Manager console, and for the computers hosting the Service Manager and Data Warehouse
databases.
Analysis Management Objects (AMOs)

This is required by the Service Manager console in order for it to work with SSAS.
Silverlight 4
This is required by client computers that access the Service Manager Self-Service Portal. The Self-Service
Portal has been completely redesigned in System Center 2012 Service Manager. For this reason, this
component must be installed as new.
.NET Framework 4
For System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager only, for computers running Windows Server 2012, the
Service Manager portal SharePoint site requires ASP.NET 4.5 for the Web Server role. This is not to be
confused with the ASP.NET 4.5 for the .NET Framework 4.5 feature.
SharePoint 2010
This is required for the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
Upgrade Order When Upgrading from Service Manager 2010 to System

Center 2012 Service Manager
As mentioned in the previous topic, it is
recommended that the upgrade from Service
Manager 2010 to System Center 2012 Service
Manager be performed in a test environment first.
By replicating your production environment in a
test environment, including replicating the data,
you can fully test the upgrade procedure and
ensure that the features and functionality of the
upgraded environment work as expected.
The upgrade must be performed in a specific
order, and timing of the upgrade is also important.
Detailed in the following table are the upgrade
steps that must be followed, including the order in which they should be performed.
Service Manager 2010 to System Center

Description
2012 Service Manager upgrade step
Perform a backup of the existing data A backup of all Service Manager databases, including
the Data Warehouse databases, should be made. The
encryption key should also be backed up. Additionally,
any unsealed Management Packs should also be
backed up.
Upgrade the Data Warehouse Management The first component to upgrade is the Data
server Warehouse Management server. During the upgrade,
the Data Warehouse jobs are stopped and will not be
started again until after the upgrade is complete.
Upgrade the Service Manager Management After the Data Warehouse Management server is
server upgraded, the Service Manager Management server is
upgraded. If there is more than one Service Manager
Management server in the environment, the Service
Manager Management server that was installed first
should be upgraded first. Additionally, any other
Service Manager Management servers should be
upgraded during this step.
Upgrade the Service Manager consoles After all Service Manager Management servers are
upgraded, the Service Manager consoles should be
upgraded.
Restart the Data Warehouse jobs After the Service Manager consoles and any additional
Service Manager Management servers have been
upgraded, the Data Warehouse jobs should be
restarted.
Install the Service Manager Self-Service Because the Service Manager 2010 web portal cannot
Portal be upgraded, a new installation of the Service
Manager Self-Service Portal should be performed.
When performing the upgrade from Service Manager 2010 to System Center 2012 Service Manager, you
should also take into account the upgrade timing. For example, after upgrading the Data Warehouse
Management server, you must upgrade the Service Manager Management server and install the Self-
Service Portal. This is because the MPSyncJob that is included with the System Center 2012 Service
Manager Data Warehouse will not work with the Service Manager 2010 Management server or Self-
Service Portal. Additionally, after you have upgraded the first Service Manager Management server, you
must upgrade the Service Manager consoles, additional Service Manager Management servers, and Self-
Service Portal at the same time.
For more information about upgrade planning for System Center 2012 - Service Manager, go to the
following website:
Upgrade Planning for System Center 2012 - Service Manager
To confirm a successful upgrade you should perform the following tasks:

Create new incident and Problem work items.
Check if the workflows are running correctly.
The Data Warehouse jobs have all run successfully since the upgrade.
Reports can be generated from the console.
Email notifications are sending correctly.
Check Operations Manager event log on all Management servers.
Check user accounts can still log onto the console.
Upgrading to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager

Upgrading from System Center 2012 Service
Manager to System Center 2012 SP1 involves
planning and preparation. It is recommended that
before you upgrade a production environment to
System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager you
install a lab environment with System Center 2012
Service Manager which includes a replica of your
production databases and then test the upgrade
to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager.
When you are satisfied that the upgrade was
successful you can then apply the upgrade in the
One of the main reasons for this recommendation is that the only upgrade path to System Center 2012
SP1 Service Manager is an in-place upgrade. This is where the existing Service Manager components are
upgraded. Side-by-side or rolling upgrades are not supported.
For more information about configuring a lab environment with production data to test an upgrade to
System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager visit the following website:
Setting Up a Service Manager 2012 Lab Environment with Production Data
Note that you can only upgrade to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager from System Center 2012
Service Manager. You cannot upgrade from Service Manager 2010 directly to System Center 2012 SP1
Service Manager.
Hardware and Software Requirements when upgrading to System Center 2012 SP1 Service
Manager
The hardware requirements for System Center 2012 Service Manager are the same for System Center
2012 SP1 Service Manager so you will not need to upgrade or replace any hardware in your existing
environment. There are two software requirements that you should be aware of however:
Service Manager 2012 Cumulative Update 2: Before you can upgrade to System Center 2012 SP1
Service Manager you must upgrade your existing System Center 2012 Service Manager environment
with Cumulative Update 2 (CU2),
SQL Server 2012 Analysis Management Objects are required for the Service Manager and Data
Warehouse Databases. This requirement exists regardless of which SQL Server version you are using
to host the Service Manager databases.
You can download CU2 for System Center 2012 Service Manager from the following location:
Update Rollup 2 for System Center 2012 Service Manager (KB2719827)
SQL Server 2012 Analysis Management Objects can be downloaded as part of the SQL Server 2012
Feature Pack from the following location:
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Feature Pack
Before upgrading to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager

Due to a known issue, after an upgrade to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager the data warehouse
MPSyncJob may fail. Additionally, the transform and load jobs may also fail following an upgrade. To
ensure this problem does not occur following an upgrade you should run the following SQL script against
the DWRepository database:
;WITH FactName
AS (
select w.WarehouseEntityName from etl.WarehouseEntity w
join etl.WarehouseEntityType t on w.WarehouseEntityTypeId =
t.WarehouseEntityTypeId
where t.WarehouseEntityTypeName = 'Fact'
),FactList
AS (
SELECT PartitionName, p.WarehouseEntityName,
RANK() OVER ( PARTITION BY p.WarehouseEntityName ORDER BY PartitionName
ASC ) AS RK
FROM etl.TablePartition p
join FactName f on p.WarehouseEntityName = f.WarehouseEntityName
)
, FactPKList
AS (
SELECT f.WarehouseEntityName, a.TABLE_NAME, a.COLUMN_NAME, b.CONSTRAINT_NAME,
f.RK,
CASE WHEN b.CONSTRAINT_NAME = 'PK_' + f.WarehouseEntityName THEN 1 ELSE 0
END AS DefaultConstraints
FROM FactList f
JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.KEY_COLUMN_USAGE a ON f.PartitionName = a.TABLE_NAME
JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLE_CONSTRAINTS b ON a.CONSTRAINT_NAME =
b.CONSTRAINT_NAME AND b.CONSTRAINT_TYPE = 'Primary key'
)
, FactWithoutDefaultConstraints
AS (
SELECT a.*
FROM FactPKList a
LEFT JOIN FactPKList b ON b.WarehouseEntityName = a.WarehouseEntityName AND
b.DefaultConstraints = 1
WHERE b.WarehouseEntityName IS NULL AND a.RK = 1
)
, FactPKListStr
AS (
SELECT DISTINCT f1.WarehouseEntityName, f1.TABLE_NAME, f1.CONSTRAINT_NAME,
F.COLUMN_NAME AS PKList
FROM FactWithoutDefaultConstraints f1
CROSS APPLY (
SELECT '[' + COLUMN_NAME + '],'
FROM FactWithoutDefaultConstraints f2
WHERE f2.TABLE_NAME = f1.TABLE_NAME
ORDER BY COLUMN_NAME
FOR
XML PATH('')
) AS F (COLUMN_NAME)
)
SELECT 'ALTER TABLE [dbo].[' + f.TABLE_NAME + '] DROP CONSTRAINT [' +
f.CONSTRAINT_NAME + ']' + CHAR(13) + CHAR(10) +
'ALTER TABLE [dbo].[' + f.TABLE_NAME + '] ADD CONSTRAINT [PK_' +
f.WarehouseEntityName + '] PRIMARY KEY NONCLUSTERED (' + SUBSTRING(f.PKList, 1,
LEN(f.PKList) -1) + ')' + CHAR(13) + CHAR(10)
FROM FactPKListStr f
In addition to the procedure mentioned above you should also perform the following tasks before
upgrading to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager:
Back up the Service Manager database and encryption key.
Back up the Data Warehouse databases and encryption key.
Back up an unsealed or customized Management Packs.
Remote SQL Server Reporting Services
If you have SQL Server Reporting Services hosted on a different computer than the Service Manager Data
Warehouse Management Server you must also perform the following tasks before upgrading to System
Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager:
1. Copy the Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Reporting.Code.dll from the Prerequisites folder on the
Service Manager media to the \Program Files\Microsoft SQL
Server\MSRS10_50.MSSQLSERVER\Reporting Services\ReportServer\Bin folder on the SQL Server
Reporting Services computer.
2. Edit the rsreportserver.config file from the \Program Files\Microsoft SQL
Server\MSRS10_50.MSSQLSERVER\Reporting Services\ReportServer folder on the SQL Server
Reporting Services computer with an XML editor and add the following Extension tag to the <Data>
code segment:
<Extension Name="SCDWMultiMartDataProcessor"
Type="Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Reporting.MultiMartConnection,
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Reporting.Code" />
Operations Manager 2007 and System Center 2012 Operations Manager Agents
If you have an Operations Manager 2007 agent installed on either the Service Manager or Data
Warehouse Management Servers then it must be removed before the upgrade. The Operations Manager
agent is automatically installed as part of the upgrade to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager and
will need to be manually configured to connect to its associated Operations Manager 2007 Management
Server. The Operations Manager agent must also be manually configured to communicate with its
associated System Center 2012 Operations Manager Management Server if you are utilizing this in your
environment.
Performing the upgrade to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager
You must perform the upgrade to System Center 2012 SP1 in a specific order:
1. Upgrade the Data Warehouse Management Server (stop all Data Warehouse jobs before starting the
upgrade).
2. After the Data Warehouse Management Server upgrade is complete perform the upgrade on the
initial Service Manager Management Server (this is the first Service Manager Management Server that
was installed).
3. After the upgrade of the Service Manager Management Server is complete perform the upgrade on
all Service Manager Consoles and any additional Service Manager Management Servers.
4. After the upgrade of the Service Manger Consoles and additional Service Manager Management
Servers is complete perform the upgrade on the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
5. Start the Data Warehouse Jobs.
Note that once the upgrade procedure has been started it must be completed without pausing for a long
period of time between upgrade steps.
For more information about upgrading to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager visit the following
website:
Upgrade Planning for System Center 2012 SP1 - Service Manager
Upgrading to System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager

Upgrading to System Center 2012 R2 Service
Manager involves similar tasks that are followed
when upgrading to System Center 2012 SP1
Service Manager.
Note that you can only upgrade to System Center
2012 R2 Service Manager from System Center
2012 SP1 Service Manager. Additionally, only an
in-place upgrade to System Center 2012 R2
Service Manager is supported.
It is recommended that you perform an upgrade
in a lab environment first with a copy of your
production data before upgrading the production
environment. For more information about setting up a lab environment to test an upgrade to System
Center 2012 R2 Service Manager visit the following website:
Setting Up a Service Manager 2012 Lab Environment with Production Data
Hardware and Software Requirements when upgrading to System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
The hardware requirements for System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager are the same for System Center
2012 R2 Service Manager so you will not need to upgrade or replace any hardware in your existing
environment. There is one software requirement that you should be aware of however:
Service Manager 2012 SP1 Cumulative Update 2: Before you can upgrade to System Center 2012 R2
Service Manager you must upgrade your existing System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager
environment with Cumulative Update 2 (CU2).
Before upgrading to System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
Due to a known issue, after an upgrade to System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager the data warehouse
stops functioning. To prevent this from occurring you must run the following SQL script on the
Repository, DWDataMart, CMDataMart, and OMDataMart databases:
IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#PKFixQueries') IS NOT NULL

DROP TABLE #PKFixQueries
;WITH FactName
AS (
SELECT w.WarehouseEntityName
FROM etl.WarehouseEntity w
JOIN etl.WarehouseEntityType t ON w.WarehouseEntityTypeId =
t.WarehouseEntityTypeId
WHERE t.WarehouseEntityTypeName = 'Fact'
),FactList
AS (
SELECT PartitionName, p.WarehouseEntityName
FROM etl.TablePartition p
JOIN FactName f ON p.WarehouseEntityName = f.WarehouseEntityName
)
, FactWithPK
AS (
SELECT f.WarehouseEntityName, f.PartitionName, b.CONSTRAINT_NAME,
a.COLUMN_NAME
FROM FactList f
JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.KEY_COLUMN_USAGE a ON f.PartitionName =
a.TABLE_NAME
JOIN INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLE_CONSTRAINTS b ON a.CONSTRAINT_NAME =
b.CONSTRAINT_NAME AND b.CONSTRAINT_TYPE = 'Primary key'
)
, FactWithDefaultOrNoPK
AS (
SELECT DISTINCT f.WarehouseEntityName, f.PartitionName
, 'PK_' + f.WarehouseEntityName AS DefaultPKConstraint
, 'PK_' + f.PartitionName AS NewPKConstraint
FROM FactList f
LEFT JOIN FactWithPK pkf ON pkf.WarehouseEntityName =
f.WarehouseEntityName AND pkf.PartitionName = f.PartitionName
WHERE pkf.WarehouseEntityName IS NULL OR pkf.CONSTRAINT_NAME = 'PK_' +
f.WarehouseEntityName
)
, FactPKList
AS (
SELECT DISTINCT f.WarehouseEntityName, f.COLUMN_NAME
FROM FactWithPK f
)
, FactPKListStr
AS (
SELECT DISTINCT f1.WarehouseEntityName, F.COLUMN_NAME AS PKList
FROM FactPKList f1
CROSS APPLY (
SELECT '[' + COLUMN_NAME + '],'
FROM FactPKList f2
WHERE f2.WarehouseEntityName = f1.WarehouseEntityName
ORDER BY COLUMN_NAME
FOR XML PATH('')

) AS F (COLUMN_NAME)
)
SELECT f.PartitionName,
'----------------------------- [' + f.PartitionName + '] ----------------
-------------' + CHAR(13) +
'IF OBJECT_ID(''[' + f.DefaultPKConstraint + ']'') IS NOT NULL' +
CHAR(13) +
'BEGIN' + CHAR(13) +
' ALTER TABLE [dbo].[' + f.PartitionName + '] DROP CONSTRAINT [' +
f.DefaultPKConstraint + ']' + CHAR(13) +
'END' + CHAR(13) + CHAR(13) +
'IF OBJECT_ID(''[' + f.NewPKConstraint + ']'') IS NULL' + CHAR(13) +
'BEGIN' + CHAR(13) +
' ALTER TABLE [dbo].[' + f.PartitionName + '] ADD CONSTRAINT [' +
f.NewPKConstraint + '] PRIMARY KEY NONCLUSTERED (' + SUBSTRING(pk.PKList, 1,
LEN(pk.PKList) -1) + ')' + CHAR(13) +
'END' AS Query
INTO #PKFixQueries
FROM FactWithDefaultOrNoPK f
JOIN FactPKListStr pk ON pk.WarehouseEntityName = f.WarehouseEntityName
DECLARE @PartitionName NVARCHAR(MAX), @Query NVARCHAR(MAX)
WHILE EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM #PKFixQueries)
BEGIN
SELECT TOP 1
@PartitionName = PartitionName,
@Query = Query
FROM #PKFixQueries
PRINT @Query
EXEC(@Query)
DELETE #PKFixQueries
WHERE PartitionName = @PartitionName
END
In addition to the procedure mentioned above you should also perform the following tasks before
upgrading to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager:
Back up the Service Manager database and encryption key.
Back up the Data Warehouse databases and encryption key.
Back up an unsealed or customized Management Packs.
Remote SQL Server Reporting Services
If you have SQL Server Reporting Services hosted on a different computer than the Service Manager Data
Warehouse Management Server you must also perform the same tasks as detailed in the Remote SQL
Server Reporting Services section in the Upgrading to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager topic.
Performing the upgrade to System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
You must perform the upgrade to System Center 2012 R2 in a specific order:
1. Upgrade the Data Warehouse Management Server (stop all Data Warehouse jobs before starting the
upgrade).
2. After the Data Warehouse Management Server upgrade is complete perform the upgrade on the
initial Service Manager Management Server (this is the first Service Manager Management Server that
was installed).
3. After the upgrade of the Service Manager Management Server is complete perform the upgrade on
all Service Manager Consoles and any additional Service Manager Management Servers.
4. Start the Data Warehouse Jobs.
5. After the upgrade of the Service Manger Consoles and additional Service Manager Management
Servers is complete perform the upgrade on the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
Note that once the upgrade procedure has been started it must be completed without pausing for a long
period of time between upgrade steps.
For more information about upgrading to System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager visit the following
website:
Upgrading System Center 2012 - Service Manager SP1 to System Center 2012 R2
Question: What is the minimum supported version of Service Manager 2010 that can be
upgraded to System Center 2012 Service Manager?
Lab A: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager

Scenario
After a detailed overview of System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager you have confirmed that it meets all
of the organizations business and technical requirements. As part of your proposed System Center 2012
R2 Service Manager deployment plan, you decide to implement the solution in Contoso's development
environment. The development environment consists of several Windows Server 2012 R2 servers and
Windows 8 desktop computers that mimic Contoso's production environment.
You need to understand how to install System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager so that you can document
the procedure. This will ensure that there are no problems during the rollout of the solution into the
Contoso would also like the end user experience of the Self-Service Portal to be that of other in-house
web applications. With this is mind, you need to understand how the Self-Service Portal can be
customized to display the company logo and title. Because Contoso is a multinational organization, you
also need to allow the end user to select the language that is used by the Self-Service Portal. You have
also been asked to provide additional links on the Self-Service Portal home page so that important
announcements such as planned maintenance can be made available to end users.
Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to:
Install a Service Manager Management Group.
Install a Data Warehouse Management Group and register it with the Service Manager Management
Group.
Install the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
Lab Setup
Estimated Time: 60 minutes
Host 1 Virtual Machines: LON-DC1
Host 2 Virtual Machines: NYC-SM1, NYC-DW1, NYC-AP1
User Name: Contoso\Administrator
Password: Pa$$w0rd
For this lab, you will use the available virtual machine environment. Before you begin the lab, you must
ensure that the virtual machines are running by completing the following steps:
1. On HOST1, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then double-click Hyper-V Manager.
2. In Hyper-V Manager, click LON-DC1, and in the Actions pane, click Start.
3. In the Actions pane, click Connect. Wait until the virtual machine starts.
4. Log on by using the following credentials:
User name: Administrator
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
6. In Hyper-V Manager, click NYC-AP1, and in the Actions pane, click Start.

Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
9. Repeat steps 5 through 8 for the following virtual machines:
NYC-SM1
NYC-DW1
Note: Before starting this lab, ensure that all Windows Services that are set to start
automatically are running, except for the Microsoft .NET Framework NGEN v4.0.30319_X86
and.NET Framework NGEN v4.0.30319_X64 services, because these services stop automatically
when they are not in use.
Exercise 1: Installing the Service Manager Management Group

Scenario
The first component that is deployed when Service Manager is installed is the management server. You
have dedicated a computer named NYC-SM1 running Windows Server 2012 and SQL Server 2012 that
you will use for this role. After installing the management server, you will also use the Encryption Key
Backup Or Restore Wizard to back up the Service Manager encryption key.
The main tasks for this exercise are as follows:
1. Install the Service Manager management server
2. Backup the Service Manager encryption key
Task 1: Install the Service Manager management server

Location Value
Computer NYC-SM1
Tool ReportViewer.exe
Location \\LON-DC1\Media\
Folder System Center 2012 R2 Service

Manager\amd64\Prerequisites
2. Install ReportViewer from the location specified above and accept all default settings.
3. Run Setup.exe from \\LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager\amd64 to start
the Service Manager Setup Wizard.
4. Use the Service Manager management server option in the setup wizard page to install the Service
Manager management server with the following settings (all other settings should remain the default
settings):
Product registration: Install as an evaluation edition
Management group name: CONTOSO_SM

Management group administrators: SM_Admins
Service Manager Services account: Contoso\SM_Services with Pa$$w0rd
Service Manager workflow account: Contoso\SM_Workflow with Pa$$w0rd
Task 2: Backup the Service Manager encryption key

Location Value
Computer NYC-SM1
Tool Encryption Key Backup or Restore Wizard
Location Opened automatically after installing the

management server
Backup or Restore Backup
2. Use the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard to back up the encryption key with the following
settings (all other settings should remain the default settings):
Backup or Restore?: Backup the encryption key
Provide a Location: C:\SM_DatabaseKey.bin
Provide a Password: Pa$$w0rd
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed the Service Manager management server on NYC-
SM1 and used the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard to back up the encryption key.
Exercise 2: Installing the Data Warehouse Management Group and register

the Service Manager Management Group with the Data Warehouse
Management Group
Scenario
In order to provide reporting and analysis of the data that Service Manager collects, you need to install
the Service Manager Data Warehouse Management server. You have a dedicated computer named NYC-
DW1 running Windows Server 2012 and SQL Server 2012. You need to install the Data Warehouse
Management server on NYC-DW1 and then register the Service Manager Management Group with the
Data Warehouse Management Group.
1. Install the Data Warehouse Management server
2. Backup the data warehouse encryption key
3. Register the Service Manager Management Group with the data warehouse Management Group
Task 1: Install the Data Warehouse Management server

Location Value
Computer NYC-DW1
Tool Setup.exe
Folder System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager\amd64
2. Use the Service Manager data warehouse management server option from the setup wizard page
to install the Service Manager data warehouse management server with the following settings (all
other settings should remain the default settings):
Management group name: DW_CONTOSO_SM
Management group administrators: SM_Admins
Service Manager reporting account: Contoso\SM_Reporting with Pa$$w0rd
Analysis Services credential: Contoso\SM_Analysis with Pa$$w0rd
Task 2: Backup the data warehouse encryption key

Location Value
Computer NYC-DW1

Location Value
Location Opened automatically after installing the data warehouse

management server
Backup or Restore?: Backup the encryption key
Provide a Location: C:\SM_WarehouseKey.bin
Provide a Password: Pa$$w0rd
Task 3: Register the Service Manager Management Group with the data warehouse
Management Group
Location Value
Computer NYC-SM1
Pane Administration
Node Administration
2. Create a shortcut on the desktop to the Service Manager Console.

3. Open the Service Manager console.
4. Use the Register with Service Manager Data Warehouse option to open the Data Warehouse
Registration Wizard and configure the following settings (all other settings should remain the default
settings):
Server name: NYC-DW1
Credentials window password: Pa$$w0rd
Confirm that the MPSyncJob is running in the Data Warehouse Jobs node of the Data Warehouse
pane and then close the Service Manager console.
Note: If an error appears stating that the connection to NYC-DW1 was not successful, wait
5 minutes and then return to Step 2 above.
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed the Data Warehouse Management server on NYC-
DW1 and used the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard to back up the encryption key. Additionally,
you should have registered the Service Manager Management Group with the Data Warehouse
Management Group.
Exercise 3: Installing the Service Manager Self-Service Portal and

confirming a successful installation
Scenario
In order to provide services to end users, you also decide to install the Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
You have a dedicated computer named NYC-AP1 running Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server 2008 R2,
and SharePoint Server 2010. You need to install the Self-Service Portal on this computer and confirm that
the installation was successful by browsing to the portal and viewing the default service requests that
Service Manager provides.
1. Install the Self-Service Portal
2. Confirm that the Self-Service Portal is working as expected
Task 1: Install the Self-Service Portal

Location Value
Computer NYC-AP1
Tool Setup.exe
2. From the LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager\amd64 folder run setup. Use
the Service Manager web portal option from the setup wizard page to install the Service Manager
Self-Service Portal with the following settings (all other settings should remain the default settings):
Portal Parts: Web Content Server and SharePoint Web Parts
Configure the Service Manager Self-Service Portal name and port:
Disable SLL encryption
Port: 8080
Service Manager database server: NYC-SM1
Database: Service Manager
Account for the Self-Service Portal: Contoso\SM_Services with Pa$$w0rd
3. Configure the Service Manager SharePoint website:
Disable SLL encryption
Port: 8083
Account for Service Manager SharePoint application pool: Contoso\SM_Services with Pa$$w0rd
Task 2: Confirm that the Self-Service Portal is working as expected

Location Value
Computer NYC-SM1
Tool Internet Explorer
URL http://NYC-AP1:8083/SMPortal
View List View
2. Open the Self-Service Portal and, from the List view, confirm that the Generic Incident Request is
displayed.
3. Close Internet Explorer.
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the Self-Service Portal to load the first time it is run.
Note: Shutdown the following virtual machines as they are no longer required for the rest
of this course:
NYC-SM1
NYC-DW1
NYC-AP1
Note: Start the following virtual machines for the final exercise in this lab:
LON-AP1
LON-SM1
LON-DW1
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed the Self-Service Portal on NYC-AP1 And confirmed
that the Self-Service Portal is working as expected by browsing to it from NYC-SM1 and viewing the
service requests from the List view.
Exercise 4: Customizing the Self-Service Portal

Scenario
To help align the Self-Service Portal to that of the other in-house web applications, you need to add the
company logo and change the title of the Self-Service Portal to Contoso Self-Service Portal. You must also
enable mult0lingual support for the Self-Service Portal and add a navigation link that will be used to
publish announcements.
1. Change the Self-Service Portal title
2. Change the Self-Service Portal image
3. Install the Japanese language pack
4. Configure the language pack for the Self-Service Portal Site
5. Change the language to Japanese in the Self-Service Portal
6. Create the announcement navigation link
7. Create a new announcement
Task 1: Change the Self-Service Portal title

1. Ensure the following virtual machines are shut down:
NYC-AP1
NYC-SM1
NYC-DW1
2. Ensure the following virtual machines have been started:
LON-AP1
LON-SM1
LON-DW1
3. To perform this task, use the computer and tool information shown in the following table.
Location Value
Computer LON-AP1
URL http://LON-AP1:8083/SMPortal
Link Site Actions\Site Settings
4. From the Title, description and icon link, change the Title to Contoso Self-Service Portal.
Task 2: Change the Self-Service Portal image

Location Value
Computer LON-AP1
2. Copy the C:\Logos\Contoso_Logo.png, and paste it to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft

Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\template\images
3. From the Title, description and icon link, change the URL to http://LON-AP1:8083/_layouts/images/
Contoso_Logo.png
4. Use the Click here to test link to test the URL
Task 3: Install the Japanese language pack

Location Value
Computer LON-AP1
Tool Windows Explorer
Location C:\Language Packs
File ServerLanguagePack.exe
2. Install the language pack, accepting all default settings.

3. Complete the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard, accepting all default settings.
4. Close the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration window.
Task 4: Configure the language pack for the Self-Service Portal Site
Location Value
Computer LON-AP1

2. Under Site Administration, use the Language Settings link to select the Japanese language as an
alternate language.
Task 5: Change the language to Japanese in the Self-Service Portal

Location Value
Computer LON-AP1
Link System Account
2. Use the Select Display Language option to change the language to Japanese.
3. Change the language back to English.
Task 6: Create the announcement navigation link

Location Value
Computer LON-AP1
2. Under Look and Feel, use the Quick Launch link to create a new navigation link with the following
settings:
URL: /SMPortal/Lists/Announcements/AllItems.aspx
Description: Announcements
Task 7: Create a new announcement

Location Value
Computer LON-AP1
Link Announcements
2. Use the Add new announcement link to create a new announcement with the following settings:
Title: Scheduled Maintenance Announcement
Body: Helpdesk will be unavailable this Thursday due to maintenance
Expires: Friday
3. Confirm that the new announcement is visible in the Self-Service Portal.
4. Close Internet Explorer and then shut down LON-AP1.
Results: After this exercise, you should have customized the Self-Service Portal to include the Contoso
logo. You should have also updated the title of the Self-Service Portal to Contoso Self-Service Portal. You
should then have installed the Japanese language pack for Microsoft SharePoint and then configured the
Self-Service Portal site so that end users can change the displayed language to Japanese. You should have
then created a new navigation link for announcements in the Self-Service Portal. Finally, you should also
have created a new announcement for scheduled maintenance and viewed the details in the Self-Service
Portal.
Question: What are the names of the three Windows Services that are installed on a Service
Manager management server?
Question: After installing either the Service Manager management server or data warehouse
management server, what should you do to protect the data in the Service Manager
databases?
Question: After installing the Service Manager data warehouse management server, the
Data Warehouse workspace does not appear in the Service Manager console. What could be
the cause of this?
Lab B: Upgrading to System Center 2012 Service Manager

Scenario
Contoso has already invested in Service Manager and has a Service Manager 2010 deployment in the
organizations development environment. In order to preserve the data that has been collected, you have
been tasked with upgrading the environment to System Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager.
Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to:
Prepare a Service Manager 2010 environment for upgrade.
Upgrade Service Manager 2010 to System Center 2012 Service Manager.
Lab Setup
Virtual Machines: LON-DC1, LON-SM2, LON-DW2
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM2
LON-DW2
Note: Before starting this lab, make sure that all Windows Services that are set to start
automatically are running, except for the.NET Framework NGEN v4.0.30319_X86 and.NET
Framework NGEN v4.0.30319_X64 services, because these services stop automatically when they
are not in use.
Exercise 1: Backing up the Service Manager 2010 environment

Scenario
Before you upgrade Service Manager 2010, you need to ensure that you have adequate backups of the
Service Manager databases and have also backed up the Service Manager encryption keys.
1. Back up the Service Manager database
2. Back up the Service Manager encryption key
3. Back up the Service Manager data warehouse databases
4. Back up the Service Manager data warehouse encryption key
Task 1: Back up the Service Manager database

Location Value
Computer LON-SM2
Tool SQL Server Management Studio
Database ServiceManager
2. Use SQL Server Management Studio to back up the ServiceManager database.
Task 2: Back up the Service Manager encryption key

1. To perform this task, use the computer and tool information that is shown in the following table.
Location Value
Computer LON-SM2
Location C:\SM2010SP1
\amd64\Tools\SecureStorageBackup
Location: C:\ServiceManager_key.bin
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Task 3: Back up the Service Manager data warehouse databases

Location Value
Computer LON-DW2
Databases DWDataMart, DWRepository, and DWStagingAndConfig
2. Use SQL Server Management Studio to back up the DWDataMart, DWRepository, and
DWStagingAndConfig databases.
Task 4: Back up the Service Manager data warehouse encryption key

Location Value
Computer LON-DW2
Location \\LON-SM2\C$\SM2010SP1
\amd64\Tools\SecureStorageBackup
2. Use the Encryption Key Backup or Restore Wizard to backup the encryption key with the following
settings (all other settings should be left as default):
Location: C:\ServiceManagerDW_key.bin
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Results: After this exercise, you should have backed up the Service Manager databases for both the
Service Manager Management Group and the data warehouse Management Group. You should have also
used the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard to back up the encryption key for the Service Manager
database and the data warehouse databases.
Exercise 2: Upgrading Service Manager 2010 to System Center 2012

Service Manager
Scenario
After a successful backup of the Service Manager 2010 environment, you are now ready to upgrade to
System Center 2012 Service Manager. You first need to ensure that the Service Manager management
servers are running SP1 and that CU3 has been applied. Additionally, when performing the upgrade, you
must ensure that the components are upgraded in the correct order.
1. Confirm that Service Manager 2010 components are running SP1 and CU3
2. Upgrade the data warehouse management server
3. Upgrade the Service Manager management server
4. Confirm a successful upgrade to System Center 2012 Service Manager
Task 1: Confirm that Service Manager 2010 components are running SP1 and CU3
Location Value
Computer LON-SM2
View Help\About Microsoft System Center Service Manager
Product Version 7.0.6555.128
2. Confirm that the product version of the Service Manager management server is 7.0.6555.128.
3. Suspend the Data Warehouse Jobs in the Service Manager console by selecting each job and then
clicking the Suspend task where it becomes available.
4. Close the Service Manager console.
5. On LON-DW2, navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center\Service Manager 2010 and
confirm that the product version of the Microsoft.MOM.Sdk.Authorization.dll file is 7.0.6555.128.
Task 2: Upgrade the data warehouse management server

Location Value
Computer LON-DW2
Tool Setup.exe
Location \\LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 Service

Manager\amd64
Installation option Service Manager data warehouse management server

2. Using Notepad, edit the C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center\Service Manager 2010\
Microsoft.Mom.ConfigServiceHost.exe file and add the following line after the <runtime> line.
<generatePublisherEvidence enabled="false"/>
3. Use the Service Manager Setup Wizard to upgrade the data warehouse management server with the
following settings (all other settings should remain the default settings):
Configure the reporting account: Contoso\SM_Services with Pa$$w0rd
Configure the Analysis Services credential: Contoso\SM_Services with Pa$$w0rd
Task 3: Upgrade the Service Manager management server

Location Value
Computer LON-SM2
Tool Setup.exe
Location \\LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 Service

Manager\amd64
Installation option Service Manager management server
2. By using Notepad, edit the C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center\Service Manager 2010\
Microsoft.Mom.ConfigServiceHost.exe file and add the following line after the <runtime> line.
3. Use the Service Manager Setup Wizard to upgrade the Service Manager management server with the
Task 4: Confirm a successful upgrade to System Center 2012 Service Manager

Location Value
Computer LON-SM2
Toolbar menu Help
Menu Item About Service Manager
2. In the About Service Manager window that opens, confirm that the product version is 7.5.1561.0
Note: Shut down LON-SM2 and LON-DW2 as they are not needed for any other labs in this
course.
Results: After this exercise, you should have confirmed that the Service Manager 2010 environment was
ready to upgrade by checking the version of the Service Manager management server and data
warehouse management server. You should have also upgraded the Service Manager environment to
System Center 2012 Service Manager and confirmed that the upgrade was successful.
Question: Before upgrading Service Manager 2010 to System Center 2012 Service Manager,
what should you do?
Question: What is the upgrade order when upgrading Service Manager 2010 to System
Center 2012 Service Manager?
Question: How do you upgrade the Service Manager 2010 Self-Service Portal?

Common Issues and Troubleshooting Tips
Common Issue Troubleshooting Tip
When installing or upgrading to System

Center 2012 SP1 Service Manager, setup
might fail if you have the Service Manager
2010 Authoring Tool installed.
Review Question(s)
Question: What permissions must the account used for the Orchestrator connector have?

When Service Manager is being installed, setup fails if the specified SQL Server instance name includes a $
character. In this scenario, you must select a SQL Server instance that does not include a $ character in its
name.
Tools
When planning your System Center 2012 Service Manager deployment, you can use the Sizing Helper for
System Center 2012 Service Manager to help determine the hardware requirements based on your
environment. You can download the Sizing Helper for System Center 2012 Service Manager from the
following website: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=232378
3-1
Module 3
Key Concepts and Features
Contents:
Module Overview 3-1
Lesson 1: Overview of Management Packs 3-2
Lesson 2: Overview of the Service Manager CMDB 3-8
Lesson 3: Managing Activities 3-14
Lesson 4: Managing Workflows 3-24
Lesson 5: Managing Templates 3-29
Lesson 6: Security and User Roles 3-36
Lab: Configuring Service Manager for StockTrader and DinnerNow 3-42
Module Overview
Before you start to configure Service Manager to meet your requirements it is important that you
understand some of the key concepts and features found in the Service Manager Console. This includes
Management Packs that are used to store Service Manager Items such as queues, views and groups.
You should understand the concept of work items and Configuration Items including how they can be
created and modified in Service Manager.
In this module you will learn many of the key features and concepts that will help you understand how to
configure important functions in Service Manager.
Objectives
Understand Management Packs.
Describe the Service Manager CMDB.
Manage Activities.
Manage Workflows.
Manage Templates.
Manage Security and User Roles.
3-2 Key Concepts and Features
Lesson 1
Overview of Management Packs
Management Packs define the data structures, relationships and configuration used in Service Manager to
perform Service management functions such as Incident Management and Change Management.
As in Operations Manager, there are two types of Management Packs: Sealed and Unsealed. So it is
important to understand the differences between them and how they should be used.
In this lesson, you will learn the key functions provided by the Service Manager Management Packs, such
as how to import and export them from one Service Manager environment to another.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the purpose of Management Packs in Service Manager.
Describe the items included in a Management Pack.
Import and export Management Packs.
Describe the difference between sealed and unsealed Management Packs.
What Does a Management Pack do?

Management Packs contain the views, forms,
reports, classes and workflows used to provide the
Service management functions in Service
Manager.
Management Packs can either be sealed (read-
only) or unsealed (read/write). After you install
Service Manager, a number of sealed
Management Packs are automatically imported
into Service Manager that provide functions such
as Incident Management and Change
Management.
Unsealed Management Packs are read/write and
store customizations created by a Service Manager Management Group. They can also be exported and
used in other Management Groups.
Items stored in a Management Pack can include: Connectors, list items, templates, groups and queues.
However, items such as Computers, Incidents, Change Requests and any other instances of classes are not
stored in a Management Pack but are stored in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
When Service Manager 2012 R2 is integrated with other System Center 2012 R2 components,
Management Packs can be used to reference objects from other environments, such as distributed
applications that have been discovered or created in Operations Manager.
You can import Management Packs into Service Manager from the Management Packs node and then
view them in the Administration pane of the Service Manager console.
When you view the properties of a Management Pack in the Administration pane, the Management Packs
dependencies are displayed. The property window shows both the Management Packs that depend on
the selected Management Pack and the Management Packs that the selected Management Pack depends
on.
Should you wish to remove a Management Pack from Service Manager, you must first check the
dependencies to see if there are any Management Packs that would be affected by the removal. As
Service Manager will not allow you to remove a Management Pack that has dependencies.
You can create, delete, export and import a Management Pack via the Management Packs node in the
Administration pane. A Management Pack is created by selecting the Create Management Pack task, it is
removed by selecting the Delete task, exported via the Export task and imported via the Import task.
For more information about using Management Packs in Service Manager, go to the following link:
Using Management Packs in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Management Pack Components

A Service Manager Management Pack contains a
set of components. Each component has its own
unique logic that instructs the Service Manager
environment how to behave.
A Management Pack also serves the following two
purposes:
It stores configured customizations
It enables the easy deployment of new
configuration from Microsoft and the System
Center community.
Management Pack configurations are written in
XML and can be edited when in an Unsealed state. Objects in other Sealed Management Packs can also
be referenced to use with objects currently in the environment, such as a new view that displays Incident
work items only.
The following table describes the major components found within a Management Pack:
Component Description
Manifest Provides the Management Pack an identity. It also lists references to other
Management Packs and the version number that is required at import. The
Management Pack version number listed is the lowest required version.
TypeDefinitions Contains the class, enumeration and relationship definitions that are used by the
Management Pack.
Categories Defines the links between image resources and the image references.
Presentation Defines how objects and items will be viewed in the console. This includes forms,
console views and folder structure. It also includes console tasks.
LanguagePack Defines the different display names to use depending on the language being
used in a particular Service Manager environment. Multiple languages can also be
provided for in a single Management Pack. The default language for the
Management Pack is set in this section as well.
Component Description
Resources Contains named reference of files. A separate file contains the contents of a
particular resource, while the resource section of the Management Pack just
references the files.
Importing and Exporting Management Packs

When the Service Manager Management Server
and Data Warehouse Management Server are
installed, a standard set of sealed and unsealed
management packs are imported by default. These
provide part of the core functionality in Service
Manager.
Additional Management Packs can be imported to
increase functionality or provide customization.
This enables an organization with a pre-
production Service Manager environment to add
more functions.
The functions stored in the Management Packs
have been tested, so that when an organization is ready to release new functions into the production
environment, they can easily import the edited Management Packs.
When importing a Management Pack into the Service Manager environment, the process is no different
for a sealed or unsealed Management Pack. However, there are some points to consider:
You must ensure that all dependent Management Packs have already been imported into the
environment or will be imported at the same time as the new Management Pack. Otherwise Service
Manager will refuse the import and will send a notification listing the missing dependent
Management Packs.
When you are importing a sealed Management Pack that is already in the Service Manager database,
take note of the version number. As Service Manager will only allow you to import the same
Management Pack when the version number is greater than that already stored.
However, unsealed Management Packs can be imported regardless of the version number, but care
must be taken as they normally contain customized data. This means that if an older version already
exists without the latest updates, the previous data will be lost instantly.
A sealed Management Pack will always have the file extension .mp or .mpb whereas an unsealed
Management Pack will have the file extension .xml.
You can import a Management Pack by using the Service Manager console or a Windows PowerShell
cmdlet.
To use the Service Manager console, open the Administration pane, select the Management Packs node
and then choose Import in the Tasks pane.
Alternatively, you can use the Windows PowerShell cmdlet Import-SCSMManagementPack. For more
information about importing a Management Pack with Windows PowerShell, go to the following link:
Import-SCSMManagementPack
Sometimes it is necessary to export Management Packs out of a management group, for example, to:
Backup existing Management Packs in case of complete environment failure
Backup existing Management Packs in a pre-production environment to import into the production
environment.
Whenever a Management Pack is exported, it is always in an unsealed XML format. As this enables
Changes to occur directly into the Management Pack via XML editing. The same Management Pack can
then be re-imported in order to make Changes or remove items. Always keep a copy of the certificate
that is used to seal Management Packs in the environment as the same certificate is required when re-
sealing a Management Pack.
Note: An export of a sealed Management Pack cannot be re-imported unsealed. The

original certificate that was used to seal the Management Pack must be used. For example, if the
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Management Pack is exported and then edited, to import the
Management Pack the original certificate that was used to seal the Management Pack must be
obtained. Therefore, as the Microsoft certificate that was used to seal the Management Pack in
the first instance is not publicly available sealing the Management Pack will not be possible. This
provides sealed Management Packs will a level of security, restricting Changes to only the author
of the original Management Pack who has access to the certificate.
You can export a Management Pack by using the Service Manager console or a Windows PowerShell
cmdlet.
To use the Service Manager console, open the Administration pane, select the Management Packs node
and then choose the Export task in the Tasks pane.
Alternatively, you can use the Windows PowerShell cmdlet Export-SCSMManagementPack.
For more information about exporting a Management Pack with Windows PowerShell, go to the following
link:
Export-SCSMManagementPack
Sealed Versus Unsealed Management Packs

There are two types of Management Pack, sealed
and unsealed. A sealed Management Pack is
protected from Changes. While an unsealed
Management Pack is not protected, and can be
edited by making changes to configuration in the
console, or by editing the XML in the
Management Pack.
A sealed Management Pack cannot be directly
edited in any way. To edit a sealed Management
Pack the original unsealed Management Pack
must be used. Whenever an unsealed
Management Pack is sealed, it creates a new
sealed Management Pack file. This leaves the unsealed Management Pack to be kept and stored as the
most up to date version for editing. At this point, changes can be made, in the same way as unsealed
Management Packs are edited. This is explained further in this topic. When the Management Pack is
sealed, the version number will automatically increase.
Once changes have been made, the Management Pack has to be sealed with a certificate that contains a
public and private key pair. If the same Management Pack is to be re-imported with a higher version
number, then the same certificate used to seal the currently imported version must be used. Sealing a
Service Manager Management Pack can be achieved by using the Service Manager Authoring Console.
When the Management Pack is sealed it converts the XML into a binary file which also changes its file
name extension to .mp.
Note: A sealed Management Pack cannot be used to hide information from users, such as
passwords. Even though the XML data gets converted to binary, an administrator can still export
that Management Pack, and thus showing the original XML data.
Sealing a Management Pack protects the integrity of the Management Pack. It allows any base definitions
within the Management Pack to be referenced in further sealed and unsealed Management Packs. A
sealed version of the Management Pack cannot be imported into an environment where the unsealed
version is already present.
For more information about sealing Service Manager Management Packs, go the following link:
How to Seal a Service Manager Management Pack
Unsealed Management Packs are used to store custom configuration that has been modified for the
environment. For example, by adding new list items to a list or storing email notification subscriptions. A
user with the correct privileges can make modifications to an unsealed Management Pack where
necessary. This is normally performed through configuration in the console.
Unsealed Management Packs are written in XML and can be edited by an XML editor such as XML
Notepad or, more typically, by using the Service Manager Authoring console or the Visual Studio
Authoring Extensions add-on for Microsoft Visual Studio. This ability to edit is useful, because you can
export a Management Pack and then edit it to include additional functionality such as a view.
Note: The Service Manager installation includes several unsealed Management Packs out of
the box. Best practice indicates that these Management Packs should never be used to store any
custom configuration. Always create new unsealed Management Packs for each customization in
the environment. For example, an Inciden11 class Management Pack for all Incident related
customizations.
An unsealed version of the Management Pack cannot be imported into an environment where the sealed
version is already present.
For more information about the Service Manager Authoring Console, go to the following link:
System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Authoring Tool
For more information about the Visual Studio Authoring Extensions, go to the following link:
System Center 2012 Visual Studio Authoring Extensions
Demonstration: Viewing Management Packs in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review the default Management Packs in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Tool Service Manager Console
Pane Administration
View Management Packs
2. Review the various Management Packs that are displayed.

3. Edit the properties of the Incident Management Report Library Management Pack.
4. Review the Management Packs that are listed in the Dependencies tab.
Question: What should you do before removing a Management Pack in Service Manager?
Lesson 2
Overview of the Service Manager CMDB
Service Manager stores Configuration Items (CIs) in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). For
example, when Service Manager is integrated with Active Directory via a connector, the Active Directory
Users, Groups and Printers are imported into the CMDB as Configuration Items. You can then associate
Configuration Items from the CMDB with work items in Service Manager such as an Incident, in order to
track Configuration Items affected by an Incident.
It is important that you understand the type of Configuration Items that are stored in the Service Manager
CMDB so that when you create a work item, you can reference related items correctly.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the Service Manager CMDB.
Describe Configuration Items.
Describe how to populate the CMDB.
Describe what items are stored in the Service Manager CMDB.
The Service Manager CMDB

The Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
is a central store for all data that is imported and
added to Service Manager. It is at the center of the
Service Manager environment, collecting data on
the configuration and operation of the
organizations IT infrastructure. Data is stored as
Configuration Items (CI) that can include
information about users, software, software
updates and hardware. In addition, every CI
contains attributes to provide further information.
The CMDB can only run on a Microsoft SQL Server
platform that is incorporated inside the Service
Manager Database. The Service Manager Database is used to store work items and workflows for the
environment. The default name of the Service Manager database is ServiceManager.
The CMDB can be populated with data in three ways. The first is to manually add entries into the CMDB
through tasks in the console. The second is to import a .csv file with details of the items you wish to
import. The third is to configure Service Manager connectors that automatically update the CMDB. The
latter is the preferred method of populating and updating the CMDB, to ensure the information is
accurately updated on a scheduled basis. The connectors available in Service Manager 2012 R2 are:
Active Directory Connector
Operations Manager Connector
Configuration Manager Connector
Virtual Machine Manager Connector
Orchestrator Connector
Configuration Items Used in Service Manager

Service Manager provides the means to manually
and electronically capture and store data about
the IT environment, as described in the previous
topic. Captured data is then turned into
Configuration Items (CI) and put into the
Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
There are many different types of CI used to
represent the technical infrastructure, some of
which are listed below:
Configuration Item Description
Builds This item details software and its version for a specific build. Within the CI,
software items from the software CI type can be attached as a Related Item.
These items are primarily used in a Release record work item for a Release
package.
Business Services This item covers services IT provides to the business such as, mail (Exchange)
or intranet (SharePoint).
Related service components and dependents can be added to this item, to
create a single entry spanning all computers and objects within a particular
service. This is very useful when raising an Incident or Change for a whole
platform within the organization. Business Services can be created
automatically from distributed application diagrams using the Operations
Manager CI connector. The Operations Manager CI Connector and Business
Services are covered in detail later in this course.
Computers This item represents a computer in the organization. Each CI contains

attributes that detail specifications about the computer. It can also store all of
the software that is installed on a machine. Typically, this CI type is used when
raising an Incident or Change as they can be attached to work items as related
items.
Environments The Environments item is typically used with a Release record work item. It
defines a particular environment within the IT organization such as pre-
production or production.
Printers Each item represents a printer in the organization. It contains attributes of the
printer such as the network address and UNC name. Typically, this item is used
when raising an Incident as CIs can be attached to work items as related items.
Software The Software item attributes help software owners identify the software being
tracked in the organization. Some attributes include publisher, version and
product name. This item is also used to associate work items such as an
Incident, Problem record, Change and Release records.
Software Updates The Software Updates item is used to record details of software updates
currently available in the organization. They record where they are in lifecycle
such as deployed, disposed or retired. The attributes also capture the vendor
and title details. These items can be linked to related items, for example, to
show which computers have a particular software update.
Users This item contains details about a user within the organization. The User CI
Configuration Item Description

contains attributes covering typical fields such as username, title, email, zip
and telephone. User CIs are primary used for Incidents and Service Requests
where they are attached as an affected user. If a user has the email field
populated, then the email address can be used for email notifications within
Service Manager.
Service Manager is not limited to these Configuration Items as there are many more. You can also create
new Configuration Items (Classes) with custom attributes and have them appear in the console. You can
extend the Configuration Items that have already been built into a Service Manager environment, by
using the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
Most of these items are created, updated and deleted automatically by the Service Manager connectors.
The connectors can also automatically populate attributes and even create relationships between
computers and software.
For more information about Configuration Items, go to the following link:
Configuration Items in Service Manager
Create and Modify Configuration Items

Creating and modifying Configuration Items (CI)
can be achieved manually through the console or
automatically through connectors. This topic
explains how to manually create and modify CIs.
Automatic creation of CIs is covered in the next
topic.
Sometimes it is necessary to manually create new
CIs to match the needs of the organization - even
if all Service Manager connectors are being
utilized. Some of the reasons the manual creation
of a CI may be required are:
A computer doesnt belong to any domain
connected by an Active Directory connector.
A piece of software has been discovered on a computer that doesnt belong in Configuration
Manager and as a result, it doesnt get synchronized by the Configuration Manager connector.
A printer copier is not connected to an Active Directory domain that is synchronized with an Active
Directory connector.
The CI types that are not populated automatically such as Builds and Environments must be created
manually.
Once a CI is created, you can view it on the relevant node in the Configuration Items pane of the Service
Manager console.
Use the following steps to create a CI in the Service Manager console.
1. Navigate to the Configuration Items pane.
2. Select the node of the configuration item that needs to be created, such as Software.
3. In the Tasks pane, select the relevant create task. For example if you want to create a Software
Configuration Item, the task is called Create Software.
4. A new form will appear where an operator can enter the details and attributes of the new CI.
5. When the details have been completed, click OK
For more information about Creating new Configuration Items, go to the following link:
How to Manually Create Configuration Items
Sometimes it is necessary to update existing Configuration Items that have been created either manually
or automatically. Instances where this may occur are:
Only some of the attributes have been populated automatically through the connectors and so the
remaining attributes containing information that is critical for the operators must be manually added.
A manually created Configuration Item must be updated. As it was created manually, it has no way of
updating itself.
A new relationship between two Configuration Items must be added, if the relationship was not
present when the CI was created.
You can modify a CI in the Service Manager console as follows:
1. Navigate to the Configuration Items pane.
2. Select the node of the Configuration Item requiring modification, such as Software.
3. In the center pane, select the Configuration Item that needs modifying and double click it.
4. A new form will appear which will allow you to modify the Configuration Item.
5. When the details have been changed, click OK.
For more information about modifying Configuration Items, go to the following link:
Managing Configuration Items
Importing Configuration Items Using Connectors

Service Manager Connectors provide a method of
not only creating new Configuration Items (CIs)
but also keeping the CIs up-to-date. Building a
complete and accurate Configuration
Management Database (CMDB) is the key to a
successful Service Manager environment. Service
Manager 2012 R2 provides an organization with a
robust and accurate CMDB by using the
connectors. What makes the connectors robust is
the integration between Service Manager and
other Microsoft products. Once all connectors are
configured and synchronizing it can populate an
accurate CMDB within hours.
There are six connectors available to administrators of Service Manager and all can be utilized within a
single Service Manager environment. The connectors are detailed in the table below:
Connector Description
Active Directory The AD connector passes in AD users, AD groups, computer objects

and printer objects. It will populate attributes within the Configuration
Items it creates.
Configuration Manager The SCCM connector imports data, such as, software, software updates
and hardware details from the Configuration Manager database into
Configuration Items in Service Manager. If a Configuration Item exists
such as a computer CI it will update that CIs attributes with more
information. If the computer CI doesnt exist then it will create the
whole computer CI.
Operations Manager CI The Operations Manager CI connector imports both data and objects
from Operations Manager. If the object already has a CI created in
Service Manager, the connector will try and update attributes with the
data Operations manager has discovered. If there is no CI for an
Operations Manager object Service Manager will create a CI for it. The
relevant Operations Manager Management Packs must be imported
into the Service Manager environment so that it can reference
operations manager objects appropriately.
Operations Manager Alert The Operations Manager Alert Connector imports alert information
generated in Operations Manager as Incidents in Service Manager. This
connector is covered in detail in Module 5 - Populating the Service
Manager CMDB using Connectors.
Orchestrator The Orchestrator connector creates a link between the organizations

Service Manager environment and Orchestrator environment.
Runbooks that start with the Initialize Data activity will now become
available for use in Service Manager workflows in the form of runbook
activity work items.
Virtual Machine Manager The VMM connector passes in data about Virtual Machines, Templates
and Networks. The relevant Operations Manager Management Packs
need to have been imported for these items to show as Configuration
Items.
Note: In some cases, additional configuration may be required to retrieve CI data. For
example, VM clouds from Virtual Machine Manager will not be imported into the CMDB until:
The correct Virtual Machine Manager Management Packs have been imported into Service Manager.
The connection between Virtual Machine Manager and Operations Manager has been established.
The Operations Manager CI connector has been configured and synchronized in Service Manager.
The System Center connectors are covered in detail in module 5 lesson 1.
For more information about Service Manager connectors, go to the following link:
Using Connectors to Import Data into System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Demonstration: Configuring the Active Directory Connector

In this demonstration you will see how to configure the Active Directory Connector in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Tool Service Manager

Console
Pane Administration
View Connectors
2. Use the Create connector task to create a new Active Directory connector with the following
settings. All other settings should be left as default.
Name: Active Directory
Credentials: Pa$$w0rd
3. Use the Synchronize Now task to synchronize the connector and then use the Refresh task
intermittently to refresh the view.
4. Wait until the Status column displays Finished Success.
5. From the Configuration Items pane open the Users view and review the new Configuration Items
that have been created.
Question: Name three Configuration Item types in Service Manager?
Lesson 3
Managing Activities
Activities provide an important function in Service Manager as they provide a method of both managing
important business functions and approving or rejecting work items such as Change Requests, Service
Requests and Release Records.
There are various types of Activities that can be used in Service Manager, so it is important that you
understand the purpose of each Activity and when they should be used.
Lesson Objectives
Describe Activities and where they can be found in Service Manager.
Use Dependent Activities.
Use Manual Activities.
Use Parallel Activities.
Use Review Activities.
Use Runbook Automation Activities.
Use Sequential Activities.
Overview of Activities
Activities provide a method of managing work
items such as Incidents, Change Requests, Release
records, and Service Requests. They help manage
functions such as approving a Service Request with
a review activity or applying manual process
actions in Change Requests by using manual
activities.
For example, when you create a Change Request
using the Emergency Change Request template,
there are several activities that must be added to
the Change Request. These include a review
activity and the manual activities used to control
and manage how the Change is applied.
Activities can be used to manage workflows when Change and Release management are being
configured. In addition, activities can be chained to provide workflow management of processes that are
performed in the IT environment, such as getting approval from a review activity and then performing the
work as defined in the manual activity. You can also skip an activity in a workflow, if the activity is not
applicable to a certain request. Also, if an activity fails, it can be re-run to allow the activity to be
performed again.
Each type of activity is covered in detail in this lesson. The table below provides an example of each
activity:
Activity Example
Dependent A Change Request with a dependent activity is created. The dependent

activity relies on a Release record being attached to the Change
Request to allow the Change Request to continue.
Manual A Change Request has a step in the workflow that requires checking a
server to make sure an update exists. A manual activity is created to tell
the operator to perform that check and it includes details of how the
check is performed.
Parallel A Service Request requires three manual activities that must be

performed before the workflow can continue. For example, order one
computer, order one monitor and order one printer. A parallel activity
will ensure this happens as the three activities will run simultaneously
and the parallel activity will only show as complete when all three
manual activities have been completed. The order in which the three
activities are completed is not important.
Review A request for new software requires a managers approval. The review
activity will only continue a workflow when the activity is set to
approved.
Runbook Automation A request to remove a user from Active Directory has been created.
This activity will trigger a runbook that will remove a user from Active
Directory and pass parameters from Service Manager to the runbook
directly.
Sequential A parallel activity named PA:Install Service Pack includes one manual
activity named MA:Update App that is used to update an application
with a Service Pack. The parallel activity also includes a sequential
activity name SA:Update Hardware in which three other manual
activities have been included which must be run in sequence. These
three manual activities will be used to update the client, server and
mobile devices. When PA:Install Service Pack activity is run both the
MA:Update App activity and the SA:Update Hardware activity are
started at the same time. However, only the first manual activity in the
SA:Update Hardware will be started. The second activity will only run
when the previous manual activity has completed.
Using Dependent Activities

Dependent activities are typically used in Change
Requests to provide links to Release records. For
example, a Change Request might be created to
manage the installation of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for
Microsoft Exchange 2010 on a production server.
When editing the Change Request, you can use
the Default Dependent Activity template to add a
dependent activity to the Change Request.
When you add a dependent activity, you use a
form to record the information relating to the
activity. Listed in the following table are some of
the key fields in the dependent activity form,
including descriptions of how they are used.
Dependent activity form field Description
Title The Title field provides a brief description of the dependent

activity, such as Test and Verify Service Pack 1 for Exchange
Server 2010.
Description The Description field is used to provide a detailed description of

the activity, such as Verify that the Service Pack has been
deployed successfully.
Area The Area field is used to provide the area of activity, such as
Intranet, Extranet, or Messaging.
Stage The Stage field is used to denote the current stage of the
activity, such as Approve, Develop, or Test.
Owner The Owner field is used to denote the user or group that has
overall responsibility for the dependent activity, such as a
Change manager.
Assigned To The Assigned To field is used to denote who will be

implementing the dependent activity, such as an activity
implementer.
The Scheduling tab in the dependent activity form can be used to supply details of the activitys
deployment schedule, including the start and end time. You can also specify whether the activity will
cause any downtime by including the start, end, and duration times.
The Related Items tab can be used to add any related items such as the Microsoft Exchange Server
computer Configuration Item.
When you are using a Release record to group and schedule Change Requests, you can add a manual
activity to the Release record that is then linked to the dependent activity in a Change Request.
When a dependent activity has been added to a Change Request, the activity can be viewed and edited
from the Activities tab of the Change Request form. It can also be viewed and edited in the All Activities
view of the Dependent Activities folder, in the Activity Management node of the Work Items pane in the
Service Manager console.
Although dependent activities are primarily designed to associate Change Requests with Release records,
you can also add dependent activities to other work items, such as Service Requests and Release records.
For more information about how to add dependent activities to a Change Request for Release records, go
to the following website:
How to Add Dependent Activities to a Change Request for Release Records
Using Manual Activities

Manual activities are used to manage tasks that
are associated with Change Requests, Release
records, and Service Requests. They can also be
added to manage tasks associated with Incidents.
For example, when a Change Request is created to
manage the upgrade of an Exchange Server 2010
server to SP1, a manual activity can be added to
the Change Request to record related information
about the activity, such as who will be
implementing the activity and what Configuration
Items will be affected.
Manual activities provide an important function in
Change and Release management, because they provide a way of denoting whether a task has been
completed successfully or not. This information is then used to help manage the life cycle of a Change
Request or a Release record, especially where multiple activities are used to apply a Change, for example.
Manual activities are created by using the Activities tab in a Change Request or a Release record. When
adding a manual activity, you use a template such as the Default Manual Activity template. New manual
activity templates can also be created in the Templates node of the Library pane.
When you add a manual activity, you use a form to include details of the activity. Some of the key fields
that are used to record the details of a manual activity are shown in the following table, which also
includes descriptions of how they are used.
Manual activity form field Description
Title The Title field provides a brief description of the manual activity,
such as Download Service Pack 1 for Exchange Server 2010.
Description The Description field is used to provide a detailed description of the

activity, such as:
Download Service Pack 1 for Exchange Server 2010
Copy the Service Pack installer to C:\install on LON-EX1
Perform the Exchange Server 2010 SP1 upgrade
Open the Exchange Management Console to confirm the successful
upgrade.
Activity Implementer The Activity Implementer field is used to denote the user or group
that will be implementing the activity.
Priority The Priority field is used to denote the priority of the activity, such
as Low, Medium, High, or Immediate.
Stage The Stage field can be used to display the current implementation
state of the activity, such as Initiate, Approve, Develop, Test, Release
Manual activity form field Description

and Validate and Review.
Impacted Configuration Items The Impacted Configuration Items section is used to add
Configuration Items that the manual activity directly affects, such as
the computer Configuration Item that the Service Pack is being
installed on. This is useful when you are managing Configuration
Items, because you can see any associated manual activities on the
Related Items tab of the Configuration Items properties.
After completing the manual activity, you update it by using the Mark As Completed or Mark As Failed
task. These tasks are available when you are editing the manual activity from within the Activities tab of a
Change Request or Release record form or when you select the relevant manual activity from the All
Activities view in the Manual Activities folder of the Activity Management node in the Work Items pane of
the Service Manager console.
When marking a manual activity as Completed or Failed, you must add a comment. This is useful because
the comment is then added to the History tab of the manual activity form, which can be used for
troubleshooting failed activities.
For more information about how to add manual activities to a Change Request, go to the following
website:
How to Add Manual Activities to a Change Request
Using Parallel Activities

Parallel activities provide a method of grouping
predefined activities into a container activity that
can then be added to a Change Request, Release
record, or Service Request. This is useful because
you can use parallel activities with Release records
to help depict the deployment sequence of
different Change Requests. Parallel activities can
also be used to run multiple activities at the same
time. A parallel activity is not completed until all of
the activities contained within it are completed.
As an example of using a parallel activity, consider
the following scenario:
You need to manage a Change in the IT environment that includes an upgrade of an internal line-of-
business application on a production server and several client computers running the Windows 7 and
Windows 8 operating systems. You decide to create a Change Request to manage the processes involved
in making this Change. The Change Request includes the following activities:
1. A review activity that is used to provide approval of the Change Request.
2. A manual activity that is used to manage the application upgrade on the production server.
A parallel activity that includes two manual activities, one for managing the application upgrade on the
client computers running Windows 7 and one for managing the application upgrade on the client
computers running Windows 8.
A manual activity that is used to confirm whether the application upgrade was successful by running a
number of tests.
When you add activities, they are (by default) run in the order in which they were added. This means that
in the preceding scenario, the following activities would occur in the specified order:
1. The Change Request would be approved.
2. The upgrade to the production server would be performed and marked as completed.
3. The upgrade to the client computers running Window 7 and the upgrade to those running Windows
8 would be performed at the same time. As each activity is completed, it would be marked as such.
When both manual activities are completed, the parallel activity that contains them would
automatically be marked as completed.
4. When the both activities in the parallel activity are marked as complete, the tests can be performed to
confirm whether the upgrade was a success.
5. After the final activity is marked as complete, the Change Request is also marked as complete.
When you add a parallel activity to a Change Request, Release record, or Service Request, a form is used
to record the details of the activity, such as the title, description, area, stage, owner, and who the activity is
assigned to. You also add the relevant activities that will be made part of the parallel activity. This can
include a combination of activities such as manual activities, sequential activities, and other parallel
activities.
You can also create parallel activity templates that can be used with Change Requests, Service Requests,
and Release records. This is useful when there are standard activities that need to be performed as part of
standard Change Requests. The activities can be added into a parallel activity template and then used in a
Change Request, for example. This saves time because you do not then need to configure each activity
separately.
Parallel activities that have been added to work items can also be viewed and edited in the All Activities
view of the Parallel Activities folder in the Activity Management node of the Work Items pane in the
Using Review Activities

Review activities provide a method of controlling
when other activities are initiated in a work item.
For example, at the start of an activity tree in a
Change Request, you can add a review activity
that must be approved before any subsequent
activities in the tree can be started. Typically a
review activity is the first activity that is run in a
work item because it provides the starting point
for all other activities in the work item. As an
example, a review activity could be used in a
Change Request to obtain approval for the
Change being requested. Review activities,
however, can be added to any part of an activity tree, which is useful when multiple activities such as
parallel activities and sequential activities are added to a work item.
When adding a review activity, you use a form to record the details of the activity, such as the title,
description, and stage of the activity such as Approve, Develop, or Test. Listed in the following table are
the key sections of a review activity form, including a description of each.
Review activity setting Description
Approval Condition Here you configure the approval logic that will be used in the review activity
to determine when the activity is complete. There are three approval
conditions that can be set:
Unanimous. All reviewers that are added to the review activity must approve
before the activity is considered completed.
Percentage. A configurable percentage of reviewers must approve before
the activity is considered completed.
Automatic. The review activity is automatically completed when this
condition is selected.
Line Manager Should When this option is selected, the line manager of the user who created the
Review work item that includes the review activity is added as a reviewer. The Line
Manager property must be configured in Active Directory Domain Services
(AD DS) for this to work.
Reviewers In the Reviewers section, you add the users that should review the work
items for approval or rejection. When adding a reviewer, you can also
choose to select the Has Veto and Must Vote options for the reviewer:
Has veto. If this option is selected, the reviewer can reject the Review Activity
even if all other reviewers approved. The Has Veto option always takes
precedence.
Must vote. When used with the percentage approval condition, if this option
is selected, the reviewer must vote before the work item is considered for
approval or rejection.
As an example of when a review activity is used, consider the following scenario:

You need to manage a Change that requires the approval of your line manager and the IT manager
before it can be applied. You create a Change Request that includes a review activity and the various
activities that will be used to manage the Change. When editing the review activity, you use the
Unanimous Approval condition and select the Line Manager Should Review checkbox and add the IT
manager as reviewers.
If both the line manager and the IT manager approve the review activity, the activity is marked as
completed and the next activity in the tree will start. If either the line manager or the IT manager rejects
the activity, the review activity will be marked as rejected. Any subsequent activities in the activity tree will
remain in a pending state and the Change Request will be marked as failed.
You can view, edit, delete, approve, and reject review activities from the Activities tab of a work item or
from the All Activities view of the Review Activities folder in the Activity Management node in the Work
Items pane of the Service Manager console. Review activities can also be approved or rejected via the
When approving or rejecting a review activity, you must include a comment, which can then be used to
explain why the activity was rejected or that can provide information that should be added to the review
activity when it is approved.
You can also create review activity templates by using the Create Template task in the Templates node of
the Library pane. This is useful when used with standard Changes such as applying Windows updates. You
can create a review activity template that includes the default reviewers who must approve the activity.
The template can then be added to a Change Request when Windows updates need to be applied.
Using Runbook Automation Activities

Orchestrator provides the ability to automate data
center processes. It does this by using runbooks
that include runbook activities for process
automation. Activities within a runbook perform
actions such as running a .NET script or
monitoring an event log. When the Orchestrator
connector has been configured in Service
Manager, only runbooks with initialize data
activities that have been created in Orchestrator
are imported. After they are imported into Service
Manager, the runbooks can be viewed in the
Runbooks node of the Library pane in the Service
Manager console.
When Service Manager and Orchestrator are integrated, runbook automation activities can be used to
map parameters in Orchestrator to corresponding parameters in Service Manager. Service Manager can
then be used to initiate and manage runbooks in Orchestrator. For example, you can create a request
offering in Service Manager that maps to a runbook in Orchestrator to automatically back up or restore a
database in Data Protection Manager. The request offering can then be published to the Service Manager
Self-Service Portal, where end users complete a form that includes details of the database to be backed
up or restored. Service Manager then uses the parameters specified in the form to initiate the runbook in
Orchestrator by using a runbook automation activity.
To use runbook automation activities, you first create a runbook automation activity template. You create
the template by selecting a runbook from the Runbooks node in the Library pane and then clicking the
Create Runbook Automation Activity task. You then specify a name for the template, after which a
runbook activity template form opens. On this form, you configure the details for the runbook to be
initiated in Orchestrator. Standard fields are configured in the form, such as Title, Description, Area, Stage,
and Assigned To. Additionally, the Scheduling, Related Items, and Configuration Items tabs are also
available. The Runbook tab is used to configure the parameter mapping, such as the object ID that will be
used by the Orchestrator runbook to find the runbook activity that is being executed.
After the runbook activity template has been created, it can then be added to a Service Request template
that is then used in a request offering that is published to the Self-Service Portal.
Service Requests, the Self-Service Portal, and Request Offerings are covered in detail in Module 8.
For more information about using runbooks in Service Manager, go to the following website:
Using Runbooks in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Using Sequential Activities

Sequential activities in Service Manager are similar
to parallel activities in that they are both used to
contain other activities that can then be added to
work items such as Release records.
Where sequential activities are different, however,
is in the method used to process the activities
contained within them. The activities within a
parallel activity run simultaneously. In a sequential
activity, the activities run in sequence, one after
the other. Therefore, manual activities that must
be run in sequence can be stored inside sequential
activities. These are then nested inside of a parallel
activity that contains other activities that can be performed in parallel.
This is useful when you need multiple streams of processes that must be completed, some of which can be
run at the same time and others that must be run sequentially. All of them, however, might be related to
an overall project that is being managed by one parallel activity.
By using a sequential activity, you can add three manual activities that are used to manage the upgrade
process. When each activity is completed, the next activity in the sequence is automatically started. If any
activity in the sequence fails, any activity after it will not run and the sequential activity is marked as failed.
Sequential activities can be added, deleted, edited, and viewed from the Activities tab of a work item.
They can also be viewed and edited from the All Activities view of the Sequential Activities folder of the
Activity Management node in the Work Items pane in the Service Manager console.
You can also create sequential activity templates by using the Create Template task that is available from
the Templates node in the Library pane.
Demonstration: Reviewing Activities in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review Activities in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items\Change Requests
View All Change Requests
2. Edit the Replace failed hard disk on LON-EX1 Change Request and review the Activities that are
listed in the Activities tab.
3. Note the first Activity is Approve Emergency Change Request
4. Close the Change Request without making any changes.
5. Expand Activity Management\Review Activities and then open the All Activities view.
6. Review the Approve Emergency Change Request Activity that is displayed in the details pane.
Question: What must you create before you can use a runbook automation activity in
Service Manager?
Lesson 4
Managing Workflows
Workflows in Service Manager triggers business logic that is applied to a specific scenario under certain
conditions. For example, if an Incidents priority Changes to High then the support tier should
automatically Change to Tier 2. By using Workflows you can automate the process to ensure that correct
configuration of work items is applied at all times.
There are a number of different Workflows that can be configured in Service Manager, so it is important
that you understand the purpose of each Workflow and how they are configured.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the purpose of Service Manager Workflow Configurations.
Configure Service Manager Workflows.
Overview of Service Manager Workflows

When certain work items are created or updated
in Service Manager, you can configure workflows
to either apply a template or send a notification.
For example, when you create an Incident and
assign it to a user, you can create a workflow that
automatically sends an email notification to the
user to notify them that a ticket has been created.
Workflows are configured in the Configuration
view of the Workflows node, which is found in the
Administration pane of the Service Manager
console. You can check the status of a configured
workflow in the Status view in the Workflows
node. You can also look at the workflow log that displays the activities and their running status, which is
useful when troubleshooting failed or stalled workflows.
To configure a workflow, select the relevant workflow name, such as Release Record Event Workflow
Configuration, then in the Tasks pane, click the Configure Workflow Rules task. This opens the Configure
Workflows window. Here, you can use the Configure Workflows For Objects Of Class <Class name, such as
Release Record> Wizard to add a workflow rule. (You will learn how to use this Wizard in the next topic).
This method of creating a workflow is similar to other class types where a workflow can be implemented,
such as Incident, Change Request, activity, desired configuration or Service Request.
After the workflow has been created, it can be edited and removed from the Configure Workflows
window. The Configure Workflows window is displayed when you use the Configure Workflow Rules task.
The status of the workflow rule, including the related instances and logs, can be seen in the Workflows
node Status view.
Configuring Service Manager Workflows

A workflow can be created for the following class
types:
Activity
Change Request
Incident
Desired Configuration Management
Release Record
Service Request
When configuring a workflow, the same wizard is
used irrespective of the workflow type being configured. For example, if you want to configure a Release
record event workflow, then you perform the following steps:
1. In the Service Manager console, open the Administration pane.
2. Then open the Workflows node and select Configuration.
3. Highlight Release Record Event Workflow Configuration and then in the Tasks pane, select the
Configure Workflow Rules task.
4. The Configure Workflows window will appear. Click Add. This opens Configure workflows for objects
of class Release Record wizard.
The table below provides a description of each page in the Configure workflows for objects of class
wizard. It includes a description of the settings that can be configured on each page:
Wizard page Description
Workflow Information Enter a descriptive display name for this workflow and if required, a
description stating what the workflow will do.
In the Check for events drop down, select either When an object is
created or When an object is updated. This will affect the criteria that can
be configured on the next page of the wizard.
Then select the Management Pack the workflow will be stored in. Note:
The Management Pack must not be a built-in unsealed Management
Pack. If a new custom unsealed Management Pack needs to be created
click New.
Specify Criteria This page can show two different views. If When an object is created has
been selected on the previous page, then a single tab named Changed to
will appear. If When an object is updated has been selected on the
previous wizard page, then two tabs named Changed from and Changed
to appears.
You use this to specify the criteria used to trigger the workflow.
For example, if you select the Impact property and click Add, and then
select Equals Major from the criteria box, the workflow will be triggered
when a new release record is created and the impact field is set to Major.
If the When an object is updated is selected, both tabs need the criteria
defined. The two tab views work in the same way as the previous
example.
On the Changed From tab, specify a property and add it to the criteria
field, such as Status.
In the criteria field update the selection, such as Status equals New.
Wizard page Description

Select the second tab Changed To and specify the same property.
In the criteria field update the selection, such as Status equals In Progress.
When a Release record Status changes from New to In Progress this
triggers the workflow to apply the selected template.
Apply Template Use this if a work item template is going to be applied to the work item
such as a Release record. If a template is going to be applied at this point
then the Apply the selected template check box needs to be ticked. Then
highlight the required template.
A template isnt required to be selected to continue in the wizard. If the
correct template hasnt been configured yet then a workflow can be
revisited to apply the template.
Select People to Notify On the Select People To Notify page, select the Enable Notification option
and then select the user and the email message template to use when
sending a notification. You can choose from the following user types:
Affected User
Assigned To User
Closed By User
Created By User
Requested By User
You can either select a message template if one has already been
configured for the selected class (such as Release Record), or you can
create a new email template.
Summary On the Summary page, you can review the settings you have configured
and optionally go back through the wizard and make any necessary
changes before using the Create button to create the rule.
The steps listed in the table cover every wizard scenario available to workflow creation. There are some
pages in some scenarios however that are slightly different depending on the class. A description of the
classes and exceptions to the wizard are listed in the table below:
Class Description
Activity This allows an Administrator to create a workflow that modifies any

activity work item in the Service Manager environment. For example, if
the title of the activity contains Urgent the workflow changes the activity
priority to High. Email notifications can also to be sent to different users.
When creating a workflow for the activity class, it requires an extra step
before opening the wizard. When the Configure Workflow Rules task is
selected from the task pane, the Select a Class window appears. Here you
can select the type of activity the workflow needs to be applied to.
Change Request This allows an administrator to create a workflow to modify Change

Requests. For example, if the Impact field is set to Major then the
workflow changes the Risk to High. The workflow also enables users to be
notified by email when a workflow has been triggered.
Incident This allows an administrator to create a workflow to modify Incident work

items. For example, if the Urgency field is set to High the workflow will
change the Support Group to Tier 1. Notifications can be sent using this
Class Description
workflow, such as a notification to the assigned user of the Incident.
When creating the workflow, the wizard page Select Incident Template is
displayed slightly differently from the table above. A template is
configured via a radio button and drop down menu displaying the
available Incident templates. You can also preview the template.
Desired Configuration This workflow behaves differently from the workflows in the other five
Management classes as it is used in conjunction with the Configuration Manager
connector. The wizard will not continue past the welcome screen if the
Configuration Manager connector has not been configured.
The workflow wizard does not have a criteria page, instead it has a Select
System Center Configuration Manager Configuration Items page where
the configurations that have been imported can be viewed. Select the
required configurations, to include them in the workflow.
When an out of compliance CI appears in Service Manager, the workflow
will create a new Incident work item based on the failed desired
configuration.
Release Record This allows an administrator to create a workflow that modifies the
Release record work items. For example, if the Impact field is set to Major
then the workflow changes from Risk to High. The workflow also allows
users to be notified by email when a workflow has been triggered.
Service Request This allows an administrator to create a workflow that modifies Service
Request work items. For example, if the Source field is set to Portal then
the workflow changes the Urgency and Priority to Medium. The workflow
also allows users to be notified by email when a workflow has been
triggered. For example, to tell the operators that a new Service Request
has been created.
Demonstration: Reviewing Service Manager Workflows

In this demonstration you will review the various Workflows in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Workflows\Configuration
2. Review the Name and Description column for each Service Manager Workflow.
3. Discuss with students the purpose of each Workflow.
Question: Name three classes for which a workflow can be created.
Lesson 5
Managing Templates
Service Manager templates enable you to apply default settings to the work item fields of Change
Requests, Incidents and Service Requests.
For example, you can use an Incident template to ensure that common fields within an Incident form are
automatically completed. This saves time when editing the form but also ensures the form is completed
correctly. Templates can also be used with Workflows. For example, where an Incident is updated to set
the support group to Tier 1, an Incident Template has been used to apply this Change.
It is important that you understand how to use Service Manager templates, so that you can ensure work
items such as Incidents and Change Requests are completed correctly and adhere to company policy.
Lesson Objectives
Create an Incident Template.
Create a Change Request Template.
Create a Service Request Template.
Use Templates in Service Manager.
Creating an Incident Template

Incident templates in Service Manager provide a
method of automatically populating fields in an
Incident form. This not only saves time when
creating Incidents, but it also ensures that certain
fields such as Classification Category or Support
Group are configured correctly.
You can create Incident templates for Incidents
that are created in both the Service Manager
console and in the Self-Service Portal. Additionally,
Incident templates are used with the Operations
Manager Alert connector to ensure that relevant
fields such as Source, Impact, and Urgency are
configured appropriately when Incidents are created from an Operations Manager alert.

