Getting started with RES Automation Manager 2012

Transcription

1 Getting started with RES Automation Manager 2012

2 Contents Chapter 1: Introduction RES Automation Manager Components RES Automation Manager Architecture Licensing... 5 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup Planning Prerequisites Hardware Database Software Installing the Console Setting up the Datastore Protocol Encryption for Datastores on Microsoft SQL Server Deploying Dispatchers Deploying Agents Chapter 3: Next steps Creating a Resource Creating a Module Scheduling a Job Viewing the Job results Explore further Chapter 4: Where to go from here? 27 Chapter 5: RES Automation Manager Glossary 28 Chapter 6: Compatibility Matrix 29 ii

3 Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction This document describes how to get started with RES Automation Manager. After reading Getting Started with RES Automation Manager 2012, you can set up an RES Automation Manager environment and start your own journey of discovery. RES Automation Manager provides task automation, resource provisioning and service orchestration for optimal automation of your IT infrastructure. RES Automation Manager advantages: Keeps desktops and servers in optimal shape by automating common tasks Improves IT productivity and reduces delivery time Eliminates complex scripts Simplifies resource provisioning by combining different types of tasks into a single recipe Provides users with an IT service catalog for self-servicing or automatic delivery based upon business rules Before reading this document, please read Introduction to RES Automation Manager, which explains the concept behind RES Automation Manager. Note For a brief explanation of all terminology used in this guide, please refer to the RES Automation Manager Glossary (on page 28). For information about more advanced settings in RES Automation Manager, please refer to the RES Automation Manager Help, which is available after installing the RES Automation Manager Console, by pressing F1. Copyright RES Software 1

4 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 RES Automation Manager Components RES Automation Manager uses four major components: Console Datastore Dispatchers Agents Console When you have set up the entire RES Automation Manager environment and have deployed all of its components, the Console functions as the central point of administration of your RES Automation Manager environment. You schedule all Tasks from here. Datastore The Datastore is the central database for your RES Automation Manager environment. It runs on a central database server that you have installed prior to installing RES Automation Manager. The Datastore contains all RES Automation Manager settings and can contain Resources that are needed for your Tasks. Dispatcher A Dispatcher is a service that runs on a computer in your RES Automation Manager environment. It communicates information from the Datastore to Agents. A Dispatcher can cache Resources, thereby lightening the load on the Datastore. Agent An Agent is a service that runs on a computer in your RES Automation Manager environment. It can execute the Tasks that you configure. 2 Copyright RES Software

5 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.2 RES Automation Manager Architecture The RES Automation Manager architecture model can be represented as follows: An RES Automation Manager environment can contain multiple Consoles, Dispatchers and Agents. When you deploy, repair or remove a Console, Dispatcher or Agent on a computer, the Console that you are logged on to extracts the necessary data from the Datastore and then connects directly to the target computer. When you create Modules, Projects or Run Books, the Console stores all data in the Datastore, including the Tasks and Resources involved. When you schedule Jobs with these Modules, Projects or Run Books, the Console sends this assignment to the Datastore. A Dispatcher manages all communication between the Datastore and an Agent by contacting the Datastore at regular intervals. If a new Job is available for the Agent, the Dispatcher will download all necessary data from the Datastore and store it. In its turn, the Agent contacts the Dispatcher at regular intervals. If a new Job is available, the Agent will download all necessary data from the Dispatcher and perform the Job. If a Dispatcher is too busy, the Agent will try to contact a different Dispatcher. RES Automation Manager uses port 3163 (TCP/UDP) for communication between the Agent and the Dispatcher. This port is hard-coded and cannot be changed. When using a Datastore based on Microsoft SQL Server, RES Automation Manager uses port 1433 for communication between the Dispatcher and Datastore (Oracle, MySQL and IBM DB2 use different ports, please refer to the documentation of those servers for the correct port numbers). Copyright RES Software 3

6 Chapter 1: Introduction When using a Datastore based on Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or higher, you can optionally secure communication between the Datastore and the components that connect to it (Consoles and Dispatchers). See Protocol encryption. You can secure communication between Dispatchers and Agents by configuring a global setting. This setting functions irrespective of database type used. Agent - Dispatcher Communication The Datastore and Dispatchers contain all global changes (GUIDs and Agent GUIDs). An Agent contains multiple GUIDs (for schedule, properties etc.). The Agent checks Agent GUIDs with the Dispatcher. If there is a change, only the relevant Agent GUID (schedule, properties, etc.) is fetched from the Dispatcher. 4 Copyright RES Software

