21.3 enhancements
21.3.11
(Controlled availability customers only) Facilitate application access to users having different email domains
Allow multiple users having different email domains and authentication mechanisms to access the same application URL by enabling BMC Helix Single Sign-On (SSO) based multiple service providers (MSP) in your environment.
MSP incorporates a robust authentication mechanism, ensuring an exclusive and secure access to the application.
After configuring the authorization patterns, when you enable MSP in your environment and access BMC Helix ITSM applications, BMC Helix CMDB, BMC Digital Workplace, and BMC Live Chat, the following screen asking for user authorization is displayed:
Enter your user name to complete the authorization and then you are redirected to the following application login screen asking for your application login credentials for authentication:
For information about enabling BMC Helix Single Sign-On based MSP in BMC Helix Innovation Suite application, see Facilitating-application-access-to-users-having-different-email-domains.
What else changed in this release
The following table lists the changes in the product behavior in this patch:
Update | Product behavior in versions earlier than 21.3.11 | Product behavior in version 21.3.11 |
|---|---|---|
Extended long-term support for AngularJS | NA | To eliminate any known vulnerabilities, BMC Helix Innovation Suite has updated AngularJS to a secure and commercially supported version. For more information, see XLTS for AngularJS. |
Map response header while fetching data from a third-party application by using a REST API | NA | You can map response headers to field values when using the REST API to fetch data from a third-party application, thereby avoiding multiple calls to a third-party application. For more information, see To define request response mapping. |
21.3.10
Select a row-level security algorithm for fast data retrieval
Select from multiple, row level security (RLS) algorithms to enhance row level access control and improve server performance by retrieving the record data faster. For more information, see Improving data retrieval performance by selecting a row level security algorithm.
Support for Kubernetes 1.25 and OpenShift 4.12
BMC Helix Service Management deployment supports Kubernetes version 1.25 and OpenShift version 4.12.
The supported versions of Kubernetes and OpenShift are as follows:
Kubernetes versions - 1.23 – 1.25
- OpenShift versions - 4.10 – 4.12
For more information, see System requirements.
Support for Ingress controller 1.7.0 and Helm 3.11
BMC Helix Service Management deployment supports Ingress controller versions 1.6.4 and 1.7.0, and Helm version 3.11.
Supported Ingress and Helm versions with the orchestration platforms are as follows:
Orchestration platform | Ingress | Helm |
|---|---|---|
Kubernetes 1.25 | 1.7.0 | 3.11 |
Kubernetes 1.24 | 1.7.0 | |
Kubernetes 1.23 | 1.6.4 | |
OpenShift 4.12 | 1.7.0 | |
OpenShift 4.11 | 1.7.0 | |
OpenShift 4.10 | 1.6.4 |
For more information, see System requirements.
Migration of container images to the Alpine operating system
All the BMC Helix Innovation Suite and applications container images that are hosted on the BMC Docker Trusted Registry (DTR) have been migrated from CentOS to the Alpine operating system.
Additional products available for on-premises installation
The following products are available in BMC Helix Service Management, and you can install them in your on-premises environment:
- BMC Helix Portfolio Management (HPM)
- BMC Helix Customer Service Management (CSM)
For more information, see Performing the BMC Helix IT Service Management installation.
