Using

The following table explains how to use BMC Server Automation to manage your entire environment:

Topic	Benefit
Launching BMC Server Automation	The topics in this section describe the BMC Server Automation logon process and provide some conceptual explanation about the authentication process.
Navigating the interface	The BMC Server Automation console contains global menus, toolbars, perspectives, views, objects, and content editors, referred to collectively as the console. You can use them to perform the tasks required to provision and manage your data center efficiently.
Using the Health and Value Dashboards	The Health Dashboard provides information about BMC Server Automation system components and assesses how well they are functioning. You can also set up a Value Dashboard that provides metrics on the time and money saved by using BMC Server Automation.
Working with properties	Most system objects in BMC Server Automation have properties associated with them. Properties define a wide range of characteristics. Typically, you manage properties using a master list called the Property Dictionary.
Managing servers	In BMC Server Automation, the Servers folder gives you a variety of utilities for managing the servers in your system. The topics in this section provide an overview of the Servers folder, discuss server properties and organization concepts, and describe basic tasks you can perform on servers, such as assigning servers to groups, browsing a server, and decommissioning a server.
Working with components and component templates	You define a component template and then use the template to discover components on servers. After you have discovered a component, you can use that component to browse, snapshot, and audit the service, application, or policy that the component represents. You can also run Compliance Jobs on components to ensure the integrity of the components and remediate problems by deploying the BLPackages specified in the component template definition.
Analyzing system compliance	Using the Compliance module, you can scan any number of server configurations across multiple data centers for adherence to the relevant policies or sets of compliance rules. The topics in this section describe how to analyze: Operational compliance, which involves tracking the properties of operating system objects (such as files, configurations, user accounts, or services). Regulatory compliance or security compliance. Such templates can facilitate compliance analysis when you need to adhere to industry-defined compliance policies (such as CIS, DISA, HIPAA, PCI, or SOX).
Patch management	The topics in this section provide an overview of patch management in BMC Server Automation, and describe the various tasks required to prepare for, set up, and execute patch management jobs.
Provisioning	This topic provides links to the procedures IT Operators can use to perform complex management tasks such as: Bare metal provisioning Provisioning VMs Implementation process for provisioning
Auditing	This topic describes the typical tasks that you perform while auditing compliance for components or server objects through BMC Server Automation.
Change tracking	This topic describes how you can use Snapshot Jobs to record the configuration of a server object or a group of server objects at a point in time. Snapshot Jobs include a feature called change tracking that lets you view the changes that occur between the first time you take the snapshot, which functions as the baseline, and the next snapshot at the current moment in time. For every subsequent run, the change tracking lets you view changes that occur between the previous run and the current run.
Deploying files and applications using packages and depot objects	The topics in this section describe how to add objects to the Depot folder, including software packages, BLPackages, Network Shell scripts, and files.
Managing jobs	The topics in this section present general information about job management for all types of BMC Server Automation jobs, such as basic concepts, organization, properties, and job priority. The topics also explain how to view all sorts of information for job runs, as well as how to manage job logs and schedules.
Creating and modifying BMC Server Automation jobs	The topics in this section discuss how to create and modify the various types of jobs included in BMC Server Automation.

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