Using the TrueSight Server Automation Operations Analyzer to get insights into patching operations

TrueSight Server Automation uses the Operations Analyzer with Microsoft Teams, powered by BMC HelixGPT, to help administrators get insights into patching operations without leaving the Teams interface.

As an administrator with the BLAdmins roles, use Microsoft Teams to obtain information about patching operations, such as a summary of last week's patch deployments and servers that are overdue for patching. By providing the AI-powered, real-time analytics in a conversational format, the agent helps you to make faster decisions, streamline operational planning, and consistently meet SLAs.

Before you begin

Before you start using the TSSA Operations Analyzer, perform the following tasks:

	Products	Task	Reference
1	TrueSight Server Automation	Enable the required REST settings so that TrueSight Server Automation can support Agentic AI–based interactions. Log on to any TrueSight Server Automation Application Server host. Launch NSH on the Application Server host. Run the blasadmin command. At the blasadmin prompt, execute the following command: set AppServer IsAgenticRestApiEnabled true Exit from the blasadmin prompt. Restart all Application Servers of type All and Config. Note: By default, only the BLAdmins role is authorized to use Agentic AI capabilities. Authorized roles are defined using the agenticAPI.allowedRoles property located in: <Application Server Installation Directory>/br/deployments/default/tomcat/webapps/rest/WEB-INF/classes/application.properties Any role that requires access to Agentic AI capabilities must also be configured in the Connector configuration within the BMC Helix Automation Console.	Configuring the TrueSight Server Automation connector
2	BMC Helix Automation Console	The TSSA Operations Analyzer runs in BMC Helix Innovation Studio and communicates with TrueSight Server Automation via the BMC Helix Automation Console. To enable this integration, a connection must be established between BMC Helix Automation Console and the TrueSight Server Automation Application Server. To establish the connection, configure the TrueSight Server Automation connector in BMC Helix Automation Console. Important: The Role configured for the connector must be in the allowed list in TrueSight Server Automation. The introduction of the context removal feature requires additional access control. To use Operations Analyzer capabilities, users must be assigned the BLAdmins role.	Configuring the TrueSight Server Automation connector
3	BMC Helix Portal	By default, Agentic AI capabilities in BMC Helix Automation Console are disabled. To enable these capabilities for specific roles, assign the following permissions to them in BMC Helix Portal: Server Automation > Agentic AI Automations	Setting up roles and permissions
4	BMC Helix Innovation Studio	Obtain LLM connection details (endpoint URL, API key, and model ID) Register or update the LLM model in HelixGPT Agent Studio Verify the Model ID in the Operations Analyzer Agent configuration Verify the Model ID in the Operations Analyzer Skill configuration Confirm the same Model ID is used in both Agent and Skill Note: that Operations Analyzer returns up to 20 rows per query and retains the last 10 messages for context	Configuring settings to use the AI-powered capabilities in TrueSight Server Automation
5	BMC Helix Innovation Studio Microsoft Teams Microsoft Azure	Integrate TrueSight Server Automation with Microsoft Teams.	Integrating TrueSight Server Automation with Microsoft Teams for getting insights into patching operations

To access the chatbot in Microsoft Teams

Log on to Microsoft Teams and click the chatbot name.
The administrator defines the chatbot name during the integration of TrueSight Server Automation with Microsoft Teams (step 4 in the Before you begin section).
To get insights into patching operations, enter your questions, as shown in the following figure:

For more examples of the questions you can ask, see out-of-the-box sample questions.

Scenario

Scenario

Jim, a patch administrator at Apex Global, is responsible for maintaining patching cycles and patch compliance across environments. He wants to identify the failed patch jobs and diagnose the root cause of errors from the latest patching cycle.

With the TSSA Operations Analyzer, Jim can access operational data instantly and conversationally through Microsoft Teams, eliminating the need to log on to multiple consoles, check reports, or review job run logs. Quick responses from the bot accelerate decision-making and help Jim maintain SLAs.