All templates that Service Manager uses can be found in the Templates node in the Library pane of the
Service Manager console. To create a new Incident template, the Create Template task is used. This opens
a Create Template dialog box in which you specify a name for the template, such as Contoso Incident
Template. You also specify the class that the template will be configured for, such as Incident. Finally, you
select an unsealed Management Pack that will be used to store the Incident template. You can create a
new Management Pack from here, which is useful when you need to store the template in a Management
Pack that will be exported and used in another Service Manager management group such as Production.
Templates can also be backed up by using this method.
After you configure the Name, Class, and Management Pack for the Incident template, the Incident form
opens. Here, you can edit the relevant fields that should be set as default when you use the template with
an Incident.
You can also include activities and related items as default items in the Incident template. This can be
useful when you are creating an Incident template for a specific type of Incident, such as an E-Mail
Incident template. You can add related items such as Knowledge Base articles that can be used to
troubleshoot generic email-related Incidents.
You can also use the Duplicate task to create a copy of an existing template. This is useful when you need
to create multiple variants of a template that all contain a number of fields that are the same.
Using Incident Templates

When you create an Incident in the Service Manager console instead of using the Create Incident task,
you use the Create Incident From Template task. This opens a Create Incident From Template dialog box,
where you select the Incident template that the new Incident will be based on. After selecting the relevant
Incident template, the Incident form opens with all default settings applied as per the template that was
created. You can edit any of the fields just as you would when creating a new Incident including
preconfigured fields that have been populated by the template.
When you edit an existing Incident, you can also apply an Incident template by using the Apply Template
task. This task is available only when an existing Incidents properties form is opened. This is useful when
there are Incidents that have been created with incorrect properties, such as when the wrong Incident
template was used.
To use Incident templates with the Self-Service Portal, you create a new request offering, and apply the
Incident template as part of the request offering. The request offering is then published to the Self-Service
Portal or is published as part of a service offering. Request offerings and service offerings are covered in
detail later in this course.
For more information about how to create Incident templates, go to the following website:
How to Create Incident Templates
Creating a Change Request Template

Before you can create a Change Request in Service
Manager, you must first choose a Change Request
template that it will be based on. Change Request
templates can include multiple activities within
them to enable an organizations IT process. The
activities must be included before the templates
are configured.
There are six Change Request templates provided
in Service Manager that can be used with Change
Requests. The following table shows the templates
that are available and includes a description of
each.
Change Request template

Description
name
Emergency Change Request The Emergency Change Request template can be used when an
urgent Change needs to implemented, such as replacing a failed
disk in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) array of a
production file server. Typically, Emergency Change Requests do
not follow the standard Change process and must be implemented
within a specific timeframe such as 24 hours. Emergency Change
Requests should be reviewed and approved by the Change
Advisory Board (CAB) before they are implemented and should
also include a post-implementation activity that is used to review
the Changes made. This template includes the following activities:
Approve Emergency Change Request Review Activity
Emergency Change Development Manual Activity
Emergency Change Testing Manual Activity
Emergency Change Deployment Manual Activity
Post-Implementation Review Manual Activity
Major Change Request The Major Change Request template can be used when either a
high-risk or a high-impact Change needs to be implemented, such
as upgrading a production mail server that will affect all users
email functionality during the Change. Typically, a Change
manager screens the Change Request and the CAB approves it. A
post-implementation activity should also be added to review the
Changes that have been implemented. The post-implementation
activity can also be used by Change managers to review and
improve the Change Management process. This template includes
the following activities:
Initial Screening Review Activity
Approve Change Request Review Activity
Change Development Manual Activity
Change Testing Manual Activity
Approve Change Deployment Review Activity
Change Deployment Manual Activity
Minor Change Request The Minor Change Request template can be used for low-risk or
low-impact Changes that need to be implemented, such as
upgrading a non-business critical application. This template
includes the following activities:
Publish Offering The Publish Offering template is used to publish service and
request offerings as part of a Change. This template includes the
following activities:
Approve publishing Review Activity
Publish Offerings Automated Activity
Security Release The Security Release template can be used when security updates
need to be implemented because it includes the typical steps for
planning, developing, testing, and deploying security updates in
Change Request template

Description
name
the IT environment. This template includes the following activities:
Plan Security Patch Release Manual Activity
Develop Security Patch Release Manual Activity
Security Patch Release Acceptance Testing Manual Activity
Release Readiness Review Review Activity
Rollout Planning/Preparation Manual Activity
Release Deployment Manual Activity
Standard Change Request The Standard Change Request template can be used for pre-
approved Changes that have already been tested and are low risk,
such as creating a new mailbox on an Exchange server. This
template includes the following Activities:
Apply Change Manual Activity
Although you must choose a Change Request template when creating a Change Request, you can modify
any of the properties of the Change Request after it has been created. This includes adding or removing
activities that have been added by a template. This allows you to customize the Change Request for your
environment and Change policy.
You can also create Change Request templates by using the Create Template task that becomes available
when the Templates node is selected in the Library pane of the Service Manager console.
When creating a Change Request template, you can add activities such as review activities or manual
activities that will be used when the Change Request is being created. This is useful because you can
create Change Request templates based on common Changes that occur in your environment and then
use them when creating the Change Request. This both saves time and ensures that the relevant fields
have been configured correctly in the Change Request form and that the relevant activities are included.
For more information about managing Changes and activities in Service Manager, go to the following
website:
Managing Changes and Activities in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Creating a Service Request Template

Before a request offering can be published to the
selfservice portal for end users to submit, a
Service Request template must be created. Service
Manager has a built-in Service Request template
for this purpose. The template can also be copied
if a customized version of the template is required
by the business. New templates can be created
from scratch, using the Create Template task in
the Templates node, which is found in the Library
pane.
The Service Request template will typically contain
activities to map a process to complete a request.
The activities can be tailored to meet the organizations Service Request process. Typically, a Service
Request will contain a review activity to allow a manager to approve or deny a request. It may also include
an Orchestrator runbook activity to perform the activities in Orchestrator in order to fulfill the request.
As an example, consider the following scenario:
You need to create a request offering that end-users in the Self-Service Portal can use to request a new
AD user. To facilitate this, create a Service Request template to be used when submitting the request
offering. To create the Service Request template, you perform the following steps:
1. From the Templates node in the Library pane, select the Create Template task.
2. Name the template Create New AD User, and select the Service Request class.
3. In the Service Request Template form, configure the Title field and other fields, such as the Urgency,
Priority and Source.
4. From the Activities tab, add a review activity named Approve New AD User, and then add the relevant
department manager reviewer.
5. Add a Manual Activity named Create New User in Active Directory and then configure the relevant
fields such as Activity Implementer.
After you save the Service Request template, it will become available when a new request offering is
created. The template can be edited further after it has been created to add or remove activities as
required.
For more information about Service Request templates, go to the following link:
How to Create Service Request Templates for New Request Offerings
Using Templates
Templates are universal and can be used in a
number of different ways. Below are some
examples of how Templates can be used in Service
Manager.
Incident Templates
You can apply an Incident template by using the
following methods:
In the console, go to the Work Items pane,
select the Incidents node and then choose the
Create Incident from Template task. A window
will open and a template can be selected.
To edit an Incident, select Use the Apply Template task in the Service Manager Console.
To create an Incident event workflow, apply the Incident template that is used to update an Incident.
To configure the Operations Manager alert connector and Exchange connector in Service Manager,
select an Incident template and apply it to Incidents that have been automatically created by the
connector.
Note: When end-users submit an Incident request from the Self-Service Portal, the Incident
template is automatically applied. The template is configured in the Service Manager Console
and then published to the Self-Service Portal. Service Request fulfillment is covered later in this
course.
Change Request Templates

You can apply a Change Request template by performing the following steps:
In the Service Manager Console, to go the Change Management node in Work Items pane and select
the Create Change Request task. A window will appear where a template can be selected.
When creating a Change Request event workflow you can apply a Change Request template to
update a Change Request.
Service Request Templates
You can apply a Service Request template by performing the following steps:
In the Service Manager Console, go to the Service Request Fulfillment node in the Work Items pane
and select the Create Service Request from Template task. A window will appear where a template
can be selected.
When creating a Service Request event workflow, you can apply a Service Request template to update
a Service Request.
When creating a Service Request offering for the Self-Service Portal, a Service Request template is
used.
Demonstration: Reviewing Templates in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review Templates in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Templates
2. Review the various Templates that are displayed.

3. Edit the Incident portal template and review the various fields that have been populated such as the
Source, Impact and Urgency fields.
4. Close the template without making any changes and then close the Service Manager console.
Question: What is the primary purpose of a Template in Service Manager?
Lesson 6
Security and User Roles
Securing Access to the Service Manager Console and its various functions is managed by using User Roles.
A user role is a combination of a user role profile and scope. The user role profile determines the actions
that can be performed on an object and the scope determines the objects the actions can be performed
on.
There are many different profile types that can be used when creating User Roles in Service Manager, so it
is important that you understand the purpose of each profile and how they are configured within a User
Role. In addition to securing access to the Service Manager Console with User Roles, Run As Accounts are
used to run functions such as workflows and connectors.
In this lesson you will learn about Users Roles and Run As Account in Service Manager.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the various User Role Profile types that can be used when creating a User Role.
Create User Roles.
Create and manage Run As Accounts.
User Role Profile Types

In most organizations, different teams are
responsible for different areas of the IT
environment and the IT management process. For
example, there may be a SQL Server support team,
or a Windows Server support team. Team
members are responsible for the day-to-day
maintenance and operations of their respective
applications and possibly the underlying
infrastructure that they rely on.
In Service Manager, user roles and profile types
give administrators the ability to replicate these
responsibilities so that their level of access in the
Service Manager console is scoped appropriately.
For example, members of the SQL Server support team should only be able to view and work on Incidents
and Configuration Items related to SQL Servers in the Service Manager console. In Service Manager, this is
facilitated by using a combination of User Roles and Profiles.
Service Manager provides a number of built-in user role profiles that you can use. In addition, you can
create new custom user roles based on any of the built-in user role profiles. This provides the ability to
fine-tune the level of access in the Service Manager console.
To view all user role profiles in a Service Manager environment, perform the following steps in the Service
Manager console:
1. Move to the Administration pane in the Service Manager console.
2. Expand the Security node and highlight User Roles.
The following table shows all built-in user role profiles and a description of each role:
User Role Description
Activity Implementers These users can edit manual activities that are in their queue. Users
have read-only access to all other work items and Configuration
Items that are in their queue.
Administrators These users have full and unrestrictive access to the whole Service
Manager environment within this SCSM Management Group.
Advanced Operators These users can create and edit any work items and Configuration
Items in the Service Manager environment.
Change Initiators These users can only create new Change Requests and activities.
They also have read-only access to other work items.
Service Request Analysts These users can create and edit Service Requests and activities. They
also have read-only access to all other work items.
End Users These users can only use the Self-Service Portal to consume request
offerings and knowledge articles.
Read-Only Operators These users only have read-only access to all work items.
Release Managers These users can create and edit Release records and activities. They
Authors These users can create and edit any work items and Configuration
Items. They can create and edit Self-Service Portal announcements
and also make some customizations in Management Packs such as
views, templates and list items.
Problem Analysts These users can create and edit Problems and activities. They also
have read-only access to all other work items.
Workflows These users can create and edit any Configuration Items or work
items.
Incident Resolvers These users can create and edit Incidents, Problems and manual
activities. They have read-only access to any other work item.
Change Managers These users can create and edit Change Requests and activities. They
For more information about user role profiles, go to the following link:
About User Roles
Creating User Roles

User roles make administering access to Service
Manager much easier, because you simply add the
users or groups to a user role and then select
which element of Service Manager the user role
will have access to.
When configuring user roles, either you can add
relevant members to an existing user role, or if you
need granular control of the scope, you can create
a new user role that is based on an existing user
role profile, such as End User or Read-Only
Operator.
To illustrate how this works, review the following
table, which describes how to use the pages of the User Role Wizard when creating a user role based on
the End-User profile.
User Role Wizard page, when creating an

Description
End-User user role
General Specify a name for the user role. This name will be
displayed in the User Role section of the Service
Manager console.
Management Packs Select the Management Packs that are used to filter
the scope of data that is made available to members
of the user role being created.
Queues Select the queues that define the work items that
can be accessed when the user role is created. This
is useful because you can, for example, select on this
page a previously created queue that defines all
alerts that have been escalated. The user role can be
used to then display only alerts that have been
escalated.
Configuration Item Groups Select the groups of Configuration Items that

should be made available to members of the user
role you are creating. This can be useful when you
need to limit access to a specific Configuration Item
type, such as Mobile Devices or Computers.
Catalog Item Groups Select the groups of Catalog Items that should be
made available to members of the user role you are
creating. This is particularly useful when granting
end users access to Request Offerings and Service
Offerings by using the Self-Service Portal.
Form Templates Select the form templates that should be made

available to members of the user role you are
creating. For example, you can create specific
Change Request templates and select them on this
page to restrict which templates can be used when
creating Change Requests.
Users Add the users and groups that will become

User Role Wizard page, when creating an

Description
End-User user role
members of the user role you are creating.
Summary View the options selected when working through

the wizard and, if necessary, go back and make any
required changes.
After completing the User Role wizard, the new user role can be viewed and edited in the User Roles
section of the Service Manager console.
Other user role profiles that can be used when creating user roles include Advanced Operator, Author,
Change Initiator, Problem Analyst, Release Manager, and Service Request Analyst.
For more information about user role profiles in Service Manager, go to the following link:
Appendix A - List of User Role Profiles in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Creating and Managing Run As Accounts

Run As accounts in Service Manager are used to
run workflows and operational database tasks.
They are also used to provide the credentials for
connectors that import data from other systems
such as Operations Manager and AD DS. It is
important that you understand how Run As
accounts are used in Service Manager and how
they can be updated to align with your
organizations security policy.
When installing the Service Manager Management
Server, you are prompted for the credentials to be
used with Service Manager Services. The
credentials specified here are used by the System Center Data Access Service and System Center
Management Configuration service on the Management Server. A Run As account named Operational
Database account is also created in Service Manager. Similarly, you are prompted for the Service Manager
Workflow account credentials during the installation of the Management Server. These credentials are
used to run workflows in Service Manager, and a Run As account named Workflow account is
automatically created in Service Manager. The Workflow account is also added to the Service Manager
Workflows user role. Run as accounts cant be created in the Service Manager console they can only be
created in a Service Manager PowerShell window.
For more information about creating run as accounts for Service Manager in PowerShell, go to the
following link:
New-SCSMRunAsAccount
As part of your organizations security policy, the passwords for these accounts might expire and need
updating. You might also need to change the user credentials for these accounts. In these circumstances,
you must also update Service Manager. The following table describes the steps for updating the user
credentials and password for the Service Manager Services account.
Steps for updating the user credentials and

password for the Service Manager Services Description
account
Update the local administrator group The new user account must be added to the local
administrators group on the following computers
running Service Manager:
Service Manager management server
Data warehouse management server
Self-Service Portal
Service Manager database
Data warehouse databases
Update the Service Manager Administrators The new user account must be added to the
user role Administrators user role for both the Service
Manager Management Group and the Service
Manager Data Warehouse Management Group.
Update the logon account for the Service The logon account for the System Center Data
Manager Windows Services Access Service and System Center Management
Configuration services must be updated with the
new user account credentials. If only the password
for the account has changed, only the password for
these services are updated. The services should be
restarted after they are updated.
Update the Microsoft SQL Server logon A new SQL Server logon for the new user account
account must be created on the computer running SQL
Server that is hosting the Service Manager database.
The sysadmin and public server roles should be
added to the logon.
Update the Self-Service Portal Application In Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
Pool account Manager, the identity of the SM_AppPool
application pool must be updated with the new user
account credentials.
Update the Operational Database Account In the Run As Accounts section of the Security
Run As Account in Service Manager Manager console, the Operational Database
Account Run As account must be updated with the
new user account credentials.
If the credentials for the Workflow account need to be changed, the steps outlined in the following table
must be performed.
Steps for updating the user credentials and

Description
password for the Workflow account
Update the Workflow account Run As account In the Run As Accounts section of the Security
in Service Manager Manager console, the Workflow account Run
As account must be updated with the new user
account credentials and password.
Update the Service Manager Workflows user The new user account must be added to the
role Workflows user role in Service Manager. The
old user account should also be removed from
here.
For more information about Managing Run As accounts in Service Manager, go to the following link:
Managing Run As Accounts in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Demonstration: Reviewing User Roles in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review the various User Roles in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1

Console
Pane Administration\Security
View User Roles
2. Review the various User Roles that are available.

3. Edit the End Users User Role and review the options available on the following tabs:
General
Queues
Configuration item Groups
Catalog item Groups
Form Template
Users
4. Close the End Users User Role without making any changes and then close the Service Manager
console.
Question: What is the primary function of a User Role in Service Manager?
Lab: Configuring Service Manager for StockTrader and

DinnerNow
Scenario
In order to manage the StockTrader and DinnerNow applications in Service Manager you must first create
the Management Packs that will be used to store application specific components such as Templates. You
must also create the Configuration Items for the DinnerNow and StockTrader applications. These
Configuration Items can then be associated with Work Items such as Incidents or Change Requests when
managing them in Service Manager.
Objectives
After completing this lab, students will be able to:
Configure Service Manager for DinnerNow.
Configure Service Manager for StockTrader.
Lab Setup
Host 1 Virtual Machines: LON-DC1, LON-SM1
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-DW1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
User Name: Administrator
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
5. Repeat steps 24 for all the following virtual machines:
LON-SM1
7. In Hyper-V Manager, click LON-DW1, and in the Actions pane, click Start.
User Name: Administrator
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
Exercise 1: Create a Management Pack, Work Item Templates and

Configuration Items for DinnerNow
Scenario
In order for the DinnerNow application to be represented appropriately in Service Manager you must
create a Management Pack, Work Item Templates and Configuration Items. These can then be referenced
when creating Work Items such as Incidents and Changes Requests that relate to the application.
1. Create the DinnerNow management pack
2. Create an Incident template for DinnerNow
3. Create a change request template for DinnerNow
4. Create a software configuration item for DinnerNow
Task 1: Create the DinnerNow management pack

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
2. Use the Create Management Pack task to create a new Management Pack with the following
settings, all other settings should be left as default:
Name: DinnerNow_MP
Description: Management Pack for DinnerNow objects
Task 2: Create an Incident template for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
Location Value
View Templates
2. Use the Create Template task to create a new Template with the following settings, all other
settings should be left as default:
Name: DinnerNow Incidents
Description: Incident Template for DinnerNow
Class: Incident
Management Pack: DinnerNow_MP
3. Create the template by clicking OK and then configure the following values:
Title: DinnerNow
Classification Category: Software Problems
Source: Console
Task 3: Create a change request template for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Templates
Name: DinnerNow Change Requests
Description: Change Request Template for DinnerNow
Class: Change Request
Management Pack: DinnerNow_MP
Title: DinnerNow
Activities: Add a Default Review activity and set the Title to Approve Change
Task 4: Create a software configuration item for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Configuration Items\Software
View All Software
2. Use the Create Software task to create a new Software Item with the following settings, all other
Display Name: DinnerNow
Asset Status: Deployed
Publisher: Contoso
Version String: 3.1
Product Name: DinnerNow
Locale ID: 44
Is Virtual Application: True
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a Management Pack for the DinnerNow application.
You should have then created an Incident Template that will be used to automatically populate Incident
settings for the DinnerNow application. You should have then created a Change Request Template and a
Software Configuration Item for DinnerNow.

Configuration Items for StockTrader
Scenario
In order for the StockTrader application to be represented appropriately in Service Manager you must
create a Management Pack, Work Item Templates and Configuration Items. These can then be referenced
when creating Work Items such as Incidents and Changes Requests that relate to the application.
1. Create the StockTrader management pack
2. Create an Incident template for StockTrader
3. Create a change request template for StockTrader
4. Create a software configuration Item for StockTrader
Task 1: Create the StockTrader management pack

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
2. Use the Create Management Pack task to create a new Management Pack with the following
settings, all other settings should be left as default:
Name: StockTrader_MP
Description: Management Pack for StockTrader objects
Task 2: Create an Incident template for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Templates
Name: StockTrader Incidents
Description: Incident Template for StockTrader
Class: Incident
Management Pack: StockTrader MP
Title: StockTrader
Classification Category: Software Problems
Source: Operations Manager
Task 3: Create a change request template for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Templates
Name: StockTrader Change Requests
Description: Change Request Template for StockTrader
Class: Change Request
Management Pack: StockTrader _MP
Title: StockTrader
Activities: Add a Default Review activity and set the Title to Approve Change
Task 4: Create a software configuration Item for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Configuration Items\Software
View All Software
2. Use the Create Software task to create a new Software Item with the following settings, all other
Display Name: StockTrader

Publisher: Contoso
Version String: 5.1
Product Name: StockTrader
Locale ID: 45
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a Management Pack for the StockTrader application.
settings for the StockTrader application. You should have then created a Change Request Template and a
Software Configuration Item for StockTrader.
Question: You need to ensure that when any new Change Request is created that certain
fields within the Change Request form are automatically completed. What should you do?

Review Question(s)
Question:
You need to ensure that before any changes are applied in the IT environment that they are
approved by Change Management. What activity should you add to the Change Request
template?
4-1
Module 4
Configuring Service Manager for Your Environment
Contents:
Module Overview 4-1
Lesson 1: System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Initial Configuration 4-2
Lesson 2: Configuring Business Services 4-11
Lesson 3: Configuring Access for your Support Teams 4-17
Lesson 4: Configuring Notifications 4-25
Lab: Configuring Service Manager For Your Environment 4-30
Module Overview
After installing Service Manager in your environment there will be number of initial configuration tasks
that should be performed in order to customize it to your environment and your needs. For example, you
can edit the Incident settings and configure the Priority Calculation that should be applied to Incidents
when they are created in Service Manager based on the Urgency and Impact applied to an Incident. This
provides a method of measuring Service Level Agreements with Incidents.
In this module you will learn some of the key configuration tasks that should be performed in Service
Manager in order to customize it for your environment.
Objectives
Perform initial configuration tasks in Service Manager.
Configure Business Services.
Configure Access for your support teams.
Configure Notifications.
4-2 Configuring Service Manager for Your Environment
Lesson 1
System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Initial
Configuration
In order to customize Service Manager to make it more aligned to your business needs there are a
number of configuration tasks that can be performed.
This includes Incident and Problem settings, Activity and Service Request Settings, Change Request and
Service Request Settings, Data Retention Settings and Knowledge Management Settings.
In this lesson you will learn some of the key settings that should be configured in Service Manager that
will customize it for your environment and business needs.
Lesson Objectives
Configure Lists.
Configure Knowledge Management settings.
Configure Service Request settings.
Configure Release Management settings.
Configure Incident settings.
Configure Change Request settings.
Configure Activity settings.
Configure Problem settings.
Configure Data Retention settings.
Configuring Lists
In Service Manager most of the data is brought
into the environment via forms and dialog boxes.
Form drop-down and dialog boxes are called lists
and they typically contain multiple list items. Each
list item has a potential value for a property of the
list.
After Service Manager is installed, a number of
lists and list items are created that can be
customized to meet the organizations needs, so
that the Service Manager console fully reflects
business practices. For example, when creating an
incident, the drop down list representing the
Classification Category may not contain all of the problem categories, and so additional categories can be
added to make the list more relevant to the problem being recorded.
Each list item has a unique reference identifier called a GUID, this gives the item a unique identity in the
Service Manager environment and allows list items to be translated into different languages. Many built-
in Service Manager management packs make reference to these list items and their GUIDs. If any of the
list items are deleted from the Service Manager environment, some management packs or event
workflows may not work.
Note: If existing list items do not fit existing organization needs and therefore need to be
removed from the Service Manager environment, do not delete the list item. Best practice
suggests that renaming existing list items is a better course of action. This will then maintain links
between built-in list item GUIDs and built-in management packs and event workflows that rely
on them. For example, if a default list item has the name Hardware Problems it can be renamed
to Computer Issue.
Follow the steps below to create or edit additional list items:

1. Move to the Library pane and select the Lists node.
2. Highlight the list from the center pane that needs a list item modified. Once highlighted, select the
Properties task from the Tasks pane.
3. The lists properties window will appear. Here you can:
4. Select an existing list item and change its name. If required, select or create a new management pack
to store the changes.
5. Select the Add Item button and add a new list item to the list. If required, select or create a new
management pack to store the changes.
6. Select the Add Child button and add a child list item under an existing list item. If required, select or
create a new management pack to store the changes.
7. Click OK to accept the changes.
For more information about Service Manager lists, go to the following link:
About Groups, Queues, and Lists
Knowledge Management Settings

Technical problems occur in all IT organizations.
Once the problem has been fixed, the process of
solving it can be recorded in a knowledge article,
in order to ensure there is a quick diagnosis when
handling such problems in the future. Knowledge
articles can be searched and linked to existing
work items and configuration items to become a
useful knowledge base for the organization.
In order to store knowledge articles, you will need
to use the Knowledge Management settings to
configure the prefix, which is usually applied to
the ID of all new knowledge articles created in
Service Manager. The prefix setting is useful when you need to adhere to your organizations corporate
standards when creating knowledge articles. By default, the prefix is set to KA.
To change the prefix of all new knowledge articles, do the following:

1. Open the Administration pane.
2. Select the Settings node.
3. Highlight the Knowledge Management Settings setting, then select Properties in the Tasks pane.
4. The Knowledge Management Settings window appears. Enter a new prefix and click OK.
Service Request Settings

When an end user requests a service or feature
from the IT organization, a service request work
item is created. This is used to record, track and
process the request and ensure that it follows the
organizations standards.
The Service Request settings can be used to apply
a prefix to all new service requests. The default
prefix is SR.
Note: All existing service requests will retain

the previously configured prefix.
You can configure the maximum number of files (the default is 10) and the maximum file size (the default
is 64 KB) that can be attached to a service request. This is useful when you need to restrict the amount of
data gathered in service requests.
To change the prefix of all new service requests and the attachment limits, follow the steps below:
3. Highlight the Service Request Settings option, then select Properties in the Tasks pane.
4. The Service Request Settings window appears. Enter a new prefix for the service request. Then if
required, modify the maximum amount of files that can be attached to one service request. You can
also set the maximum size (in KBs) for each attachment. Then click OK.
Note: Files attached to service requests are stored in the Service Manager database.
Release Management Settings

Release records help organizations to control the
lifecycle of all changes in the IT environment. They
contain the deployment sequences and special
tasks that need to be followed, to ensure that
approved changes are performed in a timely and
cost effective manner.
The Release Management settings can be used to
apply a release record ID prefix to all new Release
records. The default prefix is RR. You can also
configure the maximum number of files (the
default is 10) and the maximum file size (the
default is 64 kilobytes (KB)), that can be attached
to a release record. This is useful when you need to restrict the amount of data gathered in release
records.
To change the prefix of all new release records and the attachment limits, follow the steps below:
3. Highlight the Release Management Settings option, then select Properties in the Tasks pane.
4. The Release Management Settings window appears. Enter a new prefix for the service request. Then if
required, modify the maximum amount of files that can be attached to one release record. You can
also set the maximum size in KBs that each attachment can be. Once complete, click OK.
Incident Settings
Incident work items are created to capture end
user issues and environment problems and can be
linked with configuration items and users in the
organization.
There are various Incident settings that can be
configured, including the resolution time. This
setting is used to record Incident resolution times
for Service Level Agreements (SLAs). For each
Incident Priority (1 to 9), you add a Target
Resolution Time. For example, for Priority 1
incidents, you can specify that the incident must
be resolved within two hours, whereas Priority 5
incidents should be resolved within five hours. The check box Do not use and show legacy Target
Resolution Time on Incident Form banner enables an administrator to disable the target Resolution Time
function. This allows the organization to use only Service Level Agreements to record the resolution time
in an environment.
Note: The Resolution Time function in an Incident work item is not the same as the Service
Level Objectives function in the Service Manager environment. It is not recommended to use the
Resolution Time Function as time is recorded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whereas Service
Level Objectives allow you to configure Service Level Agreements based on your organizations
actual work hours. Service Level Objectives are covered in detail in Module 10.
There are other Incident settings, including the Priority Calculation. This lets you decide how the priority
of Incidents should be calculated, based on the Urgency and Impact assigned to them. For example, an
Incident with a Low Impact and a Low Urgency can be set to a Priority of 9, whereas an Incident with a
High Impact and a High Urgency can be set to a Priority of 1. The table below displays the default values
of each possible combination of Urgency and Impact:
Impact
Urgency Low Medium High
Low 9 8 7
Medium 6 5 4
High 3 2 1
You can also configure the maximum number of files (the default is 10) and the maximum file size (the
default is 2 megabytes or MB) that is attached to an Incident. In addition, you can specify the Web
console URL for the Operations Manager Web console. When Incidents are generated from an Operations
Manager alert, a link is provided to the alert in the Operations Manager Web console.
The Default support group setting can be used to apply a default support group to any new Incident
created in the Service Manager Console. Note that if an Incident template is used, the default support
group will be overridden.
If Service Manager has been configured to accept email messages as Incidents, you must add a Universal
Naming Convention (UNC) path to a folder where the email messages are stored. This is known as the
drop folder. Service Manager uses the From field in the email to associate the Incident with a user. You
can also add a UNC path to a folder where the emails cannot be associated with a user. This is known as
the bad folder. It is recommended to use the Exchange connector in Service Manager as the existing email
function which will require a sub SMTP domain. The Exchange connector is covered in Module 5.
You can also configure how Service Manager processes parent/child incidents. For example, you can
configure Service Manager to automatically resolve child incidents when a parent incident has been
resolved. You can also configure the default status of a child incident when it is linked to a parent.
Follow the steps below to change the prefix of all new incidents and the attachment limits:
3. Highlight the Incident Settings option and then select Properties in the Tasks pane.
4. The Incident Settings window appears. Here you can:
Enter a new prefix for the Service Request and Default support group. You can also modify the
maximum amount of files that can be attached to one release record and the maximum size in KBs
that each attachment can be.
Select the required options for the Parent Incident automatic actions
Set the Priority Calculation for an Incident
Set Target Resolution Times

Set the Operations Manager Web console URL.
Set Incoming Email options
5. Once all settings have been made click OK.
For more information about Incident settings, go to the following link:

About Configuring Incident Management in Service Manager
Change Request Settings

When an organization needs to make a change to
the IT environment, the change must be managed
to ensure success and minimize risk. Change
Request work items provide this functionality.
The Change Request settings can be used to apply
a prefix to the ID of any new change requests. The
default is CR. You can also configure the maximum
number of files (the default is 10) and the
maximum file size (default is 64 KB) that can be
attached to a Change Request.
Use the steps below to change the prefix of all
new Change Requests and the attachment limits:
3. Highlight the Change Request Settings option and then select Properties in the Tasks pane.
4. The Change Request Settings window appears. Enter a new prefix for the Service Request. Here you
can also modify the maximum amount of files that can be attached to one change request and the
maximum size in KBs that each attachment can be. Once complete, click OK.
Note: Files attached to change requests are stored in the Service Manager database.
For more information about change request settings, go to the following link:
How to Configure General Change Settings
Activity Settings
Activities define the tasks that need to be
performed when completing work items such as
Change Requests and Service Requests. Multiple
activities can be used together to provide a
workflow for an operator to follow.
The Activity settings can be used to apply a prefix
to the ID of any new activities. This includes the
following activity types: Activity (AC), Manual
(MA), Review (RA), Parallel (PA), Sequential (SA),
Dependent (DA), and Runbook (RB). The default
values are shown in brackets.
Use the following steps to change the prefixes of
all new activities:
3. Highlight the Activity Settings option and then select Properties in the Tasks pane.
4. The Activity Settings window appears. Enter the new prefixes for all activity types. Once complete,
click OK.
For more information about activity settings, go to the following link:
How to Configure General Activity Settings
Problem Settings
Problem records in Service Manager are used to
document problems to help you resolve the root
cause of an incident or incidents.
The Problem settings are used to apply a problem
ID prefix to all new problems. The default is PR.
You can also change the maximum number of files
(the default is 10) and the maximum file size (the
default is 64 KB) that can be attached to a
problem record. Additionally, you can configure
the Priority calculation for Problem records based
on the records Impact and Urgency settings. This
is configured in the same way as the Incident
settings.
Use the following steps to change the prefix of all new problems and the attachment limits:
3. Highlight the Problem Settings option and then select Properties in the Tasks pane.
4. The Problem Settings window appears. Here you can:
Enter a new prefix for service request.

Modify the maximum amount of files that can be attached to one problem and the maximum size in
KBs that each attachment can be.
Set the priority calculation for a problem
5. Once all settings have been made, click OK.
Note: Files attached to problems are stored in the Service Manager database.
Data Retention Settings

The Data Retention settings determine how long a
closed work item remains in the Service Manager
database before it is removed. By default,
Incidents that are closed are removed from the
Service Manager database after 90 days. Closed
Change Requests, Release Records, Service
Requests, and Problems are removed after 365
days. You can change the retention time for each
work item as a number of days.
You can also change how long historical data
should remain in the Service Manager database.
The default is 365 days. These settings are
important and have an overall impact on the size of the Service Manager database, which in turn, can
impact the performance of the Service Manager environment. After a work item is groomed from the
operational database, the information of the work item object is only available in the Service Manager
Data Warehouse.
Use the following steps to change the Data Retention settings of the Service Manager environment:
3. Highlight the Data Retention Settings option and then select Properties in the Tasks pane.
4. The Data Retention Settings window appears. Enter the new values for the different retention settings
5. Once all settings have been completed, click OK.
Data Retention for the Service Manager data warehouse cannot be configured using the Service Manager
console. Instead you must use an SQL Server query. For more information about configuring data
retention for the Service Manager data warehouse visit the following website:
How long does the Service Manager Data Warehouse retain historical data?
Demonstration: Reviewing Service Manager Default Settings

In this demonstration you will review the default settings in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1

Console
Pane Administration
View Settings
2. From the details pane double-click each of the following settings and then review the options
available in each:
Knowledge Management Settings
Service Request Settings
Activity Settings
Release Management Settings
Data Retention Settings
Incident Settings
Problem Settings
Change Request Settings
Question: You have configured an Incident Prefix in the Incident Settings of the Service
Manager console but you notice that existing incidents prefix has not updated. Why is this?
Lesson 2
Configuring Business Services
Business Services in Service Manager provide a method of representing services that you provide to the
business. This enables Work Items such as Incident Records, Changes Requests, Problems Records and
Service Requests to be mapped to them. For example, when you create a Change Request to update a
Business Service you can add the Business Service to the Change Request as a Related Item. This is useful
as when you view the Related Items of the Business Service you can immediately see any Work Items that
have been associated with it and determine what work is being performed on the Business Service.
In addition you can associate Incident Records with Business Services as Related Items. This allows you to
record and view any Incidents related to the Business Service. In Operations Manager a Business Service
can be thought of as a Distributed Application Diagram where all components of the service are being
monitored by Operations Manager. When Operations Manager and Service Manager are integrated
Distributed Application Diagrams created in Operations Manager can be imported as Business Services in
Service Manager.
In this lesson you will learn how Business Services are created in Service Manager including how they are
configured to represent key services in your organization.
Lesson Objectives
Create a Business Service in Service Manager.
Configure the Service Components and Service Dependents of a Business Service.
Associate Work Items with Business Services.
Create Business Services from Distributed Application Diagrams in Operations Manager.
Creating a Business Service

Business Services in Service Manager can be
created manually, or they can be imported from
distributed applications that have been configured
in Operations Manager. Business Services can also
be created from services that have been deployed
in Virtual Machine Manager. To manually create a
Business Service, you use the Create Service task
that is available when you select the All Business
Services view in the Business Services node of the
Configuration Items pane in the Service Manager
console.
When creating a new business service, a Business
Service Form is used to store all of the service details. There are six tabs in the form that are used to store
service details. The following table describes some of the key service elements that are added when you
create a new business service.
Business Service Form tab Description
General Add the display name of the service, such as Intranet, and
specify the classification of the service, such as Internal
Application. You also add the status of the service, such as In
Service or In Maintenance. Additionally, you add the relevant
users of the service, such as Service Owner, Service Contact,
Service Customers, and Affected Users. It is important to add
this information to the service, because any relevant work
items, such as Incidents or Problems that are created for the
service, will be associated with the work items correctly.
Service Components Add the relevant components that the service depends on,
for example, the computers that the intranet website is
hosted on. You do this by adding a category such as
Computers Group and then adding the relevant
configuration items, such as computers, to the category.
When related work items such as Incidents or Problems are
created for the service, these work items can also be viewed
from this tab. This is useful because you can quickly view and
open any relevant incidents that have been logged for the
service, and then view the resolution status for them.
Service Dependents Add items that use the service. This can include other
configuration items that use the service, such as other
services.
Related Items Add, remove, and view any work items affecting the service,
which could include Incidents that have been logged for the
service. You can also add, remove, and view related work
items and configuration items such as computers, services,
and people that are related to the service. You can use this
tab to view any related actions that are being performed
against the service, such as a change request or an activity.
History View changes that have been applied to the service. This is
useful because any actions performed against the service,
such as changing the services status or adding a related
Incident, are recorded here, including the date, time, and
user who made the change.
Notes Include any notes relating to the service. Notes could include
details of a pending upgrade, for example.
When the business Service has been created, it can be viewed and edited from the All Business Services
view. The organization, priority, status, and classification of the service are also displayed here.
Configuring the Service Components and Service Dependents of a Business

Service
The Service components in a Business Service,
represent the components of an organizations
service such as, a line of business application.
These are typically the core infrastructure
components in the IT environment that the service
requires in order to function appropriately.
For example, a simple e-commerce website that
requires a web server and database can be
represented in a Business Service. The computers
that are hosting the web site and database will be
included as components within the Business
Service. When a service component is highlighted
in the Business Service form, a Related work items field displays the work items linked to the service
component such as Incidents or Change Requests that are currently active.
Business Services can be created automatically from Distributed Application Diagrams (DADs) within
Operations Manager. DADs are linked with Service Manager via the Operations Manager CI connector
(which is described in more detail in a later topic).
Configuration items in the Service Manager Configuration Management Database, can be included as
service components. Configuring Service Manager connectors is a key task to complete when creating
Business Services, as the more configuration items that are available and updated will provide a more
accurate representation of the services offered in the organization.
Once the Operations Manager CI connector has been configured, it will create the configuration items for
all of the objects discovered in the Operations Manager environment. You can then add individual
components of the Business Service such as databases, web sites and network devices. Further information
on using the Operations Manager CI connector to link Operations Manager objects with Service Manager
is covered in a later module.
When you add a service component to a Business Service, it is important to put the component in the
correct category. The available categories are:
Applications Components Group
Computers Group
Database Components Group
Network Devices Group
Other Components Group
Physical Objects Group
Storage Devices Group
Website Components Group
Additional categories can be created using the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
Use the steps below to add a service component to a business service:
1. Move to the Configuration Items pane and expand All Business Services.
2. Select All Business Services and highlight the required business service. Then select Edit from the
Tasks pane.
3. The Service Maps form will appear. Navigate to the second tab named Service Components.
4. If a new category is required, select Add Category and from Select a Class, select a category. Click OK.
5. Highlight the category where you want to place the component. The Add Item button will appear,
select Add Item.
6. In the Select objects window choose the required configuration items. The list can be filtered by class
and name. Click OK.
Note: When selecting items to add to a service component list only one object at a time
can be added from the Select objects window.
Service dependents in a Business Service represent all of the configuration items that a Business Service
depends on. Service dependents for a business service are shown in the properties form, under the Service
Dependents tab. Other Business Services should be added as service dependents, in order to minimize the
number of configuration items that are added to the list. However, configuration items that belong in the
Configuration Management database can be added as a service dependent. When you highlight a service
dependent, work items that have been linked with the item are displayed. If a work item is linked, the
work item details will be displayed in the Related work items field at the bottom of the service dependent
tab.
Follow the steps below to add service dependents to a Business Service:
1. Move to the Configuration Items pane and expand the All Business Services.
2. Select All Business Services and highlight the required business service. Then select Edit from the
Tasks pane.
3. The Service Maps form will appear. Navigate to the second tab named Service Dependents.
4. Select Add Items.
5. In the Select objects window choose the required configuration items. The list can be filtered by class
and name. Click OK.
Associating Work Items with Business Services

You can associate work items such as Incident,
Change Requests and Problem Records to a
Business Service. For example, if an email service
has a Business Service configuration item and the
email service goes offline, then an Incident can be
created and associated to the Business Service.
This would show the operators of Service Manager
that there is a problem with the email service and
prevent duplicate Incidents from being created.
Note: New work items are not automatically

associated to a Business Service if the work item
has been associated with a configuration item that belongs to the Business Service.
Associated work items are shown in the Business Service under the Related Items tab. A work item that is
related to a Business Service as a whole is shown under the Work items affecting this configuration item.
For example, an Incident that indicates a problem with a Business Service would be included here. Work
items can be associated by either choosing the Add button or from within the work item form directly. For
example, you can add the Business Service to an Incident by selecting Add next to the Affected Services
field.
The Work Items field under the Related Items tab contains work items that have been associated using the
Related Items tab in the work item. For example, on the Related Items tab in an Incident work item, the
Business Service can be added to the Configuration Items: Computers, Services and People field. This
shows that the Business Service is related to a work item, but the work item isnt directly targeting the
Business Service as a whole.
Creating a Business Service from a Distributed Application Diagrams in

Operations Manager
System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager
provides performance and availability monitoring
of services running in the IT environment. As part
of this monitoring, Distributed Application
Diagrams can be used to display the health of a
service, including all of the components that the
service relies on. For example, the intranet website
mentioned in an earlier topic could be viewed in a
Distributed Application Diagram in Operations
Manager. The relevant components such as the
SQL Server database, the IIS website, and the
computers running Windows Server 2012 would
be shown in the diagram, including the health of each of these components.
When integration between Service Manager and Operations Manager is configured using the Operations
Manager CI connector in Service Manager, the Distributed Application Diagrams created in Operations
Manager are imported into Service Manager as Business Services. This is very useful and a best practice,
because each component of the Distributed Application Diagram is imported as configuration items in
Service Manager. This means that relevant work items such as Incidents, Problems, and Change Requests
can be associated with these configuration items. In case Operations Manager detects an issue with a
component of the service (or distributed application), Service Manager can be configured to automatically
generate an Incident work item that can be assigned to an analyst to resolve.
To use this functionality, you must perform certain tasks in both Operations Manager and Service
Manager. The following table describes these tasks.
Tasks Description
Create a Distributed Application Diagram. Using the Distributed Application Designer in

Operations Manager, you create a Distributed
Application Diagram for the service and you add
the relevant components of the service such as the
SQL Server database, the IIS website, and the
computers running Windows Server 2012. The
Distributed Application Diagram is stored in a new
Management Pack in Operations Manager.
Export the Management Pack. The Management Pack used to store the Distributed
Application Diagram in Operations Manager is
exported.
Tasks Description
Import the Management Pack. The Operations Manager Management Pack is

imported into Service Manager. During this task,
there might be other related Management Packs
that must be imported. This is because the exported
Management Pack from Operations Manager might
depend on other Management Packs such as the
Windows Operating System and SQL Server
Management Packs.
Create or refresh the Operations Manager CI For Service Manager to import and synchronize the
connector in Service Manager. various components of the service, it must be
connected to the Operations Manager environment
by using the Operations Manager CI connector.
During this task, the relevant Management Packs,
such as Windows Operating System and SQL Server
are selected for synchronization. This includes the
newly imported Management Pack. If the
Operations Manager CI connector already exists in
Service Manager, the connector can be edited, and
the Management Packs selected for synchronization
can be refreshed. The new Management Packs can
then be selected.
Synchronize the Operations Manager CI After the relevant Management Packs are selected
connector. in the Operations Manager CI connector in Service
Manager, the connector is synchronized. During this
task, the relevant components in Operations
Manager are imported as configuration items in
Service Manager.
After performing the tasks in the preceding table, the Business Service is automatically created in Service
Manager and is displayed in the All Business Services view of the Service Manager console. The Business
Service can then be edited and updated with details such as the service owner, service contacts, service
customers, and affected users. On the Service Components tab of the Business Service form, the various
components of the service that have been imported by the connector are displayed.
Note: If the Business Service is created as a distributed application in Operations Manager,

it will not be possible to manually add additional service components in the Service Manager
Console. You will have to modify the distributed application diagram in Operations Manager.
For more information about Operations Manager distributed applications, go to the following link:
Question: What connector in Service Manager is used with Business Services?

Lesson 3
Configuring Access for your Support Teams
In Module 3 you learned how to secure access to the Service Manager Console by configuring User Roles.
In this lesson you will learn how User Roles are configured for your support teams so that when they open
the Service Manager console they only have access to the Work Items and Configuration Items that are
relevant to them.
Lesson Objectives
Create an Incident Resolver User Role.
Create an End User Role.
Create a Change Manager User Role.
Create a Problem Analyst User Role.
Create a Service Request Analyst User Role.
Creating an Incident Resolver User Role

An Incident Resolver in Service Manager is
typically an operator of the Service Manager
environment. The Incident Resolvers main tasks
are to handle calls from end-users and create and
resolve Incident work items. As such, their User
Role will be configured so they can only create
and edit the Incident and manual activity work
items in their queue scope. The views that the
Incident Resolvers will see, depends on the access
given to them during the setup of the User Role in
the wizard. This role will not be able to create,
modify or delete any other work item or
configuration item. However, they will have read-only access to these items if their queue scope allows it.
To create a new custom Incident Resolver User Role, navigate to the Administration pane and expand the
Security node. Select the User Roles node and then select Create User Role in the Tasks pane. From the
pop-up window select Incident Resolver.
The table below describes the pages available in the Create User Role wizard when configuring an
Incident Resolver User Role:
Create User Role Wizard page, when creating

Description
an Incident Resolver user role
General Specify a name for the User Role. This name

will be displayed in the User Role section of the
Management Packs Select the Management Packs used to filter the

scope of data that will be available to members
of the new User Role.

Description
Queues Select the work item queues containing the

work items that can be accessed when logged
into the Service Manager console with this User
Role. This is useful for an Incident Resolver
working in escalation, who will only need to
access incidents assigned to a particular
support group, such as support group tier 3.
Note: Queues cannot be created inside
of the Create User Role wizard. If the
appropriate queue is not available when the
User Role is being created it can be selected
later by editing the User Role.
Configuration Item Groups Select the groups of configuration items that

members of the new User Role should use. This
is useful when you need to limit access to a
specific configuration item type, such as Mobile
Devices or Computers. However, an Incident
Resolver will only have read-only access to
configuration items.
Note: Configuration Item Groups cannot
be created in the Create User Role wizard. If
the appropriate Configuration Item Group is
not available when the User Role is being
created, it can be selected later by editing the
User Role.
Catalog Item Groups Select the groups of Catalog Items that

members of the new User Role should use. This
allows members of this User Role to use
particular request and service offerings.
Tasks Select the console tasks that will be available to

the User Role operators. For example, if the
only task that should be made available is Ping
Related Computer then select the Provide
access to only the selected tasks option. Scroll
down the list to find Ping Related Computer
and select it. This will restrict the operator to
only being able to select this task in the
console.
Views Select the views to be made available to the

operator. If all views are required, leave the
default selection of All views can be accessed. If
only selected views are required, use the
Provide access to only the selected views
option and then select the views required for
this User Role.
Note: Even though access may be given
to view all work items, some work items may
not be displayed due to the queue scope
configured in earlier steps of the wizard.

Description
Form Templates Select the form templates that members of the

new User Role should use. You can also create
specific Incident templates and select them on
this page. You can then restrict access to other
templates that should not be used when
creating incidents.
Users Add the users and groups that will be members

of the new User Role.
Summary View the options selected when working

through the wizard and if necessary, go back
and make any changes.
Creating an End User Role

A member of an End User Role would typically be
an end user of the IT Service Desk. Following the
creation of this User Role, the end users will be
able to create Incidents and Service Requests in
the Self-Service portal and view knowledge
articles. However, they will not have access to the
Service Manager console and will not be able to
view or change any other work items apart from
the work items they created. A member of this
User Role will typically be in an Active Directory
group that includes all employees who have access
to IT within the organization.
To create a new custom End User Role, navigate to the Administration pane and expand the Security
node. Select the User Roles node and then select Create User Role in the Tasks pane. From the pop-up
window select end-user.
Below is a description of the Create User Role wizard pages available when you configure an End User
role:

Description
an End-Users user role
General Specify a name for the User Role. This name will be
displayed in the End User Role section of the Service
Manager console.
Management Packs Select the Management Packs used to filter the

scope of data that members of the new End User
role should use.
Queues This setting does not apply when creating an End

User role.
Configuration Item Groups Select the groups of configuration items that

members of the new End User role should use. This

Description
an End-Users user role
is useful when you want to limit access to a specific
configuration item type, such as Mobile Devices or
Computers. Although End Users cannot view
configuration items by default, as they do not have
access to the Service Manager console.
In the self-service portal, you can use a
configuration item group to restrict the
configuration items that can be selected in a service
request.
Catalog Item Groups Select the groups of Catalog Items that members of
the End User role should have access to. This allows
members of the End User role to have access to
particular request and service offerings. This is
useful when you want to restrict specific End User
roles to specific service requests. For example, an
end-user role for managers may have access to a
request named Request Software but users in a
different end user role will not have access to this
request.
Form Templates This setting does not apply when creating an End
User role.
Users Add the users and groups that will become

members of the new End User role.
Summary View the options selected when working through

the wizard. If required, you can go back and make
changes.
Note: The steps in this wizard are shorter because of the restrictive access that the end-
users User Role profile dictates.
Creating a Change Manager User Role

Change Managers in Service Manager, are
typically the operators in the organization
responsible for Change and the Change process,
who can approve or reject a Change. The Change
Manager User Role provides members with the
ability to create and edit Change Requests and
activity work items that are in their queue.
However, they will only have read-only access to
any other work or configuration item that fall
within their specified queue.
To create a new custom Change Manager User
Role profile, navigate to the Administration pane
and expand the Security node. Select the User Roles node and then select Create User Role in the Tasks
pane. From the pop-up window select Change Manager.
Below is a description of each Create User Role wizard page that can be used to configure a Change
Manager User Role:
Create User Role Wizard page, when

Description
creating an Change Manager User Role
General Specify a name for the User Role. This name will be
displayed in the User Role section of the Service
Manager console.
Management Packs Select the Management Packs used to filter the scope of
data made available to members of the User Role being
created.
Queues Select the queues that define the work items that can
be accessed by the new User Role. For example, if a
Change Manager works only with High Impact and
High Risk changes, then the queue should only show
those types of changes.
Configuration Item Groups Select the groups of configuration items that members
of the new User Role should use. This is useful when you
want to limit access to a specific configuration item
type, such as Mobile Devices or Computers. However, a
Change Manager will only have read-only access to
Catalog Item Groups Select the groups of Catalog Items that should be
available to members of the new User Role. This allows
members to use particular request and service offerings.
Tasks Select the console tasks that should be available to the

User Role operators. For example, if the only task that
should be made available is Ping Related Computer,
then select Provide access to only the selected tasks.
Scroll down the list to find Ping Related Computer and
select it. This will now restrict the operator to only
having this task available in the console.
Views Select the views that the operator should use. If all views
are required, leave the default selection of All views can
be accessed. If only selected views are required, use the
Provide access to only the selected views button and
select the views required for this User Role.
Form Templates Select the form templates that members of the new
User Role should use. You can create specific Change
Request templates and select them on this page. You
can then specify the templates that should be used to
create change requests.
Users Add the users and groups that will become members of
the new User Role.
Summary View the options selected when working through the

wizard and, if necessary, go back and make any
changes.
Creating a Problem Analyst User Role

The Problem Analyst User Role in Service Manager
gives an operator the ability to manage Problem
record work items. Problem Analysts use Problem
records to record the root cause of an issue which
might include multiple incidents. Problem Analysts
can create and edit the Problem work items in
their queue. However, they only have read-only
access to other work items, such as Incidents and
Change Requests. Configuration items can only be
viewed and not created or deleted. Typically,
Problem Analysts will also be Incident Resolvers
and so they will also have the ability to link
Incidents to Problems records. The same analyst may also belong to the Change Initiators role if the
Problem required a Change.
To create a new custom Problem Analyst User Role profile, navigate to the Administration pane and
expand the Security node. Select the User Roles node and then select Create User Role in the Tasks pane.
From the pop-up window select Problem Analyst.
The table below describes the Create User Role wizard pages that are available when configuring an
Problem Analyst User Role:
Create User Role Wizard page,

when creating an Problem Description
Analyst User Role
General Specify a name for the User Role. This name will be displayed in
the User Role section of the Service Manager console.
Management Packs Select the Management Packs used to filter the scope of data
made available to members of the User Role being created.
Queues Select the queues that define the work items that can be
accessed when the User Role is created. This is useful for a
Problem Analyst who only works with Problems that have a
Priority of 1 or 2. Therefore a queue is used to only show those
Problems.
Configuration Item Groups Select the groups of configuration items that members of the
new User Role should use. This is useful when you need to limit
access to a specific configuration item type, such as Mobile
Devices or Computers. However, a Problem Analyst will only
have read-only access to any configuration item.
Catalog Item Groups Select the groups of Catalog Items that members of the new
User Role should use. This allows members of this User Role to
use particular Request and Service offerings.
Tasks Select the console tasks that will be available to the User Role
operators. For example, if only the problem tasks are to be made
available, then select Provide access to only the selected tasks.
Scroll down the list to find all problem tasks and select them.
This will now restrict the operator to only having the problem
tasks.

when creating an Problem Description
Analyst User Role
Views Select the views that will be made available to the operator. If all
views are required, leave the default selection of All views can be
accessed. If only selected views are required, use the Provide
access to only the selected views button and select the views
required for this User Role.
Form Templates Select the form templates that should be made available to
members of this User Role.
Note: Problem templates cannot be used when creating
problem records.
Users Add the users and groups that will become members of the User
Role you are creating.
Summary View the options selected when working through the wizard
and, if necessary, you can go back and make changes.
Creating a Service Request Analyst User Role

Members of the Service Request Analyst User Role
in Service Manager are responsible for Service
Request fulfillment. This includes Service Requests
and the activities generated from a Service
Request, such as managing a Create AD User
manual activity, created by the New Starter Service
Request. A Service Request Analyst is able to
assign activities to particular operators when a
Service Request is created, or add additional
approvers to a Review activity. They can also
cancel or place Service Requests on hold.
The Service Request Analyst User Role can only
create and edit Service Requests and activity work items that belong to their scope. However, they have
read-only access to other work items and configuration items in their queue.
To create a new custom Service Request Analyst User Role profile, navigate to the Administration pane
and expand the Security node. Select the User Roles node and then select Create User Role in the Tasks
pane. From the pop-up window, select Service Request Analyst.
Below is a description of the Create User Role wizard pages used to configure a Service Request User Role:

when creating a Service Description
Request Analyst User Role
General Specify a name for the User Role. This name will be displayed in
the User Role section of the Service Manager console.
Management Packs Select the Management Packs used to filter the scope of data
made available to members of the new User Role.

when creating a Service Description
Request Analyst User Role
Queues Select the queues that define the work items that can be accessed
by the new User Role. This is useful for a Service Request Analyst
who works with Service Requests related to Active Directory and
have a user management classification.
Configuration Item Groups Select the groups of configuration items that should be made
available to members of the new User Role. This is useful when
you want to limit access to a specific configuration item type, such
as Mobile Devices or Computers. However, a Service Request
Analyst will only have read-only access to configuration items.
Catalog Item Groups Select the groups of Catalog Items that should be available to
members of the new User Role. This allows members of this User
Role to use particular request and service offerings.
Note: Even though Service Request Analyst will work with
Service and Request offerings in the console from other users,
they can still be scoped to only consume some of the available
offerings from the self-service portal.
Tasks Select the console tasks that should be available to the User Role
operators. For example, if only the Service Request tasks are to be
made available, then select Provide access to only the selected
tasks. Scroll down the list to find all of the Service Request tasks
and select them. This will restrict the operator to Service Request
tasks only.
Views Select the views that should be available to the operator. If all
views are required, leave the default selection of All views can be
accessed. If only selected views are required, use the Provide
access to only the selected views button and select the views
required for this User Role.
Form Templates Select the form templates that members of the new User Role
should use. For example, some Service Request Analysts dont
require access to templates, so the Provide access to only the
selected forms button is used with no form selections being made.
Users Add the users and groups that will become members of the new
User Role.
Summary View the options selected when working through the wizard and,
if necessary, go back and make changes.
Statement Answer
Members of an End User Role in Service Manager do not have access to the Service
Manager console.
Lesson 4
Configuring Notifications
When changes occur in the IT environment it is important that the relevant people are notified. For
example, when an Incident has been logged and assigned to an analyst to work on, the analyst should be
notified.
This is typically in the form of an e-mail. Similarly, when an incident has been escalated to a second or
third line support group the relevant people should be notified so that they can work on the incident.
Service Manager provides this functionality using Notifications. In order to ensure the relevant people are
notified when changes occur in the IT environment you must understand how to configure notifications in
Service Manager.
Lesson Objectives
Configure Notification Channels.
Configure Notification Templates.
Configure Notification Subscriptions.
Notification Channels
Notifications in Service Manager are made up of
three elements :
Notification Channels. The method used to
send a notification
Notification Templates. The type and format
of the notification
Notification Subscriptions. The criteria for
the notification and recipients
Before you can use Notification Templates and
Notification Subscriptions, you need to configure
the Notification Channel.
In Service Manager, the only Notification channel you can create is an E-mail Notification Channel. To use
the E-mail Notification Channel, you must have a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server available in
the environment, such as Microsoft Exchange server.
To configure the E-mail Notification Channel, you edit its properties in the Channels view of the
Notification node in the Administration pane of the Service Manager console.
The following table describes the settings of the E-mail Notification Channel and how each is configured.
E-Mail Notification Channel setting Description
Enable E-Mail Notification Before the Email Notification Channel can be

configured, the Enable E-Mail Notifications check
box must be selected.
SMTP Servers You add at least one valid SMTP server in the form
of the fully qualified domain name (FQDN). You can
E-Mail Notification Channel setting Description

also set the port number on which communications
to the SMTP server should be sent, such as the
default port 25. Additionally, you can specify the
authentication method that should be used, such as
Anonymous or Windows Integrated. This is
important and must be configured appropriately
based on the SMTP server settings. Multiple SMTP
servers can be added to provide failover. This is
useful when the primary SMTP server fails. The
failover order of additional SMTP servers that have
been added can also be configured, which helps
ensure notifications are always sent. You can also
specify a value in seconds in which the primary
SMTP server should be retried.
Return E-Mail Address The return email address must be added, and you
should configure it by using the email address a
monitored mailbox. Additionally, when email
notifications are used, the Workflow Run As account
must also be made a member of the Service
Manager Administrators user role. When using the
Exchange Connector, as described in Module 5, you
can use the Return E-Mail Address setting to
automatically update an incident via an email as
long as this address is that of the mailbox
monitored by Service Manager.
For more information about how to configure notification channels, go to the following link:
How to Configure Notification Channels
Notification Templates
A Notification template is used to define the type
and format of the email message that is sent in an
email notification. After Service Manager is
installed, four notification templates are
automatically created that you can use, or you can
create a new template. The four templates
provided are:
Assigned To User Notification template.
Useful for sending notifications to users who
have been assigned to a change request
Escalation Notification template. Useful for
sending notifications when an incident has
been escalated
End User Notification template: Useful for sending notification to end users when an incident has
been opened for them
Assigned To User Notification template. Useful for sending notifications to users who have been
assigned to an incident
Notification templates can be viewed and edited in the Templates view of the Notifications node of the
Administration pane in the Service Manager console. From here, you can also create a new template by
using the Create E-Mail Template task, which starts the Create E-Mail Notification Template wizard. The
following table describes the pages of this wizard and the settings on each page.
Create E-Mail
Notification Template Description
wizard page
General Specify the Notification template name, such as All Escalated

Incidents. You also select the Targeted class, such as Incident or
Change Request. This setting is important, because it defines the
substitution strings that are made available on the Template Design
page. Additionally, you select or create a new unsealed
Management Pack where the template will be stored. This is useful
because you can create a new Management Pack that you can then
export and import into other Service Manager Management Groups
such as development or production.
Template Design Configure the message subject and message body that will be used
when sending the email notification. You can use the Insert button
to insert substitution strings that are used to populate the message
subject or message body with information of the selected class. An
example will illustrate how this feature is useful. Suppose the
Incident class is selected as the targeted class. You can add the ID
substitution string to the message subject so that when the email
notification is sent, the actual value for the incident ID is displayed
in the message subject. You can optionally choose to send the email
notification as HTML. You can choose the urgency of the email
notification such as Low, Medium, or High. The Encoding and
Language settings can also be configured here. You can define the
language of the message text. This way you can create the message
in multiple languages and use the same notification template to
notify users in different languages.
Summary A summary of the configured settings is displayed. You can go back

through the wizard and make any modifications before using the
Create button to finish the wizard and create the notification
template.
After the Notification template is created, it can be selected when creating a Notification Subscription.
For more information about how to create notification templates, go to the following link:
How to Create Notification Templates
Notification Subscriptions
Notification Subscriptions define the criteria that
determine when a notification should be sent, for
example, when an incident is escalated or when a
change request has been assigned. Notification
Subscriptions are used to automatically send
notifications when selected conditions occur.
Notification Subscriptions can be viewed and
edited in the Subscriptions view of the
Notifications node in the Administration pane of
the Service Manager console. The Create
Subscription task can also be used from this
location in the console to create a new notification
subscription. This task opens the Create E-Mail Notification Subscription wizard. The following table
describes the wizard pages and the settings you can configure.
Create E-Mail Notification

Description
Subscription wizard page
General Specify a name for the Notification Subscription such as Incident

Created. Also specify the condition indicating when the Notification
Subscription will be used, such as when an object of the selected
class is created or updated. Additionally, you can use the
Notification Subscription to periodically notify a user when objects
meet specific criteria. Depending on which When To Notify Setting
is selected, the pages of the wizard are updated to allow you to
configure additional settings. For the purposes of this topic, it is
assumed that the When An Object Of The Selected Class Is Created
setting is used. You specify the targeted class, such as Incident or
Change Request. You also select or create a new unsealed
Management Pack in which the notification subscription will be
stored.
Additional Criteria Optionally, add criteria based on the selected targeted class. For
example, if Incident was selected as the targeted class, you can add
criteria such as Created Date, ID, and Impact. You can use these
criteria to filter specific classes based on the properties of the class.
For example, you can specify that only Incidents with a High
Urgency and an escalated status of true be used in the Notification
Subscription. Multiple criteria can be added and are automatically
ANDED when different properties are selected to build a
comprehensive filter for the selected class. When the same property
is added more than once they are automatically ORd.
Template Select a previously created email template. You can optionally

create an email template on this page by clicking the Create E-Mail
Templates link.
Recipient Add the recipients that should be notified by using the Email
Notification Subscription. It is important that the Active Directory
Connector be synchronized at least one time and the user or group
has a valid email address specified in the AD before configuring this
page, because the Active Directory objects such as users and groups
are selected here as recipients. If a user or group doesnt have a
configured email address in the User CI the notification to the users
will not work.
Create E-Mail Notification

Description
Subscription wizard page
Related Recipients Optionally add recipients that should be notified by using the Email
Notification Subscription. This feature is useful because you can use
substitution strings to automatically include recipients based on the
properties of the targeted class, For example, when using the
Incident class, you can use a related class of Affects Service and then
add the Primary Owner of the service. When an Incident is created
that includes the service as the affected item, the owner of the
service automatically receives an email notification.
Summary A summary of the configured settings is displayed. You can go back

through the wizard and make any necessary modifications before
using the Create button to finish the wizard and create the email
notification subscription.
For more information about how to subscribe to notifications, go to the following link:
How to Subscribe to Notifications
Demonstration: Reviewing Notification Templates

In this demonstration you will review the E-Mail Notification Templates in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration\Notifications
View Templates
2. From the details pane, review the various templates that are available by reading the Description
column for each template.
3. Edit the properties of the End User Notification Template and review the information on the
General and Template Design tabs.
4. Close the template without making any changes and then close the Service Manager console.
Question: What function do notification templates perform in Service Manager?
Lab: Configuring Service Manager For Your Environment

Scenario
Contoso has a number of users that require access to the Service Manager Console in order to perform
their day-to-day tasks. To facilitate this you must create User Roles in Service Manager and configure
them so that when each user opens the Service Manager console they only have access to the Work Items
and Configuration Items that are relevant to them.
In addition you have been asked to configure a number of settings in Service Manager to reflect the
business needs and policies of the organization. This includes configuring the Service Manager database
data retention and prefixes for Service Manager work items.
Additionally, in order to represent both the StockTrader and DinnerNow services appropriately in Service
Manager, you must configure a Business Service for the StockTrader application by using the Operations
Manager Connector and importing the StockTrader Distributed Application from Operations Manager.
You must also manually create a Business Service for DinnerNow as there is no related Distributed
Application Diagram for the application in Operations Manager.
Finally you must configure Notifications in Service Manager so that when Incidents are assigned to the
DinnerNow support group the relevant personnel are notified via email.
Objectives
Configure Service Manager Settings.
Configure Business Services.
Provision access to Service Manager for the StockTrader and DinnerNow support teams.
Configure Notifications.
Lab Setup
Host 1 Virtual Machines: LON-DC1, LON-SQ1, LON-SM1
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-DW1, LON-SC1, LON-EX1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
4. Log on using the following credentials:
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM1
LON-SQ1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-EX1
LON-SC1
Note: Before starting this lab ensure all Windows Services that are set to start automatically
are running, except for the Microsoft .NET Framework NGEN v4.0.30319_X86 and Microsoft .NET
Framework NGEN v4.0.30319_X64 services as these services stop automatically when they are not
in use.
Exercise 1: Configuring Service Manager Settings

Scenario
To customize the Service Manager environment for Contoso you have been asked to configure default
settings in Service Manager. This includes the Priority Calculation and Resolution Time settings for
Incidents, the Data Retention Settings and Prefix settings for all Work Items.
1. Configuring incident settings
2. Configuring problem settings
3. Configuring change request settings
4. Configuring activity settings
5. Configuring release management settings
6. Configuring service request settings
7. Configuring data retention settings
8. Configuring knowledge management settings
9. Configuring the active Directory connector
Task 1: Configuring incident settings

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration\Settings
Settings Incident Settings
2. Configure the Incident Settings as shown below. All other settings should be left as default.
3. General tab settings
Prefix: Contoso_IR
Maximum number of attached files: 5
Default support group: Tier 1
4. Parent Incident tab settings:
Automatically resolve child incidents when parent incident is resolved: Enabled
5. Priority Calculation tab settings:
9 8 7
6 5 4
3 2 1
6. Resolution Time tab settings: Select Do not use and show legacy Target Resolution Time on Incident
Form banner.
7. Operations Manager Web Settings tab:
Web console URL: http://lon-sc1/OperationsManager
Task 2: Configuring problem settings

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Settings Problem Settings
2. Configure the Problem Settings as shown below. All other settings should be left as default.
3. General tab settings
Problem ID prefix: Contoso_PR

4. Priority tab settings:
Low Medium High
Low 9 8 7
Medium 6 5 4
High 3 2 1
Task 3: Configuring change request settings

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Settings Change Request Settings
2. Configure the Change Request Settings as shown below. All other settings should be left as default.
Change request ID prefix: Contoso_CR
Task 4: Configuring activity settings

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Settings Activity Settings
2. Configure the Activity Settings as shown below.

Activity prefix: Contoso_AC
Manual activity prefix: Contoso_MA
Review activity prefix: Contoso_RA
Parallel activity prefix: Contoso_PA
Sequential activity prefix: Contoso_SA
Dependent activity prefix: Contoso_DA

Runbook automation activity prefix: Contoso_RB
Task 5: Configuring release management settings

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Settings Release Management Settings
2. Configure the Release Management Settings as shown below. All other settings should be left as
default.
Release record ID prefix: Contoso_RR
Task 6: Configuring service request settings

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Settings Service Request Settings
2. Configure the Service Request Settings as shown below. All other settings should be left as default.
Service Request ID prefix: Contoso_SR
Task 7: Configuring data retention settings

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Location Value
Settings Data Retention Settings
2. Configure the Service Request Settings as shown below.

Work items tab settings:
o Incident retention time: 30 days
o Change request retention time: 120 days
o Release record retention time: 120 days
o Service request retention time: 120 days
o Problem retention time: 120 days
History tab settings:
o History retention time: 240 days
Task 8: Configuring knowledge management settings

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Settings Knowledge Management Settings
2. Configure the Knowledge Management Settings as shown below.

Knowledge article prefix: Contoso_KA
Task 9: Configuring the active Directory connector

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Connectors
2. Use the Create connector task to create a new Active Directory connector with the following
settings. All other settings should be left as default.
General page\Name: Active Directory
Domain or organizational unit page\Credentials: Pa$$w0rd
3. Select the Active Directory connector and then use the Synchronize Now task to synchronize the
connector.
4. Wait until the Status of the Active Directory Connector changes to Finished Success.
Results: After this exercise, you should have configured the Service Manager default settings so that they
align to Contosos business needs.
Exercise 2: Configuring Business Services

Scenario
You must manually create a Business Service for the DinnerNow application. For the StockTrader
application there is an existing Distributed Application Diagram in Operations Manager that can be used
to automatically create a Business Service in Service Manager. You have been asked to import the
StockTrader Distributed Diagram and enable the Business Service in Service Manager.
1. Create a business service for DinnerNow
2. Import management packs
3. Configure the Operations Manager CI connector
4. Export the stocktrader distributed application diagram management pack from Operations Manager
5. Synchronize Service Manager with Operations Manager
6. Confirm the stocktrader business service has been created
Task 1: Create a business service for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Configuration Items\Business Services
View All Business Services
2. Use the Create Service task to create a new Business Service with the following settings. All other
settings should be left as default.
3. General tab settings:
Classification: Software
Owned by Organization: Contoso
Priority: High
Status: In Service
4. Related Items tab settings. In the Configuration Items, Computers, Services and People section add
the following:
Computers: LON-AP1
Active Directory Group: CONTOSO\DinnerNow_Incident_Resolvers
Software Items: DinnerNow
Task 2: Import management packs

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
2. Use the Import task to import the *.MP and *.mpb Management Packs from the C:\Management
Packs folder.
Note: You must manually change the file type to .mp and .mpb in order to select the
relevant management packs from the C:\Management Packs folder. You can import both
management pack types at the same time.
Task 3: Configure the Operations Manager CI connector

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Connectors
2. Use the Create Connector task to create a new Operations Manager CI connector with the
following settings. All other settings should be left as default:
Name: Operations Manager CI
Server name: LON-SC1
Management Packs: Select all
Task 4: Export the stocktrader distributed application diagram management pack

from Operations Manager
Location Value
Computer LON-SC1
Tool Operations Manager

Console
Pane Administration
2. Export the StockTrader Management Pack and save it to the C drive on LON-SC1.
3. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager Console, import the StockTrader Management Pack from
\\LON-SC1\C$.
Task 5: Synchronize Service Manager with Operations Manager

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Connectors
2. Edit the properties of the Operations Manager CI connector and then from the Management
Packs tab use the Refresh button to refresh the Management Packs.
3. Select the Select All option and then close the properties of the Operations Manager CI connector.
4. Use the Synchronize Now task to synchronize the Operations Manager CI connector.
5. Refresh the details pane until the Status column for the Operations Manager CI connector displays
Finished Success.
Task 6: Confirm the stocktrader business service has been created

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Configuration Items\Business Services

Location Value
View All Business Services
2. Edit the properties of the StockTrader Business Services as follows.

3. General tab settings:
Classification: Software
Owned by Organization: Contoso
Priority: High
Status: In Service
4. Related Items tab settings. In the Configuration Items, Computers, Services and People section add
the following:
Computers: LON-ST1.CONTOSO.COM
Active Directory Group: CONTOSO\StockTrader_Incident_Resolvers
Software Items: StockTrader
Results: After this exercise you should have manually configured a Business Service for DinnerNow. You
should have also configured the Operations Manager CI connector in Service Manager and imported the
StockTrader Management Pack. You should have then synchronized the StockTrader Management Pack in
Service Manager and confirmed that the StockTrader Business Service was created automatically.
Exercise 3: Provisioning access for the DinnerNow and StockTrader support

teams
Scenario
Contoso have dedicated support teams for both the DinnerNow and StockTrader applications. In order for
each team to be able to login to the Service Manager Console and work on their assigned Incidents you
must create a User Role for each team. You should ensure that when logging in as a member of each
support team they can only view and work on work items associated to them.
1. Configure the incident classification list
2. Configure an incident resolver user role for dinnernow
3. Configure an incident resolver user role for stocktrader
4. Confirm the user roles are configured appropriately
Task 1: Configure the incident classification list

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Lists
2. Edit the properties of Incident Classification list and add the following classifications:
DinnerNow
StockTrader
Task 2: Configure an incident resolver user role for dinnernow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View User Roles
2. Use the Create User Role task to create a new User Role with the following settings. All other settings
should be left as default:
User Role type: Incident Resolver
Name: DinnerNow Incident Resolvers
Management Packs: DinnerNowMP

Users: Contoso\DinnerNow_Incident_Resolvers
Task 3: Configure an incident resolver user role for stocktrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View User Roles
2. Use the Create User Role task to create a new User Role with the following settings. All other settings
User Role type: Incident Resolver
Name: StockTrader Incident Resolvers
Management Packs: StockTraderMP and StockTrader
Users: Contoso\StockTrader_Incident_Resolvers
Task 4: Confirm the user roles are configured appropriately

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Location Desktop
User Contoso\DinnerNow_IR
Contoso\StockTrader_IR
2. Close the Service Manager console and then use the Run as different user option to open the Service
Manager console using the Contoso\DinnerNow_IR user account.
3. Note that only the Work Items, Configuration Items and Reporting pane are available.
4. Close the Service Manager console and then use the Run as different user option to open the Service
Manager console using the Contoso\StockTrader_IR user account.
5. Note that only the Work Items, Configuration Items and Reporting pane are available and then
close the Service Manager console.
Results: After this exercise you should have configured User Roles for both the StockTrader and
DinnerNow support teams. You should have also configured the default lists that can be used when
creating Incidents and confirm that when relevant support staff open the Service Manager Console it is
scoped appropriately.
Exercise 4: Configuring Notifications

Scenario
To enable e-mail notification to be sent to relevant Contoso teams when work items such as Incidents are
created and assigned to their queue, you need to configure Service Manager Notifications. Contoso
require an e-mail notification is automatically sent to the support technician who is assigned an Incident
when they are created in the Service Manager Console.
1. Create an Exchange mailbox for the workflow account
2. Add the workflow account to the Service Manager administrators user role
3. Configure the notification channel
4. Configure a notification template
5. Configure a notification subscription
6. Create an incident and confirm notification is sent
Task 1: Create an Exchange mailbox for the workflow account

Location Value
Computer LON-EX1
Tool Exchange Management Console
Pane Recipient Configuration
View Mailbox
2. From the Actions pane, use the New Mailbox task to create a new mailbox with the following settings
(all other settings should remain the default settings):
Mailbox: User Mailbox
User Type: Existing Users
Add: sm_workflow
3. Close the Exchange Management console and then log off LON-EX1.
Task 2: Add the workflow account to the Service Manager administrators user role
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
Location Value
View Security\User Roles
2. Edit the Administrators user role, and then add the Contoso\sm_workflow account to the Users tab.
Task 3: Configure the notification channel

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Notifications\Channels
2. Configure the E-Mail Notification Channel with the following settings (all other settings should
remain the default settings):
Enable e-mail notifications: Selected
Add SMTP Server: LON-EX1.CONTOSO.COM
Authentication method: Windows Integrated
Return e-mail address: sm_workflow@contoso.com
Task 4: Configure a notification template

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Notifications\Templates
2. Edit the Assigned To User Notification template, where the Description displays Use for notifications
sent to the user who is assigned the incident:
Append the User Name substitution string to the Message Subject by selecting the Created By
User property from the Related Classes section then clicking Insert.
Task 5: Configure a notification subscription

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Location Value
Pane Administration
View Notifications\Subscriptions
2. Use the Create Subscription task to create a notification subscription with the following settings (all
Notification subscription name: Incident Assigned
When to notify: When an object of the selected class is created
Targeted Class: Incident
Select E-Mail Notification Template: Assigned To User Notification Template
Recipient: Administrator
Related Recipients: Assigned to User
Task 6: Create an incident and confirm notification is sent

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items
View Incident Management\All Incidents
2. Use the Create Incident task to create a new incident with the following settings (all other settings
should remain the default settings):
Affected user: StockTRader_IR
Title: Notification Test
Description: This is an Incident to test e-mail notifications. An email should be sent to both the
administrator and the user who is assigned this incident.
Classification category: StockTrader
Impact: Low
Urgency: Low
Assigned to: StockTrader_IR
3. Open Outlook using the Outlook profile and review the email that has been sent to the
Administrator.
4. Close Outlook.
5. Open Outlook using the StockTrader_IR profile and review the email that has been sent to
StockTrader_IR.
6. Close Outlook.
Results: After this exercise you should have configured Notifications in Service Manager so that when a
new Incident is created, the user who the Incident is assigned to automatically receives an email
notification.
Question: You need to increase the number of allowed attachments that can be attached to
Incidents. What should you do?

Review Question(s)
Question:
You have imported a Management Pack from Operations Manager that contains a
Distributed Application Diagram. What else should you do to enable the automatic creation
of a business service?

