Spark the future.

May 4 – 8, 2015Chicago, IL

Getting the Most Out of your System Center Service Manager EnvironmentSrikanth Ranganathan (Principal Program Manager, Microsoft)Patrick Sunquist (CTO, Gridpro)Nathan Lanoski (VP Solutions Concurrency Inc.)

BRK2496

Session ObjectivesService Manager 2012 R2 investmentsThe road travelledWhat’s next

ITSM for the multi-cloud environmentsSystem Center capabilities coupled with partner offerings make this scenario a reality

Maximizing value of Service Manager deploymentsBest practices for a performing enviroment

Agile Metrics driven Transparent (do ask, do tell) Committed to the ecosystem

New Team; New CultureThe new normal

Engineering InvestmentsAgile development process

Backlog

Partners

Support

Customers

MVPs

AgileTAP

Connect

Prioritization

AgileTAPRelease UR

Test

Dev

IterationPlanning

WeeklyBi-Weekly

Quarterly

Engineering Investments

One engineering team; One backlog

Balanced engineering and customer priorities

Build cadence improved for SM Agile TAP releases

Invested test automation

Customer dis-satisfaction

Usability

Stab

ility

Feat

ure

gaps

Upgra

de

Complex

ity

Custo

miza

tions

TCO

Foot

print

Partn

er d

epen

denc

ies

Inte

grat

ion

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

41%

27%

20% 19%

11% 10%6% 5%

2% 2%

Segmentation by scenarios

Incident Management Service Catalog0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2014 2013 2012

Update Rollup investments

UR2• Improve

d Console Usability• Windo

w Maximization problems

• Memory leaks

• Rendering issues

UR3• Improve

d Console Usability

• Improved trouble-shooting for MP Sync failures.

UR4• Improve

d Console Usability

• Transform Job timeout made configurable.

UR5• Improve

d Console Usability

• Improved Reliability of DW Cubes & Jobs

• Release Exchange Connector 3.1 with performance improvements

Apr 2014 July 2014 Oct 2014 Feb 2015

Update Rollup investments

UR6• Improve

d connector performance

• Support for SQL 2012 SP2 & SQL 2014

UR7• Usability

and performance improvements across Console & DW

UR8• Payload

not planned

UR9• Payload

not planned

Apr 2015 July 2015 Oct 2015 Jan 2016

SCCM Connector 50% improvement in SCCM connector performance

AD Connector ~35% improvement in AD connector performance Configurable sync schedule

SQL Server support SQL Server 2012 SP2 supported on SM 2012 SP1 SQL Server 2014 supported on SM 2012 R2

Update Rollup 6 – April 2015Connector improvements & updated support matrix

1440

2500

0

5000

00

20

40

60

80

100

120

Overall sync time of SCCM connector **

BeforeAfter

No. of Computer CIs synced

Tim

e t

ake

n (

hours

)

Downloads of quarterly update rollups (URs)

SP1 UR4Oct,2013

R2 UR2Apr,2014

R2 UR4Oct,2014

4X increase in download

rate

Quarters post ReleaseQ1 Q2

Service Manager – faster cadence Impact• Ecosystem adopting

bi-weekly cadence – SMAgileTAP

• Ecosystem confidence flowing to customers

• Customers voicing approval

R2 UR3Jul,2014

R2 UR5Feb, 2015

R2 UR6Apr, 2015

Q3 Q4

Workflow server scale out Azure Automation Connector DW & Reporting improvements

Aspirational work items

105+ members in SMAgileTAP (up from 65 since Oct, 2014)

150 customer/partners on monthly LyncUp calls (up 5x since Jan, 2014)

2000+ twitter followers (@servicemanger) (up 2x since Jan, 2014

3500 members in LinkedIn 55,000 blog views per quarter (4 posts per

month)

Customer & ecosystem engagement

Service Manager books Free e-books:

Optimizing Service Manager eBook (here) Introducing Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 (here)

PG working closely with other authors on more books

Soliciting Product feedback Submissions open for bugs and feedback http://aka.ms/A3rs15

