BMC Remedy Action Request System Configuration Guide

Transcription

1 BMC Remedy Action Request System Configuration Guide January

2 Contacting BMC Software You can access the BMC Software website at From this website, you can obtain information about the company, its products, corporate offices, special events, and career opportunities. United States and Canada Address BMC SOFTWARE INC 2101 CITYWEST BLVD HOUSTON TX USA Outside United States and Canada Telephone or Telephone (01) Fax (01) Fax If you have comments or suggestions about this documentation, contact Information Design and Development by at Copyright BMC Software, Inc. BMC, BMC Software, and the BMC Software logo are the exclusive properties of BMC Software, Inc., are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and may be registered or pending registration in other countries. All other BMC trademarks, service marks, and logos may be registered or pending registration in the U.S. or in other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. IBM, Informix, DB2, and AIX are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. UNIX is the registered trademark of The Open Group in the US and other countries. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. BMC Software considers information included in this documentation to be proprietary and confidential. Your use of this information is subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable End User License Agreement for the product and the proprietary and restricted rights notices included in this documentation. Restricted rights legend U.S. Government Restricted Rights to Computer Software. UNPUBLISHED -- RIGHTS RESERVED UNDER THE COPYRIGHT LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES. Use, duplication, or disclosure of any data and computer software by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions, as applicable, set forth in FAR Section , DFARS , DFARS , DFARS , and DFARS , as amended from time to time. Contractor/Manufacturer is BMC Software, Inc., 2101 CityWest Blvd., Houston, TX , USA. Any contract notices should be sent to this address.

3 Customer Support You can obtain technical support by using the Support page on the BMC Software website or by contacting Customer Support by telephone or . To expedite your inquiry, please see Before Contacting BMC Software. Support website You can obtain technical support from BMC Software 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at From this website, you can: Read overviews about support services and programs that BMC Software offers. Find the most current information about BMC Software products. Search a database for problems similar to yours and possible solutions. Order or download product documentation. Report a problem or ask a question. Subscribe to receive notices when new product versions are released. Find worldwide BMC Software support center locations and contact information, including addresses, fax numbers, and telephone numbers. Support by telephone or In the United States and Canada, if you need technical support and do not have access to the Web, call or send an message to customer_support@bmc.com. (In the Subject line, enter SupID:<yourSupportContractID>, such as SupID:12345.) Outside the United States and Canada, contact your local support center for assistance. Before contacting BMC Software Have the following information available so that Customer Support can begin working on your issue immediately: Product information Product name Product version (release number) License number and password (trial or permanent) Operating system and environment information Machine type Operating system type, version, and service pack System hardware configuration Serial numbers Related software (database, application, and communication) including type, version, and service pack or maintenance level Sequence of events leading to the problem Commands and options that you used Messages received (and the time and date that you received them) Product error messages Messages from the operating system, such as file system full Messages from related software

4 License key and password information If you have a question about your license key or password, contact Customer Support through one of the following methods: customer_support@bmc.com. (In the Subject line, enter SupID:<yourSupportContractID>, such as SupID:12345.) In the United States and Canada, call Outside the United States and Canada, contact your local support center for assistance. Submit a new issue at

5 Contents Preface 13 Audience AR System documents Chapter 1 BMC Remedy Action Request System architecture 17 AR System architecture overview BMC Remedy mid tier AR System server AR System and web services Creating and publishing a web service Consuming a web service Scalability Mid tier scalability AR System server scalability Working with a portmapper service in AR System Windows and portmapper services Configuring API clients through environmental variables Chapter 2 Licensing AR System 35 About AR System licensing Changes in licensing from previous releases About license types Licenses in a server group About license charges Obtaining license keys Adding licenses Removing licenses Exporting licenses Importing licenses Reviewing license usage Reporting license usage within a date range Verifying purchased licenses Displaying license usage Contents 5