It is important that you configure the data retention settings for the Service Manager operational
database appropriately. This is both to ensure that data is retained based on your organizations data
retention policy but also to ensure that the Service Manager environment performs at optimum levels.
5-1
Module 5
Populating the Service Manager CMDB using Connectors
Contents:
Module Overview 5-1
Lesson 1: Integrating Service Manager with Active Directory and other System
Center Components 5-2
Lesson 2: Integrating Service Manager with Exchange 5-10
Lab: Configuring Connectors in Service Manager 5-14
Module Overview
Connectors in Service Manager provide a key function in populating the Service Manager CMDB. For
example, the Operations Manager CI Connector imports discovered objects such as web sites and
databases into Service Manger so that they can be added to work items such as Incidents and Change
Requests.
In addition to the Active Directory and System Center Connectors an Exchange Connector can also be
installed in Service Manager to provide integration with Microsoft Exchange Server and allow features
such as creating an Incident from an email to be performed.
It is important that you understand how to configure these Connectors so that important information
relating to your IT environment can be represented in Service Manager appropriately.
Objectives
Configure the Active Directory and System Center Connectors in Service Manager
Install and configure the Exchange Connector in Service Manager
5-2 Populating the Service Manager CMDB using Connectors
Lesson 1
Integrating Service Manager with Active Directory and
other System Center Components
As Service Manager is an integral component of the System Center 2012 R2 product it is important that
you understand how it integrates with the other System Center 2012 R2 components. Integration provides
the ability to automate many of the features that these components provide whilst also managing
automation with workflows.
Lesson Objectives
Integrate Service Manager with Active Directory
Integrate Service Manager with Configuration Manager
Integrate Service Manager with Operations Manager
Integrate Service Manager with Virtual Machine Manager
Integrate Service Manager with Orchestrator
Integrating Service Manager with Active Directory

For Service Manager to assign work items such as
Incidents to users, and to add users to work items
related items, you need to create an Active
Directory Connector. This is also important in
calculating the time an analyst has worked on an
incident. When configured, the connector
synchronizes objects including users, groups,
computers, and printers from AD DS, and makes
them available as configuration items in Service
Manager. This is useful because you can view the
user properties in the Service Manager console,
including any related items such as incidents
affecting the user.
To create an Active Directory Connector, you use the Active Directory Connector Wizard that is opened by
using the Create Connector task from the Connectors node of the Administration pane in the Service
Manager console.
The following table describes the pages of the Active Directory Connector Wizard, including the settings
available on each page.
Active Directory Connector Wizard page Description
General Enter a name for the connector, such as Contoso

Domain Connector. You can also use the Enable This
connector option to create the connector in an
enabled or disabled state.
Domain/OU Select a domain or organizational unit (sometimes

Active Directory Connector Wizard page Description

abbreviated OU) that will be synchronized with
Service Manager. By default, the current domain is
automatically selected. You can optionally choose to
select a different domain or organizational unit
instead. This is useful if you need to scope the
connector to a specific organizational unit, such as in
environments where security restricts access to certain
organizational units or domains. You also specify the
Run As account to be used to connect to the domain
and read the data to be synchronized. You can
optionally create a new Run As account on this page
and provide the relevant credentials to be used.
Select objects By default, all computers, printers, users, and user

groups are selected for synchronization. You can
optionally choose to select individual computers,
printers, users, or user groups. This is useful when you
need to add specific objects for synchronization, such
as all user accounts in a specific organizational unit.
You can also create a Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP) query to filter the objects to be
synchronized. This is useful when you use a naming
convention for computers or user accounts. For
example, you might have two domain controllers
named DC1 and DC2. By adding the LDAP query
(&(objectCategory=computer)(|(name=DC*))
both domain controllers would be included. You can

also choose to add users of Active Directory groups
imported by the connector. The Do not write null
values for properties that are not set in Active Directory
setting stops the connector from overwriting
properties it doesnt update with NULL. For example,
if another connector has populated the Name field
but the Active Directory connector doesnt update the
Name field, the setting will stop the Active Directory
connector from writing a NULL value in the Name
field every time it synchronizes.
Summary The settings that have been configured for the

connector are displayed. You can go back through
the wizard and make any necessary changes before
the connector is created.
After the connector has been created, the Synchronize Now task can be used to synchronize the objects in
AD DS with configuration items in Service Manager. The configuration items can be viewed and edited in
the Configuration Items pane of the Service Manager console. For example, the Users node in the
Configuration Items pane displays the users and groups that have been synchronized with AD DS.
For more information about how to create an Active Directory Connector, go to the following link:
How to Create an Active Directory Connector
Integrating Service Manager with Configuration Manager

The Configuration Manager Connector in Service
Manager imports data relating to hardware and
software managed by Configuration Manager, and
attaches the information to configuration items in
Service Manager.
These configuration Items can then be used to
relate to Service Manager work items such as
Incidents. When analysts are working on incidents,
they can use the Related Items tab or the affected
CIs field on the general tab, to view which
configuration items are affected by the incident.
Additionally, the connector can be used to import
information relating to configuration baselines that have been configured in Configuration Manager. This
information can then be used automatically generate an incident for noncompliant configuration items.
You use the System Center Configuration Manager Connector Wizard to create a connector to
Configuration Manager. You open the wizard by clicking Create Connector in the Tasks pane in Service
Manager, which you access from the Connectors node of the Administration pane of the Service Manager
console. When creating the connector, you need to supply a number of connection settings described in
the following table.
System Center Configuration

Manager Connector Wizard Description
page
Management Pack This Management Pack is where the connector will be stored. The
Management Pack you choose here depends on the version of
Configuration Manager that you are connecting to. For example, if
you are connecting to a Microsoft System Center Configuration
Manager 2007 database, you select the System Center Configuration
Manager connector Configuration Management Packs. If connecting
to a System Center 2012 Configuration Manager database, you
select the System Center Configuration Manager 2012 Connector
Configuration Management Pack.
Database Specify the database server name and database name of the
Configuration Manager Site database. You also specify the
credentials used to access the Site database in the form of a run As
account. The credentials used here must be a member of the
smsdbrole_extract and the db_datareader groups for the
Configuration Manager site database. Additionally, the following
permissions must be granted to this account:
Must be a domain account
Must be a member of the Users local security group on the Service
Manager management server
Manager
A Test connection button is available here, which is useful for testing
access to the database.
Collections Specify the Configuration Manager collections that should be

synchronized by the connector. A collection in Configuration
Manager is a grouping of resources such as All Systems or All Mobile
Devices. Note that this setting cant be modified after the connector
System Center Configuration

Manager Connector Wizard Description
page
is created. The Do not write null values for properties that are not set
in Configuration Manager setting stops the connector from
overwriting properties it doesnt update with NULL.
Schedule Configure the schedule that the connector should use when running
its synchronization. You can configure the schedule to run on a
specified day of the week at a specified hour, such as every Friday at
10 P.M.
After the connector is created, it starts a synchronization task immediately. You can view the status of the
task in the Connectors node. The Synchronize Now task can also be used to manually run a
synchronization of the connector. This is useful if you need to import newly created data from
Configuration Manager and do not want to wait until the next scheduled synchronization.
For more information about importing data from Configuration Manager, go to the following link:
Importing Data from System Center Configuration Manager
Integrating Service Manager with Operations Manager
There are two connectors in Service Manager that

are used to retrieve alert and configuration item
information: the Alert Connector and the CI
connector.
Operations Manager CI Connector

The Operations Manager CI connector is used to
synchronize objects that have been discovered in
Operations Manager with configuration items in
Service Manager. These configuration items can
then be used with work items such as Incidents or
Change requests. As Management Packs are
imported in Operations Manager, the Operations Manager agent discovers objects such as hard disks and
websites on computers that they manage. For Service Manager to reference these objects, when
associating them with configuration items, the relevant Operations Manager Management Packs must
also be imported into Service Manager. This is important because objects from Operations Manager will
not be synchronized with configuration items in Service Manager without the relevant Management Pack
imported.
Operations Manager Alert Connector

The Operations Manager Alert connector is used to create incidents in Service Manager based on alerts
that have been generated in Operations Manager. Additionally, it can synchronize alerts and incidents
such that if an incident is resolved in Service Manager, the alert can be automatically closed in Operations
Manager. Similarly, if an alert is closed in Operations Manager, the incident can be automatically resolved
in Service Manager. This is a very useful connector: by automating incident creation in Service Manager,
you save much of the administrative overhead. When creating incidents, templates in Service Manager are
used to auto populate fields in the incident form.
Creating an Operations Manager Alert Connector

You use the Operations Manager Alert Connector Wizard to create an Alert connector to Operations
Manager. You open the wizard by clicking Create Connector in the Tasks pane, which you access in
Service Manager from within the Connectors node of the Administration pane of the Service Manager
console. When creating the connector, you must supply a number of connection settings as described in
the following table.
Operations Manager Alert

Description
Connector Wizard page
Server Details Specify the server name of the Operations Manager Management
Server and the credentials that should be used to connect to the server.
The credentials specified here are in the form of a Run As account. The
account used to connect to the Operations Manager Management
Server must have the following permissions:
Must be a domain account
Must be a member of the Users local security group on the Service
Manager management server
Must be a member of the Administrator user role in Operations
Manager
Manager
access to the Operations Manager management server.
Alert Routing Rules Optionally add alert routing rules to specify the Service Manager
template that should be used when creating incidents. This is useful
because you can use a specific template based on the Priority and
Severity of the alert generated in Operations Manager. You can also set
criteria to further define the alert routing rule, such as Management
Pack Name, the computer for which the alert was raised, and
Operations Manager class for which the alert was raised. The first
routing rule in the list will be applied if the criteria are met. If no routing
is specified or the criteria specified does not match the routing rule, the
generic Operations Manager incident template is applied.
Schedule Define the poll, in seconds, that the connector should use when
synchronizing alerts. The default is every 30 seconds. You can also
choose whether alerts in Operations Manager should be closed when
incidents are resolved in Service Manager, and whether incidents should
be resolved in Service Manager when alerts in Operations Manager are
closed. The two options are very useful. For example, in Operations
Manager, if a condition that caused an alert is fixed, Operations
Manager automatically closes the alert. By setting these options, you
can also configure Service Manager to resolve the associated incident,
saving time.
After the alert connector is created, you must finish the configuration by creating a subscription in the
Operations Manager Operations console. In the Operations console, from the Administration pane,
Service Manager creates an internal connector named Alert Sync:<ServiceManagerConnectorName> that
is displayed in the Internal Connectors view of the Product Connectors node. You edit the connector and
add a subscription that defines the groups, targets, and criteria that should be used when alerts are
forwarded through the connector to Service Manager. You can also forward alerts in Operation Manager
manually by right-clicking on an alert in the Operation Manager console and choose Forward in the
menu.
This is useful, because you can use the criteria to filter alerts so that only the alerts you want generating
an incident in Service Manager are forwarded, such as alerts with an error severity and a high priority.
For more information about importing data and alerts from System Center Operations Manager, go to the
following link:
Importing Data and Alerts from System Center Operations Manager
Integrating Service Manager with Virtual Machine Manager

The Virtual Machine Manager connector in Service
Manager imports virtual machine templates,
service templates, and storage classifications from
Virtual Machine Manager and makes them
available as configuration items in Service
Manager. These configuration items can then be
used with work items such as Change Requests in
Service Manager. In most environments where
Operations Manager and Virtual Machine
Manager are running, Virtual Machine Manager is
configured to push discovery data to Operations
Manager. In this case, the Operations Manager CI
connector must also be configured for Virtual Machine Manager Information such as Cloud resources to
be imported into Service Manager. Additionally, the
Microsoft.SystemCenter.VirtualMachineManager.2012.Discovery Management Pack must be synchronized
as part of the Operations Manager CI connector to facilitate this.
You use the Virtual Machine Manager Connector Wizard to create a connector to Virtual Machine
Manager. You start this wizard by clicking Create Connector from the Tasks pane in Service Manager,
which you access from within the Connectors node of the Administration pane of the Service Manager
console. When creating the connector, you must supply a number of connection settings, which are
described in the following table.
Virtual Machine Manager

Description
Connector Wizard page
Connection Specify the server name of the Virtual Machine Manager Server. You
also specify the Credentials in the form of a Run As Account that
should be used to connect to the Virtual Machine Manager Server.
The account used here must have the following permissions:
Local administrator on the Virtual Machine Manager Server
Must be a member for the Administrators role in Virtual Machine
Manager
Must be a member of the Advance Operator role in Service Manager
access to the Virtual Machine Manager Server.
For more information about importing data from Virtual Machine Manager, go to the following link:
Importing Data from System Center Virtual Machine Manager
Integrating Service Manager with Orchestrator

The Orchestrator connector in Service Manager
imports Orchestrator runbooks into Service
Manager, which can then be initiated by using
Service Manager runbooks. It will only import
runbooks that begin with an Initialize Data activity.
It is particularly useful when used in conjunction
with the Service Catalog and Request Offerings in
Service Manager. For example, you could create a
service offering that provides private cloud
resource provisioning. It does this by using a
request offering in Service Manager that an end
user uses in the Service Manager Self-Service
Portal to request a virtual machine. Resources requested for the virtual machine, such as memory and
disk, are mapped to Service Manager runbooks. These are then mapped to Orchestrator runbooks, which
uses activities to connect to Virtual Machine Manager and create the virtual machine.
You use the Orchestrator Connector Wizard to create a connector to Orchestrator. You open the wizard
by clicking Create Connector in the Tasks pane in Service Manager, which you access from within the
Connectors node of the Administration pane of the Service Manager console. When creating the
connector, you must supply a number of connection setting, which are described in the following table.
Orchestrator Connector
Description
Wizard page
Connection Specify the URL and credentials for the Orchestrator web service.
The URL is typically in the form of
http://<computer>:<port>/Orchestrator2012/Orchestrator.svc,
where <computer> is the computer hosting the Orchestrator web
service, and <port> is the port number on which the web service is
used. By default, this is port 81. The credentials specified here are
in the form of a Run As account. The account must have Read and
List permissions for the root runbook folder and all child objects in
Orchestrator. Additionally, to initiate runbooks, the account must
have the Publish permission for the root runbook folder and all
child objects.
A Test connection button is available here, which is useful for
testing access to the Orchestrator web service.
Sync Folder Select the Orchestrator folder from which to synchronize runbook.
Typically the root is selected here to ensure all runbooks are
synchronized.
Web Console URL Specify the URL for the Orchestrator Web console in the form of
http://<computer>:port, where <computer> is the computer where
the Orchestrator Web console is installed, and <port> is the port
on which the Web console is running. The default port number is
82.
For more information about importing runbooks from Orchestrator, go to the following link:
Demonstration: Reviewing Connectors in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review the various Connectors in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Connectors
2. Use the Create Connector task to create a Configuration Manager connector and discuss the various
tabs in the connector wizard.
3. Repeat step 2 for the following connectors:
Operations Manager Alert connector
Operations Manager CI connector
Orchestrator connector
Virtual Machine Manager connector
Question: What is the primary function of the Operations Manager Alert connector in
Service Manager?
Lesson 2
Integrating Service Manager with Exchange
In organizations that use Microsoft Exchange Server as their corporate messaging solution it is important
to understand how Service Manager can be connected to Exchange and provide the ability to perform
many Service Manager related functions though e-mail. For example when Service Manager is connected
to Microsoft Exchange, Incidents in Service Manager can be created, updated, resolved and closed from
an e-mail.
In order to provide this functionality to the organization you need to understand how the Exchange
Connector for Service Manager Connector is installed and configured.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the features of the Service Manager Exchange Connector
Install the Service Manager Exchange Connector
Configure the Service Manager Exchange Connector
Exchange Connector Overview

The System Center Service Manager Connector 3.0
for Exchange is an add-on to Service Manager that
connects it to Exchange. This add-on provides the
ability to process incoming emails that relate to
Service Manager work items such as Incidents,
Change Requests, and Service Requests.
This release is the only version compatible with
System Center 2012 Service Manager and is not
compatible with Microsoft System Center Service
Manager 2010. Previous releases of the Exchange
Connector, such as 2.0, are compatible with
Service Manager 2010. Additionally, the Exchange
Connector 3.0 requires Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 3 (SP3) or Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1
(SP1) or Office 365.
Key Tasks to Perform by Using the Exchange Connector

The following are some of the key tasks you can perform with System Center Service Manager Connector
3.0 for Exchange:
Create, update, resolve, and close incidents from an email.
Approve or reject review activities from an email.
Update the action log of change requests from an email.
Mark manual activities as complete from an email.
Add attachments from email to work items.
Send notifications from the Service Manager console to end users.
Update problem records.
Provide support for Microsoft Office 365.

Provide support for service requests.
For more information about System Center Service Manager Connector 3.0 for Exchange, go to the
following link:
System Center Service Manager Connector 3.0 for Exchange
Installing the Exchange Connector

Before installing the System Center Service
Manager Connector 3.0 for Exchange, you should
configure notification templates in Service
Manager so that automatic replies can be
configured when the exchange connector is used
to generate work items such as, incidents. When
email messages are processed in Service Manager,
the subject of the email must contain the work
item ID enclosed in square brackets. The Work
Item ID property must be added by using the
substitution string for each notification template
that will be used by the connector.
To install the System Center Service Manager Connector 3.0 for Exchange, perform the following tasks:
1. Download and install the 64-bit Exchange Web Services Managed API Client dynamic-link library
(DLL). This can be obtained from the following website:
2. Install the System Center Service Manager Connector 3.0 for Exchange.
3. The following files must be copied to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012\Service
Manager folder on the Service Manager management server where the workflows will run. They
should also be copied to the computer running the Service Manager console that will be used to
configure the connector.
Microsoft.SystemCenter.ExchangeConnector.dll
Microsoft.SystemCenter.ExchangeConnector.resources.dll
Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.dll
4. Import the ServiceManager.ExchangeConnector.mpb Management Pack into Service Manager.
You can find this in the
InstallationDrive:/System_Center_Service_Manager_Connector_3.0_for_Exchange folder after
installing the System Center Service Manager Connector 3.0 for Exchange.
Configuring the Exchange Connector

After you import the Exchange Connector
Management Pack, the Exchange Connector
becomes available in Service Manager. You create
the connector by using the Create Connector task
from the Connectors node in the Administration
pane of the Service Manger console. This task
opens the Create Exchange Connector wizard. The
following table describes the wizard pages and the
settings that must be configured.
Create
Exchange
Description
Connector
wizard page
General Specify a name and description for the connector. You must also provide the name
of the Active Directory Forest in which the Service Manager Workflow account
resides. You can also enable the ability to attach each email as an .eml file
attachment to work items such as Incidents when they are created. Other options
that can be enabled on this page include:
Attach each email as a .eml file attachment to the work item
Only process emails from users in CMDB
Move email to Deleted Items after processing
Append the full body of the email message (up to 4,000 characters) to the action
log
Enable this connector
Server Configure the Exchange Server connection settings. If your Exchange Server is
Connection configured with Autodiscover, you should select the Use Autodiscover check box. If
your Exchange Server does not use Autodiscover, you should clear this check box
and manually enter the URL for the Exchange Server in the Exchange Server URL
box. For connections to Office 365, the Validate Only Office 365 Autodiscover
Redirections check box is automatically selected and allows for redirections to
https://Autodiscover-s.outlook.com/Autodiscover/Autodiscover.xml only. If
redirections to other domains are required, you should clear this check box or
manually specify the Exchange Server URL. By default, the mailbox of the user
account associated with the Workflow Run As Account is used as the monitored
mailbox for the connector. This is the address where emails should be sent to create
incidents and update work items in Service Manager. You can select an existing Run
As Account here or create a new Run As Account that is associated with a mailbox
in Exchange. Alternatively, you can select the Use Impersonation check box and
provide an impersonation email address.
Parsing Specify the email parsing keywords that will be used to detect emails sent to the
Keywords workflow mailbox. These keywords are then used to update work items in Service
Manager. Parsing keywords that you specify on this page include Email Reply,
Incident First Response, Service Request Completed, and Review Activity Approved.
All keywords except the Email Reply Parsing keyword should be enclosed in square
brackets. For example, the parsing keyword for Service Request Completed would
be [Completed].
Routing And Specify the templates that should be used when new work items are created, when
incidents are updated, and when service requests are updated. For example, the
Create
Exchange
Description
Connector
wizard page
Schedule incident template to apply when a new incident is created could be set to use the
Generic Incident Request. This template is then used when new incidents are
created from an email. You also specify the polling interval for the connector. By
default, this is set to 300 seconds. It is recommended not to use a polling schedule
of fewer than 2 minutes in a production environment.
Confirmation Review the settings that you configured, and optionally go back through the wizard
to make any relevant changes before using the Create button to create the
connector.
Testing the System Center Service Manager Connector 3.0 for Exchange
To test the connector is working correctly you should send an email to the email address specified when
the connector was configured. Service Manager will automatically create a new work item such as
Incident. You can then send other emails to the email address to update the work item by adding the
work items ID enclosed in square brackets in the subject of the message. Keywords added during the
configuration of the connector can then be used in the email body to perform actions on the selected
work item, such as resolving or closing an incident.
Question: You need to update the status of an incident by using email. What should you
include in the subject of the email?
Lab: Configuring Connectors in Service Manager

Scenario
Contoso already have other System Center 2012 R2 components such as Operations Manager, Virtual
Machine Manager and Orchestrator deployed. In order to manage and the private cloud environment
effectively you need to integrate these components with Service Manager. You have been asked to
configure the Virtual Machine Manager, Orchestrator and Operations Manager Alert connectors. In
addition, Contoso would like to provide the ability for end-users to raise Incidents via E-Mail. To facilitate
this, you have been asked to install and configure the Exchange Connector for Service Manager which
provides the ability to create and manage Work Items in Service Manager via E-Mail.
Objectives
Configure System Center Connectors in Service Manager.
Install and configure the Exchange Connector in Service Manager.
Lab Setup
Host 1 Virtual Machines: LON-DC1, LON-SM1, LON-SQ1
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-DW1, LON-SC1, LON-EX1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM1
LON-SQ1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso

LON-EX1
LON-SC1
Exercise 1: Configure System Center Connectors

Scenario
In order to import configuration items from other System Center 2012 R2 components you must
configure the relevant connector in Service Manager. You must also configure the Operations Manager
Alert Connector which provides the ability to automate Incident creation in Service Manager based on
alerts generated in Operations Manager.
1. Create an Operations Manager alert connector
2. Configure the connector in Operations Manager.
3. Generate an alert and confirm an incident is created in Service Manager
4. Create a Virtual Machine Manager connector.
5. Create an Orchestrator connector
Task 1: Create an Operations Manager alert connector

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Connectors
2. Use the Create Connector task to create an Operations Manager Alert connector with the
Name: Operations Manager Alerts
Server Name: LON-SC1
Task 2: Configure the connector in Operations Manager.

Location Value
Computer LON-SC1
Tool Operations Console
Pane Administration
View Product Connectors\Internal Connectors
2. Edit the properties of the Alert Sync:Operations Manager Alerts connector and configure a new
Alert subscription for the connector with the following settings (all other settings should remain the
default settings):
Subscription Name: Critical Alerts
Criteria: under AND any checked alert resolution state, de-select New and then select StockTrader
and Forward to Service Manager
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the Alert Sync:Operations Manager Alerts connector
to appear in Operations Manager. Refresh the Internal Connectors view until the connector
appears.
Task 3: Generate an alert and confirm an incident is created in Service Manager

Location Value
Computer LON-SC1
Pane Monitoring
View Active Alerts
2. Stop the World Wide Web Publishing Service on LON-SC1, and wait for the IIS 8 Web Site is
unavailable alerts to be generated in the Active Alerts view of the Operations console.
3. Set the Resolution State of one of the IIS 8 Web Site is unavailable alerts to Forward to Service
Manager by right-clicking the alert.
4. Edit the IIS 8 Web Site is unavailable alert properties, and make a note of the Ticket ID.
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the Ticket ID to be populated in the properties of the
IIS 8 Web Site is unavailable alert. Close the properties of the alert and then re-open the
properties intermittently until the Ticket ID has been added.
5. Log on to LON-SM1, and then open the Service Manager console.

6. Using the Ticket ID, confirm that an incident was created in the All Incidents view from the Incident
Management node in the Work Items pane.
7. Edit the properties of the LON-SC1 computer in the All Windows Computers view from the
Computers node in the Configuration Items pane, and confirm the incident has been associated
with the computer, as shown on the Related Items tab.
8. Restart the World Wide Web Publishing Service on LON-SC1.
Task 4: Create a Virtual Machine Manager connector.

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Connectors
2. Use the Create Connector task to create a Virtual Machine Manager connector with the following
Name: Virtual Machine Manager
Server Name: LON-SC1
Task 5: Create an Orchestrator connector

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Connectors
2. Use the Create Connector task to create an Orchestrator connector with the following settings (all
Name: Orchestrator
Orchestrator Web Service URL: http://LON-SC1:81/Orchestrator2012/Orchestrator.svc
Run As Account: Create a new Run As account named Orchestrator, and configure it with the
Contoso\Orchestrator credentials by using a password of P@ssw0rd
Note: The password for the Orchestrator account has been intentionally set to P@ssw0rd.
Web Console URL: http://LON-SC1:82

Results: After this exercise you should have configured the Orchestrator, Virtual Machine Manager and
Operations Manager Alert connectors in Service Manager. You should have also confirmed that relevant
Incidents are automatically created in Service Manager based on alerts that have been generated in
Operations Manager.
Exercise 2: Configure the Exchange Connector

Scenario
Because Contoso already uses Microsoft Exchange as their messaging platform, you have decided to take
advantage of the Exchange Connector for Service Manager. Doing so will allow Service Manager
operators to generate and resolve incidents by using email.
1. Preparing for the Exchange Connector
2. Configure the Exchange Connector
3. Create a new incident from an email
4. Resolve an incident from an email
Task 1: Preparing for the Exchange Connector

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Navigation Administration
New Key Name Management Packs
2. Copy the Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.dll file from \\LON-EX1\C$\Program

Files\Microsoft\Exchange\Web Services\1.2 to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center
2012 R2\ Service Manager folder on LON-SM1.
3. Copy the Microsoft.SystemCenter.ExchangeConnector.dll file from \\LON-EX1\C$\Exchange
Connector to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012 R2\ Service Manager folder
on LON-SM1.
4. Copy the ServiceManager.ExchangeConnector.mpb file from \\LON-
EX1\C$\Exchange_Connector to the C:\ folder on LON-SM1.
5. Open the Service Manager console and then go to the Management Packs node in the
Administration pane. Use the Import task in to import the following Management Pack from the C:\
folder on LON-SM1:
ServiceManager.ExchangeConnector.mpb
Task 2: Configure the Exchange Connector

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1

Location Value
Navigation Administration
New Key Name Connectors
2. Use the Create Connector task to create an Exchange Connector with the following settings (all
Name: Exchange Connector
Enter one or more Active Directory FORESTS: Contoso.com
Run As Account: Create a new Run As Account with the following settings:
o Display name: SM_Notifications
o User name: SM_Notifications
o Password: Type P@ssw0rd
3. Use the Test Connection button to test the connection using the P@ssw0rd password.
4. Routing and Schedule:
Work item template to apply when new work items are created: Default Incident Template
Incident template to apply when incidents are updated: Default Incident Template
Service request template to apply when service requests are updated: Default Service Request
Polling interval (in seconds): 60
Task 3: Create a new incident from an email

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Tool Microsoft Outlook 2010
Profile Outlook
2. Start Outlook by using the Outlook Profile, and then send a new message with the following settings
To: SM_Notifications@contoso.com
Subject: Incident Generated by Email
Message: This Incident was generated by an E-Mail
3. Confirm the Incident Generated by Email incident has been automatically created in the All
Incidents view in the Service Manager console.
4. Make a note of the Incident ID
Task 4: Resolve an incident from an email

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Tool Outlook 2010
Profile Outlook
2. Start Outlook by using the Outlook Profile, and then send a new message with the following settings
To: SM_Notifications@contoso.com
Subject: [IncidentID] where IncidentID is the ID value noted in the last step of the previous task.
Message: [Resolved]
3. Confirm the Incident Generated by Email incident has been automatically resolved in the All
Incidents view in the Service Manager console by checking the Status column for the incident.
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed and configured the Service Manager Exchange
Connector. To test the connector, you should have created an incident by sending an email to the
monitored mailbox. Then, you should have resolved the incident by sending another email to the
monitored mailbox by using the incident ID and [Resolved] parsing keywords.
Question: After configuring the Operations Manager Alert Connector in Service Manager,
what should you do in Operations Manager?

Review Question(s)
Question:
What is the primary function of the Operations Manager CI connector in Service Manager?

When configuring the Operations Manager connectors in Service Manager it is best practice to first
configure the Operations Manager CI connector and then synchronize Management Packs between
Operations Manager and Service Manager. This is so that when the Operations Manager Alert Connector
is created and Incidents are generated in Service Manager, the Incidents will be able to reference the
related objects in Operations Manager appropriately.
6-1
Module 6
Managing Incidents and Problems
Contents:
Module Overview 6-1
Lesson 1: The Definition of an Incident and a Problem 6-2
Lesson 2: Managing Incidents 6-4
Lesson 3: Managing Problems 6-11
Lesson 4: Using Queues and Views with Incidents and Problems 6-17
Lab: Configuring Incident and Problem Management 6-21
Module Overview
Incident and problem management are two key functions that form part of any service management
solution. Not only should you understand how incidents and problems are configured and managed, you
also need to understand what constitutes an incident or a problem.
In this module, you will learn how to differentiate an issue that occurs in the IT environment between an
incident and a problem. You will also learn how to configure incidents and problems, which includes
creating templates that can be used to auto-populate Incident forms.
Finally, you will learn how Microsoft System Center 2012 Service Manager Service Manager queues and
views can be created to filter incidents and problems. These can then be used when you configure user
roles to restrict what incident and problem analysts can view and work on in the Service Manager console.
Objectives
Describe the definition of an Incident and a Problem.
Manage incidents.
Manage problems.
Use queues and views with incidents and problems.
6-2 Managing Incidents and Problems
Lesson 1
The Definition of an Incident and a Problem
Before creating Incidents and Problems in Service Manager you need to understand the differences
between them. This is important as there will typically be different analysts that work on them so they will
need to be scoped accordingly. For example suppose a user calls the helpdesk with an email related issue.
An Incident can be logged in Service Manager that contains all the relevant details. Later, another user
calls the helpdesk with a similar issue. Another Incident can be logged including the relevant details.
When multiple Incidents for the same or related issue occur they can be grouped together within a Parent
Incident.
This provides the ability for analysts to work on the Parent Incident and associated Child Incidents at the
same time. When the Parent Incident is resolved related Child Incidents can then be automatically
resolved with it.
If however, more incidents relating to the same issue are created a problem record may then be used to
identify the root cause of the issue. Associated incidents can also be added to the problem record as
related items.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the definition of an Incident in Service Manager
Describe the definition of a Problem in Service Manager
The Definition of an Incident

The goal of problem management is to prevent
problems and resulting incidents from occurring.
This will help to eliminate recurring incidents and
minimize the impact of incidents that are
unpreventable.
Contoso uses Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 to
share documentation that it creates between
various employees in the organization. As part of
his role at Contoso, Gordon uses a SharePoint
Web Portal to share technical documents with
other members of his team. When he attempts to
open the SharePoint Web Portal, he receives an error stating Access Denied. He is no longer able to
share documents with other members of his team. This is an unplanned interruption of an IT service.
An incident is created in Service Manager and assigned to an appropriate incident resolver. After
investigating the incident, it is determined that Gordons user account had not been given permission to
access the new team site that he was trying to access. Permission for Gordons account is added, and the
incident is resolved.
In terms of incident management, one of its main objectives is to restore the IT service as quickly as
possible. This means that if a workaround to the issue can be applied that resolves the issue quickly, then
it should be used. This might not necessarily prevent the issue from reoccurring but it restores the IT
service to an operational state in the quickest time.
The main objectives of incident management include:

Restore the IT service as quickly as possible.
Minimize the adverse impact that incidents have on business operations.
Maintain the highest levels of service availability and quality.
Ensure that incidents are processed in a consistent manner.
Direct support resources where they are most needed.
The Definition of a Problem

As described by Information Technology
Infrastructure Library, a problem is the cause of
one or more incidents. The cause is not usually
known at the time a problem record is created.
When Gordon attempts to open a document
stored in SharePoint, he receives an error stating
file not found. He logs the issue with the
helpdesk and an incident is logged. When Sean
attempts to upload a new document to
SharePoint, he receives an error stating drive not
found. He logs the issue with the helpdesk, and
an incident is logged. When the incident resolver starts diagnosing the incidents, she notices that they are
related. She also notices that the incident logged by Sean is a recurring incident from which the resolution
was to restart the SharePoint server.
Because this is a recurring incident the root cause of the incident has not yet been discovered and fixed. A
problem record is created in Service Manager, and both incidents are associated with it because they both
relate to the same problem.
As the problem analyst works on the problem, she discovers that there are a number of Pending Disk
Failure events logged in the System event log on the SharePoint server. She replaces the faulty disk in the
RAID array and resolves the problem. This automatically resolves the incidents raised by Sean and Gordon.
In terms of problem management, the primary objective is to reduce the impact and number of incidents
that occur in the IT environment by finding and resolving the root cause of the problem. As part of
problem management, known errors are also recorded. These are used to describe the successful
diagnosis of the root cause of a problem. Other objectives of problem management include:
Identifying and taking ownership of problems.
Taking proactive steps towards reducing the impact of incidents and problems.
Performing trend analysis of problems to help predict future problems.
Question: Name three objectives in incident management.
Lesson 2
Managing Incidents
Incidents in Service Manager provide a method of recording everything about errors or generally any
unplanned disruption of service in the IT environment. There are various methods in which Incidents can
be recorded in Service Manager. For example, by using the Operations Manager Alert connector Incidents
can be automatically generated based on specific alerts that Operations Manager generates.
As you have learned in the previous module Incidents can also be created by sending an E-Mail to a
monitored mailbox by the Service Manager Exchange Connector. Regardless of the method used to
generate Incidents in Service Manager it is important that you understand how Incidents are managed.
For example when creating a new Incident you need to ensure all the relevant details are recorded such as
the Classification Category, the Urgency and Impact of the Incident. This allows you to prioritize Incidents
appropriately ensuring the most important Incidents are worked on first and also ensures that the Incident
is routed to the appropriate specialist to work on.
Additionally you need to understand how Incidents relate to other elements in Service Manager such as
other Incidents, Problems and Configuration Items such as computers, services and people. This will help
identify trends when managing Incidents as you can use reports to show Configuration Items with
associated Incidents. You should also understand how Incidents can be combined using Parent-Child
groups. This provides a method of combining similar Incidents so that when the Parent Incident is
resolved the Child Incidents can be automatically resolved.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the key elements of an incident.
Describe the tasks that can be performed when working with incidents.
Describe how to configure Incident Templates
Key Elements of an Incident

When you create an incident in Service Manager,
it is important that all the necessary information
relating to the incident is captured and recorded.
This will be used by the incident resolver who
works on the incident and will be critical in
resolving it.
An incident can be created manually in Service
Manager by using the Create Incident task that is
available when you select any of the incident views
in the Incident Management node of the Work
Items pane in the Service Manager console. The
Create Incident task opens a new Incident form,
which includes various fields that are populated to provide incident resolvers with details of the incident.
Described below are some of the key fields that are populated when creating an incident.
Incident Field Description

Affected User This is typically the user who raised the incident. You select an Active Directory
Domain Service (AD DS) user or group as the affected user.
Alternate Contact This is a free text field where additional contact details for the affect user can be
Method entered. For example, if the affected user is using a different telephone number to
the one currently listed in Active Directory it can be entered here with a short note
to explain why.
Title The Title field is a mandatory field that must be completed. Here you include a
brief description of the incident such as Outlook fails to open and reports error
0x8004912, for example. The title of the incident is displayed in the details pane of
incident views, so it helps identify incidents when incident resolvers need to work
on them.
Description The Description field is where a full description of the incident is included. It is
important to include as much information as possible here because the incident
resolver will use this information when troubleshooting the incident.
Classification The classification category is useful in identifying the category of incidents. For
Category example, you can place an incident into the E-Mail Problems classification category.
The Incident KPI Trend report can be used to identify incidents based on
classification categories. Other default classification categories include Hardware
Problems, Networking Problems, and Software Problems. You can modify the list of
available classification categories by editing the properties of the Incident
Classification list in the Lists node of the Library pane. This is useful when you need
to include categories that relate to your IT environment, such as an internal line-of-
business application. This field is also mandatory.
Impact and Urgency The Impact and Urgency fields are used to determine the priority of an incident.
The priority calculation is configured in the incident settings as described in
Module 3, Configuring Base Settings in Service Manager. When configuring the
impact and urgency, you can select Low, Medium, or High. Depending on how the
priority calculation is configured, the priority is then automatically configured. This
is useful for incident resolvers because they can work on the incidents with the
highest priority first. Using the priority calculation configured in Module 3, an
impact of High and an urgency of High would result in a priority of 1. This is the
highest priority of an incident. Both Impact and Urgency fields are mandatory.
Support Group The Support Group field is used to group the incident into a relevant support
group such as tier 1, tier 2, or tier 3. This is useful because queues can then be used
to filter incidents based on the support group. The list of available support groups
can be modified by editing the Incident Tier Queue list in the Lists node of the
Library pane.
Primary Owner The Primary Owner field is used to determine if the incident will have a primary
owner or manager also assigned to the incident. This allows one customer facing
user who communicates with customers to be the primary owner of many incidents
and allows the Assigned To field to be populated with the engineer who will fix the
issue.
Assigned To The Assigned To field is used to determine who the incident should be assigned to,
as in the incident resolver who will be working on the incident.
Affected Services The Affected Services section provides the ability to add the business services that
are affected by the incident. This enables you to view incidents that are related to a
business service when viewing it in the Configuration Items pane.
Affected Items The Affected Items section provides the ability to add the configuration items that
are affected by the incidentfor example the computer that the incident has
directly affected. This is useful because the incident is then associated with the
computers configuration item and can be opened directly from the Related Items
tab of the Configuration Item.
Action log The Action log is used by incident resolvers when working on the incident. While
they troubleshoot the incident they update the Action log with any tasks that have
been performed. This is useful because a date-and-time-stamped record is added
to the incident, which can be used to view the history of actions performed against
the incident and provides vital information to other analysts if the incident is
escalated or passed to another analyst at the end of a shift, for example. You can
optionally choose to make specific comments private in the Action log. This is
useful when you need to hide information from end users in the Self-Service Portal,
such as user account credentials.
For more information about configuring incident management in Service Manager, go the following
website:
Configuring Incident Management in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Working with Incidents

After an incident has been created and selected
within any of the incident views, there are a
number of context-sensitive tasks that become
available in the Tasks pane. These tasks allow you
to work with incidents to perform specific actions,
such as resolving an active incident or activating a
resolved incident.
Detailed in the following table are tasks that can
be performed against the selected incident or
incidents.
Incident Task Description
Assign The Assign task can be used to assign one or more incidents to an AD
DS user or group to the current user running the task. This is useful if
you need to change the analyst to which an incident is assigned to en-
masse because you can multi-select incidents and assign them all at
once.
Change Incident Status The Change Incident Status task is used to change the status of the
selected incident. Default status values are Activate, Close and Resolved.
You can also choose Other which then includes a Pending status. You
can edit the Incident Status list from the Lists node in the Library pane
to add custom status values. This is useful in customizing the status
values for incidents so that they reflect your business needs. When an
incident is first created, its status is set to Active. When an incident
resolver resolves an incident, the Change Incident Status task is used to
change the status to Resolved. When you resolve an incident, a
resolution category such as Fixed By Analyst or Resolved By Parent
incident can be selected. A comment must be added that will be shown
on the Resolution tab of the incidents properties form. When
confirmation has been received from the affected user that the incident
has been resolved satisfactorily, then the incident can be closed by
using this task.
Create Change Request The Create Change Request task can be used to create a related change
request based on the selected incidents. This is useful because the
selected incidents are then added to the change requests Related Items
tab as related work items. When you use the Create Change Request
task, you must select a template such as Emergency Change Request
that will be used for the change request. Using templates here is useful
because they contain a typical list of activities that must be performed
as part of the change, such as the Approve Change activity, where a
change manager must approve the change before it can be applied.
Create Problem The Create Problem task is used to open a new problem record and add
the select incidents to the Related Items tab of the problem as work
items. This is useful where similar or related incidents that cannot be
resolved by an incident resolver need to be worked on by a problem
analyst. A new problem record is created and includes the selected
incidents so that a problem analyst can see the work that has been
performed on them.
Create Release Record The Create Release Record task works in the same way as the Create
Change Request task except a release record is created instead. This can
Incident Task Description

be useful when a software upgrade needs to be applied in order to
resolve an incident. The release record can be used to control the
deployment of the software upgrade.
Create Service Request The Create Service Request task can be used to create a new service
request that will include the selected incidents as work items on the
Related Items tab of the service request. This can be useful when a
request offering such as the restoration of a database is required in
order to resolve an incident.
Escalate or Transfer The Escalate or Transfer task can be used to change the support group
that the selected incidents are part of. This is useful when you need to
transfer an incident to a different incident resolver that is a member of
a different support group, such as tier 3. When you use the task, you
can optionally set the incident to Escalated, which is useful when used
in conjunction with queues because incidents can be filtered based on
their escalation status and support group. A comment must be included
when using this task, which is added as a log entry to the Incidents
Action log.
Convert or Revert to The Convert or Revert to Parent task can be used to convert a non-
Parent parent incident into a parent incident. This will add a Child Incidents tab
to the incident form. When the same task is selected on an incident that
is already a parent the task will revert the incident to a non-parent
incident.
Link Or Unlink To Parent The Link Or Unlink To Parent task is used to combine child incidents
into a parent incident. The parent incident must already exist before
you use this task. When you link incidents to a parent incident, the
Parent Incidents properties contain an additional tab named Child
Incidents in which all the incidents that have been linked to the parent
incident are displayed. This is useful when multiple related incidents are
being managed by a parent incident as child incidents can be
automatically resolved when the parent incident is resolved.
Link Problem The Link Problem task works in the same manner as the Create Problem
task except that instead of creating a new problem record, the selected
incidents are added to an existing problem record.
Link To New Parent The Link To New Parent Incident task works in the same manner as the
Incident Link Or Unlink To Parent task when choosing the Link option, except
instead of adding the selected incidents to an existing parent incident,
the incidents are added to a new parent incident that is created by
selecting a relevant template.
For more information about how to set parent incident options, go to the following website:
How to Set Parent Incident Options
Configuring Incident Templates

Incident templates in Service Manager provide a
method of automatically populating fields in an
Incident form. This not only saves time when
creating incidents, but it also ensures that certain
fields such as Classification Category or Support
Group are configured correctly.
You can create incident templates for incidents
that are created in both the Service Manager
console and in the Self-Service Portal. Additionally,
incident templates are used with the Operations
Manager Alert connector to ensure that relevant
fields such as Source, Impact, and Urgency are
configured appropriately when incidents are created from an Operations Manager alert.

All templates that Service Manager uses can be found in the Templates node in the Library pane of the
Service Manager console. To create a new incident template, the Create Template task is used. This opens
a Create Template dialog box in which you specify a name for the template, such as Contoso Incident
Template. You also specify the class that the template will be configured for, such as Incident. Finally, you
select an unsealed Management Pack that will be used to store the incident template. You can create a
new Management Pack from here, which is useful when you need to store the template in a Management
Pack that will be exported and used in another Service Manager management group such as Production.
Templates can also be backed up by using this method.
After you configure the Name, Class, and Management Pack for the incident template, the Incident form
opens. Here, you can edit the relevant fields that should be set as default when you use the template with
an incident.
You can also include activities and related items as default items in the incident template. This can be
useful when you are creating an incident template for a specific type of incident, such as an E-Mail
Incident template. You can add related items such as Knowledge Base articles that can be used to
troubleshoot generic email-related incidents.
You can also use the Duplicate task to create a copy of an existing template. This is useful when you need
to create multiple variants of a template that all contain a number of fields that are the same.
Using Incident Templates

When you create an incident in the Service Manager console instead of using the Create Incident task,
you use the Create Incident From Template task. This opens a Create Incident From Template dialog box,
where you select the incident template that the new incident will be based on. After selecting the relevant
incident template, the Incident form opens with all default settings applied as per the template that was
created. You can edit any of the fields just as you would when creating a new incident including
preconfigured fields that have been populated by the template.
When you edit an existing incident, you can also apply an incident template by using the Apply Template
task. This task is available only when an existing incidents properties form is opened. This is useful when
there are incidents that have been created with incorrect properties, such as when the wrong incident
template was used.
To use incident templates with the Self-Service Portal, you create a new request offering, and apply the
incident template as part of the request offering. The request offering is then published to the Self-Service
Portal or is published as part of a service offering. Request offerings and service offerings are covered in
detail later in this course.
For more information about how to create incident templates, go to the following website:
Demonstration: Reviewing Incidents in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review an Incident in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items\Incident Management
View All Incidents
2. Edit the Hard Disk failure on LON-EX1 Incident and discuss the various fields that are available on
the following tabs:
General
Activities
Related Items
Resolution
Service Level
History
3. From the Tasks pane click Change Incident Status and discuss the various options that are available.
4. Click Cancel and then close the Service Manager console.
Question:
What does the Escalate or Transfer task do when managing incidents?
Lesson 3
Managing Problems
As part of Problem Management in the IT environment you need to identify and resolve the root cause of
Incidents thereby preventing them from re-occurring. To provide proactive Problem Management you
should also aim to resolve Problems before Incidents occur. For Incidents that cannot be prevented,
Problem Management is also used to minimize the impact of Incidents by providing a documented work
around, in Service Manager this is displayed as a Known Error.
To provide effective Problem Management in Service Manager you need to understand how Problem
Records are created and maintained. In cases where changes need to occur to resolve a specific Problem
you should also understand how Change Requests can be linked to Problem Records.
Additionally you must understand how Incidents can be associated with Problems including how related
Incidents can be resolved when the Problem is resolved. Finally you need to understand how Known
Errors and Knowledge Articles can be used to help resolve Problems.
Lesson Objectives
Describe how to create a Problem Record
Describe how to link Incidents and Change Requests with Problem Records and automatically resolve
Incidents when a Problem Record is closed
Describe how Known Errors and Knowledge Articles can be used when managing Problems
Creating a Problem Record

Problem records can be created by using a
number of different methods in Service Manager.
You can create a problem record from any of the
views under the Problem Management node in
the Work Items pane by using the Create Problem
task. When one or more incidents are selected in
an incident view from the Incident Management
pane, the Create Problem task can be used to
create a new problem record. You can also use the
Create Problem task when editing an incident to
create a new problem record.
When you create a problem record, a Problem
Record form is used to record all the relevant details of the problem, such as the title, description, who the
problem is assigned to, and the category.
Detailed in the following table are some of the key fields that are populated when you create a problem
record. Because many of the fields are identical to fields populated when you create a new incident, a
reference is included instead of describing them again:
Problem Record field Description
Title See Key Elements of an Incident in Lesson 2.
Description See Key Elements of an Incident in Lesson 2.

Problem Record field Description
Assigned To See Key Elements of an Incident in Lesson 2.
Source The Source field is used to denote the source of the problem record.
Default values for the source can be Customer Request, Major Incident,
and Proactive PBM (policy-based management). You can also edit the
Problem Source list from the Lists node in the Library pane to include
additional Sources if required.
Category The Category field is used to denote the category of the problem.
Available default categories include Application, Database, Document,
Network, and Server. You can edit the Problem Classification list in the Lists
node of the Library pane to include additional categories if required.
Impact See Key Elements of an Incident in Lesson 2.
Urgency See Key Elements of an Incident in Lesson 2.
Priority See Key Elements of an Incident in Lesson 2.
Affected Services See Key Elements of an Incident in Lesson 2.
Affected Items See Key Elements of an Incident in Lesson 2.
Action Log See Key Elements of an Incident in Lesson 2. Additionally, comments

cannot be hidden in the log entry of the Action log in a problem record.
Similar to the Incident form that is used when you create new incidents, the Related Items tab of the
Problem Record form can also be used to add any related items, such as work items, configuration items,
Knowledge Base articles, and files.
The Resolution tab includes additional sections that are relevant to problem records. For example, a
Workarounds section is provided, which is used for documenting steps to follow that will provide a
workaround to the problem. A Review Notes section is also included for any notes that should be
included relating to the problem. This can be used to include additional details such as links to online
content relating to the problem. You can also choose to enable or disable the Known Error and Requires
Major Problem Review options from the Resolution tab. These options are covered in more detail later in
this lesson.
As with an Incident form, there is also a Resolution Details section where the resolution category and
resolution description details are displayed after the problem has been resolved.
Additionally, as with an Incident form, a Problem Record form includes a History tab that details all
activity that has been performed on the problem record. This is useful in tracking what changes were
made, when they were made, and who made the changes.
The status of a problem record can be Active, Closed, or Resolved. To change the status of a problem
record, you use the Change Status task that is available when editing the problem record. The Reactivate,
Resolve, and Close tasks can also be used when editing a problem record to changes its status.
For more information about managing problems, go to the following website:
Managing Problems
Linking Incidents and Change Requests with Problems and Resolving

Incidents with Problem Records
A problem record can include one or more related
incidents that might need to be resolved as part of
resolving a problem record. For this reason,
incidents can be linked to problem records and,
optionally, automatically resolved when the
problem record is resolved.
You can link incidents to a problem record by
using the Create Problem task when you select
one or more incidents from an incident view. You
can use the same method to link incidents to an
already existing problem record by using the Link
Problem task.
You can also manually link incidents to a problem record by using the options on the Related Items tab
when you edit a problem record. You do this by clicking the Add button next to the Work Items section of
the Related Items tab. This opens a Select Object window where you select the Work Item type, such as
Incidents. From the list of returned incidents, you then add the relevant incidents that you want to link
with the problem record. Using this method provides the ability to add other objects as related items,
such as other problems, release records, or change requests.
After resolving a problem record, you can optionally choose to automatically resolve any related
incidents. You do this by editing a resolved problem record and then, on the Resolution tab, you select
the Auto-resolve All Incidents Associated With The Problem option. You also select the resolution
category, such as Application or Hardware, and include a resolution description that will be used to
describe how the problem record was resolved.
After closing the problem record, any associated incidents that were linked to it are automatically
resolved.
When incidents have been automatically resolved by problem records, the resolution details on the
Resolution tab of the incident show that the resolution category for the incident is Auto Resolved By
Problem, and the resolution description that was added to the problem record is also added to the
incidents resolution details. This is useful because you can edit resolved incidents to determine which
problem records were used to resolve them. The History tab in an incident will show the problem record
details, such as the ID and title.
Linking Change Requests to Problem Records

You can also link change requests to problem records. This is useful when you need to use change
management processes to approve, develop, test, and deploy a change in the IT environment that will
resolve a problem. For example, a problem record might be created as a result of a Microsoft Outlook
issue, where all users in an organization that use Outlook 2007 can no longer access their mailbox. After
troubleshooting the problem the solution might be to apply a service pack to the production Microsoft
Exchange Server.
Because there are also a number of users that use Outlook 2010, there is a potential impact that could
affect their use of Outlook by applying the service pack to the Exchange server. For this reason, a change
request is created that is used to manage the life cycle of the change, including approving and testing the
change before it is applied to the production environment.
You can use the Create Change Request task to create a new Change Request with the related Problem
Record. It is also possible to add a change request to a problem record by using the options on the
Related Items tab when editing a problem record. The Add button is used to select objects such as change
requests. After the change request has been added, it can also be viewed and edited from the Related
Items tab of a problem record. This is useful because you can view the activities that have been included
in the change request and view which activities have been completed.
You can use the Create Change Request task to create a new Change Request with the related Problem
Record.
For more information about how to link an incident or change request to a problem record, go to the
following website:
How to Link an Incident or Change Request to a Problem Record
Using Known Errors and Knowledge Articles with Problem Records

During the problem management life cycle, there
are many processes and tasks that are performed
when you troubleshoot and resolve or provide a
workaround for a problem. For example, when you
research a problem, you will perform tasks such as
reproducing the problem in a test environment,
providing root cause analysis of the problem, and
testing possible fixes or workarounds for the
problem.
During this phase of managing a problem, details
are recorded in the problem record that are used
to both track how the problem record is being
managed and provide analysis of the problem.
Active Known Errors

When you edit a problem record, the Resolution tab includes an option named Known Error that can be
enabled. When this option is enabled, the problem record is also made available in the Active Known
Errors view in the Problem Management node of the Work Items pane. Active known errors provide
analysts with information that has been learned about a specific problem, and that information can then
be shared and viewed by other analysts researching similar problems. Although the particular problem
record might not be resolved, it can still be used as an active known error. This might be the case when a
definitive root cause has been identified but not fully tested or when a workaround has been discovered.
Knowledge Articles
Knowledge articles can also be used to help troubleshoot and resolve incidents and problems. You can
create a Knowledge article by using the Create Knowledge Article task from within the Knowledge node
of the Library pane in the Service Manager console. When you create a knowledge article, you add
information relating to the incident or problem that should be made available to all users who have
access to either the Service Manager console or the Self-Service Portal. You can add keywords that can be
used by analysts when searching for help with a particular problem or incident. The Analyst tab can be
used to add additional analyst content, such as steps to fix a problem. You can also import the contents of
a file here, which is useful when you need to import data from a log file for example. The web address of
an external source can also be added to the External Content section, which the analyst can use to
research the problem further. The Internal Content section can be used to provide information relating to
the problem or incident that is pertinent to the organization.
When an analyst is researching a problem, the analyst can use the Search For Knowledge Articles task that
is available when any of the problem management views are selected in the Work Items pane. This task
opens a Search For Knowledge Articles dialog box where the analyst can search the Knowledge Base by
entering keywords such as error codes or event IDs.
When a relevant knowledge article is found, the analyst can use the End-User, Analyst, or External links to
view the information stored in the knowledge article. The Link To option can also be used to add the
knowledge article to a relevant Work Items related items list such as an incident or a problems related
items list. This is useful because the analyst can then view the knowledge article directly from the Related
Items tab without needing to search for it again.
You can also add search providers such as Bing that can be used to search for relevant content. This is
useful because you can add multiple search providers and compare results.
When creating knowledge articles, you should keep in mind that the following fields are used when
knowledge articles are searched:
Title
Description
Comments
Keywords
External URL
Internal Content
Analyst Content
Demonstration: Reviewing Problems in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review Problem Records in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items\Problem Management
View Active Problems
2. Edit the Exchange Server offline Problem Record and discuss the various fields that are available on
the following tabs:
General
Related Items
Resolution
History
3. From the Tasks pane click Change Status and discuss the various options that are available.

Question: What are the three statuses that a problem record can be in?
Lesson 4
Using Queues and Views with Incidents and Problems
As you use Service Manager to manage incidents and problems, over time the Service Manager console
can become full with incident and problem records. This can make managing new incidents and problems
troublesome and can have an adverse effect on the performance of the Service Manager console.
Additionally, when operators or analysts open the Service Manager console, they only need to view and
work on the incidents and problems that are relevant to them.
To alleviate these issues in Service Manager, you need to understand how queues and views can be used
to filter incidents and problems based on their properties, such as Status or Support Group. This will help
improve the performance of the Service Manager console and provide a method of scoping what
incidents and problems are made available to users of the Service Manager console.
Lesson Objectives
Describe how to use Queues with Incidents and Problems
Describe how to use Views with Incidents and Problems
Using Queues with Incidents and Problems

As you have learned, there are many fields in an
incident and problem record form that are used to
record every detail about an incident or problem.
By using queues and views, you can filter the list of
returned incidents or problems in a view, which
can then be added to a user role so that when
analysts log on to the Service Manager console,
they only see the work items that are relevant to
them or their role.
Queues in Service Manager are used to group
collections of work items such as incidents or
problem records. Using the properties of the work
item, you add criteria that are used to filter the data returned in a queue. You create a queue by using the
Create Queue task that becomes available when you select the Queues node from the Library pane. This
opens a Create A Queue wizard. Detailed in the following table are the pages of the Create A Queue
wizard when creating a queue for a collection of incidents.
Create A Queue wizard

Description
page
General On the General page, you specify the queue name, such as All Tier 3
Incidents. You also specify the work item type, such as incidents. Finally,
you select or create a new unsealed Management Pack in which the
queue will be saved.
Criteria On the Criteria page, a list of available properties for the selected work
item type is displayed. Here, you add the property or properties that will
be used as criteria to filter the data returned in a queue. Operators such
as equals or does not equal are then used to further filter the returned
data. For example, when adding the Support Group property, you can
Create A Queue wizard

Description
page
select the Equals operator and then select the tier 3 support group. When
you use the queue, only incidents that are part of the tier 3 support
group will be returned. Multiple criteria can be added, which can be very
useful when you need to create a complex filter by using many
properties. For example, by adding the Support Group and Priority
properties, you can specify that only incidents that are part of the tier 3
support group and have a priority of 1 should be returned by the queue.
When multiple criteria are added, they are automatically ANDED
together. This means that all criteria of the queue must be met in order
for data to be returned. Other properties that can be added as criteria
when you use the incident work item type include Classification Category,
Created Date, Escalated, Impact, Source, and Status.
Summary On the Summary page, you are shown the settings you have selected for
the queue, including the criteria that was specified. You can go back
through the wizard and make any relevant changes before clicking the
Create button to create the queue.
After the queue has been created, it will be shown in the Queues node of the Library pane, where it can
be edited if required.
The queue can then be added to a user role to restrict what work items are available to members of the
User role. Queues use membership rules, which are used to determine which work items should be
included in a queue. This is useful because membership rules are dynamic. As an example of this, consider
the following scenario:
You have been asked to create a user role based on the incident resolver profile. The user role will be used
by incident resolvers in the tier 3 support group, so only tier 3 incidents should be available to members
of this user role when they use the Service Manager console.
To facilitate this, you perform the following tasks:
1. You create a new queue named Tier 3 Incidents based on the incident work item type. You add the
Support Group property to the queue and set its criteria so that only incidents that are part of the tier
3 support group are included.
2. You create a new user role named Tier 3 Support Group based on the incident resolvers profile. On
the Queues page of the Create User Role wizard, you choose the Provide Access To Only The Selected
Queues option, and then select the tier 3 incidents queue. On the Users page of the Create User Role
wizard, you add the tier 3 users that will be members of this user role.
When members of the tier 3 support group user role open the Service Manager console, they will only be
able to view and work on tier 3 incidents. Additionally, when new incidents are created or existing
incidents are updated to be a member of the tier 3 support group, they will automatically be displayed in
the Service Manager console for the tier 3 support group user role.
For more information about using groups, queues, and lists in Service Manager, go to the following
website:
Using Groups, Queues, and Lists in Service Manager
Using Views with Incidents and Problems

Views in Service Manager provide a method of
grouping and displaying similar objects such as
work items or configuration items, making it easier
for you to manage them.
There are a number of default views in the Service
Manager console that have been automatically
scoped to display specific incidents and problems.
For example, the All Open Incidents view only
displays incidents where the status does not equal
resolved or closed. Similarly the Active Problems
view only displays problem records where the
status equals Active.
You can create a new view in Service Manager by using the Create View task that is available when
selecting any of the nodes in either the Work Items pane or Configuration Items pane in the Service
Manager console. This opens a Create View window, which contains three tabs that are used to configure
the new view as described in the following table:
Create View tab Description
General On the General tab, you specify a name for the new view, such as All
Priority 1 Incidents. You also either select or create an unsealed
Management Pack in which to store the view. This can be useful when
you need to create a number of views that will be used in multiple
Service Manager management groups such as development and
production. You can create a new Management Pack to save the views
in and export it later so that it can be imported into another Service
Manager environment.
Criteria On the Criteria tab, you add the relevant properties that will be used as
criteria to filter the data returned in the view. This works in exactly the
same way as when configuring the criteria for a queue. However, you
can choose any type of object class here instead of a specific work item
type. For example, by clicking Browse, you can select classes such as
Active Directory Group, Windows Computer, or Incident. This provides
much more flexibility in terms of the data that can be returned in a view
as you can include objects of any specific class.
Display On the Display tab, you select which columns should be included in the
view. This list of available columns that can be displayed is dependent
on the class that was selected on the Criteria tab. For example, if the
Domain User or Group class is selected, then available columns include
First Name, Home Phone, and Country. When the Incident class is
selected, available columns include Impact, Priority, and Urgency.
After the view is created, it becomes available under the node that was selected when the Create View
task was selected, such as Incident Management.
The Display tab can be very useful when creating views because you can choose just the columns that you
require in the view. As an example, consider the following scenario:
You have been asked by the IT manager to provide a view that she can use that displays incidents that
have been escalated and have a priority of 1. She does not want to see any other details except the
incident ID, incident name, and the incident status. To facilitate this, you perform the following tasks:
1. From the Incidents Management node, you create a new view named Escalated Incidents Priority 1.
2. On the Criteria tab, you browse to and then select the Incident class. Next, you add the Escalated
property and set the operator to True. You then add the Priority property and set the operator to
equals 1.
3. On the Display tab, you select the Display Name, ID, and Status columns.
After saving the view, it becomes available under the Incident Management node. The IT manager can
now use the view to display a list of all incidents that have been escalated and have a priority of 1.
As with queues, views can also be used when you create user roles to further restrict what members of the
user role can view in the Service Manager console.
Demonstration: Reviewing Queues in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review Queues in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Queues
2. Use the Create Queue task to create a Queue with the following properties:
Name: Demo
Work Item type: Incident
3. On the Criteria page add the Escalated property and then discuss with students that various criteria
that can be used in a Queue to filter Work Items.
4. Click Cancel and then click Yes to close the Create a Queue wizard
Question: What is the primary function of queues in Service Manager?
Lab: Configuring Incident and Problem Management

Scenario
Now that Service Manager has been configured for the environment you need to ensure that relevant
Incidents and Problems that are logged are being managed appropriately. You know that in Contoso's
environment there are four teams responsible for support; Tier 1, Tier2, DinnerNow Support and
StockTrader support. You need to be able to create views that the StockTrader and DinnerNow support
teams can use to filter relevant Incidents that are assigned to their support group.
You also need to create a view that can be used to show Incidents that have been escalated when they
have not been resolved after a defined a period of time. You should also create an Incident Workflow that
automatically updates the support group of an Incident when its priority has been changed to high. You
also need to understand how Incidents and Problems are created and managed in Service Manager so
that you can train the relevant personnel in using the Service Manager console.
Finally you have been asked to ensure that all Incidents that are created by the Operations Manager Alert
Connector have the appropriate StockTrader or DinnerNow Incident Template applied to ensure the
Incidents are automatically assigned to the relevant support group.
Objectives
Create Incidents using the Service Manager Console
Use Incident Templates
Configure Incident event workflows.
Group Incidents and create Problem Records
Use Queues and Views to filter Incidents
Lab Setup
Host 1 Virtual Machines: LON-DC1, LON-SQ1, LON-SM1, LON-ST1
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-SC1, LON-DW1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM1
LON-SQ1
LON-ST1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SC1
Exercise 1: Create an Incident using the Service Manager console

Scenario
In order to train relevant Contoso staff in managing Incidents using the Service Manager Console you
need to know how Incidents are created, resolved and closed in Service Manager.
1. Create a new incident
2. Open the Service Manager console as StockTrader_IR and update the incident
3. Update the incident as administrator
4. Resolve and close the incident as StockTrader_IR
Task 1: Create a new incident

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Open the console as Administrator
View All Incidents

2. Use the Create Incident task to create a new incident with the following settings. (All other settings
should be left as default.)
Field Value
Affected User Administrator
Title StockTrader web site unavailable
Description When opening the StockTrader web site an error 401

appears
Classification Category StockTrader
Source Console
Impact Medium
Urgency High
Support Group Tier 1
Assigned To StockTrader_IR
Affected Services StockTrader
Affected Items Add the LON-ST1 computer
Task 2: Open the Service Manager console as StockTrader_IR and update the incident
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Open the console as Contoso\StockTrader_IR
View My Incidents
2. Open the Service Manager console as Contoso\StockTrader_IR by using the Run as different
user option, and then edit the StockTrader web site unavailable incident with the following
settings. (All other settings should be left as default.)
Action Log: Type I am currently working on your incident and have updated your user credentials to
the StockTrader web site. Can you please try to connect and let me know if the issue is resolved?
On the Resolution tab, add 30 minutes to the Time Worked section.
Leave the Service Manager console open.
Task 3: Update the incident as administrator

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Incidents
2. Edit the StockTrader web site unavailable incident, and view the analyst comment under Log
entry.
Action Log: Type Yes, this has resolved the problem, thank you. You can now close the incident.
Task 4: Resolve and close the incident as StockTrader_IR

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Open the console as StockTrader_IR
View My Incidents
2. Edit the StockTrader web site unavailable incident, and view the analyst comments under Log
entry.
3. Use the Change Incident Status task and select Resolve to resolve the incident:
Resolution category: Select Fixed by Analyst
Comment: Type Resolved by updating user credentials
4. Close the Incident form.
5. Use the Change Incident Status task and select Close to close the incident
Comment: Type Affected user has confirmed the incident has been resolved.
6. Close the StockTrader_IR Service Manager console.
Results: After this exercise you should have used the Service Manager console as an Administrator to
create a new Incident and assigned it to a StockTrader support team member. You should have then
opened the Service Manager as a StockTrader support team member and updated the Incident. You
should then have updated the Incident using the Administrators console and then finally resolve and close
the Incident using the StockTrader support team members console.
Exercise 2: Using Incident Templates

Scenario
To ensure the incident templates are working as expected, you must test them by creating a new incident
and applying the DinnerNow Incident template. You must also configure the Operations Manager
connector so that relevant incidents created from Operations Manager StockTrader alerts are based on
the StockTrader Incident template.
1. Update the StockTrader and DinnerNow incident templates
2. Create a new incident by using the DinnerNow incident template
3. Configure the Operations Manager alert connector for StockTrader incidents
4. Generate an alert in Operations Manager, and confirm that the correct template is applied
Task 1: Update the StockTrader and DinnerNow incident templates

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Templates
Template DinnerNow Incidents
2. Edit the DinnerNow Incidents template and update the following fields as shown below:
Classification category: DinnerNow
Impact: Low
Urgency: Low
Support Group: Tier 1
Assigned to: DinnerNow_IR
3. Edit the StockTrader Incidents template and update the following fields as shown below:
Impact: Low
Urgency: Low
Task 2: Create a new incident by using the DinnerNow incident template

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Incidents
2. Use the Create Incident task to create a new incident:

3. When you edit the incident, use the Apply Template task to apply the DinnerNow Incident
template, and confirm that the following fields have been automatically populated:
a. Impact: Low
b. Urgency: Low
c. Support Group: Tier 1
d. Assigned to: DinnerNow_IR
4. View the Log entries that have been added to the incident.
5. Configure the following fields of the incident.
Field Value
Title Cannot open DinnerNow website
Description Receives database not found error when

attempting to open the DinnerNow website.
Task 3: Configure the Operations Manager alert connector for StockTrader incidents
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration
View Connectors
2. Edit the Operations Manager Alerts connector, and configure the Alert Routing Rules tab by
adding an alert routing rule with the following settings. (All other settings should be left as default.)
Name: StockTrader Alerts
Template: StockTrader Incidents
3. Under the Select Criteria Type section , select Custom Field and then configure: CustomField1
Contains StockTrader
Task 4: Generate an alert in Operations Manager, and confirm that the correct
template is applied
Location Value
Computer LON-SC1
Pane Monitoring
View Active Alerts
2. Close any existing Operations Manager alerts, and generate a new alert by stopping the WWW
Service on LON-ST1:
3. Confirm that the IIS 7 Web Site is unavailable alert is generated in the Active Alerts view.
4. Open the alert properties then from the Custom Fields tab add StockTrader to Custom Field 1.
5. Right-click the alert and set the Alert Resolution State of the alert to StockTrader.
6. Open the alert properties and make a note of the Ticket ID.
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the Ticket ID to be populated.
7. On LON-SM1, open the Service Manager console, and from the All Open Incidents view, edit the
StockTrader incident with the ID as noted earlier in this task.
8. Confirm that the following fields have been automatically populated as follows:
Impact: Low
Urgency: Low
Classification Category: StockTrader
Assigned To: StockTrader_IR
9. Close the incident without saving any changes.
10. Restart the WWW service on LON-ST1.
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Apply Template task to apply the DinnerNow
Incident template to a new incident. You should have also configured the Operations Manager Alert
connector to use the StockTrader Incident template. Finally, you should have generated an alert in
Operations Manager and confirmed that an incident was automatically created in Service Manager by
using the StockTrader Incident template.
Exercise 3: Configuring an Incident Event Workflow to automatically

update an Incident
Scenario
When an Incident is created with an Impact or Urgency of High you need to ensure the Incident should
be updated to reflect the Tier 2 support team. To facilitate this you must configure the Incident event
Workflow in Service Manager.
1. Create a new incident template
2. Configure the incident event workflow
3. Test the incident event workflow
Task 1: Create a new incident template

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Templates
2. Use the Create Template task to create a new Incident template with the following settings:
Name: Update Incident Support Group to Tier 2
Class: Incident
3. In the Incident form that opens set the Support group to Tier 2 and then click OK to save the
template
Task 2: Configure the incident event workflow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration\Workflows
View Configuration
2. Use the Properties task on the Incident Event Workflow Configuration workflow to add a new
workflow with the following settings, all other settings should remain as default:
Name: Update High Priority Incidents to Tier 2
Check for events: When an object is created
Specify event criteria: Impact equals High

Specify event criteria: Urgency equal High
Select Incident template: Update Incident Support Group to Tier 2
Task 3: Test the incident event workflow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Incidents
2. Use the Create Incident task to create a new Incident with the following settings:
Title: StockTrader Web Site Offline
Impact: High
Urgency: High
3. Save the Incident and then use the Refresh task to refresh the All Incidents view intermittently
4. Notice that the Support Group column for the StockTrader Web Site Offline incident automatically
updates to show that the incident has been assigned to the Tier 2 Support Group.
Results: After this exercise you should have create a new Incident Template that will be used to update
Incidents that have a High Impact and Urgency setting. You should then have configured the Incident
Event Workflow in Service Manager and confirmed that when a new Incident is created with a High
Impact and Urgency settings it is automatically updated by the workflow.
Exercise 4: Group Incidents and create a Problem Record

Scenario
To provide the ability to group and manage similar Incidents you must teach the Contoso staff how
Parent-Child Incidents are created in Service Manager. You must also teach staff how Problem Records
can be created by using the Create Problem task.
1. Create a new child incident
2. Link the child incident to a parent incident
3. Create a problem record and link the parent incident to the problem record
4. Resolve the problem record and automatically resolve the related incident
Task 1: Create a new child incident

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Open Incidents
2. Use the Create Incident From Template task to create a new incident by using the Default Incident
Template:
Configure the following fields as shown:
o Title: Child Incident
o Classification category: Other Problems
Task 2: Link the child incident to a parent incident

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
2. Select the Child Incident, and then use the Link to the New Parent Incident task to create a new
parent incident that uses the Default Incident Template:
Configure the following fields as shown:
o Title: Parent Incident
o Classification category: Other Problems

3. Confirm that the Child Incident has been automatically added to the Child Incidents tab.
4. Click OK to save the Parent Incident.
Task 3: Create a problem record and link the parent incident to the problem record
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
2. Select the Parent incident, and use the Create Problem task to create a new problem record with
the following settings. (All other settings should be left as default.)
Field Value
Title Problem with Exchange Server 2010
Category Application
Impact High
Urgency High
3. Confirm that the Parent incident has been automatically added to the Related Items tab
4. Confirm that the Problem with the Exchange Server 2010 problem record has been created in the
Problem Management\Active Problems view.
Task 4: Resolve the problem record and automatically resolve the related incident
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items\Problem Management
View Active Problems
2. Edit the Problem with the Exchange Server 2010 problem record, and use the Resolve task to
resolve the problem record:
On the Resolution tab configure the following:
o Resolution Category: Application
o Resolution Description: type Problem resolved by applying Service Pack 1 for Exchange
Server 2010
o Auto-resolve all incidents associated with this problem: Select
3. Confirm that the Parent and Child incident has been automatically resolved in the All Incidents
view.
Results:
After this exercise, you should have created a new child incident and then associated it with a new parent
incident. You should then have linked the parent incident to a new problem record. Finally, you should
have resolved the problem record and confirmed that the parent incident was automatically resolved.
Exercise 5: Creating Queues and Views to Filter Incidents

Scenario
When the StockTrader and DinnerNow support teams open the Service Manager Console you must
ensure that they are only able to work on Incidents that are relevant to their role. To facilitate this you
need to create a Queue that filters the relevant Work Items and then scope the StockTrader and
DinnerNow User Roles using this Queue. Finally you need to create a View that can be used to display
Incidents that have been escalated and have a Classification Category of DinnerNow.
1. Create a queue for StockTrader incidents and update the StockTrader user role
2. Create a queue for DinnerNow incidents and update the DinnerNow user role
3. Open the Service Manager console and confirm the incidents are filtered appropriately
4. Create a view that displays incidents that are escalated and have a classification category of DinnerNow
Task 1: Create a queue for StockTrader incidents and update the StockTrader user
role
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Queues
2. Use the Create Queue task to create a new queue with the following settings. (All other settings
Queue name: StockTrader Incidents
Work item type: Incident
Criteria: Add Classification Category equals StockTrader
3. Edit the StockTrader Incident Resolvers User Role and from the Queues tab filter the Queues so
that only the StockTrader Incidents Queue is made available.
Task 2: Create a queue for DinnerNow incidents and update the DinnerNow user role
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
Location Value
View Queues
2. Use the Create Queue task to create a new queue with the following settings. (All other settings
Queue name: DinnerNow Incidents
Work item type: Incident
Criteria: Add Classification Category equals DinnerNow
3. Edit the DinnerNow Incident Resolvers User Role and from the Queues tab filter the Queues so
that only the DinnerNow Incidents Queue is made available
Task 3: Open the Service Manager console and confirm the incidents are filtered
appropriately
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Open the console as Contoso\StockTrader_IR
View All Incidents
2. Use the Run as different user option to open the Service Manager console by using the
Contoso\StockTrader_IR user account.
3. From the All Incidents view confirm only Incidents that have a Classification Category of
StockTrader are displayed by opening each Incident and reviewing the Classification Category
field.
4. Close all Incident forms and then close the Service Manager console.
5. Use the Run as different user option to open the Service Manager console by using the
Contoso\DinnerNow_IR user account.
6. From the All Incidents view confirm only Incidents that have a Classification Category of
DinnerNow are displayed by opening each Incident and reviewing the Classification Category field.
Task 4: Create a view that displays incidents that are escalated and have a
classification category of DinnerNow
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items
View Incident Management
2. Use the Create View task to create a new view with the following settings. (All other settings should
be left as default.)
Name: DinnerNow Escalated Incidents
Criteria: Click Browse then select the Incident class, and then add the following properties:
o Escalated: Equals True
o Classification Category: Equals DinnerNow
Display: Clear all the column check boxes, and then add the following columns:
o First Display Name field
o Second ID field
o Description field
3. Open the DinnerNow Escalated Incidents view, and confirm there are no incidents available.
4. Edit the Cannot open DinnerNow web site incident, and configure the following fields as shown
below:
Escalated: Selected
Classification Category: DinnerNow
5. Open DinnerNow Escalated Incidents view, and confirm the Cannot open DinnerNow web site
incident is available.
Results: After this exercise you should have configured a Queue to filter Incidents for both the
StockTrader and DinnerNow Support teams. You should have then updated the relevant User Roles with
these Queues and confirm they operate as expected. Finally you should have created a new View in the
Service Manager console that is used to display Incidents that have been escalated and have a
Classification Category of DinnerNow
Question: You need to ensure that when Incident Resolvers open the Service Manager
console that they can only work on Incidents relating to their role. What two items in Service
Manager will allow you to facilitate this?

Review Question(s)
Question:
What is the Affected Items section of an incident used for?
7-1
Module 7
Managing Changes and Releases
Contents:
Module Overview 7-1
Lesson 1: Managing Change Requests 7-2
Lesson 2: Managing Release Records 7-10
Lab: Configuring Change and Release Management 7-19
Module Overview
When changes need to occur in the IT environment it is important that they are managed appropriately.
The goal of Change Management as described by ITIL is to ensure that standardized methods and
procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes, in order to minimize the impact of
change-related incidents upon service quality, and consequently to improve the day-to-day operations of
the organization.
In this module you will learn how Service Manager manages changes in the IT environment by using
Change Requests. This includes creating and managing Activities such as Review Activities that are used to
approve or reject changes. You will also learn how Release Records are used to group, schedule and
develop approved changes.
Objectives
Manage Change Requests in Service Manager.
Manage Release Records in Service Manager.
7-2 Managing Changes and Releases
Lesson 1
Managing Change Requests
When changes need to occur in the IT environment it is important that the processes involved in making
the change are managed, recorded and tracked. One of the key objectives in Change Management is to
minimize the impact of change-related incidents upon service quality. Moreover, by managing them
effectively you can help reduce change-related incidents from occurring after the change is released in
the IT infrastructure.
To provide effective change management in Service Manager you must understand how Change Requests
are created. This includes using the appropriate Change Request Template. You should also understand
how Activities are used within a Change Request and how they can be used to manage the process
workflow within a change. Finally you should understand how Change Requests are used with other Work
Items such as Incidents and Release Records.
Lesson Objectives
Describe Change Request Templates.
Create a Change Request.
Manage Activities in a Change Request.
Use Change Requests with other Work Items.
Change Request Templates

Before you can create a Change Request in Service
Manager, you must first choose a Change Request
template that it will be based on. There are six
Change Request templates provided in Service
Manager that can be used with Change Requests.
The following table shows the templates that are
available and includes a description of each.
Change request template

Description
name
Emergency Change Request The Emergency Change Request template can be used when an
urgent change needs to implemented, such as replacing a failed disk
in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) array of a business
critical server. Typically, Emergency Change Requests do not follow
the standard change process and must be implemented within a
specific timeframe such as 24 hours. Emergency Change Requests
should be reviewed and approved by the Change Advisory Board
(CAB) before they are implemented and should also include a post-
implementation activity that is used to review the changes made.
This template includes the following activities:
Approve Emergency Change Request Review Activity

Description
name
Emergency Change Development Manual Activity
Emergency Change Testing Manual Activity
Emergency Change Deployment Manual Activity
Major Change Request The Major Change Request template can be used when either a
high-risk or a high-impact change needs to be implemented, such as
upgrading a production mail server that will affect all users email
functionality during the change, or upgrading the operating system
on all client computers. Typically, a change manager screens the
Change Request and the CAB approves it. A post-implementation
review activity should also be added to review the changes that have
been implemented. This template includes the following activities:
Initial Screening Review Activity
Approve Change Deployment Review Activity
Minor Change Request The Minor Change Request template can be used for low-risk or
low-impact changes that need to be implemented, such as
upgrading a production application. This template includes the
following activities:
Publish Offering The Publish Offering template is used to publish service and request
offerings as part of a change. This template includes the following
activities:
Approve publishing Review Activity
Publish Offerings Automated Activity
Security Release The Security Release template can be used when security updates
need to be implemented because it includes the typical steps for
planning, developing, testing, and deploying security updates in the
IT environment. This template includes the following activities:
Plan Security Patch Release Manual Activity
Develop Security Patch Release Manual Activity
Security Patch Release Acceptance Testing Manual Activity
Release Readiness Review Review Activity
Rollout Planning/Preparation Manual Activity
Release Deployment Manual Activity
Standard Change Request The Standard Change Request template can be used for pre-
approved changes that have already been tested and are low risk,
such as creating a new mailbox on an Exchange server. This template

Description
name
includes the following Activities:
Apply Change Manual Activity
Although you must choose a Change Request template when creating a Change Request, you can modify
any of the properties of the Change Request after it has been created. This includes adding or removing
activities that have been added by a template. This allows you to customize the Change Request for your
environment and change policy.
You can also create Change Request templates by using the Create Template task that becomes available
when the Templates node is selected in the Library pane of the Service Manager console.
When creating a Change Request template, you can add activities such as review activities or manual
activities that will be used when the Change Request is being created. This is useful because you can
create Change Request templates based on common changes that occur in your environment and then
use them when creating the Change Request. This both saves time and ensures that the relevant fields
have been configured correctly in the Change Request form and that the relevant activities are included.
For more information about managing changes and activities in Service Manager, go to the following
website:
Managing Changes and Activities in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Creating a Change Request

Change requests can be viewed and edited from
any of the views within the Change Management
node of the Work Items pane in the Service
Manager console. The All Change Requests view,
for example, displays all Change Requests,
including completed, in progress, failed, and on
hold Change Requests.
You create a Change Request by using the Create
Change Request task that becomes available when
any of the change management views are
selected. You can also create a Change Request by
using the same task when a work item such as an
Incident is selected, this will add the selected Incident to the Change Request as a Related Item. When
using the Create Change Request task, you first select a Change Request template that will be used to
base the Change Request on, such as the Standard Change Request template. After you have selected a
relevant template, a Change Request form is opened in which you add the relevant details of the change
that needs to be implemented.
Detailed in the following table are the key fields and sections of a Change Request form that are
completed when the Standard Change Request template is used.
Change request field or

Description
section
Title and Description The Title and Description fields are used to describe the change that the
Change request field or

Description
section
Change Request is to be used for. The title is also displayed in the change
management views, so it is important to make sure that a descriptive title
is used.
Reason A reason for the Change Request can be added here and is typically used
by reviewers of the Change Request to help decide whether it should be
approved or rejected.
Area The Area field is used to denote the IT area in which the change is to be
implemented, such as intranet, extranet, or messaging. A report in
Service Manager can be run to show the number of change Requests
generated per Area.
Assign To The Assign To field is used to denote the owner of the Change Request.
This can be an Active Directory user or group.
Priority, Impact, and The Priority, Impact, and Risk fields are used to define what impact and
Risk possible risk is associated with the change. For example, a change might
have a low priority (meaning that it does not need to be applied
immediately), but it might have a major impact (meaning that when the
change is made it will affect the organization in a major way).
Config Items To The Config Items To Change section is used to add the configuration
Change items on which the change will be implemented, such as the computer or
physical disk. It is important that all relevant configuration items be
added here, because they will then be associated with the Change
Request and can be seen in the configuration items properties on the
Related Items tab. This is also important when you are creating new
Change Requests, because you can use the Related Items tab of
configuration item properties to determine any other Change Requests
that are associated with it that might cause a conflict in the Change
Request.
Catalog Items The Catalog Items section is used when you are creating a Change
Request by using the Publish Offering template and is used to denote
the request and service offerings on which the change will be
implemented.
The table describes the key sections and fields that are available on the General tab of a Change Request
form. Other standard tabs, such as the Related Items and History tabs, are also available and are used in
the same way as described in the Managing Incidents lesson in Module 4.
Other tabs related to Change Requests are also available and include the Planning tab. On this tab, you
configure the scheduled start and end dates for the change that is to be implemented. There are also
sections in which you can add plan details, such as the implementation plan, risk assessment plan, test
plan, and back out plan. These sections are useful when high-impact or high-risk changes need to be
implemented, because they can include detailed information that is used by change reviewers when
deciding whether the change should be approved or rejected.
The Results tab is used to denote the implementation results of the change, such as Successfully
Implemented, Failed, or Partially Implemented. There is also a section where you can add a post-
implementation review. This is useful where high-impact or high-risk changes are implemented and a
post-implementation activity has been performed.
The Activities tab is used to manage the activities that will be performed as part of the change. The
various activities that can be added here have been covered in the Managing Activities lesson in Module
3. Managing activities in a Change Request is also covered in the next topic.
After the Change Request form is complete, the Change Request can be viewed in the All Change
Requests view. The Status column in this view can be used to view the current running status of the
Change Request. For example, after a new Change Request has been created, its status is automatically set
to New and then In Progress. This means that the first activity is also started. You can use the Put On Hold
task to hold (or effectively pause) the Change Request and any incomplete activities that it contains. This
is useful when a Change Request needs to be paused in cases such as a change freeze or when another,
more important change that affects the same configuration items needs to be implemented. You can use
the Resume task to resume processing of the Change Request.
The Return To Activity task can also be used to restart the Change Request from a specific activity. This is
useful when an activity has failed and the cause of the failure has been fixed. You can then restart the
Change Request from the failed activity instead of restarting the Change Request from the beginning.
For more information about creating a new Change Request, go to the following website:
How to Create a New Change Request
Demonstration: Creating Change Requests

In this demonstration, you will see how to create a Change Request in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items\Change Management
2. Use the Create Change Request task to create a new Change Request with the following settings (all
Template: Minor Change Request
Title: Install new software application
Description: Change Request to control the test and deployment of the new Accounting
Application
Area: Software\Application
Assigned To: Contoso_CM
Priority: High
Impact: Standard
Risk: Low
3. On the Planning tab, select todays date as the scheduled start date, and select tomorrows date as
the scheduled end date.
4. On the Activities tab, edit the Approve Change Request activity and add Administrator and
Contoso_CM as approvers.
5. Close the Change Request to create it.
Managing Activities in a Change Request

When you are creating a Change Request to
manage a change, there might be many activities
within the Change Request that are used to
control the workflow of processes that are used to
perform the change. For example, in the Major
Change Request template, there are seven
activities that are added to the Change Request.
Depending on the complexity of the change and
the number of configuration items that the
change is to be implemented on, the number of
activities can grow much larger. For this reason, it
is important that you understand how to manage
activities in work items such as Change Requests.
You add activities to a work item (such as a Change Request) from the Activities tab when you are editing
the work item. In the upper-right right section of the Activity tab are five buttons:
The green plus sign (+) button can be used to add an activity.
The red X button can be used to delete a selected activity.
The Zoom button can be used change the icon size of the activities from large to medium, small, or
extra small, which can be useful when many activities are being used.
The Diagram View button can be used to display the activities in a diagram, which can be useful when
you want to view the links between activities to determine which activities affect other activities.
The List View button can be used to display the activities in a list view, which can be useful when you
want to view all activities, including their links, in a list.
When an activity is added, its status is automatically set to Pending. This can be confirmed by the
hourglass picture that is added to the activities icon. Note that when you first add an activity, its status is
not reported until either the work item is saved and opened again or the Apply button is used to apply
the change.
Other activity states include In Progress, which is denoted by a green play icon; On Hold, which is denoted
by a blue pause icon; and Failed, which is denoted by a red X icon.
When you click an activity, the details section at the bottom of the Activities tab displays the details of the
selected activity. This includes its status, the activity name and ID, the activity implementer, the scheduled
start date, and the scheduled end date.
When you right-click an activity, you can perform several context-sensitive actions on it. They include:
Open. The activity is opened so it can be updated.
Skip Activity. The selected activity is skipped and the following activity in the chain will be run when
processing reaches this point.
Unskip Activity. The Skip Activity action is revoked for the selected activity.
Return to Activity. The work item is returned to the selected activity.
Link to Change Request Activity. The activity is linked to a Change Request activity.
Unlink Change Request Activity. The activity is unlinked from the Change Request activity.
Delete Activity. The selected activity is deleted.
The Link To Change Request Activity and Unlink Change Request Activity options are used with release
management to control when changes are deployed. This will be covered in detail in Lesson 3.
You can also change the process order in which activities are run by dragging the activity icon up or down
the list of other activities. When you do this, a line is displayed to show where in the list the activity will be
moved to.
Using Change Requests with other Work Items

Changes to the IT environment can be required in
many different scenarios. For example, an incident
in which a user cannot open Microsoft Outlook on
his or her desktop computer might result in a
change that includes a Microsoft Office upgrade.
Similarly, a problem in which a production server
intermittently crashes might result in a change
that requires replacing the memory modules in
the computer.
When you are creating a Change Request, the
Related Items tab of the Change Request form can
be used to add any other work items that are
related to the Change Request. As mentioned previously, these could be related incidents or problems.
When you use related items in this way, reviewers of Change Requests can also see which work items are
related, which helps when they are deciding whether a Change Request should be approved or rejected.
As mentioned earlier, you can also add work items to Change Requests by selecting them from the
relevant views in Service Manager. For example, suppose there are three incidents that are related to a
change and that will be resolved as part of implementing the change. You can select each of the incidents
in the All Incidents view and then use the Create Change Request task to create a new Change Request.
The selected incidents are automatically added to the Related Items tab in the Change Request form. You
can also add related problem records, release records, and service requests to Change Requests in this
way.
Change requests can also contain other Change Requests as related items. For example, a change that
involves upgrading a business application might affect multiple areas in the IT environment, such as
messaging and hardware. Consider the following scenario:
Contoso decides to upgrade its messaging platform from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010. As part of the
migration, the computers that host the Exchange 2007 infrastructure will require a hardware refresh in
order to use the new features of Exchange 2010. Additionally, the Office installations running on the client
computers will need to be upgraded to Office 2010.
In this scenario, multiple Change Requests can be created because they affect multiple areas of the
business and need to be managed appropriately. Release management can then be used to control when
these changes are implemented.
Demonstration: Reviewing Change Requests in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review Change Requests in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
2. Use the Create Change Request task to open the Select Template dialog box..
3. Discuss the various templates that are available and then select the Major Change Request template
to open the Change Request form.
4. Discuss the various fields on the following tabs:
General
Planning
Activities
Results
Related Items
History
5. Click Cancel and then click Yes to close the Change Request without saving.
Question: You need to restart a change request from a specific activity. How can you do
this?
Lesson 2
Managing Release Records
Release Management in Service Manager only deals with approved changes. After changes have been
approved Release Management is used to group, develop and schedule them for release. Release
Management in Service Manager involves managing Release Records.
It is important that you understand how to create Release Records in order to control how and when
changes are applied in your IT environment. Additionally you should understand how workflows can be
used to send notifications when Release Records are created and updated. This ensures the relevant
people such as Release Managers or Change Managers are made aware when a Release Record is
assigned to them to work on.
Lesson Objectives
Create a Release Record.
Combine Release Records using Parent-Child Groups.
Describe how to use Release Package Configuration Items in a Release Record.
Using Change Requests with Release Records.
Configure workflows for notification when a Release Record is created or updated.
Creating a Release Record