Customer & ecosystem engagement

Ecosystem confidence is flowing to customers

Customers voicing approvals

Impact of all these engagements

Self-service portal technology and strategy IT Service Management as a Service

Scenarios that are in discussion

Service Management for the multi-cloud environments

Managing Cloud Resources

Private Cloud Resources

VM Web Sites

ActiveDirectory

Database

Network

3rd

Party CloudAzure

Public Cloud Resources

Request Management

for

Windows Azure Pack

Cloud Offerings using the Service Catalog

© Gridpro 2015

User fills out dynamic form wizard

Request is created

Request is reviewed

Review activity is approved

SMA Runbook provisions Azure Website

Self Service

Tracking

Review

Approval

Automation

Change- and Incident Management for Cloud Resource

© Gridpro 2015

User selects cloud resource

User fills out dynamic form

Request is reviewed

Review activity is approved

Runbook- and/or Manual Activities

Manage

Actions

Review

Approval

Implementation

Demo

Service Management in Windows Azure Pack

Enable self service experience with Windows Azure Pack Claims based authentication Resource lifecycle management Usage collection Multi tenancy supporting shared or dedicated instances etc.

Enable ITSM scenarios for cloud resources Customer support Custom offerings Approvals Incident & Change Management Custom actions with automation integration

Better Together

More information

GridproRequests, Approvals & Automationhttp://www.gridprosoftware.comPatrik Sundqvist (patrik.sundqvist@gridprosoftware.com)

Maximizing Value: IT as a Service Provider

An IT Service is “something” that IT delivers to the business...

… in a way the business understands it.

Example… Customer Ordering Services

IT Service Providers enable… Strategy to business alignment Requirements gathering Consulting on direction Technology acquisition Continuous improvement delivery

IT as a Service Provider

The service lifecycle

Not a one time thing

Strategy

Design

TransitionOperations

Continuous Improvement

Fully define the business process being built

Create functional requirements and specs

Define a testing matrix to prove your results

Ready the organization for change

Before deploying technology…

Maximizing Value: Deployment Architectures

What does performance mean?Console / Web OperationsIncidents, problems, and changes open and close quickly (less than 5 seconds)Read operations provide content quickly to IT users

Portal PerformanceNo or minimal “please wait” on the portalSubmissions complete without failure

Automation PerformanceAutomation execution time. Application deployment in 1 vs. 5 minutes makes a difference

Report PerformanceReport data is delivered quickly and user expectations are set

What does scale mean?Massive User CountsCustomers with 200,000+ Users

Huge DatacentersDatacenters with 50,000+ Servers

GeographyGeographically dispersed users“Follow-the-sun”

Quantity of RequestsMillions of incidents, requests, and changes

Deployment Architecture for Large Scale

Hardware Recommendations for Large ScaleManagement Servers4 – 8 core16 GB RAM(console and workflow servers)A Series Servers in Azure

SQL Servers16 – 24 core32+ GB RAMHigh performance diskD or G Series Servers in Azure (with SSD premium storage)Use “Premium Storage” to maximize performance

DW SQL Servers16 – 24 core32+ GB RAMHigh performance disk, D or G Series Azure Servers

Hardware Recommendations for Large ScaleOffice365, WAP, or SharePoint and Web Content Servers4 - 8 core16 – 32 GB RAM80 GB HDA or D Series Azure Servers

Orchestrator Management and Runbook Servers4 – 8 core16 – 32 GB RAMHigh performance diskD Series Azure Servers or use Azure-Automation

Example Architecture for 50,000+ UsersManagement ServersDedicated workflow mgmt. serverDedicated console servers with load balancerDedicated mgmt. servers for Orchestrator

SQLClustering for all componentsAlwaysOn for operations databases

OrchestratorRunbook Servers

OrchestratorManagement

SM Management Servers

SM Connection Servers

SM Portal

SharePoint / WCS

SM Orchestrator Server

SM ORCH Target Server

Service Manager DBSQL 2012

Datawarehouse DBSQL 2012

Windows Server 201224 – 48 vCPUs, 32 – 192 GB RAM

80 GB OS, 600 GB Data

Windows Server 20124 – 8 vCPUs, 8 – 16 GB RAM

60 GB OS, 1 TB+ Data2-4TB of disk for 1095 days

DR: RTO 24 hours

Windows Server 20122 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM

80 GB OSScale number as

workloads demandRTO: 30 min?