6 Chapter 3 Defining your user base 51 Licensing users License types License pools Releasing floating licenses Viewing user information Adding and modifying user information Access restrictions for administrators User form access Allowing guest users Enabling submitters to modify requests Validating password information Enforcing a password policy Setting up the mid tier for the password policy Forcing users to change their passwords Enforcing restrictions on passwords Setting up password expiration with scheduled warnings Disabling an account after the expiration period Enabling users to change their passwords at will Setting up an authentication alias User Name Alias Authentication String Alias Login restrictions Chapter 4 Setting user preferences 81 User preferences and customizations Local preferences Centralized preferences AR System User Preference form Common fields Accessibility tab Advanced tab Alert tab Color tab (BMC Remedy User only) Confirmation tab Display tab (BMC Remedy User only) Edit tab File tab (BMC Remedy User only) General tab Home Page tab Locale tab Logging tab Misc tab Recent tab Report tab Web tab Window tab Configuration Guide

7 Chapter 5 Using the BMC Remedy AR System Administration Console 117 Overview System category Application category Admin Preferences category User Preferences category Opening the console Chapter 6 Configuring servers and clients 121 Configuring AR System servers Server Information Advanced tab Server Information Configuration tab Server Information Connection Settings tab Server Information Currency Types tab Server Information Database tab Server Information EA tab Server Information Licenses tab Server Information Log Files tab Server Information Platform tab Server Information Ports and Queues tab Server Information Server Events tab Server Information Timeouts tab Server Information Version Control tab Server Information WS Registry Integration tab Server Information Atrium SSO Integration tab Configuring a server s cache mode Configuring cache load options Preload Tables Configuration option Caching display properties Configuring to maximize memory use Tracking client caches Tracking server caches Identifying server caches in the thread log Configuring server groups Installing servers in a server group Configuring servers in a server group Sharing a database without using a server group Running a stand-alone AR System server on Windows Configuring firewalls with AR System servers Configuring clients for AR System servers Configuring a server to use plug-ins Configuring the AR System server for external authentication (AREA) Configuring a server for alerts Contents 7

8 Chapter 7 Working with the Server Events form 197 Understanding the Server Events form How the Server Events form is created Types of events you can record Viewing the server changes you recorded Using server events in workflow Chapter 8 Using Business Time in the AR System server 215 Overview Architecture How Business Time 2.0 works Scheduling a time segment Understanding levels Creating non-conflicting segments Defining a business time segment Understanding time segment entity associations Understanding time segment shared entities Using time zones Use Level 1 option Using offset hours in Business Time Business Time 2.0 commands Parameters Application commands Business Segment-Entity Association commands Application-Get-Next-Recurrence-Time Using the old Business Time forms Scheduling workdays Scheduling holidays Defining business hours using offset hours Old Business Time commands Migrating Workdays and Holidays to the Business Time Segment form When migrating Workdays, remember When migrating Holidays, remember Chapter 9 Using alerts 253 Alert system architecture Alert Events form Viewing alerts CleanupAlertEvents escalation Registering users for alerts Using the alert list in a browser Using Web services with alerts Registering and deregistering users by web service Troubleshooting alert activity Using alerts in a server group Checking the status of alerts Using alert and Web service logs Configuration Guide

9 Chapter 10 Using the Assignment Engine 265 About the Assignment Engine Assignment Engine process Assignment Engine Administration Console Auto-assignment methods Preparing for the auto-assignment process Fields to add to the assignee form Fields to add to the request form Adding assignee and request forms Adding assignment rules Setting sequencing for rules Adding assignment processes Running assignment processes Starting and stopping the Assignment Engine Turning on log and trace files Location of log files ARerror.log messages Chapter 11 Importing data into AR System forms 279 The import process Supported mapping file types Starting BMC Remedy Data Import Changing the current login Defining BMC Remedy Data Import preferences Creating mapping files How fields are matched Fallback mappings Creating a mapping file Tips for mapping all data file fields Using a saved mapping file Importing data Stopping an import Chapter 12 Using full text search 295 Overview of full text search How full text search indexing works How FTS is used Performing a search in a field indexed for FTS Word stems Wildcards The query-by-example (QBE) method Parametric full text search Search issues Limitations of FTS Defining a field for FTS Indexing table fields Boosting document relevance Contents 9