Release Records are created by using the Create
Release Record task that is available from the
Tasks pane when any of the release management
views is selected in the Work Items pane in the
Service Manager console. You can also create a
Release Record by using the Create Release
Record task when you are selecting other work
items such as Change Requests or Incidents. This is
useful because the selected work item is then
automatically added to the Related Items tab in
the Release Record.
When you are creating a Release Record, you must
use a Release Record template. Templates are useful because they can contain predefined values for
Release Records, such as default activities that must be performed in all Release Records. You can create a
new Release Record template by using the Create Template task from the Templates node in the Library
pane. Alternatively, you can use the Default Release Record template that is provided in Service Manager.
When you use the Create Release Record task, a form is used to contain the relevant details of the Release
Record. Detailed in the following table are some of the common fields that are completed when a Release
Record is created, including a description of each.
Release record tab Description
General On the General tab, you include details such as the title and description of the
Release Record. You also specify the type, such as Planned or Unplanned. The
impact, risk, and priority of the Release Record are also specified here and are
used to denote the business impact that the Release Record will have in the
organization. You also specify who the Release Record is assigned to, a detail
that can then be used when you are configuring notifications, to ensure that the
relevant person is made aware of a Release Record when it has been assigned to
him or her.
Release Package On the Release Package tab, you add relevant configuration items that will be
modified as part of the Release Record. Typically, a release manager creates
build and environment configuration items, which are then added here as part
of the release package. The build and environment configuration items are used
to define details of the package to be released, including the software builds
such as the x86 and x64 versions, and affected environment, such as production
or test.
Scheduling On the Scheduling tab, you define the dates and times for activities, such as the
scheduled start time and scheduled end time. If the release will cause downtime
of a specific service, then you can also include the scheduled start and end times
here as well. You can also record the amount of planned and actual time that
has been spent on the Release Record here, in addition to the planned and
actual cost of the release.
Activities On the Activities tab, you add the activities that will be used to control the
workflow of the Release Record. For example, the Review activity can be added
to add reviewers that must approve the Release Record before the release can
be applied.
Documentation On the Documentation tab, you can include details of the release that is to be
applied as part of the Release Record. For example, you can include the release
notes for a software upgrade that is to be applied. You can manually type
information here, or you can browse and select a document and the contents
will be copied and pasted here automatically.
Related Items On the Related Items tab, you add work items and configuration items that are
related to the Release Record. These could include Change Requests, services, or
people that are related, such as the users of the software that is to be upgraded
as part of the release. You can also include knowledge articles and attach files
here, which are useful when additional information about the release is needed,
such as an installation guide.
Results On the Results tab, you include details of the implementation results, such as
Successfully Implemented, Rejected, or Failed. You can also include a post-
implementation review, which can be used to view details of completed Release
Records. This can be useful when you are troubleshooting failed Release Records.
History As with all other work items, the History tab includes a complete history log of
changes that have been made to the Release Record. These include the date and
time of the change, what change was made, and who made the change.
After the Release Record is created, its status is automatically set to New and then Editing. This means that
any activities within the Release Record have not been started yet and are automatically put into an On
Hold state. When the Release Record is ready to be started, the Run task is used. This changes the status
of the Release Record to In Progress, and the first activity within it is started. You can also use the Put On
Hold task to pause a Release Record. The Return To Editing task can also be used to stop a running
Release Record, thereby putting any activities on hold. This is useful in scenarios in which, for example, an
activity within the Release Record has caused an unplanned problem or service outage.
For more information about managing Release Records in Service Manager, go to the following website:
Demonstration: Creating a Release Record

In this demonstration you will see how to create a Release Record in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items\Release Management Folder
View Release Records: All
2. Use the Create Release Record task to create a new release record with the following settings (all
Template: Default Release Record
Title: Demo Release Record
Description: Demo
Type: Planned
Category: Project
Assigned To: Administrator
Impact: Standard
Risk: Medium
Priority: Low
3. On the Activities tab, add a default manual activity and set the Title to Demo Activity
4. Click OK to save the manual activity
5. Click OK to save and close the Release Record.
Combining Release Records using Parent-Child Groups

By grouping multiple child Release Records into a
parent Release Record, you can evaluate all child
releases together. For example, when packages are
released to a production environment they are
typically released on a defined schedule, such as
monthly or quarterly. By using parent-child
Release Records, you can group relevant or similar
Release Records into a parent Release Record to
control which packages are released and when.
This helps ensure that packages are released in a
timely fashion and also helps to ensure that
resources are used effectively throughout each
release cycle.
To use parent-child Release Records, you first convert an existing Release Record into a parent Release
Record. You do this by editing the Release Record and then clicking the Convert To Or Revert From Parent
task in the Tasks pane. You must also provide a comment when using this task. After you convert a
Release Record to a parent Release Record, an additional Child Items tab is added to the Release Record.
You use this tab to add child Release Records to the parent. Additionally, a (Parent) label is added to the
header of the Release Record form.
You can also demote a parent Release Record to a child Release Record by using the Convert To Or Revert
From Parent task. When you do this, all links between the selected parent Release Record and any
associated child Release Records will be removed.
When a child Release Record has been added to a parent Release Record, or when you need to link or
unlink a Release Record to a parent Release Record, you can use the Link To Or Unlink From Existing
Parent task. This opens a Link Or Unlink prompt, in which you select the action to perform against the
selected child Release Record. This is useful when you need to add or remove multiple child Release
Records to or from a parent Release Record. You can select all relevant child Release Records at the same
time and link them to a parent Release Record.
When you edit a child Release Record, the ID and title of the parent Release Record that it is linked with is
displayed within the header of the Release Record form. This is useful because you can click the ID or title
to open the parent Release Record, and edit it to make relevant changes. You can also use the Child Items
tab in a parent Release Record to view and edit any linked child Release Records.
For more information about combining Release Records into parent-child groups, go to the following
website:
Combining Release Records into Parent-Child Groups
Using Release Package Configuration Items in a Release Record

As mentioned in the first topic of this lesson, you
can add configuration items to a Release Record
by using the Release Package tab. A release
package typically consists of a build configuration
item and an environment configuration item. The
build item defines the software and version that
the build contains, and the environment item
defines the people, computers, and services that
the environment contains.
You can create build and environment
configuration items in Service Manager by using
the Create Build and Create Environment tasks
that are available when either the Builds or Environments node is selected from within the Configuration
Items pane in the Service Manager console.
When you use the Create Build or Create Environment task, a form is opened in which you record relevant
details such as the display name and asset status. Detailed in the following table are some of the common
fields that are used when a build or environment configuration item is created.
Build configuration item field Description
Display Name The display name is used to denote the name of the configuration
item, such as Accounting Software.
Asset Status The asset status denotes the status of the configuration item, such
as Deployed, Purchased, or Retired.
Title The title is typically used to specify the application or service

name, such as pay role.
Version The version is used to denote the version number of the

application, such as 1.0.
Other fields include Source Path, where you can specify the source of the software or hardware for the
build. The Related Items tab can then be used to associate work items and configuration items such as
software items to the build.
When creating an environment configuration item, you use a similar form to record the environment
details such as the display name, title, and asset status. The Category field in an environment
configuration item, however, is used to denote the type of the environment, such as Development, Test,
Pre-production, or Production. The Related Items tab can then be used to associate work items and
configuration items such as people and services to the environment.
After the build and environment configuration items have been created, you can add them to the Release
Package tab of a Release Record by selecting the Build or Environment class. Any created build or
environment configuration items will then be displayed and can be added to the Release Record.
For more information about defining release package configuration items, go to the following website:
Defining Release Package Configuration Items
Using Change Requests with Release Records

The release management process in Service
Manager involves scheduling and deploying
approved changes. This provides the ability to
control when changes are deployed in an IT
environment. Approved Change Requests are used
with Release Records to facilitate this.
For example, consider the following scenario:
You need to deploy Exchange Server 2010 SP1 in
your IT environment. To manage this, you decide
to create a Change Request in Service Manager. In
the Change Request, you add a review activity that
will be used to obtain approval for the change.
You also add a dependent activity that will be used to deploy, test, and verify the Exchange Server 2010
SP1 deployment.
You then create a Release Record that will be used to control the release or deployment when the change
is approved. In the Release Record, you add a manual activity. You then right-click the manual activity and
use the Link To Change Request Activity option to link the manual activity to the dependent activity in the
Change Request. When you do this, a chain link icon is added to the manual activity to denote that it is
linked to a Change Request.
When the change is ready for release, you use the In-Progress Activities view from within the Manual
Activities folder of the Activity Management node to view the manual activity. You then use the Mark As
Completed task to mark the activity as completed.
The dependent activity in the Change Request that was linked to the manual activity in the Release
Record is now automatically marked as completed.
By using this method of adding manual activities to Release Records and linking them to dependent
activities in Change Requests, you can control when changes are deployed in the IT environment. This not
only provides the ability to group and schedule multiple changes for deployment but also allows you to
control when and which changes should be released. Additionally, because each action is recorded on the
History tab of each work item, you have a complete log of when changes were released, including the
date and time of the release. This is particularly useful when you are troubleshooting failed releases.
For more information about how to choose changes to deploy, go to the following website:
How to Choose Changes to Deploy
Configuration workflows for notification when a Release Record is Created

or Updated
When Release Records are created or updated in
Service Manager, you can configure workflows to
either apply a template or send a notification. For
example, when creating a Release Record and
assigning it to a user, you can create a workflow
that automatically sends an email notification to
the user it has been assigned to. When a Release
Records status is updated, such as from Editing to
In Progress, and then to Completed, you can send
a notification to the release manager letting him
or her know that the Release Record has been
completed.
Workflows are configured in the Configuration view of the Workflows node in the Administration pane of
the Service Manager console. The Status view in the Workflows node can also be used to view the status
of configured workflows. Where appropriate, you can also view the workflow log, which shows the
activities and their running status. This can be useful when you are troubleshooting failed or stalled
workflows.
To configure a workflow, you select the relevant workflow name, such as Release Record Event Workflow
Configuration, and then click the Configure Workflow Rules task in the Tasks pane. This opens the
Configure Workflows window, where you add a workflow rule by using the Configure Workflows For
Objects Of Class <Class name, such as Release Record> Wizard. Detailed in the following table is a
description of the wizard pages when the wizard is used to configure a workflow rule for a Release
Record.
Configure Workflows For Objects Of

Description
Class Release Record Wizard page
Workflow Information On the Workflow Information page, you specify a name

for the workflow rule. This will be displayed in the Status
view. You also specify when the rule will be activated by
selecting either When An Object Is Created or When An
Object Is Updated. You also specify an unsealed
management pack in which the rule will be saved and
whether the rule should be created as enabled or
disabled.
Specify Criteria On the Specify Criteria page, you add the criteria and
thresholds that will be used to determine when the
workflow rule is triggered. For example, when a Release
Record is created, you can add criteria such as Assigned
To User and then add properties such as First Name or
Last Name. You then add the names that will be used to
match the properties of the criteria.
Apply Template On the Apply Template page, you can enable the Apply
The Selected Template option and then select a
template that should be applied. Only preconfigured
templates are displayed, so you must create the
template that you want to apply before it can be
selected in the wizard.
Select People To Notify On the Select People To Notify page, you can select the
Configure Workflows For Objects Of

Description
Class Release Record Wizard page
Enable Notification option and then select the user and
the message template to use when sending the
notification. You can choose from the following user
types:
Affected User
Assigned To User
Closed By User
Created By User
Requested By User
You can either select a message template if one has
already been configured for the selected class (such as
Release Record), or you can create a new email
template.
Summary On the Summary page, you can review the settings you
have configured and optionally go back through the
wizard and make any necessary changes before using
the Create button to create the rule.
After the workflow rule has been created, it can be edited and removed from within the Configure
Workflows window that opens when you are using the Configure Workflow Rules task. The status of the
workflow rule, including any related instances and logs, can also be viewed in the Status view from within
the Workflows node.
For more information about how to configure release management workflows for notifications, go to the
following website:
How to Configure Release Management Workflows for Notifications
Demonstration: Reviewing Release Records in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review Release Records in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
2. Use the Create Release Record task to open the Select Template dialog box..
3. Select the Default Release Record template to open the Release Record form.
4. Discuss the various fields on the following tabs:
General
Release Package
Scheduling
Activities
Documentation
Related Items
Results
History
5. Click Cancel and then click Yes to close the Release Record without saving.
Question: You have created a release record, but all of the activities within it are in an On
Hold status. What should you do to start the release record?
Lab: Configuring Change and Release Management

Scenario
In order to train the Service Management team on how to use Change and Release Management in
Service Manager you need to understand how Change Requests are created and how they can be linked
to configuration items such as Windows Computers. You also need to understand how Manual Activities
can be used with Release Records that are linked to dependent activities in Change Requests.
For example, you know that when updates are applied to the StockTrader and DinnerNow application
servers they must first be fully tested in the development environment. The testing procedure should be
documented and logged such that if any Incidents or Problems are raised following an update a full
history of change can be viewed and used to assist in resolving them.
As installing updates on application servers is a common task that is performed at Contoso you need to
configure a Change Request for updates that includes a linked Release Record. Included in the Release
Record are the relevant Build and Environment Configuration Items. The Release Record is then used to
release the update once it has been tested in Development. Additionally, when new Release Records are
created you would like to use a Workflow Notification Rule to automatically send an email notification to
the user that is assigned the Release Record.
Objectives
Create Change Requests for the DinnerNow application server updates and approve the Change
Request.
Create Release Records, link Activities between Change Requests and Release Records and complete
the Release Management Process.
Configure Workflow Rules for notification when Release Records are created.
Lab Setup
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-DW1, LON-EX1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM1
7. In Hyper-V Manager, click LON-EX1, and in the Actions pane, click Start.
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
10. Repeat steps 7 through 9 for LON-DW1.
Exercise 1: Create a Change Request with Review and Dependent Activities

Scenario
In order to train relevant Contoso staff in managing Change Requests you need to create a new Change
Request with relevant Activities such as a Review Activity and a Dependent Activity.
1. Create a change manager user role for Contoso
2. Create a change request to manage a DinnerNow software upgrade
3. Edit the change request to include related items
4. Approve the change request as a change manager
Task 1: Create a change manager user role for Contoso

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View User Roles
2. Use the Create User Role task to create a new Change Manager user role with the following
settings, all other settings should remain as default:
Name: Contoso Change Managers
Users: Contoso_CM
Task 2: Create a change request to manage a DinnerNow software upgrade

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
2. Use the Create Change Request task to create a new Change Request with the following settings (all
Template: DinnerNow Change Requests
Title: Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1
Description: DinnerNow 3.1 must be upgraded to DinnerNow 3.2 on production server LON-
AP1.
Reason: To use latest products and facilities.
Area: Software
3. From the Activities tab add a new Default Dependent Activity with a Title of Apply DinnerNow
Software upgrade to LON-AP1
Task 3: Edit the change request to include related items

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
2. Edit the Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1 Change Request and from the Related Items tab add
the following Configuration Items to the Configuration items, Computers, Services and People
section:
Select Computer from the drop-down list and add: LON-AP1
Select Service from the drop-down list and add: DinnerNow
Select Software items from the drop-down list and add: DinnerNow
Task 4: Approve the change request as a change manager

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Open the console as Contoso\Contoso_CM
Pane Work Items\Activity Management\Review Activities
View All Activities
2. Edit the Approve Change Activity and use the Approve All button to approve the change. Add a
comment of Approved by Change Manager
3. Refresh the All Activities view until the Status changes to Completed.
4. Close the Service Manager console that is running under the Contoso_CM account
5. In the Service Manager console running under the Administrator account edit the Upgrade
DinnerNow on LON-AP1 Change Request and confirm the Approve Change Activity has completed
and the Apply DinnerNow Software upgrade to LON-AP1 Activity is in progress.
Results: After this exercise you should have created a new Change Request that includes a Review Activity
and a Dependent Activity. You should have also added relevant Configuration Items that the Change
Request will affect. You should then have opened the Service Manager console as a Change Manager and
approved the Change Request.
Exercise 2: Create a Release Record to manage changes

Scenario
You must now create a Release Record that will be used to control when the change is implemented in
the Contoso environment. You must also create the relevant Build and Environment Configuration Items
and add then to the Release Record.
1. Create the software update configuration item
2. Create a build for the software update
3. Create the production environment
4. Create the release record
5. Run the release record and complete the change
Task 1: Create the software update configuration item

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Configuration Items\Software Updates
View All Software Updates
2. Use the Create Software Update task to create a new software update with the following settings
Display Name: DinnerNow Software Update
Asset Status: Purchased
Vendor: Microsoft
Title: DinnerNow
Task 2: Create a build for the software update

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Configuration Items\Builds
View All Build

2. Use the Create Build task to create a new build with the following settings (all other settings should
Display Name: DinnerNow Software Update
Title: DinnerNow
Version: 3.2
Category: Software
3. From the Related Items tab, click Add in the Configuration Items: Computers, Services and
People section then change the drop-down list to Software Updates and add the DinnerNow
Software Update.
Task 3: Create the production environment

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Configuration Items\Environments
View All Environments
2. Use the Create Environment task to create a new environment with the following settings (all other
settings should remain the default settings):
Display Name: Production
Title: Production Environment
Category: Production
3. From the Related Items tab, add the LON-AP1 computer to the Configuration Items: Computers,
Services and People section.
Task 4: Create the release record

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1

Title: Release DinnerNow Software Update to Production
Description: DinnerNow Software Update must be released to the production environment
Type: Planned
Category: Project
Assigned To: Administrator
Impact: Standard
Risk: Medium
Priority: High
3. On the Release Package tab, click Add next to Configuration items to Modify then change the
drop-down list to Environment add the Production Environment. Change the drop-down list to
Build and add the DinnerNow Software Update.
4. On the Scheduling tab, set the Required by date to today.
5. On the Activities tab, add a default manual activity and set the Title to Deploy DinnerNow
Software Update to Production
6. Click OK to save the manual activity
7. Right-click the Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production Activity and use the Link to
Change Request Activity option to link the Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production
manual activity to the Apply DinnerNow Software Update to LON-AP1 dependent activity from the
Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1 Change Request
Task 5: Run the release record and complete the change

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Activity Management\Manual Activities
View All Activities
2. Confirm the Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production Manual Activity is displayed with
a Status of On-Hold
3. Navigate to Release Management\Release Records: All, select the Release DinnerNow Software
Update to Production Release Record and then from the Tasks pane click Run. Add a comment of
Release to Production
4. From Activity Management\Manual Activities\All Activities Use the Mark as Completed task on
the Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production Manual Activity and add a comment of
DinnerNow Software update deployed successfully
5. Confirm the Status of the Release DinnerNow Software Update to Production Release Record has now
changed to Completed
6. Confirm the Status for the Update DinnerNow on LON-AP1 Change Request has now changed to
Completed
Results: After this exercise you should have create the Build and Environment Configuration Items that
will be added to a Release Record. You should have then created a Release Record and added the relevant
Configuration Items to it. You should then have added the relevant Activities to the Release Record that
will be used to control when the Change Request is implemented.
Exercise 3: Configuring a Release Record Workflow Rule for Notification

Scenario
In order for release managers to be notified when a release record has been assigned to them, you must
configure a release record workflow rule. This will be used with a notification template to automatically
send an email message to the user who has been assigned a release record.
1. Create a new release record workflow rule
2. Test the release record event workflow
Task 1: Create a new release record workflow rule

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Configuration
2. Select the Release Record Event Workflow Configuration workflow, and then use the Configure
Workflow Rules task to create a new workflow rule with the following settings (all other settings
Name: Notify when Release Record is Assigned
Check for events: When an object is created
3. On the Select People to Notify page: Select Enable notification, and then use the Create E-Mail
Template link to create a new notification template with the following settings:
Notification template name: Notify when Release Record is Created
Targeted Class: Release Record
Message subject box: enter Release Record <> has been assigned to you
Click inside the <> and use the Insert button to add the ID property.
Message Body: Use the Insert button to add the Display Name property.
Under User section select: Assigned to User
Message Template: Click Add to add the Notify when Release Record is Created
Task 2: Test the release record event workflow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Title: Release Software to Production
Assigned To: Contoso_RM
3. Open Outlook 2010 by using the Contoso_RM profile, and log on by using Contoso\Contoso_RM.
4. Open the new email message and view the subject and message body to confirm that details of the
new release record have been included.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a new release record workflow rule that sends an
email notification to the Assigned To user when a new release record is created. You should have also
tested the release record workflow rule by creating a new release record and assigning it to Contoso_RM.
When you open Outlook as Contoso_RM, you should have received a new email message notifying you
that the release record was assigned to you. The email message should have included the ID and title of
the release record.
Question:
You have created a change request by using the Emergency Change Request template. You
do not need to wait for approval for the change, but the change request will not proceed
past the review activity. What can you do?
Question:
An activity in a change request has been marked as failed. You need to determine the cause
of the failure and who marked the activity as failed. What should you do?

Common Issues and Troubleshooting Tips
Common Issue Troubleshooting Tip
Review Question(s)
Question:
Your release manager has asked that she be notified via email whenever a release record is
completed. How can you configure this in Service Manager?

In scenarios in which the default change request form needs to be customized to meet an organizations
corporate standards, you can edit the ServiceManager.ChangeManagement.Library.mp Management Pack
by using the authoring tool to rearrange fields that are used in the form and, if required, include a
company logo. For more information about customizing the default change request form, go to the
following website: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=390293
8-1
Module 8
Configuring and Managing the Service Catalog
Contents:
Module Overview 8-1
Lesson 1: The Service Catalog, Request Offerings and Service Offerings 8-2
Lesson 2: Managing Service Requests and Catalog Groups 8-9
Lesson 3: The Self-Service Portal 8-13
Lab: Configuring Service Requests 8-18
Module Overview
Service Request fulfillment is a key function in the Service Management framework. By providing Service
Request fulfillment you can align your IT and business strategy and ensure that you deliver business value
with IT services. Service Manager provides Service Request fulfillment by using best practice
methodologies from both Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) 4.0 and Information Technology
Infrastructure Library (ITIL) V3. This includes the following:
Recording, tracking, and processing Service Requests
Service Request fulfillment workflow automation
Ability to identify and map existing business services
Ability to track costs and provide SLA information
Time-To-Resolution tracking with SLA integration
In this module you will learn all aspects of Service Request fulfillment within Service Manager with the
exception of Service Level Management which is covered in module 10.
Objectives
Describe the Service Catalog, Request Offerings and Service Offerings.
Manage Service Requests and Catalog Groups.
Use the Self-Service Portal.
8-2 Configuring and Managing the Service Catalog
Lesson 1
The Service Catalog, Request Offerings and Service
Offerings
Before configuring and managing Service Requests in Service Manager it is important you understand
what the Service Catalog is and how it is used to provide catalog items to end-users of the Self-Service
Portal. As part of managing the Service Catalog you must understand how to create Request Offerings
and Service Offerings. This includes publishing the offerings so that end-users can request them in the
When creating Request Offerings you should also understand how to configure the user prompts that will
be used to capture information from end-users when requesting a service. This also includes mapping the
prompts to properties or assigning them to a relationship within Service Manager.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the Service Manager Service Catalog.
Create a Request Offering.
Create a Service Offering.
Overview of the Service Catalog

The Service Manager Service Catalog is used to
create and manage catalog items that will be
made available to end users of the Service
Manager Self-Service Portal. Catalog items can be
in the form of a request offering or a service
offering. For example, when Service Manager is
first installed, there is a default request offering
named Generic Incident Request.
The Generic Incident Request (when published) is
used by end users in the Self-Service Portal to raise
an incident in Service Manager. When the user
selects the request offering in the Self-Service
Portal, the user is prompted with a number of questions that will be used to complete the incident form.
This includes questions such as the title for the issue and the symptoms of the issue. After completing and
submitting the request, the incident is automatically created in the Incident Management node of the
Service Manager console. The end user is given the incident request number for the incident so they can
reference it when contacting the helpdesk if necessary.
As analysts work on the incident, they can update the Action log in the incident form with comments that
can be made available to the end user in the Self-Service Portal. Similarly, the end user can add additional
comments, upload file attachments, and update the Action log from the Self-Service Portal.
A service offering is a logical group of request offerings and is used to categorize request offerings. For
example, a service offering named Data Services might include two request offerings. A Data Backup
request offering and a Data Restore request offering. As with request offerings, service offerings must be
published before they are made available in the Self-Service Portal. By default, all new request and service
offerings that are created are created with a status of Draft. This means they will not be shown in the Self
Service Portal. In addition, service offerings must contain at least one published request offering before it
will be visible in the Self-Service Portal
The Generic Incident Request is a good example of how the service catalog is used in Service Manager.
However, by configuring your own request offerings, you can provide any number of services to end
users, which could include services such as resetting passwords, requesting access to network resources, or
automating the provision of a new mailbox.
For more information about using the service catalog in Service Manager, go to the following website:
Using the Service Catalog in System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Creating Request Offerings

Request offerings are created from the Request
Offerings folder of the Service Catalog node in the
Library pane of the Service Manager console.
Before creating a request offering, however, you
typically create a service request template. This will
be used to base your request offering on. As an
example, consider the following scenario:
You need to create a request offering that end
users in the Self-Service Portal can use to request
access to Active Directory groups. To facilitate this,
you first create a service request template that will
be used when creating the request offering. To
create the service request template, you perform the following tasks:
1. From the Templates node in the Library pane, you select the Create Template task.
2. You name the template Access to Active Directory Groups, and select the Service Request class.
3. In the Service Request Template form, you configure the Title field and other fields, such as the
Urgency, Priority, and Source.
4. From the Activities tab, you add a review activity named Approve Access to Active Directory
Groups, and add the relevant reviewers.
5. You add a manual activity named Add User to Active Directory Groups, and configure relevant
fields such as Activity Implementer.
6. After you save the service request template, it will become available when a new request offering is
created.
You then create a new request offering by using the Create Request Offering task that becomes available
when selecting the Request Offerings folder in the Service Catalog node of the Library pane. When you
use the Create Request Offering task, a Create Request Offering wizard is used to configure the request
offering. Detailed in the following table are the pages of the Request Offering wizard when used to create
a request offering that will be used by end users to request access to Active Directory groups:
Create Request Offering

Description
Wizard page

Description
Wizard page
General On the General page, you specify the title of the request offering such as
Request Access to Active Directory Groups. You can optionally add a
description, which will be shown on the Request Offering page in the
Self-Service Portal. You also select the template that will be used by the
request offering such as the Access to Active Directory Groups Service
Request template that was created in this scenario. You can select a
template from either the incident or service request classes. You can
optionally add an image that will be shown in the Self-Service Portal for
this request. Finally, you can select an unsealed Management Pack that
will be used to store the request offering.
User Prompts On the User Prompts page, you add the prompts (or questions) that end
users will answer when using the request offering in the Self-Service
Portal. When you add a prompt, three fields must be configured:
User Prompts or Information: In this field, you type the prompt that the
end user will see. For example, Select the list of Active Directory groups
that you require access to.
Response Type: In this field, you select the response that is expected
from the end user such as Required, Optional, or Display Only.
Prompt Type: In this field, you select the type of prompt that will be
configured when you use the request offering in the Self Service Portal.
For example a Text prompt type will allow the end user to enter text in
the prompt. A Query Results prompt type will allow the end user to select
objects from a returned query such as Active Directory Groups. Other
prompt types include Simple List, True/False, File Attachment, and
Integer. You can also add instruction to the request offering in the Form
Instruction section on this page. This could include details of how to
complete the request offering.
In the scenario where a request offering is being created that end users
will use to request access to Active Directory Groups, two user prompts
would be added. One that is set to a Query Results prompt type named
Select the list of Active Directory groups that you require access to
and another that is set to a Text prompt type named Enter your
justification for access to the groups.
Configure Prompts On the Configure Prompts page, you use the Configure button to
constrain valid inputs that end users can select or add to the user
prompts that were added on the User Prompt page. The constraints that
are configured here are related to the prompt type that was configured
on the User Prompts page. For example, if you are configuring the
constraints for a Text prompt type, then you can apply content
constraints such as limiting the string length or allowing any string for
example. If you are configuring the constraints for a Query Results
prompt type, then a Configure Query Results window opens where the
following constraints can be applied:
Select Class: Here you select the type of object that is displayed in the
query results such as Active Directory Group.
Configure Criteria: Here you can optionally add criteria that will be used
to filter the objects that are returned to the end user. For example, when
you select the Active Directory Group class, you can then add criteria
such as Domain and then filter the Domains in which the Active Directory
groups will be displayed from.
Display Columns: Here you add the columns that will be displayed in the
Self-Service Portal for the selected class. For example, the Display Name.
Options: Here you can optionally select additional behaviors that can be

Description
Wizard page
applied to the Query Results control, such as Allow The User To Select
Multiple Objects or Add User-selected Objects To Template Object As
Affected Configuration Items. This last option is useful because any
objects that the end user selects in the Self-Service Portal such as Active
Directory groups will then be added to the service request as affected
Map Prompts On the Map Prompts page, you map any relevant prompts to properties
of the activities that are contained within the service request template.
For example, in the service request template that was created as part of
this scenario, a review activity was added. Here you can map the Enter
Your Justification For Access To The Groups user prompt to the
Description property in the review activity. This is useful because when
you are fulfilling the service request, you can then see any fields that have
been populated by the end user, which, in this case help justify the
Service Request. In general, except for a prompt that has been configured
as a Query Results prompt, all prompts are mapped at least once to a
field in the service request or a related activity. Other factors to consider
when mapping prompts include:
When mapping special prompt types such as Boolean or Date, the
prompt must be mapped to a compatible field in the service request or
related activity.
You can also map the Token of the user who is creating the service
request.
Knowledge Articles On the Knowledge Articles page, you can add any relevant knowledge
articles that should be associated with the request offering.
Publish On the Publish page, you set the offering status of the request offering.
The default setting is Draft. To make the request offering available in the
Self-Service Portal, the offering status should be set to Published. You can
optionally add internal notes relating to the request offering and set the
offering owner such as the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) user
or group.
After the request offering has been created and published, end users can select it from the Self-Service
Portal. This is assuming that the end user is a member of a Service Manager user role that has been
configured with access to the request offering via a configured catalog item group. Catalog item groups
are discussed later in this module.
Request offerings can also be viewed, edited, and deleted in the Service Manager console by using the
views that are available under the Request Offerings folder in the Service Catalog node of the Library
pane. For example, the All Request Offerings view displays all requests offerings regardless of their
offering status. The Draft Request Offerings view displays only request offerings with an offering status of
Draft and the Published Request Offerings view displays request offerings with an offering status of
Published.
When you select a request offering in any of these views, three other tasks become available, as described
in the following paragraphs.
Create a Copy
This task can be used to create a copy of the selected request offering. This is useful if you need to create
a new request offering that is similar to an existing one because you do not need to create a new request
offering from scratch. When you create a copy, you can also create a copy of the service request template
that the request offering uses. After the copy is created, its offering status is set to Draft.
Publish/Unpublish
You can publish or unpublish the selected request offering by using either the Publish or Unpublish task.
For more information about how to create a request offering, go to the following website:
How to Create a Request Offering
Creating Service Offerings

Service offerings are used to group multiple
request offerings in the Self-Service Portal. For
example, in the previous scenario, a request
offering was created that end users used to
request access to Active Directory groups. A
second request offering could be created that is
used to request an Active Directory user account
password reset. Because both request offerings are
related to AD DS, a service offering can be created
named Active Directory Services. Both request
offerings can then be added to the service
offering, which can then be published to the Self-
Service Portal.
By default, when request offerings are published to the Self-Service Portal, they do not appear on the
Home page. To view published request offerings, you must select the List View option.
When a service offering is published to the Self-Service Portal, however, it is available from the Home
page (when it contains at least one published request offering). End users select the service offering,
which then displays any request offerings that have been added to it. Only published request offerings
that have been added to a service offering will be displayed in the Self-Service Portal.
To create a service offering, you select the Create Service Offering task that becomes available when
selecting the Service Offerings folder in the Service Catalog node in the Library pane of the Service
Manager console. This opens the Create Service Offering wizard. Detailed in the following table are the
pages of the Create Service Offering wizard, including a description of each page:
Create Service Offering page Description
General On the General page, you specify the title of the service
offering, such as Active Directory Services. You also
specify the category of the request offerings that will be
included in the service request such as Active Directory.
The category is displayed on the Home page of the Self-
Service Portal. You can add additional categories that are
made available here by editing the Service Offering
Category list from the Lists node in the Library pane. You
can also add an overview that will be displayed on the
Home page of the Self-Service Portals and a Description
that will be displayed on the Service Offering page.
Detailed Information On the Detailed Information page, you can add details of
the service level agreement (SLA) for the service offering.
This could include the time that the service offering will
take to complete. You can also add a URL link for
Create Service Offering page Description

additional information that could be used to direct end
users to a web or Microsoft SharePoint page. Cost
information can also be added here, including a URL link
where end users can go for further information.
Related Services If the service offering is related to an existing business

service in Service Manager, then the service can be added
here.
Knowledge Articles On the Knowledge Articles page, you can add any
relevant knowledge articles that should be associated
with the service offering.
Request Offering On the Request Offering page, you add any related
request offerings that should be included in the service
offering. You must include at least one published request
offering on this page to make the service offering
available in the Self-Service Portal.
Publish On the Publish page, you set the offering status of the
service offering. The default setting is Draft. To make the
service offering available in the Self-Service Portal, the
offering status should be set to Published. You can
optionally add internal notes relating to the request
offering and set the offering owner, such as an AD DS
user or group
After the service offering has been created and published, it will be made available in the Self-Service
Portal to users who are a member of a Service Manager user role that has access to the service offering.
Service offerings can be viewed, edited, and deleted from any of the views under the Service Offerings
folder in the Service Catalog node in the Library pane. Views include All Service Offerings, Draft Service
Offerings, and Published Service Offerings.
As with request offerings, service offerings can also be copied by using the Create A Copy task. You can
also use the Publish and Unpublish tasks on a selected service offering.
For more information about how to create a service offering, go to the following website:
How to Create a Service Offering
Demonstration: Reviewing Request Offerings In Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review Request Offerings in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library\Service Catalog\Request Offerings
View All Request Offerings
2. Review the various Request Offerings in the details pane and then edit the Generic Incident
Request.
3. Discuss the various options on the following page of the Edit Request Offering window that opens:
General
User Prompts
Configure Prompts
Map Prompts
Knowledge Articles
Publish
History
Question: You need to group a number of request offerings in the Self-Service Portal. What
can you do to facilitate this?
Lesson 2
Managing Service Requests and Catalog Groups
When request offerings have been submitted by end users in the Self-Service Portal, it is important that
you understand how they are managed in the Service Manager console. This includes editing the service
requests and viewing relevant details that have been recorded by the end user when submitting the
request.
For example, in the previous scenario where an end user requests that his user account is added to an
Active Directory group, you need to know which Active Directory user account should be added to which
Active Directory groups. Additionally, you might need to add, remove, or edit existing activities such as a
review activity within the service request in order for the request to be completed successfully.
It is also important that you understand how access to service offerings and request offerings is
configured by using catalog groups and user roles.
Lesson Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to customize the Self-Service Portal in the following
ways:
Edit and complete service requests in the Service Manager console.
Control access to service and request offerings with catalog groups.
Editing and Completing Service Requests

When a request offering using an incident
template is submitted in the Self-Service Portal, an
incident is automatically created in the All Open
Incidents view in the Incident Management node
of the Work Items pane in the Service Manager
console. From here, analysts can work on and
update the incident as required.
Similarly, when a request offering that uses a
service request template has been submitted in
the Self-Service Portal, a service request is
automatically created in the All Open Service
Requests view in the Service Request Fulfillment
node of the Work Items pane in the Service Manager console.
Service requests can also be created from this view by using the Create Service Request and Create Service
Request From Template tasks. When you use the Create Service Request task, you select an existing
request offering to base the service request on before editing the service request and completing the
necessary fields. When you use the Create Service Request From Template task, you must select an
existing service request template that will be used to base the service request on. These two tasks are
useful when you need to create a service request for an existing request offering or service request
template that includes common settings that can be used more than once. For example, you might create
a service request template that includes default activities such a review activity. The service request
template can be used when creating a request offering in the service catalog or when creating a service
request by using the Create Service Request From Template task.
Irrespective of whether the service request was created via the Self-Service Portal or directly in the Service
Manager console, service requests are managed in the Service Request Fulfillment node.
To edit an existing service request, you select a service request from one of the views under the Service
Request Fulfillment node, and then use the Edit task to open the service request form.
Detailed in the following table are the tabs of a service request form, including a description of some of
the common fields and sections that are used when completing a service request.
Service Request form tab Description
General On the General tab, you specify the title and description of the service
request. If the service request was created as part of a request
offering that was submitted in the Self-Service Portal, then these
fields are typically already populated. Additionally, the Affected User
field is typically populated with the end user who submitted the
request offering in the Self-Service Portal. Other fields that are
populated here include Urgency, Priority, Source, Area, and Support
Group. All can be populated by the end user in the Self-Service Portal
by configuring the user prompts appropriately when creating the
request offering. The User Input section on the General page shows
any input that the user has selected when submitting the request in
the Self-Service Portal.
Activities On the Activities tab, you can edit, add, or remove activities that form
the service request. Fields within each activity can also be populated
by the end user when submitting a request by configuring the user
prompts in the request offering appropriately. For example, in the
scenario discussed earlier where an end user submits a request to add
her user account to an Active Directory group, the Enter Your
Justification For Access To The Groups user prompt was configured to
map to the Description field of the review activity. When editing the
review activity in the service request form, you can then see the end
users justification for requesting this service.
Results On the Results tab, you select the implementation results of the
service request such as Successfully Implemented, Failed, or Rejected.
You can also add implementation notes that can be used to
troubleshoot failed service requests for example.
Related Items On the Related Items tab, you can add any related configuration
items such as Computers, Services, and People. You can also add
related work items such as Incidents or Problems. Finally, you can add
affected configuration items. This is useful because you can enable
the Add User-selected Objects To Template Object As Affected
Configuration Items option as mentioned earlier when configuring
the request offering. In the scenario mentioned earlier, this enabled
Active Directory groups selected in the Self-Service Portal to be
added as affected configuration items in the service request form.
Service Level On the Service Level tab, the status of any relevant service levels for
the service request is displayed. This will be covered in detail in
Module 10.
History On the History tab, a complete record of changes that have been
applied to the service request is displayed. As with all other work
items, you can view each change that was made, including the old
and new values. The user who made the change is also recorded,
including when the change was made.
By default, whenever a service request is created in Service Manager, its status is set to In Progress. You
can use the Put On Hold task to pause an in progress-service request. This is useful when you need to
pause any activities in the service request. The Resume task can be used to resume an on-hold service
request. Other tasks that are available for service requests include Cancel, Complete, and Close.
Other views that are used when managing service requests in the Service Request Fulfillment node of the
Work Items pane include:
Assigned to Me: Service requests that have been assigned to the current user of the Service Manager
console
Cancelled Service Requests: Service requests that have been canceled
Closed Service Requests: Service requests that have been closed
Completed Service Requests: Service requests that have been completed
Failed Service Requests: Service requests that have failed
Service Requests with Service Level Breached: Covered in Module 10
Service Requests with Service Level Warning: covered in Module 10
For more information about how to edit a service offering or a request offering, go to the following
website:
How to Edit a Service Offering or a Request Offering
Controlling Access to Service and Request Offerings with Catalog Groups

After you create service offerings and request
offerings in Service Manager, it is important that
only the end users for which they were created
have access to them in the Self-Service Portal. To
facilitate this, you can use catalog groups (also
called catalog item groups).
A catalog group is a grouping of catalog items
such as request offerings and service offerings that
have been created in the service catalog. By
creating a catalog group, you can include specific
catalog items that should be made available to
end users in the Self-Service Portal. After creating
the catalog group, you then add it to a user role. It is a combination of user role and catalog group that
determines which service and request offerings are available in the Self-Service Portal. Using catalog
groups, you effectively secure access to the service catalog,
To create a catalog group, you use the Create Catalog Group task that is available when selecting the
Groups node from within the Library pane of the Service Manager console. When you use this task, a
Create Catalog Items Group wizard is opened. Detailed in the following table are the pages of the Create
Catalog Items Group wizard, including a description of the settings on each page:
Create Catalog Items Group

Description
wizard page
General On the General page, you add a group name that will be
used to identify the group in the Service Manager console.
You can also add a group description. You can also select a
relevant unsealed Management Pack in which the group
should be stored or create a new Management Pack.
Included Members On the Included Members page, you add the specific
catalog items such as request offerings and service offerings
that will be included in the group.
Dynamic Members On the Dynamic Members page, you can specify a class and
criteria that will be used to query the service catalog and
dynamically populate the group. This is useful because you
can build a query that includes catalog items that have not
necessarily been created yet. For example, you can add the
request offering class and then add criteria properties such
as Display Name. You can then configure the criteria so that
it matches specific request offerings that use a naming
context in the display name by configuring the criteria with
a starts with identifier.
Subgroups On the Subgroups page, you can add any existing catalog
group that will be included as part of the group you are
creating.
Excluded Members On the Excluded Members page you can optionally choose
catalog items that should be excluded from the group. This
is useful when you have configured dynamic members or
added subgroups to the group you are creating because
there could be specific catalog items that should not be
included.
After the catalog group has been created, it can be viewed, edited, and deleted from the Groups node in
the Library pane. When selecting a catalog group in this view, you can use the View Group Members task
to view the catalog items that are included as members of the group. This is useful when you want to
confirm that the criteria you have configured for dynamic members of a group have been configured
correctly.
To control access to the configured catalog group, you then add it to a Service Manager user role. For
example, the end-user user role is typically used to grant access to catalog items in the Self-Service Portal.
When creating an end-user user role, on the Catalog Item Groups page of the Create User Role wizard,
you select the Provide Access To Only The Selected Groups option and then select the catalog groups that
the user role should have access to. Then, on the Users page, you add the Active Directory users that
should be associated with the user role.
When members of the end-user user role log in to the Self-Service Portal, they can only see the catalog
items that were added to the Catalog group, which was added to the end-user user role.
For more information about how to create a catalog item group, go to the following website:
How to Create a Catalog Item Group
Question: What is the default state that a service request is in when it is first created?
Lesson 3
The Self-Service Portal

The Self-Service Portal provides web-based access to features of Service Manager by using a SharePoint
website and a web content server. By creating and publishing request and service offerings to the Self-
Service Portal, end users can submit requests for services, update service requests, and monitor the status
of submitted service requests.
It is important that you understand how the Self-Service Portal is used to submit service requests and how
they can be updated by both the end user and the Service Manager console user. Additionally, you should
understand how activities can be worked in the Self-Service Portal.
As discussed in the previous topic, access to catalog items such as service offerings and request offerings
in the Self-Service Portal is controlled via Service Manager user roles and catalog groups. You should
understand how to configure user authentication for the SharePoint site that the Self-Service Portal uses
and how to grant permissions in order to secure access to it.
Finally, you should also understand how to secure the Self-Service Portal by using a Secure Sockets Layer
(SSL) certificate.
Lesson Objectives
Describe how to use the Self-Service Portal.
Describe how to configure user authentication and permissions for the SharePoint Site.
Describe how to secure the SharePoint Site with an SSL Certificate.
Using the Self-Service Portal

Depending on your role within your organization,
the Self-Service Portal can be used by both end
users and Service Manager users such as incident
resolvers or change initiators. When you open the
Self-Service Portal, four main pages are available,
as described in the following paragraphs.
Home Page
On the Home page, a list of published service
offerings are displayed, which are categorized
based on the selected category when the service
offering was created. When you click a service
offering, the page updates to show any contained
request offerings, which can then be selected, configured, and submitted. By default, the Home page is
displayed in Category view, meaning only service offerings are displayed. You can, however, change the
view by clicking List View. This is useful because you can then search for IT requests by using the Filter
Requests By Keyword box that appears. When you use the List view, all request offerings that you have
access to are displayed and can be selected, configured, and submitted. This is useful when a request
offering has been published but is not part of a service offering because request offerings are not
displayed in Category view.
In both the Category view and List view, you can also use the Create A Request Feature To Submit A
Generic Incident request. This can be useful for end users who need to request a service that there is
currently not a request offering available for.
Help Articles
On the Help Articles page, you can use the Search For Help Articles feature to view published knowledge
articles that have been created in the Service Manager console. This can be useful for end users who want
to troubleshoot a particular issue before raising an incident. For example, there might be a knowledge
article relating to a specific error code that an application generates. The knowledge article might include
details of how to fix the issue. The end user can search for the knowledge article and then resolve the
issue themselves, which removes the need to create a new incident.
My Requests
On the My Requests page, you can view the status and ID of any submitted service request or incident.
For example, after submitting an incident request, it can be selected on this page, which then displays the
status, such as Active; the description; Request activities; and the Request action log. As analysts work on
the incident in the Service Manager console, they can add comments to the Action Log section, which can
then be made available in the My Requests page of the Self-Service Portal. This is useful because end
users can be updated with information when analysts are working on their incident. Additionally, the end
user can include comments in the Action log by adding text in the User Input box. This is then added to
the Action log of the incident in the Service Manager console so the analyst can review it. End users can
also upload file attachments to the request such as a log file.
My Activities
On the My Activities page, any activities that have been assigned to you are displayed. The ID and status
of the activity is displayed, including a link to the parent work item, where you can view the status and ID
of the work item in which the Activity resides. Depending on the type of activity, you can also perform
actions such as mark an activity as complete or approve or reject an activity.
Submitting a Service Request

When selecting a request offering to submit, you are first shown a page that displays any related help
articles and any related service offerings. This can be useful when there are known resolutions to incidents,
for example, because the relevant knowledge article can be made available on this page before the end
user submits the request. The Go To Request link is then used to open the request offering in which the
relevant user prompts that were configured in the request offering are displayed. You complete all
relevant user prompts and then click Submit to submit the request. After you submit a request, the page
changes to show confirmation that the request was submitted. The ID of the request is also displayed. You
can then choose the Back To Home link to go back to the Home page or the View My Requests link to go
to the My Requests page.
For more information about Self-Service Portal for System Center 2012 Service Manager, go to the
following website:
Configuring User Authentication and Permissions for the SharePoint Site

In scenarios where multiple users use the same
computer to access the Self-Service Portal such as
when a computer is logged in with a dedicated
user account, you should configure User
Authentication so that each user can open the
Self-Service Portal and log in with their user
credentials. This is important because when
submitting service requests, the user account of
the signed-in user is used as the affected user for
work items such as incidents.
Configuring User authentication for the

SharePoint Site
To configure user authentication for the SharePoint site, you should perform the following tasks:
1. Log on to the computer that will be used to open the Self-Service Portal as a user that will be using
the Self-Service Portal, and then open the Self-Service Portal.
2. Add the SharePoint site server to the Trusted Sites on the Security tab in the Internet Options dialog
box.
3. Choose Custom Level for Trusted Sites, and then under User Authentication, select Prompt For User
Name And Password, and then close Internet Explorer.
After performing these steps, whenever the Self-Service Portal is opened, you will be prompted for the
user name and password. When you finish with the Self-Service Portal, you should then use the Sign Out
option from the Home page.
Configuring Permissions for the SharePoint Site

To configure permissions to the SharePoint site, you can use the following procedure:
1. Log on to the computer that hosts the SharePoint site as a user that has administrative permissions.
2. Open Internet Explorer, and browse to the SharePoint site
http://localhost:<port>/_layouts/settings.aspx.
3. From Site Actions, click Site Permissions, and then click Grant Permissions.
4. Add the user and groups to which you want to configure permissions for, and then set the required
permissions, such as Read.
For more information about how to configure user authentication for the SharePoint site, go to the
following website:
How to Configure User Authentication for the SharePoint Site
For more information about how to grant permissions on the SharePoint site, go to the following website:
How to Grant Permissions on the SharePoint Site
Securing the Self-Service Portal with an SSL Certificate

Microsoft strongly recommends using SSL
certificates with the Service Manager Self-Service
Portal. This secures sensitive data between the
client computers that are used to connect to the
Self-Service Portal and the Self-Service Portal
computer or computers.
Because the Self-Service Portal consists of two
parts (the SharePoint website and a web content
server), an SSL certificate should be used for both
parts. In environments where the SharePoint
website and a web content server are both
deployed on a single computer, then a single
certificate can be used. Typically, in production environments where the SharePoint website and a web
content server are deployed on separate computers, then a certificate is required for each computer.
During the installation of the Self-Service Portal, you are prompted for the certificate that should be used
to secure communications. Before selecting the relevant certificate, you should keep the following in
mind:
The certificate that is used for the Self-Service Portal must be issued from a certification authority (CA)
that is trusted by the client.
The name on the certificate for the SharePoint website server must match the URL that is typed in the
browser when clients access the Self-Service Portal. For example, if the Self-Service Portal is accessed
by browsing to https://LON-AP1/SMPortal, then the certificate must be issued to LON-AP1. If, for
example, the certificate was issued to LON-AP1.contoso.com, then a certificate mismatch error will
occur when attempting to access the Self-Service Portal.
The name on the certificate used for the web content server must match the name that was entered
when the SharePoint website server was deployed.
To understand where certificate issues can occur, you should first understand the data communication
flow when clients access the Self-Service Portal. When a client first connects to the Self-Service Portal, they
connect to the SharePoint website server. From here, the SharePoint website server downloads Microsoft
Silverlight components from the web content server. The Silverlight components then connect to the
Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) on the web content server. The web content server URL is
defined when the SharePoint website is deployed, and it is this web content server URL that is delivered to
the client when they access the Self-Service Portal.
This is important because if a certificate mismatch occurs when the client first connects to the Self-Service
Portal, then the option of continuing with the connection is available. However, if there is a certificate
mismatch when the client computer attempts to download the Silverlight components from the web
content server, this option is not available and the Self-Service Portal will be returned blank.
If required, you can change the certificate that is used by the web content server by performing the
following tasks:
1. Log on to the computer that hosts the web content server by using an account that has
administrative privileges.
2. Open Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
3. Select the SCSMWebContentServer website, and then from the Actions pane, click Edit Bindings.
4. In Site Bindings, edit the port that is used for the web content server, and then select the certificate
that it should use.
Note: SCSMWebContentServer is the default name that is configured when installing the
For more information about SSL certificates for the Self-Service Portal, go to the following website:
SSL Certificates for the Self-Service Portal
Demonstration: Raising Incidents using the Self-Service Portal

In this demonstration, you will see how to raise an incident by Using the Self-Service Portal.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Tool Internet Explorer\Self-Service Portal
Link Create a Request
2. Use the Create a Request link to raise a new incident that uses the following settings:
Please enter the title for the issue: Demo
Please describe the symptoms of the issue in detail: Error message states Database not found is
displayed
Submit the request
3. View the incident in the All Open Incidents view in the Work Items pane of the Service Manager
console.
Question: What are the four default pages in the Self-Service Portal?
Lab: Configuring Service Requests

Scenario
You have been asked to create a Request Offering for Contoso that manages the process of adding user
accounts to Active Directory Groups. The Request Offering should include a Review Activity that is used to
approve or reject the Request. In addition the StockTrader support team has requested a Request Offering
that will be used to provision access to the StockTrader application. The Request Offering should include a
Review Activity that will be used to approve or reject the request.
Objectives
Create and publish the Contoso Service and Request Offering.
Test the Service and Request Offering.
Create and publish the StockTrader Service and Request Offering.
Test the Service and Request Offering.
Lab Setup
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-DW1, LON-AP1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM1
7. In Hyper-V Manager, click LON-AP1, and in the Actions pane, click Start.
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
Exercise 1: Create the Contoso Request Offering

Scenario
In order to provide users in Contoso with the ability to request services via a web browser, you need to
understand how to configure request offerings in Service Manager. Configured request offerings can then
be published to the Self-Service Portal, which end users can then access via a web browser.
1. Create a service request template
2. Create and publish a request offering
3. Create and publish a service offering
Task 1: Create a service request template

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Templates
2. Use the Create Template task to create a new service request template with the following properties:
Name: Template to Request Access to Active Directory Groups
Class: Service Request
Title: Request Access to Active Directory groups
Urgency: Medium
Priority: Medium
Source: Portal
Assigned to: Administrator
3. Activity: Default Review Activity:
Name: Approve Access to Active Directory Groups
Reviewer: Administrator
4. Activity: Default Manual Activity:
Name: Add User to Active Directory Groups
Activity Implementer: Administrator
Task 2: Create and publish a request offering

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library\Service Catalog
View Request Offerings\All Request Offerings
2. Use the Create Request Offering task to create a new request offering with the following settings:
Title: Request Access to Active Directory groups
Description: Use this Service Request to request access to Active Directory groups
Template: Click Select Template and then select Template to request access to Active Directory
groups
Form Instructions: Select the Active Directory groups that you require membership to, and then
provide justification for your request
Enter prompts or information text section: Select Active Directory groups
Response Type: Required
Prompt Type: Query Results
3. Add a second prompt:
Enter Prompts or information text section: Provide justification for your request
Prompt Type: Text
4. Configure prompts:
5. Click Select Active Directory Groups and then click Configure:
Select a Class: All basic classes
Name: Active Directory group
Display columns: Under Object, select Display Name
Options: Enable Allow the user to select multiple objects and Add user-selected objects to
template object as affected configuration items
Configure the menus to select Add User to Active Directory groups (Manual Activity)
6. Map prompts:
Select Approve Access to Active Directory groups (Review Activity) and set the Prompt Output
value for Description to 2. Provide justification for your request:String
7. Publish:
Offering status: Published
Offering Owner: Administrator
Task 3: Create and publish a service offering

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Service Offerings\All Service Offerings
2. Use the Create Service Offering task to create a new service offering with the following properties:
Title: Contoso Active Directory Services
Overview: Active Directory Services for Contoso
Description: Contoso Active Directory Services are used to request access to Active Directory
groups
Service-level agreement information: The SLA for requests in this group is between 2 to 4 hours
Cost information: Cost center CONTOSO_001 is used for requests in this category
Request Offerings: Request Access to Active Directory groups
Offering Status: Published
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a service request template that will be used to
request access to Active Directory groups. You should have also created a request offering that uses the
service request template. Finally, you should have configured the user prompts within the request offering
so that when the request offering is used; the Active Directory groups can be selected. A justification must
be added to the request.
Exercise 2: Test the Contoso Request Offering

Scenario
Now that the service offering, including the request offering, has been published to the Self-Service
Portal, you need to test it by logging on to the Self-Service Portal and submitting the service request. You
must then fulfill the request by using the Service Manager console.
1. Submit a service request in the Self-Service Portal
2. Fulfill the service request in the Service Manager console
3. Review the service request in the Self-Service Portal
Task 1: Submit a service request in the Self-Service Portal

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Request Offering Contoso Active Directory Services\Request Access to AD

Groups
2. Configure and submit the Request Access to AD Groups request offering by using the following
settings:
Active Directory Groups: Contoso\UM Management and Contoso\Server Operators
Provide justification for your request: I require membership as part of my role as IT administrator
at Contoso
Task 2: Fulfill the service request in the Service Manager console

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items\Service Request Fulfillment
View Assigned to Me
2. Use the Refresh task to refresh the view until the Request Access to AD Groups service request
Status column changes to In Progress.
3. Edit the Request Access to AD Groups service request, and note the following:
General tab: Review the User Input
Activities tab: Approve the Approve Access to Active Directory Groups activity by opening it and
using the Approve All task. Note the details in the description. Add a comment of Approved by
Administrator. Click OK to close the Approve Access to Active Directory Groups form.
4. Use the Apply and Refresh tasks until the Approve Access to Active Directory Groups activity status
changes to Completed and the Add User to Active Directory Groups activity has started.
5. Activities tab: Edit the Add User to Active Directory Groups activity, and note the Active Directory
groups that have been added as impacted configuration items
6. Mark the activity as complete and add a comment of User has been added to requested groups.
7. Close the Request Access to AD Groups service request.
Note: If the Approve All button is not available perform the following steps:
a. Close the Service Manager console without saving any changes.

b. Restart the System Center Data Access Service, System Center Management Configuration
and Microsoft Monitoring Agent services.
c. Wait for 1 minute.
d. Return to Step 1 in this task.
Task 3: Review the service request in the Self-Service Portal

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Link My Requests
2. View the Request Access to AD Groups request, and note the details in the Request activities and
Request action sections.
Results: After this exercise, you should have submitted a service request by using the Request Access To
Active Directory Groups request offering in the Self-Service Portal. You should then have reviewed the
details of the request in the Service Manager console and completed the requests activities, thereby
fulfilling the service request. Finally, you should have reviewed the service request in the Self-Service
Portal, confirming that the service request was completed successfully.
Exercise 3: Create the StockTrader Request Offering

Scenario
You must first create the Service Request Template, then create the Request Offering and include a
Review Activity and a Manual Activity. You must then create a Service Offering and include the Request
Offering. You must then publish the Service Offering.

2. Create and publish the request offering to add or remove access to the StockTrader application
3. Create and publish a service offering

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Templates
2. Use the Create Template task to create a new service request template with the following properties:
Name: Template to Add or Remove Access to the StockTrader Application
Title: Add/Remove access to StockTrader
Urgency: Medium
Priority: Medium
Source: Portal
Assigned to: Administrator
3. Activity: Default Review Activity:
Name: Approve change to StockTrader Access
Reviewer: Administrator
4. Activity: Default Manual Activity:
Name: Add or Remove Access to StockTrader
Activity Implementer: Administrator
Task 2: Create and publish the request offering to add or remove access to the
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Title: Add or Remove Access to StockTrader Application
Description: Use this Service Request to add or remove access to the StockTrader application
Template: Template to Add or Remove access to the StockTrader application
Form Instructions: Select the Active Directory user account that should be added or removed
and then select the action that should be performed
Enter prompts or information text section: Select Active Directory user account
Prompt Type: Query Results
3. Add a second prompt
Enter Prompts or information text section: Select Action to perform
Prompt Type: Simple List
4. Configure prompts
Select Active Directory user account
Select a Class: All basic classes
Name: Active Directory User
Display columns: Under Object, select Display Name
Options: Enable Allow the user to select multiple objects and Add user-selected objects to
template object as affected configuration items
Configure the menus to select Add or Remove Access to StockTrader (Manual Activity)
5. Configure prompts
Select Action to perform
6. Configure the list with:
Add
Remove
Make Add the default selection
7. Map prompts Approve Change to StockTrader Access (Review Activity).

Comments: 2. Select Action to perform: ListValue
Offering status: Published

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Service Offerings\All Service Offerings
2. Use the Create Service Offering task to create a new service offering with the following properties:
Title: StockTrader Services
Overview: Services for StockTrader
Description: StockTrader Services are used to request access or to remove access to the
Request Offerings: Add or remove access to StockTrader application
Offering Status: Published
Results: After this exercise you should have created a new Service Request template that is used to both
add and remove access to the StockTrader application. You should have then created a Request Offering
that is used to add or remove access to the StockTrader application. You should then have created a
Service Offering which includes the Request Offering and published the Service Offering to the Self-
Service Portal.
Exercise 4: Test the StockTrader Request Offering

Scenario
Now that the service offering, including the request offering, has been published to the Self-Service
Portal, you need to test it by logging on to the Self-Service Portal and submitting the service request. You
must then fulfill the request by using the Service Manager console.
1. Submit a service request in the Self-Service Portal
2. Fulfill the service request in the Service Manager console
3. Review the service request in the Self-Service Portal

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Request Offering StockTrader Services\ Add or remove access to StockTrader Application
2. Configure and submit the Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application request offering by
using the following settings:
Active Directory User: SQL_Agent
Select Action to perform: Remove

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Assigned to Me
2. Edit the Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application service request, and note the following:
General tab: Review the User Input
Activities tab: Approve the Approve Change to StockTrader Access activity and add a comment of
Approved by Administrator
Activities tab: Edit the Add or Remove Access to StockTrader activity
3. Mark the activity as complete and add a comment of Access has been updated

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Link My Requests
2. View the Add or Remove access to StockTrader request, and note the details in the Request
activities and Request action sections.
Results: After this exercise, you should have submitted a service request by using the Add or remove
access to StockTrader application request offering in the Self-Service Portal. You should then have
reviewed the details of the request in the Service Manager console and completed the requests activities,
thereby fulfilling the service request. Finally, you should have reviewed the service request in the Self-
Service Portal, confirming that the service request was completed successfully.
Question:
You have created a request offering in the Service Manager console but it does not display in
the Self-Service Portal. What could the problem be?

Review Question(s)
Question: You have multiple end users that need to submit requests by using the Self-
Service Portal. How can you ensure that each user logs on with their relevant account?

Troubleshooting the Self-Service Portal
Because the Service Manager Self-Service Portal uses Microsoft Silverlight, you should understand where
the Silverlight logs are stored in case you need to troubleshoot errors that might occur. The Silverlight
logs are stored in the logged-on users %appdata%\LocalLow\Microsoft\Silverlight\is folder. There is an
automatically generated sub-folder within this folder. When you search this folder for *.log, the search will
find the log file named SMPortalTrace.log.
9-1
Module 9
Automating Business Processes with Orchestrator
Contents:
Module Overview 9-1
Lesson 1: Overview of Orchestrator 9-2
Lesson 2: Configuring Runbooks in Orchestrator 9-9
Lesson 3: Configuring Integration between Orchestrator and Service
Manager 9-14
Lesson 4: Creating a Request Offering in Service Manager to Initiate a
Runbook in Orchestrator 9-19
Lab: Automating IT Processes in Service Manager 9-23
Module Overview
Integrating Service Manager and Orchestrator allows you to automate business processes in Service
Manager. Orchestrator can create, update and manage items in Service Manager, while Service Manager
can initiate Orchestrator Runbooks.
A typical example of automating a business process with Orchestrator is using it to automatically create a
Problem Record in Service Manager when a number of related Incidents have been created. Orchestrator
will monitor the Incidents in Service Manager and when a defined number of related Incidents have been
created, it will create a Problem Record and then automatically associate the related Incidents to it. In this
module you will learn how Orchestrator and Service Manager can be used to automate business
processes.
Objectives
Describe Orchestrator including its key features and components.
Configure Runbooks in Orchestrator.
Configure integration between Orchestrator and Service Manager.
Create a Request Offering in Service Manager that initiates a Runbook in Service Manager.
9-2 Automating Business Processes with Orchestrator
Lesson 1
Overview of Orchestrator
System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator provides the ability to automate business processes in both the
datacenter and cloud. By integrating Orchestrator with other System Center components such as Service
Manager and Operations Manager you can also automate System Center tasks such as creating an
Incident or Problem Record.
This lesson provides an overview of Orchestrator including the various components that make up the
Orchestrator environment. It is important that you understand how Orchestrator operates so that you can
utilize it to automate key business process in your environment.
Lesson Objectives
Describe Orchestrator including its key features.
Describe the components of which Orchestrator comprises.
Describe the Orchestrator Runbook Designer.
Orchestrator Overview
Orchestrator can be thought of as a business
process automation tool that integrates with
almost any platform to provide mechanism of
automating simple to complex tasks that would
normally have been performed manually.
In the datacenter, IT administrators have to
perform many administrative tasks that can
consume large amounts of time and often lead to
mistakes being made due to human error or
simply forgetting to perform a step within a multi-
step task. By using Orchestrator you can map
critical tasks to Activities within a Runbook and
configure the workflow such that as each task (or Runbook Activity in Orchestrator) completes the next
task in the workflow starts and so on. Using Orchestrator to run these tasks not only removes the time it
would take an IT administrator to perform them but also removes the possibility of error or mistake as
each task is performed in the same way every time.
There are three key elements in Orchestrator that facilitate this. Runbooks, Activities and Integration
Packs.
Runbooks
Runbooks in Orchestrator are used to group Activities together that automate a specific task such as
archiving log files, or adding an Active Directory user account to an Active Directory group. Typically a
Runbook is created for each business process that you want to automate. This way Runbooks can be
separated by business process making them easier to manage and maintain. Multiple Runbooks can be
created to automate other business processes. Runbooks can also be initiated from other Runbooks
meaning that very large or complex business processes can be broken down into smaller pieces making
then easier to manage, Using multiple Runbooks is also useful when you have a common business process
that other business processes may use on a regular basis.
Activities
Activities can be thought of as the individual tasks within a business process that are performed when a
Runbook is run. Activities are added to a Runbook and a workflow is configured using what is known as
Smart Links. This determines which Activity runs first and in which order all other Activities within a
Runbook run.
After you have configured the Activities with a Runbook, the Runbook is check-in and then run. The first
Activity within the Runbook is run and when it completes the next Activity starts and so on until either the
Runbook completes, or (if a monitoring Activity is run) the Runbook waits until the conditions set by the
monitoring Activity are met.
By configuring the workflow in a Runbook appropriately you can also add error handling Activities that
can be used to capture and record error log information so that in the event of an Activity failing, the
Runbook can branch to another Activity which resolves the error that has been detected.
Integration Packs
Included in a default installation of Orchestrator are a number of standard Activities for automating tasks
such as moving or deleting files, running PowerShell scripts and restarting a system. For more specific
application automation tasks however you can import and deploy Integration Packs that include
additional Activities for the application they were designed for. There are a number of Integration Packs
available including most of the System Center 2012 R2 components and other applications such as
SharePoint, Exchange and Microsoft Azure.
Orchestrator Components
Orchestrator is comprised of eight components all
of which can be installed on a single physical or
virtual computer. In large environments however
where there are a large number of Runbooks to be
run at any one time then the architecture of
Orchestrator can be split across multiple physical
or virtual computers, or a mixture of both.
A brief description of each Orchestrator
component is provided in the table below:
Orchestrator Component Description
Management Server In each Orchestrator deployment there is one Management

Server. The Management Server provides the communication
point between the Orchestrator Runbook Designer and the
Orchestration database. You cannot install multiple
Management Servers but if the Management Server fails,
Runbooks continue to run but you are not able to use the
Runbook Designer to configure, start, and stop Runbooks. The
Orchestration console can still be used to monitor, start and stop
Runbooks if the Management Server is not available.
Runbook Server When a Runbook is run, the instance of each is run on a

Runbook Server. You can install multiple Runbook Servers in an
Orchestrator environment to provide additional capacity for
Runbooks. Multiple Runbook Servers can also be used for
Orchestrator Component Description

redundancy. Runbook Servers have a direct connection to the
Orchestration database.
Orchestration database All of the configuration for Orchestrator including the Runbooks
and their log files are stored in the Orchestration database. As
with all other System Center 2012 R2 components the database
is hosted on Microsoft SQL Server.
Runbook Designer The Runbook Designer is the Graphical User Interface (GUI) that
is used to configure, manage and maintain Runbooks in
Orchestrator. The Runbook Designer is covered in detail in the
next topic.
Runbook Tester The Runbook Tester is a GUI included with the Runbook
Designer that is used to test Runbooks. When running a
Runbook in the Runbook Tester you can review published data
from Activities as they are run in real-time.
Orchestration Console The Orchestration Console is a web-based console that can be

used to monitor Runbooks in real-time. You can also start and
stop Runbooks using the Orchestration Console.
Orchestrator Web Service The Orchestrator Web Service is used by the Orchestration
console to connect to Orchestrator and retrieve information
about Runbooks. Custom applications can also use the
Orchestrator Web Service to start and stop Runbooks. The
Orchestration Web Service is based on Representational State
Transfer (REST).
Deployment Manager The Deployment Manager is a tool included with Orchestrator

that is used to deploy Runbook Servers, Runbook Designers and
Integration Packs to Runbook Servers and Runbook Designers.
The architecture of Orchestrator including the communication between each component can be seen on
the slide.
The Runbook Designer

The Runbook Designer is the GUI that is used to
create, edit, manage and maintain Runbooks. If
you only need to run and view the status of
Runbooks then you can optionally use the
Orchestration Console instead.
There are four panes in the Runbook Designer as
described below:
Connections Pane
The Connections pane displays the current
Runbooks, Computer Groups, Runbook Servers
and Global Settings for the Orchestrator
environment that you are connected to. If you have more than one Orchestrator environment you can use
the Disconnect from a server and Connect to a server buttons to connect to the Management Server
of the Orchestrator environment you want tom manage. The four nodes in the Connections pane are used
as follows:
Connections pane node Description
Runbooks In the Runbooks node you can add or remove folders and Runbooks that
you want to include in your Orchestrator environment. The folder
structure works in the same way as Windows Explorer where you can nest
folders within other folders to help manage multiple Runbooks. You can
also manage the permissions on each folder just as you would in
Windows Explorer. When you right-click the Runbooks node or any
folder created within it you have the option to create a new sub-folder,
or a Runbook. When creating a Runbook a tab appears in the central
pane known as the Runbook Designer Workspace. You can add multiple
Runbooks to the same folder and an additional tab will appear for each.
This is useful when you need to group multiple Runbooks that are used
to automate similar tasks such as tasks relating to Active Directory for
example.
Computer Groups The Computer Groups node is used to create and manage static
computer groups which can then be used in Activities where a computer
name is required. For example, you may need to create a Runbook that
initiates a restart of a number of computers following a routine update.
You can create a computer group that contains these computers and
then instead of adding the computer names to the relevant Activity in
the Runbook you add the computer group name. This way when the
Activity runs it will perform the action on all computers in the computer
group. This also means that when you need to change the list of
computers that you want the Activity to be actioned upon; you only
need to update the computer group, not the Activity.
Runbook Servers The Runbook Servers node displays any Runbook Servers that are
available in the Orchestrator environment. If you have multiple Runbook
Servers configured (for capacity or redundancy purposes) the first
Runbook Server will take on the role of the Primary Runbook Server.
Other Runbook Servers will take on the role of Standby Runbook Servers.
You can promote a Standby Runbook Server to the Primary Runbook
Server by right-clicking it and then selecting Promote. Similarly you can
use the Demote option to demote the Primary Runbook Server to a
Standby Runbook Server. By default, the maximum number of allowed
Runbooks that can be run simultaneously on a Runbook Server is 50. Any
new Runbooks will be run on Standby Runbook Servers. You can also
manually configure which Runbook Servers a Runbook can run by
editing the properties of the Runbook. You do this by right-clicking the
Runbook tab in the Runbook Designer workspace and then selecting
Properties.
Global Settings In the Global Settings node you can create Counters, Variables and
Schedules that can be used with Activities in a Runbook. For example you
could create a Counter named Backup_Attempt and then set its value to
1. You can then use the Backup_Attempt Counter in a Runbook to
determine how many times a backup has been performed. The Get
Counter Value and Modify Counter Value Activities are used with
Counters manage them in a Runbook. A Variable can be used to create a
value that is used across multiple Activities and/or Runbooks. This makes
updating Activities and Runbooks that use Variables much easier as you
only need to update the Variable instead of every Runbook and Activity
that uses it. Variable can also be used to store credentials such as a
username and a password. You can optionally encrypt the value of a
variable for this reason. Schedules can be used to determine when a
Connections pane node Description

Runbook should run. You can configure a Schedule that ensures a
Runbook does not run during a backup for example. When configuring a
Schedule you configure either the days of a week and the occurrence
such as first and third, or you can specify the days of a month. You can
also specify the hours in each day that the Schedule should use.
Additionally you can add exceptions to the schedule. This can be useful
when you need to exclude certain dates from the schedule such as New
Years Day. Once the Schedule has been created you can assign it to a
Runbook by editing the Runbooks properties. On the General tab you
select the Schedule with which the Runbook should use.
Runbook Designer Workspace Pane

The central pane in the Runbook Designer is known as the Runbook Designer workspace. This is where
Activities are added and configured to automate tasks within your environment. When you select a
Runbook tab the Runbook Designer workspace updates to display any Activities that have been added to
the selected Runbook. When you add an Activity to a Runbook, if the Runbook has not been Checked Out
a message will appear prompting you to confirm Check out of the Runbook. This is to ensure that only
one Runbook Designer (and user) can edit a Runbook at any one time. Also note that in order to run a
Runbook it must first be Checked In. In contrast, a Runbook must be Checked out before it can be used in
the Runbook Tester.
Activities Pane
The Activities pane displays all available Activities that can be used within a Runbook. Depending on the
Integration Packs that you have deployed within Orchestrator the number of Activities available will vary.
Standard Activities are grouped based on category. For example the System Activities group contains
Activities such as End Process, Query WMI and Restart System. The File Management Activities group
contains Activities such as Copy File, Monitor File and Create Folder. This makes navigating and finding
Activities in the Activities pane easier. By default, with no Integration Packs deployed there are a number
of Activities provided with Orchestrator that are grouped as follows:
System. Includes Activities such as Restart System, Run Program and Send SNMP Trap.
Scheduling. Includes Activities such as Monitor Date/Time and Check Schedule.
Monitoring: Includes Activities such as Get Process State, Get Service State and Monitor Process.
File Management: Includes Activities such as Delete File, Get File Status and Rename File.
Email: Includes the Send Email Activity.
Notification: Includes Activities such as Send Event Log Message and Send Syslog Message.
Utilities: Includes Activities such as Map Network Path, Generate Random Text and Compare Values.
Text File Management. Includes Activities such as Append Line, Delete Line and Insert Line.
Runbook Control: Includes Activities such as Initialize Data, Junction and Invoke Runbook.
Log Pane
The Log pane displays log information for the currently selected Runbook. There are four tabs in the Log
pane as described below:
Log Pane Tab Description
Log The Log tab provides a real-time log of an instance of a running

Runbook. This tab is particularly useful as you can view the status
of the Runbook, its start time and the current Activity that is
being run within the Runbook. You can double-click an Activity
Log Pane Tab Description

and then view its details which could also include any published
data if this option is selected in the Runbooks properties.
Log History When a Runbook has completed the log history is displayed
here. History information includes the completion status for the
Runbook and any relevant Activities. If an Activity has caused a
Runbook to fail you can open the log history for the Activity
here and review details such the Activity status and Error
summary text. The Log History tab is very useful when
troubleshooting failed Runbooks.
Audit History The Audit History tab displays information relating to changes
that have been applied to a Runbook such as adding or
removing an Activity. Details such as the date and time that an
Activity was changed, the user who made the change and the
change that was made are recorded. The Audit History tab is
useful when you need to determine what change was made to
an Activity and when. This can also be useful for troubleshooting
purposes.
Events The Events tab displays events recorded by the Management

Server, Runbook Servers and Orchestration database. If
configured in the properties of an Activity, Activities can also
record events in this tab for scenarios where the Activity has run
for an extended period of time or if the Activity fails to run.
Demonstration: Reviewing the Runbook Designer

In this demonstration you will review the Runbook Designer.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SC1
Tool Runbook Designer
Pane Connections
Folder Runbooks
2. Discuss the various options in the Connections pane.

3. Discuss the various Activities in the Activities pane.
4. Open the Orchestration Console and discuss the views and options available.
5. Close the Orchestration Console and the Runbook Designer.
Lesson 2
Configuring Runbooks in Orchestrator
A Runbook in Orchestrator contains one or more Activities that when combined, automate a task. For
example, a simple Runbook could be used to remove temporary files on a server in order to free disk
space. A more complex Runbook could be used to check the status of a Change Request in Service
Manager and when the Change Request has been approved, the Runbook could apply a software update
to a server.
It is important that you understand the concepts of a Runbook and how Runbooks are created in
Orchestrator, so that you can use the Service Manager Activities included in the Service Manager
Integration Pack to automate business processes.
Lesson Objectives
Understand Runbook concepts in Orchestrator.
Create and Run a Runbook in Orchestrator.
Runbook Concepts
As mentioned previously, a Runbook is used to
group Activities together that automate a specific
task. Before you design a Runbook it is important
however that you understand some of the key
concepts of a Runbook. Some of the key concepts
of a Runbook are included below:
Starting Point
All Runbooks must have a starting point and there
must only be one starting point in a Runbook.
When the Runbook is run, this is the first Activity
that runs and determines that next Activity that
should run in the Runbooks workflow. An
important point to note regarding the starting point is that if a monitoring Activity is used as a starting
point then the Runbook waits until the trigger of the monitor occurs before starting the Activity.
Additionally Runbooks that start with a monitoring Activity run continuously and only stop when a user
manually stops the runbook. Runbooks that start with any other Activity start as soon as the Runbook is
started in the Runbook Designer.
Smart Links
As mentioned previously, Smart Links determine the workflow of a Runbook and dictate which Activity
will be run next in a Runbook. To create a Smart Link between two Activities you hover the mouse button
over the right-hand side of the Activity in the Runbook Designer Workspace until the cursor changes to a
crosshair. You then click and hold the left mouse button and drag a line onto the left-hand side of the
Activity in which the Smart Link should connect to. After releasing the left mouse button a Smart Link is
created and an arrowhead is displayed showing the direction of the link. This is then used to display the
workflow of Activities in a Runbook. When editing the properties of a Smart Link you can configure
Include and Exclude filters that are used to determine the conditions on which the connected Activity will
run. This is useful as you can use published data from other Activities as criteria when deciding which
Activity should be run next. A Smart Link from one Activity can be added to multiple Activities meaning
that you can configure multiple branches in a Runbook to cater for many different eventualities. You can
also change the color and size of a Smart Link by editing its properties. This is useful as it can be used to
visually see the workflow of a Runbook. For example changing the color of a Smart Link to red to show
that the next Activity is run when an error has been detected.
Embedded Looping
Looping can be enabled for an Activity by right-clicking it in the Runbook Designer Workspace and
selecting Looping. This causes the Activity to loop with a configurable delay between each loop. Similar to
Smart Links you configure the Exit and Do Not Exit conditions that determine when the loop should
complete and move onto the next Activity. Looping is particularly used when you need a Runbook to
check a condition periodically. For example with the Service Manager Integration Pack deployed you can
create a Runbook that automatically restarts a computer after a Change Request has been approved. The
Service Manager Get Activity would be used with Looping enabled to detect when the Review Activity in
the Change Request was completed.
Published Data
Published Data is one of (if not the most) powerful features in Orchestrator. It enables data that an
Activity has collected to be passed on and used with subsequent Activities within the same Runbook
though what is known as the Data Bus. Each Activity collects data related to its function but all Activities
also collect standard (or common) data such as the start time, end time, number of loop attempts, activity
status and error summary text. When editing the properties of an Activity you access the published data
of other Activities by right-clicking inside a field and clicking Subscribe and then Published Data. This
opens a Published Data window where you can first select the Activity from which you want to obtain the
published data from, and then you select the property of the published data from the selected Activity.
Note that until an Activity has been connected to another Activity using a Smart Link no published data
will be made available.
For more information about Orchestrator Runbooks, go to the following link:
Using Runbooks in System Center 2012 - Orchestrator
For more information about published data, go to the following link.

