This documentation supports an earlier version of BMC Helix IT Service Management on-premises deployment.To view the documentation for the latest version, select 23.3.04 from the Product version picker.

Migrating Remedy on-premises to BMC Helix Service Management on-premises

You can migrate from Remedy on-premises to BMC Helix Service Management on-premises by performing a fresh installation of BMC Helix Service Management and migrating data. A fresh installation of BMC Helix Service Management and data migration involves several tasks that are performed in stages. The following major tasks are involved in the migration process: 

  • Planning activities
  • Environment setup
  • Platform and applications installation
  • Developmental activities, such as migrating overlays and customizations, and working on integrations
  • Data migration
  • User Acceptance Tests (UAT)
  • Emulated cutover activities and going live

Supported migration paths

The BMC Helix Digital Workplace supported version of which you can migrate data is 20.02 and later versions.

For information about the BMC Remedy ITSM, BMC Digital Workplace Catalog, Smart IT, and Smart Reporting supported versions from which you can migrate data, see Available migration packs in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

Supported databases

You can migrate data from the following databases:

  • PostgreSQL
  • Microsoft SQL
  • Oracle

For more information, see System requirements.

Installation and migration process overview

The following image provides an overview of the installation and migration process:

OP to OP migration.png

We recommend that you complete the following stages in each environment in the specified sequence:

Environment

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

Stage 9

Stage 10

Development

✅️

✅️

✅️

✅️

✅️

✅️

❌️

❌️

❌️

❌️

Nonproduction

✅️

✅️

✅️

Only import the customizations and issue fixes development package that you create in Stage 6 on the development environment.

Do not perform any development activity.

✅️

Perform full data migration with latest production environment copy.

❌️

❌️

✅️

❌️

❌️

❌️

Production

✅️

✅️

✅️

Only import the customizations and issue fixes development package you create in Stage 7 after UAT on the development environment.
Do not perform any development activity.

✅️

Perform full data migration with latest production environment copy.

❌️

❌️

✅️

✅️

✅️

✅️

Stage 1: Planning and preparing the environment

Task
number

Task

Action

1

Review the deployment architecture.

Get familiar with the BMC Helix Service Management deployment architecture.
See BMC Helix IT Service Management deployment architecture.

Plan the sizing of the container environment.

  • Plan the sizing of your container environment and determine the license requirements based on the products you want to install.BMC Helix Innovation Suite, BMC Helix ITSM, and BMC Helix CMDB are installed by default. Additionally, you can choose to install BMC Digital Workplace, BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog, BMC Helix Business Workflows, BMC Helix ITSM Insights, BMC Helix Business Workflows, BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker , BMC Live Chat, and BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting.

  • Review the sizing guidelines for BMC Helix Service Management container environment. The sizing guidelines include the sizing requirements for the following products:

    • BMC Helix ITSM
    • BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT
    • BMC Helix Dashboards
    • BMC Digital Workplace
    • BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog
    • BMC Live Chat
  • The sizing guidelines do not include BMC Helix ITSM Insights, BMC Helix Business Workflows,BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker, and Smart Reporting requirements.

    • If you plan to install BMC Helix ITSM Insights, see BMC Helix ITSM Insights resource requirements. 

    • If you plan to install BMC Helix Business Workflows and BMC Helix Multi-Cloud Broker, for information about the sizing, contact BMC Support.

    • If you plan to install Smart Reporting, consider the following points:
      • You can install Smart Reporting if you have opted for Smart Reporting extended support.
      • When you perform fresh installation of BMC Helix Service Management 22.1.06 and select to deploy Smart Reporting, the 21.05.03 version of Smart Reporting is installed in your environment.

Plan and set up your Kubernetes cluster.

  • Review the supported orchestration platforms and set up the cluster where you want to install BMC Helix Innovation Suite.
    For information about the orchestration platforms and namespaces requirements, see Orchestration platforms.

  • BMC Helix Service Management installation requires two namespaces.
    In your Kubernetes cluster, create the namespaces to install BMC Helix Platform and BMC Helix Innovation Suite.