Windows Server 20128 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM

60 GB OSScale as workload demands

RTO: 15 min

Windows Server 20124 vCPUs, 8 – 16 GB RAM

60 GB OSDR: RTO 24 hours

Windows Server 20124 – 8 vCPUs, 8 - 16 GB RAM

60 GB OS80-100 concurrent sessions/server

DR: RTO 30 minutes

Windows Server 20124 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM

First is failover for PrimaryScale as workloads demand

RTO: Globally Coninuously Available?

Windows Server 20124 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM

60 GB OSRTO: Not clear

Windows Server 20124 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM

First is failover for PrimaryScale as workloads demand

RTO: Globally Coninuously Available?

Windows Server 20122 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM

80 GB OSScale number as

workloads demandRTO: 30 min?

Service Manager DBSQL 2012

Windows Server 201224 – 48 vCPUs, 32 – 192 GB RAM

80 GB OS, 600 GB Data

Windows Server 20128 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM

60 GB OSScale as workload demands

RTO: 15 min

Windows Server 20128 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM

60 GB OSScale as workload demands

RTO: 15 min

Active DirectorySCOM, SCCM,Other Systems

SQL Server Configuration

SQL Server ConfigurationTempDBHigh performance LUN, split IO to log volumeMultiple TempDBs (1 per 2 cores), but only one log, normalized sizeTempDB performance is critical to Service Manager performancePut the TempDB on fast disks!

ServiceManager DatabaseHigh performance LUN, split IO to log volumeTransaction log set to BASIC by defaultTest performance of your disk:“sqlio -kW -t2 –s30 -o1 -frandom -b64 -BH -LS c:\Testfile.dat “

RAM AllocationConfigure for 2 GB less than the total RAM on the SQL server

SQL Server ConfigurationSQL BrokerDrastic performance difference with workflowsValidate SQL Broker set to 1 vs. 0

Checking SQL BrokerSELECT is_broker_enabled FROM sys.databases WHERE name = 'ServiceManager‘

Setting SQL Broker (change window only)ALTER DATABASE ServiceManager SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE ALTER DATABASE ServiceManager SET ENABLE_BROKERALTER DATABASE ServiceManager SET MULTI_USER

Max Degree of ParallelismDefines parallel processing rules in SQLDefault is “0” and allows a single query to use all processor coresBetter results in our environments with “1” to “4”.

Learn more and set as required. Test, as your experience may vary.http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms181007(v=SQL.105).aspx

SELECT name, value FROM sys.configurations WHERE name = ‘max degree of parallelism’

Validate Read Committed Snapshot Isolation (RCSI)Validating isolation levelsSELECT name, is_read_committed_snapshot_on FROMsys.databases where name = 'ServiceManager‘

ALTER DATABASE ServiceManager SET READ_COMMITTED_SNAPSHOT ON

SQL Performance for ServiceManager DBRAM Usage Page File % Usage should be less than 1%Memory – Available Mbytes should not be below 100mb (indicates starved OS)

Disk PerformanceAve. Disk Sec/Read and /Write should be less than 20 msec typically (some spikes ok)Ave. Disk Queue Length can indicate disk IO issues, though less valuable than Ave. Disk Sec/Read

CPU PerformanceValidate SQL service and CPU usage.

Change Grooming SettingsMinimize Retention Settings – ideally less than a week or twoCreate custom grooming rules

SQL Index, Logs, and Recovery ModelCheck your log size and expansionDoes your log write, clear, and have expansion space?

