A link combines a source- and target application to interchange monitoring and ticket information. To start processing information between both applications, a link has to be configured. The link adds the needed information to connect, read and write data from and to the applications. In most scenarios a monitoring application is the source application while the ITSM application is the target application.
Link creation requires two steps:
Both steps will be explained using an example scenario.
In this scenario a link is created for SCOM as monitoring application and TOPdesk as ITSM application. The goal of the example is to create a TOPdesk ticket based on a SCOM alert.
The table below shows the application specific information needed to define the link:
| Scope | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| General | Mapping file | C:\Program Files\The Backbone\Service Management Connector\SCOM-mapping.xml |
| SCOM | Server | SRVSCOM01.contoso.lan |
| SCOM | New resolution state | 20 |
| SCOM | Polling interval | 60 seconds |
| SCOM | Account | contoso\admin |
| SCOM | Password | secret |
| TOPdesk | Server | SRVTOPdesk01.contoso.lan |
| TOPdesk | Authentication Method | Application Password |
| TOPdesk | Account | operator |
| TOPdesk | Password | secret |
For the mapping file the table below describes the values added to the TOPdesk ticket fields using static and dynamic data:
| TOPdesk field | SCOM Alert Property | Static value | Connector Alert property |
|---|---|---|---|
| State | secondLine | ||
| Caller | SCOM@contoso.lan | ||
| Location | HQ | ||
| Brief Description | MonitoringObjectPath – Name | Path (max 20 characters) – Name (max 60 characters) | |
| Request | Owner Name CreationDate MonitoringObjectPath – Description |
Context\Owner Name CreationDate Path – Description (max 120 characters) |
|
| Category | SCOM | ||
| Urgency | Alert severity: Critcal -> High Warning -> Medium |
Urgency | |
| Operator Group | Operations |
In this example the urgency is dependent on the SCOM alert property Severity. If the Severity is Critcal the urgency get’s High and Medium if Severity is Warning.
The mapping file tells the Service Management Connector how information should be processed. Based on the example scenario, a mapping file needs to be added containing a mapping definition for each TOPdesk ticket field which needs to be filled.
More information about the mapping file is found at the Mapping File reference.
Create the file C:\Program Files\The Backbone\Service Management Connector\SCOM-mapping.xml and open this file in a text editor. The XML structure below corresponds to the example scenario and can be copied to the new mapping file.
Be aware that the first letter of the name field is a capital letter, like name="CallerLookup.Email"
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<mappings connectorId="2">
<!-- State field -->
<mapping>
<target name="State" value="secondLine" />
</mapping>
<!-- Caller field -->
<mapping>
<target name="CallerLookup.Email" value="SCOM@constoso.lan" />
</mapping>
<!-- Location field -->
<mapping>
<target name="Location" value="HQ" />
</mapping>
<!-- Brief description field max. 80 characters -->
<mapping>
<source name="AlertPath" type="property" regex=".{0-20}" value="Path" />
<source name="AlertName" type="property" regex=".{0-60}" value="Name" />
<target name="BriefDescription" value="{AlertPath} - {AlertName}" />
</mapping>
<!-- Request field -->
<mapping>
<source name="AlertOwner" type="query" value="//Owner"/>
<source name="AlertName" type="property" value="Name"/>
<source name="AlertPath" type="property" value="Path"/>
<source name="AlertName" type="property" value="Name"/>
<source name="AlertDescr" type="property" regex=".{0-120}" value="Description"/>
<source name="CreationDate" type="property" value="CreationDate" timeZone="W. Europe Standard Time" />
<target name="Request" value="{AlertOwner}<br>{AlertName}<br>{CreationDate}<br>{AlertPath} - {AlertDescr}" />
</mapping>
<!-- Category field -->
<mapping>
<target name="Category.Name" value="Monitoring" />
</mapping>
<!-- Urgency field -->
<!-- Severity = Error -> Urgency = High -->
<!-- Severity = Warning -> Urgency = Medium -->
<mapping>
<source name="Severity" type="property" value="Urgency" />
<transform original="Error" target="High" />
<transform original="Warning" target="Medium" />
<target name="Urgency.Name" value="{Urgency}" />
</mapping>
<!-- Operator group field -->
<mapping>
<target name="OperatorGroup.Name" value="Operations" />
</mapping>
TOPdesk allows the usage of specific HTML tags like <br> for a new line. The Service Management Connector requires those HTML tags to be encoded like in the example above using \<br\>
After a new installation the default Service Management Connector configuration file contains a link template. This template can be used to define the link by changing a few XML attribute values.
More information about the configuration file can be found at the Service configuration.
Open the file TheBackbone.SMConnector.exe.config in a text editor, this file can be found in the installation directory. After opening the file change the configuration file so it looks like the XML structure below.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
<configSections>
<section name="ApplicationConfiguration" type="TheBackbone.SMConnector.Configuration.ApplicationConfiguration, TheBackbone.SMConnector, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null" allowLocation="true" allowDefinition="Everywhere" allowExeDefinition="MachineToApplication" overrideModeDefault="Allow" restartOnExternalChanges="true" requirePermission="true" />
</configSections>
<applicationConfiguration>
<connectorConfiguration
logLevel="INFO">
<link
id="1"
mappingFile="C:\Program Files\The Backbone\Service Management Connector\SCOM-mapping.xml">
<connection
id="1"
connectionType="SCOM"
pollingInterval="60"
server="SRVSCOM01.contoso.lan"
domain="contoso.lan"
user="admin"
password="password"
newResolutionState="20"
newResolutionStateIncValue="" />
<connection
id="2"
connectionType="TOPdesk"
server="HTTPS://SRVTOPdesk.contoso.lan"
domain=""
authenticationMethod="ApplicationPassword"
user="operator"
password="applicationpassword"/>
</link>
</connectorConfiguration>
</applicationConfiguration>
<startup>
<supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.7.2" />
</startup>
</configuration>
Clear text passwords will be encrypted and replaced in the Service Management Connector configuration file after loading the configuration for the first time. A reload of the configuration is initiated by a restart of The Backbone Service Management Service Windows Service.
Refer to TOPdesk developers how to create an application password in TOPdesk.
After saving the configuration file the Service Management Connector will load the link, connect to both applications and starts processing information.