He starts with the following question from the Microsoft Teams bot:

Show all patching jobs executed in the last one week

He continues by asking a series of follow-up questions:

Which patching jobs failed in the last one week
Show the errors in job "Ubuntu 2404 Install Mode PAJ"
Against which targets did job "Ubuntu 2404 Install Mode PAJ" fail
Show the errors that occurred on server "ubuntu2404-comp-01" in job "Ubuntu 2404 Install Mode PAJ"

The following figure shows the sample response to the last question:

Best practices for using the TSSA Operations Analyzer

The following table describes the best practices that you should follow when asking questions in Microsoft Teams to get the desired out:

Best practice	Poor question example	Improved question example
Enclose the object names, such as jobs and catalogs, in double quotation marks.	Show job status for rhel10 prod job.	Show job status for "rhel10 prod" job
	What is the status of daily rhel 10 patch analysis job?	What is the status of "daily rhel 10 patch analysis" job?
Clearly state the metrics.	Show patch data.	Show missing patches by server.
	List failed jobs.	List patch job names that failed in the last 2 days.
	For job "rhel10", show status of all targets.	For job "rhel10", name non-successful targets.
Specify filters explicitly.	Show missing patches.	Show missing patches for Windows servers.
Specify filters explicitly.	List job runs.	List jobs executed in the last 30 days.
Always include a date range for the recent or historical data.	Show recent jobs.	Show jobs run in the last week.
	List old patches.	List patches missing since January 2024.
Specify aggregations explicitly (for example, totals, averages, and counts).	How many jobs?	For each job executed in last 10 days, provide count of successful and failed servers.
	Show run times.	What is the average run time for patching job "rhel10"?
Do not use ambiguous terms, for example, recent.	Show good servers.	Show servers with Patch Compliance Status = Compliant.
Do not use ambiguous terms, for example, recent.	List recent errors.	List error logs for job "rhel10".
Limit one question to one metric.	Show missing patches and server details and error logs.	Show missing patches for server "aud-pun-10".
Limit one question to one metric.	List jobs and compliance status.	List patch jobs with their compliance status.
Avoid asking out-of-scope actions.	Add a new column to the schema. Predict future patch failures.	No good version; schema changes are out of scope. No good version; predictive analytics are out of scope.
Use business terms from schema.	Show stuff about compliance for server "aus-pun-10".	Show Patch Compliance Status for server "aus-pun-10".
Use business terms from schema.	List patch info.	List Missing Patch Details for Windows servers.
State the output format if needed	Show patch jobs.	Show patch jobs grouped by their status as a table.
State the output format if needed	List compliance.	Show Patch Compliance status as a csv.
Avoid SQL or any other technical jargon	SELECT * FROM patching summary table where STATUS = "Failed";	Show all failed patch job runs.
	Write a query to get missing patches for windows server "win-aus-10".	Show missing patches for server "win-aus-10".
	SELECT errors FROM error log table WHERE error message is not null for server"'aus-pun-1" in job "rhel10"	From Job "rhel10", show the errors occurred for server "aus-pun-10".

Out-of-the-box sample questions

Ask any of the following out-of-the-box questions in Microsoft Teams to get insights into patching operations:

Category	Purpose	Sample questions
Patch job summary	Assess patching activity, coverage, and efficiency.	Which patch jobs ran in the last 30 days? Which targets were included in a "Win2019 Complete Patch Analysis" patch job? What is the average time to patch all machines?
Missing patches	identify patch compliance gaps.	Which servers are missing critical or security patches? What are the top 10 most missing patches across servers for "RHEL Errata Patch Analysis Job" job? Which patches are missing on more than 50% of servers in the last job run for Windows?
Patch compliance and trends	Evaluate patch compliance trends and measure improvement over time	What is the patch compliance trend/health over the last 3 months for a Patch Job "RHEL Errata Patch Analysis Job"? What is the patch compliance trend over the last 30 days for Windows patch jobs? How has patch compliance improved since the last run based on Windows OS?
Failure drill-down	Identify recurring patching failures and highlight high-risk targets	Which targets have repeated patching failures? Can I get a summary of all failed patch attempts this month? Share a summary for servers where patching failed more than twice.
Patch job execution metrics and trends	Identify performance bottlenecks in patch analysis	Which servers consistently take the longest time for patch analysis? Which jobs consistently take the longest time for patch analysis?
Patch job and target group insights	Analyze patching coverage and scheduling patterns	Which servers are most often patched together? Are there any targets not included in any patch job? Which servers are overdue for patching?