Check your recovery modelUse SIMPLE, or configure a transaction log backupSuggestion is to use SIMPLE

Check your indexesService manager needs some additional indexes to perform at scale

High AvailabilitySQL 2012 AlwaysOn High availability with AlwaysOnhttp://blogs.technet.com/b/babulalghule/archive/2013/02/17/how-to-install-service-manager-2012-sp1-with-a-sql-2012-alwayson-availability-groups.aspx

CU6 supports named Availability Groupshttp://blogs.technet.com/b/servicemanager/archive/2015/04/28/update-rollup-6-for-system-center-2012-r2-operations-manager-is-now-available.aspx

User Experience

Pick the Right User ExperienceSelf-Service PortalEnd user self-service interactions or IT interactionsService Requests are excellent for “low / no training”, interactions

ConsoleHigh bandwidth, low latency scenariosRemoteApp necessary for high bandwidth scenariosLess than 100 msec or less150 – 200 msec has 40% degradation

Web Consoles (GridPro and Cireson)Excellent for maximizing user experience everywhereSome match with console experience (GridPro)

Console OptimizationConsole OptimizationMake sure you are at UR6 to address console bugs and performance

Minimize Quantity of Views and Size of EnumsDelete views not needed. More views / enums slows console load time. Helped in UR6.

Use Search vs. ViewsUse searching vs. views to find data quickly

Configure the Global Operators GroupLimits uses selectable when assigning work items (drastic performance improvement)

View OptimizationBasic ViewsBring back only information from one classThe fastest view to create

Type Projections / Combination ClassesCombine classes to bring back information that includes relationshipsUse the smallest projection possibleDownload type projections for Incident, Problem, Change, and Service Request

Advanced ClassesDo not use the (Advanced) class in views. Use a type projection. The (Advanced) class can be used in searches that return small quantitieshttp://blogs.technet.com/b/servicemanager/archive/2010/12/02/faq-why-is-my-custom-incident-view-so-slow.aspxhttp://blogs.technet.com/b/servicemanager/archive/2011/09/19/new-change-request-type-projections-management-pack.aspx

Portal PerformancePortal and IconsMore icons means longer load timeConsider using a “start page” to point to Service Offerings, or SharePoint page with sync

Scope Request OfferingsUse user roles to scope access to service offerings and request offeringsThe more service offerings and request offerings, the longer the load

Disable App Pool Recycling for SharePoint and SSPDefault is nightly recycling which causes slow initial performanceMake sure not to set recycling to high memory usagehttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753179(v=WS.10).aspx

Portal PerformanceUse Searching in Request OfferingsDon’t increase the size of the query resultsUse pre-search filters to allow searching of hundreds of thousands of CIs in secondshttp://blog.concurrency.com/infrastructure/service-manager-request-query-result-filtering/

Use Known InformationUse previous questions and default values to filter queriesUse known information (such as user name and relationship to computer)Avoid MP ENUM questions as they cannot be used in post-selection filters

Workflow Optimization

Dedicated Servers and Azure-AutomationUse a Dedicated Workflow ServerAlways the first server in the management group by default

Dedicated Azure-Automation Target ServerAny server in the management groupUsed for any Orchestrator or Azure-Automation interactionUse a dedicated account for Orchestrator automations

Azure-Automation Runbook Worker / ProxyAzure-Automation requires a proxy to hit the on-premise environment

Workflow TweaksImplied Permissions WorkflowConsider disabling implied permissionsUtilize direct permissions with un-scoped operator role

New Priority CalculationDisable or use priority calculation ruleDisable Incident_Adjust_PriorityAndResolutionTime_Custom_Rule.Add if using SLOs

First Assigned RelationshipDisable “WorkItem_SetFirstAssignedTo_RelationshipAdd_Rule” if not used

SLO ApplicationLimit to what needed, as SLO application is performance heavyOrchestrator can apply SLOs based on complex rule matrixes.

