Managing BMC Client Management devices from the CMDB Actions window

If BMC Remedyforce is integrated with BMC FootPrints Asset Core version 11.7 or later (known since version 12.0 as BMC Client Management), and your system administrator has enabled the enhanced UI, you manage BMC Client Management devices from the CMDB Actions window in BMC Remedyforce.

The following topics are provided:

Overview of the CMDB Actions window

To access the CMDB Actions window, select any of the following options on the BCM Actions menu from Remedyforce CMDB or Remedyforce Console.

• Inventory Summary
• Registry
• Windows Events
• Process Management
• Services

The tabs that are displayed in the CMDB Actions window are based on the UI location from which you select these menu commands:

The Actions menu is available on all tabs in the CMDB Actions window. For information about the actions that are available on the Actions menu, see BCM Actions menu options.

If you select the following options from the Actions menu in the CMDB Actions window, you are prompted to download a JNLP file from your Salesforce.com organization, based on your browser settings:

• Remote Control
• File System
• File Transfer
  

If the JNLP file is present in your cache, the file name is incremented by one; for example, AcActions1.JNLP, AcActions2.JNLP, and so on. When you are prompted, you must open the JNLP file with Java Web Start to start the BMC Client Management console and run the menu command. For information about the prerequisites and browser settings for starting the BMC Client Management console, see Starting the BMC Client Management console from the CMDB Manager. 

All other options from the Actions menu enable you to perform an action on the BMC Client Management device directly in the CMDB Actions window, without starting the BMC Client Management console.

Viewing the inventory summary

1. In the CMDB Actions window, from the Actions menu, select Inventory Summary.
   The general inventory information of the BMC Client Management device running a Windows operating system is displayed on the Asset Summary: CIinstanceName tab.
2. Click a tab to view additional information about the device.
   For information about the device data that is displayed on each tab, see Viewing the inventory summary of a BMC Client Management device.

Managing the registry of the device

1. In the CMDB Actions window, from the Actions menu, select Registry.
   The keys in the Microsoft Registry of the BMC Client Management device are displayed on the Registry: CIinstanceName tab.
2. To add a new key, perform the following actions:
   1. From the Registry section, select the registry key under which you want to add a new key and click New Key.
   2. In the New Key box, enter the key name and click OK.
3. To add or edit a key value, perform the following actions:
   1. In the Registry section, select the key for which you want to add or edit a value.
   2. Click New Value or Edit Value.
   3. In the New Value or Edit Value box, enter the required information.
   4. Click OK.
4. To delete a key value, select that key value and click Delete Value.

5. To delete a key from the Registry section, select that key and click Delete Key.

   Note

   To enable you to edit or delete a registry key or value, your BMC Client Management user account must have the appropriate permissions.

Viewing the Windows events logged on the device

1. In the CMDB Actions window, from the Actions menu, select Windows Events.
   All events logged on a BMC Client Management device are displayed on the ConfigSummary: CIinstanceName tab.
2. From the Categories section, select the category for which you want to view the events.
   For example, you can view all system- or security-related events that are logged on the selected device.
3. (Optional) To view more information about the selected event, expand the Event Description panel.

Viewing the programs and processes running on the device

1. In the CMDB Actions window, from the Actions menu, select Process Management.
   The programs and processes that are running on the BMC Client Management device are displayed on the Processes: CIinstanceName tab.
2. To start a new process on the BMC Client Management device, perform the following actions:
   1. Click New Process to open the New Process box.
   2. In Program Path, enter the complete path where the program executable is located; for example: C:\Program Files\notepad.exe.
   3. (Optional) In Program attributes, enter the values that are required to run the program. For example, if a password is required to run a program, enter the password in the Program attributes box.
   4. (Optional) Select the Run Program in its Context check box.
   5. Click Run.
      The new process is added to the list of processes that are displayed on the Processes: CIinstanceName tab.
3. To end a process that is running on the BMC Client Management device, select that process from the list, and click End Process.

Managing services running on the device

1. In the CMDB Actions window, from the Actions menu, select Services.
   The services that are running on the BMC Client Management device, and their properties, are displayed on the Services: CIinstanceName tab.
2. From the list of services, select the appropriate service and perform one of the following actions:
   • To start a service on the device, click Start.
   • To stop a service that is running on the device, click Stop.

   • To restart a service, click Restart.

     Note

     To enable you to start, stop, or restart a service, your BMC Client Management user account must have the appropriate permissions.

Performing an audit of the device

To perform an audit of the selected BMC Client Management device, from the Actions menu in the CMDB Actions window, select Audit Now. The appropriate message is displayed based on success or failure of the audit action.

After the audit request is completed, the latest device information is generated and uploaded to the BMC Client Management database.

Verifying the device connection

To verify if the selected BMC Client Management device is reachable, from the Actions menu in the CMDB Actions window, select Check connection. The appropriate message is displayed based on success or failure of the ping command.

Rebooting the device

To restart the selected BMC Client Management device, from the Actions menu in the CMDB Actions window, select Reboot. The appropriate message is displayed based on whether the reboot action failed or was successfully sent to the device.

Shutting down the device

To shut down the selected BMC Client Management device, from the Actions menu in the CMDB Actions window, select Shut down. The appropriate message is displayed based on whether the shutdown action failed or was successfully sent to the device.

Waking up the device

To wake up the selected BMC Client Management device, from the Actions menu in the CMDB Actions window, select Wake up. The appropriate message is displayed based on whether the wakeup action failed or was successfully sent to the device.

Deploying operational rules on a device that is linked to an incident or service request

If your system administrator has enabled the integration between BMC Remedyforce and BMC Client Management, and you are a valid BMC Client Management administrator, you can deploy operational rules on BMC Client Management devices that are linked to incidents or service requests in BMC Remedyforce.

For more information about operational rules and tracking the status of operational rules, see Deploying operational rules on devices that are linked to incidents or service requests.

To deploy operational rules on a device that is linked to an incident or service request

1. In the CMDB Actions window, on the Configuration Items tab, select a CI or asset that represents a device in BMC Client Management.

2. From the Actions menu, select Advanced Actions.
   The Advanced Actions panel on the right expands to display all operational rules that are available for the BMC Remedyforce integration with BMC Client Management.

   Note

   The Advanced Actions option to deploy operational rules on a BMC Client Management device is available in the Actions menu only if you open the CMDB Actions window from the Remedyforce Console or Incident Console tab.

3. In the Advanced Actions panel, select the appropriate operational rule and click OK.
   If the selected operational rule requires approval before deployment, the rule is deployed only when the required approval is received.
   BMC Remedyforce creates a task for the operational rule and links the task to the incident or service request linked to the selected device. The incident form refreshes and displays the task in the Linked Tasks section.

   Note

   If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer and the task is not displayed in the Linked Tasks section, you must configure the browser settings. For more information, see Showing the operational rule task in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Related topic

Integrating BMC Helix Remedyforce with BMC Client Management