Session number: 1255HP OpenView Service Desk

Tips and Techniques

Arthur van de WaalHewlett-Packard Company

Agenda

•Application server•Client•Data exchange•Rules•Agent•Service Pages•SD features•Guidelines•Useful websites•Did You Know?

Application server

Application server Threadpool

•Default=10

•25/60 seems to be a good size (P IV 1.8Ghz 1.5Gb)

•Examine CPU usage during peak it should use <=80%

•No maximum but recommend no larger than 100

•Start multiple app-servers (1 per 200 users)

Application server Connection pool

Connection pool size=Minimum and Maximum Number of connections to the database

How do I size it?Set maximum to Threadpoolsize+1Set minimum to ??

You will never have more connections to the database as the threadpool size

Application server Startup options

/help displays this help information

/settings=<settings-file> set the settings file

/showservergui displays the server status

/querylog log all queries to querylog.txt

/showconsoleoutput show output on the console

You have to stop/start the app-server

Application server JAVA Options

• -XX:MaxNewSize=64M -XX:NewSize=64M –Xms200M -Xmx1000M

• - make sure that the sum of Xms (initial heap size) for all application servers running on a single physical machine remains clearly below the available memory (preferrably below 50 % of the memory)

• - to assure that there will never be a shortage of memory, make sure the sum of Xmx (maximum heap size) for all application servers running on a single physical machine does not exceed the available memory

• - make sure that NewSize is smaller than Xms, and MaxNewSize is smaller than Xmx

• - setting NewSize to the same value as MaxNewSize assures the JVM does not resize its youngest generation, and should therefore result in a better performance.

CLIENT

Client Startup options

/? Displays help

/username=<username>

/password=<password>

/server=<hostname of applicationserver>

/settings<settingsfile> this is the sd_client.ini file

/reset reset all components to their default

Client

/noformcache start without form cache for memory reduction

/noviewcache start without view cache for memory reduction

/debug show debug information

/purgecache purges local cache

Client

/benchmark speed indications database, server, network and client

Client

/inserttest Insert 2000 items using default template

/opentest open 2000 records

/viewtest open 2500 views

/stresstest combination of /opentest and /viewtest

Client Cache

Cache located in:%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Hewlett-Packard\OpenView\Service Desk\

•DON’T store the cache on a network drive

DATA EXCHANGE

Data Exchange

•Use parallel option when possible to speed up importsstartup from a (same) client:

•Make a shared drive e.g. J make it accessable from all clients.•Start these processes (or more) on the client or clients:

C:\>sd_import system servicedesk <hostname> -parallel=J: -form -logfile=J:\ci1C:\>sd_import system servicedesk <hostname> -parallel=J: -form -logfile=J:\ci2C:\>sd_import system servicedesk <hostname> -parallel=J: -form -logfile=J:\ci3ETC.

Data Exchange

• then start the master process:

C:\> sd_import system servicedesk <hostname> -data= c:\<SDSERVER_HOME>data_exchange\ci.xml -mapping=CIs -parallel=J: -form -logfile=c:\temp\CIs.log

• Use unique keys on main items e.g. on person not on custom fields

• USE_MULTIPLE_CONNECTIONS=TRUE

• ZIP=TRUE

Data Exchange parallel option limitations

• Use no more than one parent-child relation per configuration file.

• Use CLASS_TO_XML=TRUE

Database rules

•Make sure sd agent is running when sending db rules to agent

•when executing command exec action in db rule make sure you do exception handling in your script -> might cause hang

•non scheduled conditions in scheduled db –rules

•Only execute once check box

Agent

• At agent start, it announces itself on the network using its FQDN. Previously queued tasks for that agent will NOT be resent to the agent as the string match for hostname/alias will fail when compared to the FQDN of the agent.

• DB rules send their Actions/tasks to the same FQDN as advertised by the agent (aliases and hostname will cause problems).

• Also make sure that the broadcasted message from the agent does get to the SD App server and is not filtered by firewalls.

• -> Use appserver option UDP <-> ITP• TTL option

Service Pages

•Source code delivered with service desk 4.5•modify views•Add/remove fields•Change lay-out•Colors

•Start service pages without login screen:http://localhost:8080/sd-sp45/ServicePagesNoLogin.jsp? vLogin=system&vPasswd=servicedesk&vTimezone=UTC&vLanguage=1033

SD features•use up and down arrow in screen to sort db rules and codes

Sd dataform trick

• Create form for each CI category

• Form names must be identical to the CI category names.

• create a smart action for CIs that launches sd_dataform.bat

• Create shortcut using & sign. in Localized Text - Action Title.

Sd dataform trick

• Start Smart Action -> Alt+"character". indicated by the underscore in the name).

• After doing so stop the client empty the cache and restart.

• keyboard shortcuts can be assigned to Smart Action names under Localized Text - Action Title.

• Downside:– will show a dos box temporarily

• More intuitive set-up of the HP OpenView Service Desk application system

• Reduced training efforts as the HP OpenView Service Desk application system makes sure the user can only register and update information that the user is required to fill out.

• Increased data reliability• Reduced maintenance efforts• Consistent terminology to ensure a tight link with the

SOP documents

Some Guidelines

General

• Terminology -> Servicecall, call, trouble ticket, ticket• Document all system settings incl. Roles & rules

• Don’t use email? change field label for email to 'DO NOT USE'

• 3 options you can set in person rec• start unused fields with 'zz'• filtering in history lines. enter @@ when its a non

customer viewable line, in web pages you can filter these lines out.

General

•When using different environment ( e.g. PROD DEV TEST ) create a different data folder (or use folder option) on the sd client for each of these. To prevent strange things happen with cache files and srv.dat file etc.

•When you make a copy of a db first stop all app-servers or when copied db truncate table rep_servers just to make sure you don’t get connected to the wrong env.

Forms

• Lay-out– flow of fields -> reduce time to register/update– consistent forms across modules– All fields visible when maximized

• Field label, more space when bold• Tailore what’s this• Limit number of fields• Data accuracy

– Required fields– Read-only fields

Field types

• Hierarchical fields– Enforce correct registration– Use workaround

Nice to know

• grouping symbol: – Data extraction– will result in failure for db rules using [ID] field.

• Default form size– Form size last time the form was opened by you. – New user? -> Form size of system user

• Display all field contents– Fields that can contain more text then shown in

the form, can be opened by double-clicking on the field label. A separate window will then be opened to show the contents the field. The size of that separate window can be adjusted by the user.

Websites:

OpenView eCarehttp://openview.hp.com/sso/ecare/keyword?product_id=SDESK

IT Service Management (Service Desk) forum

http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/CategoryHome/1,,160,00.html

Websites:

OpenView Patches

http://support.openview.hp.com/cpe/patches/sdsk/sdsk.jsp

Google

http://www.google.com

Did you know

• You can copy & paste one item to another?

– CTRL+C on a servicecall or servicecalls– Switch view to e.g. workorders– CTRL+V and workorders are created with

information copied from the originating servicecall

• You can drag and drop attachments onto forms?

Did you know

• You can the SD client in a web browser?

• sd_event is a perl script?

Easter Egg

• Go to help, about, hold Alt, double click on the graphic on the left and you could see two things (repeat sequence again to see the other one):

- description of the planet Moon - list of folks who created Service Desk

Questions ?