Published Data
Creating and Running a Runbook in Orchestrator

Before you can create a Runbook in Orchestrator,
you must plan the automation workflow. It is very
difficult to construct a Runbook ad-hoc without a
clear process. So invest time in documenting the
automated process that you want the Runbook to
follow. Once the process is complete, then convert
the workflow into an Orchestrator Runbook.
Before creating the Runbook you should also
create a folder that will be used to contain it in the
Runbook Designer. After creating the folder, right-
click it and then click New then click Runbook. A
new tab will be added to the Runbook Designer
Workspace named New Runbook. By default the Runbook is Checked In so in order to make any changes
to the Runbook it must first be Check Out. You can Check Out a Runbook by using the Check Out button
on the toolbar. However you should rename the Runbook by right-clicking the New Runbook tab and
then clicking Rename, this also Checks Out the Runbook and prompts you for confirmation.
After you have Checked Out the Runbook you can now start to add Activities to the Runbooks workspace.
You do this by dragging the Activity from the Activities pane onto the Runbooks workspace. Typically, the
first Activity you will add to the Runbook will be the starting point. This could be a monitoring Activity
such as the Get Service Status or Get Process Status Activity. Alternatively you may need to use Initialize
Data Activity as the starting point. The Initialize Data Activity is typically used when configuring a
Runbook to integrate with Service Manager as it allows you to configure parameters that will be used to
collect information from Service Manager.
After adding an Activity to the Runbook you must then configure the properties of the Activity by either
double-clicking it, or right-clicking it and selecting Properties. Depending on the Activity added to the
Runbook, the properties to be configured will be different. As an example, the following properties are
configured for the Service Manager Get Object Activity which is used to retrieve details of a Work Item in
Service Manager:
Connection. The connection details to use when connecting to the Service Manager Management
Server. The connection is configured in the Options menu in the Runbook Designer after the
Integration Pack has been registered and deployed.
Class. The Service Manager Work Item class from which you want to retrieve details of such as
Incident.
Filters. The filters to use in retrieving details of the specified class. For the Incident class a filter can be
added that specifies the criteria for any of the properties of an Incident such as the Display Name,
Priority, Description or Status. You can add multiple filters which provide granular control of what
data is returned from Service Manager.
Once you have finished configuring the properties of the Activity you click Finish to save the changes and
return to the Runbook Designer. You then add the next Activity to the Runbook and configure it
appropriately.
You then add a Smart Link between the two Activities to allow published data to be made available from
the first Activity to the second Activity.
After adding and configuring all the Activities to be used in the Runbook you can optionally use the
Runbook Tester to test the Runbook. You do this by clicking the Runbook Tester button from the toolbar.
The Runbook Tester is very useful in troubleshooting Runbooks, as you can manually step through each
Activity and view the data that has been generated before moving onto the next Activity within the
Runbook. Note that a Runbook must be checked out before it can be used in the Runbook Tester.
Note: The Runbook Tester does not simulate the Activities running within a Runbook.
Instead, the Activities are run just as they would when the Runbook is run on a Runbook Server.
This is important to remember, as you might have Activities in a Runbook that affect the IT
environment such as deleting a log file. When the Runbook is run in the Runbook Tester, the log
file would still be deleted. Also note that the Runbook Tester runs the Runbook using the
credentials of the logged-on user. When the Runbook is Checked In and run in the Runbook
Designer, by default it runs using the credentials of the Orchestrator Runbook Service account.
For this reason you should ensure that the appropriate permissions for each Activity has been
granted to the Orchestrator Runbook Service account before running the Runbook in the
Runbook Designer.
After testing the Runbook in the Runbook Tester you can Check In the Runbook and then run it by
clicking the Run button on the toolbar. You can monitor the Runbook using the Log pane as described
earlier to determine if the Runbook is operating as expected.
Demonstration: Creating Runbooks in Orchestrator

In this demonstration you will see how to create a Runbook in Orchestrator.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SC1
Location C:
File name AD_Users.txt
2. Create a text file named AD_Users.txt in the root of C on LON-SC1

3. Open the Runbook Designer and create a new sub-folder in the Runbooks folder and rename it to
Demo
4. Create a new Runbook in the Demo folder and rename it to Demo
5. From the Active Directory Activities add the Get User activity onto the runbooks workspace
6. Edit the properties of the Get User activity and under the Configuration section select
ActiveDirectory as the Name. Click Finish to close the properties.
7. From the Text File Management Activities add the Append Line activity to the runbooks workspace
and position it to the right of the Get User activity.
8. Create a Link between the Get User activity and the Append Line activity. To do this, hover the
mouse pointer over the right-hand side of the Get User Activity until it change to a +. Click and hold
the left mouse button and then drag the link to the left-hand side of the Append Line Activity and
then release the mouse button.
9. Edit the properties of the Append Line activity as follows:
File: C:\AD_Users.txt.
File encoding: Auto
10. Right-click inside the Text box and use the Subscribe \Published Data option to select the Display
Name published data item from the Get User Activity.
11. Click OK and then click Finish to close the properties.
12. From the toolbar, Check In then Run the runbook.
13. Browse to the C drive and refresh the view until the Size column for the AD_Users.txt file changes to
1 KB.
14. Open the AD_Users.txt file.
15. Notice the Active Directory users have been appended to the file.
16. Close the AD_Users.txt file.

17. Close the Runbook Designer.
18. Log off LON-SC1.
Question: When an Activity has completed in a Runbook, where is the generated data
published?
Lesson 3
Configuring Integration between Orchestrator and Service
Manager
In Module 5, Lesson 1, you learned how to integrate Service Manager and Orchestrator and import
Runbooks into Service Manager. Integrating Orchestrator and Service Manager allows you to automate
tasks in Service Manager such as creating a Problem Record or updating an Incident.
In this lesson you will learn how to register and deploy Service Manager Integration Packs in Orchestrator
and review the various Service Manager Activities that become available. You will also learn how to
configure the connection between Orchestrator and Service Manager so that Orchestrator Activities can
be used to automate tasks.
Lesson Objectives
Register and Deploy Integration Packs in Orchestrator.
Describe the various Service Manager Activities in Orchestrator.
Configure the Service Manager connection in Orchestrator.
Registering and Deploying Integration Packs in Orchestrator

An Integration Pack contains additional Activities
that are used in Orchestrator. Activities are the
individual components of a runbook that make up
an automated workflow. Activities are connected
together in a logical flow that represents a
business process, such as creating a new user in
Active Directory.
As discussed earlier, Orchestrator includes a set of
standard activities that are automatically installed
with Orchestrator. In addition, you can install
further Integration Packs that allow you to
integrate platforms and products produced by
Microsoft and other companies. Microsoft provides Integration Packs for all the System Center products
and other applications such as Microsoft Exchange, Active Directory and Windows Azure. While third
party vendors also provide Integration Packs for products such as VMWare vSphere, IBM Tivoli Netcool
and HP Operations Manager.
For more information about Integration Packs, go to the following website:
Integration Packs for System Center 2012 - Orchestrator
In order to create Orchestrator Runbooks that can interact with Service Manager, the System Center
Service Manager Integration Pack must be downloaded on to the Orchestrator Management Server. The
Orchestrator Management Servers Deployment Manager is the component of the Orchestrator
infrastructure where you can register and deploy Integration Packs.
How to register an Integration Pack:
1. Open Deployment Manager which is located on the Orchestrator Management Server. The System
Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator Deployment Manager window appears.
2. Right click the Integration Packs folder in the left pane and select Register IP with the
Orchestrator Management Server. The Integration Pack Registration Wizard window opens.
3. Click Next on the Welcome to the Integration Pack Registration Wizard page.
4. Click Add on the Integration Pack or Hotfix Selection window. Select the Integration Pack to be
registered to the Orchestrator environment. For example, if you would like to add the Service
Manager Integration Pack, go to the Integration Pack location, select the Integration Pack and select
Open. Then on the selection screen, click Next.
5. Click Finish on the Completing Integration Pack Registration Wizard page.
6. Click Accept to any license terms that appear.
To deploy an Integration Pack to a runbook designer or runbook server:
1. Open Deployment Manager located on the Orchestrator Management Server. The System Center
2012 R2 Orchestrator Deployment Manager window appears.
2. Right click the Integration Packs folder in the left pane and select Deploy IP to Runbook Server or
Runbook Designer. The Integration Pack Deployment Wizard window will open.
3. On the Welcome to the Integration Pack Deployment Wizard page, click Next.
4. Select the Integration Packs that require deployment on the Integration Pack or Hotfix
Deployment page. For example, System Center Integration Pack for System Center 2012 Service
Manager. Click Next.
5. On the Computer Selection screen, enter the computer name of a runbook server or designer and
then click Add. Multiple computers can be added to this window. Click Next.
6. Choose when to install the Integration Packs on the Installation Options window. Click Next.
7. On the Completing Integration Pack Deployment Wizard page, check the summary details and
click Finish.
The activities in the Integration Pack will be visible in the Runbook Designer and can be used by the
Runbook server.
Note: Before Integration Packs can be used in Orchestrator you must download them,
register them and then deploy them using the Deployment Manager. The Integration Packs must
be deployed to all Runbook Servers and Runbook Designers that will use the Activities contained
within them.
For more information about registering and deploying Integration Packs, go to the following link:
How to Install an Integration Pack
Reviewing the Service Manager Activities in Orchestrator

Many Runbook Activities can be chained together
to create a workflow, that will complete an IT or
business process, such as creating a new user in
Active Directory and then closing a Service
Request.
Most Activities have multiple inputs that are used
to gather data, such as a users first and last name
when searching for a users active directory object.
The Activity will output multiple data values that
can be used dynamically in other Activities in the
Runbook. For example, an Activity can gather a
users name and then use it when creating an
Incident in Service Manager where the user is the Affected User.
The Service Manager 2012 R2 Integration Pack contains 13 Activities. The table below details each activity:
Activity Description
Create Change with Template This Activity is used to create a new Change Request in
Service Manager based on an existing Change Request
template. When the template is selected, other input fields
can be edited such as, title or test plan.
Create Object This Activity creates a new Service Manager object based on
the class specified. For example, creating a new Incident
work item. Once a class is selected optional input fields can
be specified such as, impact and urgency.
Note: When a new item is created the Activity does
not create a GUID. The GUID must be created in a previous
Activity using PowerShell and passed dynamically into this
Activity. This is typically performed by using a Run .NET
Script Activity and including the following Cmdlet:
$GUID = [guid]::NewGUID()
Create Incident with Template This Activity creates a new Incident based on an existing
Incident template in Service Manager. When the template is
selected, other input fields can be edited, such as source or
support group.
Create Related Object This Activity creates a new Service Manager item that is
related to existing objects by either, hosted relationship or
membership. When classes and the relationship has been
selected, optional fields can be set such as description.
Note: When a new item is created the Activity doesnt
create a GUID. The GUID must be created in a previous
Activity using PowerShell and passed dynamically into this
Activity as described in the Create Object Activity above.
Create Relationship This Activity creates relationships between two existing

entities. For example, linking an Incident to a Service
Request.
Activity Description
Delete Relationship This Activity removes a relationship that currently exists

between two entities. For example, removing a user from
the affected user property field on an Incident.
Get Activity This Activity queries an Activity work item based on the
selected Activity class and the GUID of the required Activity
work item.
Get Object This Activity gets any record that belongs to the class
selected and meets the criteria specified in a filter. For
example, the Incident class where the Name field contains
Urgent and the Status field equals Active.
Get Relationship This Activity will generate a list of objects that are related by
the two different classes specified. For example, finding all
users that have a relationship to an Incident work item.
Monitor Object This Activity will only allow a runbook to run if the criteria
set in the filter are met. Once new or updated records have
been found, the Activity will capture the details and allow
the runbook to continue.
Update Object This Activity uses an objects class and GUID to identify the
correct object in Service Manager. It then allows the objects
properties to be updated or changed. For example,
updating an Incidents status from Active to Resolved.
Update Activity This Activity uses an Activities class and GUID to identify a
specific Activity work item. It then allows the Activities
properties to be updated or changed. For example,
changing a manual Activities status from In Progress to
Completed.
Upload Attachment This Activity is used to attach a file to an existing object in

Service Manager. For example, attaching a performance
report from Operations Manager to an Incident in Service
Manager.
For more information about Service Manager Activities in Orchestrator, go to the following link:
System Center Service Manager Activities
Configuring the Service Manager Connection in Orchestrator

In order to allow the Service Manager Activities to
communicate to the Service Manager
environment, a connection must be created in
Orchestrator. Once the connection has been
configured, it can be used in all Service Manager
Activities in all Runbooks in the Orchestrator
environment. Many connections can be
configured to allow Orchestrator to communicate
to many Service Manager environments in the
organization. Many connections to the same
Service Manager environment can be created with
different user security credentials.
Follow the steps below to create a connection to Service Manager from Orchestrator:
1. Select Options on the Orchestrator Runbook Designer title bar.
2. Select SC 2012 Service Manager. The SC 2012 Service Manager window appears.
3. Click Add to create a new Service Manager connection.
The table below lists each field that requires completing:
Field Description
Name A descriptive name for the connection, such as the name of the Service
Manager server.
Server The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Service Manager Management
Server where the connection will be made.
Domain This field requires the name of the domain where the username and password
credential belongs.
User name The user name of the service or user account that will make the connection.
Password The password for the associated user or service account entered in the
previous field.
Polling The interval in seconds that Orchestrator will check for new Service Manager
work items.
Reconnect The interval in seconds that Orchestrator will attempt to reconnect to the
Service Manager Management Server if the current connection is lost.
To test the connection, select Test Connection. If successful, Orchestrator will display a success message
window. Once complete, select OK to accept the changes.
For more information about configuring Service Manager connections in Orchestrator, go to the following
link
System Center Integration Pack for System Center 2012 Service Manager
Question: What does the Create Relationship Service Manager Activity do in Orchestrator?
Lesson 4
Creating a Request Offering in Service Manager to Initiate
a Runbook in Orchestrator
As you have learned, when creating Request Offerings, you must select the template that the Request
Offering will be based on. By creating a Service Request Template that includes the Runbook Automation
Activity, you can control how parameters in the Service Request are passed to the Runbook in
Orchestrator.
It is important that you understand how to configure the Request Offering. As the user prompts and
mappings must be correct in order to allow the Runbook to initiate successfully, when the Service Offering
is submitted. In this lesson, you will learn how to create and configure a Request Offering, using a Service
Request Template with a Runbook Automation Activity.
Lesson Objectives
Create and configure a Request Offering that uses Service Request Template with a Runbook
Automation Activity.
Review Runbook Activity in Service Manager and Orchestrator.
Creating and Configuring a Request Offering

Creating and publishing request offerings in the
Self-Service portal gives control to the end users
who would normally interact with the IT Service
Desk for their services. Thus reducing the
telephone and email correspondence that would
have taken place between the end users and the
Service Desk. To achieve even less IT Service Desk
interaction, it is possible to automate Service
Requests using Service Manager and Orchestrator.
Module 8 covered the Self-Service Portal, Service
offerings and Request offerings. While this lesson
will cover in detail, a Request offering with a
Service Request that includes an Automation Activity. Module 3 covered creating Service Request
templates and creating Runbook Automation Activities. This lesson will cover both aspects to create the
Request offering.
The first step is to create the Runbook Automation Activity template for the Runbook Activity. If the
Runbook has just been created or recently edited, the Orchestrator connector in Service Manager will
have to be synchronized again. The template can be created by navigating to the Library pane and
selecting Templates. Use the Create Template task in the right pane. In the Create Template window,
select the Runbook Automation Activity class and enter a display name. When the Runbook Activity
Template window opens, make sure the Ready for Automation check box is selected and enter any other
details in the General Tab. Select the Runbook tab to view the Runbook settings page. Click the Select
button to choose the Runbook that is required from the Select objects window. The Parameter Mapping
field will list all expected inputs that the Runbook requires. Edit the mapping as required using the Edit
Mapping button. Any mapping that is specified here will be used every time the Service Request is used,
as this is the template for the Automation Activity.
Note: You can also create a Runbook Automation Activity Template by using the Create
Runbook Automation Activity Template task when selecting a Runbook in the Runbooks node of
the Library pane. Using this method is very useful, as it automatically includes the selected
Runbook in the Runbook Automation Activity Template.
For more information about creating a Runbook automation Activity template, go to the following link:
How to Create a Runbook Automation Activity Template
In order to create a Request offering, a Service Request template must be specified. Follow the steps
below to create a Service Request template:
1. Open the Library pane in the Service Manager Console and navigate to Templates.
2. Select Create Template from the Tasks pane.
3. When the Create Template window appears, enter a display name. Select Browse and select Service
Request from the new window. Specify a Management Pack to store the Service Request template in
and then select OK.
4. The Service Request template window will appear. Enter any other details on the General tab and
then select the Activities tab.
5. Select the + button on the Activities page. Select the Runbook Automation Activity that needs to
be used with the Service Request.
6. When the Runbook Automation Activity Template window appears, select OK.
7. On the Service Request Template window, click OK to save the template to the Management Pack.
Once the Service Request template has been created and identified for the Request offering, the Request
offering can be created. Once the Request offering has been published, end users can use the service.
Once selected by an end user, the Self-Service portal will prompt the user for information, which is then
passed to the Orchestrator Runbook. This provides a complete service for the end user and zero touch to
the IT Service Desk. To create a Request offering follow the steps below:
1. Open the Library pane in the Service Manager Console and select the Request Offerings node.
2. Select the Create Request Offering task from the Tasks pane.
3. The Create Request Offering wizard will appear. The table below describes the process of creating a
Request offering in the wizard:
Wizard Page Description
General Enter a title for the Request offering that will be displayed on the Self-Service
portal. Specify an optional image and description. Select the Service Request
template that has been created for the Request offering being created.
User Prompts In the Form instructions field, type the end user instructions on how to fill out
the form. This will be displayed at the top of the Self-Service Portal when this
Request offering is selected.
In the Enter prompts or Information text field, add as many user prompts as
required by the Runbook Activity by using the + button. Each prompt can be
customized to give a display name for the field, to specify if an input is
required or optional and what type of input will be expected. For example, a
user prompt configured with the name First Name, the response type of
Required and prompt type set to Text.
Wizard Page Description

Each user input prompt will be displayed in the Self-Service Portal when the
Request offering is selected.
Configure Prompts Each user prompt created in the previous step of the wizard will be listed on
this page of the wizard. Further scoping of a valid input from the end user can
be specified. For example, if a User Prompt of E-mail is specified, it is limited
to Text in the previous page but on this wizard page, the user prompt can be
further scoped to only accept an email address.
Select the user prompt that needs to be scoped and then click Configure.
When the Configure Text Control window appears, select how the entry will
be scoped.
Map Prompts Select the Runbook Automation Activity from the Select an object and map its
properties field. Each property that appears represents an input for the
Orchestrator Runbook.
Each property has a Prompt Output drop down list. Each list item in the drop
down represents a user input from the Self-Service Portal. Map the user inputs
to the relevant inputs that the Runbook requires. For example, map the First
Name user input to the Runbook parameter First Name.
Knowledge Articles Add related knowledge articles to the request offering by selecting Add and
then select the knowledge articles in the Select objects window.
Publish Select if the request offering will be published, by selecting Published or Draft
in the Offering Status drop down. Only Request offerings that are in a
Published status will be available on the Self-Service Portal.
Enter an Offering owner if required.
Summary Review the settings and click Create
The Request offering can now be assigned to a Service offering.

For more information about creating a Request offering, go to the following link:
How to Create a Request Offering
Reviewing Runbook Activity in Service Manager and Orchestrator

After the Orchestrator connector in Service
Manager has been configured and synchronized,
all available Runbooks will appear in Service
Manager. Service Manager provides a view that
displays all Runbooks and their current status. It
also provides a link to the Orchestrator web
console where the Runbook can be viewed from
an Orchestrator perspective. The view can be
accessed as follows:
Open the Library pane in the Service Manager
console and select Runbooks
In the Runbooks view, all synchronized Runbooks
will be listed from the Orchestrator environment. Each Runbook is given a status, based on its availability.
The statuses are listed below:
Runbook Status Description
Active If the Runbook is available for automation and is checked into

Orchestrator.
Invalid If the parameters have been modified, deleted, or added in the

Initialize Data Activity since the last synchronization.
Missing If a Runbook cannot be found on the last Orchestrator connector

synchronization.
Pending Delete If the Orchestrator connector that synchronized the Runbook has
been deleted.
Once a Runbook Automation Activity has been created by a Service Request, it is listed in the Service
Manager console. It can be found by opening the Work Items pane, expanding the Activity Management
node and then expanding the Runbook Automation Activities node. Select All Activities to view all of the
Runbook Automation Activities that are active in the Service Manager environment. From here you can
see the Runbook Activities status and if a Runbook has failed. You can also view parameters that were
passed to the Runbook from user prompts.
If a more detailed status view of a Runbook is required, then select View Associated Runbook task from
the Task pane. This opens the Orchestrator web console to this Runbooks status page and details all
success and failures. Detailed information for any failed Activity can be viewed from here.
Detailed information about Activities can also be found in the Orchestrator Runbook designer. When
selecting a Runbook, in the Log pane, select the Log History tab. The Log History tab will list all success
and failure messages from the selected Runbook after it has been run. The messages can be selected and
further inspected to determine the root cause of a failed Runbook.
For more information about Runbook logs, go to the following link:
Runbook logs
Question: A Runbooks status in the Service Manager console displays as Invalid. What does
this mean?
Lab: Automating IT Processes in Service Manager

Scenario
With the integration between Service Manager and Orchestrator configured you have been asked to
automate the Contoso Service Offering that was created in the previous lab. You must use a Runbook in
Orchestrator to automate the membership to Active Directory groups.
In addition, the StockTrader application servers are periodically updated on a monthly basis with
application and security updates. Following some of the updates a restart of the application server is
required. You have been asked to automate the restart of the StockTrader application server once the
relevant Change Request has been approved in Service Manager. To facilitate this you must use a
Runbook in Orchestrator that monitors the status of the Change Request in Service Manager. Once the
change Request has been approved the Orchestrator Runbook should automatically restart the
StockTrader Application Server.
Objectives
Configure Service Manager and Orchestrator to automate and manage Active Directory group
membership.
Configure Service Manager and Orchestrator to automate and manage a server restart.
Lab Setup
Estimated Time: 70 minutes.
Host 1 Virtual Machines: LON-DC1, LON-SM1, LON-SQ1, LON-ST1
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-DW1, LON-SC1, LON-AP1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM1
LON-ST1
LON-SQ1
7. In Hyper-V Manager, click LON-SC1, and in the Actions pane, click Start.
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-DW1
LON-AP1
Exercise 1: Automating a Request Offering for Contoso

Scenario
To facilitate the automatic update of AD group membership based on requests in the Self-Service Portal
you must create a runbook automation Activity template that is used to initiate an Orchestrator runbook.
You must then create a Service Request template and a request offering that will be used to capture the
user account and group details from the Self-Service Portal when submitting the request.
1. Create the runbook automation activity template
2. Create the service request template and include the automation activity
3. Create a request offering using the service request template
4. Test the request offering
Task 1: Create the runbook automation activity template

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
Report Runbooks
2. Select the Add User to AD Group Runbook then use the Create Runbook Automation Activity
Template task to create a new Runbook Automation Activity Template with the following settings, all
other settings should be left as default:
Name: Runbook automation activity template to add an AD User to an AD Group
Click OK.
3. In the Runbook automation activity template to add an AD User to an AD Group form that
opens configure the following:
Title: RA Add user to AD Group
Is ready for automation: Selected
Task 2: Create the service request template and include the automation activity
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1

Location Value
Pane Library
Report Templates
2. Use the Create Template task to create a new Template with the following settings, all other settings
Name: Service Request Template to add an AD User to an AD Group
Click OK.
3. In the Service Request Template window that opens configure the following:
Title: SR Add user to AD Group
Urgency: Medium
Priority: Medium
Activities: Add a Default Review Activity and set the Title to Approve AD Group membership.
Add a reviewer using Administrator.
Activities: Add the Runbook automation activity template to add an AD User to an AD Group
Activity
Task 3: Create a request offering using the service request template

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
2. Use the Create Request Offering task to create a new Request Offering with the following settings,
all other settings should be left as default:
Title: Automatic AD Group Membership
Description: Use this request to add AD users to AD groups
Template: Service Request Template to add an AD User to an AD Group
Form instructions: Type Please enter the details of the User Account and the Active Directory
Group in which the user should be made a member of
3. Configure the following prompts:
User Prompts or
Response Type Prompt Type
information
User Prompts or
Response Type Prompt Type
information
Enter First Required Text

Name
Enter Last Name Required Text
Enter AD Group Required Text
4. Configure the following mappings for Approve AD Group membership (Review Activity):
Property Default Value Prompt Output
Comments 3. Enter AD
Group: String
Notes 1. Enter First

Name: String
5. Configure the following mapping for RA Add user to AD Group (Runbook Automation
Activity):
Property Default Value Prompt Output
Text2 3. Enter AD
Group: String
Text3 1. Enter First

Name: String
Text1 2. Enter Last

Name: String
6. Set the Offering Status to Published

Task 4: Test the request offering

Location Value
Computer LON-DC1
Tool Active Directory Users and Computers
OU Users
User John Baxter
2. Open the Properties of the John Baxter user account and confirm from the Member of tab which
Groups the user is a member of.
3. On LON-SM1 open the Self-Service Portal by browsing to http://lon-ap1:8083/SmPortal.
4. Select List View and then submit the Automatic AD Group Membership request using the
following settings:
Enter First Name: John
Enter Last Name: Baxter
Enter AD Group: DNSAdmins
5. Open the Service Manager console and then edit the SR Add user to AD Group service request
from the Work Items\Service Request Fulfillment\All Open Service Requests node.
6. From the General tab review the User Input information.
7. From the Activities tab review the Activities and then close the form.
8. From the Review Activities node open the In Progress Activities view and then edit the Approve
AD Group membership Activity.
9. Approve the Activity and add a comment of Approved by line manager.
10. From the Runbook Automation Activities node Refresh the All Activities view until the Status of
the RA Add user to AD Group activity changes to Completed.
11. On LON-DC1, open the Properties of the John Baxter user account and confirm that the user has
now been added to the DNSAdmins group.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a runbook automation Activity template that is linked
to an Orchestrator runbook. You should have then created a Service Request template that includes a
review Activity and the runbook automation Activity. You should have then created a request offering
using the Service Request template. Finally, you should have tested the request offering by submitting a
request in the Self-Service Portal and confirming that the AD group membership was updated
automatically.
Exercise 2: Automating a Service Request for StockTrader

Scenario
In order to automate the restart of the StockTrader application server you must create a new runbook
automation activity template that is used to initiate the Orchestrator runbook and restart the relevant
server. You must then create a Change Request that includes a review activity and the runbook
automation activity template. The change request should include the computer name of the server that
should be restarted so that when the Orchestrator runbook is started the computer name can be obtained
from the change request. After the server has been restart the change request should be updated to
reflect that the server was restarted successfully.
1. Create the runbook automation activity template
2. Create a change request and include the runbook automation activity
3. Approve the change request and confirm the server is automatically restarted
4. Automate server restart without approval

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
Report Runbooks
2. Use the Create Runbook Automation Activity Template task to create a new Runbook Automation
Activity Template with the following settings, all other settings should be left as default:
Name: Runbook automation activity template to restart the StockTrader server
Title: RA Restart StockTrader Server
Is ready for automation: Selected
3. From the Runbook tab edit the mapping for the ServerName so that it maps to Work
Item\Description.
4. Edit the mapping for the ChangeRequest so that it maps to Work Item\Id.
Task 2: Create a change request and include the runbook automation activity
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Report All Change Requests

2. Use the Create Change Request task to create a new Change Request with the following settings, all
Template: StockTrader Change Requests
Title: StockTrader Server Restart
Description: LON-ST1
3. Add a new Activity using the Runbook automation activity template to restart the StockTrader
server template.
Task 3: Approve the change request and confirm the server is automatically restarted
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Work Items\Activity Management
Report Review Activities\All Activities
2. Use the Refresh task to refresh the All Activities view until the Status of the Approve Change
Activity changes to In Progress
3. Edit the Approve Change Activity and then Approve the Activity using the Approve All button and
adding a Comment of Approved.
4. Logon to LON-ST1 and wait until it has been restarted automatically.
5. In the Service Manage console on LON-SM1 edit the StockTrader Server Restart Change Request
and note the Description has been updated to show that LON-ST1 has been restarted.
Note: If after 10 minutes the LON-ST1 computer has not been restarted automatically
perform the final Task in this exercise.
Task 4: Automate server restart without approval
Note: Only perform this Task if the previous Task fails.
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Report All Change Requests
2. Use the Create Change Request task to create a new Change Request with the following settings, all
Template: StockTrader Change Requests
Title: StockTrader Server Restart (no approval)
3. Delete the Approve Change Activity
4. Add a new Activity using the Runbook automation activity template to restart the StockTrader
server template.
5. Logon to LON-ST1 and wait until it has been restarted automatically
6. In the Service Manage console on LON-SM1 edit the StockTrader Server Restart Change Request
no approval) Change Request and note the Description has been updated to show that LON-ST1
has been restarted.
Results: After this exercise you should have created a runbook automation activity template that is linked
to an Orchestrator runbook. You should have then created a change request that includes a review
activity and the runbook automation activity template. You should have also included the computer name
of the server to be restarted in the change request. Finally, you should have tested the change request
and runbook automation activity by approving the change request and confirming that the StockTrader
application server was restarted automatically. You should have also confirmed that the change request
was updated to show that the server was restarted successfully.
Question: What should you add to a Service Request template when you are creating a
Request Offering that includes a runbook?

Review Question(s)
Question: You need to troubleshoot an activity that is failing in a runbook. What should you
use?

As well as using the Runbook Tester to troubleshoot Runbooks in Orchestrator, each runbook includes
logs that record information when the runbook is running. These logs include detailed information about
the status of each activity within a runbook. For more information about Orchestrator logs visit the
following website: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=511057
10-1
Module 10
Configuring Service Level Management
Contents:
Lesson 1: Configuring Service Level Management 10-2
Lesson 2: Viewing Service Level Agreement (SLA) Information in Service
Manager 10-9
Lab: Configuring Service Level Management 10-13
Module Overview
As defined by ITIL the mission statement for Service Level Management is Plan, coordinate, negotiate,
report and manage the quality of IT services at acceptable cost. To provide effective Service Level
Management a number of key activities must be undertaken. Activities include:
Identify IT services and their requirements
Define Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
Define Operational Level Agreements (OLAs)
Identify Underpinning Contract service requirements (UCs)
Monitor and maintain SLAs, OLAs and UCs
In addition to this, an ongoing activity to improve IT services is maintained. This not only helps ensure
that service levels are being met but also ensures the business or businesses are satisfied with the level of
service they are receiving. In this module you will learn how Service Level Management is implemented in
Service Manager.
Objectives
Configure Service Level Management.
View SLA information in Service Manager.
10-2 Configuring Service Level Management
Lesson 1
Configuring Service Level Management
In Service Manager, Service Level Management is the process in which you measure timelines in Incidents
and Service Requests. For example, you may have an SLA in place which specifies that Priority 1 Incidents
must be resolved within 3 hours. Similarly an SLA may state that Service Requests that have a Priority of
High and an Urgency of Immediate must be fulfilled within 1 hour.
When Service Level Management is configured in Service Manager you can be notified when service levels
have been breached or have reached a warning level. Notification can be in the form of an e-mail
automatically sent to the user that the Incident or Service Request is assigned to. Additionally, when the
Incident or Service Request is opened in the Service Manager Console a notification bar appears to warn
you that it has breached a service level.
In order to use the Service Level Management feature in Service Manager you must first understand the
four components that comprise Service Level Management. You should also know how these components
should be configured to reflect your SLAs.
Lesson Objectives
Describe typical scenarios where Service Level Management is used.
Describe how Queues are used in Service Level Management.
Describe how Calendars are used in Service Level Management.
Describe how Metrics are used in Service Level Management.
Describe how Service Level Objectives are used in Service Level Management.
Typical Scenarios for Service Level Management

Service Level Management is typically used in
environments where Service Level Agreements
have been set between an organization and its
customers. In many cases this also includes the
organizations internal business units. For example
an organization that provides support services to
its customers may have a Service Level Agreement
(SLA) that states that all Priority 1 incidents must
be resolved within 4 hours. Another example
would be a service provider with a Software as a
Service (SaaS) offering that provides a cloud-based
E-Mail application to its customers. An SLA for this
may state that any outage to the E-Mail application will be fixed within 3 hours.
Whether offering services to customers as a service provider or providing services to your internal
business units, Service Level Management helps you maintain, monitor and report on SLAs that have been
set and also helps provides chargeback reports for services that have been provided.
In Service Manager, Service Level Management is provided for Incidents and Service Requests. An
example of how an SLA may be used for both an Incident and Service Request follow.
Incident SLA
Contoso provide support services for StockTrader to ensure that their production servers and applications
are running at all times. An SLA has been agreed that includes the following conditions:
1. Incidents that are created between 9am 6pm must be responded to within 1 hour.
2. Incidents that are created between 9am 6pm and have a priority of 1 must be responded to within
30 minutes.
3. Incidents that have a priority of 1 must be resolved within 3 hours.
4. Incidents that have been resolved must be closed within 6 hours.
Service Request SLA
Contoso provide service offerings to StockTrader that are used to provision new infrastructure, upgrade
existing infrastructure and upgrade applications that are used to maintain stock levels. An SLA has been
agreed that includes the following conditions:
1. Service Requests that are submitted between Monday and Friday must be responded to within 6
hours.
2. Service Requests that have been set with a Priority of High or Immediate must be responded to within
1 hour.
3. Service Requests that have been set with an Urgency of High and a Priority of High or Immediate
must be completed within 8 hours.
4. Service Requests that have been set with an Urgency of Low and a Priority of Low must be completed
within 5 days.
Service Manager provides the ability to measure the SLAs described above with the use of Service Level
Objectives (SLOs). Furthermore notification can also be configured such that relevant personnel are
notified via E-Mail when an SLO is about to breach or has breached its associated SLA.
Additionally, Service Manager can apply multiple SLOs to the same work item. For example, an extension
to the Incident SLA above could include the following conditions:
1. All Incidents must be assigned within 2 hours.
2. The first response to the affected user of the Incident must occur within 3 hours.
3. All Incidents must be resolved within 8 hours.
Using Queues with Service Level Management

As you will remember from Module 6, Service
Manager queues are used to group work items of
the same class, such as the Incident class or Service
Request class.
In Service Level Management, a queue is used to
define which objects will be included in the service
level that is being measured. As an example,
suppose you have an SLA that states that all
incidents that have been escalated must be
resolved within three hours. In order to facilitate
this, you would create a queue based on the
Incident class and then define the criteria for the
queue such that only escalated incidents are returned. This will then ensure that only these incidents will
be measured as part of your Service Level Management configuration.
When you are creating the queue, there are many properties that can be used as criteria to filter the work
item returned. For the Incident class, these include:
Escalated
First Assigned Date
First Response Date
Impact
Priority
Source
Status
Support Group
Urgency
This list represents a small number of properties that can be used as criteria when you are creating the
queue. When configuring the queue, you can add multiple properties to further filter the list of returned
work items. For example, you can add criteria that specify that only escalated incidents that are assigned
to the Tier 3 support group are returned. When you add multiple properties to the criteria list, you can
gain granular control over what data is returned.
For more information about creating a queue, go to the following website:
How to Create a Queue
Using Calendars with Service Level Management

A Calendar item in Service Manager is used to
define the time against which a service level
should be measured in Service Level Management.
When you create a Calendar item, you specify the
working days and working hours that will be
included in the Calendar item. For example, an
SLA that specifies that all incidents that have been
escalated must be resolved within three hours
might only apply during the working hours of your
organization. Furthermore, it might only apply
during the working days. To ensure that the SLA is
only enforced during this time, a Calendar item is
used to define these times and is then used when configuring Service Level Management.
When you create a Calendar item, you specify which work days should be included, such as Sunday
through Saturday. You also specify the start time and end time of each work day, such as 8:00 to 18:00.
Holidays can also be added to allow specific days to be excluded from the working days and hours list,
which can be useful in excluding common days throughout the year when it is known that no work will be
undertaken, such as Christmas Day or New Years Day.
The time zone that the Calendar item should use can also be specified. This is useful when service levels
need to be maintained in different geographical locations.
You can create multiple Calendar items, which is useful when multiple SLAs with different time constraints
must be enforced. For example, one SLA might state that between 8:00 and 18:00, escalated incidents
must be resolved within three hours. A different SLA might state that between 18:00 and 8:00, escalated
incidents must be resolved within five hours.
Similarly, you might need additional Calendar items when measuring SLAs against service requests. For
example, the working hours of specific service requests might fall outside of a normal working day, so the
standard 8:00 to 18:00 Calendar item would not be suitable.
For more information about creating a Calendar item, go to the following website:
How to Create a Calendar Item
Using Metrics with Service Level Management

A metric in Service Level Management is used to
define the measurement of time between a start
and end date. In the case of an incident, the dates
could be the created date and the resolved date.
In the case of a service request, the dates could be
the created date and the completed date. The
actual time values are not specified in the metric
itself; rather, you are defining what time metrics
will be used to determine when an SLA has been
breached.
By default, there are two metrics included when
Service Manager is installed.
Resolution Time
This metric is used to measure an incidents resolution time from the created date to the resolved date.
Completion Time
This metric is used to measure a service requests completion time from the created date to the
completed date.
When you create a metric, you specify the class that the metric should be applied to, such as the Incident
class or Service Request class. You then specify the start and end date metric. This can be one of many
metrics. For example, when you are using the Incident class, the start date or end date could be
configured as:
Created date
First assigned date
Resolved date
Closed date
Resolved by
As with Calendar items and queues, multiple metrics can be defined to work with multiple SLAs. For
example, a metric might be created to measure the incidents resolution time, whereas a different metric
might be created to measure the incidents assigned time.
For more information about creating SLA metrics, go to the following website:
How to Create SLA Metrics
Using Service Level Objectives with Service Level Management

An SLO in Service Level Management is used to
define the relationship between a defined queue
and a service level. Additionally, an SLO defines
the relationship between a defined Calendar item
and a metric.
When creating an SLO, you specify the class (such
as Incident or Service Request) that the SLO should
be applied to. You then specify the queue that
defines the work items on which the SLO should
be applied. You then specify the Calendar item
and metric that the SLO should be applied to. This
determines the working days and hours that the
SLO will be applied to, in addition to the time measurement that will be used, such as resolution time.
Finally, you configure the Target and Warning thresholds for the SLO in the form of hours or minutes.
The Target time is used to define the time in which you expect the SLO to be met. For example, the Target
time in which an Incident should be resolved based on its created date and time. The Warning threshold
time is used to define a time when the SLO is close to (but not) breaching the defined SLO. For example,
an hour before the Target time.
When the time measured goes beyond the Warning threshold time, this is classed as a Service Level
Warning.
When the time measured goes beyond the Target time, this is classed as a Service Level Breach.
In summary, configuring Service Level Management in Service Manager requires the configuration of the
following:
Queue. To determine the work items that the service level will be applied to
Calendar. To determine the work hours and work days when the service level should be measured
Metric. To determine the start and end metrics that will be used in the service level
SLO. To define the relationship between the service level and a queue, the relationship between a
Calendar item and a metric, and the Target and Warning thresholds
For more information about creating an SLO, go to the following website:
How to Create a Service Level Objective
Demonstration: Configuring an SLO

In this demonstration, you will see how to configure an SLO in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Queues
2. Use the Create Queue task to create a queue with the following settings (all other settings should
Queue Name: Demo Incidents
Work Item Type: Incident
3. Use the Create Calendar task to create a Calendar item with the following settings (all other settings
Title: Demo Work Hours
Working Days And Hours: Monday through Friday
Start Time: 09:00
End Time: 17:00
Holiday: Christmas Day
Note: When adding the Start time and End time you may need to adjust the times so that
they include the current time on LON-SM1. For example, if the time on LON-SM1 is 1.05am the
Start time should be changed to 01:00 so that the SLA will apply when creating the Incident later
in this exercise.
4. Use the Create Metric task to create a metric with the following settings (all other settings should
Title: Demo Resolution Time
Class: Incident
Start Date: Created date
End Date: Resolved date
5. Use the Create Service Level Objective task to create an SLO with the following settings (all other
Title: Demo Resolution Time
Class: Incident
Queues: Demo Incidents
Calendar: Demo Work Hours

Metric: Demo Resolution Time
Target: 4 minutes
Warning Threshold: 2 minutes
Question: What does the metric provide in an SLO?
Lesson 2
Viewing Service Level Agreement (SLA) Information in
Service Manager
After you have configured Service Level Management to reflect your SLAs in Service Manager you need to
understand how you can view SLA information and determine if SLAs are being met. Additionally, you
may want to configure notifications so that relevant staff is notified if SLAs are being breached.
You should also understand how you can use Service Manager Reports to view SLA information and
provide a historical view of SLA performance in your environment. This will help identify trends and also
provide a method of ascertaining service level goals.
Lesson Objectives
Describe how to view SLA information in Service Manager.
Describe how to configure SLA notifications in Service Manager.
How to View SLA Information in Service Manager

After Service Level Management has been
configured, you can use built-in views that are
available in the Service Manager console to view
any incidents or service requests that are either
nearing or breaching a service level. When an
incident or service request has breached a
Warning threshold, it will automatically be
displayed in the respective Service Level Warning
view. Similarly, when an incident or service request
breaches a configured Target threshold, it will be
displayed in the respective Service Level Breached
view.
The following table lists the views and where they can be found in the Service Manager console.
View name Location
Incidents With Service Level Breached Work Items\Incident Management
Incidents With Service Level Warning Work Items\Incident Management
Service Requests With Service Level Breach Work Items\Service Request Fulfillment
Service Requests With Service Level Warning Work Items\Service Request Fulfillment
When you are editing an incident or service request, if it is about to breach (or has already breached) a
service level, a notification bar will be shown on the General tab. This is useful, because if you are working
on an incident or service request, you will be notified instantly when you open the work item. In addition,
the Target End Date displayed in the top-right of the incident form displays date and time of when the
incident will breach the next SLA. Note that if multiple SLAs apply to the incident, the date and time of
the SLA closest to causing a breach is displayed. This is useful as analysts, for example, can instantly how
much time is left to work on an incident before it will breach an SLA.
The Service Level tab in incidents and service requests can also be used to view service levels that have
been breached or are about to be breached. Details such as the status, SLO, target end date, and time
before SLO breached are included for each service level. This is useful because you can instantly see any
service levels that have been breached or, if a service level is about to be breached, you can see how
much time is left before the breach will occur.
The History tab also records this information, including a date and time stamp for when the service level
was breached.
Using Service Manager Reports to View SLA Information

Service Manager reports can also be used to provide a historical view into how service levels have
performed over time. For example, the Incident KPI Trend report provides the number of incidents and
includes details such as how many of them have been escalated past their target resolution time and the
average time to resolution. You can filter the report by queue, which is useful when you need to report
against a specific set of work items, such as a queue that is used in an SLO.
The Incident Resolution report provides a similar list of incidents and can also be filtered by impact,
urgency, source, priority, and status.
Using the Service Manager data warehouse cubes you can also create customized reports using Microsoft
Excel to analyze incidents and other work items. This is covered in detail in Module 11.
For more information about viewing SLA information in an incident form, go to the following website:
How to View SLA Information in an Incident Form
Configuring SLA Notifications in Service Manager

By using notification subscriptions in Service
Manager, you can create a subscription that sends
an email notification when a service level is about
to be breached or when a service level has been
breached. This is useful, for example, when a
service level manager does not have access to the
When an SLOs status changes to Warning, a
notification will be sent to the Assigned To user
and any users that were added as recipients.
The following table shows the configuration of a
subscription that has been configured to send an
email notification when an SLO is in a Warning state.
Subscription property Value
Notification Subscription Name Service Level Warning
When To Notify When An Object Of The Selected Class Is Updated
Targeted Class Service Level Instance Time Information
Additional Criteria (Changed From) Status Does Not Equal Warning

Subscription property Value
Additional Criteria (Changed To) Status Equals Warning
Template Select a template that is targeted at the Service

Level Instance Time Information class
Recipient Add users or groups that should receive notification
Related Recipient In the left pane, select Work Item Has Service Level
Instance Information, and in the right pane, select
Primary Owner and Assigned To User.
For more information about sending SLA notification information to the Assigned To user, go to the
following website:
How to Send SLA Notification Information to the Assigned-To User
Demonstration: Creating an E-Mail Notification Subscription for a SLO

In this demonstration you will see how to create an E-Mail Notification Subscription for a Service Level
Objective.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Subscriptions
2. Use the Create Subscription task to create a new subscription with the following settings (all other
Notification subscription name: Demo
Target class: Service Level Instance Time Information
When to notify: When An Object Of The Selected Class Is Updated
3. On the Group/Queue Selection page discuss how Groups are used to limit the objects that are
included in this subscription and then click Next.
4. On the Additional Criteria page explain to the students how the Changed From and Change To
tabs are used to determine how Service Manager detects changes to the Service Level Objective.
5. Explain how the other pages of the Create E-Mail Notification Subscription wizard are completed
and then click Cancel then click Yes to close the wizard without making any changes.
Question: What are the four views in Service Manager that can be used to view service level
agreement (SLA) information?
Lab: Configuring Service Level Management

Scenario
As part of the business requirements of IT Management you need to understand how to configure Service
Level Management in Service Manager. Currently when Incidents are active for more than 24 hours they
are escalated manually and an email is manually sent to IT Management at the end of each day with
details of all Incidents that have breached the 24 hour SLA. You need to configure Service Manager to
automatically send email notifications when a Service Level is about to be breached. You also need to
configure Service Manager so that when Incidents and Service Requests breach a Service Level you can
quickly and easily see which work items have breached the Service Level.
Objectives
Create Service Level Objectives for Incidents.
Create Service Level Objectives for Service Requests.
Configure notification for SLAs.
Lab Setup
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-DW1, LON-EX1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM1
7. In Hyper-V Manager, click LON-EX1, and in the Actions pane, click Start.
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
Exercise 1: Create a Service Level Objective for an Incident SLA

Scenario
In order to determine when Incident SLAs have been breached you must configure a Service Level
Objective (SLO) for StockTrader and DinnerNow. A SLO consists of a Queue, Calendar and a Metric. In this
exercise you configure these features in Service Manager and then bring them together to form an SLO
that measures Incident resolution time. Note that StockTrader operate on an 8am to 6pm work schedule,
whereas DinnerNow operate 24x7. For this reason you will need to create two separate Calendar items in
Service Manager.
1. Confirm the incident queues are configured for StockTrader and DinnerNow
2. Create a calendar item for StockTrader
3. Create a calendar item for DinnerNow
4. Create a metric for StockTrader and DinnerNow
5. Create an incident service level objective for StockTrader
6. Create an incident service level objective for DinnerNow
7. Test the service level objective for StockTrader
8. Test the service level objective for DinnerNow
Task 1: Confirm the incident queues are configured for StockTrader and DinnerNow
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Queues
2. Edit the StockTrader Incidents queue and confirm the Classification category is set to
StockTrader.
3. Edit the DinnerNow Incidents queue and confirm the Classification category is set to DinnerNow.
Task 2: Create a calendar item for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Administration\Service Level Management
View Calendar
Title: StockTrader Work Hours
Working Days And Hours: Monday through Friday
Start Time: 08:00
End Time: 18:00
Holiday: Add Christmas Day
3. Set the appropriate time zone for your region.
in this exercise.
Task 3: Create a calendar item for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Calendar
Title: DinnerNow Work Hours
Working Days And Hours: Sunday through Saturday
Start Time: 12:00:00 AM
End Time: 11:59:00 PM
3. Set the appropriate time zone for your region.
Task 4: Create a metric for StockTrader and DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Metric
Title: Incident Resolution Time
Class: Incident
End Date: Resolved date
Task 5: Create an incident service level objective for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Service Level Objectives
Title: StockTrader Incident Resolution Time
Class: Incident
Queues: StockTrader Incidents
Calendar: StockTrader Work Hours
Metric: Incident Resolution Time
Target: 4 minutes
Task 6: Create an incident service level objective for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Location Value
Title: DinnerNow Incident Resolution Time
Class: Incident
Queues: DinnerNow Incidents
Calendar: DinnerNow Work Hours
Metric: Incident Resolution Time
Target: 4 minutes
Task 7: Test the service level objective for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Incidents
2. Close the Service Manager console, and then restart the following services:
Microsoft Monitoring Agent
System Center Management Configuration
System Center Data Access Service
3. Open the Service Manager console, and then create a new incident with the following settings:
Title: StockTrader Incident Breaches Service Level
Classification Category: StockTrader
Impact: Low
Urgency: High
4. Wait for three minutes, and then edit the StockTrader Incident Breaches Service Level incident.
5. Notice the One or more Service Level Objectives are about to breach notification.
6. On the Service Level tab, notice that the StockTrader Incident Resolution Time SLO has been
added.
7. Close the StockTrader Incident Breaches Service Level incident.

8. Wait for three minutes, and then edit the StockTrader Incident Breaches Service Level incident.
9. Notice the One or more Service Level Objectives have breached notification.
10. On the Service Level tab, notice that the status has changed to Breached.
12. In the Incident Management folder, open the Incidents with Service Level Breached view.
13. Notice that the StockTrader Incident Breaches Service Level incident is now displayed
Task 8: Test the service level objective for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Incidents
2. Open the Service Manager console, and then create a new incident with the following settings:
Title: DinnerNow Incident Breaches Service Level
Classification Category: DinnerNow
Impact: Low
Urgency: High
3. Wait for two minutes, and then edit the DinnerNow Incident Breaches Service Level incident.
4. Notice the One or more Service Level Objectives are about to breach notification.
5. On the Service Level tab, notice that the DinnerNow Incident Resolution Time SLO has been
added.
6. Close the DinnerNow Incident Breaches Service Level incident.
7. Wait for two minutes, and then edit the DinnerNow Incident Breaches Service Level incident.
8. Notice the One or more Service Level Objectives have breached notification.
9. On the Service Level tab, notice that the status has changed to Breached.
11. In the Incident Management folder, open the Incidents with Service Level Breached view.
12. Notice that the DinnerNow Incident Breaches Service Level incident is now displayed
Results: After this exercise, you should have created an SLO that measures incident resolution time for the
DinnerNow and StockTrader applications. You should also have tested the SLO by creating an incident
and allowing it to breach the defined SLO. When you opened the incident, you should have seen a
notification on the General tab that stated that a service level had been breached. On the Service Level
tab, you should also have viewed the service level that was breached. Finally, you should have used the
Incidents With Service Level Breached view to display the incidents that breached the service level.
Exercise 2: Create a Service Level Objective for a Service Request SLA

Scenario
In order to determine when service request SLAs have been breached, you must configure an SLO. In this
exercise, you configure an SLO that measures the completion time of service requests.
1. Create a service request queue for StockTrader
2. Create a service request queue for DinnerNow
3. Create a metric for StockTrader and DinnerNow
4. Create a service level objective for StockTrader
5. Create a service level objective for DinnerNow
7. Create a request offering by using the service request template
8. Create a service request for StockTrader and test the SLO
9. Create a service request for DinnerNow and test the SLO
Task 1: Create a service request queue for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Queues
Queue Name: StockTrader Service Requests
Work Item Type: Service Request
Criteria: Title: Contains StockTrader
Task 2: Create a service request queue for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
Location Value
View Queues
Queue Name: DinnerNow Service Requests
Work Item Type: Service Request
Criteria: Title: Contains DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Metric
Title: Service Request Completion Time
End Date: Completed date
Task 4: Create a service level objective for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Title: StockTrader Service Request Completion Time
Queues: StockTrader Service Requests
Calendar: StockTrader Work Hours

Metric: Service Request Completion Time
Target: 4 minutes
Task 5: Create a service level objective for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Title: DinnerNow Service Request Completion Time
Queues: DinnerNow Service Requests
Calendar: DinnerNow Work Hours
Metric: Service Request Completion Time
Target: 4 minutes

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Library
View Templates
2. Close the Service Manager console, and then restart the following services:
3. Use the Create Template task to create a new template with the following settings:
Name: Service Request Breaches Service Level

Title: Service Request Breaches Service Level
Activities: Add a Default Review Activity
Task 7: Create a request offering by using the service request template

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Title: Service Request Breaches Service Level
Template: Service Request Breaches Service Level
Task 8: Create a service request for StockTrader and test the SLO
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Open Service Requests
2. Use the Create Service Request task to create a new service request with the following settings:
Request Offering: Service Request Breaches Service Level
Title: StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level
Urgency: High
Priority: High
3. Save the service request
4. Wait two minutes, and then edit the StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level service
request
5. Notice the notification that states One or more Service Level Objectives are about to breach.
6. On the Service Level tab, note that the StockTrader Service Request Completion Time SLO has
been added.
7. Close the StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level service request.
8. Wait two minutes, and then edit the StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level service
request
9. Notice the new notification that states One or more Service Level Objectives have breached.
10. On the Service Level tab, note that the status of the service level has changed to Breached.
11. Close the StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level service request
12. Under Service Request Fulfillment, click Service Requests with Service Level Breached.
13. Notice that the StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level service request is displayed.
Task 9: Create a service request for DinnerNow and test the SLO
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Open Service Requests
2. Use the Create Service Request task to create a new service request with the following settings:
Request Offering: Service Request Breaches Service Level
Title: DinnerNow Service Request Breaches Service Level
Urgency: High
Priority: High
3. Save the service request
4. Wait two minutes, and then edit the DinnerNow Service Request Breaches Service Level service
request
5. Notice the notification that states One or more Service Level Objectives are about to breach.
6. On the Service Level tab, note that the DinnerNow Service Request Completion Time SLO has
been added.
7. Close the DinnerNow Service Request Breaches Service Level service request.
8. Wait two minutes, and then edit the DinnerNow Service Request Breaches Service Level service
request
9. Notice the new notification that states One or more Service Level Objectives have breached.
10. On the Service Level tab, note that the status of the service level has changed to Breached.
11. Close the DinnerNow Service Request Breaches Service Level service request
13. Notice that the DinnerNow Service Request Breaches Service Level service request is displayed.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created an SLO that measures service request completion
time. You should also have tested the SLO by creating a service request and allowing it to breach the
defined SLO. When you opened the service request, you should have seen a notification on the General
tab that that stated a service level had been breached. On the Service Level tab, you should also have
viewed the service level that was breached. Finally, you should have used the Service Requests With
Service Level Breached view to display the service requests that breached the service level.
Exercise 3: Configure SLA Notifications

Scenario
In order for notifications to be sent when Service Levels are about to be breached you must create a
Subscription in Service Manager. In this exercise you create an E-Mail Notification Subscription that sends
an e-mail notification to the StockTrader and DinnerNow Support Teams when a Service Level is in a
Warning state.
1. Create a subscription for StockTrader
2. Create a subscription for DinnerNow
3. Test SLA notification for StockTrader
4. Test SLA notification for DinnerNow
Task 1: Create a subscription for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Subscriptions
Notification Subscription Name: StockTrader Service Level Breached
When To Notify: Periodically notify when objects meet a criteria
Class: Change the drop-down list to All basic classes and then select Service Level Instance Time
Information
3. Additional Criteria:
Add Status equals Warning
Add Display Name Contains StockTrader
4. Template: Create a new email template:
Name: StockTrader Service Level Breached
Class: Service Level Instance Time Information
Template Design\Message Subject: StockTrader Service Level Breached
Template Design\Message Body: Click Insert and, under Object add, Display Name
Template: Select StockTrader Service Level Breached template
Recipient: StockTrader_IR
Task 2: Create a subscription for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Subscriptions
Notification Subscription Name: DinnerNow Service Level Breached
When To Notify: Periodically notify when objects meet a criteria
Additional Criteria:
o Add Status equals Warning
o Add Display Name Contains DinnerNow
3. Template: Create a new email template:
Name: DinnerNow Service Level Breached
Template Design\Message Subject: DinnerNow Service Level Breached
Template Design\Message Body: Click Insert and, under Object add, Display Name
4. Template: Select DinnerNow Service Level Breached template
5. Recipient: DinnerNow _IR
Task 3: Test SLA notification for StockTrader

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Incidents
Title: StockTrader Incident SLA Test
Impact: Low
Urgency: High
3. Open Outlook using the StockTrader_IR profile and wait for the StockTrader Service Level
Breached email message to appear, and then open it.
4. Notice in the message body that the StockTrader Incident Resolution Time message has been
automatically added, notifying you of the Service Level Objective that has been breached.
5. Close the e-mail message and then close Outlook.
Task 4: Test SLA notification for DinnerNow

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View All Incidents
Title: DinnerNow Incident SLA Test
Impact: Low
Urgency: High
3. Open Outlook using the DinnerNow _IR profile and wait for the DinnerNow Service Level
Breached email message to appear, and then open it.
4. Notice in the message body that the DinnerNow Incident Resolution Time message has been
5. Close the e-mail message and then close Outlook.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created an email notification subscription that sends an email
notification when the status of a DinnerNow or StockTrader SLO changes to Warning. You should also
have tested the notification by creating a new incident and then viewing the automatically generated
email message in Microsoft Outlook.
Question: List the three features that must be configured in Service Manager before an SLO
can be created, and provide a brief description of each.
Question: You need to configure Service Level Management to reflect an incident SLA that
measures the resolution time of incidents that have been escalated. How do you ensure that
only escalated incidents are included in the SLO?

Review Question(s)
Question:
What is configured when you create an SLO?

Although you can edit the queues, Calendar items, and metrics associated with an SLO, it is recommended
that you do so outside of working hours, because this editing can have a negative effect on the
performance of the Service Manager database.
11-1
Module 11
Using Reports and Analyzing Data in Service Manager
Contents:
Lesson 1: Running Reports in System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager 11-2
Lesson 2: Configuring and Running Data Warehouse Jobs 11-8
Lesson 3: Troubleshooting Failed Data Warehouse Jobs 11-13
Lesson 4: Data Warehouse Cubes 11-17
Lab: Configuring Reports and Analyzing Service Manager Data 11-21
Module Overview
Reporting in any IT service management solution is a key function that provides a wealth of information.
From analyzing incident trends to reporting on software update compliance, data stored in the reporting
data warehouse provides a historical view of how your business environment has performed.
Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager provides a number of standard reports that become
available after data from the Service Manager database has been extracted and prepared in the Service
Manager data warehouse. To facilitate this, a number of data warehouse jobs are used to extract,
transform, and load the data into the data warehouse so that it can be used in reports. It is important you
understand how these data warehouse jobs operate, including how to troubleshoot jobs that have failed.
Similarly, a number of OLAP cubes can be used to perform advanced analytics on data that has been
collected in the data warehouse. It is important you understand how these cubes are processed, including
how to analyze cube data in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft SharePoint.
In this module, you will learn how to run reports in Service Manager, including how to manage and
maintain the data warehouse jobs and cubes on which reports rely on. Additionally, you will learn how to
perform advanced analytics on cube data by using Excel and SharePoint.
Objectives
Describe how to run reports in Service Manager.
Describe how to configure and run data warehouse jobs.
Describe how to troubleshoot data warehouse jobs.
Describe the data warehouse cubes in Service Manager.
11-2 Using Reports and Analyzing Data in Service Manager
Lesson 1
Running Reports in System Center 2012 R2 Service
Manager
After the data warehouse management server has been registered with the Service Manager management
group and the relevant data warehouse jobs have completed, the Reporting and Data Warehouse
workspaces become available in the Service Manager console. Standard reports such as the Incident
Analyst and Problem Details reports will become accessible from the Reporting workspace.
In order to retrieve the most appropriate data when running reports, you should understand how reports
are configured. This includes filtering the data that is returned in a report. You should also understand
how reports can be exported into different formats, making them available in applications other than
Service Manager.
Lesson Objectives
Configure reports in Service Manager.
Run and export reports in Service Manager.
Configuring Reports in Service Manager

Many standard reports are available from within
the Reporting workspace of the Service Manager
console. Listed in the following table are some of
the more commonly used reports, including a
description of the data that can be obtained from
them.
Report location and name Description
Incident Provides a report based on a specific analyst. This report is useful

Management\Incident when you need to determine how many incidents an analyst has
Analyst worked on over a given period. This also includes the number of
hours the analyst has spent working on an incident.
Incident The report provides the number of incidents within a given period.
Management\Incident This report is useful when you need to know how many incidents
Resolution have exceeded their targeted resolution time.
Problem This report provides detailed information relating to a specific

Management\Problem problem and can be useful when you need to troubleshoot a similar
Detail problem that has been logged previously.
Report location and name Description
Change Management\List This report can be used to provide a list of changes that have
Of Change Requests occurred over a given time period. You can filter the report to include
specific categories such as Emergency, Major, or Standard.
Activity Management\List Of This report can be used to provide a list of activities that have
Activities occurred within a specific time period. You can filter the report based
on criteria such as the Assigned To user or Status, which can be useful
when you need to determine what activities a user has worked on
over a given time.
Configuring Reports
To run a report in Service Manager, you select the relevant report from the Reporting workspace and then
click the Run Report task that becomes available in the Tasks pane. This opens the report window, where
you can configure parameters of the report before it is run. The parameters that can be configured will
differ depending on the selected report. As an example, the following table describes some of the
parameters that can be configured for the List Of Activities report:
List Of Activities report

Description
parameter name
From Created Date\To Created By default, the report includes data of one month from the
Date current day. By changing the From and To dates, you can
include data from any time period of your choice.
Type By default, all activities are included in the report. You can
optionally filter the report based on a specific activity type such
as Manual Activity or Dependent Activity.
Status By default, the report includes all activities regardless of their

status. You can optionally filter the report based on a specific
status, such as Completed or Canceled. This can be useful when
you need to determine how many activities were completed or
canceled within a given time period.
Area You can filter the report based on area, such as facilities or
operations. This can be useful when you need to provide a
breakdown of activities based on area.
Stage You can filter the report based on the stage such as Approve,
Develop, or Release.
Priority The Priority parameter can be used to filter the report, based on
priorities such as High, Immediate, or Low. This can be useful
when you need to provide a breakdown of all high-priority
manual activities that have been completed within a given time
period, for example.
Select affected configuration item You can optionally add a configuration item such as a computer
or a Microsoft SQL Server database, for example. This is useful
when you need to provide a report that shows all activities
relating to a configuration item.
For more information about standard reports available in Service Manager, go to the following website:
Standard Reports Available in Service Manager
Running and Exporting Reports in Service Manager

After you have configured any parameters for the
report, the Run Report task is used again to run
the report with the configured parameters. The
report is then displayed in the bottom of the
report window. With the report displayed, you can
use the options in the Page Width list to resize the
report to 100% or 500%, for example, which is
useful when the screen resolution is such that the
report becomes difficult to read. You can also use
the Search box to search the report for specific
text. This can be useful when the report contains a
great deal of data from which you are interested
in just a specific part of it. You can navigate through pages of the report by using the Next Page and
Previous Page buttons or you can optionally type a page number to jump to.
When viewing the data that is included in the report, in many cases (depending on the selected report),
you can expand sections and then click a hyperlink that will open a related child report. For example, in
the List Of Activities report, you can expand an activity and then click the Activity Details report, which will
open and display detailed information for the selected activity. The Back To Parent report can then be
used to return to the parent report.
If you use a report on a regular basis, you can have the report saved in the Favorite Reports section of the
Reporting workspace by using the Save As Favorite task. This is useful because you can save many reports
into this view, which saves time by removing the need to navigate through the Reporting workspace the
next time you need to run the report. You can also use the Save As Linked Report to create a short-cut to
a report that is stored in a different report folder. This also saves time when you navigate through the
Report workspace when running reports on a regular basis. Note that when a report is saved in the
Favorite Reports section it becomes available only to the user currently logged into the Service Manager
console. Other users will not see this report in the console. Conversely, when using the Save As Linked
Report task, the report is made available to any user in the Service Manager console.
Exporting Reports
After you have run a report, you can use the Export button in the report window to export the report into
a number of different formats. This includes PDF, HTML 4.0, HTML (web archive), and Excel. When you
select the export format, you are then prompted for the location of where the report should be saved to.
The HTML export format is particularly useful because it can be used to view the report in a web browser.
This provides the ability to embed the report into an intranet website, for example.
For more information about how to run a standard report, go to the following website:
How to Run a Standard Report
Using Report Builder to Create Custom Reports

As reporting in Service Manager utilizes SQL
Server Reporting Services (SSRS) you can use SQL
Report Builder to quickly and easily create custom
reports. You can create a report based on an
existing Service Manager report or you can create
a new one by either using a pre-defined SQL
query or by creating a dataset in Report Builder
and adding relevant fields from the Service
Manager Data Warehouse database.
Using Report Builder
To open Report Builder, in Internet Explorer you
browse to the SSRS Reports folder which is
typically http://<SSRS_Server_Name>/Reports. This will open the home page of the SQL Server Reporting
Services. With the Service Manager Data Warehouse installed, a SystemCenter folder will be displayed.
Inside this folder is a ServiceManager folder, this is where all Service Manager reports are stored. You can
use the New Folder option from the top of the web page to create a new folder in the ServiceManager
folder named Custom Reports for example. When you create new reports using the Report Builder you
can save them in the Custom Reports folder which will then make them available in the Reporting pane in
the Service Manager Console. To open the Report Builder you click the Report Builder link at the top of
the web page. The Report Builder then loads and a Getting Start Wizard opens. The table below describes
some of the common features used in Report Builder when creating a custom report:
Report Builder Wizard page Description
Getting Started On the Getting Started page you can select to create a new
report, create a new dataset, open an existing report, or open a
report that was recently saved. When creating a new report you
can use a wizard to create the following report types:
Table or Matrix
Chart
Map
Blank
For the purposes of this topic it is assumed that the Table or
Matrix report type is selected.
Choose a dataset On the Choose a dataset page you select an existing dataset or
create a new dataset that will be used in the report to retrieve
data from the Service Manager data warehouse database. For
the purposes of this topic it is assumed that a new dataset is to
be created.
Choose a connection to a data On the Choose a connection to a data source page you click the
source New button to open the Data Source Properties window. You
can then click the Build button to create a connection to the
Service Manager data warehouse database. The following values
are configured in the connection:
Data Source: Typically Microsoft SQL Server (SQLClient)
Server name: The server name of the Service Manager data
warehouse database server such as LON-DW1
Report Builder Wizard page Description
Select or enter a database name: Typically you select the

DWDataMart database
After you have configured the connection you can optionally
change the connection name. This is useful when you have
multiple connections. A meaningful name can be added such as
DWDataMart in this case.
Design a query After selecting the dataset that was created on the previous
page you are then presented with the tables and views from the
selected database. You can either add fields from the tables or
views selected in the Database view section, and then configure
the Relationships and Applied filters for the report, or you can
use the Edit as Text option to create an SQL Query that will be
used to retrieve the data for the report. This option is useful as
you can design an SQL Query and then test it to confirm it
returns the data that is expected. For example, you could add a
simple SQL Query such as Select Title from IncidentDimvw
and then use the ! button to run the query against the
DWDataMart database. This would return the Title of all
Incidents in the DWDataMart database.
Arrange fields On the Arrange fields page you add and arrange the relevant
fields that you want to be included in the report. From the
Available fields section a list of fields are displayed. You drag
fields into the Row groups, Column groups and Views sections
to group and display the data appropriately for your report.
Choose the layout On the Choose the layout page you can optionally include
subtotals and grand totals in the report, this is useful when the
report contains numbered values such as the number of
Incidents assigned to an Incident Resolver. You can also choose
whether groups can be expanded or collapsed.
Choose a style On the Choose a style page you can select the Style that should
be applied to the report. This affects the font and color scheme
of the report. Available styles include Ocean and Corporate.
After completing the Report Builder Wizard you are presented with design view of the report where you
can modify the layout, add images, add other data sources, datasets and fields and generally prepare the
report before it is saved. After you have finished preparing the report you can use the Save As option
from the ribbon to save the report to the SSRS Server. By default the SSRS Home page is selected as the
file location for the report. By opening the SystemCenter\ServiceManager folder you can then save the
report in the Custom Reports folder as described earlier to make the report available in the Service
Manager Console. You may need to close and then re-open the Service Manager Console in order to see
the new report.
When using the Report Builder you can use the context sensitive help options that are available to learn
more about designing reports. You can also learn more about Report Builder by visiting the following
website:
Getting Started with Report Builder
Demonstration: Using Report Builder to create a custom report

In this demonstration, you will learn how Report Builder is used to create a custom report.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-DW1
URL http://lon-dw1/reports
Toolbar option Report Builder
2. Use the Table or Matrix Wizard to create a new report with the following settings, all other settings
should be left as default.
3. On the Choose a connection to a data source page, click New and use the Build button to create a
new connection using the following settings:
Server name: LON-DW1
Select or enter a database name: DWDataMart
4. On the Design a query page discuss the various options that are available and then using the Edit as
Text button add the following query:
Select Title from IncidentDimVw
5. Use the ! button to test the query.

6. On the Arrange fields page drag Title from Available fields into the Values section
7. Accept all other default settings in the wizard.
8. Discuss the various options in the Report Builder and then run the report using the Run button from
the ribbon.
9. Wait for the report to load and then close the Report Builder without saving any changes.
10. Close Internet Explorer and then log off LON-DW1.
Question: You need to provide a report that shows the activities performed against a
specific configuration item. What report should you run, and what parameter should you
configure in the report?
Lesson 2
Configuring and Running Data Warehouse Jobs
The primary purpose of the data warehouse jobs in Service Manager is to maintain the data warehouse.
After a Service Manager data warehouse management group is registered with a Service Manager
management group the data warehouse jobs are used to extract, transform, and load data from the
Service Manager database into the data warehouse databases. It is only then that data for reports will be
available.
With this in mind, it is important that you understand the function of each data warehouse job and how it
can be configured. This includes modifying job schedules, starting and stopping jobs when required, and
viewing the status of jobs to ensure that data is being extracted, transformed, and loaded as expected.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the data warehouse jobs.
Manage the data warehouse jobs from the Service Manager console.
Manage the data warehouse jobs by using Windows PowerShell.
The Data Warehouse Jobs

In total, there are seven data warehouse jobs in
Service Manager that are used to maintain the
data held in the data warehouse. The following
table provides a description of each job.
Data warehouse job

Description
name
MPSyncJob The MPSyncJob is the first job that is run after a Service Manager data
warehouse management group is registered with a Service Manager
management group. Its purpose is to synchronize the sealed
Management Packs from the Service Manager environment with the data
warehouse. On its initial run, this job can take hours to complete and
reporting will not be available until this job has finished.
DWMaintenance After the MPSyncJob has completed, the DWMaintenance job is

automatically started. The DWMaintenance job performs maintenance
tasks such as updating statistics and indexing of data in the data
warehouse.
Entity (Grooming) Data held in the data warehouse is automatically groomed (deleted)
based on configurable data retention settings. By default, data in the Fact
tables are kept for three years. Data in the Dimension and Outrigger
Data warehouse job

Description
name
tables is kept indefinitely. This grooming job is managed by a workflow
and cannot be modified. However, the retention settings for the data
warehouse can be modified by using the Set-SCDWRetentionPeriod
Windows PowerShell cmdlet.
Extract There are two Extract jobs in Service Manager: one for the Service
Manager management group and another for the data warehouse
management group. The Extract job retrieves delta data from the Service
Manager database since its last run and then stores this data in the
DWStagingAndConfig database in the data warehouse.
Transform The Transform job retrieves raw data from the DWStagingAndConfig
database and prepares it so it can be used for reports. This includes
reformatting, cleansing, and aggregating the data before it is moved into
the DWRepository database.
Load The Load job queries delta data held in the DWRepository database and
then inserts the data into the DWDatamart database. The DWDatamart
database is where all reports retrieve their data from.
As shown in the preceding table, the extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) data warehouse jobs
are used to retrieve data from the Service Manager database and make it available for reporting purposes
in the data warehouse. One of the important features of manipulating the data in this way is that, in large
organizations where there are large amounts of data to work with, customers can optimize the hardware
used to store the databases on which these jobs work.
For example, the DWStagingAndConfig and DWRepository databases can be placed on hardware that is
optimized for read and write operations, whereas the DWDataMart database can be placed on hardware
that is optimized for read operations. In high-volume environments, that can make a huge difference in
terms of performance when managing the data warehouse and running reports.
For more information about data warehouse and analytics, go to the following website:
Data Warehouse and Analytics Overview
Managing the Data Warehouse Jobs by Using the Service Manager

Console
It is important that the data warehouse jobs are
maintained at all times in order for reporting data
to be available. With this in mind, you can perform
maintenance tasks such as viewing the status,
starting and stopping data warehouse jobs and
changing the schedule of the data warehouse jobs
from with the Service Manager console.
Note: Care should be taken when modifying

the schedule of data warehouse jobs. Each job
needs a certain amount of time to complete. By
modifying a job schedule you could cause jobs to
overlap which may result in data inconsistency.
From the Data Warehouse pane in the Service Manager console the Data Warehouse Jobs node displays
the jobs, including their name, category, status, and whether they are enabled or not. When you select a
job, such as the MPSyncJob, the details pane displays further information about the job. This includes its
last run time, its next run time, the schedule in which the job is run such as every 1 hour, and the current
job progress in terms of how many steps (or modules) have been processed in the job so far.
Additionally (depending on the job that is selected), details of the modules being processed are also
displayed. For example, when you select the MPSyncJob the synchronization jobs details are displayed,
which include the batch ID data source, Management Pack, and status of each Management Pack as it is
being synchronized with the data warehouse.
When you right-click a job in the details pane (depending on its current status), you can resume or
suspend the job. This is useful if you need to temporarily stop a job from processing data while you
perform another task on it, such as modifying its schedule. To view and modify a jobs schedule, you can
either right-click the job and select Properties or use the Properties task from the Tasks pane after
selecting the job in the details pane. In the properties window that opens, you can view general
information such as the description, category, status, and run times for the job. You can also view the job
details displayed in the details pane when selecting a job in the Data Warehouse Jobs node. The Schedule
tab in the properties window shows the current schedule of the job, such as hourly or every two hours.
You can modify the schedule and change the run time of a job to hourly, daily, or weekly and then specify
time of day and day of the week if the Weekly schedule is selected. This can be useful in environments
where jobs are overlapping due to either the size of data being manipulated or due to performance of the
hardware on which the data warehouse is installed.
By default, the following schedules are set for the following data warehouse jobs, which are also enabled
by default.
Data warehouse
Start time Frequency
job
MPSyncJob Midnight Hourly
DWMaintenance Midnight Hourly
Extract Midnight Every 5 minutes
Transform Midnight Every 30 minutes
Load Midnight Every hour
Note: The grooming job schedule cannot be modified.
For more information about how to stop and start a data warehouse job, go to the following website:
How to Stop and Start a Data Warehouse Job
Managing the Data Warehouse Jobs by Using Windows PowerShell

Although you can perform a number of
maintenance tasks on data warehouse jobs from
within the Service Manager console, many more
functions can be performed by using the Service
Manager Windows PowerShell cmdlets. Windows
PowerShell provides more flexibility and granular
control when managing the data warehouse jobs
and also provides the ability to script commands
so that they can be run on a schedule.
In the following table, some of the more common
cmdlets that are used to manage the data
warehouse jobs are described, including an
example of each.
Cmdlet Description
Get-SCDWJobSchedule Displays the current schedule of the specified job. For example,
SCDWJobSchedule ComputerName LON-DW1 JobName
Transform.Common would display the name, scheduled start type
such as hourly, and whether the schedule was enabled or not.
Set-SCDWRetentionPeriod Sets the data retention in minutes for a specified fact table. For
example, SCDWRetentionPeriod -ComputerName LON-DW1 -
DatamartComputerName LON-DW1 -DatamartDatabaseName
CMDWDataMart -EntityName
ComputerHasSoftwareUpdateInstalledFact -DurationInMinutes
1576800 would set the data retention to three years for the
ComputerHasSoftwareUpdateInstalledFact table.
Get-SCDWJob Provides a list of data warehouse jobs, including the Name, BatchID,
Status, CategoryName, and StartTime. For example, Get-SCDWJob
ComputerName LON-DW1 would list all data warehouse jobs for the
LON-DW1 data warehouse server.
Enable-SCDWJobSchedule Enables a job schedule so that it can run based on its defined
schedule. For example, Enable-SCDWJobSchedule ComputerName
LON-DW1 JobName Transform.Common would enable the
Transform.Common job to run by using its defined job schedule.
Disable-SCDWJobSchedule Disables a job schedule for the specified job. For example, Disable-
SCDWJobSchedule ComputerName LON-DW1 JobName
Transform.Common would disable the Transform.Common job
schedule.
Start-SCDWJob Starts a data warehouse job. For example, Start-SCDWJob

ComputerName LON-DW1 JobName Transform.Common would
start the Transform.Common job,
Stop-SCDWJob Stops a running data warehouse job. For example, Stop-SCDWJob

ComputerName LON-DW1 JobName Transform.Common would
stop the Transform.Common job.
For more information about Service Manager data warehouse cmdlets, go to the following website:
Service Manager Data Warehouse Cmdlets
Demonstration: Reviewing Data Warehouse Jobs in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review the Data Warehouse Jobs in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Data Warehouse
View Data Warehouse Jobs
2. Discuss the various Data Warehouse Jobs and then click MPSyncJob and review the details for the
job.
3. Edit the MPSyncJob and then review the options that are available on the following tabs:
General
Schedule
Status
4. Close the MPSyncJob window and then close the Service Manager console.
Question: What is the function of the MPSyncJob in the Service Manager data warehouse?
Lesson 3
Troubleshooting Failed Data Warehouse Jobs
Because the data warehouse jobs are critical in preparing data for reports, it is important that they run
and complete as expected. If any job fails or stalls for some reason, at best, you will not have the most up-
to-date data in your reports; at worst, there will be no data to display in your reports.
For this reason it is important that you understand how to troubleshoot and fix data warehouse jobs if
and when the need arises.
Troubleshooting failed or stalled data warehouse jobs can be performed by using both the Service
Manager console and Windows PowerShell cmdlets. Additionally, traditional tools such as the Windows
Event Log can also be useful when troubleshooting failed jobs or, indeed, any issue with Service Manager.
Lesson Objectives
Use the Service Manager console to troubleshoot issues with data warehouse jobs.
Use the Windows Event Log to troubleshoot issues with data warehouse jobs.
Use Windows PowerShell to troubleshoot issues with data warehouse jobs.
Troubleshooting Data Warehouse Jobs by Using the Service Manager

Console
From the Data Warehouse Jobs node in the Data
Warehouse pane of the Service Manager console,
you can monitor the status of the data warehouse
jobs. The Status column for each job will be
displayed as Not Started, Running, Stopped, or
Failed. When selecting the job, the details pane at
the bottom of the page will display the modules
that are being processed as part of that job.
Although this view is useful in viewing the status
of modules that are being processed, it does not
display any errors that are related to failing
modules. To view this information, you should
select the relevant job from the Data Warehouse Jobs node, and then from the Tasks pane, click
Properties.
This opens the properties for the selected job, as described earlier. The Job Modules tab can then be used
to view the status of each module, including any error messages that are associated with any failed
modules. Any errors that are displayed here can usually be corroborated with an associated event in the
Operations Manager event log, as described in the next topic.
Note: The Job Module tab is not available for MPSyncJob.
When troubleshooting MPSyncJob failure issues, you can also open the properties of the MPSyncJob and
view the Status tab. This will show the status of each Management Pack, such as Imported, Associated,
Pending Association, or Failed. For any Management Packs that have a status of Pending Association or
Failed, further troubleshooting is required.
First, you should sort the list of Management Packs by Management Pack name, and then view the status
of the Management Pack in question in each subsequent batch. Each time the MPSyncJob is run, a new
BatchID is associated with the Management Pack. For example, a Management Pack named
ServiceManager.Compliance.Library.Datawarehouse might have a status of Pending Association when
viewing the properties of the MPSyncJob. This could mean that there is a problem associating the
Management Pack. The properties might also show that the BatchID for the Management Pack in the
Pending Association state is 1102. By sorting the Management Packs by Management Pack name, you
might find that a later batchfor example, BatchID 1129shows that the Management Pack now has a
status of Associated. In this case, no further troubleshooting is required because a subsequent run of the
MPSyncJob has resolved the problem.
If all batches show that the Management Pack is in a Pending Association or Failed status, this could mean
that a dependent Management Pack has either not been deployed yet or has failed to deploy.
In the Data Warehouse pane, you can click the Management Packs node to view the status of
Management Packs that have been synchronized with the data warehouse. For Management Packs that
have a deployment status of Completed, this means they have been successfully loaded into the data
warehouse database. For Management Packs that have a deployment status of Failed or Not Started, a
dependency Management Pack might not have been imported. You can view the Management Packs that
the selected Management Pack depends on and which Management Packs depend on the selected
Management Pack by viewing the properties of the selected Management Pack.
For Management Packs that have a deployment status of Failed, the Restart Deployment task can be used
to redeploy the Management Pack. If the Management Pack still shows a deployment status of Failed,
then further investigation by using the Operations Manager event log should be performed, as described
in the next topic.
Note: You can use the Resume And Suspend task for the selected data warehouse job to
restart or stop the job.
Troubleshooting Data Warehouse Jobs by Using the Event Log

Detailed information relating to the operation of
Service Manager and the Service Manager data
warehouse can be found in the Operations
Manager event log. When you view events in the
Operations Manager event log on the data
warehouse management server to troubleshoot
data warehouse jobs, you can select two event
sources to filter the event data. These are:
Deployment: Typically incudes events relating to
Management Pack deployment. This includes
report deployment or events relating to the
assembly of the data warehouse.
Data Warehouse: When the data warehouse has been deployed, most events will fall under the data
warehouse source and include events related to data warehouse jobs such as Extract, Transform, Load,
and MPSyncJob.
By filtering the Operations Manager event log to display only critical, error, and warning events with the
event sources of data warehouse and deployment, you will find it much easier to pinpoint problems that
are occurring in the data warehouse.
As an example of troubleshooting a failed data warehouse job, you might find that event ID 33526 is
logged in the Operations Manager event log on the data warehouse management server. The description
of the event states Incorrect user information detected. In this example, the password for an account
that is used as a Run As Account in the data warehouse has changed. To resolve the problem, the Run As
Account must be updated with the new password by navigating to Security\Run As Accounts in the Data
Warehouse pane.
Heres another example: when a Management Pack remains in a Pending Association state in the
properties of the MPSyncJob, the following error event might be logged in the Operations Manager event
log.
Deployment Execution Infrastructure has retried the maximum number of times and is
giving up on this execution step.
MP Element ID:
DerivedManagementPack.SystemDerivedMp.ServiceManager.ActivityManagement.Library.Dataw
arehouse
MP name: ServiceManager.ActivityManagement.Library.Datawarehouse
MP version: 7.0.5826.0
Operation: Install
Error message: Cannot find resource with ID TransformActivityStatusResource
In this instance, the Service Manager data warehouse must be unregistered from Service Manager. The
data warehouse must then be reinstalled and then re-registered with Service Manager.
In some cases, events might suggest restarting the Service Manager services on the data warehouse
management server. In this case, you should restart the following services:
Note: It is the System Center Management Service on the data warehouse management
server that manages the data warehouse jobs in Service Manager.
For more information about troubleshooting System Center data warehouse errors, go to the following
website:
Troubleshooting System Center Data Warehouse Errors
Troubleshooting Data Warehouse Jobs by Using Windows PowerShell

Further to the Windows PowerShell cmdlets that
were discussed in the Managing the Data
Warehouse Jobs by Using Windows PowerShell
topic, there are other cmdlets that are particularly
useful when troubleshooting data warehouse jobs.
The following table provides a description of each,
including an example of how they are used.
Cmdlet Description
Get-SCDWSource Provides a list of data sources, which are registered to the Service Manager data
warehouse. For example, Get-SCDWSource ComputerName LON-DW1 would
return details such as the DataSourceName, DataSourceType, DateRegistered,
and DateUnRegistered for any registered data source.
Get-SCDWJob Although this cmdlet was referenced earlier, it can be used here with an
additional parameter to determine the start and end times, including the status
for a specific job for each batch that has run. For example, Get-SCDWJob
ComputerName LON-DW1 JobName Transform.Common NumberofBatches
5 would return the last five batches of the Transform.Common job, including
the BatchID, Status, CategoryName, StartTime, and EndTime. This can be useful
when you need to determine how long a job is taking to complete and at what
time a job started to fail.
Get- Provides a list of modules that are processed within a job, including each
SCDWJobModule modules status and any related error message. For example, Get-
SCDWJobModule ComputerName LON-DW1 JobName- Transform.Common
would return the ModuleID, Module Name, Status, and any error messages
associated with each module of the Transform.Common job. You can also
include the NumberofBatches parameter, which is useful in correlating previous
batch runs with the current run.
Question: What does the Get-SCDWJobModule Windows PowerShell cmdlet do?