  • Add and configure the master and worker nodes.
    For information about the nodes, see Kubernetes node requirements.

Set up load balancer and Ingress controller.

Set up the load balancer and Ingress controller for your cluster.

Set up hardware requirements for BMC Deployment Engine.

Review the Jenkins server requirements to set up the BMC Deployment Engine.

Prepare your deployment planning document.


Use the Deployment assessment questionnaire and Deployment requirements checklist to prepare and track your deployment tasks, such as environment sizing, Kubernetes cluster setup, and deployment pipelines.

Important: Complete the questionnaire and checklist and create a deployment plan. Or work with your Partner or BMC Professional Services team to gather the information and create a deployment plan.

After you complete the plan, if you have any questions on deployment, you can ask for a session to review with BMC.

Prepare your implementation planning document and data migration plans.

Install BMC Helix Data Manager, Developer Studio, and other client tools.

Run license compliance assessment and checks.

Stage 2: Installing BMC Helix Innovation Suite and Service Management applications

Task
number

Task

Action

2

Perform a fresh installation of BMC Helix Service Management in the environment.

Important:

  • Do not install Smart Reporting while performing a fresh installation of BMC Helix Service Management if you are using  either of the following source and target databases for Smart Reporting data:
    • Both source and target databases are Microsoft SQL databases
    • Both source and target databases are Oracle databases
      To upgrade       Smart Reporting with Microsoft SQL or Oracle databases, see Upgrading-Smart-Reporting.
  • Take Golden Backup #1 after BMC Helix Innovation Suite is installed. Overwrite the Golden Backup #1 after the applications are installed.

Perform Tasks 2 to 4b in the Installing topic.

Stage 3: Migrating customizations, reconciling customizations, and configuring integrations

Important

Perform the tasks in this stage in the new development environment.


Task
number

Task

Action

3

Restore to Golden Backup #1

Restore to Golden Backup #1.

4

Enable Admin-Only-Mode

5

Export and import customizations and overlays

  1. Enable freeze restrictions on your current production environment.
    For more information about freeze restrictions, see the To freeze changes on the current production system section in Preparing the system before migration in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  2. Migrate the customizations and overlays of Action Request System and BMC Helix CMDB objects from the current production environment to the new development environment.
    To migrate your BMC Helix CMDB customizations, see Moving your CMDB customizations to a new target system.To migrate your Action Request System form and workflow customizations, see Moving your AR object customizations to a new target system.

Important:

  • Track all workflow changes made on your current production system. You must import these changes to the new development environment during the final emulated cutover activities.
  • Deploy all configuration or environment changes that are applied to the new development environment during any stage of the migration to all your environments.
    Perform this activity after unit testing, UAT, and your final UAT.

6

Reconcile customizations

  1. Reconcile customizations and overlays by using the autoreconciliation utility.
    See Analyzing the manual reconciliation effort by using the reconciliation report in AR System documentation.

  2. Complete the three-way reconciliation to reconcile customizations and overlays that you imported to the new development environment. 
    See Comparing and reconciling objects and Reconciling customized objects by using the Recon application in AR System documentation.

  3. Create a deployment package with all the customizations that you imported.
  4. Validate the customizations after the three-way reconciliation.

7

Perform any custom development work for the applications

Perform any custom development work required for the following applications:

  • BMC Helix Digital Workplace
  • BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog
  • BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT
  • BMC Helix ITSM: Smart Reporting

8

Deploy your custom plug-ins

9

Integrate BMC products and third-party applications


You can integrate BMC Helix Innovation Suite with the products that you integrated with your existing on-premises environment.

BMC Helix products are available to you for purchase. You can integrate BMC Helix Innovation Suite with products such as BMC TrueSight Operations Management and BMC Helix Discovery.

To integrate BMC Change and Configuration Management (CCM), use Atrium integrated jobs. 

To integrate BMC Helix Discovery with BMC Helix, use the BMC gateway, or purchase BMC Helix Discovery and integrate it with BMC Helix.

See BMC Discovery in BMC Discovery documentation.