7 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.3 Licensing In RES Automation Manager, licensing is based on Agents and connectors. After installing RES Automation Manager 2012, 75 evaluation licenses are provided automatically. These evaluation licenses are valid for 45 days. To use RES Automation Manager after the trial period, you need RES Automation Manager licenses, which can be obtained from your local reseller. License requirements for Agents Agents require licenses depending on the machine on which they run: An Agent running on a workstation requires 1/2 license: one license can service two Agents running on workstations. An Agent running on a server requires 4 licenses (incl. Linux). An Agent running on a Terminal Server requires 8 licenses. License requirements for Connectors Tasks related to SQL statements, SSH commands, VMware ESX virtual machines, Microsoft Exchange mailboxes and Microsoft Active Directory require connectors. Each connector requires additional RES Automation Manager licenses. For more information about connectors, please refer to the RES Automation Manager Help, which is available after installing the RES Automation Manager Console, by pressing F1. Copyright RES Software 5

8 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup Chapter 2: Installation and Setup 2.1 Planning Before installing the Console and any additional RES Automation Manager components, it is very important to plan your RES Automation Manager environment very extensively. An RES Automation Manager environment is highly-flexible and can easily be adapted to your needs, whether your environment consists of 5 managed devices or When planning an RES Automation Manager environment, it is important to know when to deploy additional Dispatchers. No additional configuration is required to use RES Automation Manager in multiple domain environments. In general, the following rules of thumb apply to RES Automation Manager environments: Datastore: An RES Automation Manager environment usually contains one Datastore. This Datastore exists on a database server (Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, IBM DB2 or Oracle). If desired, the Datastore can be made redundant by clustering it. Dispatcher: An environment requires at least one Dispatcher. In a small environment, a second Dispatcher would generate unnecessary Datastore <-> Dispatcher traffic. As a rule of thumb, one Dispatcher can handle at least 1500 concurrent connections. The number of Dispatchers that are required also depends on the nature of the Tasks that the Agents need to execute, and on the hardware and infrastructure used: rolling out a Microsoft Office 2010 installation on 400 Agent obviously puts a higher load on a Dispatcher than installing a small Microsoft Hotfix on 10 Agents. A Dispatcher can be any Microsoft Windows machine in your network, but RES Software recommends not to install Datastores, Dispatchers and Agents on the same machine. Although a Dispatcher installation has a very small footprint, a Dispatcher caches all Resources and therefore needs sufficient disk space: if you would install a Dispatcher on the same machine as the Datastore, Resource caching would double the amount of data on that machine. RES Software recommends not to use a Terminal Server as a Dispatcher, due to the network traffic it generates. In the Engines node of the Console, the columns Connections and Peak show the number of current connections and the highest number of connections for each Dispatcher. This can be a good indication of when to deploy an additional Dispatcher. Additional Dispatchers can always be added at a later stage. If a remote environment contains more than one Dispatcher, it should have a master Dispatcher in order to limit the amount of data traffic between the Datastore and the Dispatchers over WANs. For more information about master Dispatchers, please refer to the RES Automation Manager Help, which is available after installing and setting up the Console, by pressing F1. When planning an RES Automation Manager environment, keep in mind that you can specify the following settings for the communication between the different components. You can specify the defaults for these settings on a global level and set exceptions per Dispatcher, per Agent, or per Team of Agents. If necessary, both the global and the individual settings can be changed at a later stage. You can find these settings in the node Datastore > Settings > Global Settings. 6 Copyright RES Software

