Quick start guide: fresh installation of BMC Helix IT Operations Management

Overview

BMC Helix IT Operations Management enables monitoring and management of IT infrastructure. This guide provides a detailed, step-by-step approach to performing a fresh deployment of BMC Helix ITOM.

Scenario

A system administrator at Apex Global is setting up a new BMC Helix ITOM environment to monitor and manage IT operations. The administrator needs to deploy the solution on a Kubernetes cluster and configure it for immediate use, ensuring that all prerequisites and configurations align with the deployment requirements.

The following video (2:51) describes how you can perform the fresh deployment of the BMC Helix IT Operations Management on your premises.

https://youtu.be/9IHFzaS0l14

Process Overview

Using the deployment pipeline, the BMC Helix ITOM container installs BMC Helix ITOM in your on-premises environment. Deploy the solution based on your organization’s IT operations strategy and infrastructure requirements.

To deploy BMC Helix ITOM on your on-premises systems, follow this structured five-step workflow:

Plan the Deployment

Before proceeding with the deployment, it is essential to plan for a successful deployment:

1. Assess System Requirements: Ensure the hardware and software meet BMC's recommendations. For more information, see System Requirements.
2. Set Up Infrastructure: Use the Health Check Tool to validate the deployment environment. For more information, see Deployment requirements checklist.
3. Analyze Deployment Use Cases: Determine the ITOM deployment type:

• ITOM on an Elastic Kubernetes Service
• ITOM on Azure Kubernetes Cluster
• ITOM on Google Kubernetes Cluster
• ITOM on a Multi-Tenant Environment

Prepare for Deployment

1. Verify Kubernetes Cluster: Ensure the Kubernetes cluster is operational, accessible, and meets the required specifications. For more information, see Deployment Overview.
2. Install Required Dependencies: Install Helm, Kubectl, and other necessary tools to facilitate deployment. For more information, see System Requirements.
3. Download Deployment Package: Retrieve the latest BMC Helix ITOM deployment package from the BMC portal. For more information, see Downloading the deployment manager.
4. Validate Cluster Settings: Ensure that cluster nodes have proper connectivity, security system rules allow necessary traffic, and persistent volumes are available.
5. Check Namespace and Resource Quotas: Confirm that the correct namespace is created and assign appropriate CPU and memory quotas.

Configure the Deployment

1. Extract Deployment Package: Navigate to the directory where the package is downloaded and extract its contents. For more information, see Downloading the deployment manager.
2. Modify Configuration Files: Update the deployment.config file to include environment-specific details such as cluster information, database settings, and authentication credentials. For more information, see Configuration file settings.
3. Configure Network and Security Settings:
   • Set up access credentials.
   • Define network policies for secure communication.
   • Configure SSL certificates for encryption.
   • Ensure that load balancer settings are correctly applied.
     For more information, see Creating URLs to access BMC Helix IT Operations Management applications. 
4. Configure Persistent Storage: Validate storage class configuration and ensure persistent volumes are mounted correctly.

Deploy BMC Helix ITOM

1. Run the Deployment Script: Execute the deployment command to start deploying ITOM components: ./install.sh –fresh
   For more information, see Deploying BMC Helix IT Operations Management. 
2. Monitor Deployment Progress:
   • Check the deployment logs using kubectl logs -f <pod-name> to track component deployment and troubleshoot any errors encountered.
   • Validate the status of running pods using kubectl get pods -n <namespace>.
     For more information, see Troubleshooting deployment issues.
3. Ensure the deployment works on your selected cluster type (EKS, AKS, GKE, or Multi-Tenant Kubernetes Environment).

Perform Post-Deployment Tasks

1. Validate Deployment:
   • Ensure all components are deployed successfully.
   • Access the BMC Helix ITOM dashboard and confirm system availability.
     For more information, see performing the post deployment steps.
2. Access the ITOM Portal: Log in to the system using administrator credentials. For more information, see performing the post deployment steps.
3. Configure User Roles and Permissions:
   • Assign appropriate roles to users based on their responsibilities.
   • Configure multi-factor authentication (MFA) if required.
     For more information, see Product roles and permissions.
4. Test System Stability:
   • Run sample workflows to ensure ITOM services are functional. For more information, see performing the post deployment steps.

By following these instructions, system administrators can ensure a smooth deployment and setup of BMC Helix ITOM, minimizing operational downtime and maximizing efficiency.