See Integrating BMC Helix CMDB with Microsoft SCCM by using an adapter in BMC Helix CMDB documentation.

Important: You must redesign third-party integrations that use integration methods that are not supported. The supported integration methods are:

  • AR API
  • Rest API
  • Web services

10

Set up reporting

BMC Helix Dashboards

We recommend that you use BMC Helix Dashboards for reporting.
See Setting up dashboards in BMC Helix Dashboards documentation.

To use BMC Helix Dashboards, make sure that you have installed BMC Helix Dashboards in Stage 2.

Smart Reporting

If you want to use Smart Reporting, make sure that you have installed Smart Reporting in Stage 2. The supported version of Smart Reporting is 21.3.05.

You can migrate your reports data in the later stages by using BMC Helix Data Manager.

11

Create deployment packages and create a database backup with customizations and integrations

  1. Stop all the services.

  2. If you are using an Oracle database, check for any invalid objects and recompile them.
    See Moving your AR object customizations to a new target system.

  3. Create a database backup with all the customizations and integrations. 
    This backup is your Golden Backup #1 with the base data and customizations and integration information.

Best Practice: We recommend that you create a package with all your customizations and fixes.

For more information about using Developer Studio to create a package, see Defining and deploying data and object packages in AR System documentation.

Important: Make sure you stop all services and then proceed to Stage 4. Stopping the services is a prerequisite for data migration.

12

(Optional) Validate the fixes

If you are not starting the data migration immediately after this stage, perform the following steps in your new development environment:

  1. Start all services and enable system in full mode.
    See Setting up an environment in Admin-Only-Mode or full mode.

  2. Perform the validations.
  3. Export any fixes that you made on the customizations to a deployment package.
    Use the Deployment Management Console to create the package.

  4. Revert to Golden Backup #1 and set up the system in Admin-Only-Mode.
    See Setting up an environment in Admin-Only-Mode or full mode.

  5. Import the fixes from step 3.
  6. Stop all the services.
  7. Overwrite the Golden Backup #1.

Important: Allocate additional time of minimum one week for this step in your project plan.

Stage 4: Performing initial data migration

No.

Task

Action

13

Configure BMC Helix Data Manager and prepare for migration

Complete the following tasks to prepare for migration:

  1. Stop all the services.
  2. Create a copy of the current production database on your staging database system for the BMC Helix Data Manager export.
    This action is necessary because the BMC Helix Data Manager data export requires that all AR services be shut down. As the services in the current production environment cannot be shut down, you must perform the export of the database copy from the current product database system. 

  3. Register the source and target systems and create a BMC Helix Data Manager user.
    See To register your source and target systems and create a BMC Helix Data Manager user in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  4. Discover the data dictionary and copy the discovered files across the systems. 
    See To discover the data dictionary in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation. 

  5. Download the template migration packs and create a custom migration pack.
    See Download the migration packs and Creating a migration pack for your systems in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  6. Configure a file system connection on the on-premises and development staging server of BMC Helix Data Manager.
    See Configuring a file system connection in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  7. Review the data mappings to identify data mapping issues.
    See Identifying data mapping issues in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  8.  Create approval definition and process mappings for data enrichment.
    See Create approval definition and process mappings for data enrichment in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.
    Important: Skip this step if you have used the Workflow migration utility for migrating customizations and overlays.

14

Perform the initial BMC Helix Data Manager data migration

Perform the initial data migration for the following applications by using BMC Helix Data Manager: 

  1. BMC Helix ITSM
    To migrate BMC Helix ITSM data, see the following topics:

    1. To export BMC Helix ITSM data in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.
      Important: Before running the import, stop all AR System services in the target development environment.

    2. To import BMC Helix ITSM data in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation. 

    3. Completing postmigration steps in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation. 

  2. BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog
    See Migrating BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog data in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  3. Smart Reporting
    See Migrating Smart Reporting data in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.
    Important: Perform this step if you are using the following source and target databases for Smart Reporting data:

    • The source database is Microsoft SQL, and the target database is Oracle.
    • The target database is a PostgreSQL database.