9 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup Dispatcher detection settings Item Dispatcher discovery Dispatcher locations Dispatcher recovery Function Specifies the Agents' search method for Dispatchers. Agents can discover Dispatchers by sending a multicast signal or by using a Dispatcher address list. Specifies which Dispatchers should be used by the Agent. Agents can use any discovered Dispatchers to retrieve a complete list of all Dispatchers and use these as well or only use the Dispatchers it discovered directly. Specifies which action Agents should take if no Dispatchers can be contacted. The Agent can keep trying to discover Dispatchers or revert to a cached list of ALL known Dispatchers. This setting can be configured on global level, on Team level and on Agent level. The settings Dispatcher discovery and Dispatcher locations are closely related. Use their options to create a combination that specifies how and where an Agent should search for a Dispatcher. For LAN connections, RES Software recommends the following combination: Autodetect and Only Use Discovered Dispatchers. If this combination is used, the Agent will only be able to discover Dispatchers in its own network segment. The Agent detects its Dispatchers by sending a multicast signal. A multicast signal cannot travel over routers. The Agent will only communicate with the Dispatchers that are detected, and randomly use these Dispatchers to retrieve information. For WAN connections, RES Software recommends the following combination: Use Dispatcher Address List and Only Use Discovered Dispatchers. If this combination is used, the Agent will not send a multicast signal, but only detect Dispatchers that are specified in the Dispatcher address list. Specify at least one Dispatcher in the list. Best practice is to select First try autodetect to autodetect Dispatchers. If this fails, the specified Dispatchers will be used. This setting is particularly useful for laptops: When a laptop logs on at the office, the Agent will automatically detect a Dispatcher. When a laptop is used at a different location, the Dispatcher address list will be used. If the Agent is able to communicate with these Dispatchers over IP port 3163, it will connect to these Dispatchers at random. Connection settings Item Bandwidth throttling Resource Download throttling Protocol Encryption Dispatcher Function Controls the amount of data that Agents can download per second from a Dispatcher, and applies per Agent per Resource. If you configure this setting both at Agent and Dispatcher level, the bandwidth is determined by the lowest value. If you disable this setting, the maximum download speed is used, depending on your network topology, available CPU performance and number of concurrent downloads. Controls the amount of data that Dispatchers can download per second, per Resource when they get Resources from the Datastore. If you disable this setting, the maximum download speed is used, depending on your network topology, available CPU performance and number of concurrent downloads. Specifies whether communication between Dispatchers and Agents is secured. This setting functions irrespective of database type used. Any changes to this setting take effect immediately. Copyright RES Software 7

10 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup Example scenario: The Demo Company The following scenario gives an example of how an RES Automation Manager environment can be set up and adapted as circumstances change. The examples are based on the fictional company The Demo Company, which initially consisted of a single office in New York, where 50 people were employed. Over the years, The Demo Company expanded rapidly and its number of employees in New York increased from 50 to Furthermore, a satellite office in Singapore was opened with 20 employees. Initial setup in New York: One Datastore (Microsoft SQL Server) New York 50 Agents 1 Dispatcher SQL Server: SQL-NY Datastore: RAMNY One Dispatcher (only 50 Agents: one Dispatcher suffices. A 2nd Dispatcher would cause unnecessary Dispatcher <-> Datastore traffic) 50 Agents After rapid growth in New York: New York 2000 Agents 2 Dispatchers SQL Server: SQL-NY Datastore: RAMNY One Datastore Two Dispatchers (1500 Agents per Dispatcher: a reasonable number, though depending on the number of concurrent connections) 2000 Agents The additional Dispatcher and Agents have been deployed from the Console 8 Copyright RES Software

11 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup When the satellite office in Singapore was opened: SQL traffic WAN SQL traffic New York 2000 Agents 2 Dispatchers SQL Server: SQL-NY Datastore: RAMNY Singapore 20 Agents 1 Dispatcher The office in Singapore has: One Dispatcher. This Dispatcher was deployed from New York and connects to the existing Datastore in New York. 20 Agents, which use the Dispatcher in Singapore. (Their Dispatcher Address List only contains the Dispatcher in Singapore, and they do not retrieve a complete Dispatcher List.) It is very easy to administer an RES Automation Manager environment from a single point. Because of RES Automation Manager's scalability, it is just as easy to maintain an environment with users as it is to maintain one with just 50 users. Copyright RES Software 9

12 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup 2.2 Prerequisites Before you install RES Automation Manager, make sure the following prerequisites are met: Hardware All hardware must comply with the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). The installation of a Console takes 50-60MB of disk space. The installation of a Dispatcher takes 7-8MB of disk space. The installation of an Agent takes 7-8MB of disk space. Verify that the database server that hosts the RES Automation Manager Datastore has sufficient disk space to store Resources. Resources can also be stored on file servers Database Database type Microsoft SQL Server (2000 and later, including Express editions) Prerequisites Database Mixed Mode authentication A named SQL Server System Administrator login ID, or an alternative account with server role "sysadmin" and user mappings to master, model, msdb and tempdb Microsoft.NET Framework 2.0 or higher Consoles and Dispatchers MySQL (5.0 and later) Oracle (9i and later) IBM DB2 (8.1 and later) Agents Microsoft SQL Native Client if you want to use encrypted communication between the Datastore and the Consoles and Dispatchers or if WMC.exe needs to be started from the command line Database Microsoft SQL Server client (pre-installed with Microsoft Windows) MySQL DBA credentials Consoles and Dispatchers Database MYSQL ODBC Driver 3.51 or higher (x64/x86) Oracle DBA credentials Consoles and Dispatchers Oracle OLEDB provider Oracle win32_11gr2_client with Patch or higher (x86) Oracle win64_11gr2_client with Patch or higher (x64) Database An existing database and database user The database user must be able to access a table space with a page size of at least 8k Consoles and Dispatchers IBM DB2 OLEDB provider (x64/x86) Warning The deployment of Dispatchers on 64-bit machines requires the installation of the 64-bit version of the necessary database drivers on these machines. The other components of RES Automation Manager use the 32-bit version of these database drivers. If it is not possible to use both versions on the same 64-bit machine simultaneously, it is not possible to use a Console and a Dispatcher on this machine that both point to the same Datastore. 10 Copyright RES Software