Lesson 4
Data Warehouse Cubes
Online analytical processing (OLAP) cubes are used in Service Manager to provide fast analysis across
large amounts of data. This makes manipulating data and analyzing it from different perspectives much
easier and quicker.
Although there are data warehouse jobs that are scheduled to process cubes in Service Manager, you
should understand how to manually process cubes in order to provide access to data when required for
reporting and analysis purposes.
It is also important that you know how data from cubes can be processed in Excel. You can then create
reports in Excel and store them in the Service Manager Analysis Library. This makes them available to
other users when required.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the data warehouse cubes in Service Manager.
Describe how to analyze cubes in Excel.
Describe how to use the Analysis Library to share analyzed cube data.
Overview of Data Warehouse Cubes

The DWASDatabase, as mentioned in previous
topics, is used to store the data warehouse cubes
that are used in Service Manager. During the
installation of the Service Manager data
warehouse, you are prompted for the SQL Server
Analysis Server that will be used to host the
Analysis Services database. In large organizations
where large amounts of data is to be processed,
the SQL Server Analysis Services Server might be a
separate SQL server to the one used to host the
data warehouse management server. This allows
for processing power to be separated between
normal data warehouse operations, such as the Extract, Transform, and Load jobs and the data warehouse
cube processing.
Being an OLAP database, the DWASDatabase is designed to retrieve data quickly and from different
perspectives. For example, suppose you need to generate a report that shows the number of incidents
that did not meet a service level over a given period. An OLAP database is ideal for this type of data
because it stores aggregated data that can be accessed much quicker.
In contrast, an online transaction processing (OLTP) database is used to perform fast writes, such as the
creation of an incident.
A cube is used to pull information from an OLAP database in such a way that it becomes available almost
instantaneously. If this information was to be retrieved from an OLTP database it would take much longer
because the data would need to be filtered, processed, and aggregated, typically using stored procedures,
which would also decrease the performance of the database.
In Service Manager, a number of OLAP cubes are created when the data warehouse management server is
installed. These include:
Service Manager WorkItems Cube
Service Manager ConfigItem Cube
Change and Activity Management Cube
Service Manager Service Catalog Library Cubes
In the Service Manager console, these cubes can be seen in the Cubes node of the Data Warehouse pane.
By right-clicking a cube or by using the corresponding task from the Tasks pane, you can manually
process the cube, making updated data available for analysis. The cubes are also processed on a schedule
by using data warehouse jobs. These can be viewed and edited, similar to other jobs in the Data
Warehouse Jobs node of the Data Warehouse pane. You will notice the data warehouse jobs that relate to
cubes because they will be associated with the cube processing category.
When troubleshooting cubes, you can also open the properties of the corresponding data warehouse job
to view any related error messages that have been logged during the cubes processing.
Note: Although not covered in this course, you can create your own cubes that can be
used to analyze data collected in Service Manager.
The OLAP cubes in Service Manager are comprised of the following six components:
Dimensions: Used to reference dimensions in the data warehouse. This can be thought of as a class
in a Management Pack.
Measures: The values on which analysis is performedfor example, the number of incidents.
Measures are used with Dimensions to quickly analyze subsets of data.
Drill down: Provides the ability to analyze data at different aggregation levelsfor example, analysis
of incidents by severity, then by escalation, and then by service-level agreement (SLA) breach.
Drill though: Provides the final step in a drill down by viewing the underlying rows of data from a
Measure.
Key performance indicators (KPIs): Typically used in scorecards. Used to score a particular Measure
against a goal by using a Target value and an Actual value.
Partitions: Used to store subsets of data. A partition in a cube can be thought of as a table in a
database.
For more information about data warehouse and analytics overview, go to the following website:
Data Warehouse and Analytics Overview
For more information about using OLAP cubes for advanced analytics, go to the following website:
Using OLAP Cubes for Advanced Analytics
Analyzing Cube Data in Excel

When data has been processed in any cube, it can
be accessed by using a number of different
methods. For example, you can use OLAP cubes as
a data source in Performance Point and then
publish a report or dashboard from Performance
Point to SharePoint.
Additionally, if Microsoft Excel 2013, Excel 2010, or
Excel 2007 has been installed on the same
computer as the Service Manager console, you can
use the Analyze Cube In Excel feature that is
available from the Tasks pane when selecting a
cube in the Cubes node.
When you use the Analyze Cube In Excel task, Excel is opened with a connection to the selected cube,
such as the SystemCenterWorkItemsCube. A Pivot Table Field list that contains the related fields from the
cube is then used to analyze the data and build a report.
As an example, the following high-level steps can be used to generate a chart that shows the number of
incidents that have been resolved versus the total number of incidents opened:
1. From the Pivot Table, under Incident Dim, select Incidents Opened and Incidents ResolvedCount.
2. Insert a 16-row gap between the top of the Excel workbook and the Values section.
3. From the ribbon, in the Insert group, click Column, and then click the first 2-D Column.
4. Drag the chart to the upper-left corner of the workbook.
A chart showing the number of incidents opens and the number of incidents resolved is now displayed,
including the actual values underneath the chart.
Using the Analyze Cube In Excel task, you can quickly and easily build graphs and reports that can then be
saved and reused in the future.
For more information about analyzing data with Excel 2010, go to the following website:
Analyzing Data with Excel 2010
Using the Analysis Library to Share Analyzed Data

The analysis library in Service Manager provides a
method of sharing reports that have been
generated in Excel. For example, you can create a
file share on a file server and then add the UNC
path of the file share as a new analysis folder in
Service Manager.
To configure the analysis library with a new
analysis folder, from the Data Warehouse pane,
you click Analysis Libraries and then from the
Tasks pane, click Add Library Folder. You then add
the name and description for the library folder and
specify the full UNC path to the shared folder,
such as \\LON-SM1\Reports. Multiple library folders can be added, which is useful when you need to
apply different security contexts based on the types of reports being made available. For example, you
can create a library folder named Management Reports and share the folder such that only the
management team has access to it. A second library folder named Incident Management could be added
that is shared, such that only incident resolvers can access it.
After the library folder has been added in the Analysis Libraries node, it then becomes available in the
Reporting pane in the Service Manager console.
When reports have been created in Excel, they can then be saved to the analysis folder, which then makes
them available in the Analysis Library node of the Reporting pane. Using this method of storing reports,
they can easily be shared with other users in the Service Manager console.
When you select a report in the analysis library, the Open Excel File task can then be used to open the
report directly from the Service Manager console.
For more information about how to manage the analysis libraries, go to the following website:
How to Manage the Analysis Libraries
Demonstration: Reviewing Data Warehouse Cubes in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review Data Warehouse Cubes in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Data Warehouse
View Cubes
2. Review the various cubes that are displayed in the details pane.
3. Select Service Manager WorkItems Cube and then review the details in the bottom pane.
4. Use the Analyze Cube in Excel task to open Excel.
5. In the Sheet1 Microsoft Excel workbook that opens discuss the various PivotTable Field List
values that can be used to create a report.
6. Scroll down to IncidentDim and then select Incidents Active.
7. Discuss how a report is created by using the PivotTable Field List.
8. Close the Sheet1 Microsoft Excel workbook without saving any changes, click Dont Save on the
Microsoft Excel popup window.
Question: What are the six components of an OLAP cube in Service Manager?
Lab: Configuring Reports and Analyzing Service Manager

Data
Scenario
As part of the business requirements of the solution, there should be reports available for the main service
management features, such as Incident and Problem Management. You need to understand how to run
these reports and be able to export them to various formats in order to make them available to service
owners and executives. Additionally, you have been asked to create a custom report that displays all
Incidents that are assigned to the Support Group Tier 3. You must use the Report Builder to create this
custom report. You also need to understand how data for the reports is gathered and how to
troubleshoot reports that do not return the expected data. Additionally, you need to be able to provide
bespoke reports of the various Service Manager analysis cubes such as the Service Manager Work Items
cube. The reports should be saved as an Excel spreadsheet and made available on a network share that
can be accessed by relevant personnel.
Objectives
Use reports in Service Manager.
Create custom reports using Report Builder.
Configure data warehouse job schedules.
View data warehouse jobs and their schedules.
Manage the analysis library in Service Manager.
Analyze cube data in Excel.
Lab Setup
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-DW1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM1
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
Exercise 1: Configuring, Running, and Exporting Reports

Scenario
In order to provide the incident management team with reports detailing incidents that have been
assigned to them, you must run the Incident Details and Incident Analyst reports. You must also export
the Incident Analyst report so that it can be accessed by members of the team who do not use the Service
Manager console.
1. Run the Incident Details report
2. View the Incident Details report
3. Run the Incident Analyst report
4. View the Incident Analyst report
5. Export a Report
Task 1: Run the Incident Details report

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Reporting\Incident Management
Report Incident Details
2. Use the Run Report task to open the report parameters:

Add the Outlook fails to open incident.
Use the Run Report task to run the report.
Task 2: View the Incident Details report

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Report Incident Details
2. Review the information in the report, including the Incident Information and Related Work Items
sections.
Task 3: Run the Incident Analyst report

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Report Incident Analyst
2. Use the Run Report task to open the report parameters:

Add John Trent as the Assigned To user.
Use the Run Report task to run the report.
Task 4: View the Incident Analyst report

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
2. Review the Analyst, Assigned Incidents, Resolved Incidents and Work On Incidents sections:
3. Change the Page Width to 100%
Task 5: Export a Report

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
2. Use the list next to the disk icon to export the report in MHTML format, and save it to the root of C
on LON-SM1.
3. Open C:\ServiceManager.Report.IncidentManagement.IncidentAnalystReport.mhtml, and
confirm that the Incident Analyst report opens as expected.
Results: After this exercise, you should have run the Incident Details and Incident Analyst reports and
reviewed the information in the reports. You should have also exported the Incident Analyst report to a
MHTML document and confirmed that the report opens as expected.
Exercise 2: Creating a Custom Report

Scenario
In order to create a report that displays all Incidents that are assigned to the Support Group Tier 3 you
must use the Report Builder. After configuring the report it should be saved to a Custom Reports\Incident
Management folder on the SSRS Server and made available in the Service Manager Console.
1. Create the new folders in SSRS for the custom report
2. Create the custom report
3. Confirm the report is available in the Service Manager console
Task 1: Create the new folders in SSRS for the custom report
Location Value
Computer LON-DW1
Folder SystemCenter\ServiceManager
2. Use the New Folder option to create a folder named Custom Reports in the ServiceManager
folder.
3. Use the New Folder option to create a folder named Incident Management in the Custom Reports
folder.
4. Leave Internet Explorer open for the next task
Task 2: Create the custom report

Location Value
Computer LON-DW1
Button Report Builder
2. Open the Report Builder and from the New Report section choose Table or Matrix Wizard and
configure the wizard pages as follows (all other options should be left as default):
Choose a dataset: Click the Create a dataset option.
Choose a connection to a data source: Click New.
Data Source Properties\Name: DWDataMart
3. Use the Build button to create a new connection with the following properties:
Server name: LON-DW1
Select or enter a database name: DWDataMart
4. Design a query: Use the Edit as Text button and add the following query:
Select Id, Title, CreatedDate from IncidentDimvw where TierQueue_IncidentTierQueuesId

= 3
a. Use the ! button to test the query and confirm no errors are generated.
b. Arrange fields: Drag the Id, Title and Created date fields from the Available fields section to
the Values section.
c. Choose a layout: Default
d. Choose a style: Default
5. Click Finish to complete the wizard.
6. Change the Title to Incidents Tier 3 by clicking Click to add title
7. Use the diskette icon to save the report as Incidents Tier 3.rdl in the
SystemCenter\ServiceManager\Custom Reports\Incident Management folder.
8. Close the Report Builder and Internet Explorer and then log off LON-DW1.
Task 3: Confirm the report is available in the Service Manager console

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Reporting\Custom Reports\Incident Management
Report Incidents Tier 3
2. If the Service Manager console is open, close the console then re-open it..
3. Wait until the Reporting pane becomes available and then use the Run Report Task on the
Incidents Tier 3 report.
4. Confirm the Incidents Tier 3 report opens and then review the Incident details in the report.
5. Close the Incidents Tier 3 window.
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Report Builder to create a custom report that
displays all Incidents that are assigned to the Support Group Tier 3. The report should be saved to the
Custom Reports\Incident Management folder on the SSRS Server and made available in the Service
Manager Console.
Exercise 3: Configuring Data Warehouse Job Schedules

Scenario
You need to understand how the data warehouse job run schedule can be modified to ensure that jobs
do not overlap. You must change the job schedule by using both the Service Manager console and a
Windows PowerShell cmdlet.
1. Configure the default run schedule via the console
2. Configure the default run schedule via Windows PowerShell
Task 1: Configure the default run schedule via the console

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Data Warehouse\Data Warehouse Jobs
Job Load.CMDWDataMart
2. Edit the Load.CMDWDataMart job, change the schedule to Weekly, and set the days of the week to
only Saturday and Sunday.
Task 2: Configure the default run schedule via Windows PowerShell

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Tool Service Manager Shell
Location Start
Cmdlet Set-SCDWJobSchedule
2. Click Start and then type Service Manager Shell and then click Service Manager Shell.
3. Run the following Windows PowerShell cmdlet:
Set-SCDWJobSchedule -JobName Load.CMDWDataMart -ComputerName LON-DW1 -ScheduleType

Daily -DailyStart 06:00 -DailyFrequency 01:00
4. Confirm that the job schedule for the Load.CMDWDataMart job has been updated in the Service
Manager console.
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Service Manager console and the Windows
PowerShell cmdlets to change the default job schedule of a data warehouse job.
Exercise 4: Viewing the Status of Data Warehouse Jobs

Scenario
In order to troubleshoot failed data warehouse jobs, you need to understand how to view the status and
any related error messages associated with a data warehouse job. You must understand how to view this
information by using the Service Manager console and via Windows PowerShell.
1. View job status via the Service Manager console
2. View job status via Windows PowerShell
Task 1: View job status via the Service Manager console

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Data Warehouse\Data Warehouse Jobs
Job MPSyncJob
2. Edit the MPSyncJob, and then from the Status tab, sort the Management Packs by Management Pack
name:
View the Status column, and notice that the Management Pack named
ServiceManager.ServiceCatalog.Cubes.Library had a status of Imported in Batch 151. The Batch ID
may be different in your environment.
Notice that in the same batch, the ServiceManager.ServiceCatalog.Cubes.Library Management
Pack had a status of Associated.
Task 2: View job status via Windows PowerShell

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Tool Service Manager Shell
Location Start
Cmdlet Get-SCDWJobModule
2. Open the Service Manager Shell and resize the width of the window to 120.
3. Run the following Windows PowerShell Cmdlet:
Get-SCDWJobModule ComputerName LON-DW1 JobName Transform.Common
4. In the returned data, review the Module ID, Module Name, Status, and Error Message columns to
view the current status of the Transform.Common job.
Results: After this exercise, you should have viewed the status of the MPSyncJob in the Service Manager
console. You should have also viewed the status of the Transform.Common job by using the Get-
SCDWJobModule Windows PowerShell cmdlet.
Exercise 5: Managing the Analysis Library

Scenario
In order to share reports that have been created with other personnel at Contoso, you must configure the
analysis library. This includes creating a file share and adding the UNC path of the share to an analysis
folder in Service Manager.
1. Create a share for the analysis library
2. Add an analysis folder
Task 1: Create a share for the analysis library

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Folder C:\Reports
Share Permissions Authenticated Users Read/Write
2. Create the Reports folder in the root of drive C, and share it with Read and Write access for
authenticated users
Task 2: Add an analysis folder

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Data Warehouse
View Analysis Libraries
4. Use the Add Library Folder task to add a new library folder with the following settings:
Name: Service Manager Reports
UNC Path: \\LON-SM1\Reports
View the analysis library in the Reporting pane to confirm that the Service Manager Reports folder
is visible.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a folder named Reports on drive C of LON-SM1, and
then shared the folder with Read and Write access for authenticated users. You should then have created
a new analysis folder in Service Manager and confirmed that the folder was visible when viewing the
analysis library in the Reporting pane.
Exercise 6: Analyzing Cube Data

Scenario
The incident management team has requested a bespoke report that displays the number of open
incidents versus the number of resolved incidents. The report should include a column chart and should
be made available in the analysis library in order for other members of the team to access it.
1. Create an incident report
2. Save the report in the analysis library
3. View the report in the analysis library
Task 1: Create an incident report

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Data Warehouse\Cubes
Cube Service Manager WorkItems Cube
2. Use the Analyze Cube in Excel task to create a new report as follows:
a. In the Pivot Table, from the Incident Dim node, select Incidents Opened and Incidents
Active.
b. Rename Values to Incidents.
c. Insert 16 rows between the top of the workbook and the cell containing the word Incidents.
d. Select the two cells that contain the values for Incidents Opened and Incidents Active..
e. On the Insert tab, in the Charts group, click the Column button, and then add the first 2-D
Column chart.
f. Move the chart to the upper-left corner of the workbook.
g. In the chart area, right-click Incidents Opened, and then click Hide All Field Buttons on
Chart.
Note: If the Analyze Cube in Excel task is not available perform the following steps:
1. Click the Process Cube task and then in the Process Cube window that opens click OK.
2. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Status column for the Service Manager
WorkItems Cube displays Processed.
3. If the list of cubes does not refresh after 1 minute, restart the Service Manager console.
4. Restart this Task from Step 3.
Task 2: Save the report in the analysis library

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Tool Excel
2. Use the Save As option to save the report into the C:\Reports folder on LON-SM1.
3. File Name: Incidents opened versus incidents resolved.xlsx
Task 3: View the report in the analysis library

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Pane Reporting\Analysis Library
View Service Manager Reports
2. Use the Open Excel File task to open the Incidents opened versus incidents resolved.xlsx report.
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Service Manager WorkItems cube to analyze
incident data in Microsoft Excel. This included creating a report that includes the number of incidents
opened versus the number of incidents resolved. You should have also added a column chart to the
report. Finally, you should have saved the report to the analysis library and confirmed that it was available
from the Reporting pane.
Question: You run a number of reports on a regular basis. Instead of navigating to the
relevant report folder each time you want to add links to the reports in the Favorites folder,
what should you do?
Question: You need to troubleshoot a failed data warehouse job. What are the three tools
you can use to assist you?

Review Question(s)
Question: What does the Load job do in the Service Manager data warehouse?

With the Service Manager integration with SharePoint, it is possible to create custom views in the Service
Manager console that display a dashboard and reports from PerformancePoint Services in SharePoint or
Excel. To find more information about including dashboards and reports from PerformancePoint Services
in the Service Manager console, go to the following website:
12-1
Module 12
Advanced Troubleshooting and Disaster Recovery
Contents:
Lesson 1: Performing Advanced Troubleshooting in Service Manager 12-2
Lesson 2: Performing Disaster Recovery in Service Manager 12-8
Lab: Performing Disaster Recovery in Service Manager 12-14
Module Overview
Over time there may be the need to troubleshoot your Service Manager environment and perform
disaster recovery tasks, such as restoring the Service Manager databases or recovering from a failed
Management Server. In these scenarios it is important that you understand the tools that are available to
troubleshoot Service Manager and the actions you should take to recover from a disaster. As an example,
consider the following scenario:
Change Managers report that when they attempt to approve a Change Request, the Approval Activity
status does not change to Completed and instead, the status remains in In Progress. In this scenario,
you should review the status of the Workflows in Service Manager and review the log files for the relevant
activity.
In this module, you will learn some of the advanced troubleshooting techniques used to resolve problems
in Service Manager. You will also learn how to perform disaster recovery for failed Service Manager
components, such as the Service Manager databases.
Objectives
Perform advanced troubleshooting in Service Manager.
Perform disaster recovery in Service Manager.
12-2 Advanced Troubleshooting and Disaster Recovery
Lesson 1
Performing Advanced Troubleshooting in Service
Manager
It is important that you understand how to troubleshoot your Service Manager environment so that if
problems occur, you know which tool you should use to troubleshoot the problem. There are various tools
available, including Service Manager itself that can be used to troubleshoot a Service Manager problem.
In this lesson, you will learn how to use various tools to help you troubleshoot problems in Service
Manager.
Lesson Objectives
Use the Operations Manager event log to troubleshoot Service Manager.
Use SQL Server Management Studio to troubleshoot Service Manager.
Troubleshoot Service Manager Workflows.
Using the Operations Manager Event Log to Troubleshoot Service

Manager
Service Manager records operational events in the
Operations Manager event log, on all computers
where a Service Manager component is installed.
This includes the Service Manager Management
Server, Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management Server, Service Manager Console
and Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
The Operations Manager event log can be found
in the Microsoft folder of the Application and
Service Logs folder in the Event Viewer. As with
any event log, you can filter the Event Viewer logs
by Event source so that only events you are
interested in viewing are displayed. For example, suppose you were troubleshooting a problem where the
Virtual Machine Manager connector in Service Manager was failing to synchronize. By selecting the
System Center Virtual Machine Manager Connector as the Event source, only events related to the Virtual
Machine Manager Connector will be displayed. Other Event sources related to Service Manager include
Health Service, Health Service Modules, OpsMgr SDK Service, Console Operations and Service Manager
Console.
You can further filter the Event Viewer by selecting specific Event levels, such as Warning Error and Critical.
This makes troubleshooting Service Manager much easier, as you can filter out events that are not related
to the problem you are troubleshooting.
As an example of using the Operations Manager event log to troubleshoot Service Manager, consider the
following scenario:
A Service Manager operator reports that the Service Manager console has frozen. When the operator
attempts to open the Work Items pane, a Loading message appears, but none of the nodes are displayed
within the pane.
On the Service Manager Management Server you open the Operations Manager event log. The following
Error event is displayed:
Source Event ID Description
OpsMgr SDK 26340 System Center Data Access Service and/or System Center
Service Management is unresponsive because Authorization Manager is
unable to recover from database errors. Please restart services
System Center Data Access Service and System Center Management.
After restarting the System Center Data Access Service and System Center Management services, the
problem still exists. You review the Operations Manager event log on the Management Server and notice
the following Warning event:
OpsMgr SDK 26330 The System Center Data Access service has lost database
Service connectivity. Database name: ServiceManager. Server instance
name: LON-SQ1.
You logon to the LON-SQ1 computer and check the SQL Server services and you notice that the SQL
Server service has stopped. After restarting the service you review the Operations Manager log on the
Service Manager Management Server and the following Informational event has been recorded:
OpsMgr SDK 26331 The System Center Data Access service has reestablished database
Service connectivity.
You confirm with the Service Manager operator that the Service Manager console is now operating as
expected.
Although you may need to consult the event log for warning and error events when troubleshooting a
Service Manager issue, there are also a number of informational events that are logged during day-to-day
operations. These events are useful as they confirm that Service Manager is operating as expected. For
example the following event is logged for each Run As Account that is configured in Service Manager:
HealthService 7026 The Health Service successfully logged on RunAs account

<AccountName> for management group <Management Group
Name>
This event confirms that Service Manager has verified the RunAs account credentials that have been
configured.
Another useful informational event that Service Manager records is:
OpsMgr SDK 26328 A new client has connected. User name <User Name>
Service
This event is generated every time the Service Manager console is opened and it records the user name of
the person who has opened the console.
Using SQL Server Management Studio to Troubleshoot Service Manager

As Service Manager utilizes Microsoft SQL Server
for its operational and data warehouse databases,
it is important to know how to use SQL Server
Management Studio, to view the SQL Server logs
relating to Service Manager.
For example, if the ServiceManager database is
taken offline or becomes corrupt, operations in
the Service Manager console will no longer be
possible. Additionally any workflows in Service
Manager will no longer function. Events will be
recorded in the Operations Manager event log, as
described in the previous topic that will point to a
problem accessing the ServiceManager database.
Operational logs for Microsoft SQL Server can be viewed by opening the SQL Server Logs folder from
within the Management node in SQL Server Management Studio. The current and archived logs are
available here and can be opened by double-clicking them or by right-clicking a log and clicking View
SQL Server Log.
When viewing an SQL Server log, you can select to view just the current log or you can include any
number of archived logs within the same view. This makes viewing historical events easier and can be
useful when troubleshooting an issue that has been occurring for some time, such as a login failure.
For each log entry the following information is recorded:
Date: The date and time that the entry was recorded.
Source: The source of the log entry such as the Server Process ID (SPID)
Message: The log entry details.
Log Type: The log type such as SQL Server or SQL Server Agent.
Log Source: The source log such as Current or Archive #1.
After selecting a log to view, you can use the View filter settings link to filter the selected log. This is useful
as you can filter the log based on criteria such as User, Computer, Message or Event. For example, if you
added a Message filter using the text ServiceManager only, log entries that contain the text
ServiceManager will be displayed. Before the filter is applied you must select the Apply Filer check box. If
you do not select this check box, the filter criteria will be stored for future use.
You can also view the Windows NT Event Logs such as the Application Log or Operations Manager Log
from within the Log Viewer.
As an example of using SQL Server Management Studio to troubleshoot an issue with Service Manager,
A Service Manager operator is attempting to open the Service Manager console, but a popup message
opens that states Failed to connect to server LON-SM1. The Data Access service is not running or not yet
initialized, Check the event log.
You open SQL Server Management Studio on the computer hosting Microsoft SQL Server and the
ServiceManager database and then open the current SQL Server Log. A log entry has been recorded with
the following message:
Login failed for user Contoso\SM_Services Reason: Failed to open the explicitly specified database
ServiceManager
After checking with the Active Directory team for the Contoso domain, you realize that the password for
the SM_Services account has been changed. You update the System Center Data Access Service and
System Center Management Configuration services logon credentials on the Service Manager
Management Server and then restart the services. The Service Manager operator now reports that the
Service Manager console now opens as expected.
Troubleshooting Workflows in Service Manager

As discussed in Module 3, workflows are used to
automate business processes in Service Manager,
such as updating the Support Group of an incident
to Tier 3 when the status of an incident changes to
Escalated.
Workflows in Service Manager operate under the
context of the Workflow Account Run As Account,
so as long as the user account associated with the
Workflow Account has the necessary permission,
built-in workflows such as the Incident Event
Workflow Configuration will operate as expected.
In some cases however, especially when the
Service Manager Authoring Tool has been used to create additional workflows in Service Manager, you
may find that workflows fail. For this reason, it is important that you understand how to troubleshoot
failed workflows.
You can use the Status view, in the Workflows node of the Administration pane in the Service Manager
console, to troubleshoot failed workflows. For each workflow displayed in this view, the following
information is displayed:
Name: The bane of the workflow.
Management Pack: the management pack in which the workflow is stored.
Sealed: Whether the workflow is stored in a sealed or unsealed management pack.
Enabled: Whether the work is enabled or not.
Created: The date and time when the workflow was created.
Last Modified: The date and time that the workflow was last modified.
When you select a workflow in the Status view, the details pane updates to show two additional tabs as
described below:
Need Attention
The Need Attention tab displays instances of the workflow that have failed or require attention of some
sort. The Status, Start Time, End Time and Actions that are available for the workflow instance are also
included. The Start Time and End Time values can be useful in troubleshooting failed workflows, as this
information can be used to determine if the workflow is taking longer than expected to complete. The
following actions can be taken on workflows in the Need Attention tab:
View log: This opens the workflow log where you can examine the Event, Activity Name, Status and
Activity Type of activities that were run as part of the workflow. This is very useful as you can view the
status of each activity to determine which activity is causing the workflow to fail. The Failure Details
section (when expanded), provides detailed information that can be used to help troubleshoot the
failed workflow and includes information such as the Error code, Error message and any Exceptions
that were thrown. The Workflow result, Start Time and End Time are also displayed here.
View related object: This opens the form for which the workflow is running for, such as a manual
activity or a change request. This is useful troubleshooting information, as you can correlate activities
within the workflow log, with activities in the form that opens when using the View related object
feature, to help determine where the workflow has failed.
Retry: This will re-run the failed workflow with exactly the same parameters. Although this feature can
be useful when troubleshooting a failed workflow, care should be taken when using it, as other
operations in the Service Manager environment may have already updated the object(s) on which the
workflow affects. For this reason, it is important that you understand exactly what actions the
workflow is performing before using the Retry feature.
Ignore: This will mark the failed workflow as Ignored and will remove it from the Need Attention list
permanently.
All Instances
The All Instances tab displays all instances of the selected workflow whether they succeeded or failed. You
can also use the View Log and View related object features here as described above. This can be useful as
you can compare the log from a workflow that succeeded, with a log from a workflow that failed. This will
help determine where in the workflow the failure occurred.
For more information about troubleshooting failed workflows in Service Manager visit the following
website:
Troubleshooting Workflows in Service Manager
Demonstration: Reviewing Workflow Status in Service Manager

In this demonstration you will review Workflow Status in Service Manager.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
View Status
2. Review the various Workflows Statuses that are displayed in the details pane.
3. Select the Activity Status Changed workflow and then open the All Instances tab.
4. Use the View Log option and review the various activity statuses.
5. Use the View related object option to open the related Activity and review the details.
7. Logoff LON-SM1.
Question: Which Event Log does Service Manager use to record operational event?
Lesson 2
Performing Disaster Recovery in Service Manager
In the event of a disaster in Service Manager, such as a database failure or a Management Server failure, it
is important that you understand how to recover the failed component. This includes the necessary
recovery steps and the order in which they should be performed. For example, if a Service Manager Data
Warehouse Management Server fails, you must install a new Data Warehouse Management Server with
the same computer name as the failed Data Warehouse Management Server. In this lesson you will learn
how to recover the Service Manager core components in the event of a failure.
Lesson Objectives
Prepare for disaster recovery in Service Manager.
Recover a failed Service Manager Management Server.
Recover a failed Data Warehouse Management Server.
Recover a failed Service Manager database.
Recover a failed Service Manager Self-Service Portal.
Preparing for Disaster Recovery in Service Manager

As part of a disaster recovery plan for Service
Manager, you should ensure that your Service
Manager environment is prepared for a disaster.
Preparing the Service Manager environment for
disaster recovery involves:
1. Ensuring that the Service Manager
Management Servers and Service Manager
databases are installed on separate
computers. Although disaster recovery is still
possible when the Service Manager database
and Service Manager Management Server
reside on the same computer, it is
recommended for disaster recovery purposes to split these components across two separate
computers. In the event that one computer fails, you will only need to restore one component as
opposed to both, which improves recovery time.
2. Back up the Service Manager Management Server, Data Warehouse Management Server and Self-
Service Portal encryption keys.
3. Back up the Service Manager databases (including the Service Manager Data Warehouse databases).
4. Back up any unsealed management packs.
With the exception of #1 the steps noted above are described further below:
Back up the Service Manager Management Server and Data Warehouse Management Server
encryption keys
To enable a recovery of a Service Manager Management Server or Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management Server, you must have the encryption key that was created after installation of these
components. Without this encryption key a recovery is not possible. If you did not back up the encryption
key after installation of a management server, or if you have lost the encryption key, you can use the
SecureStorageBackup.exe utility that is provided on the Service Manager media to create the encryption
key. The following high-level steps show how to perform a Service Manager encryption key back up:
1. Logon to the Service Manager Management Server or Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management Server with an account that is a member of the Administrators group.
2. Insert the System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager media.
3. From the \Tools\SecureStorageBackup folder use the Run as Administrator option to run the
SecureStorageBackup.exe utility.
4. Select the Backup the Encryption Key option.
5. Provide the path and file name of the encryption key to create such as SM_MS_Backup.bin.
6. Provide a password that contains a minimum of eight characters.
Note: You can only use the SecureStorageBackup.exe utility to back up the encryption key
in a fully operational Service Manager environment. Additionally, if you lose or forget the
encryption key password, recovery will not be possible.
Back up the Service Manager databases

In total, there are eight databases in Service Manager that should be backed up in the event of a disaster
recovery scenario. These are:
ServiceManager
DWDataMart
DWRepository
DWStagingAndConfig
ReportServer
Analyst
OMDWDataMart
CMDWDataMart
These databases should be backed up as part of your organizations back up policy. Note that if you also
want to back up the user role information for each database, in the event that a restore of a database to a
different server is required, you should also generate and run a script that will back up the user roles and
object permissions for each database.
For more information about backing up the Service Manager databases, including the user role backup
script mentioned above, visit the following website:
Backing Up Service Manager Databases
Back up any unsealed management packs

If you have customized Service Manager by importing or creating unsealed management packs, they must
also be included in your organizations backup policy. You can use Windows PowerShell to export
unsealed management packs in Service Manager by following this procedure:
1. Logon to the Service Manager Management Server and create a folder named C:\MPBackup
2. In the Service Manager console, from the Administration pane, click the Start PowerShell Session task.
3. In the Windows PowerShell command prompt window that opens, enter the following command:
Get-SCSMManagementPack | where {$_.Sealed -eq $false}|Export-SCSMManagementPack -Path

c:\mpbackup
All unsealed management packs can then be backed up from the C:\MPBackup folder.
Note that you can also automate the backup of unsealed management packs in Service Manager by using
Windows PowerShell and a Service Manager workflow. This task can then be scheduled using either a
Scheduled Task in Windows or by using System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator. For more information about
automating and scheduling the backup of unsealed Management Packs in Service Manager, visit the
following website:
Automating Backups of Custom Management Packs in Service Manager 2012
Recovering from a Failed Service Manager Management Server

Depending on whether you have more than one
Service Manager management server in your
environment, there may be two options available
when performing disaster recovery. For example, if
you currently have two Service Manager
management servers in your environment and one
of them fails, you can promote a secondary Service
Manager management server to be the primary
management server. Conversely, if you only have
one Service Manager management server in your
environment and that server fails, you must install
a new Service Manager management server. Both
options are explained below.
Promoting a Service Manager management server
If a primary (or initial) Service Manager management server fails and you have at least one other Service
Manager management server available, you can use the following procedure to promote it to become the
primary Service Manager management server:
1. Stop the following services on the secondary Service Manager management server:
2. On the secondary Service Manager management server, delete the Health Service State folder from
\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012 R2\Service Manager
3. On the server that hosts the ServiceManager database open SQL Server Management Studio and
execute the following query against the ServiceManager database:
EXEC p_PromoteActiveWorkflowServer '<FQDN of the secondary Service Manager management server>'
4. Restart the services that were stopped in Step 1.

Installing a new Service Manager management server
If you only have one Service Manager management server in your environment and it fails, you can use
the following procedure to install a new Service Manager management server:
1. Install a new server with the same computer name as that of the failed Service Manager management
server.
2. Restore the Service Manager management server encryption key on the new server by using the
SecureStorageBackup.exe utility as described in the previous topic. You select the Restore the
Encryption Key instead of the Backup the Encryption Key option.
3. Run Setup.exe from the Service Manager media and install a new Service Manager management
server and then select the Use an existing database option on the Configure the Service Manager
database page of the setup wizard.
Note: The Service Manager setup wizard steps above have been reduced to show only the
key options that must be selected during the wizard. Other options such as the SQL Server
computer name have been omitted but should be completed with the relevant information for
your environment.
Recovering from a Failed Data Warehouse Management Server

There is only one option available when
recovering a failed Service Manager Data
Warehouse management server. That is to install a
new Service Manager Data Warehouse
management server on a new server that has been
configured with the same computer name as the
failed Service Manager Data Warehouse
management server. The procedure to recover
from a failed Service Manager Data Warehouse
management server is as follows:
1. Install a new server with the same computer
name as the failed Service Manager Data
Warehouse management server.
2. Restore the Service Manager Data Warehouse management server encryption key on the new server
by using the SecureStorageBackup.exe utility.
3. Run setup.exe from the Service Manager media and select the Service Manager data warehouse
management server option.
4. On the Configure the data warehouse database page of the setup wizard select Staging and
Configuration database and then select the Use existing database option and then select the
DWStagingAndConfig database.
Note: The Service Manager setup wizard steps above have been reduced to show only the
key options that must be selected during the wizard. Other options such as the SQL Server
computer name have been omitted but should be completed with the relevant information for
your environment.
Recovering from a Failed Service Manager Database

Recovery of any Service Manager database
(irrespective of whether it is the ServiceManager
database or a database in the Service Manager
Data Warehouse) is the same. You should ensure
that the computers hosting the SQL Server
instance for the Service Manager databases are
included in your organizations disaster recovery
policy.
Use the following procedure to recover from a
failed Service Manager database:
1. Install a new server and configure it with the
same computer name as the failed database
server.
2. Install SQL Server using the same SQL Server instance as that of the failed database server.
3. Restore the Service Manager database from back up.
4. Use the user role backup script as mentioned in the Preparing for Disaster Recovery in Service
Manager topic to restore permission to the Service Manager database.
Note: You do not need to provide an encryption key when restoring a Service Manager
database as the encryption key is included in the database.
Recovering a Failed Self-Service Portal

Recovery of the Service Manager Self-Service
Portal depends on how it was initially installed. For
example, you can install the Self-Service Portal
components on a single computer or you can use
a dedicated computer for each component, such
as the Web Content Server and the SharePoint
Web Parts. Depending on the component that
failed, you may need to re-install all or part of the
Self-Service Portal. In addition, if the computer
hosting the Self-Service Portal also failed, you will
need to re-install one or two new computers.
It should be noted, that if you installed the
SharePoint Web Parts component directly on the computer that hosts SharePoint Server and this
computer fails, you will need to recover the SharePoint Server as well.
In general, the procedure to recover from a failed Self-Service Portal is as follows:
1. Install a new server and configure it with the same computer name as the failed Self-Service Portal
server.
2. Restore the Self-Service Portal encryption key on the new server by using the
SecureStorageBackup.exe utility.
3. Install the Service Manager Self-Service Portal
Note: If you originally used an SSL certificate to secure communications to the Self-Service
Portal, you may need to install the same SSL certificate on the new Self-Service Portal server
before performing the recovery.
Question: Your Service Manager management server has failed and you do not have a
secondary management server in the environment. How can you recover the Service
Manager environment?
Lab: Performing Disaster Recovery in Service Manager

Scenario
You have been tasked with creating a disaster recovery plan for the Service Manager environment at
Contoso. The plan should include detailed recovery steps for all core components of Service Manager
including the Service Manager databases. To facilitate this you decide to use the Service Manager 2012 R2
evaluation environment that is no longer is use. You must test your disaster recovery plan to ensure that a
successful recovery of Service Manager can be performed in the event of a disaster.
Objectives
Recover a failed Service Manager Management Server.
Recover a failed Service Manager Data Warehouse Management Server.
Recover a failed Service Manager database.
Lab Setup
Host 2 Virtual Machines: LON-DW1, LON-SM3
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM1
7. In Hyper-V Manager, click LON-SM3, and in the Actions pane, click Start.
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
Exercise 1: Recovering from a failed Service Manager Management Server

Scenario
In order to test recovery of a failed Service Manager Management Server you decide to install a secondary
Service Manager Management Server that will be sued to promote to a primary Service Manager
Management Server. You must then simulate a primary Service Manager Management Server failure and
then promote the secondary Service Manager Management Server to the primary Service Manager
Management Server.
1. Install a secondary Service Manager management server
2. Simulate a primary Service Manager management server failure
3. Promote a secondary Service Manager management server to be the primary Service Manager
management server
Task 1: Install a secondary Service Manager management server

Location Value
Computer LON-SM3
Tool Setup.exe
2. Use the Service Manager management server option in the setup wizard page to install the Service
Manager management server with the following settings (all other settings should remain the default
settings):
Database server: LON-SM1
Use an existing database: Selected
Database name: ServiceManager
Service Manager services account: SM_Services
Task 2: Simulate a primary Service Manager management server failure

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Location Value
Tool Administrative Tools
Tool Services
Action Stop and Disable
2. Close the Service Manager console if it is open

3. Stop and disable the following services on LON-SM1:
Microsoft Monitoring Agent.
Task 3: Promote a secondary Service Manager management server to be the primary

Location Value
Computer LON-SM3
Tool Administrative Tools
Tool Services
Action Stop
2. Stop the following services on LON-SM3:

3. Delete the Health Service State folder from C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012
R2\Service Manager
4. On LON-SM1, open SQL Server Management Studio and open a new query window against the
ServiceManager database.
5. In the query window type the following query:
EXEC p_PromoteActiveWorkflowServer LON-SM3.CONTOSO.COM
6. From the toolbar execute the query.

7. Close SQL Server Management Server without saving the query.
8. On LON-SM3 start the following Services:

9. Wait for 2 minutes.
10. On LON-SM3 open the Service Manager console and confirm it opens as expected.
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed a secondary Service Manager Management Server
on LON-SM3. You should have then simulated a primary Service Manager Management Server failure on
LON-SM1. You should have then promoted the secondary Management Server to be the primary
Management Server. Finally, you should have opened the Service Manager console on LON-SM3 and
confirmed that is opens as expected.
Exercise 2: Recovering from a failed Service Manager Data Warehouse

Management Server
Scenario
In order to test recovery of a failed Service Manager Data Warehouse Management Server you must first
install a new computer with the same computer name as the failed Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management Server. You must then restore the Service Manager Data Warehouse Management Server
encryption key on the new computer and then finally install a new Service Manager Data Warehouse
Management Server.
1. Install a new computer with the same computer name as the failed Service Manager data warehouse
management server
2. Restore the Service Manager data warehouse encryption key
3. Install the Service Manager data warehouse management server
4. Confirm the Service Manager data warehouse is operational
Task 1: Install a new computer with the same computer name as the failed Service
Manager data warehouse management server
Note: In the lab environment LON-DW1 hosts both the Data Warehouse Management
Server and Microsoft SQL Server including SQL Server Reporting Services. For this reason instead
of installing a new computer with the same computer name as the failed Service Manager Data
Warehouse Management Server you will remove the Data Warehouse Management Server from
LON-DW1 thereby simulating a Data Warehouse Management Server Failure. Later in this
exercise instead of installing the Data Warehouse Management Server on a different computer
with the same computer name, LON-DW1 can be re-used.
Location Value
Computer LON-DW1
Tool Control Panel
Item Programs and Features
Program Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager
2. From Control Panel uninstall Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager and then restart
LON-DW1.
Task 2: Restore the Service Manager data warehouse encryption key

Location Value
Computer LON-DW1
Tool SecureStorageBackup.exe
Location Value
Location LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 R2 Service

Manager\amd64\Tools\SecureStorageBackup.
Action Restore
2. Use the SecureStorageBackup.exe to restore the Data Warehouse encryption key on LON-DW1 with
the following settings:
Location and key name: C:\SM_WarehouseKey.bin
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Task 3: Install the Service Manager data warehouse management server

Location Value
Computer LON-DW1
Tool Setup.exe
2. Use the Service Manager data warehouse management server option from the setup wizard page
to install the Service Manager data warehouse management server with the following settings (all
Configure the data warehouse databases: Use an existing database and select the
DWStagingAndConfig database
Service Manager reporting account: Contoso\SM_Reporting with Pa$$w0rd
Configure Analysis Services for OLAP cubes: Use an existing database and select DWASDatabase
Analysis Services credential: Contoso\SM_Analysis with Pa$$w0rd
Task 4: Confirm the Service Manager data warehouse is operational

Location Value
Computer LON-SM3
Pane Data Warehouse
View Data Warehouse Jobs
2. From the Data Warehouse Jobs view confirm the Extract_DW_Contoso job is listed
3. Close the Service Manger console
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed a new computer with the same computer name as
the Service Manager Data Washhouse Management Server. You should have then restored the Data
Warehouse encryption key onto the new computer. You should have then installed the Service Manager
Data Warehouse Management Server using the existing Data Warehouse databases. Finally you should
have confirmed that the Data Washhouse Management Server is operational by viewing the Data
Warehouse Jobs in the Service Manager Console.
Exercise 3: Recovering from a failed Service Manager database

Scenario
You already have a disaster recovery plan in place for SQL Server using AlwaysOn. The Service Manager
databases are also regularly backed up. You must simulate a database failure by removing the
ServiceManager database and then recovering it from back up.
1. Backup the Service Manager database
2. Simulate a Service Manager database failure
3. Restore the ServiceManager database
4. Confirm Service Manager is operational
Task 1: Backup the Service Manager database

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Task Back Up
2. Create a C:\SM_Backup folder on LON-SM1.

3. In SQL Server Management Studio, use the Back Up task to back up the ServiceManager database
using the following settings:
Location: C:\SM_Backup
File name: ServiceManager.bak
Task 2: Simulate a Service Manager database failure

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Task Delete
2. In SQL Server Management Studio delete the ServiceManager database and select the Close
existing connections option.
3. On LON-SM3, attempt to open the Service Manager console and note that the console will not
open as the ServiceManager database no longer exists.
4. Use Task Manager to close the Service Manager console.
Task 3: Restore the ServiceManager database

Location Value
Computer LON-SM1
Task Restore
2. In SQL Server Management Studio restore the ServiceManager database from C:\SM_Backup.
Task 4: Confirm Service Manager is operational

Location Value
Computer LON-SM3
View All Incidents
2. Open the ServiceManager console and from the All Incidents view confirm the Incidents that were
previously displayed before removing the ServiceManager database are now displayed.
Note: After opening the Service Manager Console, ensure that the console window is not
maximized. There is a known issue where the Service Manager Console consumes 100% CPU if it
is maximized. This is resolved in UR2 but as the Service Manager installation on LON-SM3 is new,
UR2 has not been applied. For this reason you must manually resize the Service Manager Console
window such that it is not maximized.
Results: After this exercise, you should have performed a backup of the ServiceManager database on
LON-SM1. You should then have simulated a ServiceManager database failure by deleting the
ServiceManager database. You should then have confirmed Service Manager was no longer operational
by attempting to open the Service Manager console. You should then have restored the ServiceManager
database. Finally you should have confirmed Service Manager was operational again by opening the
Service Manager console and reviewing the existing Incidents that have been created.
Question: What disaster recovery options are there available if the Service Manager data
warehouse management server fails?

Review Question(s)
Question: You need to determine how many instances of a workflow have failed in Service
Manager. What should you do?

When troubleshooting issues in Service Manager, you can use the System Center forums on TechNet to
find useful information that will help. The Service Manager forum can be found at the following location:
13-1
Module 13
Creating Forms and Items in Service Manager Using the
Service Manager Authoring Tool
Contents:
Lesson 1: Key Concepts in Creating and Customizing Forms in the
Service Manager Authoring Tool 13-2
Lesson 2: Creating New and Customized Forms by Using the Service Manager
Authoring Tool 13-9
Lab: Creating Customized Forms by Using the Authoring Tool 13-21
Course Evaluation 13-32
Module Overview
In most cases the out-of-box forms included with Service Manager will be sufficient for your day-to-day IT
Service Management requirements. However, in some cases you may want to create a custom form to
collect information that is not possible with the existing forms. For example, you may have an in-house
business application that you want to manage with Service Manager and you want to be able to represent
the applications components in a form when creating an Incident. In this scenario, you can use the
Service Manager Authoring Tool to extend the default incident form and customize it with controls such
as a label or text box. You can then save this customized form in a new Management Pack for use in
Service Manager.
In this final module, you will learn how to use the Service Manager Authoring Tool to create new and
customized forms in Service Manager.
Objectives
Describe the key concepts in creating customized forms in Service Manager.
Create a customized form using the Authoring Tool.
13-2 Creating Forms and Items in Service Manager Using the Service Manager Authoring Tool
Lesson 1
Key Concepts in Creating and Customizing Forms in the
Service Manager Authoring Tool
Before you can create a new or customized form in Service Manager, you must understand the key
concepts around forms. These include the functional aspects of a form, the classes and combination
classes that can be used within a form and the various controls you may use in a form. Additionally,
before creating a customized form, you should understand exactly what the form will be used for and the
types of data it will be used to collect. As there may be an existing form that can be customized to meet
your needs and by using an existing form, you will save much of the administrative overhead that is
required for a customized form.
In this lesson you will learn the key concepts in creating customized forms in Service Manager.
Lesson Objectives
Understand the key concepts in creating and customizing a form.
Describe the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
Describe the Form and Activity controls that can be used in the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
Management Pack Key Concepts in Form Customization

Once you understand the Management Pack key
concepts in form customization in Service
Manager, you will be able to quickly and easily
create and edit forms with the Service Manager
Authoring Tool. There are four key concepts that
you should understand which are: Objects, Classes,
Forms and Workflows. These concepts are
explained further below:
Objects
An object in Service Manager can be thought of as
an instance of a particular base class. For example,
an object could be a SQL Server 2012 database
named ServiceManager or a Windows Server 2012 R2 computer named LON-SQ1.
Classes
A class in Service Manage represents a particular type of object such as Windows Computer or Windows
Server Operating System. These two classes are part of the Windows Core Library Management Pack in
Service Manager. There are three types of class used in Service Manager. They are:
Abstract Classes: Abstract classes are used solely as a base class. They do not have any instances
associated with them and are used to share common properties or relationships with child classes. For
example, the class Logical Disk (Server) is an abstract class that share properties with the Windows
Server 2008 Logical Disk and Windows Server 2012 Logical Disk child classes.
Singleton Classes: Singleton classes are used when there is only one instance of a class. A group for
example.
Combination Classes: Combination classes are used to gather data from multiple classes to use in
views or reports.
Classes use relationships to define associations between instances of one particular class with instances of
another class. There are three types of relationships used in classes. They are:
Hosting Relationship: This is where a class is hosted by another class. The parent class is the class
hosting a child class. For example, the SQL Server Management Pack uses a hosting relationship for
SQL Server 2012 classes that includes Windows Computer, SQL 2012 DB Engine and SQL 2012 DB.
Containment Relationship: This is where a particular class is related to another class. In contrast to a
hosting relationship, where the parent class must exist for the child class to exist, with a containment
relationship one class is not dependent on another class to exist. An example is a group containing
multiple objects, where the objects are members of multiple groups.
Reference Relationship: This is where a parent class is not dependent on a child class, and a child class
is not dependent on a parent class. An example of this is databases that exist on a Microsoft SQL
Server where a database is replicated.
You can use the Service Manager Authoring Tool to extend a class in a Management Pack to obtain
additional properties of the class. Extending classes is covered in greater detail in the next lesson.
For more information about classes in Service Manager visit the following website:
Classes: Key Concepts
Forms
Forms provide an integral function in Service Manager as they are used for most operations in the Service
Manager console, for example, when completing an Incident or Change Request. Forms are included in
Service Manager Management Packs and are stored in the Service Manager database when the
Management Pack is imported. A form performs four functions in Service Manage, as described below:
Initialization: During the initialization of the form in the Service Manager console, the form controls
are loaded and made available in the form.
Size and Location: After the form is initialized, it is displayed in the Service Manager console. The
forms size and location (based on the form properties) is then configured. (Form properties that
control the width, height and location are discussed further in the next lesson).
Refresh: As the target instance referenced in a form can change, based on factors such as other users
making changes in the Service Manager environment, the form can be refreshed to display updated
data by using the Refresh button that is added to the form.
Submit Changes: You can add buttons to a form that sends data entered in the form to the Service
Manager database. When the Apply button is pressed, the data is stored in the database. When the
OK button is pressed, data is stored in the database and the form is closed. If, for any reason data
submission fails (possibly due to more than one person using the same form at the same time), an
error message is displayed and form is left open. The Cancel button can be used to cancel any data
entered into the form and close the form without submitting data to the database.
For more information about Forms in Service Manager visit the following website:
Forms: Key Concepts
Workflows
Workflows provide a method of automating IT processes that in most IT environments would normally
have to be performed manually. For example, for backing up all unsealed Management Packs as
described in Module 12, or automatically closing resolved Incidents when they have been inactive for a
period of time.
When customizing or configuring a Management Pack in the Service Manager Authoring Tool, you can
add Workflows to the Management Pack that can be used to automate tasks (or WF Activities as they are
known). When adding a Workflow to a Management Pack with the Service Manager Authoring Tool, you
use the Create Workflow Wizard. The table below includes a brief description of the pages in the Create
Workflow Wizard:
Create Workflow Wizard page Description
General On the General page you specify the name of the workflow as it will
be displayed in the Service Manager Authoring Tool. You can also
specify the retry and timeout limits for the workflow by clicking the
Advance button on this page.
Target Condition On the Target Condition page you specify the condition in which
the workflow will run. This can be on a schedule basis or when a
database object meets a specified condition.
Trigger Criteria On the Target Criteria page, depending on the selection on the
Target Condition page, you either configure the schedule, in which
the workflow will run, or the object class and then a comparison
that will be used to trigger the workflow. When configuring a
schedule, you can specify the start time and days of the week in
which the workflow will run. Alternatively, you can specify a
frequency in hours, minutes or seconds. When configuring the
object class and comparison, you first select the class name such as
Active Directory Group. You then select the change event that will
trigger the workflow such as When an object of the selected class is
created, updated or deleted. You can then use the Additional
Criteria button to select the properties and the criteria of the
selected class that will be used to trigger the workflow.
Summary On the Summary page you can review the selections you have
made for the workflow and then either use the Previous button to
go back through the wizard and make any required changes or use
the Create button to create the workflow.
Once the workflow has been created in the Management Pack, you can add Activities from the Activities
Toolbox in the Service Manager Authoring Tool to the workflow and then configure them as needed.
Activities and the Activities Toolbox are discussed further in the next lesson.
For more information about Workflows when editing a Management Pack in the Service Manager
Authoring Tool, visit the following website:
Workflows: Customizing and Authoring
Overview of the Service Manager Authoring Tool

Although you can edit and customize
Management Packs by using any standard XML
editor, or by using Visual Studio and the Visual
Studio Authoring Extensions, the Service Manager
Authoring Tool provides an easy-to use Graphical
User Interface (GUI) that makes Management Pack
development much easier and quicker. It does not
include some of the advanced Visual Studio
features that are designed for a developer, but the
Service Manager Authoring Tool provides all the
features that are required for developing and
customizing Management Packs in Service
Manager. Furthermore, you do not need any XML editing skills or programming knowledge to create and
customize Management Packs with the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Authoring Tool features
The key features provided in the Service Manager Authoring Tool are:
Customizing forms: Such as customizing the Incident form to include additional fields.
Creating new forms: Such as creating a new form with custom classes to track information in Service
Manager.
Class editor: Creating and extending classes, including relationships in the Service Manager database.
Workflow creation: Creating workflows that include trigger criteria and Activities that can be
extended.
Management Pack support: Creating and sealing Management Packs.
Class Browser: Searching and viewing classes in any Management Packs.
Form browser: Searching and viewing forms in any Management Pack.
Installing the Service Manager Authoring Tool
The System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Authoring Tool can be installed on a computer that runs one
of the following Operating Systems:
Windows 7
Windows 8
Windows Server 2012
It is recommended that the computer running the Service Manager Authoring Tool has a minimum of 2
processors and a minimum of 2 gigabytes (GB) or RAM. Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual Studio
2008 Shell (isolated mode) with Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package must also be installed prior to
installing the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
You can download the Visual Studio 2008 Shell (isolated mode) with Service Pack 1 Redistributable
Package from the following location:
Visual Studio 2008 Shell (isolated mode) with Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package
After installing the Visual Studio 2008 Shell (isolated mode) with Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package, a
folder is created in the installation path named VS 2008 Shell Redist. In the Isolated Mode sub-folder you
must then run the vs_shell_isolated.enu package to install the Software Update Microsoft Visual Studio
2008 Shell SP1 Installation. This is important as the Service Manager Authoring Tool setup will fail unless
this update is installed first.
After installing the prerequisite software, the Service Manager Authoring Tool can then be installed. Other
than the Product Registration, Installation Location and Microsoft Update pages of the setup wizard, the
installation can be completed accepting all default settings.
You can download the System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Authoring Tool from the following
website:
System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager Authoring Tool
Using the Service Manager Authoring Tool

After installation, you can open the Service Manager Authoring Tool from the Start menu on Windows
Server 2012 R2 by typing Service Manager and then clicking the Service Manager Authoring Tool link. The
Service Manager Authoring Tool opens and a Start page is displayed in the center pane. Included on the
Start page are a number of useful links to help you get started in using the tool.
The five main sections (or panes) in the Service Manager Authoring Tool are:
Management Pack Explorer
When a Management Pack has been opened, you can use this pane to view the various elements included
in the Management Pack such as classes, forms and workflows. You can also review the properties of each
element by right-clicking it and then clicking Properties. The Management Explorer pane is also used
when customizing a form or extending a class as described in the next lesson.
Form Customization Toolbox/Activities Toolbox
When customizing or creating a form for a Management Pack in the Service Manager Authoring Tool, the
Form Customization Toolbox can be used to add form controls to the form and Activities to workflows
within the Management Pack. There are two sections within this pane, labelled Form Customization
Toolbox and Activities Toolbox. These are discussed in detail later in this lesson.
Class Browser/Form Browser
Included in the Service Manager Authoring Tool is the default Management Packs that were imported
when Service Manager was first installed, such as the Incident Management Pack. These Management
Packs can be used as base Management Packs in which customized forms can be created.
In the Class Browser section, you can view and search for classes in any or all Management Packs. There is
a drop-down list where you can select a Management Pack to view and search for classes, or you can
select All Management Packs to view and search all classes in all Management Packs. This is useful when
you are searching for a particular class name but do not know exactly where it exists.
The Form Browser section provides similar functionality for forms contained within Management Packs.
When you right-click a Management Pack in the Class Browser section, you can use the View option to
open the Management Pack in the Management Pack Explorer pane. You can then review the classes,
forms and workflows as described earlier. When you right-click a Form in the Form Explorer section, you
can use the View option to open the associated Management Pack and the form that you selected. This is
the method that is used to customize a form as discussed later in this module. You can also view the
properties of Classes and Forms by right-clicking them and then clicking the Details option. This loads the
properties into the Details pane where they can be viewed and edited. Editing is only possible with
unsealed Management Packs.
Details
Whenever a Management Pack element is selected in the Service Manager Authoring Tool, the Details
pane updates to display the properties of the element selected. The properties displayed differ,
depending on what has been selected. If you are editing an unsealed Management Pack, you can also
update the properties of the selected element.
Results
The results pane (although not labeled as such) is the center pane in the Service Manager Authoring Tool
and it is where the Start page is displayed when you first open the tool. When you right-click an element
such as a class in the Management Pack Explorer pane and then click View Class, the results pane updates
to display the properties of the selected element. In the case of a class, the Class name, Description, Class
properties and relationships are displayed.
Note that you can dock and undock panes in the Service Manager Authoring Tool. This allows you to
move sections around in order to make it easier to review the details in each section. This is particularly
useful with the Details pane as it can include numerous properties that may be cumbersome to view when
the pane is docked. By undocking it, you can resize and position it so that it displays as much information
as possible without the need to use the scroll bar.
Demonstration: Reviewing the Service Manager Authoring Tool

In this demonstration you will review the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
Demonstration Steps
Location Value
Computer LON-SM0
Tool Service Manager Authoring Tool
Location Desktop
2. From the Form Browser pane open the Form Browser tan and then use the reload Contents button
to reload the forms.
3. Right-click ComputerForm and then click View.
4. Cancel any Service Manager Authoring Tool popup windows that open.
5. Review the details in the following sections:
Management Pack Explorer
Details
ComputerForm (read only)
Form Customization Toolbox.
Activities Toolbox.
6. Close the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
Question: What are the three types of classes used in Service Manager?
Lesson 2
Creating New and Customized Forms by Using the Service
Manager Authoring Tool
After learning the key concepts behind creating customized forms in Service Manager, you can start to
use the Authoring Tool to either create a new custom form or a custom form based on an existing form in
Service Manager, such as the Incident or Change Request form.
In this final lesson you will learn how to create a new custom form and how to customize an existing form
using the Authoring Tool. You will also learn how form controls and Activities are used in the Service
Manager Authoring Tool.
Lesson Objectives
Describe the controls in the Form Customization Toolbox.
Describe the Activities in the Activities Toolbox.
Create a new custom form using the Authoring Tool.
Create a new customized form based on an existing form using the Authoring Tool.
Controls in the Form Customization Toolbox

As mentioned in the previous lesson, there are a
number of form controls that you can use in the
Service Manager Authoring Tool when creating
new forms or customizing an existing form. This
makes editing forms much easier, as you simply
drag the control onto the form and then configure
its properties.
In the table below, there is a description of each
form control available in the Form Customization
Toolbox:
Form Customization
Description
Toolbox control name
Check Box The Check Box form control is used to add an option to a form in which a
user can select or check a property such as true or false. When editing
the properties of the control in the Details pane, you can configure
values for properties such as the label that is displayed on the check box
including its font, size and location on the form.
As with most form controls that use a selection or where information can
be submitted in a form, you must also configure the Binding Path
property. The Binding Path property is used to bind the control to a class
property in the associated Management Pack. This is important, as
without defining the Binding Path correctly, any information entered in
the form when completing it in the Service Manager console will not be
stored in the Service Manager database correctly. Additionally, the
Binding Path property ensures that information submitted in the form is
formatted correctly, as defined by the property in the class it is bound to.
Form Customization
Description
Date Picker The Date Picker control is used to display dates on a form. In addition to
configuring properties such as the size, location and binding path you
can also configure the date format that is displayed in the form when it is
used in the Service Manager console. Date formats include Long, Short,
Full date and time and General.
Image The Image control is used to display an image on the form when it is
used in the Service Manager console. This could be a company logo for
example, or a graphic representing the information that the form is used
to collect. When adding the Image control to a form you must first locate
and select the image that is to be displayed. The image is then placed on
the form. From the Details pane you can edit properties such as the size,
location and opacity.
Label The Label control is used to add a descriptive label on a form. Typically,
you use a Label control to add a label to a Text Box that will be used to
capture data when the form is being submitted in the Service Manager
console. In addition to the size, location and text within the label, you can
also configure the font family, font size and font style of the text that is
displayed within the label.
List Picker The List Picker control is used to select an item from a list of
preconfigured items. For example, the Urgency of an Incident such as
High, Low or Medium. After adding the List Picker control to the form,
you must configure the list that will be displayed when using it in the
Service Manager console. The list is configured by using the List type
property in the Forms Details pane. You can either select a pre-defined
list in the relevant Management Pack or you can optionally create your
own customized list. To achieve this, you use the Create List button when
configuring the List type and then add a Display Name that will be used
to display the new list in the Service Manager console. When the
Management Pack is imported into Service Manager, the list can then be
edited in the Lists view from the Library pane. List items can then be
added to the new List.
Panel The Panel control is used to group other controls in a form. For example
you may want to add two Label controls and two Text box controls on a
form which will then be used in the Service Manager console to capture
related information, such as a computer hosting SQL Server, and a
database hosted on that computer. By adding the controls to a Panel
control in the form, when moving and positioning the Panel control the
controls that are included within it are also moved. This makes
positioning related controls much easier as only the Panel control needs
to be moved.
Single Instance Picker The Single Instance Picker control is used to allow the user who is editing
the form in the Service Manager console to select an instance from a list
of object instances presented from a configured class such as a
configuration item or a work item. After adding the control to the form
you must use the Binding Path property from the Details pane to
configure the Class from which the list of instances will be presented in
the Service Manager Console.
Tab Control The Tab Control is typically used in conjunction with the Tab Item
control. When creating a new form that does not have a tab on it you
can use the Tab Control to create a tab placeholder on the form. You
then resize and position the placeholder so that it displays correctly in
Form Customization
Description
the form when it is used in the Service Manager console. Typically the
Tab Control is resized so that it encompasses all of the form space. So
that when Tab Items are added to the Tab Control to display the tabs in
the form, each tab can then use the complete form space to display
relevant form controls.
Tab Item The Tab Item control is used with the Tab Control to add tabs to a form.
You drag the Tab Item onto the form and position it within the Tab
Control. The properties of the Tab Item can then be edited using the
Details pane to change the name of the tab. When the Tab Item is
selected in the form and then form controls are added to the form, they
will be displayed only on the selected tab. This provides the ability to
have multiple tabs in a form and separate the form controls within each
tab.
Text Box The Text Box control is used to allow the user editing the form in the
Service Manager console, to enter text that will be stored in the Service
Manager database, such as a description for an Incident. After adding the
Text Box control to the form, you must configure the Binding Path in the
Details pane to bind the control to a relevant class in the associated
Management Pack. You can also edit other properties of the Text Box
control such as allowing the Enter key to be pressed. This allows the user
to enter multiple lines of text. Typically a Label control is used in
conjunction with a Text Box control to provide a description of the
information that should be entered when adding information to the Text
Box in the Service Manager console.
User Picker The User Picker control is similar to the Instance Picker control except
that when configuring the Binding Path property in the Details pane, you
select a User class from the relevant Management Pack. When the
control is used in the Service Manager console a list of Users based on
the configured User class is displayed.
Activities in the Activity Toolbox

As mentioned in the previous lesson, there are a
number of Activities you can use in the Service
Manager Authoring Tool when creating new
workflows. This makes configuring workflows
much easier as you simply drag the Activity onto
the workflow and then configure its properties.
In the table below, a description of each Activity
available in the Activity Toolbox is provided:
Activity Toolbox Activity

Description
Group\Activity name
Control Flow\IfElse The IfElse Activity is used when you need a workflow to perform a
task based on the outcome of a previous Activity. When adding
the Activity to a workflow, you configure two branches in the
Activity. One branch is used for a True condition and the other
branch is used for a False condition. You then add additional
Activities that should be performed based on the result.
Control Flow\Parallel The Parallel Activity is used when you need a workflow to perform
a number of tasks in parallel. When adding the Activity to a
workflow, the Activity is branched into two Activities in which
additional Activities can then be added. Activities in both branches
will be run simultaneously when the workflow runs.
Control Flow\Delay The Delay Activity can be used in workflows to pause the workflow
for a specified time. After adding the Activity to the workflow, you
configure the TimeoutDuration parameter which specifies how
long the workflow will pause before continuing.
Control Flow\For Each Loop The For Each Loop Activity is used to perform a set of Activities a
set number of times for a given array of objects. When adding the
Activity to a workflow, there are two containers that are
configured. The first Activity is the Input Activity container, in
which you add an Activity that is used to define which objects are
targeted in the loop and will be used to trigger the loop.
The second Activity is the Child Activity, where you add Activities
that will be executed each time the loop is triggered. A typical
example of when the For Each Loop Activity is used would be
when you need a workflow to perform tasks based on the Title of
an Incident:
The Get Incident Activity is added to the Input Activity and
configured to trigger when Incidents with a Title that contains the
text StockTrader are detected.
The Update Incident Activity is then added to the Child Activity
and is used to update each Incidents Urgency field to High.
Each time the For Each Activity runs, any Incidents that meet the
criteria specified will be updated.
Service Manager The Create Incident Activity is used to create and configure an
Activities\Create Incident Incident in Service Manager. When adding the Activity to a
workflow, you configure the Incident properties that should be
automatically populated when the Incident is created. This
includes fields such as the Category, Impact, Source and Urgency.
Service Manager The Update Incident Activity is used to update properties of an

Activities\Update Incident Incident in Service Manager based on a given Incident criteria.
When adding the Activity to a workflow, you first configure the
Incident property which defines the Incident criteria that will be
used to detect the Incident that is to be updated. You then
configure the properties of the Incident that should be updated
such as the Category, Impact, Source or Status.
Service Manager Activities\Get The Get Incident Activity is used to retrieve an Incident or a
Incident number of Incidents based on its properties. When adding the
Activity to a workflow you configure the criteria that will be used
to retrieve the Incident(s). Criteria such as Category, Incident ID,
Status or Affected User Name can be used to filter the list of

Description
Group\Activity name
Incidents retrieved by the Activity. This Activity is typically used
with other Activities such as the For Next Loop Activity and
Update Incident Activity, where Incidents with specific criteria are
detected and then updated automatically.
Service Manager Activities\Set The Set Activity Status to Completed Activity is used to update the
Activity Status to Completed status of an automated Activity in Service Manager to Completed.
When adding the Activity to a workflow, you must configure the
Activity ID property that will determine the Activity to be updated.
When configuring the Activity IP property, you can browse and
select a property from any other Activity that is present in the
workflow or you can manually type constant Activity ID.
Active Directory Activities\Add The Add AD DS User to Group Activity is used to add an Active
AD DS User to Group Directory Domain Services (AD DS) user to a security group. When
adding the Activity to a workflow, you must configure the Group
Name, User Domain and User Name properties of the Activity. It
should be noted that the Service Manager Workflow account must
have sufficient privileges in Active Directory to modify security
groups for this Activity to work successfully. Note that this Activity
including many of the other Activities mentioned in this topic can
also be performed by using System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator.
Active Directory Activities\Add The Add AD DS Computer to Group Activity is used to add an
AD DS Computer to Group Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) computer to a security
group. When adding the Activity to a workflow you must
configure the Computer Name, Computer Domain and Group
Name properties of the Activity. It should be noted that the
Service Manager Workflow account must have sufficient privileges
in Active Directory to modify security groups for this Activity to
work successfully.
Script Activities\Generic Script The Windows PowerShell Script Activity is used to run a Windows
Activities\Windows PowerShell PowerShell script as part of a workflow. When adding the Activity
Script to a workflow, you must configure the Script Body parameter that
defines the script that will be run. When configuring the Script
Body parameter you can either manually type the script or you
can browse and import a script. You can then add script properties
that will be used when the script runs.
Script Activities\Generic Script The Command Script Activity is used to run a command-line script
Activities\Command Script as part of a workflow. When adding the Activity to a workflow,
you must configure the Script Body parameter that defines the
script that will be run. When configuring the Script Body
parameter you can either manually type the script or you can
browse and import a script. You can then add script properties
that will be used when the script runs.
Script Activities\Generic Script The VBScript Script Activity is used to run a Visual Basic script as
Activities\VBScript Script part of a workflow. When adding the Activity to a workflow, you
must configure the Script Body parameter that defines the script
that will be run. When configuring the Script Body parameter you
can either manually type the script or you can browse and import
a script. You can then add script properties that will be used when
the script runs.

Description
Group\Activity name
VMM Activities\Get VM The Get VM Activity is used to retrieve the ID of virtual machines
in a Virtual Machine Manager library. When adding the Activity to
a workflow, you can configure properties such as the VMHost, VM
Name and VMMServer property to filter the list of returned IDs
from the Virtual Machine Manager environment. This Activity is
typically used with other VMM Activities such as the Move VM
Activity.
VMM Activities\Move VM The Move VM Activity is used to move a virtual machine in a

Virtual Machine Manager library to a maintenance host. When
adding the Activity to a workflow, you must configure the VM
Host, VM ID and VMM Server properties that are used to
determine the virtual machine to be moved, the virtualization host
on which the virtual machine will be moved to, and the Virtual
Machine Manager Management Server that managed the
virtualization host.
Other properties that can be configured include Use LAN and Use
Cluster. These properties are useful when you need to restrict
migrations to using cluster migration instead of Live Migration or
when you want to restrict the migration to use a LAN transfer
instead of a SAN transfer.
VMM Activities\Start VM The Start VM Activity is used to start a stopped virtual machine in
the Virtual Machine Manager environment. The Activity can also
be used to start a paused virtual machine. When adding the
Activity to a workflow, you must configure the VM ID, and
VMMServer properties that will be used to determine the virtual
machine that is to be started and the Virtual Machine Manager
Management Server that is managing the virtual machine.
VMM Activities\Shutdown VM The Shutdown VM Activity is used to shut down a running virtual
machine the Virtual Machine Manager environment. When adding
the Activity to a workflow, you must configure the VM ID, and
VMMServer properties that will be used to determine the virtual
machine to be shut down and the Virtual Machine Manager
Management Server that is managing the virtual machine. Note
that this Activity will only work with virtual machines that have the
virtualization guest components installed.
VMM Activities\Save State VM The Save State VM Activity is used to save the state of a virtual
machine in the Virtual Machine Manager environment and then
stop the virtual machine. When adding the Activity to a workflow,
you must configure the VM ID, and VMMServer properties that
will be used to determine the virtual machine on which the state
should be saved, and the Virtual Machine Manager Management
Although not covered as part of the scope for this course, you can also create custom Activities that can
be added to workflows created using the Service Manager Authoring Tool. For more information about
creating custom Activities including sample code visit the following website:
Guidelines for Creating Custom Activities
Creating a New Class and a Form by Using the Service Manager Authoring
Tool
Creating a new form by using the Service Manager
Authoring Tool will provide a method of recording
information that is not currently possible with the
default forms in Service Manager. For example,
Your organization has decided to supply its entire
sales staff with a business mobile phone. They
would like to be able to capture information about
each mobile phone so that it can be tracked and
recorded for auditing purposes. You need to
create a new form that will be used in Service
Manager to record the following information
about each mobile phone:
Make
Model
Telephone number
Asset number
Owner
Using the Service Manager Authoring Tool, you must create a new Class that will include the properties
for each of the items listed above. You must then create a new form and include the relevant form
controls to capture this information.
Described below are the high-level steps in creating a form to accomplish this:
1. Use the Service Manager Authoring Tool to create a new Management Pack.
2. Create a new configuration Item Class.
3. Add new Properties to the Class for the Mobile Phone information that needs to be captured.
4. Create a new Form using the Class that was created in Step 2.
5. Add Label controls to the form for each Mobile Phone property and rename them appropriately.
6. Add Text Box controls to the form for each Label and configure the Binding Path appropriately.
7. Save the Management Pack.
8. Import the Management Pack into Service Manager.
9. Create a new Folder in the Configuration Items pane.
10. Create a new View that target the new Class that was created in Step 2.
11. Configure the Display properties of the view to display the Mobile Phone properties.
12. Save the view.
13. Open the View and use the relevant Task to create a new Mobile Phone configuration item.
14. Save the form and refresh the view to confirm the new Mobile Phone configuration item was created.
Described below are the detailed steps in creating a form to accomplish this:
1. In the Service Manager Authoring Tool, create a new Management Pack named
Contoso.MobilePhones. You create a new Management Pack by using the New option from the File
menu.
2. In the Management Pack Explorer pane, right-click Classes and then click Create Configuration Item
Class.
3. Name the new Class MobilePhones.
4. In the MobilePhones class tab that opens use the Create property button to create the following
properties with the Internal name as shown below:
Make
Model
TelephoneNumber
AssetNumber
Owner
5. Right-click the TelephoneNumber property and then click Details.
6. Change the Data type from String to Integer and then close the Details window.
7. Right-click the AssetNumber property and then click Details.
8. Change the Data type from String to Integer and then close the Details window.
9. Right-click the Make property and then click Details.
10. Change the Key property to True and then close the Details window.
11. Delete the Property_4 property.
12. From the Management Pack Explorer pane right-click Forms and then click Create.
13. In the Base class window that opens click the MobilePhones class and then click OK.
14. Name the new form Contoso.MobilePhones.Form and then click Create.
15. The Contoso.MobilePhones.Form tab opens.
16. From the Form Customization Toolbox, drag 5 Label controls onto the form and position them one
under each other on the left side of the form.
17. From the Form Customization Toolbox, drag 5 Text Box controls onto the form and position them
one under each other on the left side of the form, to the right of the 5 Label controls.
18. Edit the Details for Label 1 and change the Content property to Make.
19. Edit the Details for Label 2 and change the Content property to Model.
20. Edit the Details for Label 3 and change the Content property to Telephone Number.
21. Edit the Details for Label 4 and change the Content property to Asset Number.
22. Edit the Details for Label 5 and change the Content property to Owner.
23. Edit the Binding Path for TextBox_1 and set the Binding Path to Make from the MobilePhones class.
24. Edit the Binding Path for TextBox_2 and set the Binding Path to Model from the MobilePhones class.
25. Edit the Binding Path for TextBox_3 and set the Binding Path to TelephoneNumber from the
MobilePhones class.
26. Edit the Binding Path for TextBox_4 and set the Binding Path to AssetNumber from the MobilePhones
class.
27. Edit the Binding Path for TextBox_5 and set the Binding Path to Owner from the MobilePhones class.
28. From the File Menu use the Save All option to save the Management Pack.
29. In the Service Manager console import the Contoso.MobilePhones management pack.
30. Create a new Folder named Contoso in the Configuration Items pane.
31. In the Contoso folder create a new View with the following properties:
Name: Contoso Mobile Phones.
Criteria: Browse and from the All basic classes list select MobilePhones.
Display: Select Make, Model, TelephoneNumber, AssetNumber and Owner.
32. Click the Contoso Mobile Phones view then from the Tasks pane click Create MobilePhones.
33. In the form that opens enter details for the Make, Model, Telephone Number, Asset Number and
Owner. Ensure that only numerical values are added to the Telephone Number and Asset Number
fields.
34. Click OK to save the form.
35. From the Tasks pane click Refresh, the new Mobile Phone details are displayed confirming that the
information has been saved to the Service Manager database.
Extending a Class and Customizing a Form by Using the Service Manager

Authoring Tool
The Service Manager Authoring Tool can also be
used to customize existing forms in Service
Manager. For example, you can customize the
ComputerForm from in the Service Manager
Configuration Management Library Management
Pack to include additional fields that can be used
to capture more information about computers in
the environment.
Customizing existing forms is very useful as it
removes the administrative overhead of creating
new classes and forms. Instead, the class is
extended and additional form controls are added
to a customized form. These customizations and class extensions are saved in a new Management Pack.
When the Management Pack is imported into Service Manager and the existing form is opened, the
customizations are automatically applied so that any additional controls that have been added are
displayed in the form and are configured as any other control.
If, when customizing a form there is not enough space on the form to include the additional control
required, you can use the Tab Item control to add a new tab to the form. You then add new form controls
to the new tab that will then be displayed in the Service Manager console when the form is opened.
To understand how to customize a form by using the Service Manager Authoring Tool, consider the
following scenario:
Contoso support operators who work on Incidents related to the StockTrader application would like to be
able to record additional details relating to the Stock Name and Stock Number when they create
Incidents in the Service Manager console. They need to customize the default Incident form to allow for
the additional StockTrader information to be recorded. As the StockTrader information is only relevant
when Incidents are created for the StockTrader application, they must create a new tab in the Incident
form that will be used only by the StockTrader support operators.
Described below are the high-level steps in customizing the Incident form to accomplish this:
1. In the Service Manager Authoring Tool create a new Management Pack that will be used to store the
Incident form customizations
2. Open the Incident Management Pack.
3. Extend the Incident class to include the additional properties for StockTrader.
4. Open the System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm.
5. Use the Customize button to create a new form with the current Incident settings.
6. Use the Tab Item control to add a new Tab to the form.
7. Add the Label and Text Box controls to the new tab and configure them for the StockTrader
properties.
8. Save the Management Pack.
9. Import the Management Pack into Service Manager.
10. Create a new Incident.
11. Use the StockTrader tab to record the StockTrader information.
Note: The detailed steps to customize the default Incident form are included in the Lab for
this module.
Sealing the Management Pack

After creating the customized Management Pack
you can optionally seal it. This ensures that the
Management Pack cannot be modified from its
original state. An important point to note is that
you should always keep a copy of the unsealed
(.XML) version of the Management Pack. So that if
you need to update the Management Pack for any
reason you can use the .xml version to apply the
updates.
Note: The sealed Management Pack is read-

only so If you lose or delete the unsealed version
of the Management Pack you will not be able to update it.
To seal a Management Pack you must first create a public/private key pair that will be used to create the
binary (.mp) version of the management pack. If you need to digitally sign the Management Pack to
ensure it has not been modified when moving it to different environments it must be sealed first.
To create a public/private key pair you can use the Strong Name utility SN.exe that is provided with Visual
Studio. Alternatively, if you have installed .NET Framework 4.0, the SN.exe utility is also available in the
\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\bin folder.
To use the SN.exe utility to create the public/private key pair, from a command prompt, navigate to the
location of the SN.exe utility and they enter the following command:
SN.exe k C:\MPs\SN_Key.snk
This will create a public/private key pair named SN_Key.snk and store it in the C:\Mps folder. You can
change the name and location of the file to suit your requirements but the .snk extension should be used
as it is an extension recognized by Visual Studio as a Strong Name Key File.
Note that you must keep the public/private key pair file that is created by using the SN.exe utility, as the
same file must be used when re-sealing the .XML version of the Management Pack if/when you update it.
Once you have created the public/private key pair you can use the Service Manager Authoring Tool to
seal the Management Pack. To seal a Management Pack using the Service Manager Authoring Tool you
perform the following steps:
1. Open the .xml version of the Management Pack in the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
2. Right-click the Management Pack in the Management Pack Explorer pane and then click Seal
Management Pack.
3. In the Seal Management Pack dialog box that opens provide the following information:
Output directory: The location where the sealed version of the Management Pack should be stored.
Key File: The public/private key pair file that was created using the SN.exe utility
Company: Your Company name.
Copyright: Optional copyright information.
4. Click Seal.
If the Management Pack was successfully sealed a message stating Seal Succeeded will be displayed. You
can then close the Seal Management Pack dialog box.
The sealed version of the Management Pack will be created in the Output Directory specified which can
then be imported into Service Manager.
Demonstration: Extending a Class by Using the Service Manager Authoring

Tool
In this demonstration you will see how to extend a class by using the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
Demonstration Steps
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Management Pack Incident
Task View
2. From the Class Browser window change the Management Packs to All Management Packs and
then view the Incident Management Pack.
3. From the Management Pack Explorer right-click Incident and then extend the class to create a new
property with the following settings:
Management Pack: Create a new management pack named Demo.xml
Save the management pack in C:\CustomMPs
Internal Name: Demo
Name: Display Name
4. Save the Demo Management Pack
5. Close the Service Manager Authoring Tool
Question: What is the Tab Control in the Form customization Toolbox used for?
Lab: Creating Customized Forms by Using the Authoring

Tool
Scenario
You been asked to create a customized form for the StockTrader support team that is based on the
existing Incident form. The support team has asked that a number of additional form controls are added
that allow them to record details relating to the stock name and number of stock being purchased. You
have also been asked to ensure that the Management Pack, once created, is sealed making it read-only to
ensure that it cannot be modified.
To facilitate this you must first extend the Incident class so that additional fields can be used in default
Incident form. You must then customize the Incident form to include the additional controls that can be
used to capture the StockTrader information.
Objectives
Use the Authoring Console to extend the Incident class.
Use the Authoring Console to customize the default Incident form.
Create a public/private key pair file and seal the Management Pack.
Import and use the customized Incident form..
Lab Setup
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Password: Pa$$w0rd
Domain: Contoso
LON-SM0
Exercise 1: Extending the Incident Class

Scenario
In order for the StockTrader support teams to log additional information relating to the stock being
purchased you must use the Authoring Tool to extend the Incident class in order for the new Incident
properties to be captured.
1. Creating a new management pack using the authoring console
2. Extending the incident class to include the StockTrader properties
Task 1: Creating a new management pack using the authoring console

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Location Desktop
Menu item File
2. From the File menu use the New option to create a new Management Pack with the following
settings:
Name: CustomIncidentForm
Location: C:\CustomMps
Task 2: Extending the incident class to include the StockTrader properties

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Management Pack Incident
Task View
2. From the Class Browser window change the Management Packs to All Management Packs and
then view the Incident Management Pack.
Target Management Pack: CustomIncidentForm
Create Property\Internal Name: StockName
General\Name: Stock Name
Management Pack: CustomIncidentForm
Internal Name: StockNumber
General\Name: Stock Number
Data Type: Integer
5. Save the CustomIncidentForm Management Pack
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a new management pack in the Authoring Tool that
will be used to store the Incident class extension and the customization to the default Incident form. You
should have then extended the Incident class to include two additional properties that are used to capture
the additional StockTrader information.
Exercise 2: Customizing the Default Incident Form

Scenario
Now that you have extended the Incident class to include the new properties for StockTrader you must
customize the default Incident form so that the properties are displayed in the Incident form when
creating a new Incident in the Service Manager console.
1. Open the default incident form
2. Add a new StockTrader tab to the incident form
3. Add the StockTrader fields to the StockTrader tab
Task 1: Open the default incident form

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View Form Browser
Form System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm
2. From the Form Browser window open the System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm

3. Cancel the Service Manager Authoring Tool windows that open.
4. Use the Customize button to open a new customized System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm
5. Set the Target Management Pack to CustomIncidentForm
6. Click Cancel on the Service Manage Authoring Tool windows that open.
Note: You click Cancel as the .dll file being requested is not used in Windows Server 2012
R2, so this is expected.
Task 2: Add a new StockTrader tab to the incident form

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View Form Customization Toolbox
Control Tab Item
2. From the Form Customization Toolbox window drag the Tab Item control onto the
System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm (Customized) form and position it to the right of the
[Resolution] tab.
3. Use the Details window to edit the Text in the Content parameter and change the text from
TabItem_1 to StockTrader.
4. Save the System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm (Customized) form.
Note: If the Tab Item control does not appear to drop ono the tab section drag it down
into the main form first and then drag it onto the tab section.
Task 3: Add the StockTrader fields to the StockTrader tab

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View Form Customization Toolbox
Control Tab Item
2. In the System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm (Customized) form click the StockTrader tab.

