Quick start guide: upgrading to latest version of BMC Helix Service Management

Before upgrading BMC Helix Service Management in your on-premises environment, it’s important to understand the overall process to ensure a smooth transition. This topic will help you plan, prepare, and perform the upgrade efficiently, ensuring a smooth transition to the latest version.

The upgrade uses a containerized architecture, enabling an in-place upgrade of both BMC Helix Platform Common Services and BMC Helix Service Management applications. This approach simplifies management, improves scalability, and offers greater control over your environment.

BMC provides automated Jenkins deployment pipelines to streamline the upgrade process. These pipelines handle key tasks like installing, configuring, and upgrading BMC Helix Innovation Suite and BMC Helix Service Management applications.

The upgrade follows a simple three-step workflow: Plan by reviewing system requirements and sizing guidelines, Prepare by downloading artifacts, updating Helm and Kubernetes, and Perform the upgrade using Jenkins pipelines. Once completed, you’ll have access to enhanced features, improved security, and full support for ITIL processes like incident management, service desk, and asset management.

Scenario

Apex Global plans to upgrade its on-premises BMC Helix Service Management to the latest version to take advantage of new features, enhanced security, and improved scalability. Jonnie, the system administrator, has been tasked with leading the upgrade process. The administrator will assist in preparing the infrastructure and ensuring system requirements are met.

Jonnie starts by reviewing system requirements, sizing guidelines, and security considerations to ensure the environment is ready. With Admin’s help, they verify the infrastructure, download upgrade artifacts, update Helm, and upgrade the Kubernetes platform.

Once prepared, Jonnie uses the automated Jenkins deployment pipelines to perform the in-place upgrade of BMC Helix Platform Common Services and Service Management applications. The upgrade completes smoothly, enabling Apex Global to leverage enhanced features and improved support for ITIL processes like incident management and service desk.

Process overview

The upgrade process uses a Jenkins pipeline to deploy BMC Helix Innovation Suite and Service Management applications in your on-premises environment. Applications are deployed based on your business needs and license entitlements.

Here’s a simplified three-step workflow for upgrading BMC Helix Service Management:

1. Plan for the upgrade

Before starting the upgrade process, it’s crucial to plan properly. As an IT architect or system administrator, you'll want to ensure that your infrastructure can handle the new version.

• Review sizing guidelines
  First, check if your current systems meet the required sizing and scaling considerations. This involves looking at your container environment and verifying whether it’s capable of supporting the upgraded system. If there are any gaps, now is the time to plan for scaling or adjustments. You can refer to the Sizing and scalability considerations topic for detailed information.
   
• Verify system requirements
  Next, check that your current systems still meet the updated system requirements. Software versions, supported operating systems, and hardware configurations might have changed since your last installation. It’s essential to make sure everything aligns to avoid issues later in the process. Refer to System requirements topic for the latest specifications.

Refer to the Planning topic for more details about planning.

2. Prepare for the upgrade

Once you’ve planned the upgrade, it’s time to prepare the environment. This step ensures that you have everything ready before starting the actual upgrade.

• Download upgrade artifacts
  Begin by downloading all the necessary upgrade artifacts. These will include configuration files, deployment scripts, and any required binaries.
   
• Confirm access to container images
  Verify that you have access to the required container images to avoid interruptions during deployment.
   
• Upgrade Helm
  Check your Helm version and upgrade it to the latest supported version if needed. Helm is critical for managing Kubernetes deployments.
   
• Update Git repositories
  Pull the latest changes from the official Git repositories. This ensures that you have the most recent deployment scripts and configuration files, which are crucial for a smooth upgrade.
   
• Add deployment pipelines
  Set up the necessary Jenkins pipelines that will handle the deployment and upgrade process. These pipelines automate many of the tasks and help reduce errors.
   
• Upgrade Kubernetes platform and Ingress controller
  Finally, make sure your Kubernetes cluster and Ingress controller are on supported versions. Using outdated versions can cause unexpected issues during the upgrade.

If you need more details, refer to the Preparing for upgrade topic which gives step-by-step instructions for each task.

3. Perform the upgrade

Now that the environment is ready, it’s time to perform the actual upgrade.

• Upgrade BMC Helix Platform Common Services (PCS)
  The first part of the upgrade is upgrading the BMC Helix Platform Common Services (PCS), as it is a prerequisite to BMC Helix Service Management, which forms the base for next steps.
  • Identify your current PCS version. The upgrade path depends on which version you’re starting from, so it’s important to follow the correct procedure.
  • Follow the steps outlined in Upgrading BMC Helix Platform Common Services topic. This will walk you through the specific commands and configurations needed for your version.
     
• Upgrade BMC Helix Service Management
  With PCS upgraded, the next step is upgrading BMC Helix Service Management.
  • Update deployment pipelines
    Start by updating your Jenkins deployment pipelines. These pipelines should point to the new container images and use the latest deployment scripts.
  • Run the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline.
    Execute the HELIX_ONPREM_DEPLOYMENT pipeline. This will handle the in-place upgrade of the Service Management applications and configure them according to the new version’s specifications.
  • For a detailed walk-through, refer to the Upgrading BMC Helix IT Service Management topic, which covers each of these steps comprehensively.

Make sure to validate that all services are running as expected and perform any necessary post-upgrade configurations, such as setting up users, assigning permissions, and configuring access controls.

You can now use the upgraded BMC Helix Service Management applications to implement ITIL-based processes like Service Desk, Case Management, Asset and Configuration Management, and Incident and Problem Management.