13 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup Preparations for creating a Datastore on an IBM DB2 database Before you create a Datastore on an IBM DB2 database, follow these steps: 1. Create a local user on the DB2 Server, for example: AutomationManager. This account will be used to connect to the RES Automation Manager Datastore. 2. Manually create a database on the DB2 Server, for example: AMDB. 3. Create a Table Space for the user AutomationManager in the new AMDB database. Specify a Buffer pool of 8KB. 4. Create a schema in the new AMDB database, for example: am. 5. Add the user you created in step 1 to the database AMDB. 6. Assign the applicable authorities, and add the schema and Table Space you created in steps 3 and 4 to this user. Make sure you assign the proper privileges Software RES Automation Manager supports the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows XP SP3 Professional x86 /x64 Microsoft Windows Vista x86 / x64 Microsoft Windows 7 x86 / x64 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (including R2) x86 / x64 Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (including R2) x86 / x64 Additionally, the following software is required: Microsoft.NET Framework 4.0 (Client Profile) to run RES Automation Manager installation.msis or RES Automation Manager update packages. Microsoft.NET Framework 4.0 (Full version: Client Profile and Extended) on all machines hosting a Dispatcher. Please make sure to upgrade all Dispatcher hosts with this version before running an RES Automation Manager installation.msi or an RES Automation Manager upgrade package. Other requirements When deploying components from the Console on machines running Microsoft Windows Vista or higher, disable the User Account Control feature, as this feature does not support silent installations. Agents No active Windows Firewall The Remote Registry service must be running Simple File Sharing disabled IPC$ Note RES Automation Manager no longer supports Microsoft Windows Please refer to the Compatibility Matrix (on page 28) for a complete overview of all products supported by RES Automation Manager. Copyright RES Software 11

14 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup 2.3 Installing the Console The first step in the installation process is to install the Console. You can install the Console on any computer that can connect to the database server, but it is usually installed locally on the administrator's workstation. An installation takes about 15-20MB of disk space. 1. Download the RES Automation Manager installation file (RES-AM-xxxx.msi) from This file contains all the necessary components to set up an RES Automation Manager environment from one central place. Save the installation file to a location that is accessible from the computer from which you want to manage your RES Automation Manager environment. This computer must be able to connect to the database server. 2. Log on to this computer with a valid System Administrator account. 3. Start the installation by double-clinking the installation file. The RES Automation Manager Setup Wizard will guide you through the setup process. This will install a Console, from which you can manage your RES Automation Manager environment. By default, the Console will be installed at C:\Program Files\RES Software\Automation Manager\WMC. If necessary, you can deploy additional Consoles at a later stage. Note RES Automation Manager contains Third Party Software components that are not digitally signed. After you have installed RES Automation Manager, it is also possible to deploy additional Consoles manually or unattended. For more information, please refer to the Help, which is available after installing the Console, by pressing F1. 12 Copyright RES Software

