System Center Universe Europe 2014 Jakob Gottlieb Svendsen Service Management AutomationIntroduction

1. Service Management Automation
Introduction
Jakob Gottlieb Svendsen
Coretech A/S
http://blog.coretech.dk/jgs
@JakobGSvendsen

2. Who am I
• Jakob Gottlieb Svendsen - @JakobGSvendsen
• Profession
• Chief Developer, Coretech A/S, System Center Gold Partner
• Titles
• System Center Cloud and Data Center Management MVP
• Windows Azure Pack / SMA
• Orchestrator + Extensions for SCSM + SCOM
• VBScript / PowerShell / VB.NET / C#.NET
• Communities
• Co-Founder of the Danish PowerShell User Group (www.psug.dk)
• Moderator on Microsoft TechNet Forums
• Author
• Service Manager 2012 R2 Unleashed (contributing author – Release 2014)
• Mastering System Center Orchestrator 2012 – 3 day workshop
• Windows Azure Pack - SMA Workshop/course (in development)
• Advanced SCOM management pack design/development Workshop/course (in development)

3. Use cases for process automation
http://blogs.technet.com/
b/privatecloud/archive/20
13/10/29/3589799.aspx
Area Example
Alert Triage and Remediation Automating tier 1 monitoring activities
(diagnostics and recoveries)
Maintenance Tasks Cluster patching
Stop/start servers or services in the right sequence
Automate SQL Server maintenance tasks
Maintenance windows
Service Catalog, Provisioning and
Change Management Automation
Automate all or part of change management activities
Server and VM provisioning
Integration with a service catalog
Dynamic Resource Allocation e.g. depending on load or calendar
Cross-Technology Integration Consistently integrate ticketing in processes
Migration and interoperability between different solutions
(e.g. new monitoring or ticketing system)
Line of Business Scenarios New employee onboarding, password resets, file transfers, etc.

4. Service Management Automation (SMA)
 System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator adds support for
PowerShell Workflows through the SMA feature
 Browser-based runbook authoring integrated into the WAP Admin Portal
 Supports requirements for scale and high availability
 Import PS modules and create additional modules and runbooks
 Check out the Building Clouds Blog for an Introduction to SMA
http://aka.ms/IntroToSMA

5. Demo
Introduction

6. Introducing PowerShell Workflows
 Workflows are a PS construct similar to a function or cmdlet
 Converted to and executed as a Windows Workflow Foundation workflow
 Workflows are different from a function/script/cmdlet
 Workflows can execute commands in parallel or in sequence
 Workflows can persist state
 You can suspend/resume a workflow
 Workflows “survive” OS shutdowns or network outages
 Runs activities. Cmdlets are run inside of an InlineScript block

7. Demo
First runbook

8. SMA enhancements to PowerShell Workflow
 High availability workflow execution backed by SQL Server
 Centralized, machine-independent store
 Variables, Credentials, Connections, Certificates
 Schedules, Actions (Trigger on Events)
 Modules, Workflows, Checkpoints
 Built-in versioning for workflows and modules
 API interface over HTTP (Odata web service)
 Historical view of all workflow jobs and their output

9. Demo
Assets + Schedules

10. SMA : Architecture and Installation
Web Service
• Standard interface for all of SMA
• Security group controls access
• HTTPS support to secure connection to clients
Runbook Worker
• All runbook jobs are picked up by one or more runbook workers
• Runs under a service account
PowerShell Module
• SMA PowerShell module to enable management of SMA through
cmdlets
Service Admin Portal integration
• Connect the Service Admin portal to the SMA web service

11. SMA : Architecture and Installation
Service Management Portal
• Authoring
• Debugging
• Operating
Runbook Workers
• Runbook service
• PowerShell Modules
Web Service
•REST oData web service
•Authorizes users
Return results
SQL
Database
Service Management Portal
Http Response Http Request
Submit requests SMA Database
•Runbooks
•Runbook Resources
•Tracks runbook job state
Runbooks
Jobs
Modules &
Activies
ODATA REST Web
Service
Pick up Jobs
Persist State
Runbook Workers