10 Configuring FTS FTS configuration options Creating index files in a different directory from the default Scheduling scans for updates Configuring the Ignore Words List Displaying FTS weight in a results list A shortcut method for specifying expanded FTS qualifications Configuring FTS for multiple languages Advanced configuration files Setting up FTS to search across multiple forms Configuring forms for multiple-form FTS Configuring the relevancy weight for fields in a multiple-form FTS Using the AR System Multi-Form Search form Creating a form and workflow to search across multiple forms Using date and time fields on your search form Estimating the size of the FTS index Re-indexing Time required to rebuild a set of indexes Field and form property changes that result in re-indexing After modifying the Ignore Words List, Root Word List, or Thesaurus Troubleshooting FTS Appendix A Working with the Request ID field 333 Working with the Request ID field Changing the next available ID for new requests Changing the Request ID field length or prefix Preserving Request ID field values Changing Request ID field values to a new format Updating the Request ID field in other AR System tables Appendix B AR System configuration files 347 ar ar.conf (ar.cfg) ardb.conf (ardb.cfg) armonitor.conf (armonitor.cfg) Appendix C AR System server components and external utilities 399 AR System server components arforkd (UNIX only) armonitor (armonitor.exe) arplugin (arplugin.exe) arserverd (arserver.exe) arsystem (UNIX only) Java plug-in server Configuration Guide

11 External utilities arcache (arcache.exe) arreload (arreload.exe) arsignal (arsignal.exe) ImageExtractor.jar (ImageExtractor.bat) Appendix D Date and time formats 415 Short date formats Long date formats Day formats Time formats Additional characters Appendix E AR System and Unicode 421 Running your Unicode server Running a client from the command line on Windows Running a Unicode client from the command line on UNIX Restricting client access to an AR System 7.x or later Unicode server Specifying a character set for data import to a Unicode AR System server Filter and escalation workflow How AR System works with Unicode How AR System converts character sets How field widths are determined How serialized strings are encoded and decoded Unicode composition and normalization How AR System derives a codeset in an API program Appendix F Using produse.exe 431 Using produse.exe Appendix G Guidelines for resolving cache memory issues 435 AR System caching Client cache loads Server cache loads from the database In-memory admin cache copy Avoid making administrative changes during peak hours Using a 64-bit operating system bit for UNIX and Linux bit for Windows Checking the AR System log files for long-running operations Configuring the AR System server to control memory use Improving the AR System server startup time Contents 11

12 Appendix H Actions that trigger cache events 441 Appendix I 32-bit Memory limitations 445 Default memory limits for 32-bit processes Configuring the display property cache to reduce memory use UNIX limitation on releasing memory for reuse Index Configuration Guide

13 Preface IMPORTANT The compatibility information listed in the product documentation is subject to change. See the compatibility matrix at for the latest, most complete information about what is officially supported. Audience Carefully read the system requirements for your operating system, especially the patch requirements. This guide is written for administrators who are responsible for setting up and maintaining the BMC Remedy Action Request System (AR System). The guide is intended to aid new and current administrators of AR System. If you are a current AR System administrator, this guide enhances the ease of use and performance of your AR System environment. If you are a new AR System administrator, this guide helps you create an effective and efficient AR System environment. Before you explore the topics in this guide, make sure that you understand the terms and concepts discussed in the Concepts Guide. Your knowledge of basic administrative AR System tasks is crucial for successful implementation of the strategies discussed in this guide. You must know how to use AR System, including BMC Remedy Developer Studio, BMC Remedy User, and BMC Remedy Data Import. For more information, see these guides: Installation Guide Form and Application Objects Guide Workflow Objects Guide Preface 13