15 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup 2.4 Setting up the Datastore The next step in the installation procedure is to set up the RES Automation Manager Datastore. Setting up a Datastore After a fresh installation of RES Automation Manager (no Datastore connection is available yet), a message is shown that allows you to start the Datastore Wizard directly when starting the Console. 1. Click Yes to start the Datastore Wizard. The Datastore Wizard helps you to create a new Datastore for RES Automation Manager. If you click No, the Console will start, but only the node Infrastructure > Datastore > Setup > Database will be available. You can then choose to connect to an existing Datastore or to create a new one. All other nodes will become available when a new Datastore is created or when a connection is made to an existing Datastore. 2. In the Datastore Wizard, click Next and select the type of database server to which you want to connect (i.e. IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL or Oracle). On Microsoft SQL Server, RES Automation Manager will create a Datastore through the Datastore Wizard. On Oracle, RES Automation Manager will create a database user and table space with the names specified in the Datastore Wizard. Alternatively, you can select an existing table space for the new database user. On MySQL, RES Automation Manager will create a database (or schema) and a database user with the names specified in the Datastore Wizard. On IBM DB2, it is not possible to create a database from a client: the database and database user must already exist. See Database prerequisites (on page 10). 3. Specify the name of the relevant database server. When using Microsoft SQL Server, RES Automation Manager will automatically show a list of available SQL servers. 4. Specify the user name and password of the DBA account that has access to the database. 5. When using Microsoft SQL Server, specify whether to use Protocol Encryption. See Protocol Encryption for Datastores on Microsoft SQL Server (on page 14). 6. Click Next and specify a name for the Datastore. When using Oracle, you can also specify an existing table space. 7. Click Next. 8. If necessary, change the database settings. 9. Click Next. 10. Create a login account that allows the Console to access the new Datastore. 11. Click Next and then click Finish to create the Datastore. 12. After the Datastore has been created, the Console restarts automatically and connects to the new Datastore. After the restart, all nodes are available except for the Job Execution node. The Datastore sections that have become available are split up in Security, Settings and Setup. Copyright RES Software 13

16 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup Protocol Encryption for Datastores on Microsoft SQL Server If the Datastore is located on a Microsoft SQL Server, you can optionally secure communication between the Datastore various components of RES Automation Manager using SSL. SSL ensures security and privacy in Internet communications, through public key encryption during a communications session. Prerequisites Microsoft SQL Server 2000: install a Security Certificate on the server. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and 2008 will automatically generate Self-Signed Certificates. Microsoft SQL Native Client on the machines running the Consoles and Dispatchers. Configuration When creating a new Datastore, enable Force Protocol Encryption in the Datastore Wizard. When connecting to an existing Datastore or changing the protocol encryption settings of the current Datastore, enable Force Protocol Encryption at Infrastructure > Datastore > Setup > Database. If you enable protocol encryption for an existing Datastore: Protocol encryption needs to be enabled for any individual Console that connects to the Datastore. Any available Dispatchers must be repaired before the setting takes effect. This forces the Dispatchers to reload the connection parameters to the Datastore. The SSL parameters that the Microsoft SQL Server database uses to encrypt communication to Dispatchers and Consoles depend on the Security Certificate used by this database. Note Communication between Dispatchers and Agents can be secured by configuring a global setting, which functions irrespective of the database type that is used. 14 Copyright RES Software

17 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup 2.5 Deploying Dispatchers After setting up the Datastore, you need to set up your Dispatchers. The Datastore contains a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of the Dispatcher installation file. When you deploy a Dispatcher from the Console, RES Automation Manager will automatically use the correct installation file for 32-bit and 64-bit Microsoft Windows versions. Warning Before you deploy Dispatchers, please make sure Microsoft.NET Framework 4.0 (Full version) has been installed on all target machines. See the Prerequisites (on page 10) for more information. Deploying Dispatchers 1. Open the Console and go to Infrastructure > Engines. 2. Click Add. This opens the Push Deployment window. 3. To select the target computer(s) by browsing your network, click in the Target Computer(s) field. You can also directly type the host name(s), the FQDN(s), or the IP-address(es). 4. If you select computers by browsing, select the target computer. You can make multiple selections. Alternatively you can choose to scan all computers in a specific IP-range. Copyright RES Software 15

18 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup 5. After selecting the target computer(s), click Deploy now to start the actual deployment. When the deployment process starts, you need to provide user account credentials for the computer(s) on which the Dispatcher is deployed. The user account requires administrative privileges, because it must have installation permissions. If a deployment is successful, it shows 100% in the column completed successfully. When the deployed Dispatcher starts, it will become visible in the Engines node of the Console. Note It is also possible to deploy Dispatcher manually or unattended. For more information, please refer to the RES Automation Manager Help, which is available after installing the Console, by pressing F1. 16 Copyright RES Software