    To upgrade Smart Reporting with Microsoft SQL or Oracle databases, see Upgrading-Smart-Reporting.

  4. Smart IT
    See Migrating Smart IT data in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  5. BMC Helix Digital Workplace
    Perform the BMC Helix Digital Workplace data migration by using the procedure described in Migrating data by using the Export-Import utility.
    Make sure that you first perform a full BMC Helix Digital Workplace data migration to a fresh environment without any subtenants or subtenant-related data, and then perform the BMC Helix Digital Workplace configurations.

Important: Create Golden Backup #2 after successful migration of the initial BMC Helix ITSM data. Then, replace this backup after successful migration of each application.

You are now ready to unit test your migration.

15

Run license assessment and conversion

Download and run the License Compliance Utility to convert the People profile data licenses. 

Important: 

Make sure you include this activity in your project plan. 

See Moving to the bundled license model by using the Bundled License Conversion Utility in AR System documentation.

Stage 5: Performing unit testing and fixes

No.

Task

Action

16

Perform unit testing and fixes

Before you begin the unit testing, make sure the following tasks are completed:

  • Export of customizations and overlays
  • Three-way reconciliation to fix overlays and customizations
  • Creation of deployable data packages with issue fixes and database backup with the migrated data
  • Initial data migration.

Perform the following steps to complete unit testing:

  1. Enable the full mode on the new development environment.
    See .
  2. Perform unit testing on the new development environment.
  3. Fix any customizations, overlays, functional issues, and any required BMC Helix Data Manager fixes for the customizations.
    Important: Make sure you maintain a record of the fixes made during the unit testing.

  4. For AR System objects, use the AR System Deployment Management Console to export and create the packages. 
    See Deployment console in AR System documentation.

  5. After you complete unit testing, restore to  Golden Backup #2.

  6. Set the system in Admin-Only-Mode.
    See Setting up an environment in Admin-Only-Mode or full mode.

  7. Apply the fixes found during unit testing.
  8. Create a backup to replace the existing Golden Backup #2.
  9. Stop all the services.

17

Create deployment packages for fixes and customizations

Create the issue fixes package and customization package.

Make sure that you have created separate package files for the following changes:

  • Customizations that you added to the new development environment.
  • Fixes for the issues you encountered during unit testing.

Stage 6: Performing delta data migration (Emulated cutover 1)

No.

Task

Action

18

Perform delta data migration

In your new development environment, complete the following steps to perform a delta data migration:

  1. Get the latest production database copy on your staging environment for the BMC Helix Data Manager export.
  2. Stop all AR System services.

  3. To perform delta data migration for BMC Helix ITSM, create a BMC Helix Data Manager job for an incremental run to specify the delta data range.
    See Running a delta data (incremental) migration job in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  4. Resolve any issues that occur during the migration.

  5. Complete a form count analysis.
    See form count analysis in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  6. Complete the post-migration steps.
    See Completing post-migration steps in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  7. Create a backup Golden Backup #3.

  8. Repeat steps 3 to 7 to perform delta data migration for BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog.
    See BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.
    Important: Form count analysis is not available for BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog in BMC Helix Data Manager.

  9. Replace the existing Golden Backup #3 after each application migration.
    This is the backup with all your delta data including fixes. You restore this backup for UAT.

  10. Start all AR System services in Admin-Only-Mode.
    See Setting up an environment in Admin-Only-Mode or full mode.

The delta data migration or incremental run option is not available for BMC Helix Digital Workplace, Smart IT, and Smart Reporting. You do not have to migrate data for these applications at this stage, as you completed a full migration run prior to unit testing.

Important: Keep the new development environment in Admin-Only-Mode until your UAT is completed, so you can fix any issues that might occur during the UAT cycles.

19

Run license conversion for delta data

Run the License Compliance Utility to convert the new People profile data licenses. 

Important: Make sure that you include this activity in your project plan. Run the utility for all available data, and only People profile data that has not yet been converted is updated.

See Moving to the bundled license model by using the Bundled License Conversion Utility in AR System documentation.