TSSA Operations Analyzer capabilities

Capability	Description	Benefits
Context retention	TSSA Operations Analyzer retains conversational context within a session to enable natural, progressive interactions. The system interprets follow-up queries without requiring users to repeat previously provided information by using earlier questions and responses as conversational knowledge. For example, if a user requests a list of patching jobs and then asks, “Which targets failed?”, the system recognizes the second query as related to the initial request and responds appropriately. Note: If you change the subject or start a new line of inquiry, it is recommended to clear the previous conversation context to avoid unintended responses. To reset the session, send /clear in the chat.	Eliminates repetitive input Improves task efficiency Provides a streamlined conversational experience for patching insights and analysis.
Intermediate agent system messages	TSSA Operations Analyzer displays intermediate system messages in Microsoft Teams to provide real-time visibility into background processing while a query is being handled. These system-generated updates confirm that the agent has received the request and is performing tasks such as interpreting the question, validating context, building or refining a database query, and preparing the final response. Instead of appearing idle, the agent displays progress indicators (for example, Analyzing your request).	Improves transparency during query execution Reduces user uncertainty; Creates a more interactive and responsive conversational experience
Server property-based queries	TSSA Operations Analyzer enables server property-based queries by using attributes stored in the TrueSight Server Automation environment. The agent can access server metadata such as host name, IP address, operating system, domain name, and other administrative properties, allowing users to retrieve data based on these attributes. Example queries include “List all Linux servers” and “Show me all servers located in Pune.”	Provides precise filtering capabilities Enables targeted data exploration Reduces the need to navigate multiple UI screens.

Server properties

Property Name	Description
NAME	Human-readable name of the server.
HOST	Hostname of the server.
OS_NAME	The category of the operating system installed on the server.
OS_RELEASE	Release number of the installed operating system.
OS_VENDOR	Vendor or provider of the operating system.
OS_VERSION	Operating System version.
PLATFORM_NAME	Platform type of the server.
IP_ADDRESS	IP address assigned to the server.
DATE_CREATED	Date when the server was first added to the system.
DATE_MODIFIED	Date when the server metadata was last updated.
STAGING_DIR	Path name to the staging directory used by the agent on the server.
SUBNET_MASK	Subnet mask of the server’s IP configuration.
DESCRIPTION	Description or notes related to the server or its RSCD agent.
AGENT_MAJOR_VERSION	Major version of the RSCD agent installed on the server.
AGENT_MINOR_VERSION	Minor version of the RSCD agent installed on the server.
AGENT_PATCH_VERSION	Patch version of the RSCD agent installed on the server.
AGENT_BUILD_VERSION	Build number of the RSCD agent installed on the server.
AGENT_STATUS	Current status of the RSCD agent on the server. For example, "agent is alive", "agent is not responding."
AGENT_STATUS_REASON	If the current Agent Status is 'agent is not responding', this provides the reason/cause of the issue
CUSTOMER	Customer or tenant to which the server belongs
ENVIRONMENT	Name of the environment the server is in. For example, Production, QA, Development, etc.
FQ_HOST	Fully qualified host name (FQDN) of the server.
IS_PENDING_REBOOT	Indicates whether the server requires a reboot to complete the patching process.
PHYSICAL_LOCATION	Physical or geographic location of the server.
RSCD_DIR	Installation directory path of the RSCD agent on the server.

FAQ

What is the name of the chatbot in Microsoft Teams?

There is no default name of the chatbot. The name is configured by the Administrator while creating it in Microsoft Teams. Check with your Administrator for details.