19 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup 2.6 Deploying Agents When you have deployed all other RES Automation Manager components, you need to deploy the Agents. To deploy the Agents, select the node Infrastructure > Agents and click Add. The procedure is similar to deploying Dispatchers, with the exception of the Agent Settings. If desired, you can specify settings regarding Dispatcher detection on the Agent Settings tab. After deployment, the Agent will use these settings to detect Dispatchers. If necessary, you can always change these settings again at a later stage. If you do not set Agent-specific settings, the Agent will be deployed with the default global settings. See Planning for more information. When you have deployed Agents, you can find the Agents in the Agents node by: Search in Teams: When searching for Agents in Teams, you can choose to search in all Teams or in a specific Team. If a Team is a member of another Team, you can also search in subteams. Search in Job History: When searching for Agents in the Job History, you can search for all Agents that executed a specific Project or Module (click to select a Project or Module). Optionally, you can search on online and licensed Agents only or on offline Agents only. Note It is also possible to deploy Agents manually or unattended. For more information, please refer to the RES Automation Manager Help, which is available after installing the Console, by pressing F1. Copyright RES Software 17

20 Chapter 3: Next steps Chapter 3: Next steps Now that you have set up a basic RES Automation Manager environment, you can start using it. The core of any RES Automation Manager environment is the ability to perform Tasks. Tasks are actions that you can be performed by an Agent. With a Task you can, for example, restart services on Agents or set registry keys, but also query the installed programs on Agents or query Windows event logs. RES Automation Manager contains a library full of Tasks that can be configured for a wide range of actions. To give you a few examples, this document covers the execution of an MBSA query on an Agent. As a prerequisite, the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer needs to be installed first. This scenario consists of: Creating a Resource. Resources are files that are used in the execution of Tasks, such as.msi files, setup files, patches, hotfixes, etc. Creating a Module. A Module is a container for one or more Tasks. To execute the Tasks in a Module, the Module can be scheduled as a Job on a set of Agents at a specific time. Scheduling a Job. A Job is the execution of Tasks at a specific time on specific Agents. Viewing the Job results. After a Job has been executed, you can view its results. This document also provides some additional pointers for an initial tour of discovery of RES Automation Manager. 18 Copyright RES Software

21 Chapter 3: Next steps 3.1 Creating a Resource Resources contain files like.msi files, setup files, patches, hotfixes, etc. When you configure a Task, Resources can be used to install applications, security updates, etc. Before you can set up a Task in RES Automation Manager to install Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, you need to create a Resource in RES Automation Manager from the installation MSI. 1. Download the latest version of the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer from The MSI file is called MBSASetup-x86-EN.msi. 2. In the Console, go to Repository > Resources. 3. Click Add. The Add/Edit Resource window opens. 4. In the Type field, select Stored in Datastore as type. 5. In the File name field, click the browse button, select the file MBSASetup-x86-EN.msi and click Open. 6. Optionally, enter a short comment and click the OK button. The Resource is uploaded to the Datastore and becomes visible in your Resources list. Copyright RES Software 19

22 Chapter 3: Next steps 3.2 Creating a Module If you want to perform (a series of) Task(s), the first step is to create a Module. A Module consists of (a sequence of) Task(s), including all settings needed to perform them. The ability to use a series of Tasks is very useful if a Task is directly related to another one. In this chapter, we will set up a Module and add a Task that can install the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, and a Task that can execute an MBSA query. 1. In the Console, go to Repository > Modules. 2. Click the Add button. The Add/Edit Module window opens. 3. At the Properties tab, enter MBSA as Module name, optionally enter a short comment and click the Tasks tab. 4. Click the Add button. The Select Task window opens. 5. In the Instant Search field, type "installer". Windows Installer Package (Install, Repair, Patch, Remove) is shown. 6. Click Install. The Task Install Windows Installer Package (/i) opens. 7. On the Settings tab, click the browse button in the Filename field. The Select Resource window opens. 8. Select the Resource MBSASetup-x86-EN.msi and click the OK button. Click OK button again to return to the Add / Edit Module window. After setting up the Task that installs the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, we can set up a Task that executes an MBSA query. 1. Click the Add button. The Select Task window opens again. 2. In the Instant Search field, type "mbsa". Baseline Security (MBSA) (Query) is shown. 3. Click Query. The Task Query Baseline Security (MBSA) window opens. 20 Copyright RES Software

23 Chapter 3: Next steps 4. Leave the settings as they are and click the OK button to add the Task to the Module. The Module should now look like this: After reviewing the Module, click the OK button to save the Module. Copyright RES Software 21