What else changed in this release
The following table lists the changes in the product behavior in this patch:
Update | Product behavior in versions earlier than 21.3.10 | Product behavior in version 21.3.10 |
|---|---|---|
Changes to the structure the bmc repository that contains the BMC Helix Service Management container images | The bmc/lp00x repository contained the BMC Helix Service Management container images. For example, containers.bmc.com/bmc/lp00x:ARS-213006HF-202211181051-21306-HF7 | Each component has a separate repository such as ars, midtier, cmdb, and virtualchat. These repositories contain the images for the respective component, the AR System images are located in the ars repository, and the Mid Tier images are located in the midtier repository. |
Changes to Git repository parameter in the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline | While building the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline, to specify the Git repositories location, you had to provide values for parameters such as DEVOPS_REPO, CUSTOMER_CONFIGS, PLAYBOOKS_REPO, HELM_REPO, and SMARTAPPS_HELM_REPO. | While building the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline, you only have to specify the location of the directory that contains all the Git repositories in the GIT_REPO_DIR parameter. |
Parameters removed from the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline | While building the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline, you had to provide values for the following parameters:
| These parameters are now managed through the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline code and are removed from the pipeline input to avoid parameter duplication. |
Parameters added to the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline | NA | While building the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline, you have to specify the values for following parameters:
For more information about these parameters, see |
21.3.09
What else changed in this release
The following table lists the changes in the product behavior in this patch:
Update | Product behavior in versions earlier than 21.3.09 | Product behavior in version 21.3.09 |
|---|---|---|
Improve subquery performance on forms by enabling Row-Level Security (RLS) on an overlay-restricted schema. | You could not apply RLS on an overlay-restricted schema. | You can apply RLS on an overlay-restricted schema. For more information, see Improving-performance-by-using-RLS-algorithms. |
21.3.06
Support for Kubernetes and OpenShift
BMC Helix Service Managementdeployment supports Kubernetes versions 1.22, 1.23, and 1.24, and OpenShift versions 4.9, 4.10, and 4.11.
The supported versions of Kubernetes and OpenShift are as follows:
- Kubernetes versions - 1.18 – 1.24
- OpenShift versions - 4.6 – 4.11
For more information, see System requirements in BMC Helix Innovation Suite Deployment documentation.
Support for self-signed and CA signed certificates
Use a custom self-signed or CA signed certificates to use HTTPS communication for Service Management applications.
For more information, see the CACERTS_FILE parameter in Performing the installation and Applying security certificates to your applications in BMC Helix Innovation Suite Deployment documentation.
Updated support for Nginx Ingress Controller
BMC Helix Service Management deployment supports Nginx Ingress Controller version 1.2.0 in addition to support for version 0.32.
For more information, see System requirements in BMC Helix Innovation Suite Deployment documentation.
Automated setting up of BMC Deployment Engine
You can set up BMC Deployment Engine by using an automated script that simplifies the set up process.
For more information, see Setting up BMC Deployment Engine in BMC Helix Innovation Suite Deployment documentation.
Synchronize articles in multiple languages from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround
Have your localized knowledge articles copied to the respective translation languages in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround. The synchronization tool automatically migrates articles written in languages other than English to the corresponding translations in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround.
You can leverage multilanguage synchronization capabilities for common locales that are supported by BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management and your portal in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround.
To learn more about synchronizing localizations, see How localizations are synchronized.
Separate migration options for synchronizing knowledge articles
Streamline the synchronization process from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround by using performance-oriented and precise synchronization options. You can select between three distinct synchronization options to achieve the following results:
- Copy the folders only (Folder contents are not copied)—Create the folder structure only.
- Sync all (Override)—Migrate all content to created folders.
- Sync changes only—Copy only the new or changed articles to avoid overriding knowledge articles updated directly in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround.
For more information about the available synchronization options, see Synchronizing the knowledge bases.
Rebrand Progressive Web Application screens
You can rebrand Progressive Web Application (PWA) screens according to your company standards and requirements by using custom cascading style sheet (CSS) files and images. To learn more, see Rebranding-Progressive-Web-Application-screens. For information on rebranding ITSM PWA screens, see Rebranding Smart IT on the Universal Client.