Troubleshooting Performance DelaysHow to find a problematic workflowUse queries in blog post:http://blogs.technet.com/b/servicemanager/archive/2013/01/14/troubleshooting-workflow-performance-and-delays.aspx

Setting the WatermarkArtificially moving the watermark forward… only last resort

Workflows and Connectors

Orchestrator and Azure-AutomationWhen to Use Orchestrator or Azure-AutomationComplex workflows, ex. Incident categorization, routing, notificationsUse vs. many individual Service Manager workflowsHigh capacity automation performancePerformance distribution of workflow processes

Incident CategorizationMonitor Object or “Get” initiationComplex routing and translation

Orchestrator and Azure-AutomationUsing Orchestrator and Azure-Automation with NotificationsComplex logic and offloading notificationshttp://blog.concurrency.com/infrastructure/scsm-notifications-with-orchestrator-roll-up/

Runbook Initiation Option 1Service Manager workflow initiates runbook activityEasier and out of box

Runbook Initiation Option 2Orchestrator initiator runbook to find active runbooksDrastically faster than Service Manager OOB initiation (about 4 times faster!!)

Connector ConfigurationConstrain SyncOnly sync those groups, users, and configuration items you need

Null is BadDo not sync “null” values on connectors. Connectors fight with each other.

Connector ConfigurationDCM SynchronizationDisable DCM workflowhttp://blogs.technet.com/b/mihai/archive/2012/11/30/configuration-manager-connector-s-dcm-rule-can-cause-massive-performance-issues-in-service-manager.aspx

Connector Performance UpgradeDNS trick and connector performance improved in UR6

Sync Custom VariablesSync variables from Active Directory not covered by connector, or fasterhttp://blog.concurrency.com/featured-post/how-to-sync-other-properties-from-active-directory-to-service-manager-using-orchestrator/ (password last set variable)

Workflow / Connector SchedulingOption 1: Configure in XML or PowerShellCan cause workflows to run more efficiently

Option 2: Configure Orchestrator to Turn Jobs on and offConfigure Orchestrator job with schedule to turn on and off / start / end

Batch SizeTweak the batch sizeCan cause workflows to run more efficiently

<Rule ID="CIListRule" Enabled="true" Target="OMConnectorLibrary!Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.LinkingFramework.OpsMgrConnector.SyncWorkflowTarget" ConfirmDelivery="false" Remotable="true" Priority="Normal" DiscardLevel="100"> <Category>Maintenance</Category> <DataSources> <DataSource ID="DS1" TypeID="Subscriptions!Microsoft.SystemCenter.CmdbInstanceSubscription.DataSourceModule"> <Subscription> <InstanceSubscription Type="$MPElement[Name='OMConnectorLibrary!Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.LinkingFramework.OpsMgrConnector.OpsMgrCIs']$"> <UpdateInstance /> </InstanceSubscription> <!--<StartWatermark>1</StartWatermark>--> <PollingIntervalInSeconds>10</PollingIntervalInSeconds> <BatchSize>1000</BatchSize> </Subscription> </DataSource> </DataSources>

Maximizing Value: Business Intelligence

DW StrategyUse PowerBI for VisualizationsUtilize PowerBI to visualize data from within the DW or CMDBCan connect to tabular models through Analysis Serviceshttp://www.concurrency.com/infrastructure/system-center-visualization-powerbi-powerview/ http://robplanktech.com/2015/01/power-bi-designer-preview/

Snapshots in CMDBUtilize snapshot driven CMDB reports for accessing non-DW data without performance impactProvide reports in self-service driven model, such as through Reporting Services + SSP

Scalability and SQL Sizing ImportanceUse a dedicated SQL server (on-premise or Azure)Allocate enough RAM and don’t starve the OSUnderstand analysis services impact and potentially offloadBeware cube processing impact

System Center + PowerBI Architecture

Office365 SharePointPowerBIDatabase Services

SQL Server Database

Analysis ServicesSQL Server Analysis Tabular Configuration

CMDB or DW

Tabular Model

(Future)

User Experience

Software Gateway

Demo: PowerBI with SCSM

Key takeawaysService Manager 2012 R2 investmentsQuarterly updates Biweekly TAP builds for early accessCustomers & the ecosystem drives the priorities

ITSM for the multi-cloud environmentsSystem Center capabilities coupled with partner offerings make this scenario a reality

Maximizing value of Service Manager deploymentsCustomers are running Service Manager in large scale deploymentsIt needs to be carefully architected to provide the desired experience

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