12. Service Management Automation – Minimum Setup
WAP
Admin API
Admin Portal
Orchestrator/SMA
Web Service
Runbook Worker
Powershell Module
WAP Database SMA Database
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn296433.aspx

13. Demo
Check Points

14. SMA Architecture with Service Manager
Windows Azure Pack Admin Portal
SCSM Console SCSM Workflows
SMA PowerShell Module/Cmdlets
Service Management Automation Web Service API
Service Management Automation Runtime
PowerShell
Windows Workflow Foundation
SMA
Cireson SMA Connector
Cireson SMA Connector

15. Integration of Orchestrator and SMA
 Orchestrator
supports
 PowerShell Workflow
 Graphical Authoring
 Call SMA from Orchestrator
 Call Orchestrator from SMA
http://bit.ly/1ciQZZc

16. SMA Advantages Over “Classic” Orchestrator
 64-bit support
 Native PowerShell execution and PowerShell 3+ support
 Checkpoint/Resume inside runbooks
 Runbook servers architecture is more scalable
 Save/Test drafts
 Versioned runbooks
 Schedule runbooks
 Parallel processing inside runbooks
Text authoring vs. Visual Designer

17. Moving Runbooks and Concepts
from Orchestrator to SMA
 Sample migration case & Tools available to help
 2-part blog post series about calling an Orchestrator Runbook from SMA, and integrating with
Service Manager
 http://blogs.technet.com/b/privatecloud/archive/2013/11/01/calling-an-orchestrator-runbook-from-sma-
part-1.aspx
 Orchestrator and SMA integration in action
 http://blogs.technet.com/b/privatecloud/archive/2013/12/11/automation-fun-with-orchestrator-and-sma-
integration-points.aspx
 Smart for Runbook Conversion
 http://blogs.technet.com/b/privatecloud/archive/2013/11/25/automation-service-management-automation-
sma-runbook-toolkit-spotlight-smart-runbook-conversion-helper.asp

18. SMA : Runbook Authoring
 Things to consider when creating SMA Runbooks
 Check Out: http://aka.ms/IntroToSMA
 Tags
 Logging
 Progress
 “Atomic” Runbooks that are modular in nature

19. Demo
Logging / Progress

20. SMA : Runbook Authoring Tools
 WAP Portal
 PowerShell ISE
 Emulated Automation Activities Module
 Get it at TechNet Gallery – Joe Levy
 SMA Studio 2014
 FREE! – Open Source
 http://www.sekurbit.se/

21. SMA : Runbook Import / Export
 Easy Import / Export
 Use SMART for Runbook Import and Export
 http://blogs.technet.com/b/privatecloud/archive/2013/10/23/automation-service-
management-automation-sma-runbook-toolkit-spotlight-smart-for-
runbook-import-and-export.aspx

22. Demo
Import Export

23. Related Sessions
 Today – 17/9:
 16:45 – 17:15 – Me in Ask the Experts
 17:15 – 18:15 - Manage your Azure through Service Manager and SMA – Kurt van Hoecke
 17:15 – 18:15 - Advanced Orchestrator Runbook Authoring and Management - Anders
Bengtsson, Peter Zerger
 Thursday 18/9
 10:45 – 11:45 - Building a real self service platform with SCSM, SMA and PowerShell Workflows
- Travis Wright
 17:15 – 18:15 - Service Management Automation (SMA) deep dive - Michael Rüefli, Markus
Klein
 Friday 19/9
 14:30 - 15:30 - Self-service software provisioning with SCSM, SCORCH and SCCM

24. Links
 Jakob Blog
 http://blog.coretech.dk/jgs
 Building Clouds Blog
 http://blogs.technet.com/b/privatecloud/
 Tips & Tricks Wiki – Ryan Andorfer
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/26616.quick-tips-and-tricks-
for-runbook-writing.aspx

25. Feedback
 Session feedback
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