What else changed in this release
The following table lists the changes in the product behavior in this patch:
Update | Product behavior in versions earlier than 21.3.06 | Product behavior in version 21.3.06 |
|---|---|---|
Synchronize article flags from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround | Flagged articles in BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management were not synchronized to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround as flagged. | Flagged knowledge articles copied from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management are marked as flagged in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround. Flagging comment and date are also synchronized. |
Run the multithreaded synchronization process | Knowledge articles were synchronized in a consecutive order from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround. | The multithreading approach is used to synchronize multiple knowledge articles in parallel from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management or BMC Helix Business Workflows Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management. This approach boosts the performance of the synchronization tool and enables the system to migrate knowledge articles significantly faster to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround. |
21.3.05
Support for Amazon EKS, GKE and OKE platforms
BMC Helix ITSM supports deployment on the following Kubernetes clusters:
- Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)
- Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Container Engine for Kubernetes (OKE)
For more information, see Installing BMC Helix IT Service Management in an Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service cluster and Installing BMC Helix ITSM Service Management in a Google Kubernetes Engine cluster in BMC Helix Innovation Suite Deployment documentation.
Execute arbitrary commands by using the Run Process action
The Run Process action runs the system commands and extracts passwords that are attached as part of the BMC Helix Innovation Suite container. An administrator or an application business analyst can use the Run-Process-Command-WhiteList setting to configure a list of all the commands that are trusted and can be safely executed by using the Run Process action.
Commands that are not trusted are not executed by using the Run Process action. For more information, see Configuration settings N-R.
Rollback deployment
When updating BMC Helix ITSM from the version 21.3.04 to 21.3.05, if any of the HELIX_PLATFORM_DEPLOY, HELIX_NONPLATFORM_DEPLOY, or HELIX_SMARTAPPS_DEPLOY pipelines fail, you can rollback back to the last successful deployed version of the platform and applications by using the rollback option.
For more information, see Applying patches in BMC Helix Innovation Suite Deployment documentation.
Updates to Fluent Bit deployment
In a fresh deployment of BMC Helix ITSM, Fluent Bit is deployed as a sidecar container in the BMC Helix Innovation Suite namespace.
The following table lists the changes in the product deployment behavior:
Product | Behavior in versions earlier than 21.3.05 | Behavior in version 21.3.05 |
|---|---|---|
Fluent Bit |
|
|
For more information, see Performing the installation and Viewing and collecting critical logs by using the Kibana dashboard in BMC Helix Innovation Suite Deployment documentation.
Enhancements to Support Assistant tool
Use a custom role in your BMC Helix Innovation Suite namespace to install the Support Assistant tool.
For more information, see Performing the installation in BMC Helix Innovation Suite Deployment documentation.
What else changed in this release
The following table lists the changes in the product behavior in this patch:
Update | Product behavior in versions earlier than 21.3.05 | Product behavior in version 21.3.05 |
|---|---|---|
Change in the HELIX_POST_DEPLOY_CONFIG parameter | HELIX_POST_DEPLOY_CONFIG parameter was used to apply force password change for the Demo user on first time login. | HELIX_POST_DEPLOY_CONFIG is a pipeline that is used to delete the Demo user. Demo user is deleted when you select the HELIX_POST_DEPLOY_CONFIG option and run the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline post-installation of BMC Helix IT Service Management . For more information, see Performing the installation. |
21.3.04
Enhancements to Support Assistant tool
In a fresh deployment of BMC Helix IT Service Management, Support Assistant tool is deployed as a sidecar container in the BMC Helix Innovation Suite namespace.
The following table lists the changes in the product deployment behavior:
Product | Behavior in versions earlier than 21.3.04 | Behavior in version 21.3.04 |
|---|---|---|
Support Assistant tool |
|
|
For more information, see Performing the installation and Viewing and collecting logs by using the Support Assistant tool in Deployment documentation.
For more information, see Performing the installation and Viewing and collecting critical logs by using the Kibana dashboard in BMC Helix ITSM Deployment documentation.
Support for deployment size templates
BMC Helix IT Service Management deployment supports four different sizing profiles: Compact, Small, Medium, and Large.
For more information, see Sizing and scalability considerations in Deployment documentation.
