Setting up the installation environment

Complete the following actions to make the environment installation ready:

• Verify Domain Name System (DNS) for applications
• Create a realm and configure BMC Helix Single Sign-On
• Create an external IP for Elasticsearch

Before you begin

Before you perform the BMC Helix ITSM installation, make sure that you have installed BMC Helix Platform services 22.2.01.

Verifying DNS for applications

Make sure that you configure DNS for the BMC Helix IT Service Management applications so that you can access the applications by using the following URL format. The target of DNS entries must be the external load balancer serving the Ingress controller.

• Mid Tier - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Smart IT - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-smartit.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Smart Reporting - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-sr.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Innovation Studio - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-is.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Innovation Suite REST API or CMDB - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-restapi.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Atrium Web Services - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-atws.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Digital Workplace - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-dwp.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Digital Workplace Catalog - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-dwpcatalog.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Live Chat - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-vchat.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Openfire Chat - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-chat.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
• Support Assistant tool - <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-supportassisttool.<CLUSTER_DOMAIN>
  For example, if CUSTOMER_SERVICE=itsm, ENVIRONMENT=poc, and CLUSTER_DOMAIN=aus-ranch.bmc.com, the Mid Tier URL will be itsm-poc.aus-ranch.bmc.com
  

You must specify the same CUSTOMER_SERVICE and ENVIRONMENT parameter values to the deployment pipeline while performing the installation.

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To configure BMC Helix Single Sign-On

Make sure that BMC Helix Single Sign-On is installed during the BMC Helix Platform services deployment. Configure BMC Helix Single Sign-On by performing the following steps:

1. Log in to BMC Helix Single Sign-On.
2. On the menu, click Tenant.
   
3. Click  under the Action column to select the SAAS_TENANT. 
   "Tenant SAAS_TENANT is selected" confirmation message is displayed on the screen.
4. On the main menu, click Realm.
5. Click Add Realm.

6. In the General tab, enter the following details:

   Field	Value
   Realm ID	<CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT> For example, if CUSTOMER_SERVICE=itsm, ENVIRONMENT=poc, the field value is itsm-poc
   Application Domain(s)	List of the following Innovation Suite application URLs separated by comma: <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-atws.<cluster domain>, <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-dwpcatalog.<cluster domain>, <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>.<cluster domain>, <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-restapi.<cluster domain>, <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-is.<cluster domain>, <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-sr.<cluster domain>, <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-dwp.<cluster domain>, <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-smartit.<cluster domain>, <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-chat.<cluster domain>, <CUSTOMER_SERVICE>-<ENVIRONMENT>-vchat.<cluster domain> For example: itsm-poc-atws.itsm-cluster.bmc.com, itsm-poc-dwpcatalog.itsm-cluster.bmc.com, itsm-poc.itsm-cluster.bmc.com, itsm-poc-restapi.itsm-cluster.bmc.com, itsm-poc-restapi.itsm-cluster.bmc.com, itsm-poc-is.itsm-cluster.bmc.com,  itsm-poc-sr.itsm-cluster.bmc.com, itsm-poc-dwp.itsm-cluster.bmc.com, itsm-poc-smartit.itsm-cluster.bmc.com, itsm-poc-chat.itsm-cluster.bmc.com, itsm-poc-vchat.itsm-cluster.bmc.com
   Tenant	BMC Helix Platform tenant name. Specify the tenant name that you view in the List of Tenants page on the Tenant tab. For example, photon2.170

   The following image shows an example:
   

7. Click the Authentication tab and enter the following details:

   Field	Value
   Authentication Type	Select Authentication Type as AR Server
   Host	platform-user-ext.<namespace>  Replace the namespace with the BMC Helix Innovation Suite namespace.
   Port	Port Number – 46262

8. Click Add.

The following video clip shows how to configure BMC Helix Single Sign-On:

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To create an external IP for FTS_ELASTICSEARCH

Elasticsearch is deployed when you install BMC Helix Platform services. You can leverage Elasticsearch to provide Full Text Search capabilities in BMC Helix Innovation Suite.

To leverage Full Text Search capabilities, during BMC Helix IT Service Management installation, use elasticsearch-logs-opendistro-es-data-svc.<BMC Helix Platform namespace> in FTS_ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTNAME parameter value. 

If you are installing BMC Helix Platform and BMC Helix IT Service Management in different clusters, create an external IP address to Elasticsearch.

Perform the following steps to create an external IP for Elasticsearch:

1. Log in to the BMC Deployment Engine which is your Jenkins server.

2. Run the following command:

   kubectl expose service elasticsearch-logs-opendistro-es-data-svc -n <BMC Helix Platform namespace> --name=elastic-loganalytics-ext --external-ip=<EXT IP>

   The following table describes the parameters used in the command:

   Parameter name	Description
   BMC Helix Platform namespace	Specify the namespace where BMC Helix Platform services are deployed.
   EXT IP	Specify the IP address of any worker node in your Kubernetes cluster. This IP is used as the FTS_ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTNAME parameter value during BMC Helix Innovation Suite installation.

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To create an External IP for LOGS_ELASTICSEARCH

BMC Helix Innovation Suite Fluent Bit uses the Elasticsearch host deployed in the BMC Helix logging namespace.

To use the Elasticsearch host, during BMC Helix IT Service Management installation, use use the following Elasticsearch service based on the BMC Helix Platform services version in the  LOGS_ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTNAME parameter value.

If you are installing BMC Helix Platform and BMC Helix IT Service Management in different clusters, create an external IP address to Elasticsearch.

Perform the following steps to create an external IP for LOGS_ELASTICSEARCH:

1. Log in to the BMC Deployment Engine which is your Jenkins server.

2. Run the following command based on the BMC Helix Platform services version:

   BMC Helix Platform services version	Command
   22.2.01	kubectl expose service elasticsearch-logging-data -n <BMC Helix Logging namespace> --name=elastic-loganalytics-ext --external-ip=<EXT IP>
   22.4.00	kubectl expose service efk-elasticsearch-data-hl -n <BMC Helix Logging namespace> --name=elastic-loganalytics-ext --external-ip=<EXT IP>
   23.1.02	kubectl expose service efk-elasticsearch-data-hl -n <BMC Helix Platform namespace> --name=elastic-loganalytics-ext --external-ip=<EXT IP>

   In the EXT IP parameter, specify the IP address of any worker node in your Kubernetes cluster.

   This IP is used as the LOGS_ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTNAME parameter value during BMC Helix Innovation Suite installation.

   Make sure that this IP address is different from the one used for FTS_ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTNAME.

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Where to go from here