3. From the Form Customization Toolbox drag the Label control onto the StockTrader tab and
position it in the top-left of the form.
4. Expand the label so that it spans almost the width of the form.
5. Edit the Details and change the Content parameter from Label_1 to Please enter the stock name
and stock number that this incident relates to
6. From the Form Customization Toolbox window drag the Label control onto the StockTrader tab
and position it in the top-left of the form under the first label.
7. Expand the label approximately one inch.
8. Edit the Details and change the Content parameter from Label_2 to Stock Name.
9. From the Form Customization Toolbox window drag the Label control onto the StockTrader tab
and position it underneath the Stock Name label.
11. Edit the Details and change the Content parameter from Label_3 to Stock Number.
12. From the Form Customization Toolbox drag the Text Box control onto the StockTrader tab and
position it to the right of the Stock Name label
13. Edit the Details and set the Binding Path to Stock Name.
position it to the right of the Stock Number label
15. Edit the Details and set the Binding Path to Stock Number.
16. From the General tab edit the Details of the [Affected User] label
17. Change the Bottom value in the Margin section from 0 to 1
18. Save the System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm (Customized) form
19. Close the Service Manager Authoring Tool
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Service Manager Authoring Tool to edit the default
incident form and then create a customized form that will be used whenever a new incident is created in
the Service Manager console. You should then have added a new StockTrader tab to the customized form
and included a descriptive label for the form. Finally, you should then have added two new Label and Text
Box controls to the form that will be used to capture the Stock Name and Stock Number information.
Exercise 3: Seal the Management Pack

Scenario
In order to make the Management Pack read-only you must seal it. You must first create public/private
key pair file using the SN.exe utility and then use the file with the Service Manager Authoring Tool to
create a sealed version of the Management Pack.
1. Create the public/private pair key file
2. Seal the Management Pack
Task 1: Create the public/private pair key file

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Tool SN.exe
Location C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\bin
Switch -k
2. From a command prompt navigate to the location specified above and then run the following
command:
SN.exe k C:\CustomMPs\CustomIncidentsForm.snk
3. Confirm a message stating Key pair written to C:\CustomMPs\CustomIncidentForm.snk is

displayed and then close the Administrator: Command Prompt window
Task 2: Seal the Management Pack

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Management Pack to open C:\CustomMps\CustomIncidentsForm.xml
Action Seal Management Pack
2. In the Service Manager Authoring Tool, open the CustomIncidentsForm.xml Management Pack
from the C:\CustomMPs folder.
3. From the Management Pack Explorer pane, right-click CustomIncidentsForm and then click Seal
Management Pack.
4. Configure the values as shown below:
Output Directory: C:\CustomMps
Key File: C:\CustomMps\CustomIncidentsForm.snk

Company: Contoso
5. Click Seal to seal the Management Pack.
6. Confirm the CustomIncidentsForm.mp file has been created in the C:\CuistomMPs folder
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the SN.exe utility to create a public/private key pair file.
You should have then used this file with the Service Manager Authoring Tool to seal the
CustomIncidentForm Management Pack.
Exercise 4: Import the Management Pack and use the updated Incident
form
Scenario
After customizing the incident form appropriately you must import the Management Pack into Service
Manager and confirm that the additional controls are available when creating a new Incident.
1. Import the customized incident form MP
2. Use the updated incident form
Task 1: Import the customized incident form MP

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Pane Administration
2. Import the CustomIncidentForm.mp management pack from the C:\CustomMPs folder on LON-
SM0. You will need to change the file type to MP files (*.mp) before you can import the
CustomIncidentForm.mp.
3. From the details pane confirm the CustomIncidentForm management pack is displayed.
Task 2: Use the updated incident form

Location Value
Computer LON-SM0
View All Incidents
2. Create a new incident with the following settings:

Title: Updated Incident Form with StockTrader fields included
Impact: Low
Urgency: High
3. From the StockTrader tab configure the following settings:
Stock Name: Test001
Stock Number: 123

4. Save the incident and then re-open it to confirm the StockTrader values were recoded as expected.
Note: You can customize other forms such as the Configuration Items form using the same
methods as described in this lab.
Results: After this exercise, you should have imported the Management Pack containing the customized
incident form into Service Manager. You should have then created a new incident and from the
StockTrader tab included details of the Stock Name and Stock Number. Finally, you should have saved
and then re-opened the incident to confirm the StockTrader details were recorded as expected.
Statement Answer
When extending the default incident form in Service Manager you can save
the extensions in the original incident management pack?

Review Question(s)
Question: What does the For Each Loop Control Flow Activity do in the Service Manager
Authoring Tool?

Authoring in Service Manager covers a wide range of topics and scenarios. In this module, you have
learned some of the key authoring techniques that can be applied in the Service Manager Authoring
Console. For more information about authoring in Service Manager visit the following website:
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L2-1
Module 2: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager

Lab A: Installing System Center 2012 R2
Service Manager
Exercise 1: Installing the Service Manager Management Group
Task 1: Install the Service Manager management server
1. On NYC-SM1, navigate to \\LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 R2 Service
Manager\amd64\Prerequisites and double-click ReportViewer.exe.
2. In the Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2008 wizard that opens, click Next.
3. On the License Terms page select I have read and accept the license terms and then click Install.
4. On the Setup Complete page click Finish.
5. Navigate to \\LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager\amd64 and double-
click Setup.exe.
6. On the Service Manager Setup Wizard page that opens, click Service Manager management server.
7. On the Product registration page, select Install as an evaluation edition (180 day trial), then
select I have read, understood, and agree with the terms of the license terms, and then click
Next
8. On the Installation location page, click Next.
9. On the System check results page, click Next.
Note: Ignore any warnings related to minimum hardware requirements.
10. On the Configure the Service Manager database page, click OK in the Configure database
window, and then click Next.
11. On the Configure the Service Manager management group page, type CONTOSO_SM in the
Management group name box, and then next to Management group administrators click
Browse.
12. In the Select User or Group dialog box that opens, type SM_Admins in the Enter the object names
to select box, and then click OK.
13. On the Configure the Service Manager management group page, click Next.
14. On the Configure the account for Service Manager services page, select Domain account and
then enter SM_Services in the User name box.
15. Type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box, and then under Domain, select Contoso.
16. Click Test Credentials and then click Next.
17. On the Configure the Service Manager workflow account page, select Domain account, and then
type SM_Workflow in the User name box.
L2-2 10965C: IT Service Management with System Center Service Manager
20. On the Help improve Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager page, select No, I am
not willing to participate and then click Next.
21. On the Use Microsoft Update to help keep your computer secure and up-to-date page, select I
do not want to use Microsoft Update and clear Initiate machine wide Automatic Update and
then click Next.
22. On the Installation Summary page, click Install.
23. On the Setup completed successfully page, click Close.
Task 2: Backup the Service Manager encryption key

1. In the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard that opens, on the Introduction page, click
Next.
2. On the Backup or Restore? page, ensure that Backup the Encryption Key is selected, and then click
Next.
3. On the Provide a Location page, enter C:\SM_DatabaseKey.bin in the Path box and then click
Next.
4. On the Provide a Password page, enter Pa$$w0rd in the Password and Confirm Password boxes,
and then click Next.
5. On the Completed page, click Finish.
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed the Service Manager management server on NYC-
SM1 and used the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard to back up the encryption key.
L2-3
Exercise 2: Installing the Data Warehouse Management Group and register

the Service Manager Management Group with the Data Warehouse
Management Group
Task 1: Install the Data Warehouse Management server
1. On NYC-DW1, navigate to \\LON-DC1\Media\ System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager\amd64
and double-click Setup.exe.
2. On the Service Manager Setup Wizard page that opens, click Service Manager data warehouse
management server.
Next.
6. On the Configure the data warehouse databases page, click OK in the Configure database
window, and then click Next.
7. On the Configure additional data warehouse datamarts page, click OK in the Configure
database window, and then click Next.
8. On the Configure the data warehouse management group page, append CONTOSO_SM to DW_
in the Management group name box, the Management group name should now read
DW_CONTOSO_SM, then next to Management group administrators, click Browse.
9. In the Select User or Group dialog box that opens, enter SM_Admins in the Enter the object
names to select box, and then click OK.
10. On the Configure the data warehouse management group page, click Next.
11. On the Configure the reporting server for the data warehouse page, wait until the SSRS web
server URL has been validated, and then click Next.
12. On the Configure the account for Service Manager services page, select Domain account, and
13. Type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box and then, under Domain, select Contoso.
15. On the Configure the reporting account page, enter SM_Reporting in the User name box.
16. Enter Pa$$w0rd in the Password box, and then, under Domain, select Contoso.
18. On the Configure Analysis Services for OLAP cubes page, click Next.
19. On the Configure Analysis Services credential page, type SM_Analysis in the User name box.
20. Type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box, and then, under Domain, click Contoso.
do not want to use Microsoft Update, then clear Initiate a machine wide Automatic Update and
click Next.
24. On the Installation summary page, click Install.
Task 2: Backup the data warehouse encryption key

Next.
2. On the Backup or Restore? page, make sure that Backup the Encryption Key is selected, and then
click Next.
3. On the Provide a Location page, enter C:\SM_WarehouseKey.bin in the Path box and then click
Next.
5. On the Secure Storage Backup Complete page, click Finish.
Task 3: Register the Service Manager Management Group with the data warehouse
Management Group
1. On NYC-SM1, click Start and then type Service Manager then right-click Service Manager
Console.
2. Click Open file location.
3. Right-click Service Manager Console, then click Send to and then click Desktop (create shortcut).
4. From the desktop double-click Service Manager Console to open the Service Manager console.
5. In the Connect to Service Manager Server window that opens, click Connect.
6. In the Service Manager console that opens, click the Administration pane and then click the
Administration node.
7. From the details pane, under Register with Service Managers Data Warehouse, click Register
with Service Manager Data Warehouse.
8. In the Data Warehouse Registration Wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click
Next.
9. On the Data Warehouse page, type NYC-DW1 in the Server name box, and then click Test
Connection.
10. Wait for the Your connection to the data warehouse management server was successful
message to appear, and then click Next,
Note: If an error appears stating that the connection to NYC-DW1 was not successful, wait
5 minutes and then return to Step 9 above.
11. On the Credentials page, click Next.

12. In the Credentials window that opens, enter Pa$$w0rd in the Password box, and then click OK.
13. On the Summary page, click Create.
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14. On the Completion page, click Close.

15. If a System Center Service Manager window opens, click OK.
16. Click the Data Warehouse pane, and then click Data Warehouse Jobs.
17. From the details pane, confirm that the Status column for the MPSyncJob displays Running.
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed the Data Warehouse Management server on NYC-
DW1 and used the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard to back up the encryption key. Additionally,
you should have registered the Service Manager Management Group with the Data Warehouse
Management Group.
Exercise 3: Installing the Service Manager Self-Service Portal and

confirming a successful installation
Task 1: Install the Self-Service Portal
1. On NYC-AP1, navigate to \\LON-DC1\Media\ System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager\amd64
2. In the Service Manager Setup Wizard page that opens, click Service Manager web portal.
3. On the Portal Parts page, select Web Content Server and SharePoint Web Parts, and then click
Next.
4. On the Product registration page, select I have read, understood, and agree with the terms of
the license terms, and then click Next.
7. On the Configure the Service Manager Self-Service Portal name and port page, clear Enable SSL
encryption and then, in the Port box, remove 443 and enter 8080.
8. Press the Tab key on the keyboard, and then click Next.
9. On the Select the Service Manager database page, click OK in the Configure database window
and then type NYC-SM1 in the Database server box.
10. Press the Tab key on the keyboard, and then click OK in the Configure database window.
11. Next to Database, click the drop-down list, and then click Service Manager.
12. On the Select the Service Manager database page, click Next.
13. On the Configure the account for the Self-Service Portal page, enter SM_Services in the User
name box.
14. Enter Pa$$w0rd in the Password box, and then, under Domain, click Contoso.
15. Click Test Credentials, and then click Next.
16. On the Configure the Service Manager SharePoint Web site page, clear Enable SSL encryption,
and then, in the Port box, remove 443 and enter 8083.
17. Press the tab button on the keyboard and then click Next.
18. On the Configure the account for Service Manager SharePoint application pool page, type
SM_Services in the User name box.
not willing to participate, and then click Next.
do not want to use Microsoft Update, then clear Initiate machine wide Automatic Update, and
then click Next.
L2-7
Task 2: Confirm that the Self-Service Portal is working as expected

1. On NYC-SM1, click Start and then click Internet Explorer.
2. In Internet Explorer, enter http://NYC-AP1:8083/SMPortal in the address bar, and then press
Enter.
3. In the Self-Service Portal, click List view.
4. Confirm that the Generic Incident Request appears under the Request name section in the List
view.
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the Self-Service Portal to load the first time it is run.
Note: Shutdown the following virtual machines as they are no longer required for the rest
of this course:
NYC-SM1
NYC-DW1
NYC-AP1
Note: Start the following virtual machines for the final exercise in this lab:
LON-AP1
LON-SM1
LON-DW1
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed the Self-Service Portal on NYC-AP1 And confirmed
that the Self-Service Portal is working as expected by browsing to it from NYC-SM1 and viewing the
service requests from the List view.
Exercise 4: Customizing the Self-Service Portal

Task 1: Change the Self-Service Portal title
1. Ensure the following virtual machines are shut down:
NYC-AP1
NYC-SM1
NYC-DW1
2. Ensure the following virtual machines have been started:
LON-AP1
LON-SM1
LON-DW1
3. On LON-AP1, open Internet Explorer, and browse to the http://LON-AP1:8083/SMPortal Self-
Service Portal.
4. Click Site Actions, and then click Site Settings.
5. Under Look and Feel, click Title, description and icon.
6. In the Title and Description section, in the Title box, remove SMPortal, type Contoso Self-Service
Portal, and then click OK.
7. From the navigation links on the left side of the webpage, click Home.
8. Notice that the title of the Self-Service Portal has now changed to Contoso Self-Service Portal.
Task 2: Change the Self-Service Portal image

1. On LON-AP1, navigate to C:\Logos, and then copy the Contoso_Logo.png image file.
2. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server
Extensions\14\template\images, and paste the Contoso_Logo.png file.
3. Open the Self-Service Portal.
5. Under Look and Feel, click Title, description and icon.
6. In the Logo URL and Description section, in the URL box, type http://LON-
AP1:8083/_layouts/images/Contoso_Logo.png.
7. Click the Click here to test link.
8. Notice that the Contoso logo is displayed on a separate tab.
9. On the Title, Description and Icon tab, click OK to save and publish the changes to the Self-Service
Portal.
11. Notice that the Contoso logo has now been inserted into the Self-Service Portal.
Task 3: Install the Japanese language pack

1. On LON-AP1, close any Internet Explorer windows that are open, and then navigate to C:\Language
Packs.
2. Double-click ServerLanguagePack.exe.
L2-9
3. In the Open File Security Warning window that opens, click Run.
4. In the Language Pack for SharePoint, Project Server and Office Web Apps 2010 Japanese
window that opens, accept the license agreement, and then click Next.
Note: Note that some of the dialog boxes will appear in Japanese.
5. Wait for the language pack to be installed, and then click OK.
6. In the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard that opens, click Next.
7. In the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard window, that opens click Yes.
8. Wait for the Configuring SharePoint Products task to complete, and then click Finish.
9. Close the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration window that opens.
Note: If the SharePoint Central Administration window fails to open with a HTTP 503 error,
then open IIS Manager and ensure that all the Application Pools are running. If any are stopped,
start them.
Task 4: Configure the language pack for the Self-Service Portal Site
1. On LON-AP1, open the Self-Service Portal.
3. Under Site Administration, click Language Settings.
4. In the Alternate language(s) section, select the Japanese check box, and then click OK.
Task 5: Change the language to Japanese in the Self-Service Portal

2. At the upper-right side of the webpage, click System Account.
3. In the list that appears, click Select Display Language, and then click Japanese.
4. Notice that the content pane of the Self-Service Portal is now displayed in Japanese.
5. Click System Account again, and then click the third link in the list.
6. Click English.
7. Notice that the content pane of the Self-Service Portal is now displayed in English again.
Task 6: Create the announcement navigation link

3. Under Look and Feel, click Quick Launch.
4. Click New Navigation Link.
5. In the URL box remove any existing text and then type
/SMPortal/Lists/Announcements/AllItems.aspx.
6. In the Description box, type Announcements, and then click OK.

8. Notice that the Announcements navigation link is now available.
Task 7: Create a new announcement

2. From the navigation links on the left side of the webpage, click Announcements.
3. Click Add new announcement.
4. In the Announcements New Item window that opens, in the Title box, type Scheduled
Maintenance Announcement.
5. In the Body box, type Helpdesk will be unavailable this Thursday due to maintenance.
6. Click the Calendar icon next to Expires, and then click any Friday that is in the future.
7. In the Announcements New Item window, click Save.
8. Notice that the Schedule Maintenance Announcement has now been added.
9. Click Schedule Maintenance Announcement, and review the Tile, Body and Expires information.
10. Click Close.
12. Shut down LON-AP1.
Results: After this exercise, you should have customized the Self-Service Portal to include the Contoso
logo. You should have also updated the title of the Self-Service Portal to Contoso Self-Service Portal. You
should then have installed the Japanese language pack for Microsoft SharePoint and then configured the
Self-Service Portal site so that end users can change the displayed language to Japanese. You should have
then created a new navigation link for announcements in the Self-Service Portal. Finally, you should also
have created a new announcement for scheduled maintenance and viewed the details in the Self-Service
Portal.
L2-11
Lab B: Upgrading to System Center 2012

Service Manager
Exercise 1: Backing up the Service Manager 2010 environment
Task 1: Back up the Service Manager database
1. On LON-SM2, click Start, All Programs, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, and then click SQL Server
Management Studio.
2. In the Connect to Server window that opens, click Connect.
3. In SQL Server Management Studio, expand Databases, right-click ServiceManager, and then click
Tasks.
4. Click Back Up.
5. In the Back Up Database Service Manager window that opens, click OK to start the backup.
6. Wait until the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio window appears confirming that the
backup of the ServiceManager database completed successfully, and then click OK.
7. Close Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.
Task 2: Back up the Service Manager encryption key

1. On LON-SM2, navigate to C:\SM2010SP1\amd64\Tools\SecureStorageBackup and then double-
click SecureStorageBackup.
Next.
Next.
4. On the Provide a Location page, enter C:\ServiceManager_key.bin in the Path box, and then click
Next.
7. Navigate to drive C and confirm that the ServiceManager_key.bin file is present.
Task 3: Back up the Service Manager data warehouse databases

1. On LON-DW2, click Start, All Programs, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 and then click SQL Server
Management Studio.
2. In the Connect to Server window that opens, click Connect.
3. In SQL Server Management Studio, expand Databases, then right-click DWDataMart, and then
click Tasks.
4. Click Back Up.
5. In the Back Up Database DWDataMart window that opens, click OK to start the backup.
6. Wait until the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio window appears confirming that the
backup of the DWDataMart database completed successfully, and then click OK.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6, twice, substituting the database with the DWRepository and
DWStagingAndConfig databases.
8. Close SQL Server Management Studio.
Task 4: Back up the Service Manager data warehouse encryption key

1. On LON-DW2, navigate to \\LON-SM2\C$\SM2010SP1\amd64\Tools\SecureStorageBackup, and
then double-click SecureStorageBackup.
2. In the Encryption Key Backup or Restore Wizard that opens, on the Introduction page, click Next.
Next.
4. On the Provide a Location page, enter C:\ServiceManagerDW_key.bin in the Path box, and then
click Next.
7. Navigate to drive C and confirm that the ServiceManagerDW_key.bin file is present.
Results: After this exercise, you should have backed up the Service Manager databases for both the
Service Manager Management Group and the data warehouse Management Group. You should have also
used the Encryption Key Backup Or Restore Wizard to back up the encryption key for the Service Manager
database and the data warehouse databases.
L2-13
Exercise 2: Upgrading Service Manager 2010 to System Center 2012

Service Manager
Task 1: Confirm that Service Manager 2010 components are running SP1 and CU3
1. On LON-SM2, from the desktop, double-click Service Manager Console.
2. In the Service Manager console, from the menu bar, click Help and then click About Microsoft
System Center Service Manager.
3. In the About Microsoft System Center Service Manager window that opens, confirm that the
product version is 7.0.6555.128. This confirms that SP1 and CU3 have been applied to the Service
Manager Management Group.
4. Click OK in the About Microsoft System Center Service Manager window.
6. From the details pane, click each job, and then from the Tasks pane, click Suspend where the
Suspend task becomes active. Note that the Suspend task may take some time to complete but you
do not need to wait.
8. On LON-DW2, navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center\Service Manager 2010.
9. Right-click Microsoft.MOM.Sdk.Authorization.dll, and then click Properties.
10. In the Microsoft.MOM.Sdk.Authorization.dll Properties window that opens, click the Details tab.
11. Confirm that the product version is 7.0.6555.128. This confirms that SP1 and CU3 have been applied
to the Service Manager data warehouse Management Group.
12. Click OK in the Microsoft.MOM.Sdk.Authorization.dll Properties window.
Task 2: Upgrade the data warehouse management server

1. On LON-DW2, confirm that the System Center Data Access Service, System Center Management
service, and System Center Management Configuration services are in a Started state. If any are
not, start them and wait for them to be in the Started state before continuing.
2. Click Start, type Notepad and then click Notepad.
3. Click File, then Open, and then change the file type to All Files.
4. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center\Service Manager 2010 and then open the
Microsoft.Mom.ConfigServiceHost.exe file.
5. Under the first <runtime> line, add a new line, as shown here.
6. Save the file, and then close the Microsoft.Mom.ConfigServiceHost.exe file.

7. Navigate to \\LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 Service Manager\amd64 and then double-
click Setup.exe
8. In the Service Manager Setup Wizard that opens, click Service Manager data warehouse
management server.
9. On the Prepare for upgrade page, select both options, and then click Next.
10. On the Product registration page, select Install as an evaluation edition, then select I have read,
understood, and agree with the terms of the license terms, and then click Next.
11. On the System check results page, ignore any memory or processor warnings and then click Next.
12. On the Configure additional data warehouse datamarts page, click OK in the Configure
database window, and then click Next.
13. On the Configure the reporting account page, type SM_Services in the User name box, type
Pa$$w0rd in the Password box, and then, under Domain, click CONTOSO.
15. On the Configure Analysis Services for OLAP cubes page, click Next.
16. On the Configure Analysis Services credential page, enter SM_Services in the User name box,
enter Pa$$w0rd in the Password box, and then, under Domain, click CONTOSO.
17. Click Test Credentials and, then click Next.
18. On the Help improve Microsoft System Center 2012 Service Manager page, select No, I am
not willing to participate, and then click Next.
do not want to use Microsoft Update and clear Initiate machine wide Automatic Update, and
then click Next.
20. On the Configuration summary page, click Install.
21. On the Finished page, clear the option to open the Encryption Backup Or Restore Wizard, and
then click Close.
Task 3: Upgrade the Service Manager management server

1. On LON-SM2, confirm that the System Center Data Access Service, System Center Management
service, and System Center Management Configuration services are in a Started state. If any are
not, start them and wait for them to be in the Started state before continuing.
2. Open Notepad.
3. Click File, then Open, and then change the file type to All Files.
4. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center\Service Manager 2010 and then open the
Microsoft.Mom.ConfigServiceHost.exe file.
5. Under the first <runtime> line, add a new line as shown here.
6. Save the file, and then close the Microsoft.Mom.ConfigServiceHost.exe file.

7. Navigate to \\LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 Service Manager\amd64 and double-click
Setup.exe
8. In the Service Manager Setup Wizard that opens, click Service Manager management server.
9. On the Prepare for upgrade page, select both options, and then click Next.
10. On the Product registration page, select Install as an evaluation edition, then select I have read,
understood, and agree with the terms of the license terms, and then click Next.
12. On the Configuration Summary page, click Install.
13. On the Finished page, clear the option to open the Encryption Backup Or Restore Wizard, and
then click Close.
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Task 4: Confirm a successful upgrade to System Center 2012 Service Manager

1. On LON-SM2, from the desktop, double-click Service Manager Console.
2. On the toolbar, click Help, and then click About Service Manager.
3. In the About Service Manager window that opens, confirm that the product version is 7.5.1561.0.
Note: Shut down LON-SM2 and LON-DW2 as they are not needed for any other labs in this
course.
Results: After this exercise, you should have confirmed that the Service Manager 2010 environment was
ready to upgrade by checking the version of the Service Manager management server and data
warehouse management server. You should have also upgraded the Service Manager environment to
System Center 2012 Service Manager and confirmed that the upgrade was successful.
L3-1
Module 3: Key Concepts and Features

Lab: Configuring Service Manager for
StockTrader and DinnerNow
Configuration Items for DinnerNow
Task 1: Create the DinnerNow management pack
1. On LON-SM1, from the desktop, open the Service Manager console.
2. Click the Administration pane and then click Management Packs.
3. From the Tasks pane click Create Management Pack.
4. In the Create Management Pack window that opens type DinnerNow_MP in the Name box.
5. Type Management Pack for DinnerNow objects in the Description box and then click OK.
6. From the details pane confirm the DinnerNow_MP Management Pack is displayed.
Task 2: Create an Incident template for DinnerNow

1. In the Service Manager console, click the Library pane and then click Templates.
2. From the Tasks pane click Create Template.
3. In the Create Template window that opens type DinnerNow Incidents in the Name box.
4. Type Incident Template for DinnerNow in the Description box.
5. Click Browse then in the Select a Class window that opens click Incident and then click OK.
6. Under Management pack click the drop-down list and then click DinnerNow_MP.
7. Click OK on the Create Template window to create the template.
8. In the Incident Template - DinnerNow Incidents form that opens type DinnerNow in the Title
box.
9. Under Classification category, select Software Problems.
10. Under Source, select Console.
11. Click OK on the Incident Template - DinnerNow Incidents form.
Task 3: Create a change request template for DinnerNow

3. In the Create Template window that opens type DinnerNow Change Requests in the Name
box.
4. Type Change Request Template for DinnerNow in the Description box.
5. Click Browse then in the Select a Class window that opens click Change Request and then click
OK.
6. Under Management pack click the drop-down list and then click DinnerNow_MP.
8. In the Change Request Template: DinnerNow Change Requests form that opens type
DinnerNow in the Title box.
9. Click the Activities tab and then click the green plus button.
10. In the Select Template window that opens, under Templates click Default Review Activity and
then click OK.
11. In the Review Activity Template window that opens type Approve Change in the Title box.
12. Click Add and then click OK to add a default reviewer.
13. Click OK on the Review Activity Template window.
14. Click OK on the Change Request Template: DinnerNow Change Requests form.
Task 4: Create a software configuration item for DinnerNow

1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Configuration Items pane.
2. Expand Software and then click All Software.
3. From the Tasks pane click Create Software.
4. In the Software Items Properties form that opens configure the following parameters:
Publisher: Contoso
Version String: 3.1
Product Name: DinnerNow
Locale ID: 44
5. Click OK on the Software Items Properties form.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a Management Pack for the DinnerNow application.
settings for the DinnerNow application. You should have then created a Change Request Template and a
Software Configuration Item for DinnerNow.
L3-3

Configuration Items for StockTrader
Task 1: Create the StockTrader management pack
1. On LON-SM1, from the desktop, open the Service Manager console.
3. From the Tasks pane click Create Management Pack.
4. In the Create Management Pack window that opens type StockTrader_MP in the Name box.
5. Type Management Pack for StockTrader objects in the Description box and then click OK.
6. From the details pane confirm the StockTrader_MP Management Pack is displayed.
Task 2: Create an Incident template for StockTrader

3. In the Create Template window that opens type StockTrader Incidents in the Name box.
4. Type Incident Template for StockTrader in the Description box.
5. Click Browse then in the Select a Class window that opens click Incident and then click OK.
6. Under Management pack click the drop-down list and then click StockTrader_MP.
8. In the Incident Template - StockTrader Incidents form that opens type StockTrader in the
Title box.
9. Under Classification category, select Software Problems.
10. Under Source, select Operations Manager.
11. Click OK on the Incident Template - StockTrader Incidents form.
Task 3: Create a change request template for StockTrader

3. In the Create Template window that opens type StockTrader Change Requests in the Name
box.
4. Type Change Request Template for StockTrader in the Description box.
5. Click Browse then in the Select a Class window that opens click Change Request and then click
OK.
6. Under Management pack click the drop-down list and then click StockTrader _MP.
8. In the Change Request Template: StockTrader Change Requests form that opens type
StockTrader in the Title box.
9. Click the Activities tab and then click the green plus button.
10. In the Select Template window that opens, under Templates click Default Review Activity and
then click OK.
11. In the Review Activity Template window that opens type Approve Change in the Title box.
12. Click Add and then click OK to add a default reviewer.
14. Click OK on the Change Request Template: StockTrader Change Requests form.
Task 4: Create a software configuration Item for StockTrader

1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Configuration Items pane.
2. Expand Software and then click All Software.
3. From the Tasks pane click Create Software.
4. In the Software Items Properties form that opens configure the following parameters:
Display Name: StockTrader
Publisher: Contoso
Version String: 5.1
Product Name: StockTrader
Locale ID: 45
5. Click OK on the Software Items Properties form.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a Management Pack for the StockTrader application.
settings for the StockTrader application. You should have then created a Change Request Template and a
Software Configuration Item for StockTrader.
L4-1
Module 4: Configuring Service Manager for Your

Environment
Lab: Configuring Service Manager For Your
Environment
Exercise 1: Configuring Service Manager Settings
Task 1: Configuring incident settings
1. On LON-SM1 open the Service Manager Console.
2. Click the Administration pane and then click Settings.
3. From the details pane double-click Incident Settings.
4. In the Incident Settings window that opens, from the General tab configure the settings as follows:
a. Prefix: Contoso_IR
b. Maximum number of attached files: 5
c. Default support group: Tier 1
5. Click the Parent Incident tab and then click Automatically resolve child incidents when parent
incident is resolved.
6. Click the Priority Calculation tab and then configure the Priority Calculation as shown below:
9 8 7
6 5 4
3 2 1
7. Click the Resolution Time tab and then select Do not use and show legacy Target Resolution
Time on Incident Form banner.
8. Click the Operations Manager Web Settings tab and then type http://lon-
sc1/OperationsManager in the Web console URL box.
9. Click OK on the Incident Settings window.
Task 2: Configuring problem settings

1. From the details pane double-click Problem Settings.
2. In the Problem Settings window that opens, in the General tab configure the settings as follows:
a. Problem ID prefix: Contoso_PR
3. Click the Priority tab and configure the Priority settings as shown below:
Low Medium High
Low 9 8 7
Low Medium High
Medium 6 5 4
High 3 2 1
4. Click OK on the Problem Settings window.
Task 3: Configuring change request settings

1. From the details pane double-click Change Request Settings.
2. In the Change Request Settings window that opens, configure the settings as shown below:
a. Change request ID prefix: Contoso_CR
3. Click OK on the Change Request Settings window.
Task 4: Configuring activity settings

1. From the details pane double-click Activity Settings.
2. In the Activity Settings window that opens, configure the settings as shown below:
a. Activity prefix: Contoso_AC
b. Manual activity prefix: Contoso_MA
c. Review activity prefix: Contoso_RA
d. Parallel activity prefix: Contoso_PA
e. Sequential activity prefix: Contoso_SA
f. Dependent activity prefix: Contoso_DA
g. Runbook automation activity prefix: Contoso_RB
3. Click OK on the Activity Settings window.
Task 5: Configuring release management settings

1. From the details pane double-click Release Management Settings.
2. In the Release Management Settings window that opens, configure the settings as shown below:
a. Release record ID prefix: Contoso_RR
3. Click OK on the Release Management Settings window.
Task 6: Configuring service request settings

1. From the details pane double-click Service Request Settings.
2. In the Service Request Settings window that opens, configure the settings as shown below:
a. Service Request ID prefix: Contoso_SR
3. Click OK on the Service Request Settings window.
L4-3
Task 7: Configuring data retention settings

1. From the details pane double-click Data Retention Settings.
2. In the Data Retention Settings window that opens, on the Work Items tab configure the settings as
shown below:
a. Incident retention time: 30 days
b. Change request retention time: 120 days
c. Release record retention time: 120 days
d. Service request retention time: 120 days
e. Problem retention time: 120 days
3. Click the History tab and then set the History retention time to 240 days.
4. Click OK on the Data Retention Settings window.
Task 8: Configuring knowledge management settings

1. From the details pane double-click Knowledge Management Settings.
2. In the Knowledge Management Settings window that opens, configure the settings as shown
below:
Knowledge article prefix: Contoso_KA
3. Click OK on the Knowledge Management Settings window.
Task 9: Configuring the active Directory connector

1. Click the Administration pane and then click Connectors.
2. From the Tasks pane click Create connector and then click Active Directory connector.
3. In the Active Directory connector wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
4. On the General page type Active Directory in the Name box and then click Next.
5. On the Domain or organizational unit page click Next.
6. In the Credentials window that opens, type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box and then click OK.
7. On the Select objects page click Next.
8. On the Summary page click Create.
9. On the Completion page click Close.
10. From the details pane click Active Directory and then from the Tasks pane click Synchronize Now.
11. In the Synchronize Now window that opens click OK.
12. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Status column for the Active Directory
Connector changes to Finished Success.
13. If, after 5 minutes the Status column is still blank, shutdown LON-DC1, LON-SM1 and LON-DW1.
Then start LON-DC1 and wait until it is at the logon prompt and then start LON-SM1 and LON-DW1.
Then return to Step10.
Results: After this exercise, you should have configured the Service Manager default settings so that they
align to Contosos business needs.
Exercise 2: Configuring Business Services

Task 1: Create a business service for DinnerNow
1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager Console, click the Configuration Items pane.
2. Expand Business Services and then click All Business Services.
3. From the Tasks pane click Create Service.
4. In the Service Maps window that opens configure the settings on the General page as follows:
a. Display Name: DinnerNow
b. Classification: Software
c. Owned by Organization: Contoso
d. Priority: High
e. Status: In Service
5. Click the Related Items tab and then next to Configuration Items, Computers, Services and
People click Add.
6. In the Select Object window that opens click the drop-down list and then click Computer.
7. From the Available objects section click LON-AP1, click Add and then click OK.
8. Next to Configuration Items, Computers, Services and People click Add.
9. In the Select Object window that opens click the drop-down list and then click Active Directory
Group.
10. From the Available objects section click CONTOSO\DinnerNow_Incident_Resolvers, click Add and
then click OK.
12. In the Select Object window that opens click the drop-down list and then click Software Items.
13. From the Available objects section click DinnerNow click Add and then click OK.
14. Click OK on the Service Maps DinnerNow window.
Task 2: Import management packs

2. From the Tasks pane click Import.
3. In the Select Management Packs to Import window that opens navigate to C:\Management
Packs.
4. Change the file type from MP files (*.xml) to MP Files (*.mp).
5. Multi-select all files and then click Open.
6. In the Import Management Packs window that opens click Add.
7. In the Select Management Packs to Import window, change the file type to MPB files (*.mpb).
8. Multi-select all files and then click Open.
9. Click Import.
10. Wait until the Management Pack Details box displays the message The management pack was
imported successfully and then click OK.
L4-5
Task 3: Configure the Operations Manager CI connector

1. Click the Administration pane and then click Connectors.
2. From the Tasks pane click Create connector and then click Operations Manager CI connector.
3. In the Operations Manager CI connector wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click
Next.
4. On the General page, type Operations Manager CI in the Name box and then click Next.
5. On the Server Details page, type LON-SC1 in the Server name box and then click Next.
6. In the Credentials window that opens type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box and then click OK.
7. On the Management Packs page click select Select all and then click Next.
8. On the Schedule page click Next.
Task 4: Export the stocktrader distributed application diagram management pack

from Operations Manager
1. On LON-SC1, from the desktop open the Operations Console.
3. From the details pane right-click StockTrader and then click Export Management Pack.
4. In the Browse for Folder window that opens expand This PC, then click Local Disk (C:) and then
click OK.
5. In the Operations Manager window that opens click OK.
6. Close the Operations Console and then log off LON-SC1.
7. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager Console, click the Administration pane and then click
Management Packs.
9. In the Select Management Packs to Import window that opens type \\LON-SC1\C$ in the File
name box and then click Open.
10. Click StockTrader and then click Open.
11. In the Import Management Packs window click Import.
12. After the Management Pack has been imported three warning messages appear in the Management
Pack Details section. Click Cancel.
Task 5: Synchronize Service Manager with Operations Manager

1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager Console, click the Administration pane and then click
Connectors.
2. From the details pane click Operations Manager CI then from the Tasks pane click Properties.
3. In the Edit window that opens click the Management Packs tab and then click Refresh.
4. In the Credentials window that opens type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box and then click OK.
5. Wait until the Management Packs list updates to show the StockTrader Management Pack and
then select Select all, then click OK.
6. From the details pane click Operations Manager CI and then from the Tasks pane click Synchronize
Now.
7. In the Synchronize Now window that opens click OK.
8. From the Tasks pane intermittently click Refresh until the Status column for the Operations
Manager CI connector displays Finished Success.
Task 6: Confirm the stocktrader business service has been created

1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager Console, click the Configuration Items pane.
2. Expand Business Services and then click All Business Services.
3. From the details pane confirm the StockTrader Business Service has been created.
4. Double-click StockTrader to edit it.
5. In the Service Maps - StockTrader window that opens configure the settings on the General page
as follows:
a. Classification: Software
b. Owned by Organization: Contoso
c. Priority: High
d. Status: In Service
6. Click the Related Items tab and then next to Configuration Items, Computers, Services and
People click Add.
7. In the Select Object window that opens click the drop-down list and then click Computer.
8. From the Available objects section click LON-ST1.CONTOSO.COM, click Add and then click OK.
10. In the Select Object window that opens click the drop-down list and then click Active Directory
Group.
11. From the Available objects section click CONTOSO\StockTrader_Incident_Resolvers, click Add
and then click OK.
13. In the Select Object window that opens click the drop-down list and then click Software Items.
14. From the Available objects section click StockTrader click Add and then click OK.
15. Click OK on the Service Maps StockTrader window.
Results: After this exercise you should have manually configured a Business Service for DinnerNow. You
should have also configured the Operations Manager CI connector in Service Manager and imported the
StockTrader Management Pack. You should have then synchronized the StockTrader Management Pack in
Service Manager and confirmed that the StockTrader Business Service was created automatically.
L4-7
Exercise 3: Provisioning access for the DinnerNow and StockTrader support

teams
Task 1: Configure the incident classification list
1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Library pane and then click Lists.
2. From the details pane click Incident Classification and then from the Tasks pane click Properties.
3. In the List Properties window that opens click Add Item.
4. Scroll down and then click List Value.
5. In the Name box, remove List Value and then type DinnerNow.
6. Click Add Item again.
7. Scroll down and then click List Value.
8. In the Name box, remove List Value and then type StockTrader.
9. Click OK on the List Properties window.
Task 2: Configure an incident resolver user role for dinnernow

1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Administration pane and then expand
Security and then click User Roles.
2. From the Tasks pane click Create User Role and then click Incident Resolver.
3. In the Create User Role wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
4. On the General page type DinnerNow Incident Resolvers in the Name box and then click Next.
5. On the Management Packs page select DinnerNowMP and then click Next.
6. On the Queues page click Next.
7. On the Configuration Item Groups page click Next.
8. On the Catalog Item Groups page click Next.
9. On the Tasks page click Next.
10. On the Views page click Next.
11. On the Form Templates page click Next.
12. On the Users page click Add.
13. In the Select Users or Groups window that opens type DinnerNow_Incident_Resolvers in the Enter
the object names to select box and then click Check Names and then click OK.
14. Click Next on the Users page.
17. From the details pane confirm the DinnerNow Incident Resolvers User Role is listed.
Task 3: Configure an incident resolver user role for stocktrader

1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Administration pane and then expand
Security and then click User Roles.
2. From the Tasks pane click Create User Role and then click Incident Resolver.
4. On the General page type StockTrader Incident Resolvers in the Name box and then click Next.
5. On the Management Packs page select StockTraderMP and StockTrader and then click Next.
7. On the Configuration Item Groups page click Next.
8. On the Catalog Item Groups page click Next.
13. In the Select Users or Groups window that opens type StockTrader_Incident_Resolvers in the
Enter the object names to select box and then click Check Names and then click OK.
17. From the details pane confirm the StockTrader Incident Resolvers User Role is listed.
Task 4: Confirm the user roles are configured appropriately

1. On LON-SM1 close the Service Manager console.
2. On the keyboard hold down the left Shift button and then from the desktop right-click Service
Manager Console and then click Run as different user.
3. In the Windows Security window that opens type Contoso\DinnerNow_IR in the User name box.
4. Type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box and then click OK.
5. In the Connect to Service Manager Server window that opens click Connect.
7. On the keyboard hold down the left Shift button and then from the desktop right-click Service
Manager Console and then click Run as different user.
8. In the Windows Security window that opens type Contoso\StockTrader_IR in the User name box.
9. Type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box and then click OK.
Results: After this exercise you should have configured User Roles for both the StockTrader and
DinnerNow support teams. You should have also configured the default lists that can be used when
creating Incidents and confirm that when relevant support staff open the Service Manager Console it is
scoped appropriately.
L4-9
Exercise 4: Configuring Notifications

Task 1: Create an Exchange mailbox for the workflow account
1. Log on to LON-EX1, and then on the desktop, double-click Exchange Management Console.
2. In the Exchange Management Console, expand Microsoft Exchange On-Premises, expand
Recipient Configuration, and then click Mailbox.
3. From the Actions pane, click New Mailbox.
4. In the Microsoft Exchange window that opens click OK twice.
5. In the New Mailbox wizard that starts, on the Introduction page, ensure User Mailbox is selected,
6. On the User Type page, select Existing users, and then click Add.
7. In the Select User Entire Forest window that opens, click sm_workflow, and then click OK.
8. On the User Type page, click Next.
9. On the Mailbox Settings page click Next.
10. On the New Mailbox page, click New.
11. On the Completion page, click Finish.
12. Close the Exchange Management Console, and then log off LON-EX1.
Task 2: Add the workflow account to the Service Manager administrators user role
2. Click the Administration pane, expand Security, and then click User Roles.
3. From the details pane, click Administrators, and then from the Tasks pane, click Properties.
4. In the Edit User Role window that opens, click the Users tab, and then click Add.
5. In the Select Users or Groups dialog box that opens, in the Enter the object names to select box,
type sm_workflow, click Check Names, and then click OK.
6. Confirm sm_workflow@contoso.com has been added to Selected users, and then click OK.
Task 3: Configure the notification channel

1. Click the Administration pane, expand Notifications, and then click Channels.
2. From the details pane, click E-Mail Notification Channel, and then from the Tasks pane, click
Properties.
3. In the Configure E-Mail Notification Channel window that opens, select Enable e-mail
notifications, and then click Add.
4. In the Add SMTP Server window that opens, in the SMTP server (FQDN) box, type LON-
EX1.CONTOSO.COM.
5. Under Authentication method, click the drop-down list, click Windows Integrated, and then click
OK.
6. Confirm that LON-EX1.CONTOSO.COM has been added to the SMTP servers list; in the Return e-
mail address box, type sm_workflow@contoso.com, and then click OK.
Task 4: Configure a notification template

1. Click the Administration pane, expand Notifications, and then click Templates.
2. From the details pane, click Assigned to User Notification Template, where the Description
displays Use for notifications sent to the user who is assigned the incident, and then from the
Tasks pane, click Properties.
3. In the Assigned to User Notification Template window that opens, click the Template Design tab.
4. Under Message Subject, click to the right of the d$ string, and then press the Spacebar on the
keyboard to add a space.
5. Type Created By, and then add another space.
6. Click Insert, and in the Select Property window that opens, under Related classes, click Created By
User.
7. In the Available properties section, under Domain User or Group, click User Name, and then click
Add.
8. In the Assigned to User Notification Template window, click OK.
Task 5: Configure a notification subscription

1. Click the Administration pane, expand Notifications, and then click Subscriptions.
2. From the Tasks pane, click Create Subscription.
3. In the Create E-Mail Notification Subscription wizard that starts, on the Before You Begin page,
click Next.
4. On the General page, in the Notification subscription name box, type Incident Assigned.
5. Ensure that under When to notify, the When an object of the selected class is created option is
clicked.
6. Next to Targeted class, click Browse.
7. In the Select a Class window that opens, click Incident, and then click OK.
8. On the General page, click Next.
9. On the Additional Criteria page, click Next.
10. On the Template page, click Select.
11. In the Select E-Mail Notification Template window that opens, click Assigned To User
Notification Template, and then click OK.
12. On the Template page, click Next.
13. On the Recipient page, click Add.
14. In the Select objects window that opens, where the Class column displays Active Directory User,
click Administrator, click Add, and then click OK.
15. On the Recipient page, click Next.
16. On the Related Recipients page, click Add.
17. In the Select Related Recipient window that opens, under Available recipients, click Assigned to
User, and then click Add.
18. On the Related Recipients page, click Next.
L4-11
Task 6: Create an incident and confirm notification is sent

1. Click the Work Items pane.
2. Expand Incident Management, and then click All Incidents.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create Incident.
4. In the Incident form that opens, configure the settings in the following table (all other settings
should remain the default settings).
Incident field Setting
Affected user Type StockTrader, and then click StockTrader_IR (StockTrader_IR).
Title Type Notification Test.
Description Type This is an Incident to test e-mail notifications. An email should be

sent to both the administrator and the user who is assigned this
incident.
Classification Select StockTrader

category
Impact Select Low.
Urgency Select Low.
Assigned to Type StockTrader, and then click StockTrader_IR (StockTrader_IR).
5. On the Incident form, click OK to create the incident.

6. In the details pane, confirm the Notification Test Incident is displayed.
7. From the desktop open Microsoft Outlook 2010.
8. In the Choose Profile window that opens, ensure the Outlook profile is selected, and then click OK.
9. If a Windows Security window opens, in the User name box, type Contoso\Administrator; in the
Password box, type Pa$$w0rd; and then click OK.
10. If a Microsoft Office Activation Wizard opens, click Close.
Note: If a Security Alert window opens and a message state The security certificate has
expired or is not yet valid, click No and then close Outlook. This occurs when the Exchange
Certificate has expired. To resolve this perform the following steps and then return to the
beginning of this Task to create a new Incident:
a. Logon to LON-EX1, click Start and then click Exchange Management Shell.
b. In the Machine: LON-EX1.CONTOSO.COM window that opens, type the following and then
press enter on the keyboard:
Get-ExchangeCertificate
c. Copy the Thumbprint that is displayed.

d. Type the following command replacing Paste_Thumbrint_Here with the Thumbprint copied in
the previous step and then press enter on the keyboard
Get-ExchangeCertificate -thumbprint Paste_Thumbprint_Here | New-

ExchangeCertificate
e. When prompted press Y and then press enter on the keyboard.

f. Close the Machine: LON-EX1.CONTOSO.COM window.
g. From the desktop double-click Exchange Management Console.
h. If a Microsoft Exchange window opens, click OK.
i. If another Microsoft Exchange Window opens, click OK.
j. Expand Microsoft Exchange On-Premise (lon-ex1.contoso.com) and then click Server
Configuration.
k. In the bottom center pane, under Exchange Certificates, right-click the certificate that has a
Status of The certificate is invalid for Exchange Server Usage and then click Remove.
l. In the Remove window that opens click Yes.
m. Wait for the certificate to be removed and then close the Exchange Management Console
window.
n. Restart LON-EX1.
o. Return to the beginning of Task Create an incident and confirm notification is sent.
11. Note the new email message received in the Administrators Inbox.
12. Exit Outlook, and then reopen Outlook.
13. In the Choose Profile window that opens, ensure the StockTrader_IR profile is selected, and then
click OK.
14. In the Windows Security window that opens, in the User name box, type Contoso\StockTrader_IR;
in the Password box, type Pa$$w0rd; and then click OK.
16. Note the new email message received in the StockTrader_IR Inbox.
17. Exit Outlook.
Results: After this exercise you should have configured Notifications in Service Manager so that when a
new Incident is created, the user who the Incident is assigned to automatically receives an email
notification.
L5-1
Module 5: Populating the Service Manager CMDB using

Connectors
Lab: Configuring Connectors in Service
Manager
Exercise 1: Configure System Center Connectors
Task 1: Create an Operations Manager alert connector
1. On LON-SM1, open the Service Manager Console.
2. Click the Administration pane, and then click Connectors.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create connector, and then click Operations Manager Alert connector.
4. In the Operations Manager Alert connector wizard, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Name box, type Operations Manager Alerts, and then click Next.
6. On the Server Details page, in the Server name box, type LON-SC1, and then click Next.
7. In the Credentials pop-up window that opens, in the Password box, type Pa$$w0rd, and then click
OK.
8. On the Alert Routing Rules page, click Next.
9. On the Schedule page, click Next.
Task 2: Configure the connector in Operations Manager.

1. On LON-SC1, open the Operations Console.
2. In the Operations console, click the Administration pane, expand Product Connectors, and then
click Internal Connectors.
3. In the details pane, click Alert Sync:Operations Manager Alerts, and then from the Tasks pane,
click Properties.
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the Alert Sync:Operations Manager Alerts connector
to appear in Operations Manager. Refresh the Internal Connectors view until the connector
appears.
4. In the Alert Sync:Operations Manager Alerts Product Connector Properties window that opens,
click Add.
5. In the Product Connector Subscription Wizard that starts, on the General Properties page, in the
Subscription name box, type Critical Alerts, and then click Next.
6. On the Groups page, click Next.
7. On the Targets page, click Next.
8. On the Criteria page, under AND any checked alert resolution state, de-select New and then
select StockTrader and Forward to Service Manager and then click Create.
9. In the Alert Sync:Operations Manager Alerts Product Connector Properties window, click OK.
Task 3: Generate an alert and confirm an incident is created in Service Manager

1. On LON-SC1, open Windows Services, then stop the World Wide Web Publishing Service.
2. Open the Operations console, and then click the Monitoring pane.
3. Click Active Alerts.
4. Wait for the IIS 8 Web Site is unavailable alerts to be generated.
5. Right-click one of the IIS 8 Web Site is unavailable alerts and then click Set Resolution State and
then click Forward to Service Manager.
6. Double-click the alert to open the Alert Properties window.
7. In the Alert Properties window, make a note of the Ticket ID and then close the Alert Properties
window.
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the Ticket ID to be populated in the properties of the
IIS 8 Web Site is unavailable alert. Close the properties of the alert and then re-open the
properties intermittently until the Ticket ID has been added.

9. Click the Work Items pane, expand Incident Management, and then click All Incidents.
10. Click the ID column to sort the view by ID.
11. Double-click the Incident with the Ticket ID that was noted in step 6.
12. View the Incident properties that have been automatically configured by the Operations Manager
Alert connector, such as the Description and Affected items.
13. Close the Incident form.
14. In the Service Manager window that opens click Yes.
15. Click the Configuration Items pane, expand Computers, and then click All Windows Computers.
16. From the details pane, click LON-SC1.CONTOSO.COM, and then from the Tasks pane, click Edit.
17. In the Computer LON-SC1.CONTOSO.COM window that opens, click the Related Items tab.
18. Notice the Incidents that have automatically been added to the Work items affecting this
configuration item section.
19. Close the Computer LON-SC1.CONTOSO.COM window.
20. Click Yes on the Service Manager window that opens.
21. On LON-SC1, restart the World Wide Web Publishing Service.
Task 4: Create a Virtual Machine Manager connector.

1. On LON-SM1, open the Service Manager console.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create Connector, and then click Virtual Machine Manager connector.
4. In the Virtual Machine Manager connector wizard, on the Before you Begin page, click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Name box, type Virtual Machine Manager, and then click Next.
L5-3
6. On the Connection page, in the Server Name box, type LON-SC1, and then click Next.
7. In the Credentials pop-up window, in the Password box, type Pa$$w0rd. and then click OK.
8. In the Test Connection window, click OK, and then on the Summary page, click Create.
Task 5: Create an Orchestrator connector

1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Administration pane, and then click
Connectors.
2. From the Tasks pane, click Create Connector, and then click Orchestrator connector.
3. In the Orchestrator Connector wizard that starts, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
4. On the General page, in the Name box, type Orchestrator, and then click Next.
5. On the Connection page, in the Orchestrator Web Service URL box, type http://LON-
SC1:81/Orchestrator2012/Orchestrator.svc.
6. Next to Run As Account, click New.
7. In the Run As Account window that opens, in the Display name box, type Orchestrator.
8. In the User name box, type Orchestrator; in the Password box, type P@ssw0rd; and then click OK.
Note: The password for the Orchestrator account has been intentionally set to P@ssw0rd.
9. On the Connection page, click Next.

10. In the Test Connection window that opens, click OK.
11. On the Sync folder page, click Next.
12. On the Web Console URL page, type http://LON-SC1:82, and then click Next.
Results: After this exercise you should have configured the Orchestrator, Virtual Machine Manager and
Operations Manager Alert connectors in Service Manager. You should have also confirmed that relevant
Incidents are automatically created in Service Manager based on alerts that have been generated in
Operations Manager.
Exercise 2: Configure the Exchange Connector

Task 1: Preparing for the Exchange Connector
1. Log on to LON-SM1, and then go to \\LON-EX1\C$\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange\Web
Services\1.2.
2. Copy the Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.dll file.
3. Paste the Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.dll file to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft System
Center 2012 R2\Service Manager folder on LON-SM1.
4. Go to \\LON-EX1\C$\Exchange Connector.
5. Copy the Microsoft.SystemCenter.ExchangeConnector.dll file.
6. Paste the Microsoft.SystemCenter.ExchangeConnector.dll file to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft
System Center 2012 R2\Service Manager folder on LON-SM1.
7. Go to \\LON-EX1\C$\Exchange Connector.
8. Copy the ServiceManager.ExchangeConnector.mpb file to the C:\ folder on LON-SM1.
10. Click the Administration pane, and then click Management Packs.
11. From the Tasks pane, click Import.
12. In the Select Management Packs to Import window that opens, change the file type from MP files
(*.xml) to MPB files (*.mpb), and then go to C:\.
13. Click ServiceManager.ExchangeConnector.mpb, and then click Open.
14. In the Import Management Packs window, click Import.
15. After the Management Pack has been imported successfully, click OK.
Task 2: Configure the Exchange Connector

1. Log on to LON-SM1, and then click the Administration pane.
2. Click Connectors, and from the Tasks pane, click Create connector, and then click Exchange
Connector.
3. In the Create Exchange Connector wizard that starts, on the Welcome page, click Next.
4. On the General Settings page, in the Name box, type Exchange Connector.
5. In the Enter one or more Active Directory FORESTS box type Contoso.com and then click Next.
6. On the Server Connection page type https://LON-ex1.contoso.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx in the
Exchange Server URL box.
7. Next to Run As Account, click New,
8. In the Run As Account window that opens type SM_Notifications in the Display name and User
name boxes.
9. Type P@ssw0rd in the Password box and then click OK.
10. Click Test Connection and in the Credentials box that opens type P@ssw0rd in the Password box
and then click OK.
L5-5
Note: If an Error window appears with the message The run as account is not valid. Verify that the
user name and password are valid and try again. Perform the following steps and then return to Step 9
above:
a. Logon to LON-DC1 and then Start then click Administrative Tools.
b. Double-click Active Directory Users and Computers.
c. In the Active Directory User and Computers window that opens, expand CONTOSO.COM and
then click Users.
d. From the details pane, right-click SM_Notifications and then click Properties.
e. In the SM_Notifications Properties window that opens click the Account tab.
f. Under Account options, select the Password never expires check box and then click OK.
g. Close the Active Directory User and Computers window and then log off LON-DC1.
11. Click OK on the Test Connection window and then click Next.
12. On the Processing Keywords page click Next.
13. On the Routing and Schedule page, under Work item template to apply when new work items
are created, click the drop-down list, and then click Default Incident Template.
14. Under Incident template to apply when incidents are updated, click the drop-down list, and then
click Default Incident Template.
15. Under Service request template to apply when service requests are updated, click the drop-
down list, and then click Default Service Request.
16. Set the Polling interval (in seconds) value to 60, and then click Next.
17. On the Confirmation page, click Create.
18. On the Results page, click Close.
Task 3: Create a new incident from an email

1. Log on to LON-SM1, then open Microsoft Outlook 2010.
2. In the Choose Profile window that opens, ensure the Outlook profile is selected, and then click OK.
3. If a Windows Security window opens, in the User name box, type Contoso\Administrator; in the
Password box, type Pa$$w0rd; and then click OK.
4. If the Microsoft Office Activation Wizard starts, click Close.
5. On the ribbon, in the New group, click New E-mail.
6. In the Untitled Message (HTML) window that opens, type SM_Notifications@contoso.com, in
the To box.
7. In the Subject box, type Incident Generated by E-Mail.
8. In the Message box, type This Incident was generated by an E-Mail, and then click Send.
9. Open the Service Manager console, and then click the Work Items pane.
10. Expand Incident Management, and then click All Incidents.
11. From the Tasks pane, periodically click Refresh until the Incident Generated by E-Mail incident is
displayed.
12. Confirm the Status column for the incident is currently set to Active.
13. Make a note of the Incident ID.
Task 4: Resolve an incident from an email

1. In Outlook, on the ribbon, in the New group, click New E-mail.
2. In the Untitled Message (HTML) window that opens, click the To button; in the Select Names:
Global Address List window that opens, click SM_Notifications and then click the To-> button; and
then click OK.
Note: If the SM_Notifications mailbox is not displayed in the Global Address List, click
Cancel and then manually type SM_Notifications@contoso.com in the To field.
3. In the Subject box, type [IncidentID] where IncidentID is the ID value noted in the last step of the
previous task. For example, if the ID is IR39 you would type [IR39] in the Subject box.
4. In the Message box, type [Resolved], and then click Send.
5. In the Service Manager console, click the Work Items pane, expand Incident Management, and
then click All Incidents.
6. Note the Status column for the Incident Generated by E-Mail incident.
7. In the Tasks pane, periodically click Refresh until the Status column for the Incident Generated by
E-Mail incident changes to Resolved.
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed and configured the Service Manager Exchange
Connector. To test the connector, you should have created an incident by sending an email to the
monitored mailbox. Then, you should have resolved the incident by sending another email to the
monitored mailbox by using the incident ID and [Resolved] parsing keywords.
L6-1
Module 6: Managing Incidents and Problems

Lab: Configuring Incident and Problem
Management
Exercise 1: Create an Incident using the Service Manager console
Task 1: Create a new incident
1. On LON-SM1, open the Service Manager Console.
2. Click the Work Items pane, and then expand Incident Management. Then click All Incidents.
4. In the Incident form that opens, configure the following fields as shown the following table.
Field Value
Title StockTrader web site unavailable
Description When opening the StockTrader web site an error 401 appears
Classification Category StockTrader
Source Console
Impact Medium
Urgency High
Support Group Tier 1
Assigned To StockTrader_IR
5. Under Affected Services, click Add.

6. In the Select objects window that opens, under Available objects, click StockTrader and then click
Add and then click OK.
7. Under Affected Items, click Add.
8. In the Select objects window that opens, under Available objects, select LON-ST1.CONTOSO.COM,
and then click Add. Then click OK.
9. On the Incident form, click OK.
10. Confirm that the StockTrader web site unavailable incident is displayed in the details pane of the
All Incidents view.
Task 2: Open the Service Manager console as StockTrader_IR and update the incident
1. On LON-SM1, hold down the left Shift button on the keyboard and then from the desktop, right-
click Service Manager Console.
2. Click Run as different user.
3. In the Windows Security window that opens, in the User name box, type Contoso\StockTrader_IR.
In the Password box, type Pa$$w0rd, and then click OK.
5. In the Service Manager console, click the Work Items pane, and expand Incident Management.
Then click My Incidents.
6. Notice that the StockTrader web site unavailable incident is displayed in the details pane.
7. Click the StockTrader web site unavailable incident, and then from the Tasks pane, click Edit.
8. Under the Action Log section, type I am currently working on your incident and have updated
your user credentials to the StockTrader web site. Can you please try to connect and let me
know if the issue is resolved? and then click Add.
9. Click the Resolution tab, and under Time Worked, type 30 in the minutes box, and then click Add.
10. Click OK on the Incident form.
11. Leave the StockTrader_IR Service Manager console open.
Task 3: Update the incident as administrator

1. On LON-SM1, in the administrators Service Manager console edit the StockTrader web site
unavailable incident from the All Incidents view.
2. Under Log entry, expand Analyst Comment, and note the comment that was added.
3. Under Action Log, type Yes, this has resolved the issue, thank you. You can now close the
incident. Then click Add, and click OK on the incident form.
Task 4: Resolve and close the incident as StockTrader_IR

1. On LON-SM1, in the StockTrader_IRs Service Manager console, edit the StockTrader web site
unavailable incident from the My Incidents view.
2. Under Log entry, expand the analyst comment that was created by the administrator, and note the
comment that was added.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Change Incident Status, and then click Resolve.
4. In the Resolve window that opens, under Resolution Category, click the list, and then click Fixed by
analyst.
5. In the Comments box, type Resolved by updating user credentials, and then click OK.
6. Click OK on the incident form.
7. From the details pane, ensure that the StockTrader web site unavailable incident is selected, and
then from the Tasks pane, click Change Incident Status. Then click Close.
8. In the Close window that opens, type Affected user has confirmed the incident has been
resolved, and then click OK.
9. From the Tasks pane, click Refresh.
10. Confirm that the Status column for the StockTrader web site unavailable incident now displays
Closed.
L6-3
11. Close the StockTrader_IR Service Manager console.
Results: After this exercise you should have used the Service Manager console as an Administrator to
create a new Incident and assigned it to a StockTrader support team member. You should have then
opened the Service Manager as a StockTrader support team member and updated the Incident. You
should then have updated the Incident using the Administrators console and then finally resolve and close
the Incident using the StockTrader support team members console.
Exercise 2: Using Incident Templates

Task 1: Update the StockTrader and DinnerNow incident templates
1. On LON-SM1, open the Service Manager console as Administrator.
2. Click the Library pane and then click Templates.
3. From the details pane click DinnerNow Incidents and then from the Tasks pane click Properties.
4. In the DinnerNow Incidents window that opens click OK.
5. In the Incident Template DinnerNow Incidents form that opens update the following fields as
shown below:
Impact: Low
Urgency: Low
Assigned to: DinnerNow_IR
6. Click OK on the Incident Template DinnerNow Incidents form.
7. From the details pane click StockTrader Incidents and then from the Tasks pane click Properties.
8. In the StockTrader Incidents window that opens click OK.
9. In the Incident Template StockTrader Incidents form that opens update the following fields as
shown below:
Impact: Low
Urgency: Low
10. Click OK on the Incident Template StockTrader Incidents form.
Task 2: Create a new incident by using the DinnerNow incident template

2. Click the Work Items pane, and expand Incident Management. Then click All Incidents.
4. In the incident form that opens, from the Tasks pane, click Apply Template.
5. In the Apply Template window that opens, under Templates, click DinnerNow Incidents, and then
click OK.
6. Notice that the Impact and Urgency fields have been automatically set to Low.
7. Notice that the Support Group field has been automatically set to Tier 1.
8. Notice that the Assigned to field has been automatically set to DinnerNow_IR.
9. Under Log entry, notice the Template Applied log entry.
10. Configure the fields of the incident as shown below.
L6-5
Field Value
Title Cannot open DinnerNow website
Description Receives database not found error when attempting to open

the DinnerNow website.

12. Confirm that the Cannot open DinnerNow website incident is displayed in the details pane.
Task 3: Configure the Operations Manager alert connector for StockTrader incidents
3. From the details pane, click Operations Manager Alerts, and then from the Tasks pane, click
Properties.
4. In the Edit window that opens, click the Alert Routing Rules tab.
5. Under Specify the routing rules for incoming alerts, click Add.
6. In the Add Alert Routing Rule window that opens, in the Rule Name box, type StockTrader Alerts.
7. Under Template, click the list, and then click StockTrader Incidents.
8. Under the Select Criteria Type section, select Custom Field and from the first drop-down list click
CustomField1, from the second drop-down list click Contains.
9. In the box next to Contains type StockTrader and then click OK.
10. In the Edit window, click OK.
Task 4: Generate an alert in Operations Manager, and confirm that the correct
template is applied
1. On LON-SC1, open the Operations console.
2. Click the Monitoring pane, and then click Active Alerts.
3. Multi-select all alerts, and then from the Tasks pane, click Close Alert.
4. On LON-ST1, stop the World Wide Web Publishing Service.
5. On LON-SC1, monitor the Active Alerts view in the Operations Console, and wait until the IIS 7
Web Site is unavailable alert is displayed.
6. Double-click the alert to open the properties.
7. Click the Custom Fields tab and then in the Custom Field 1 box type StockTrader and then click
OK.
8. Right-click the Alert and then click Set Resolution State and then click StockTrader.
9. Double-click the alert to open the properties then from the General tab make a note of the Ticket ID
then close the alert properties window.
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the Ticket ID to be populated.


11. Click the Work Items pane, and expand Incident Management. Then click All Open Incidents.
12. From the details pane, click the StockTrader incident with the ID as noted in Step 9.
13. From the Tasks pane, click Edit.
14. Notice that the Impact and Urgency fields have been automatically set to Low.
15. Notice that the Classification Category has been automatically set to StockTrader.
16. Notice the Assigned To field has been automatically set to StockTrader_IR
17. On the StockTrader incident form, click Cancel to close the incident.
18. In the Service Manager window that opens, click Yes.
19. Restart the World Wide Web Publishing Service on LON-ST1.
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Apply Template task to apply the DinnerNow
Incident template to a new incident. You should have also configured the Operations Manager Alert
connector to use the StockTrader Incident template. Finally, you should have generated an alert in
Operations Manager and confirmed that an incident was automatically created in Service Manager by
using the StockTrader Incident template.
L6-7
Exercise 3: Configuring an Incident Event Workflow to automatically

update an Incident
Task 1: Create a new incident template
2. Click the Library pane and then click Templates.
4. In the Create Template window that opens type Update Incident Support Group to Tier 2 in the
Name box.
5. Click Browse then in the Select a Class window that open click Incident and then click OK.
6. Click OK on the Create Template window.
7. In the Incident Template Update Incident Support Group to Tier 2 form that opens click the
drop-down list next to Support group and then click Tier 2 and then click OK to close the Incident
Template Update Incident Support Group to Tier 2 form.
Task 2: Configure the incident event workflow

2. Click the Administration pane and then expand Workflows and then click Configuration.
3. From the details pane click Incident Event Workflow Configuration and then from the Tasks pane
click Properties.
4. In the Configure Incident Event Workflows window that opens click Add.
5. In the Add Incident Event Workflow wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page click Next.
6. On the Workflow Information page, in the Name box type Update High Priority Incidents to Tier
2.
7. Under Check for events select When an object is created and then click Next.
8. On the Specify Event Criteria page under Available properties select Impact and then click Add.
9. In the Criteria section, click the drop-down list and then click equals.
10. In the red box select High.
11. Under Available properties select Urgency and then click Add.
12. In the Criteria section, click the drop-down list and then click equals.
13. In the red box type High and then click Next.
14. On the Select Incident Template page click Apply the following template and then from the
drop-down list click Update Incident Support Group to Tier 2 and then click Next.
15. On the Select People to Notify page click Next.
18. Click OK on the Configure Incident Event Workflow window.
Task 3: Test the incident event workflow

2. Click the Work Items pane and then expand Incident Management and then click All Incidents.
3. From the Tasks pane click Create Incident.