24 Chapter 3: Next steps 3.3 Scheduling a Job When you have made all preparations in the Repository section of the Console, it is time to start actually using the available Tasks. You can take this final step at the Job Execution node of the Console, by scheduling Jobs. A Job combines Agents (Who), Modules and/or Projects (What) and time (When). This means that if you schedule a Job, it performs a (combination of) Tasks (a Module or Project) on a (combination of) Agents at a specific time. To schedule a Job with the Module that we created in the previous chapter: 1. In the Console, go to Job Execution > Job Scheduling. 2. Click the Add button. The Add/Edit Job window opens. 3. Click the What field. The Select Run Book/Project/Module window opens. 4. On the Modules tab, select the Module MBSA that you created in the previous chapter and click the OK button. The Add/Edit Job window is shown again. 5. Click the Who field. The Select Agents/Teams window opens. 6. Click the Search button. The available Agent(s) in your RES Automation Manager environment are shown. 7. Select the (online) Agent on which you want to execute an MBSA query and click the OK button. 8. After reviewing the Job, click the OK button to execute the Job. 22 Copyright RES Software

25 Chapter 3: Next steps 3.4 Viewing the Job results When a Job has finished, you can see its results at the node Job Execution > Job Results. At the node itself, you can view all basic information of the finished Job. This basic information includes the description of the Job, its duration and, very important: its status. The Job status clearly shows whether a Job finished correctly. A finished Job can have any of the following statuses: Aborted: The Job was aborted by the administrator during its execution. Canceled: The Job was canceled before it was executed. Completed: The Job has completed without any errors. Completed with errors: The Job completed, but not all Tasks were performed correctly. On the Task's Properties tab, the option Stop Job on error was not enabled. Failed: The Job did not finish correctly. The option Stop Job on error was enabled and an error occurred. Although the basic Job results give you a basic overview of the completed Jobs, the information provided is limited and it is not possible to compare the various Tasks and/or Agents. It is therefore often necessary to view a Job in detail. To view the results of the Job that we executed in the previous chapter: 1. In the Console, go to Job Execution > Job Results. 2. Select the Job that just completed and click the View button. The Job window opens. There are two different approaches to viewing the Job results details. The different approaches each have their specific use, advantages and disadvantages: Copyright RES Software 23

26 Chapter 3: Next steps Viewing the Job results per Task When you view the Job Results per Task, basic information about the results for all Agents that executed the Task is shown. If the Task performed a query, you can use this approach to compare the results of the Agents. In this way it is very easy to see differences between Agents. 1. Click the Tasks tab. This shows all Tasks that were part of the Job. 2. Select the Task Query Baseline Security (MBSA) and click the Details button. 24 Copyright RES Software

27 Chapter 3: Next steps Viewing the Job results per Agent When you view the Job results per Agent, detailed information per Agent is shown. If the Task performed a query, use this approach to view the Task results for a specific Agent in detail. Although no comparison between Agents, the results are more detailed. 1. Click the Agents tab. This shows all Agents that performed the Tasks in the Job. 2. Select an Agent and click the Details button. This shows detailed information about all Tasks that were executed by the Agent. 3. Select the Task Query Baseline Security (MBSA) and click the Details button. Copyright RES Software 25

28 Chapter 3: Next steps 3.5 Explore further A few pointers to explore RES Automation Manager even further: Export the Job results to an XML file. Create an Instant Report of the Job results. Create a Building Block of your Modules, Projects and/or Run Books. Deploy an Agent on another computer in your network. Schedule a Job on multiple Agents and compare their results. View the current activity while the Job is running. View the history of the Agents that executed the Job. Add the Module to a Project, which is a combination of Modules. Run this Project on a Team of Agents. Create a Run Book, and execute Jobs on different Agents. Use parameters to make your Modules, Projects and Run Books generic. Please refer to the RES Automation Manager Help and the RES Automation Manager 2012 Administration Guide for more information about parameters. Use conditions in a Module, to execute or skip Tasks in the Module based on the outcome of a previous Task. 26 Copyright RES Software

29 Chapter 4: Where to go from here? Chapter 4: Where to go from here? You can find information about the use and configuration of RES Automation Manager in the Help, which is available in the Console by pressing F1. RES Software Support Europe and Asia Monday - Friday 08:00 18:00 CET US and Canada Monday - Friday 08:00 18:00 EST Knowledge Base: Belgium Denmark France Germany Netherlands Norway Sweden UK All other countries (Toll Free) support@ressoftware.com Support can also be reached on (Toll Free) (Toll Free) (Toll Free) (Toll Free) +31 (0) (Toll Free) (Toll Free) (Toll Free) +44 (0) (0) Copyright RES Software 27