Support for PostgreSQL database encryption
BMC Helix Innovation Suite supports PostgreSQL 13.5 database with disk level encryption.
Documentation updates
Documentation improvements to the following use cases in BMC Helix Innovation Suite documentation:
21.3.02
Seamless authentication of users from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management to BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround
Users of BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management have seamless access to knowledge articles in BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround. The end users can view or edit the knowledge articles according to the assignment group, visibility group, and KCS role assigned to them.
Administrators of BMC Helix Innovation Studio can modify the mapping between the permission groups in BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management with BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround user groups, role, portal and knowledge access.
To learn how to modify the access mapping, see Mapping knowledge article visibility from BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management with BMC Helix Knowledge Management.
Improved parity between articles in BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management and BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround
To improve parity between articles in BMC Helix ITSM: Knowledge Management and BMC Helix Knowledge Management by ComAround, the following knowledge article attributes are synchronized:
- Metadata fields with tags
- Doc ID
- Keywords
- Attachments
- Association with tickets
- Knowledge articles in all statuses
To learn more about the article types and attributes that are synchronized, see Synchronizing-BMC-applications-with-BMC-Helix-Knowledge-Management-by-ComAround.
21.3.01
Automate processes by using content packages
Automate the following processes by using content packages and create services in BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog by using sample services:
- Fetching payslips from a payroll system by using a Blue Prism RPA process
- Fetching payslips from a payroll system by using a UiPath RPA process
For more information, see Automating actions performed in third-party systems by using a content package.
21.3
BMC Helix Innovation Suite enhancements
Integrate BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications with third-party applications through BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by MuleSoft
Integrate out-of-the-box and custom applications with other external applications by using BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by MuleSoft. Reuse the BMC Helix iPaaS MuleSoft APIs in the business processes of your applications without having to rebuild an integration for each application. For more information, see Integrating BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications with third-party applications by using BMC Helix iPaaS, powered by MuleSoft.
Track user activity in BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications
Track how end users are using an application by generating metrics on application usage and service consumption. These metrics measure the user activity for an application and help in understanding whether end users are fully utilizing the application.
For more information, see Tracking application usage and generating reports.
BMC Helix Dashboards the default platform for dashboards and viewing reports
BMC Helix Dashboards is a SaaS service on the BMC Helix Portal that offers unified reporting and gives you a consolidated view of data from applications across your environment. You can easily create, export, and share interactive dashboards with users within or outside your environment. You can also use template variables to reuse dashboard panels. For more information about the product offerings, see BMC Helix Dashboards online documentation.
BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting version 21.3 is available only for upgrade scenarios for existing customers. This version is not available to new customers. For new customers, we recommend that you use the BMC Helix Dashboards reporting solution.
For more information about accessing BMC Helix Dashboards from BMC Helix Innovation Studio, see Viewing and generating application reports in BMC Helix Dashboards.
Unified platform user license management capability for BMC Helix Innovation Suite
BMC Helix Innovation Suite supports a common licensing model that enables developers to create applications in BMC Helix Innovation Studio and Developer Studio. You no longer need HelixPlatform User Named license to access BMC Helix Innovation Studio.
Users with administrator permissions and Fixed license can access and use Developer Studio and BMC Helix Innovation Studio. Users with administrator permissions and Fixed, Floating, or Read licenses can access the BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications.
For more information, see BMC Helix Innovation Studio licensing model.
Copy application definitions to your target application
Copy out-of-the-box and custom definitions from one application to another so that you can reuse the definitions in any customized application. For example, you have an HR application with customized configuration data and custom definitions, and you want to reuse the definitions, such as processes, records, documents in Finance application. You can copy the relevant custom definitions from the HR to Finance application without having to recreate the definitions.
Improve the security of BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications
Use Permissions-Policy HTTP header, which is a security header that controls the use of browser features in BMC Helix Innovation Studio applications.