14 BMC Remedy Action Request System AR System documents The following table lists documentation available for AR System Unless otherwise noted, online documentation in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format is available on AR System product installation DVDs, on the Customer Support website ( or both. You can access product help through each product s Help menu or by clicking Help links. NOTE The AR System product help has not been updated for version The help topics still apply to version For the most recent content, refer to the PDF documentation. Title Description Audience Concepts Guide 1 Overview of AR System architecture and features; includes information about add-on products that extend AR System functionality and a comprehensive glossary for the entire AR System documentation set. Everyone Installation Guide Instructions for installing AR System. Administrators Introduction to Application Development with BMC Remedy Developer Studio Form and Application Objects Guide Workflow Objects Guide Configuration Guide Information about the development of AR System applications, including an introduction to using BMC Remedy Developer Studio. Information about AR System applications and their user interface components, including forms, fields, views, menus, and images. Information about the AR System workflow objects (active links, filters, and escalations) and how to use them to create processes that enforce business rules. Information about configuring AR System servers and clients, localizing, importing and exporting data, and archiving data. BMC Remedy Mid Tier Guide Information about configuring the mid tier, setting up applications for the mid tier, and using applications in browsers. Integration Guide Optimizing and Troubleshooting Guide Database Reference Instructions for integrating AR System with external systems by using web services, plug-ins, and other products, including LDAP, OLE, and ARDBC. Information about monitoring and maintaining AR System and AR System applications to optimize performance and solve problems. Database administration topics and rules related to how AR System interacts with specific databases; includes an overview of the data dictionary tables. Developers 2 Developers Developers Administrators Administrators Administrators/ Developers/ Programmers 3 Administrators/ Developers/ Programmers Administrators/ Developers/ Programmers 14 Configuration Guide

15 AR System documents Title Description Audience BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option Guide BMC Remedy Flashboards Guide C API Reference Information about implementing a distributed AR System server environment with BMC Remedy Distributed Server Option (DSO). Instructions for creating, modifying, and administering flashboards to display and monitor AR System information. Information about AR System data structures, C API function calls, and OLE support. Administrators Administrators/ Developers Programmers C API Quick Reference Quick reference to C API function calls. Programmers Java API Information about Oracle Java classes, methods, and variables that integrate with AR System. For the location of the JAR file containing this online documentation, see the information about the Java API in the Integration Guide. Programmers Java Plug-in API BMC Remedy Engine Guide Information about Java classes, methods, and variables used to write plug-ins for AR System. For the location of the JAR file containing this online documentation, see the information about plug-ins in the Integration Guide. Instructions for configuring and using BMC Remedy Engine. Programmers Administrators Error Messages Guide Descriptions of AR System error messages. Administrators/ Developers/ Programmers Master Index Combined index of all books. Everyone BMC Remedy Approval Server Guide Release Notes Release Notes with Known Issues Instructions for using BMC Remedy Approval Server to automate approval and signature processes in your organization. Information about new features, compatibility, and international issues. Information about new features, compatibility, international issues, installation planning, and open issues. Administrators Everyone Everyone BMC Remedy User Help Instructions for using BMC Remedy User. Everyone BMC Remedy Developer Studio Help Instructions for using BMC Remedy Developer Studio to develop AR System forms, workflow objects, and applications. Developers BMC Remedy Data Import Instructions for using BMC Remedy Data Import. Administrators Help BMC Remedy Alert Help Instructions for using BMC Remedy Alert. Everyone BMC Remedy Mid Tier Instructions for configuring BMC Remedy Mid Tier. Administrators Configuration Tool Help BMC Remedy Browser Help Instructions for using AR System forms in browsers. Everyone BMC Remedy Migrator BMC Remedy Migrator Guide Outlines procedures for installing BMC Remedy Migrator, setting options, and performing migration tasks. Administrators / Developers Preface 15