30 Chapter 5: RES Automation Manager Glossary Chapter 5: RES Automation Manager Glossary Component Agent Connector Dispatcher Datastore Job Module Console Project Resource Run Book Function An Agent is a service running on a computer, and can execute RES Automation Manager Tasks on networked Microsoft Windows desktops and servers. A Connector provides the means to execute specific Tasks on computers on which no Agent is installed. These Tasks are related to SQL Statements, Secure Shell Commands, VMware ESX Virtual Machines, Exchange Mailboxes and Active Directory. The number of licenses that a Connector claims depends on the type of Tasks. A Dispatcher is a service that communicates information from the Datastore to Agents. A Dispatcher can cache Resources in order to reduce network traffic. The Datastore is a database that contains all the settings and Resources of your RES Automation Manager environment. A Job is the execution of Tasks at a specific time on specific Agents. For Modules and Projects, both the time and the Agents are set at the moment of scheduling. For Run Books, the timing is set at the moment of scheduling. The Agents may already have been set for some or all of the Modules and Projects contained in the Run Book. In that case, Agents are not set at the moment of scheduling, or only for the items not yet given a target. A Module is a container for one or more Tasks. To execute the Tasks in a Module, the Module can be scheduled as a Job on a set of Agents at a specific time. The Console is the application from which RES Automation Manager is configured and used, from setting up the RES Automation Manager environment to the execution of Tasks. Projects are containers for Modules. By combining several Modules into one Project, those Modules can be scheduled on a set of Agents as one Job instead of separately as a series of Jobs. Resources are files that are used in the execution of Tasks, such as.msi files, setup files, patches, hotfixes, etc. Run Books are containers for Jobs. Run Books can contain Modules and Projects plus (optionally) the Agents on which they should be executed. To execute the Tasks in the containers in the Run Book, the Run Book is scheduled as Job for a specific time. By combining Modules and Projects and their Agents in a Run Book, a sequence of actions can be scheduled consecutively on different sets of Agents. Task Team A Task is a specific action that can be performed by an Agent. Tasks are part of a Module. A Team is a group of Agents. Teams can also contain other Teams. 28 Copyright RES Software

31 Chapter 6: Compatibility Matrix Chapter 6: Compatibility Matrix Supported Operating Systems Microsoft Windows 2003 Microsoft Windows 2003 R2 Microsoft Windows 2008 Microsoft Windows 2008 R2 Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows Vista Microsoft Windows 7 Platform x86/x64 x86/x64 x86/x64 x64 x86/x64 x86/x64 x86/x64 Supported Directory Services Microsoft Windows 2000 Active Directory Platform Microsoft Windows 2003 Active Directory Microsoft Windows 2008 Active Directory Supported Database Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Platform Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 IBM DB2 8.1 or higher MySQL 5.0 or higher Oracle 9i or higher x86/x64 x86/x64 x86/x64 x86/x64 Supported Third Party Products Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Softricity SoftGrid Client 3.1 Microsoft App-V 4.x VMware ESX 3.x VMware vsphere 4.x Citrix Workflow Studio 2.x Citrix Presentation Server 4.x Citrix XenApp 5.x and later Copyright RES Software 29

32 Disclaimer Whilst every care has been taken by RES Software to ensure that the information contained in this publication is correct and complete, it is possible that this is not the case. RES Software provides the publication "as is", without any warranty for its soundness, suitability for a different purpose or otherwise. RES Software is not liable for any damage which has occurred or may occur as a result of or in any respect related to the use of this publication. RES Software may change or terminate this publication at any time without further notice and shall not be responsible for any consequence(s) arising there from. Subject to this disclaimer, RES Software is not responsible for any contributions by third parties to this publication. Copyright Notice Copyright on software and all Materials Real Enterprise Solutions Development BV, P.O. Box 33, 5201 AA `s- Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. RES and the RES Software Logo are either registered trademarks or service marks of Real Enterprise Solutions Nederland B.V. in Europe, the United States and other countries. RES Automation Manager, RES Workspace Manager, Dynamic Desktop Studio, Virtual Desktop Extender and RES VDX are trade names of Real Enterprise Solutions Nederland B.V. in Europe, the United States and other countries. All other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks and/or service marks of their respective owners. Real Enterprise Solutions Development BV, The Netherlands has the following patents: U.S. Pat. "US 7,433,962", "US 7,565,652", "US 7,725,527", other patents pending or granted. xxx