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Automatically up-to-date

Your organization is in a constant state of flux - PCs are replaced and software is installed on a daily basis. Keeping this information up-to-date in your CMDB can be a quite a daunting task. Representatives from two organizations that use TOPdesk explain how they use the System Management link to automate one part of this process.
TEXT: ROELOF DAVIDS

An up-to-date Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is a valuable asset; it can help you answer questions on the value of your server park or which hardware items cause the most errors. However, as Fenneke Gonggrijp discussed in the March edition of the TOPdesk magazine, maintaining the CMDB can be very timeconsuming. Although updating the CMDB will partially remain a manual task, there are ways to automate part of the process.

concerning objects. Furthermore, many packages can monitor the workload and the current memory or free disk space of the servers, and also create an incident in TOPdesk automatically when critical values are exceeded. Two TOPdesk clients share how they have put the System Management link into practice.

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek hospital in Amsterdam. What convinced them to implement the link? The help desk wanted an overview of which hardware was involved in which incidents; not only to resolve the incident, but also to set up an audit trail for malfunctions, Richard explains. Altiris had already made an inventory of our hardware, but there wasnt a link with incidents in TOPdesk. Instead, we noted the objects general details in the request field, and then checked the corresponding hardware into Altiris and updated this information in the incident. The link allows us to centralize everything in TOPdesk and we are able to keep track of the objects history, which wasnt possible before. The link between TOPdesk and Altiris ensures that the hardware that we place in the network is automatically added to TOPdesk, adds Evert-Jan. This provides us with insight into details such as the serial number, brand, memory capacity, IP address and various

System Management link


Many TOPdesk clients use a System Management link, which is a connection between TOPdesk and a System Management system. This application displays current data about the network hardware (see the box on the following page). When creating a link between this application and Configuration Management in TOPdesk, you can import these current hardware data automatically into TOPdesk. This enables you to easily keep your CMDB up-to-date and create reliable reports on incidents

THE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT LINK ALLOWS US TO CENTRALIZE EVERYTHING IN TOPDESK


Evert-Jan de Kruif, Application Manager NKI-AVL

Link between hardware and incidents


Richard van Schie and Evert-Jan de Kruif are system and application managers, respectively, at the Netherlands Cancer Institute/

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other network data. Modified objects are automatically kept up-to-date in TOPdesk, and if we discontinue the production of hardware, it is also removed from the network. TOPdesk archives any objects that havent been signalled by Altiris for over three months; these are then reactivated as soon as they are returned. When a person link is added to new hardware, the help desk is entered by default. Data which Altiris cant read out, such as the purchase date and price, is filled in on the Object cards. When users log in to a new computer, Altiris keeps track of which user is most frequently logged into a certain system and adjusts the person link in TOPdesk accordingly. In this way, we are always aware of who to contact when a particular computer is broken. When we enter an object in an incident, the caller is entered directly, based on the object, explains Richard. We

can also navigate from the Incident card to the HP warranty page of the corresponding PC to check whether it still falls under warranty (see the box for more information). Furthermore, we are able to take over the computer with just one push of a button.

Common System Management tools: Altiris Empirum LANDesk Nagios ZENworks

Ready for the future


TOPdesk also visited Priva B.V, which is market leader in high-tech climate control for greenhouse farming and office buildings. We talked to IT Support Coordinator, Paul Ossewold and Infrastructure & Support Manager, Fred Boekestijn. Up until two years ago, we only used a straightforward tool for Incident management, Paul explains. Once a year, we made an inventory of the hardware, for which we used an Excel sheet. However, our department was ready to take the next step as we realized that we should be handling Incident and Configuration

A link between a system management tool and the TOPdesk Configuration Management module is mainly realized by making the data from the system management tool available in a view. This is a table in (preferably) a third database, in which the system management tool copies the data desired in TOPdesk after which TOPdesk imports the data from the view. Many system management tools are capable of sending emails or HTTP requests when overwriting critical values. Both methods can be used to create incidents in TOPdesk.

Richard van Schie and Evert-Jan de Kruif

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management more professionally. This was when we started looking for a way to tackle these processes and, simultaneously, search for a system management tool. One of our requirements was the possibility to link these packages.

THE COMBINATION OF TOPDESK AND LANDESK MET OUR NEEDS


Paul Ossewold, IT Support Coordinator at Priva B.V.

adds Fred. In the future, we want to expand and support multiple processes with one tool. The combination of TOPdesk and LANdesk also met our needs both packages are modularly structured and have good linking options. Prior to purchasing the package, however, it was important that we knew who was responsible for the link between LANdesk and TOPdesk. So we made some clear agreements: TOPdesk creates the link and is our first line of contact concerning the link between the packages. LANdesk provides us with realtime data about our network hardware, explains Paul. These data are imported into TOPdesk on a daily basis, which enables us to register calls about equipment. Working this way also allows us to

create reports and selections of our hardware. For example, we save the first date on which LANdesk detects a computer in TOPdesk, so were always up-to-date on when a machine is written-off and should be replaced. This date is also very useful for our financial department both packages are thus not only important for the IT department, but for the entire company. We also keep track of changes in hardware and infrastructure in TOPdesk, which allows us to check in the incident whether a machine has recently been modified. Another great option is being able to take over a machine directly from an incident. Roelof Davids is a consultant at TOPdesk

We werent actually looking for a tool, but rather for a platform,

Priva BV.

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