16 BMC Remedy Action Request System Title Description Audience BMC Remedy Migrator online help BMC Remedy Encryption Security BMC Remedy Encryption Security Guide Procedures for setting BMC Remedy Migrator options and performing migration tasks. Provides an overview of the BMC Remedy Encryption Security products and explains how to install and configure them. Administrators / Developers Administrators 1 The full title of each guide includes BMC Remedy Action Request System (for example, BMC Remedy Action Request System Concepts Guide), except the BMC Remedy Migrator Guide and BMC Remedy Encryption Security Guide. 2 Application developers who use BMC Remedy Developer Studio. 3 C and Java programmers who write plug-ins and clients for AR System. 16 Configuration Guide

17 1 BMC Chapter Remedy Action Request System architecture This section discusses the overall architecture of AR System and provides a conceptual overview of the components of the AR System. The following topics are provided: AR System architecture overview (page 18) AR System and web services (page 24) Scalability (page 25) Working with a portmapper service in AR System (page 32) Chapter 1 BMC Remedy Action Request System architecture 17

18 BMC Remedy Action Request System AR System architecture overview AR System is based on a client/server architecture and includes the following functional environments: Presentation The presentation piece of AR System is responsible for presenting services and displaying data to clients through various interfaces. These interfaces include: browsers cell phones PCs Personal Data Assistants (PDAs) BMC Remedy User BMC Remedy Developer Studio API programs All these interfaces enable you to access AR System. Clients can be thought of as consumers of services that the AR System server provides. Business processing This portion of the architecture includes: The mid tier The AR System server Server functions such as the Distributed Server Option (DSO), and Approval Server The BMC Atrium Integration Engine (AIE) Web services The business processing piece of AR System is responsible for providing services to clients and processing the data entered through clients. Applications that reside within the business processing environment act as liaisons for the clients and the database, enforcing the rules of your business processes. Data storage The data storage element contains the actual data for the system. AR System supports DB2, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server databases. For each of the relational databases, tables owned by other systems can be referenced as if they were owned by AR System. In addition, ARDBC plug-ins can be created and configured to enable access to data stored outside the database as if it were in tables owned by AR System. Figure 1-1 on page 19 depicts the relationship among the components that reside within each of the functional environments of the AR System architecture. Notice that no definitive starting and ending point separates the environments because their functions sometimes overlap. 18 Configuration Guide

19 AR System architecture overview Figure 1-1: AR System architecture Browser clients Wireless clients Windows clients BMC, customer, or partner-supplied solutions Presentation Internet Services Web Services Reporting Flashboards... Mid tier Business Processing Engines Approval DSO ... AR System server Plug-in servers ARDBC AREA Other plug-ins AR System database Other database ARDBC Plug-in Other non-database data sources Data Storage BMC Remedy mid tier Within these functional environments, several system components work together to provide power, flexibility, and scalability. The rest of this section focuses on two of those components, the mid tier and the AR System server, and the interaction between them. For more information, see the Concepts Guide, AR System architecture, page 14. The mid tier serves as a client of the AR System server and as a server to the browser. The mid tier enables you to view AR System applications on the web and access the AR System server from a web server. It also provides instructions to the browser in the form of document markup and downloadable scripts. These instructions describe how to present application data and how to interact with the user. The mid tier leverages a Java servlet engine and includes a collection of servlets plugged in to the web server to serve forms, images, and other resources. The servlet engine facilitates communication between the browser and the web server. It provides components and add-in services that run on the web server. Chapter 1 BMC Remedy Action Request System architecture 19

