Adobe Flash replacement options when upgrading BMC CMDB to version 20.02.02
Adobe announced the end of development and distribution of Adobe Flash Player by the end of the year 2020. Flash-based capabilities in Remedy IT Service Management Suite (Remedy ITSM Suite) will no longer work after December 31, 2020. BMC has taken proactive steps over the recent releases to manage the deprecation of the Flash-based capabilities in Remedy ITSM Suite. BMC has also been providing replacement capabilities for the majority of areas where Flash was used in the past.
BMC recommends that you upgrade Remedy platform components (Remedy AR System Server, Remedy Mid Tier, BMC CMDB, and Atrium Integrator) to version 20.02.02 before December 31, 2020 to avoid any problems as a result of the Adobe Flash Player retirement.
How can I find out if I am impacted by the end of life of Adobe Flash?
If you are using any of the capabilities listed in the table in the next section, then end of life of Adobe Flash will have an impact on the behavior of your ITSM implementation.
What Flash-related changes can I expect when I upgrade to CMDB version 20.02.02?
The following tables list the capabilities that are available in CMDB and provide a comparison between its behavior in your current installation and in version 20.02.02.
Capabilities replaced in CMDB version 20.02
| Component | Capability | Behavior in versions earlier than 20.02 | Behavior in version 20.02.02 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMDB | Create search queries by using graphical query builder | You can use Atrium Core Console to create advanced topological queries to search for CIs in CMDB. | You can create search queries by using the graphical query builder. You can create a search query by dragging and dropping classes on a canvas and creating relationships between these classes. You can edit these queries, and save these queries as personal or shared queries.
See
Creating a graph query to search for a CI
The following video provides details of how you can create search queries in BMC CMDB by using the graphical query builder: |
Capabilities replaced in CMDB version 20.02.02
| Component | Capability | Behavior in version earlier than 20.02.02 | Behavior in version 20.02.02 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMDB | Retrieve data by using federated classes and plug-ins | You can use federated plug-ins and federated classes in Atrium Core Console to retrieve data from external databases. You must first define a federated plug-in and then define a class that can retrieve data through the plug-in. | In CMDB Portal, you can retrieve data from external databases by using a combination of federated plug-ins and federated classes.
You must first define a federated plug-in and then define a class that can retrieve data through the plug-in. See
Displaying external data within CMDB by using federated plug-ins and classes
|
| CMDB | Access CMDB Portal for CDM Denormalization, Atrium Impact Simulator, and Product Catalog | You can access the Atrium CDM DeNormalization Console in Atrium Core Console by selecting Advanced > CDM DeNormalization. You have to log in to the mid tier to access the Atrium Impact Simulator in the AIS:Main AR System form or the Product Catalog Console in the PDL:PD_Console form. | You can access the Atrium CDM DeNormalization Console in CMDB Portal by using the Atrium:CDMFlatteningProcessUI form. See
Running the CDM Denormalization utility
You can access Atrium Impact Simulator in the AIS:Main AR System form or Product Catalog Console in the PDL:PD_Console AR System form.
See
Configuring the default web path of the Mid Tier server in AR System Administration Console
|
| CMDB | View CI Audit | In Atrium Core Console, you cannot view the audit history of a CI. | In CMDB Portal, you can view the audit history of a CI from the search results of the CI.
See
Auditing changes to CIs
|
| CMDB | Manage reconciliation, including Compare, Copy, Execute, and Delete activities | In Atrium Core Console, you can create Compare, Copy, Execute, and Delete activities in a reconciliation job, in addition to the already existing Identify, Merge, and Purge activities. | In CMDB Portal, you can create Compare, Copy, Execute, and Delete activities in a reconciliation job, in addition to the already existing Identify, Merge, and Purge activities.
See
in CMDB documentation. |
| CMDB | Build and maintain service models by using Dynamic Service Modeling | You can build and maintain service models by using the Dynamic Service Modeling tool in the Flash-based CMDB UI. | You can use the Dynamic Service Modeling tool in CMDB Portal to build and maintain service models of your business services, technical services, or application services.
See
Building and maintaining service models by using Dynamic Service Modeling
|
Which features are deprecated when I upgrade to ITSM version 20.02.02?
The following table lists features that are deprecated in version 20.02.02. We have provided alternative solutions, wherever possible.
| Component | Capability | Deprecated in Release | Current Behavior | Behavior in 20.02.02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMPM | SMPM process model - landing page | Deprecated in version 20.02.02 | The Home page of Service Management Process Model (SMPM) uses an Adobe Flash-based display. |
|
| AR System | Agent-to-agent chat | Deprecated in version 20.02.02 It works only if your browser supports Adobe Flash. | The Openfire Chat feature of Remedy AR System uses Adobe Flash. You can use the chat feature only if your browser version supports Adobe Flash. | The Openfire Chat plug-in works only on browser versions that support Adobe Flash. We recommend to use Smart IT Openfire Chat for agent-to-agent communication. See
Chatting with other agents to resolve a ticket using Openfire
|
Alternatives to features that are not available in CMDB Portal
Some features that were available in Atrium Core Console are not available in CMDB Portal. However, we have suggested alternatives for these features.
