Documentation update

   

The service name is changed from BMC Helix Vulnerability Management to BMC Helix Automation Console.
You can find the latest documentation at BMC Helix Automation Console. Open link .

Configuring the TrueSight Server Automation connector

TrueSight Server Automation connector is used to establish a connection between Automation Console and the TrueSight Server Automation Application Server. Automation Console sends notifications for jobs such as updating catalogs, and running patching jobs to the connector, which sends it to the TrueSight Server Automation. The connector ensures that even if the application server is in an air-gapped environment, communication between Automation Console and the application server is uninterrupted. 

By default, the connector establishes a connection over the HTTPS protocol using out-of-the-box self-signed certificates. To ensure seamless communication, you must provide the connector information in the hosts file on Server Automation. 

You create a service account and specify the data refresh interval while configuring the connector. The Data Refresh capability monitors jobs that affect the status of the missing patches and managed assets and regularly updates the job data in Automation Console. This service account is also used for change automation while obtaining approvals from BMC Remedy IT Service Management. 

If you have multiple Application Servers (MAS) set up in your TrueSight Server Automation environment, in case of failure of one of the instances, you can edit the connector configuration and specify a different TrueSight Server Automation server. 

Before you begin

Before running the connector, ensure that the connector is installed and run on Windows and Linux operating systems that match the following criteria:

  • AdoptOpenJDK Runtime Environment 18.9 (build 11.0.7+10) is installed on the connector host
  • Port number 443 is open

    Port

    Protocol

    From

    To

    Notes

    443

    HTTPS

    Connector

    Application Server (web services port) and Internet

    Communication with Application Server and Internet

    443

    HTTPS

    Application Server (web services port)

    Connector

    Communication between Application Server and Connector

  • Before configuring the connector, you must have created an account for a Cloud Native User in BMC Helix Automation Console service. 
    See Onboarding BMC Helix subscribers

Configuring the connector

To configure the connector, do these steps: 

  1. Go to BMC Helix Automation Console login page.
  2. Select the Login Profile as Cloud Native User and provide the credentials to login as a cloud user. 
  3. Go to the briefcase menu on the top right, and click Connectors > Add a Connector.
  4. From the on-premises connectors, select the Server Automation connector, and click Configure
  5. On the Add a connector page, provide the following details: 
    1. Enter a name.
    2. In the Application Server Configuration area, enter the host name, port, and the Server Automation administrator role name. 

      Can I provide a different TrueSight Server Automation host details while editing the connector?

      Yes, in case of failure of the existing Application Server, you can specify another Application Server only if it belongs to a multiple Application Servers (MAS) set up.

    3. In the Service Account Profile area, enter the username, password, role, and the authentication method for the service account. 
      This account is used to log on to BMC Helix Automation Console with a Server Automation user profile. 
      After entering the password, click Save.
    4. In the Collection Mode area, specify the data collection interval. 
      By default, the time interval is 60 minutes. Minimum acceptable is 5 minutes and maximum is 10080 minutes.
  6. Click Continue and download the connector zip file on a local host. 
  7. On the server where the connector file is extracted, go to the connector location, and run the following command to install and start the connector: 
    • Windows: run.bat
    • Linux: run.sh

    The connector starts running successfully. You can view the connector status on the Connectors page in BMC Helix Automation Console.

  8. (Optional) To configure the TrueSight Server Automation connector as a service, do these steps:
    1. Contact BMC Customer Support to obtain the TrueSight Server Automation connector XML file required for this step. 
      See Knowledge Article 000189930.
    2. Replace the bsa-connector.xml file with the latest one. 
    3. Run the bsa-connector.exe install command.
      A new service is created on the host. 

Can I configure a connector with any other user profile?

No. You require a Cloud Native User profile only to configure connectors in BMC Helix Automation Console.

As a Server Automation user, on the Connectors page, you can view the connectors that are currently configured and running in your environment.

Enabling debug mode

BMC recommends that you do not modify any other configuration files available in the /config directory. However, you can enable the debug mode on the connector to obtain detailed logging information.

Do this:

  1. Press CTRL+C twice to stop the connector.
  2. Go to <ConnectorLocation>/config, open the log4j.properties file, and change the logging option to debug.

    # Root logger option
    log4j.rootLogger=debug, file
  3. Start the connector.

Where to go next?

Log in to Automation Console with the appropriate credentials to successfully verify the connector installation. See Logging in

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