Stage 7: Performing User Acceptance Tests (UAT)

Important

Make sure that you complete the BMC Helix Service Management installation in your nonproduction and production environments and created backups.


No

Task

Action

20

Restore backup


Restore Golden Backup #1 that you took after successful completion of BMC Helix Service Management installation.

(Nonproduction and production environment only) Import the customizations and issue fixes

Import the customizations and issue fixes development package that you create in Stage 6 on the development environment.
Do not perform any development activity.

Important: 

  • For nonproduction environments, import the customizations and issue fixes development package that you create in Stage 6 on the development environment.
  • For production environments, import the customizations and issue fixes development package you create in Stage 7 after UAT on the development environment.

(Nonproduction and production environment only) Perform full data migration

Perform full data migration with latest production environment copy.

21

Start services in full mode

Start services in full mode before you start user acceptance testing.
See Setting up an environment in Admin-Only-Mode or full mode.

22

 Perform UAT

Perform the the following user acceptance tests in the nonproduction environments except the development environment:

Functional UAT testing of all the applications, including all the key functional use cases.
Define planned UAT cycles to cover all use cases.

Perform the following user acceptance tests in the production environment:

  • Functional UAT testing of all the applications, including all the key functional use cases.
    Define planned UAT cycles to cover all use cases.
  • Integration testing
  • (Recommended ) Plan and execute load and performance tests.
  • Create support tickets to enable monitoring services and capture all the logs from the respective teams. Share the findings on performance, latency, spikes, and other issues during this activity with BMC.

Important:

  • If you find issues in the UAT testing, take Golden Backup #1, fix the issues, and create Golden Backup #3.
  • Make sure that you perform concurrent user and integration testing in parallel in your production environment.
  • Package and deploy all configuration or environment changes or fixes applied on the nonproduction environment during any phase of the migration to all your environments.

Complete the tests and fix the issues found.

23

UAT cycles and fixes

Fix the issues on the new development environment and create packages of the fixes by using the Deployment Management Console. Then, import the packages to the production environment to validate the fixes.
For more information about using the Deployment Management Console to create a package, see Importing and exporting a package in AR System documentation.
 You might need to add multiple cycles to your project plan to complete all the testing, fix all blocker issues, and get a sign-off.

Best practice: We recommend that you complete the UAT cycles in the nonproduction environments except the development environment and all blocker issue fixes before you complete the testing sign-off on the production environment.

24

Complete sign-off

Perform the required number of UAT cycles for the scenarios that apply to you, and make sure all blocker issues are resolved to get a successful UAT sign-off.Important:

  • Make sure that you have deployment packages created in the development environment contain all the UAT cycle fixes.
  • Include the required number of UAT cycles in the project plan to complete testing and fixing all issues. Customers or partners must sign off on the UAT phase before moving to go-live preparation activities. 
  • We recommend that you start with the Stage 8: Performing prefinal data migration and validation activities only after a sign-off with an understanding that pending open issues will only be worked on after go-live.

  • Fix all configuration and environment changes on the current environment where you find the issue and ensure to immediately apply those changes to the other two environments during any phase - unit testing or UAT cycles

    If you do not apply these changes to all environments, you may have to track and reapply these configuration changes at every stage. 

  • Create packages for all fixes developed by you or BMC.

25

(Optional) Apply a hotfix

If you need to apply a hotfix in between of a UAT cycle, take Golden Backup #2, apply the hotfix, and create Golden Backup #3.

If you find issues in the UAT testing, take Golden Backup #1, fix the issues, and create Golden Backup #3.

Stage 8: Performing prefinal data migration and validation

Important

Skip this stage, if you are able to maintain the freeze restrictions in your current production environment during Stage 3 to 8, and you do not have any additional customizations or overlays to migrate.

Perform the following steps on the development environment and production environment:

No.

Task

Action

26

Apply freeze restrictions

After the UAT sign-off, prepare for the final data migration and validation.

If you were not able to freeze the activities in Step 2 of Stage 3: Performing the development activities, enable freeze restrictions on your current production system.