20 BMC Remedy Action Request System AR System server The web server manages the transfer of all HTML content to the browser. Infrastructure components, such as servlets and other services (special Java classes), translate client requests and interpret responses from the AR System server. Unlike BMC Remedy User, a browser is a generic client that has no inherent knowledge of any application that might run within it. By acting as an interpreter, the mid tier enables a browser to become a fully functional AR System client. The main components of the mid tier infrastructure are Web server A server that receives requests for a web page and maps the uniform resource locator (URL) to a local file or servlet on the host server. The server then loads the content and serves it across the network to the user s browser. Oracle JSP engine An engine that handles the.jsp files and the basic request and response interface in the browser environment. Oracle JSP servlets A small piece of Java code, often translated from a.jsp file, that runs on a web server. JAVA API An API used to communicate with the AR System server. The object model provides a set of classes representing the data structures and functions of the API. BMC Remedy Mid Tier Configuration Tool A tool that enables you to set properties for the mid tier. It is accessible through a.jsp file in a browser using a separate login. The properties submitted from the Mid Tier Configuration Tool are stored in memory for quick retrieval and are written to a file called config.properties for persistence between web server restarts. Properties that can be set using the Mid Tier Configuration Tool include the list of AR System servers to access, the session time-out interval, directory locations, Reporting Tool options, log settings, cache settings, connection settings to support load balancing, Flashboards, home page server settings, and user authentication for web services. For more information about mid tier settings, see the BMC Remedy Mid Tier Guide. The AR System server processes all the data entered by a client. As the workflow engine between the client and the database server, the AR System server writes data into the database when an AR System request is created, and retrieves that data when a client requests it. The server verifies that a user has permission to perform each requested transaction, thereby enforcing any access control that you defined as part of an application. The server also evaluates the data in the database with each transaction to determine whether workflow is triggered. 20 Configuration Guide

21 AR System architecture overview The AR System server has no direct user interface. Clients, such as the mid tier, BMC Remedy User, and other applications, communicate with AR System by means of a well-defined application programming interface (API). Both a C interface and a Java interface are available. The APIs use remote procedure calls (RPCs) to communicate with the server. When a client submits a request to the server, the request enters through the API, goes through access control and data validation, filter processing, and then transactions are committed to the data repository as appropriate. The main components of the AR System server architecture are Application programming interface (API) A set of functions and data structures that provide application programmers with access to the full functionality of a product. Developers can create clients written in C or Java. The AR System APIs are documented in the C API Reference and the AR System Java API online documentation. Access control and data validation A security feature in which AR System administrators limit user access to forms, to specific fields within a form, to specific functions within the system, and to data stored within the system. Alerts A client program that functions as a desktop pager. This component of the AR System server supports desktop pages such as flashing icons, audible beeps, sound files, and message windows. For example, it can display a message alerting help desk personnel that a problem was assigned to them. For more information about alerts, see Chapter 9, Using alerts, and BMC Remedy Alert help. Filters Actions performed on the AR System server, which is the portion of the software that controls the flow of requests to an underlying database. As a request is processed by the server, the filter actions take place. Filters enable you to implement constraints, make decisions, and take action when operations are performed on data stored in AR System. Escalations Actions performed on the server at specified times or time intervals. They are automated, time-based processes that search for requests that match certain criteria and take action based on the results of the search. AR System Filter (AR Filter) API Plug-In A filter that offers a programming interface directly invoked by filter workflow. This provides a flexible and efficient mechanism for communicating with various applications or web services. Use of plug-ins reduces system overhead. AR filter plug-ins also apply to escalations. See the Integration Guide, AR filter API plug-ins, page 132. AR System External Authentication (AREA) A process that accesses network directory services and other authentication services to verify user login name and password information. When you use an AREA plug-in, you do not need to maintain duplicate user authentication data in the AR System directories because the AR System server can access user identification information and user passwords at many locations. See the Integration Guide, AR System external authentication, page 153. Chapter 1 BMC Remedy Action Request System architecture 21

22 BMC Remedy Action Request System View form A form that enables AR System to point to and access data in a database table created outside AR System. The table can be in the same database or in any other database accessible from the current AR System database. See the Integration Guide, View forms on page 187. Vendor form A form that enables AR System to access arbitrary external data sources through the use of an ARDBC (AR System Database Connectivity) plug-in. This type of form provides for easy integration with external data without replicating the data. See the Integration Guide, Vendor forms on page 183. Database servers The AR System uses standard relational databases for storing and retrieving data. Architecturally, the database server is a set of processes that are completely separate from the AR System server processes. Physically, the database server processes can be running on the same computer as the AR System server or on a different computer. The database server can be run on any platform that the particular database supports. 22 Configuration Guide