For example, you can disable sensitive features like geolocation by default in iFrames. This capability reduces the chances of users being tricked into giving embedded websites access to the application.
For more information, see Controlling the use of browser features by using Permission Policy header.
Automate tasks by using RPA tools
Connect your application with third-party systems and automate routine tasks performed in the third-party systems:
Automate routine tasks by using AutomationEdge RPA processes
Use the Run AE Process element to seamlessly integrate your application with AutomationEdge and use an AutomationEdge RPA process to automate routine and repetitive tasks.
For more information, see Automating tasks by using AutomationEdge processes.
Automate routine tasks by using UiPath RPA processes
Use the Run UiPath Process element to seamlessly integrate your application with UiPath and use an UiPath RPA process to automate routine and repetitive tasks.
For more information, see Automating tasks by using UiPath processes.
Use Blue Prism callbacks to receive real-time event notifications
Use webhook callbacks from Blue Prism to receive notifications about an RPA process execution. You can use these notifications in a process with the Run Blue Prism Process element to perform the following actions:
- Trigger specific rules or processes
- View the bot execution status
- Notify users on completion of a task
For more information, see Automating tasks by using Blue Prism processes.
What else changed in this release
The following table lists the changes in the product behavior:
Update | Product behavior in versions earlier than 21.3 | Product behavior in version 21.3 |
|---|---|---|
Change in the HELIX_POST_DEPLOY_CONFIG parameter | HELIX_POST_DEPLOY_CONFIG parameter was used to apply force password change for the Demo user on first time login. | HELIX_POST_DEPLOY_CONFIG is a pipeline that is used to delete the Demo user. Demo user is deleted when you select the HELIX_POST_DEPLOY_CONFIG option and run the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline post-installation of BMC Helix IT Service Management . For more information, see Performing the installation in BMC Helix ITSM Deployment documentation. |
Additional JSON types for defining request mapping when calling a third-party REST API | When you create a filter for calling third-party REST API, use the following JSON types for defining request mapping:
| When you create a filter for calling third-party REST API, apart from the existing JSON types, use the following JSON types to support multiple values in a single element of a JSON.
For information about using these data types when calling a third-party REST API, see Send multiple responses from one field. |
By default, status history for some archive and audit forms is disabled | By default, the status history is enabled for the following forms and the corresponding archive and audit forms:
| By default, the status history is disabled for the following forms. Manually disable status history for the corresponding archive and audit forms:
|
Define a unique index in Microsoft SQL Server and allow NULL values in multiple records | You cannot define unique indexes with NULL values in multiple records in Microsoft SQL Server | Select the Ignore blank values check box to define unique indexes with NULL values in multiple records in Microsoft SQL Server. For more information, see Creating or modifying regular record definitions. |
Record Grid component format options | You cannot wrap text or remove border lines for columns in the Record Grid component. | You can wrap text, add and remove border lines, and enable striped rows in the Record Grid component. For more information, see Creating a tabular view of record instances by using a record grid. |
Additional options in the Process Tool bar of Process designer | You could copy the complete process from the Process designer. | You can now cut, copy and paste selected process elements in the Process designer. For more information, see Process designer interface. |
Process in BMC Helix Innovation Studio through Progressive Views in Developer Studio. | No process commands available to start a process in BMC Helix Innovation Studio through Progressive View. | Use the Application-Start-Process command to initiate a process in BMC Helix Innovation Studio in Progressive Views. To know more, see Process-commands. |
Active link configuration for table columns in Progressive View in Developer Studio. | You cannot create an active link in a table column to return a value when application users click the column. | You can create an active link in a table column. The table column returns a value when application users click the column. For more information, see Creating-active-links. |
Removal of the Authentication string from the Mid Tier login page | The Mid Tier login page includes Authentication string to validate the user.
| Due to the security reasons, the Authentication string is removed from the Mid Tier login page.
|