See the To freeze changes on the current production system section in Preparing the system before migration in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

27

Perform data migration and validation

If you have applied any form, field, and workflow changes in the new development environment between Stage 3: Performing the development activities and this stage, perform the following steps:

  1. Make sure that you have all the customization packages and UAT issues fixes packages you have created till this stage.
  2. Revert the development environment to Golden Backup #1.
  3. Apply the customization and fixes package that you created after performing final UAT.
    The package should include all fixes till date.
  4. Export any delta form, field and workflow object changes or customizations from your production system and then import them to your new development environment.
  5. Perform three-way reconciliation for the imported objects.
  6. Export all the customizations and overlays in a package, and make sure that this package also contains the new customizations and updates that you imported and reconciled in step 5.
  7. Stop all the services.
  8. Create a database backup Golden Backup #3.

  9. Discover the data dictionary and copy the discovered files across the systems. 
    The data dictionary that you currently have will not contain the new form field updates, so you must perform the discovery again on your source and target systems.
    See Discovering data dictionaries in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  10. Create a custom migration pack.

    See Creating a migration pack for your systems in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  11. Review the data mappings.

    See Identifying data mapping issues in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  12. Perform a full data migration for the products with latest copy of source production environment.
    Perform data migration as described in Stage 4: Performing initial data migration - steps 1, 2, and 3.
  13. Create a database backup Golden Backup #3.

  14. Start all the services in Admin-Only-Mode.
    See Setting up an environment in Admin-Only-Mode or full mode.

  15. Run the following postmigration scripts:
    1. Server References - Default Set.cmt

    2. Data Update Template - ITSM <sourceVersion> to <targetVersion> . cmt
      For more information about the post-migration tasks, see Completing post-migration steps in BMC Helix Data Manager documentation.

  16. Start all the services in full mode.
    See Setting up an environment in Admin-Only-Mode or full mode.

  17. Perform UAT in your production environment for 2 to 3 days.
  18. Fix functional and customization issues and export the updates in separate deployment packages.


Stage 9: Performing emulated cutover 2

No.

Task

Action

28

 Perform emulated cutover

Important: Measure the time required to perform the following steps. Use the same steps to prepare your go-live plan and allocate same time for each activity.

Best practice: We recommend that you perform this delta migration not earlier than 8 to 10 days before the go-live stage, as there will be no testing cycle after this activity until the go-live day, where you will test the environment before the actual go-live.

  1. Revert the new production server to Golden Backup #3 and ensure it has all the fixes applied from the last testing cycle.
  2. Stop all the services.
  3. Perform a delta data migration for BMC Helix Service Management by creating a BMC Helix Data Manager job for an incremental run, and specify the delta data range and delta data migration for BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog. Specify the migration steps for BMC Helix Digital Workplace and Smart IT.
    For more information about performing delta data migration, see Stage 6: Delta Data Migration.

  4. Create packages by performing a data export of global and environment data.
    For more information about running an export job, see Running an export migration job.

  5. Transfer the data packages to the new development environment.

  6. Scan the file system to view the exported global and environment data packages and then import the data package exported from your current production system.
    For more information about scanning the files and importing the data package, see Scan the file system.

Postmigration 

  1. Run the following postmigration scripts:
    1. Server References - Default Set.cmt

    2. Data Update Template - ITSM <sourceVersion> to <targetVersion> . cmt
      For more information about the postmigration tasks, see Completing postmigration steps.

  2. Start all AR Server services in Admin-Only-Mode.
    See Setting up an environment in Admin-Only-Mode or full mode.

  3. Replace the existing Golden Backup #3.

We recommend that you do not perform any further validations or testing in the production environment after completing these postmigration steps.

Stage 10: Performing final data migration and going live

No.

Task

Action

29

Perform the final go-live delta data migration

Repeat the procedure described in Stage 9: Emulated cutover 2.

30

Go-live

Going live activities are as follows:

  1. Internal communication with cutover details
  2. Close down of your current production environment
  3. Final delta data migration
  4. Smoke tests of the environments and functionality validation
  5. Go-live


 

Tip: For faster searching, add an asterisk to the end of your partial query. Example: cert*