23 AR System architecture overview Figure 1-2 depicts the infrastructure of the AR System server. Figure 1-2: AR System server infrastructure User API External Processes AREA Access Control and Data Validation Alerts Plug-In Escalations External Processes Web Services Filter API Plug-In Filters Sybase MSSQL Oracle Informix DB2 View Vendor Plug-In Chapter 1 BMC Remedy Action Request System architecture 23

24 BMC Remedy Action Request System AR System and web services Web services enable AR System functionality to be available over the web (publishing), and enable AR System applications to access third-party applications. For both publishing and consuming web services, you establish a base form to which the information is set, or through which the information is pushed to other forms or applications. You must map the AR System fields on a base form to input or output parameters of a web services operation. A field can participate as an input parameter, an output parameter, or both. You can map AR System fields to a simple flat document or to a complex hierarchical document involving parent and child relationships. Creating and publishing a web service A web service is created and modified in BMC Remedy Developer Studio by using the web services graphical user interface. Publishing web services makes AR System operations available over the Internet or an intranet. Web services published in AR System can be simple, such as creating a record in the AR System database, or more complex, such as processing a purchase order that spans across multiple AR System forms. Each web service consists of the following resources: A base form on which it operates. You specify this form when you create the web service. For web services that span across multiple AR System forms, the base form is the master form. Consuming a web service A list of Create, Get, or Set operations. When you create a web service, by default, it has these named operations: OpCreate, OpGet, OpList, and OpSet. You can have multiple operations of the same type, or you can have no operations of a particular type. A mapping that specifies how individual elements of incoming and outgoing XML documents are mapped to fields and forms of the AR System. These are essentially the input and output parameters of the web service. An association with XML Schema (.xsd file). Global elements and complex types referred to in the schema can be used in mappings associated with operations. You can use an external web service by creating a Web Service Set Fields filter action to enter data from the web service into a base form. You can then view the form in an AR System client. For more information about creating and publishing web services, see the Integration Guide, Web services, page Configuration Guide

25 Scalability Scalability Mid tier scalability Scalability is a feature in both the mid tier and the AR System server. The strategy for processing and serving browser-client requests is based on several components. These components work together to take input from the client and compute a response that the user sees in the browser as Dynamic HTML (DHTML). These mid tier components do not run in a separate proprietary process, but in the JSP engine using standard web protocols. The use of JSP servlets makes the mid tier scalable in the following ways: Multiple threads connecting to a servlet can handle many concurrent users. Common web-server mechanisms and practices can be used for scaling and load balancing. Use of mid tier and user caches of AR System definitions require fewer trips to the AR System server to retrieve them. In addition, use of browser caching leads to data size reductions, which in turn reduces bandwidth requirements. Additionally, the architecture supports server clusters, or web farms that are hardware setups in which several physical web servers share the load directed to one logical server (one IP address). In a web farm, a load balancer receives requests and sends them to whichever physical server has the most resources available to handle them. AR System server scalability The AR System multithreaded server is scalable from a single thread performing all server functions to multiple threads, each performing specific functions. The threads adapt to the configuration parameters defined, and they distribute the load. You determine what amount of operating system resources to dedicate to AR System. The multithreaded architecture uses queues and threads (see Figure 1-3). The following sections describe how queues and threads function in the AR System server. Chapter 1 BMC Remedy Action Request System architecture 25

26 BMC Remedy Action Request System Figure 1-3: Multithreaded server architecture Browser client AR System administrator Client AR System API programmer Client Mid tier Dispatcher Escalation Queue Full Text Indexing Queue Admin Queue Fast Queue List Queue Private Queues Alert Queue Worker Thread Worker Threads Worker Thread Worker Threads Worker Threads Worker Threads Worker Threads Note: The number of worker threads for fast, list, and private queues can be increased to the maximum number of connections your database and hardware can support. Database 26 Configuration Guide