4. In the Incident form that opens configure the following fields as shown below:
Title: StockTrader Web Site Offline
Impact: High
Urgency: High
6. From the details pane notice the StockTrader Web Site Offline incident has been created and from
the Support Group column notice that the incident is currently assigned to the Tier 1 Support
Group.
7. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Support Group column for the
StockTrader Web Site Offline incident automatically updates to Tier 2.
Results: After this exercise you should have create a new Incident Template that will be used to update
Incidents that have a High Impact and Urgency setting. You should then have configured the Incident
Event Workflow in Service Manager and confirmed that when a new Incident is created with a High
Impact and Urgency settings it is automatically updated by the workflow.
L6-9
Exercise 4: Group Incidents and create a Problem Record

Task 1: Create a new child incident
2. Click the Work Items pane, and expand Incident Management. Then click All Open Incidents.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create Incident from Template.
4. In the Create Incident from Template window that opens, under Templates, click Default Incident
Template, and then click OK.
5. In the incident form, in the Title box, type Child Incident.
6. Under Classification category, click the list, and then click Other Problems.
Task 2: Link the child incident to a parent incident

1. In the details pane, click Child Incident, and then from the Tasks pane, click Link to New Parent
Incident.
2. In the Link to New Parent Incident window that opens, under Templates, click Default Incident
Template, and then click OK.
3. In the incident form that opens, in the Title box, type Parent Incident.
4. Under Classification category, click the list, and then click Other Problems.
5. Click the Child Incidents tab, and confirm that the child incident is displayed.
7. Confirm that the Parent incident is displayed in the details pane.
8. Notice that the status for both the Child incident and Parent incident is displayed as Active.
Task 3: Create a problem record and link the parent incident to the problem record
1. In the details pane, click Parent Incident, and then from the Tasks pane, click Create Problem.
2. In the Parent Incident form that opens, configure the following fields of the problem record as
shown in the following table.
Field Value
Title Problem with Exchange Server 2010
Category Application
Impact High
Urgency High
3. Click the Related Items tab, and confirm that the parent incident has been automatically added as a
related work item.
4. On the Problem with Exchange Server 2010 problem record form, click OK.
5. Expand Problem Management, and then click Active Problems.
6. In the details pane, confirm that the Problem with Exchange Server 2010 problem record is
displayed.
Task 4: Resolve the problem record and automatically resolve the related incident
1. From the Active Problems view of the Problem Management node, click the Problem with
Exchange Server 2010 problem record, and then from the Tasks pane, click Edit.
2. In the Problem with Exchange Server 2010 problem record form that opens, from the Tasks pane,
click Resolve.
3. Notice that the date and time stamp has been added to the Resolved section in the upper-right of
the form.
4. Click the Resolution tab. Under Resolution Category, click the list and then click Application.
5. In the Resolution Description box, type Problem resolved by applying Service Pack 1 for
Exchange Server 2010.
6. Select Auto-resolve all incidents associated with this problem.
7. On the Problem with Exchange Server 2010 problem record form, click OK.
8. Notice that the problem record disappears from the Active Problems view because it is no longer
active.
9. Expand the Incident Management node, and then click All Incidents.
10. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Status for the Parent and Child incident is
Resolved.
Results:
After this exercise, you should have created a new child incident and then associated it with a new parent
incident. You should then have linked the parent incident to a new problem record. Finally, you should
have resolved the problem record and confirmed that the parent incident was automatically resolved.
L6-11
Exercise 5: Creating Queues and Views to Filter Incidents

Task 1: Create a queue for StockTrader incidents and update the StockTrader user
role
2. Click the Library pane, and then click Queues.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create Queue.
4. In the Create a Queue wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Queue name box, type StockTrader Incidents.
6. Under Work item type, click the ellipsis. Then in the Select a Class window that opens, click
Incident, and then click OK.
8. On the Criteria page, under Available properties, select Classification Category, and then click
Add.
9. Under Criteria, click the list in the red box, type StockTrader.
10. On the Criteria page, click Next
13. Confirm that the StockTrader Incidents queue is displayed in the details pane.
14. Click the Administration pane and then expand Security and then click User Roles.
15. From the details pane click StockTrader Incident Resolvers and then from the Tasks pane click
Properties.
16. In the Edit User Role window that opens click the Queues tab.
17. Click Provide access to only the selected queues and then select StockTrader Incidents and then
click OK.
Task 2: Create a queue for DinnerNow incidents and update the DinnerNow user role
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create Queue.
4. In the Create a Queue wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Queue name box, type DinnerNow Incidents.
6. Under Work item type, click the ellipsis. Then in the Select a Class window that opens, click
Incident, and then click OK.
8. On the Criteria page, under Available properties, select Classification Category, and then click
Add.
9. Under Criteria, click the list in the red box, type DinnerNow.
10. On the Criteria page, click Next

13. Confirm that the DinnerNow Incidents queue is displayed in the details pane.
15. From the details pane click DinnerNow Incident Resolvers and then from the Tasks pane click
Properties.
16. In the Edit User Role window that opens click the Queues tab.
17. Click Provide access to only the selected queues and then select DinnerNow Incidents and then
click OK.
Task 3: Open the Service Manager console and confirm the incidents are filtered
appropriately
1. On LON-SM1, close the Service Manager console.
2. Hold down the left Shift button and then from the desktop right-click Service Manager Console
and then click Run as different user.
3. In the Windows Security window that opens type Contoso\StockTrader_IR in the User name box,
type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box and then click OK.
4. Click the Work Items pane, expand Incident Management and then click All Incidents.
5. From the details pane confirm only Incidents that have a Classification Category of StockTrader are
displayed by opening each Incident and reviewing the Classification Category field.
7. Hold down the left Shift button and then from the desktop right-click Service Manager Console
and then click Run as different user.
8. In the Windows Security window that opens type Contoso\DinnerNow_IR in the User name box,
9. Click the Work Items pane, expand Incident Management and then click All Incidents.
10. From the details pane confirm only Incidents that have a Classification Category of DinnerNow are
displayed by opening each Incident and reviewing the Classification Category field.
Task 4: Create a view that displays incidents that are escalated and have a
classification category of DinnerNow
1. On LON-SM1, open the Service Manager console as Administrator.
2. Click the Work Items pane, and then click Incident Management.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create View.
4. In the Create View window that opens, on the General tab, type DinnerNow Escalated Incidents in
the Name box.
5. Click the Criteria tab, and then click Browse.
6. In the Select a Class window that opens, click Incident, and then click OK.
7. Under Available properties, select Escalated, and then click Add.
8. Under Criteria, ensure that the Escalated property is added, its operator is set to equals, and the
value is set to True.
L6-13
9. Under Available Properties, select Classification Category and then click Add.
10. Set the value in the red box to DinnerNow.
11. Click the Display tab, and then clear any selected columns check boxes.
12. Select the first Display Name field.
13. Select the second ID field.
14. Select the Description field.
15. In the Create View window, click OK.
16. Expand Incident Management, and then click the DinnerNow Escalated Incidents view.
17. Notice that there are no incidents displayed.
18. Click the All Incidents view, and then edit the Cannot open DinnerNow website incident.
19. In the incident form that opens select the Escalated check box.
20. Under Classification Category, select DinnerNow.
21. On the incident form, click OK.
22. Click the DinnerNow Escalated Incidents view.
23. Notice that the Cannot open DinnerNow web site incident is now displayed. The ID number such as
IR49 will also be displayed at the beginning of the Display Name.
Results: After this exercise you should have configured a Queue to filter Incidents for both the
StockTrader and DinnerNow Support teams. You should have then updated the relevant User Roles with
these Queues and confirm they operate as expected. Finally you should have created a new View in the
Service Manager console that is used to display Incidents that have been escalated and have a
Classification Category of DinnerNow
L7-1
Module 7: Managing Changes and Releases

Lab: Configuring Change and Release
Management
Exercise 1: Create a Change Request with Review and Dependent Activities
Task 1: Create a change manager user role for Contoso
1. On LON-SM1 open the Service Manager console.
3. From the Tasks pane click Create User Role and then click Change Manager.
5. On the General page type Contoso Change Managers in the Name box and then click Next.
6. On the Management Packs page click Next.
8. On the Configuration item Groups page click Next.
9. On the Catalog item Groups page click Next.
14. In the Select User or Groups window that opens type Contoso_CM in the Enter the object names
to select box, click Check Names and then click OK.
Task 2: Create a change request to manage a DinnerNow software upgrade

2. Click the Work Items pane and then expand Change Management and then click All Change
Requests.
3. From the Tasks pane click Create Change Request.
4. In the Select Template window that opens click DinnerNow Change Requests and then click OK.
5. In the DinnerNow form that opens configure the fields as shown below:
Title: Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1
Description: DinnerNow 3.1 must be upgraded to DinnerNow 3.2 on production server LON-
AP1.
Reason: To use latest products and facilities.
Area: Software
6. Click the Activities tab and notice that the Approve Change review activity has already been added
by using the DinnerNow Change Request template.
7. Click the Green + button to add a new Activity.
8. In the Select Template window that opens click Default Dependent Activity and then click OK.
9. In the form that opens configure the fields as shown below:
Title: Apply DinnerNow Software upgrade to LON-AP1.
10. Click OK on the form to save the changes.
11. Click OK on the Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1 form.
Task 3: Edit the change request to include related items

2. Click the Work Items pane and then expand Change Management and then click All Change
Requests.
3. From the details pane click Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1 and then from the Tasks pane click
Edit.
4. In the Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1 form that opens click the Related Items tab and then
next to Configuration Items: Computers, Services and People click Add.
5. In the Select Objects window that opens click the drop-down list and then click Computer.
6. From the Available objects section, click LON-AP1 and then click Add.
7. Click the drop-down list and then click Service.
8. From the Available objects section, click DinnerNow and then click Add.
9. Click the drop-down list and then click Software Items.
10. From the Available objects section, click DinnerNow and then click Add.
11. Click OK on the Select objects window.
12. Click OK on the Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1 form.
Task 4: Approve the change request as a change manager

1. On LON-SM1, hold down the left-shift button and then from the desktop right-click Service
Manager console and then click Run as different user.
2. In the Windows Security window that opens type Contoso\Contoso_CM in the User name box,
4. Click the Work Items pane and then expand Activity Management, expand Review Activities and
then click All Activities.
5. From the details pane click Approve Change and then from the Tasks pane click Edit.
6. In the Approve Change window that opens click Approve All.
7. In the Comments window that opens type Approved by Change Manager in the Comments box
and then click OK.
8. Click OK on the Approve Change window.
L7-3
9. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Status column for the Approve Change
Activity changes to Completed.
10. Close the Service Manager console that is running under the Contoso_CM account.
11. In the Service Manager console running under the Administrator account click the Work Items
pane, expand Change Management and then click All Change Requests.
12. From the details pane click Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1 and then from the Tasks pane click
Edit.
13. In the Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1 form that opens click the Activities tab and notice that
the Approve Change Activity has completed and the Apply DinnerNow Software upgrade to
LON-AP1 Activity is in progress.
14. Click Cancel and then click Yes to close the Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1 form.
Results: After this exercise you should have created a new Change Request that includes a Review Activity
and a Dependent Activity. You should have also added relevant Configuration Items that the Change
Request will affect. You should then have opened the Service Manager console as a Change Manager and
approved the Change Request.
Exercise 2: Create a Release Record to manage changes

Task 1: Create the software update configuration item
1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Configuration Items pane and then
expand Software Updates.
2. Click All Software Updates.
3. In the Tasks pane, click Create Software Update.
4. In the Software Updates Properties form that opens, in the Display Name box, enter DinnerNow
Software Update.
5. Next to the Asset Status box, click the drop-down list and then click Purchased.
6. In the Vendor box, enter Contoso.
7. In the Title box, enter DinnerNow and then click OK.
Task 2: Create a build for the software update

1. Click the Configuration Items pane and then expand Builds.
2. Click All Build and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Build.
3. In the Build Properties form that opens, in the Display name box, enter DinnerNow Software
Update.
4. In the Title box, enter DinnerNow
5. In the Version box, enter 3.2.
6. Next to the Category box, click the drop-down list and then click Software.
7. Click the Related Items tab and then, next to Configuration Items: Computers, Services and
People, click Add.
8. In the Select Objects window that opens, click the drop-down list and then click Software Updates.
9. In the Available Objects section, click DinnerNow Software Update, then click Add, and then click
OK.
10. In the Build Properties form, click OK.
Task 3: Create the production environment

1. Click the Configuration Items pane, and then expand Environments.
2. Click All Environments and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Environment.
3. In the Environment Properties form that opens, in the Display Name box, enter Production.
4. Next to the Asset Status box, click the drop-down list, and then click Deployed.
5. In the Title box, enter Production Environment.
6. Next to the Category box, click the drop-down list, and then click Production.
7. Click the Related Items tab and then, next to the Configuration Items: Computers, Services and
People section, click Add.
8. In the Select Objects window that opens, under Available objects, click LON-AP1 then click Add,
and then click OK.
9. In the Environment Properties form, click OK.
L7-5
Task 4: Create the release record

1. Click the Work Items pane and then expand Release Management Folder.
2. Click Release Records: All and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Release Record.
3. In the Select Template window that opens, click Default Release Record, and then click OK.
4. In the Default Release Record form that opens, configure the fields on the General tab as follows.
General tab field Value
Title Release DinnerNow Software Update to Production
Description DinnerNow Software Update must be released to the production

environment
Type Planned
Category Project
Assigned To Administrator
Impact Standard
Risk Medium
Priority High
5. Click the Release Package tab and then, next to the Configuration Items to Modify section, click
Add.
6. In the Select Objects window that opens, click the drop-down list, and then click Environment.
7. In the Available objects list, select Production, and then click Add.
8. Click the drop-down list, and then click Build.
9. In the Available objects list, click DinnerNow Software Update, then click Add, and then click OK.
10. Click the Scheduling tab and then, next to the Required by box, click the calendar button, and then
click todays date.
11. Click the Activities tab, and then click the green plus-sign (+) button to add a new activity.
12. In the Select Template window that opens, click Default Manual Activity, and then click OK.
13. In the form that opens, in the Title box, enter Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production,
and then click OK.
14. Right-click the Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production Activity and then click Link to
Change Request Activity.
15. In the Select Change Request Activity window that opens click Upgrade DinnerNow on LON-AP1
and then in the Select the Change Request Activity to release section click Apply DinnerNow
Software Update to LON-AP1 and then click OK.
16. In the Release DinnerNow Software Update to Production release record form, click OK.
Task 5: Run the release record and complete the change

1. Click the Work Items pane, expand Activity Management, expand Manual Activities and then
click All Activities.
2. From the details pane notice the Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production Manual
Activity is displayed with a Status of On-Hold.
3. Expand Release Management Folder and then click Release Records: All.
4. From the details pane click Release DinnerNow Software Update to Production and then from the
Tasks pane click Run.
5. In the Comments window type Release to Production and then click OK.
6. Notice the Status of the Release DinnerNow Software Update to Production Release record
changes to In Progress.
7. Click the Work Items pane, expand Activity Management, expand Manual Activities and then
click All Activities.
8. From the details pane notice the Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production Manual
Activity is now displayed with a Status of In Progress.
9. Click Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production and from the Tasks pane click Edit.
10. In the Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production form that opens click Mark as
Completed.
11. In the Comments window that opens type DinnerNow Software update deployed successfully
and then click OK.
12. Click OK on the Deploy DinnerNow Software Update to Production form.
13. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Status of the Deploy DinnerNow
Software Update to Production Manual Activity changes to Completed.
14. Expand Release Management Folder and then click Release Records: All.
15. Notice from the details pane that Status of the Release DinnerNow Software Update to
Production Release Record has now changed to Completed.
16. Expand Change Management and then click All Change Requests.
17. Notice from the details pane that the Status for the Update DinnerNow on LON-AP1 Change
Request has now changed to Completed.
Results: After this exercise you should have create the Build and Environment Configuration Items that
will be added to a Release Record. You should have then created a Release Record and added the relevant
Configuration Items to it. You should then have added the relevant Activities to the Release Record that
will be used to control when the Change Request is implemented.
L7-7
Exercise 3: Configuring a Release Record Workflow Rule for Notification

Task 1: Create a new release record workflow rule
1. On LON-SM1, open the Service Manager console and click the Administration pane.
2. Expand Workflows, and then click Configuration.
3. In the details pane, click Release Record Event Workflow Configuration, and then, in the Tasks
pane, click Configure Workflow Rules.
4. In the Configure Workflows window that opens, click Add.
5. In the Configure Workflows for Objects Of class Release Record wizard that opens, on the Before
You Begin page, click Next.
6. On the Workflow Information page, in the Name box, enter Notify when Release Record is
Assigned.
7. Ensure that When an object is created is selected under Check for events, and then click Next.
8. On the Specify Criteria page, click Next.
9. On the Apply Template page, click Next.
10. On the Select People to Notify page, select Enable notification, and then click Create E-Mail
Template.
11. In the Create E-Mail Notification Template Wizard that opens, on the General page, in the
Notification template name box, enter Notify when Release Record is Created.
12. Next to Targeted class, click Browse.
13. In the Select a Class window that opens, click Release Record, and then click OK.
14. Click Next on the General page.
15. On the Template Design page, in the Message subject box, enter Release Record <> has been
assigned to you.
16. Click in between the <> and then click Insert.
17. In the Select Property window that opens, under Available properties, click ID, and then click Add.
18. Click inside the Message body box, and then click Insert.
19. In the Select Property window that opens, under Available properties, click Display Name, and
then click Add.
20. Click Next on the Template Design page.
23. On the Select People to Notify page, under User, click the drop-down list, and then click Assigned
to User.
24. Under Message template, click the drop-down list, then click Notify when Release Record is
Created, and then click Add.
25. On the Select People to Notify page, click Next.
28. In the Configure Workflows window, click OK.
Task 2: Test the release record event workflow

1. On LON-SM1, open the Service Manager console and click the Work Items pane.
2. Expand Release Management Folder, and then click Release Records: All.
3. In the Tasks pane, click Create Release Record.
4. In the Select Template window that opens, click Default Release Record, and then click OK.
5. In the form that opens, in the Title box, enter Release Software to Production.
6. In the Assigned To box, enter Contoso_RM, and then click Contoso_RM (Contoso_RM).
7. In the Release Software to Production release record form, click OK.
8. From the desktop open Microsoft Outlook 2010.
9. In the Choose Profile window that opens, next to Profile Name, click the drop-down list, then click
Contoso_RM, and then click OK.
10. If a Windows Security window opens, click Use another account.
11. In the User name box, enter Contoso\Contoso_RM.
12. In the Password box, enter Pa$$w0rd, and then click OK.
14. In Outlook, click the Inbox, and then open the new email message from.
15. Notice that the subject contains the release records ID, and the message body contains the title of
the release record.
16. Close the email message, and then close Outlook.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a new release record workflow rule that sends an
email notification to the Assigned To user when a new release record is created. You should have also
tested the release record workflow rule by creating a new release record and assigning it to Contoso_RM.
When you open Outlook as Contoso_RM, you should have received a new email message notifying you
that the release record was assigned to you. The email message should have included the ID and title of
the release record.
L8-1
Module 8: Configuring and Managing the Service Catalog

Lab: Configuring Service Requests
Exercise 1: Create the Contoso Request Offering
2. Click the Library pane, and then click Templates.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create Template.
4. In the Create Template window that opens, in the Name box, type Template to Request Access to
Active Directory Groups.
5. Next to the Class box, click Browse.
6. In the Select a Class window that opens, click Service Request and then click OK.
7. In the Create Template window, click OK.
8. In the Service Request Template form that opens, in the Title box, type Request Access to AD
Groups.
9. Set the Urgency and Priority fields to Medium, and set the Source field to Portal.
10. In the Assigned to box, type Administrator, and then click Administrator (Administrator).
11. Click the Activities tab, and then click the green plus-sign button to add an activity.
12. In the Select Template window that opens, click Default Review Activity, and then click OK.
13. In the Review Activity Template form that opens, in the Title box, type Approve Access to Active
Directory Groups.
14. Click Add, and then in the Reviewer window that opens, in the Reviewer box, type Administrator,
and then click Administrator (Administrator).
15. In the Reviewer window, click OK.
16. In the Review Activity Template window, click OK.
17. Click the green plus-sign button to add another activity.
19. In the Manual Activity Template form that opens, in the Title box, type Add User to Active
Directory Groups.
20. In the Activity Implementer box, type Administrator, and then click Administrator
(Administrator).
21. On the Manual Activity Template form, click OK.
22. On the Service Request Template form, click OK.
Task 2: Create and publish a request offering

1. Click the Library pane, expand Service Catalog, expand Request Offerings, and then click All
Request Offerings.
2. From the Tasks pane, click Create Request Offering.
3. In the Create Request Offering wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
4. On the General page, in the Title box, type Request Access to Active Directory groups.
5. In the Description box, type Use this Service Request to request access to Active Directory
groups.
6. Click the list next to Select Template, and then click Service Request.
7. In the Select Template window that opens, click Template to Request Access to Active Directory
groups, and then click OK.
9. On the User Prompts page, in the Form Instructions box, type Select the Active Directory groups
that you require membership to, and then provide justification for your request.
10. In the Enter Prompts or information text section, in the User Prompts or Information box, type
Select Active Directory groups.
11. Click the list under the Response Type column, and then click Required.
12. Click the list under the Prompt Type column, and then click Query Results.
13. Click the green plus-sign button to add another prompt.
14. In the User Prompts or Information box, type Provide justification for your request.
16. Click the list under the Prompt Type column, and then click Text.
17. Ensure that there are only two prompts configured by deleting any other numbered prompts by
clicking the red cross button.
18. On the User Prompts page, click Next.
19. On the Configure Prompts page, click Select Active Directory Group, and then click Configure.
20. In the Configure Query Results window that opens, on the Select Class tab, click the list, and then
click All basic classes.
21. Under the Name column, click Active Directory Group.
22. Click the Display Columns tab, and under Object, select Display Name.
23. Click the Options tab, and then select Allow the user to select multiple objects and Add user-
selected objects to template object as affected configuration items.
24. Click the list, click Add User to Active Directory groups (Manual Activity), and then click OK on
the Configure Query Results window.
25. On the Configure Prompts page, click Next.
26. On the Map Prompts page, click Approve Access to Active Directory groups (Review Activity).
27. In the Property list, click the list in the Prompt Output column for the Description property, and
then click 2. Provide justification for your request:String.
28. On the Map Prompts page, click Next.
29. On the Knowledge Articles page, click Next.
30. On the Publish page, click the list under Offering status, and then click Published.
31. In the Offering owner box, type Administrator, and then click Administrator (Administrator).
32. On the Publish page, click Next.
L8-3

2. Click the Library pane, expand Service Catalog, expand Service Offerings, and then click All
Service Offerings.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create Service Offering.
4. In the Create Service Offering wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Title box, type Contoso Active Directory Services.
6. In the Overview box, type Active Directory Services for Contoso.
7. In the Description box, type Contoso Active Directory Services are used to request access to
Active Directory groups.
9. On the Detailed Information page, in the Service level agreement information box, type The SLA
for requests in this group is between 2 to 4 hours.
10. In the Cost information box, type Cost center CONTOSO_001 is used for request in this
category, and then click Next.
11. On the Related Services page, click Next.
13. On the Request Offering page, click Add.
14. In the Select Objects window that opens, click Request Access to Active Directory groups, click
Add, and then click OK.
15. On the Request Offering page, click Next.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a service request template that will be used to
request access to Active Directory groups. You should have also created a request offering that uses the
service request template. Finally, you should have configured the user prompts within the request offering
so that when the request offering is used; the Active Directory groups can be selected. A justification must
be added to the request.
Exercise 2: Test the Contoso Request Offering

1. On LON-SM1, click Start, and then click Internet Explorer.
2. In Internet Explorer, browse to http://LON-AP1:8083/SMPortal.
3. In the Self-Service Portal, on the Home page, click Contoso Active Directory Services.
4. On the Contoso Active Directory Services page expand the Cost and SLA Information section to
view the cost and service-level agreement (SLA) information.
5. Under Available requests on Contoso Active Directory Services, click Request Access to Active
Directory Groups.
6. On the Request Access to Active Directory Groups page, click Go to request.
7. On the Provide Information page, under Select Active Directory Groups, select Contoso\UM
Management and Contoso\Server Operators.
8. In the Provide justification for your request box, type I require membership as part of my role
as IT administrator at Contoso.
9. On the Provide information page, click Next.
10. On the Review and Submit page, click Submit.
11. On the Confirmation page, make a note of the ID, and then click View my requests. You may need
to click Next in the lower-left of the pane to view the requests.
12. Click the Request Access to AD Groups request, and then review the Request activities and
Request action log sections. Then from the left pane, click Home to go back to the Home page.

2. Click the Work Items pane, expand Service Request Fulfillment, and then click Assigned to Me.
3. From the details pane, click Request Access to AD Groups, and then view the Status column.
4. If the Status column does not display In Progress, then from the Tasks pane, click Refresh
intermittently until the Status changes to In Progress.
5. Click Request Access to AD Groups, and then from the Tasks pane, click Edit.
6. In the Request Access to AD Groups form that opens, review the details in the User Input section
on the General tab.
7. Click the Activities tab, and then double-click the Approve Access to Active Directory Groups
activity.
8. In the Approve Access to Active Directory Groups form that opens, review the details in the
Description box, and then click Approve All.
Note: If the Approve All button is not available perform the following steps:
a. Close the Service Manager console without saving any changes.

b. Restart the System Center Data Access Service, System Center Management Configuration
and Microsoft Monitoring Agent services.
c. Wait for 1 minute.
L8-5
d. Return to Step 1 in this task.

9. In the Comments window that opens, type Approved by Administrator, and then click OK.
10. On the Approve Access to Active Directory Groups form, click OK.
11. On the Request Access to AD Groups form, click Apply.
12. On the Request Access to AD Groups window, click Refresh, and then click Yes.
13. Repeat step 12 until the Approve Access to Active Directory Groups activity has completed and
the Add User to Active Directory Groups activity has started.
14. Double-click Add User to Active Directory Groups.
15. In the Add User to Active Directory Groups form that opens, review the Active Directory groups
that have been added to the Impacted Configuration Items section, and then from the Tasks pane,
click Mark as Completed.
16. In the Comments window that opens, type User has been added to requested groups, and then
click OK.
17. On the Add Users to Active Directory Groups form, click OK.
18. On the Request Access to AD Groups form, click Apply.
19. Notice that both activities are now complete.
20. On the Request Access to AD Groups form, click OK.

3. In the Self-Service Portal, click My Requests. You may need to click Next in the lower-left of the
pane to view the requests.
4. Click Request Access to AD Groups, and then review the details in the Request activities and
Request action log sections.
5. Expand each log to view the details.
Results: After this exercise, you should have submitted a service request by using the Request Access To
Active Directory Groups request offering in the Self-Service Portal. You should then have reviewed the
details of the request in the Service Manager console and completed the requests activities, thereby
fulfilling the service request. Finally, you should have reviewed the service request in the Self-Service
Portal, confirming that the service request was completed successfully.
Exercise 3: Create the StockTrader Request Offering

3. From the Tasks pane, click Create Template.
4. In the Create Template window that opens, in the Name box, type Template to Add or Remove
Access to the StockTrader Application.
5. Next to the Class box, click Browse.
6. In the Select a Class window that opens, click Service Request and then click OK.
8. In the Service Request Template form that opens, in the Title box, type Add/Remove access to
StockTrader.
9. Set the Urgency and Priority fields to Medium, and set the Source field to Portal.
10. In the Assigned to box, type Administrator, and then click Administrator (Administrator).
11. Click the Activities tab, and then click the green plus-sign button to add an activity.
13. In the Review Activity Template form that opens, in the Title box, type Approve change to
StockTrader Access.
14. Click Add, and then in the Reviewer window that opens, in the Reviewer box, type Administrator,
and then click Administrator (Administrator).
15. In the Reviewer window, click OK.
16. In the Review Activity Template window, click OK.
17. Click the green plus-sign button to add another activity.
19. In the Manual Activity Template form that opens, in the Title box, type Add or Remove Access to
StockTrader.
20. In the Activity Implementer box, type Administrator, and then click Administrator
(Administrator).
21. On the Manual Activity Template form, click OK.
22. On the Service Request Template form, click OK.
Task 2: Create and publish the request offering to add or remove access to the
1. Click the Library pane, expand Service Catalog, expand Request Offerings, and then click All
Request Offerings.
2. From the Tasks pane, click Create Request Offering.
4. On the General page, in the Title box, type Add or Remove Access to StockTrader Application.
L8-7
5. In the Description box, type Use this Service Request to add or remove access to the
StockTrader application.
6. Click the list next to Select Template, and then click Service Request.
7. In the Select Template window that opens, click Template to Add or Remove access to the
StockTrader application, and then click OK.
9. On the User Prompts page, in the Form Instructions box, type Select the Active Directory user
account that should be added or removed and then select the action that should be
performed.
10. In the Enter Prompts or information text section, in the User Prompts or Information box, type
Select Active Directory user account.
12. Click the list under the Prompt Type column, and then click Query Results.
13. Click the green plus-sign button to add another prompt.
14. In the User Prompts or Information box, type Select Action to perform.
16. Click the list under the Prompt Type column, and then click Simple List.
17. Ensure that there are only two prompts configured by deleting any other numbered prompts by
clicking the red cross button.
18. On the User Prompts page, click Next.
19. On the Configure Prompts page, click Select Active Directory user account, and then click
Configure.
20. In the Configure Query Results window that opens, on the Select Class tab, click the list, and then
click All basic classes.
21. Under the Name column, click Active Directory User.
22. Click the Display Columns tab, and under Object, select Display Name.
23. Click the Options tab, and then select Allow the user to select multiple objects and Add user-
selected objects to template object as affected configuration items.
24. Click the list, click Add or Remove Access to StockTrader (Manual Activity), and then click OK
on the Configure Query Results window.
25. Click Select Action to perform and then click Configure.
26. In the Configure Simple List window that opens click the green + button.
27. In the Display Name column delete New Item and then type Add.
28. Click Set as default.
29. Click the green + button again.
30. In the Display Name column delete New Item and then type Remove.
31. Click OK on the Configure Simple List window.
32. On the Configure Prompts page, click Next.
33. On the Map Prompts page, click Approve Change to StockTrader Access (Review Activity).
34. In the Property list, click the list in the Prompt Output column for the Comments property, and
then click 2. Select Action to perform: ListValue.
35. On the Map Prompts page, click Next.

2. Click the Library pane, expand Service Catalog, expand Service Offerings, and then click All
Service Offerings.
3. From the Tasks pane, click Create Service Offering.
4. In the Create Service Offering wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Title box, type StockTrader Services.
6. In the Overview box, type Services for StockTrader.
7. In the Description box, type StockTrader Services are used to request access or to remove
access to the StockTrader application.
9. On the Detailed Information page click Next.
10. On the Related Services page, click Next.
12. On the Request Offering page, click Add.
13. In the Select Objects window that opens, click Add or remove access to StockTrader application,
click Add, and then click OK.
14. On the Request Offering page, click Next.
Results: After this exercise you should have created a new Service Request template that is used to both
add and remove access to the StockTrader application. You should have then created a Request Offering
that is used to add or remove access to the StockTrader application. You should then have created a
Service Offering which includes the Request Offering and published the Service Offering to the Self-
Service Portal.
L8-9
Exercise 4: Test the StockTrader Request Offering

3. In the Self-Service Portal, on the Home page, click StockTrader Services.
4. Under Available requests on StockTrader Services, click Add or remove access to StockTrader
Application.
5. On the Add or remove access to StockTrader Application page, click Go to request.
6. On the Provide Information page, under Select Active Directory User Account, select SQL_Agent.
7. In the Select Action to perform box, select Remove.
8. On the Provide information page, click Next.
9. On the Review and Submit page, click Submit.
10. On the Confirmation page, make a note of the ID, and then click View my requests. You may need
to click Next in the lower-left of the pane to view the requests.
11. Click the Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application request, and then review the Request
activities and Request action log sections. Then from the left pane, click Home to go back to the
Home page.

2. Click the Work Items pane, expand Service Request Fulfillment, and then click Assigned to Me.
3. From the details pane, click Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application, and then view the
Status column.
4. If the Status column does not display In Progress, then from the Tasks pane, click Refresh
intermittently until the Status changes to In Progress.
5. Click Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application, and then from the Tasks pane, click Edit.
6. In the Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application form that opens, review the details in the
User Input section on the General tab.
7. Click the Activities tab, and then double-click the Approve Change to StockTrader Access activity.
8. In the Approve Change to StockTrader Access form that opens, click Approve All.
9. In the Comments window that opens, type Approved by Administrator, and then click OK.
10. On the Approve Change to StockTrader Access form, click OK.
11. On the Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application form, click Apply.
12. On the Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application form, click Refresh, and then click Yes.
13. Repeat step 12 until Approve Change to StockTrader Access activity has completed and the Add
or Remove Access to StockTrader activity has started.
14. Double-click Add or Remove Access to StockTrader.
15. In the Add or Remove Access to StockTrader form that opens, from the Tasks pane, click Mark as
Completed.
16. In the Comments window that opens type Access has been updated and then click OK.
17. On the Add or Remove Access to StockTrader form, click OK.
18. On the Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application form, click Apply.
19. Notice that both activities are now complete.
20. On the Add/Remove access to StockTrader Application form, click OK

3. In the Self-Service Portal, click My Requests. You may need to click Next in the lower-left of the
pane to view the requests.
4. Click Add or Remove access to StockTrader, and then review the details in the Request activities
and Request action log sections.
5. Expand each log to view the details.
Results: After this exercise, you should have submitted a service request by using the Add or remove
access to StockTrader application request offering in the Self-Service Portal. You should then have
reviewed the details of the request in the Service Manager console and completed the requests activities,
thereby fulfilling the service request. Finally, you should have reviewed the service request in the Self-
Service Portal, confirming that the service request was completed successfully.
L8-11
L9-1
Module 9: Automating Business Processes with Orchestrator

Lab: Automating IT Processes in Service
Manager
Exercise 1: Automating a Request Offering for Contoso
2. Click the Library pane and then click Runbooks.
3. From the details pane click Add User to AD Group and then from the Tasks pane click Create
Runbook Automation Activity Template.
4. In the Create Template window that opens type Runbook automation activity template to add
an AD User to an AD Group in the Name box and then click OK.
5. In the Runbook automation activity template to add an AD User to an AD Group form that
opens, in the Title box type RA Add user to AD Group.
6. Select Is ready for Automation.
7. Click OK on the Runbook automation activity template to add an AD User to an AD Group form.
Task 2: Create the service request template and include the automation activity
1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Library pane and then click Templates.
3. In the Create Template window that opens type Service Request Template to add an AD User to
an AD Group in the Name box.
4. Click Browse, then in the Select a Class window that opens click Service Request and then click OK.
5. Click OK on the Create Template window.
6. In the Service Request Template window that opens type SR Add user to AD Group in the Title
box.
7. Under Urgency, select Medium.
8. Under Priority, select Medium.
9. Click the Activities tab and then click the green + button.
10. In the Select Template window that opens click Default Review Activity and then click OK.
11. In the Review Activity Template window that opens type Approve AD Group membership in the
Title box.
12. Click Add then in the Reviewer window that opens type Administrator in the Review box, click
Administrator (Administrator) and then click OK.
14. Click the green + button and then in the Select Template window that opens click Runbook
automation activity template to add an AD User to an AD Group and then click OK.
15. In the Runbook Activity Template (Runbook) form that opens click OK.
16. Click OK on the Service Request Template form.
Task 3: Create a request offering using the service request template

1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Library pane and then expand Service
Catalog.
2. Expand Request Offerings and then click All Request Offerings.
3. From the Tasks pane click Create Request Offering.
5. On the General page type Automatic AD Group Membership in the Title box.
6. Type Use this request to add AD users to AD groups in the Description box.
7. Click the Select Template drop-down list and then click Service Request.
8. In the Select Template window that opens click Service Request Template to add an AD User to
an AD Group and then click OK.
9. Click Next on the General page.
10. On the User Prompts page type Please enter the details of the User Account and the Active
Directory Group in which the user should be made a member of in the Form instructions box.
11. In the Enter prompts or information text section. On the first row, type Enter First Name in the
User Prompts or Information column.
12. Under Response Type, click Required.
13. Under Prompt Type click Text.
14. In the Enter prompts or information text section. On the second row, type Enter Last Name in the
17. In the Enter prompts or information text section. On the third row, type Enter AD Group in the
20. Click Next on the User Prompts page.
21. On the Configure Prompts page click Next.
22. On the Map Prompts page, under Select an object and map its properties, click Approve AD
Group membership (Review Activity).
23. Click the drop-down list in the Prompt Output column for the Notes row and then click 1. Enter
First Name: String.
24. Click the drop-down list in the Prompt Output column for the Comments row and then click 3.
Enter AD Group: String.
25. On the Map Prompts page, under Select an object and map its properties, click RA Add user to
AD Group (Runbook Automation Activity).
26. Click the drop-down list in the Prompt Output column for Text2 row and then click 3. Enter AD
Group: String.
27. Click the drop-down list in the Prompt Output column for Text3 row and then click 1. Enter First
Name: String.
L9-3
28. Click the drop-down list in the Prompt Output column for Text1 row and then click 2. Enter Last
Name: String.
29. Click Next on the Map Prompts page.
30. On the Knowledge Articles page click Next.
31. On the Publish page click the Offering Status drop-down list and then click Published, then click
Next.
Task 4: Test the request offering

1. Logon to LON-DC1 and then click Start, then click Administrative Tools.
2. In the Administrative Tools window that opens double-click Active Directory Users and
Computers.
3. In the Active Directory Users and Computers window that opens expand CONTOSO.COM and
then click Users.
4. From the details pane double-click John Baxter.
5. In the John Baxter Properties window that opens click the Member of tab.
6. Notice that Domain Users is listed in the Member of section and then click Cancel.
7. Leave the connection to LON-DC1 open.
8. On LON-SM1, click Start then click Internet Explorer.
9. In Internet Explorer type http://lon-ap1:8083/SMPortal in the address box and then press enter
on the keyboard.
10. In the Contoso Self-Service Portal that opens click List View.
11. Under Request Name click Automatic AD Group Membership.
12. On the Automatic AD Group Membership page click Go to request.
13. On the Provide information page type John in the Enter First Name box.
14. Type Baxter in the Enter Last Name box.
15. Type DNSAdmins in the Enter AD Group box and then click Next.
16. On the Review and submit page click Submit then click Back to home.
18. In the Service Manage console, click the Work Items pane and then expand Service Request
Fulfilment and then click All Open Service Requests.
19. From the details pane, click SR Add user to AD Group and then from the Tasks pane click Edit.
20. In the SR Add user to AD Group form that opens, on the General page, scroll down and review
the User Input information.
21. Click the Activities tab.
22. Notice that the Approve AD Group membership activity is in an In Progress state and the RA -
Add user to AD Group activity is in a Pending state.
23. Click Cancel and then click Yes to close the SR Add user to AD Group form.
24. From the Work Items pane, expand Activity Management, then expand Review Activities and
then click In-Progress Activities.
25. From the details pane click Approve AD Group membership and then from the Tasks pane click
Edit.
26. In the Approve AD Group membership form that opens click Approve All.
27. In the Comments window that opens type Approved by line manager in the Comments box and
then click OK.
28. Click OK on the Approve AD Group membership form.
29. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Approve AD Group membership activity
disappears.
30. Expand Runbook Automation Activities and then click All Activities.
31. From the details pane notice the RA Add user to AD Group activity is displayed with a Status of In
Progress.
32. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Status changes to Complete.
33. On LON-DC1, in Active Directory Users and Computers, from the Users OU double-click John
Baxter.
34. In the John Baxter Properties window that opens click the Member of tab.
35. Notice that DNSAdmins is now displayed in the Member of section.
36. Click Cancel on the John Baxter Properties window.
37. Close Active Directory Users and Computers and then log off LON-DC1.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a runbook automation Activity template that is linked
to an Orchestrator runbook. You should have then created a Service Request template that includes a
review Activity and the runbook automation Activity. You should have then created a request offering
using the Service Request template. Finally, you should have tested the request offering by submitting a
request in the Self-Service Portal and confirming that the AD group membership was updated
automatically.
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Exercise 2: Automating a Service Request for StockTrader

2. Click the Library pane and then click Runbooks.
3. From the details pane click Restart StockTrader Server and then from the Tasks pane click Create
Runbook Automation Activity Template.
4. In the Create Template window that opens type Runbook automation activity template to restart
the StockTrader server in the Name box and then click OK.
5. In the Runbook automation activity template to restart the StockTrader server form that opens,
in the Title box type RA Restart StockTrader Server.
6. Select Is ready for Automation.
7. Click the Runbook tab and then next to ServerName click Edit Mapping.
8. In the Select Property Mapping window that opens click Runbook Automation Activity.
9. Expand Work Item and then click Description and then click Close.
10. Next to ChangeRequest click Edit Mapping.
11. In the Select Property Mapping window that opens click Runbook Automation Activity.
12. Expand Work Item and then click Id and then click Close.
13. Click OK on the Runbook automation activity template to restart the StockTrader server form.
Task 2: Create a change request and include the runbook automation activity
1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Work Items pane and then expand
Change Management and then click All Change Requests.
3. In the Select Template window that opens click StockTrader Change Requests and then click OK.
4. In the StockTrader form that opens type StockTrader Server Restart in the Title box.
5. Type LON-ST1 in the Description box and then click the Activities tab.
6. Notice the Approve Change Activity has already been added by the template.
7. Click the green + button to add a new Activity.
8. In the Select Template window that opens click Runbook automation activity template to restart
the StockTrader server and then click OK.
9. On the Restart StockTrader Server form that opens, on the General tab, type LON-ST1 in the
Description box and then click OK.
10. Click OK on the StockTrader Server Restart form.
Task 3: Approve the change request and confirm the server is automatically restarted
1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, expand Activity Management, expand Review
Activities and then click All Activities.
2. From the details pane click the Approve Change Activity that displays a Status of In Progress and
then from the Tasks pane click Edit.
3. In the Approve Change form that opens click Approve All and then in the Comments window that
opens type Approved and then click OK.
4. Click OK on the Approve Change window.
5. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Status of the Approve Change activity
changes to Complete.
6. Logon to LON-ST1 and then in the You are about to be logged off window that appears click
Close.
7. Wait until LON-ST1 has been restarted and is at the logon prompt.
8. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the All Change Requests view and then from
the details pane click StockTrader Server Restart and then from the Tasks pane click Edit.
9. In the StockTrader Server Restart form that opens, on the General tab, notice that the Description
box has been automatically updated to show that LON-ST1 has been restarted.
10. Click Cancel on the StockTrader Server Restart form and then click Yes.
Note: If after 10 minutes the LON-ST1 computer has not been restarted automatically
perform the final Task in this exercise.
Task 4: Automate server restart without approval
Note: Only perform this Task if the previous Task fails.
1. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the Work Items pane and then expand
Change Management and then click All Change Requests.
3. In the Select Template window that opens click StockTrader Change Requests and then click OK.
4. In the StockTrader form that opens type StockTrader Server Restart (no approval) in the Title
box.
5. Type LON-ST1 in the Description box and then click the Activities tab.
6. Right-click the Approve Change Activity and then click Delete Activity and then click Yes.
7. Click the green + button to add a new Activity.
8. In the Select Template window that opens click Runbook automation activity template to restart
the StockTrader server and then click OK.
9. On the Restart StockTrader Server form that opens, on the General tab, type LON-ST1 in the
Description box and then click OK.
10. Click OK on the StockTrader Server Restart form.
11. Logon to LON-ST1 and then in the You are about to be logged off window that appears click
Close.
12. Wait until LON-ST1 has been restarted and is at the logon prompt.
13. On LON-SM1, in the Service Manager console, click the All Change Requests view and then from
the details pane click StockTrader Server Restart (no approval) and then from the Tasks pane click
Edit.
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14. In the StockTrader Server Restart form that opens, on the General tab, notice that the Description
box has been automatically updated to show that LON-ST1 has been restarted.
15. Click Cancel on the StockTrader Server Restart form and then click Yes.
Results: After this exercise you should have created a runbook automation activity template that is linked
to an Orchestrator runbook. You should have then created a change request that includes a review
activity and the runbook automation activity template. You should have also included the computer name
of the server to be restarted in the change request. Finally, you should have tested the change request
and runbook automation activity by approving the change request and confirming that the StockTrader
application server was restarted automatically. You should have also confirmed that the change request
was updated to show that the server was restarted successfully.
L10-1
Module 10: Configuring Service Level Management

Lab: Configuring Service Level Management
Exercise 1: Create a Service Level Objective for an Incident SLA
Task 1: Confirm the incident queues are configured for StockTrader and DinnerNow
2. If a System Center Service Manager window opens, click OK.
4. From the details pane confirm the DinnerNow Incidents and StockTrader Incidents Queues are
displayed.
5. Click the StockTrader Incidents Queue and from the Tasks pane click Properties.
6. In the StockTrader Incidents Properties window that opens click the Criteria tab and confirm that
in the Criteria section that the Classification category is set to StockTrader.
7. Click Cancel on the StockTrader Incidents Properties window.
8. Click the DinnerNow Incidents Queue and from the Tasks pane click Properties.
9. In the DinnerNow Incidents Properties window that opens click the Criteria tab and confirm that in
the Criteria section that the Classification category is set to DinnerNow.
10. Click Cancel on the DinnerNow Incidents Properties window.
Task 2: Create a calendar item for StockTrader

1. Click the Administration pane, and then expand Service Level Management.
2. Click Calendar and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Calendar.
3. In the Create/Edit Calendar window that opens, in the Title box, enter StockTrader Work Hours.
4. Next to Time zone, click the drop-down list and then click the appropriate time zone for your region.
5. Under Working days and hours, select the check boxes for Monday through Friday.
6. In the Start time box, enter 08:00 for boxes Monday through Friday.
7. In the End time box, enter 18:00 for boxes Monday through Friday.
in this exercise.
8. Next to Holiday, click Add.

9. In the Add Holiday window that opens, in the Name box, enter Christmas Day.
10. Click the calendar icon and select December 25, and then in the Add Holiday window click OK.
11. In the Create/Edit Calendar window, click OK.
Task 3: Create a calendar item for DinnerNow

2. Click Calendar and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Calendar.
3. In the Create/Edit Calendar window that opens, in the Title box, enter DinnerNow Work Hours.
4. Next to Time zone, click the drop-down list and then click the appropriate time zone for your region.
5. Under Working days and hours, select the check boxes for Sunday through Saturday.
6. In the Start time box, enter 12:00:00 AM for boxes Sunday through Saturday.
7. In the End time box, enter 11:59:00 PM for boxes Sunday through Saturday.
8. Click OK on the Create/Edit Calendar window.

2. Click Metric and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Metric.
3. In the Create/Edit Metric window that opens, in the Title box, enter Incident Resolution Time.
4. Next to Class, click Browse, and in the Select a Class window that opens, click Incident and then
click OK.
5. Click the drop-down list next to Start date, and then click Created date.
6. Click the drop-down list next to End date, and then click Resolved date.
7. In the Create/Edit Metric window, click OK.
Task 5: Create an incident service level objective for StockTrader

2. Click Service Level Objectives and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Service Level Objective.
3. In the Create Service Level Objective Wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click
Next.
4. On the General page, in the Title box, enter StockTrader Incident Resolution Time.
5. Next to Class, click Browse; then, in the Select a Class window that opens, click Incident and then
click OK.
7. On the Queues page, select StockTrader Incidents and then click Next.
8. On the Service Level Criteria page, under Calendar, select StockTrader Work Hours.
9. Under Metric, select Incident Resolution Time.
10. Set the Target value to 4 minutes.
11. Set the Warning threshold value to 2 minutes, and then click Next.
Task 6: Create an incident service level objective for DinnerNow

Next.
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4. On the General page, in the Title box, enter DinnerNow Incident Resolution Time.
5. Next to Class, click Browse; then, in the Select a Class window that opens, click Incident and then
click OK.
7. On the Queues page, select DinnerNow Incidents and then click Next.
8. On the Service Level Criteria page, under Calendar, select DinnerNow Work Hours.
9. Under Metric, select Incident Resolution Time.
Task 7: Test the service level objective for StockTrader

2. Click Start, then click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Services.
3. In the Services window that opens, restart Microsoft Monitoring Agent, System Center
Management Configuration, and System Center Data Access Service.
4. Close the Services window, and then open the Service Manager console.
5. Click the Work Items pane, then expand Incident Management, and then click All Incidents.
6. In the Tasks pane, click Create Incident.
7. In the Incident form that opens, in the Title box, enter StockTrader Incident Breaches Service
Level.
8. Under Classification category, select StockTrader.
9. Under Impact, select Low.
10. Under Urgency, select High, and then, in the Incident form, click OK.
11. If an Add/Subtract Time Worked window opens, click OK.
12. If a System Center Service Manager window opens click OK.
13. Wait for three minutes and then, in the details pane, click StockTrader Incident Breaches Service
Level; then, in the Tasks pane, click Edit.
14. Notice the notification at the top of the General tab: One or more Service Level Objectives are
about to breach.
15. Click the Service Level tab, and then note that the StockTrader Incident Resolution Time SLO has
been added.
17. On the Service Manager window that opens, click Yes.
18. Wait for another three minutes.
19. Edit the StockTrader Incident Breaches Service Level incident again, and notice the new
notification on the General tab: One or more Service Level Objectives have breached.
20. Click the Service Level tab and note that the status of the service level has changed to Breached.

23. Under Incident Management, click Incidents with Service Level Breached.
24. Notice that the details pane now shows the StockTrader Incident Breaches Service Level incident.
Task 8: Test the service level objective for DinnerNow

2. Click the Work Items pane, then expand Incident Management, and then click All Incidents.
3. In the Tasks pane, click Create Incident.
4. In the Incident form that opens, in the Title box, enter DinnerNow Incident Breaches Service
Level.
5. Under Classification category, select DinnerNow.
6. Under Impact, select Low.
7. Under Urgency, select High, and then, in the Incident form, click OK.
8. If an Add/Subtract Time Worked window opens, click OK.
9. If a System Center Service Manager window opens click OK.
10. Wait for two minutes and then, in the details pane, click DinnerNow Incident Breaches Service
Level; then, in the Tasks pane, click Edit.
11. Notice the notification at the top of the General tab: One or more Service Level Objectives are
about to breach.
12. Click the Service Level tab, and then note that the DinnerNow Incident Resolution Time SLO has
been added.
16. Edit the DinnerNow Incident Breaches Service Level incident again, and notice the new notification
on the General tab: One or more Service Level Objectives have breached.
20. Under Incident Management, click Incidents with Service Level Breached.
21. Notice that the details pane now shows the DinnerNow Incident Breaches Service Level incident.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created an SLO that measures incident resolution time for the
DinnerNow and StockTrader applications. You should also have tested the SLO by creating an incident
and allowing it to breach the defined SLO. When you opened the incident, you should have seen a
notification on the General tab that stated that a service level had been breached. On the Service Level
tab, you should also have viewed the service level that was breached. Finally, you should have used the
Incidents With Service Level Breached view to display the incidents that breached the service level.
L10-5
Exercise 2: Create a Service Level Objective for a Service Request SLA

Task 1: Create a service request queue for StockTrader
3. In the Tasks pane, click Create Queue.
4. In the Create a Queue Wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Queue name box, enter StockTrader Service Requests.
6. Under Work item type, click the ellipsis, then in the Select a Class window that opens, click Service
Request, and then click OK.
8. On the Criteria page, under Available properties select Title and then click Add.
9. Click the drop-down list and then click Contains and then type StockTrader in the red box and then
click Next.
Task 2: Create a service request queue for DinnerNow

3. In the Tasks pane, click Create Queue.
4. In the Create a Queue Wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Queue name box, enter DinnerNow Service Requests.
6. Under Work item type, click the ellipsis, then in the Select a Class window that opens, click Service
Request, and then click OK.
8. On the Criteria page, under Available properties select Title and then click Add.
9. Click the drop-down list and then click Contains and then type DinnerNow in the red box and then
click Next.

2. Click Metric and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Metric.
3. In the Create/Edit Metric window that opens, in the Title box, enter Service Request Completion
Time.
4. Next to Class, click Browse, and in the Select a Class window that opens, click Service Request, and
then click OK.
5. Click the drop-down list next to Start date, and then click Created date.
6. Click the drop-down list next to End date, and then click Completed date.
7. In the Create/Edit Metric window, click OK.
Task 4: Create a service level objective for StockTrader

Next.
4. On the General page, in the Title box, enter StockTrader Service Request Completion Time.
5. Next to Class, click Browse, then in the Select a Class window that opens, click Service Request, and
then click OK.
7. On the Queues page, select StockTrader Service Requests, and then click Next.
8. On the Service Level Criteria page, under Calendar, select StockTrader Work Hours.
9. Under Metric, select Service Request Completion Time.
Task 5: Create a service level objective for DinnerNow

Next.
4. On the General page, in the Title box, enter DinnerNow Service Request Completion Time.
5. Next to Class, click Browse, then in the Select a Class window that opens, click Service Request, and
then click OK.
7. On the Queues page, select DinnerNow Service Requests, and then click Next.
8. On the Service Level Criteria page, under Calendar, select DinnerNow Work Hours.
9. Under Metric, select Service Request Completion Time.

2. Click Start, then click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Services.
L10-7
3. In the Services window that opens, restart Microsoft Monitoring Agent, System Center
Management Configuration, and System Center Data Access Service.
4. Close the Services window, and then open the Service Manager console.
6. In the Tasks pane, click Create Template.
7. In the Create Template window that opens, in the Name box, enter Service Request Breaches
Service Level.
8. Click Browse, and in the Select a Class window that opens, click Service Request and then click OK.
10. In the Service Request Template form that opens, in the Title box, enter Service Request Breaches
Service Level.
11. Click the Activities tab, and then click the green plus icon.
13. In the Review Activity Template window that opens, click OK.
14. In the Service Request Template window, click OK.
Task 7: Create a request offering by using the service request template

1. In the Library pane, expand Service Catalog, then expand Request Offerings, and then click All
Request Offerings.
2. In the Tasks pane, click Create Request Offering.
3. In the Create Request Offering Wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page, click Next.
4. On the General page, in the Title box, enter Service Request Breaches Service Level, then click the
drop-down list next to Select template, and then click Service Request.
5. In the Select Template window that opens, click Service Request Breaches Service Level, and then
click OK.
6. Click Next through all other pages of the wizard, and then click Create.
Task 8: Create a service request for StockTrader and test the SLO
1. Click the Work Items pane, then expand Service Request Fulfillment, and then click All Open
Service Requests.
2. In the Tasks pane, click Create Service Request.
3. In the Request Offering window that opens, click Service Request Breaches Service Level, and
then click OK.
4. In the Service Request Breaches Service Level window that opens, type StockTrader Service
Request Breaches Service Level in the Title box, set the urgency to High and the priority to High,
and then click OK.
5. Wait for three minutes and then, in the details pane, click StockTrader Service Request Breaches
Service Level; then, in the Tasks pane, click Edit.
6. Notice the notification at the top of the General tab; One or more Service Level Objectives are
about to breach.
7. Click the Service Level tab and then note that the StockTrader Service Request Completion Time
SLO has been added.
8. Close the Service Request Breaches Service Level service request.
11. Edit the StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level request again, and notice the new
notification on the General tab: One or more Service Level Objectives have breached. Note that
the notification may not appear depending on when the request is edited.
13. Close the StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level service request.
16. Notice that the details pane now shows the StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level
service request.
Task 9: Create a service request for DinnerNow and test the SLO
1. Click the Work Items pane, then expand Service Request Fulfillment, and then click All Open
Service Requests.
2. In the Tasks pane, click Create Service Request.
3. In the Request Offering window that opens, click Service Request Breaches Service Level, and
then click OK.
4. In the Service Request Breaches Service Level window that opens, type DinnerNow Service
Request Breaches Service Level in the Title box, set the urgency to High and the priority to High,
and then click OK.
5. Wait for three minutes and then, in the details pane, click DinnerNow Service Request Breaches
Service Level; then, in the Tasks pane, click Edit.
6. Notice the notification at the top of the General tab; One or more Service Level Objectives are
about to breach.
7. Click the Service Level tab and then note that the DinnerNow Service Request Completion Time
SLO has been added.
11. Edit the DinnerNow StockTrader Service Request Breaches Service Level request again, and
notice the new notification on the General tab: One or more Service Level Objectives have
breached. Note that the notification may not appear depending on when the request is edited.
L10-9
16. Notice that the details pane now shows the DinnerNow Service Request Breaches Service Level
service request.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created an SLO that measures service request completion
time. You should also have tested the SLO by creating a service request and allowing it to breach the
defined SLO. When you opened the service request, you should have seen a notification on the General
tab that that stated a service level had been breached. On the Service Level tab, you should also have
viewed the service level that was breached. Finally, you should have used the Service Requests With
Service Level Breached view to display the service requests that breached the service level.
Exercise 3: Configure SLA Notifications

Task 1: Create a subscription for StockTrader
2. Click the Administration pane, and then expand Notifications.
3. Click Subscriptions and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Subscription.
4. In the Create E-Mail Notification Subscription Wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page,
click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Notification Subscription name box, enter StockTrader Service Level
Breached.
6. Under When to notify, select Periodically notify when objects meet a criteria.
7. Click Browse, and in the Select a Class window that opens, change Frequently used basic classes
to All basic classes.
8. From the list of classes, click Service Level Instance Time Information, and then click OK.
10. On the Additional Criteria page, from the list of Available properties, select Status, and then click
Add.
11. Under Criteria, in the red box, enter Warning.
12. From the list of Available properties, select Display name, and then click Add.
13. In the red box type StockTrader and then click Next.
14. On the Recurring Notification page, click Next.
15. On the Template page, click Create e-mail templates.
16. In the Create E-Mail Notification Template Wizard that opens, on the General page, enter
StockTrader Service Level Breached in the Notification template name box.
20. On the Template Design page, in the Message Subject box, enter StockTrader Service Level
Breached.
22. In the Select Property window that opens, from the Available properties list, under Object, click
Display Name, and then click Add.
23. On the Template Design page, click Next; on the Summary page, click Create; and then on the
Completion page, click Close.
24. On the Template page of the Create E-Mail Notification Subscription Wizard, click Select.
25. In the Select E-Mail Notification Template window that opens, click StockTrader Service Level
Breached, and then click OK.
L10-11
27. On the Recipient page, click Add; then in the Select Objects window that opens, click
StockTrader_IR; then click Add, and then click OK.
29. On the Related Recipients page, click Next.
Task 2: Create a subscription for DinnerNow

2. Click the Administration pane, and then expand Notifications.
3. Click Subscriptions and then, in the Tasks pane, click Create Subscription.
4. In the Create E-Mail Notification Subscription Wizard that opens, on the Before You Begin page,
click Next.
5. On the General page, in the Notification Subscription name box, enter DinnerNow Service Level
Breached.
6. Under When to notify, select Periodically notify when objects meet a criteria.
10. On the Additional Criteria page, from the list of Available properties, select Status, and then click
Add.
11. Under Criteria, in the red box, enter Warning.
12. From the list of Available properties, select Display name, and then click Add.
13. In the red box type DinnerNow and then click Next.
14. On the Recurring Notification page, click Next.
15. On the Template page, click Create e-mail templates.
16. In the Create E-Mail Notification Template Wizard that opens, on the General page, enter
DinnerNow Service Level Breached in the Notification template name box.
20. On the Template Design page, in the Message Subject box, enter DinnerNow Service Level
Breached.
22. In the Select Property window that opens, from the Available properties list, under Object, click
Display Name, and then click Add.
23. On the Template Design page, click Next; on the Summary page, click Create; and then on the
Completion page, click Close.
24. On the Template page of the Create E-Mail Notification Subscription Wizard, click Select.
25. In the Select E-Mail Notification Template window that opens, click DinnerNow Service Level
Breached, and then click OK.
27. On the Recipient page, click Add; then in the Select Objects window that opens, click
DinnerNow_IR; then click Add, and then click OK.
29. On the Related Recipients page, click Next .
Task 3: Test SLA notification for StockTrader

1. Click the Work Items pane, then expand Incident Management and then click All Incidents.
Title: StockTrader Incident SLA Test
Impact: Low
Urgency: High
5. From the desktop open Outlook 2010 and login using the StockTRader_IR profile.
6. If prompted, enter the credentials for the StockTrader_IR account using a password of Pa$$w0rd.
8. Wait for the StockTrader Service Level Breached email message to appear, and then open it.
9. Notice in the message body that the StockTrader Incident Resolution Time message has been
10. Close the message, and then close Outlook.
Task 4: Test SLA notification for DinnerNow

1. Click the Work Items pane, then expand Incident Management and then click All Incidents.
Title: DinnerNow Incident SLA Test
Impact: Low
Urgency: High
5. From the desktop open Outlook 2010 and login using the DinnerNow_IR profile.
6. If prompted, enter the credentials for the DinnerNow_IR account using a password of Pa$$w0rd.
L10-13

8. Wait for the DinnerNow Service Level Breached email message to appear, and then open it.
9. Notice in the message body that the DinnerNow Incident Resolution Time message has been
10. Close the message, and then close Outlook.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created an email notification subscription that sends an email
notification when the status of a DinnerNow or StockTrader SLO changes to Warning. You should also
have tested the notification by creating a new incident and then viewing the automatically generated
email message in Microsoft Outlook.
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Module 11: Using Reports and Analyzing Data in Service

Manager
Lab: Configuring Reports and Analyzing
Service Manager Data
Exercise 1: Configuring, Running, and Exporting Reports
Task 1: Run the Incident Details report
2. Click the Reporting pane, and then click Incident Management.
3. From the details pane, click Incident Details, and then from the Tasks pane, click Run Report.
4. In the Incident Details window that opens, click Add.
5. In the Select dimension objects window that opens, click the magnifying glass.
6. In the Available objects pane, click one incident, such as the Outlook fails to open incident, and
then click OK.
7. In the Incident Details window, click Run Report.
Task 2: View the Incident Details report

1. In the details pane, review the information in the Incident Information section.
2. Review the information in the Related Work Items section.
3. Close the Incident Details report window.
Task 3: Run the Incident Analyst report

1. From the Incident Management folder, click Incident Analyst, and then from the Tasks pane, click
Run Report.
2. In the Incident Analyst window that opens, under Assigned To, click Add.
3. In the Select dimension objects window that opens, click the magnifying glass.
4. In the Available objects pane, click John Trent, click Add, and then click OK.
5. From the Tasks pane, click Run Report.
Task 4: View the Incident Analyst report

1. From the details pane, review the Analyst, Assigned Incidents, Resolved Incidents, and Work On
Incidents sections.
2. Click the list for Page Width, and then click 100% to resize the view.
Task 5: Export a Report

1. Click the list next to the disk icon, and then click MHTML.
2. In the Save As window that opens, navigate to drive C, and then click Save.
3. Close the Incident Analyst report window.
4. Navigate to drive C, and double-click the
ServiceManager.Report.IncidentManagement.IncidentAnalystReport.mhtml file.
5. Confirm that the Incident Analyst report opens as expected.

6. Close the Incident Analyst report.
Results: After this exercise, you should have run the Incident Details and Incident Analyst reports and
reviewed the information in the reports. You should have also exported the Incident Analyst report to a
MHTML document and confirmed that the report opens as expected.
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Exercise 2: Creating a Custom Report

Task 1: Create the new folders in SSRS for the custom report
1. On LON-DW1 click Start and then click Internet Explorer.
2. In the Internet Explorer window that opens type http://lon-dw1/reports in the address box and
then press enter on the keyboard.
3. In the SQL Server Reporting Services Home page click SystemCenter then click ServiceManager.
4. Click New Folder.
5. In the New Folder page that opens type Custom Reports in the Name box replacing the existing
text and then click OK.
6. Click the Custom Reports folder.
7. Click New Folder again.
8. In the New Folder page that opens type Incident Management in the Name box replacing the
existing text and then click OK.
9. Leave Internet Explorer open for the next task.
Task 2: Create the custom report

1. In Internet Explorer click Report Builder.
2. In the Getting Started Wizard that opens click New Report and then click Table or Matrix Wizard.
3. On the Choose a dataset page select Create a dataset and then click Next.
4. On the Choose a connection to a data source page click New.
5. In the Data Source Properties window that opens type DWDataMart in the Name box replacing
the existing text and then click Build.
6. In the Connection Properties window that opens type LON-DW1 in the Server name box.
7. Under the Connect to a database section, click the drop-down list under Select or enter a
database name and then click DWDataMart and then click OK.
8. Click OK on the Data Source Properties window.
9. Click Next on the Choose a connection to a data source page.
10. On the Design a query page click Edit as Text.
11. In the top box type the following:
Select Id, Title, CreatedDate from IncidentDimvw where TierQueue_IncidentTierQueuesId

= 3
12. Click the ! button and confirm the query completes without any errors.
13. Click Next on the Design a query page.
14. On the Arrange fields page drag the Id, Title and Created date fields from the Available fields
section to the Values section and then click Next.
15. On the Choose the layout page click Next.
16. On the Choose a Style page click Finish.
17. In the Untitled Microsoft SQL Server Report Builder window that opens click Click to add title
and then type Incidents Tier 3
18. Next to the ribbon click the diskette icon.

19. In the Save As Report window that opens double-click the SystemCenter folder, double-click the
ServiceManager folder, double-click the Custom Reports folder, then double-click the Incident
Management folder.
20. In the Name box type Incidents Tier 3.rdl replacing the existing text and then click Save.
21. Close the Incidents Tier 3 Microsoft SQL Server Report Builder window.
22. Close Internet Explorer and then log off LON-DW1.
Task 3: Confirm the report is available in the Service Manager console

1. On LON-SM1, if the Service Manager console is open, close it.
3. When the Reporting pane appears, click Reporting.
4. Expand Custom Reports and then click Incident Management.
5. From the details pane click Incidents Tier 3 and then from the Tasks pane click Run Report.
6. Confirm the Incidents Tier 3 report opens and then review the Incident details in the report.
7. Close the Incidents Tier 3 window.
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Report Builder to create a custom report that
displays all Incidents that are assigned to the Support Group Tier 3. The report should be saved to the
Custom Reports\Incident Management folder on the SSRS Server and made available in the Service
Manager Console.
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Exercise 3: Configuring Data Warehouse Job Schedules

Task 1: Configure the default run schedule via the console
3. From the details pane, click Load.CMDWDataMart, and then from the Tasks pane, click Properties.
4. In the Load.CMDWDataMart window that opens, click the Schedule tab.
5. Under Schedule, click Weekly, and then select Sat and Sun.
6. In the Load.CMDWDataMart window, click OK.
7. From the details pane, click Load.CMDWDataMart, and then from the bottom pane, view the
Schedule section to confirm that the job has now been configured to run on Saturday and Sunday
only.
Task 2: Configure the default run schedule via Windows PowerShell

1. On LON-SM1, click Start and then type Service Manager Shell and then click Service Manager
Shell.
2. In the Administrator: Service Manager Shell window that opens, type the following:
Set-SCDWJobSchedule -JobName Load.CMDWDataMart -ComputerName LON-DW1 -ScheduleType
Daily -DailyStart 06:00 -DailyFrequency 01:00
3. Press Enter and wait for the command to execute. Then type exit, and press Enter.
4. In the Service Manager console, refresh the Data Warehouse Jobs view.
5. Click the Load.CMDWDataMart job, and then from the bottom pane, view the Schedule section to
confirm that the job has now been changed to run every hour.
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Service Manager console and the Windows
PowerShell cmdlets to change the default job schedule of a data warehouse job.
Exercise 4: Viewing the Status of Data Warehouse Jobs

Task 1: View job status via the Service Manager console
3. From the details pane, click MPSyncJob, and then from the Tasks pane, click Properties.
4. In the MPSyncJob window that opens, click the Status tab.
5. Click the Management Pack column to sort the list of Management Packs by Management Pack
name.
6. View the Status column, and notice that the Management Pack named
ServiceManager.ServiceCatalog.Cubes.Library had a status of Imported in Batch 151. The Batch
ID may be different in your environment.
7. Notice that in the same batch, the ServiceManager.ServiceCatalog.Cubes.Library Management
Pack had a status of Associated
8. In the MPSyncJob window, click Cancel.
Task 2: View job status via Windows PowerShell

1. On LON-SM1, click Start and then type Service Manager Shell and then click Service Manager
Shell.
2. In the Administrator: Service Manager Shell window that opens right-click the Windows
PowerShell icon in the top left of the window and then click Properties.
3. Click the Layout tab and in the Width box for the Window Size remove 80 and then type 120 and
then click OK.
4. In the Administrator: Service Manager Shell window that opens, type the following:
Get-SCDWJobModule ComputerName LON-DW1 JobName Transform.Common
5. Press Enter and wait for the command to complete.

6. In the returned data, review the Module ID, Module Name, Status, and Error Message columns to
view the current status of the Transform.Common job.
7. Type exit, and then press Enter.
Results: After this exercise, you should have viewed the status of the MPSyncJob in the Service Manager
console. You should have also viewed the status of the Transform.Common job by using the Get-
SCDWJobModule Windows PowerShell cmdlet.
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Exercise 5: Managing the Analysis Library

Task 1: Create a share for the analysis library
1. On LON-SM1, open Windows Explorer, and create a folder in the root of drive C named Reports.
2. Right-click the Reports folder and then click Share with and then click Specific people.
3. In the File Sharing window that opens type authenticated users in the text box and then click Add.
4. Under Permission Level, click the drop-down list for Authenticated Users and then click
Read/Write and then click Share.
5. On the File Sharing window click Done.
Task 2: Add an analysis folder

1. On LON-SM1, open the Service Manager console, and then click the Data Warehouse pane.
2. Click Analysis Libraries, and then from the Tasks pane, click Add Library Folder.
3. In the Add Library Folder window that opens, in the Name box, type Service Manager Reports.
4. In the UNC Path box, type \\LON-SM1\Reports, and then click OK.
5. Confirm that the Service Manager Reports analysis library folder is visible in the details pane of the
Analysis Libraries view.
6. Click the Reporting pane, and then expand Analysis Library.
7. Confirm that the Service Manager Reports analysis library folder is visible in the details pane.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a folder named Reports on drive C of LON-SM1, and
then shared the folder with Read and Write access for authenticated users. You should then have created
a new analysis folder in Service Manager and confirmed that the folder was visible when viewing the
analysis library in the Reporting pane.
Exercise 6: Analyzing Cube Data

Task 1: Create an incident report
2. Click the Data Warehouse pane, and then click Cubes.
3. From the details pane, click Service Manager WorkItems Cube, and then from the Tasks pane, click
Analyze Cube in Excel.
Note: If the Analyze Cube in Excel task is not available perform the following steps:
1. Click the Process Cube task and then in the Process Cube window that opens click OK.
2. From the Tasks pane click Refresh intermittently until the Status column for the Service Manager
WorkItems Cube displays Processed.
3. If the list of cubes does not refresh after 1 minute, restart the Service Manager console.
4. Restart this Task from Step 3.
5. In the Excel workbook that opens, under the Pivot Table Field List, expand the Incident Dim node,
and then select Incidents Opened and Incidents Active
6. In the workbook, rename Values to Incidents.
7. Insert 16 rows between the top of the workbook and the cell containing the word Incidents.
8. Select the two cells that contain the values for Incidents Opened and Incidents Active.
9. On the Insert tab, in the Charts group, click the Column button, and then click the first 2-D Column
chart.
10. Move the chart so it is positioned in the upper-left corner of the workbook.
11. In the chart area, right-click Incidents Opened, and then click Hide All Field Buttons on Chart.
Task 2: Save the report in the analysis library

1. Click the File menu, and then click Save As.
2. In the Save As window that opens, navigate to C:\Reports.
3. In the File name box, type Incidents opened versus incidents resolved.xlsx, and then click Save.
4. Close Excel.
Task 3: View the report in the analysis library

1. Click the Reporting pane, and then expand Analysis Library.
2. Click Service Manager Reports.
3. From the details pane, click Incidents opened versus incidents resolved.xlsx, and then from the
Tasks pane, click Open Excel File.
5. Confirm that the Excel workbook opens as expected.
6. Close Excel.
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Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Service Manager WorkItems cube to analyze
incident data in Microsoft Excel. This included creating a report that includes the number of incidents
opened versus the number of incidents resolved. You should have also added a column chart to the
report. Finally, you should have saved the report to the analysis library and confirmed that it was available
from the Reporting pane.
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Module 12: Advanced Troubleshooting and Disaster

Recovery
Lab: Performing Disaster Recovery in
Service Manager
Exercise 1: Recovering from a failed Service Manager Management Server
Task 1: Install a secondary Service Manager management server
1. On LON-SM3, navigate to \\LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager\amd64
2. On the Service Manager Setup Wizard page that opens, click Service Manager management
server.
Next.
5. On the System check results page, click Next. Ignore any warnings related to Memory or Processor
speed check.
6. On the Configure the Service Manager database page, type LON-SM1 in the Database server
box and then press tab on the keyboard.
7. Click OK on the Configure database window that opens.
8. Click Use an existing database.
9. Click the drop-down list next to Database and then click ServiceManager and then click Next.
10. On the Configure the Service Manager management group page, click Next.
11. On the Configure the account for Service Manager services page, select Domain account and
do not want to use Microsoft Update and clear Initiate machine wide Automatic Update and
then click Next.
16. On the Installation Summary page, click Install.
17. On the Setup completed successfully page, deselect the Open encryption backup or restore
wizard option and then click Close.
Task 2: Simulate a primary Service Manager management server failure

1. On LON-SM1 close the Service Manager console if it is open.
2. Click Start and then click Administrative Tools.
3. In the Administrative Tools window that opens double-click Services.
4. In the Services window that opens stop and disable the following Services:
Task 3: Promote a secondary Service Manager management server to be the primary

1. On LON-SM3 click Start and then click Administrative Tools.
2. In the Administrative Tools window that opens double-click Services.
3. In the Services window that opens stop the following Services:
4. Browse to C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012 R2\Service Manager.
5. Delete the Health Service State folder.
6. Logon to LON-SM1, click Start then type SQL Server and then click SQL Server Management
Studio.
7. In the Connect to Server window that opens click Connect.
8. In the Object Explorer window expand databases and then right-click ServiceManager and then
click New Query.
9. In the SQLQuery1.sql window that opens type the following:
EXEC p_PromoteActiveWorkflowServer LON-SM3.CONTOSO.COM
10. From the toolbar click Execute.

11. Close SQL Server Management Server and click No on the Microsoft SQL Server Management
Studio window that opens.
12. Log off LON-SM1.
13. On LON-SM3 start the following Services:
14. Wait for 2 minutes.
15. Click Start, then type Service and then click Service Manager console.
16. If a Connect to Server window opens click Connect.
17. Confirm the Service Manager console opens as expected.
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Results: After this exercise, you should have installed a secondary Service Manager Management Server
on LON-SM3. You should have then simulated a primary Service Manager Management Server failure on
LON-SM1. You should have then promoted the secondary Management Server to be the primary
Management Server. Finally, you should have opened the Service Manager console on LON-SM3 and
confirmed that is opens as expected.
Exercise 2: Recovering from a failed Service Manager Data Warehouse

Management Server
Task 1: Install a new computer with the same computer name as the failed Service
Manager data warehouse management server
Note: In the lab environment LON-DW1 hosts both the Data Warehouse Management
Server and Microsoft SQL Server including SQL Server Reporting Services. For this reason instead
of installing a new computer with the same computer name as the failed Service Manager Data
Warehouse Management Server you will remove the Data Warehouse Management Server from
LON-DW1 thereby simulating a Data Warehouse Management Server Failure. Later in this
exercise instead of installing the Data Warehouse Management Server on a different computer
with the same computer name, LON-DW1 can be re-used.
1. On LON-DW1, click Start then click Control Panel.

2. In the All Control Panel Items window that opens click Programs and Features.
3. In the Program and Features window that opens right-click Microsoft System Center 2012 R2
Service Manager and then click Uninstall.
4. In the Programs and Features window that opens click Yes.
5. Wait until Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager has been removed and then restart
LON-DW1.
Task 2: Restore the Service Manager data warehouse encryption key

1. On LON-DW1 browse to \\LON-DC1\Media\System Center 2012 R2 Service
Manager\amd64\Tools\SecureStorageBackup.
2. Double-click SecureStorageBackup.exe.
3. In the Encryption Key Backup or Restore Wizard that opens, on the Introduction page click Next.
4. On the Backup or Restore? Page click Restore the Encryption Key and then click Next.
5. On the Provide a Location page click Browse.
6. In the Open box browse to Local Disk (C:) and then click SM_WarehoueKey.bin and then click
Open.
7. On the Provide a Location page click Next.
8. On the Provide a Password page type Pa$$w0rd in the Password and Confirm Password boxes
9. When the Secure Storage Key Restore Complete message appears click Finish.
Task 3: Install the Service Manager data warehouse management server

1. On LON-DW1, navigate to \\LON-DC1\Media\ System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager\amd64
2. On the Service Manager Setup Wizard page that opens, click Service Manager data warehouse
management server.
Next.
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5. On the System check results page, click Next. Ignore any warnings related to Memory or Processor
speed check.
6. On the Configure the data warehouse databases page, click OK in the Configure database
window, and then click Use an existing database.
7. Click the Database drop-down list and click DWStagingAndConfig and then click Next.
8. On the Configure the data warehouse management group page, click Next.
9. On the Configure the reporting server for the data warehouse page, wait until the SSRS web
server URL has been validated, and then click Next.
10. On the Configure the account for Service Manager services page, select Domain account, and
11. Type Pa$$w0rd in the Password box and then, under Domain, select Contoso.
13. On the Configure the reporting account page, enter SM_Reporting in the User name box.
14. Enter Pa$$w0rd in the Password box, and then, under Domain, select Contoso.
16. On the Configure Analysis Services for OLAP cubes page, click Use an existing database.
17. Click Database drop-down list and then click DWASDatabase and then click Next.
18. On the Configure Analysis Services credential page, type SM_Analysis in the User name box.
do not want to use Microsoft Update, then clear Initiate a machine wide Automatic Update and
click Next.
24. On the Setup completed successfully page, de-select the check box and then click Close.
Task 4: Confirm the Service Manager data warehouse is operational

1. On LON-SM3 click Start, type Service and then click Service Manager console.
2. In the Service Manager console that opens, wait until the Data Warehouse pane becomes
available. This should take no longer than 3 minutes.
3. Click the Data Warehouse pane and then click Data Warehouse Jobs.
4. From the details pane confirm the Extract_DW_Contoso job is listed.
5. Close the Service Manger console.
Results: After this exercise, you should have installed a new computer with the same computer name as
the Service Manager Data Washhouse Management Server. You should have then restored the Data
Warehouse encryption key onto the new computer. You should have then installed the Service Manager
Data Warehouse Management Server using the existing Data Warehouse databases. Finally you should
have confirmed that the Data Washhouse Management Server is operational by viewing the Data
Warehouse Jobs in the Service Manager Console.
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Exercise 3: Recovering from a failed Service Manager database

Task 1: Backup the Service Manager database
1. Logon to LON-SM1 and create a folder on the C drive named SM_Backup.
2. Click Start, type SQL Server and then click SQL Server Management Studio.
3. In the Connect to Server window that opens click Connect.
4. In the Object Explorer window, expand Databases, right-click Service Manager, click Tasks and
then click Back Up.
5. In the Back Up Database Service Manager window that opens click Remove and then click Add.
6. In the Select Backup Destination window that opens click the ellipsis button.
7. In the Locate Database Files LON-SM1 window that opens browse to C:\SM_Backup.
8. Type ServiceManager.bak in the File name box and then click OK.
9. Click OK on the Select Backup Destination window.
10. Click OK on the Back Up Database ServiceManager window.
11. When the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio window appears click OK.
Task 2: Simulate a Service Manager database failure

1. On LON-SM1, in SQL Server Management Studio right-click the ServiceManager database in
Object Explorer and then click Delete.
2. In the Delete Object window that opens select Close existing connections and then click OK.
3. Notice that the ServiceManager database has now been removed from Object Explorer.
4. Logon to LON-SM3 and then click Start, then type Service and then click Service Manager
Console.
5. Notice that the Service Manager console does not load as the ServiceManager database is no
longer available.
6. Use Task Manager to close the Service Manager console.
Task 3: Restore the ServiceManager database

1. On LON-SM1, in SQL Server Management Studio right-click Databases and then click Restore
Database.
2. In the Restore Database window that opens click Device and then click the ellipsis button.
3. In the Select backup devices window that opens click Add.
4. In the Locate Backup File LON-SM1 window that opens browse to C:\SM_Backup and then click
ServiceManager.bak and then click OK.
5. In the Select backup devices window click OK.
6. Click OK on the Restore Database ServiceManager window.
7. When the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio window appears click OK.
8. In the Object Explorer window, confirm the ServiceManager database is displayed and then close
SQL Server Management Studio.
Task 4: Confirm Service Manager is operational

1. On LON-SM3, click Start, type Service Manager and then click Service Manager Console.
Note: After opening the Service Manager Console, ensure that the console window is not
maximized. There is a known issue where the Service Manager Console consumes 100% CPU if it
is maximized. This is resolved in UR2 but as the Service Manager installation on LON-SM3 is new,
UR2 has not been applied. For this reason you must manually resize the Service Manager Console
window such that it is not maximized.
2. Click the Work Items pane and then expand Incident Management and then click All Incidents.
3. From the details pane confirm the Incidents that were previously displayed before removing the
ServiceManager database are now displayed.
Results: After this exercise, you should have performed a backup of the ServiceManager database on
LON-SM1. You should then have simulated a ServiceManager database failure by deleting the
ServiceManager database. You should then have confirmed Service Manager was no longer operational
by attempting to open the Service Manager console. You should then have restored the ServiceManager
database. Finally you should have confirmed Service Manager was operational again by opening the
Service Manager console and reviewing the existing Incidents that have been created.
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Module 13: Creating Forms and Items in Service Manager

Using the Service Manager Authoring Tool
Lab: Creating Customized Forms by Using
the Authoring Tool
Exercise 1: Extending the Incident Class
Task 1: Creating a new management pack using the authoring console
1. On LON-SM0, from the desktop double-click Service Manager Authoring Tool.
2. In the Service Manager Authoring Tool (Administrator) window that opens click the File Menu
and then click New.
3. In the New Management Pack window that opens browse to C:\CustomMPs.
4. In the File name box type CustomIncidentForm and then click Save.
Task 2: Extending the incident class to include the StockTrader properties

1. On LON-SM0, in the Service Manager Authoring Tool, in the Class Browser section, click the
drop-down list and then click All Management Packs.
2. In the Search box type Incident.
3. From the box underneath right-click Incident and then click View.
4. From the Management Pack Explorer pane right-click Incident and then click Extend class.
5. In the Target Management Pack window that opens click CustomIncidentForm and then click OK.
6. In the Extension of Incident window click Create Property.
7. In the Create Property window that opens type StockName in the Internal name box and then
click Create.
8. From the list of Class properties and relationships right-click StockName and then click Details.
9. In the Details window that opens, under the General section click Name and then change the name
to Stock Name.
10. Close the Details window.
11. Click Create Property.
12. In the Create Property window that opens type StockNumber in the Internal name box and then
click Create.
13. From the list of Class properties and relationships right-click StockNumber and then click Details.
14. In the Details window that opens, under the General section click Name and then change the name
to Stock Number.
15. Next to Data Type, click the drop-down list and then click Integer.
17. Click the File menu and then click Save All.
Results: After this exercise, you should have created a new management pack in the Authoring Tool that
will be used to store the Incident class extension and the customization to the default Incident form. You
should have then extended the Incident class to include two additional properties that are used to capture
the additional StockTrader information.
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Exercise 2: Customizing the Default Incident Form

Task 1: Open the default incident form
1. On LON-SM0, in the Service Manager Authoring Tool, from the View menu click Form Browser.
2. In the Form Browser window click the drop-down list and then click All Management Packs.
3. In the Search box type Incident.
4. From the list of forms right-click System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm and then click View.
5. In the first Service Manager Authoring Tool window that opens click Cancel.
6. In the second Service Manager Authoring Tool windows that open click Cancel.
Note: You click Cancel as the .dll file being requested is not used in Windows Server 2012
R2, so this is expected.
7. In the System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm (read only) window that opens click Customize.

8. In the Target Management Pack window that opens click CustomIncidentForm and then click OK.
9. Notice that the System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm (Customized) window opens.
Task 2: Add a new StockTrader tab to the incident form

1. From the Form Customization Toolbox window click and drag the Tab Item control onto the
System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm (Customized) form and position it to the right of the
[Resolution] tab.
Note: If the Tab Item control does not appear to drop ono the tab section drag it down
into the main form first and then drag it onto the tab section.
2. Right-click TabItem 1 and then click Details.

3. In the Details window, from the Text section replace TabItem_1 from the Content parameter with
StockTrader and then press enter on the keyboard.
5. From the File menu click Save All.
Task 3: Add the StockTrader fields to the StockTrader tab

1. In the System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm (Customized) form click the StockTrader tab.
position it in the top-left of the form.
3. Expand the label so that it spans almost the width of the form.
4. Right-click Label1 and then click Details.
5. In the Text section change the Value in the Content parameter from Label_1 to Please enter the
stock name and stock number that this incident relates to and then press enter on the keyboard.
position it in the top-left of the form under the first label.

10. In the Details window, in the Text section, from the Content parameter change Label_2 to Stock
Name and then press enter on the keyboard.
position it underneath the Stock Name label.
15. In the Details window, in the Text section, from the Content parameter change Label_3 to Stock
Number and then press enter on the keyboard.
position it to the right of the Stock Name label
18. Right-click TextBox_1 and then click Details.
19. In the Details window, in the Binding section click the ellipsis next to Binding Path.
20. In the Binding Path window that opens click Stock Name and then click OK.
position it to the right of the Stock Number label
23. Right-click TextBox_2 and then click Details.
24. In the Details window, in the Binding section click the ellipsis next to Binding Path.
25. In the Binding Path window that opens click Stock Number and then click OK.
27. In the System.WorkItem.Incident.ConsoleForm (Customized) form click the General tab.
28. Right-click the [Affected User] label and then click Details.
29. In the Details window, in the Margin section change the Bottom value from 0 to 1 and then press
enter on the keyboard.
31. Click the File menu and then click Save All.
32. Close the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the Service Manager Authoring Tool to edit the default
incident form and then create a customized form that will be used whenever a new incident is created in
the Service Manager console. You should then have added a new StockTrader tab to the customized form
and included a descriptive label for the form. Finally, you should then have added two new Label and Text
Box controls to the form that will be used to capture the Stock Name and Stock Number information.
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Exercise 3: Seal the Management Pack

Task 1: Create the public/private pair key file
1. On ON-SM0, right-click Start and then click Command Prompt.
2. In the Administrator: Command Prompt window that opens navigate to C:\Program Files
(x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\bin.
3. Type the following command and then press enter on the keyboard:
SN.exe k C:\CustomMPs\CustomIncidentsForm.snk
4. Confirm a message stating Key pair written to C:\CustomMPs\CustomIncidentForm.snk is

displayed and then close the Administrator: Command Prompt window.
Task 2: Seal the Management Pack

1. On LON-SM0, from the desktop double-click Service Manager Authoring Tool.
2. In the Service Manager Authoring Tool (Administrator) click the File menu and then click Open.
3. In the Open a Management Pack window that opens navigate to C:\CustomMPs and then click
CustomIncidentsForm.xml and then click Open.
4. In the Management Pack Explorer pane right-click CustomIncidentsForm and then click Seal
Management Pack.
5. In the Seal Management Pack window that opens configure the following values:
Output Directory: C:\CustomMps
Key File: C:\CustomMps\CustomIncidentsForm.snk
Company: Contoso
6. Click Seal.
7. Open Windows Explorer and confirm the CustomIncidentsForm.mp file has been created in the
C:\CuistomMPs folder.
8. Close the Service Manager Authoring Tool (Administrator).
Results: After this exercise, you should have used the SN.exe utility to create a public/private key pair file.
You should have then used this file with the Service Manager Authoring Tool to seal the
CustomIncidentForm Management Pack.
Exercise 4: Import the Management Pack and use the updated Incident
form
Task 1: Import the customized incident form MP
4. In the Select Management Packs to import window that opens, change the MP files (*.xml) file
type to MP files (*.mp) then browse to C:\CustomMPs folder and then click
CustomIncidentForm.mp and then click Open.
5. In the Import Management Packs window that opens click Import.
6. Wait until the message stating The management pack was imported successfully appears and
then click OK.
7. From the details pane confirm the CustomIncidentForm management pack is displayed.
Task 2: Use the updated incident form

1. On LON-SM0, in the Service Manager console, click Work Items pane.
2. Expand Incident Management and then click All Incidents.
4. In the incident form that opens, on the General tab configure the following settings:
Title: Updated Incident Form with StockTrader fields included
Impact: Low
Urgency: High
5. Click the StockTrader tab.
6. In the Stock Name box type Test001
7. In the Stock Number box type 123 and then click OK on the incident form.
8. From the details pane click Updated Incident Form with StockTrader fields included and then
from the Tasks pane click Edit.
9. Click the StockTrader tab and confirm the values specified in Steps 6 and 7 have been recorded
correctly.
10. Click OK on the Updated Incident Form StockTrader fields included form.
Note: You can customize other forms such as the Configuration Items form using the same
methods as described in this lab.
Results: After this exercise, you should have imported the Management Pack containing the customized
incident form into Service Manager. You should have then created a new incident and from the
StockTrader tab included details of the Stock Name and Stock Number. Finally, you should have saved
and then re-opened the incident to confirm the StockTrader details were recorded as expected.
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LIMITATION DES DOMMAGES-INTRTS ET EXCLUSION DE RESPONSABILIT POUR LES

Revised July 2013

Gordon McKenna Content Developer

Sean Roberts Content Developer

Justin Kimber Content Developer

Alex Popham Content Developer

Andreas Baumgarten Technical Reviewer

Module 2: Installing System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager

Module 3: Key Concepts and Features

Module 4: Configuring Service Manager for Your Environment

Module 5: Populating the Service Manager CMDB using Connectors

Module 6: Managing Incidents and Problems

Module 7: Managing Changes and Releases

Module 8: Configuring and Managing the Service Catalog

Module 9: Automating Business Processes with Orchestrator

Module 10: Configuring Service Level Management

Module 11: Using Reports and Analyzing Data in Service Manager

Module 12: Advanced Troubleshooting and Disaster Recovery

Lab Answer Keys

About This Course

Module 5: Populating the Service Manager CMDB using Connectors.

Additional Reading: Course Companion Content on the

Additional Reading: Student Course files on the

Virtual Machine Environment

Virtual Machine Configuration

Virtual machine Role

LON-DC1 Domain controller for the Contoso domain

LON-DW2 Windows Server 2008 R2 used to host a System Center

LON-SM0 Windows Server 2012 R2 hosting System Center 2012

LON-SM1 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host a System Center

LON-SM2 Windows Server 2008 R2 used to host a System Center

LON-SQ1 SQL Server 2012 hosting System Center 2012 R2

LON-ST1 Windows Server 2008 R2 used to host the .NET

LON-AP1 Windows Server 2012 R2 hosting SharePoint Server

LON-DW1 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host a System Center

LON-EX1 Windows Server 2012 hosting Exchange Server 2010

LON-SC1 Windows Server 2012 R2 hosting System Center 2012

LON-SM3 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host System Center

NYC-AP1 Windows Server 2012 R2 hosting SharePoint Server

NYC-DW1 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host a System Center

Virtual machine Role

NYC-SM1 Windows Server 2012 R2 used to host a System Center

Course Hardware Level

Additional Learning Resources

IT Service Management Business Drivers

Service Manager and IT Service Management

Monitoring with System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager

Benefits of Integrating Operations Manager with Service Manager

Automation with System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator

Benefits of Integrating Orchestrator with Service Manager

Data Protection with System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager

Benefits of Integrating DPM and Orchestrator with Service Manager

Managing Virtual Environments with System Center 2012 R2 Virtual

Benefits of Integrating VMM with Service Manager