For details, see
Differences between Atrium Core Console and BMC CMDB Portal
in CMDB documentation.
Are there any upgrade requirements to get the replacements of Adobe Flash-based capabilities in ITSM ?
If you are a BMC Helix ITSM subscriber, BMC plans to upgrade your SaaS environments before the end of 2020 to replace the Flash-based capabilities, which will be scheduled in coordination with you.
For Remedy on-premises, BMC has delivered replacement capabilities for these remaining Flash-based capabilities via 20.02 Patch 02 (20.02.02) release for the Remedy platform components (Remedy AR System Server, Remedy Mid Tier, CMDB, and Atrium Integrator). You must install Patch 02 on top of the Remedy platform version 20.02. This patch was made available for download from the BMC Electronic Product Distribution (EPD) site in October 2020.
Remedy version 20.02.02 (Patch 02) contains the updates delivered in Remedy version 20.02.01 (Patch 01).
- For information about the updates delivered in Patch 01, see
Updates in Remedy version 20.02.01
in the Remedy deployment documentation.
- For instructions on upgrading to Patch 02, see
Deployment instructions for version 20.02.02
in the Remedy deployment documentation.
For detailed information about the patch and the list of issues that have been corrected in this release, see the following patch bulletins:
-
Replacement of remaining Adobe Flash capabilities in Remedy
in the Remedy ITSM online documentation.
-
20.02.02: Patch 2 for version 20.02
in the Remedy AR System online documentation.
-
20.02.02: Patch 2 for version 20.02
in the BMC CMDB online documentation.
If you are using Remedy ITSM on-premises, we recommend that you upgrade to 20.02 Patch 02 before December 31, 2020 to avoid any problems as a result of the Adobe Flash retirement. Based on the capabilities you require, upgrade as follows:
- To replace all remaining Flash-based capabilities, upgrade the Remedy Mid Tier or the Remedy platform (Remedy AR System Server, CMDB, and Atrium Integrator) to version 20.02 Patch 02. You need not upgrade the Remedy ITSM applications.
- To replace the Approval Process Visualizer and the SRM Process Designer and Visualizer capabilities, upgrade only the Remedy Mid Tier. You need not upgrade the entire Remedy platform.
What other enhancements can I expect when I upgrade to CMDB version 20.02.02?
The following table lists other enhancements in AR System and CMDB.
| Release | Action Request System Enhancement | CMDB Enhancement |
|---|---|---|
| 20.02 | ||
| 20.02.02 |
How do I upgrade to ITSM platform version 20.02.02?
If you are a BMC Helix ITSM subscriber, see
BMC Helix Upgrade policy
in the BMC Helix Subscriber Information documentation.
If you are a Remedy on-premises customer, see
Planning an upgrade
in the Remedy deployment documentation.
How can I simulate and test the product behavior without Adobe Flash?
Turn off the Flash plug-in in your browser and test your product behavior without Adobe Flash.
Alternatives for customers who want to continue to use the Flash-based BMC products
| HARMAN International Packaged Browser solution | HARMAN International has an exclusive agreement with Adobe to provide extended licensing and support agreements for the enterprise Adobe Flash Player until the end of 2023. For details, go to
https://services.harman.com/partners/adobe
BMC Software provides Limited Support for Adobe Flash-based capabilities in Remedy version 9.1.03 or later when used in combination with the HARMAN Packaged Browser application—Electron/Chromium version. Limited Support is provided temporarily until Dec 31, 2021, to cover the time period until customers upgrade to the latest BMC product version that has replaced the Flash-based capabilities. Important: For known issues, go to the "HARMAN International Packaged Browser solution known issues" section in the "Known and corrected issues" page for the Remedy component and version you are running. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Enterprise Enablement for legacy browser versions | Important The ability to run Adobe Flash Player depends upon the browser vendor's support. Running BMC Software products with outdated browser versions requires you to turn off automatic updates. This approach should be carefully considered and should be in alignment with your company's security group recommendations. With Adobe Flash Player 32.0 Enterprise Enablement, companies can allow Flash Player content to be loaded from a set of trusted URLs by performing these actions:
BMC Software has validated the Flash Player will continue to run with Flash Player Enterprise Enablement on these browser versions:
|
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