PROGRAMMING SCSM WITH

C# AND VISUAL STUDIODieter Gasser

@DiGaBlog, dieter.gasser@itnetx.ch

Head of Product Management

itnetX, Switzerland

Andrew Craig

@mracraig, andrew.craig@itnetx.ch

Senior Consultant

itnetX, Switzerland

@mracraig

MMS

Senior Consultant @ itnetX

Beard Combs

@DiGaBlog

BSc BIT, Author

Product Management @ itnetX

Retro Games

Andrew CraigDieter Gasser

AGENDA

SCSM Overview

Customizing SCSM

Demo

User Controls / Forms

Workflows

Console Tasks

Debugging

SCSM Key Success Factors

Resources

SCSM OVERVIEW AND

CUSTOMIZATION BASICS

Overview

SCSM Platform

Incident/Problem Service Request Change/Release Data Warehouse Workflows AuthoringCMDB

Connectors & Automation

AD SCCM SCOM SCORCH CSV SDK Exchange

Self-Service

Portal

End Users Analysts / Operators

SCSM Console

CUSTOMIZING SCSM

Just because you can does not mean you

should!

Plan your customizations

What skills and knowledge do you need?

What authoring tools will you use?

XML (Notepad++, …)

Authoring Tool

Visual Studio

Common to all

XML

SQL Queries

PowerShell

C#

What else do you need?

SDK Binaries

SMLets, FastSeal, MPBMaker

USER CONTROLS AND FORMS

Demo

Forms

Example: Form for a custom CI “Car”

Defined in a management pack

Bound to a class

Uses a type projection

References a .NET WPF User Control

Assembly needs to be bundled into a

management pack

User Controls

Example: List picker to select peripherals of a

computer. Added to the computer form

Added to an existing form using form

customization defined in a management

pack

Might need adjustments to the type

projection (if relationships are used)

References a .NET WPF User Control

Assembly needs to be bundled into a

management pack

USER CONTROLS AND FORMS

Form

User Control

USER CONTROLS AND FORMS

Technically, they

are both the same!

1 Form = 1 User Control

1 Form contains 1-many

user controls

Demo:

Creating Forms and User Controls

HIGH LEVEL STEPS

Assembly

1. Project Type: WPF User Control Library

2. Target Framework:

1. .NET 3.5 for SCSM 2012

2. .NET 4.5.1 for SCSM 2016

3. Add references to SCSM SDK

(Copy Local = false)

4. Add a Content Property

(DependencyProperty)

Management Pack

1. Create in Authoring Tool

2. Change assembly and control references

3. Check/alter type projection

4. Add reference to the Assembly

5. Seal the management pack

6. Bundle with the DLL file

Troubleshooting

1. Attach Visual Studio Debugger to SCSM

Console process

2. Temporarily put DLL files in SCSM

Installation Directory on your computer

WORKFLOWS

Demo

WORKFLOWS

Example: Copy Target End Date of SLO object

to Target Resolution Time of Incident

Defined in a management pack

Triggered:

Create/Update/Delete objects/relationships

Scheduled

References a .NET Workflow Activity

Assembly needs to be copied into the

SCSM program directory of the workflow

server

WORKFLOWS

Carefully choose your workflow technologies

Choose least complex architecture

The higher the frequency of execution, the faster the WF should run -> SDK

Technology High-frequency Medium-

frequency/

scheduled

Cross-platform

Applying small changes to

items in SCSM, applying

business rules; workflow stays

“inside” SCSM

Doing periodic checks and cleanups,

sending reports, aggregating or

rolling up data in the SCSM CMDB

Automation across system

boundaries (such as Runbook

Activities)

“Apply Template” (X)

SDK Workflows X (X)

PowerShell Workflows X (X)

Orchestrator/SMA X X

Demo:

Creating Workflows

HIGH LEVEL STEPS

Assembly

1. Project Type: Workflow Activity Library

2. Target Framework:

1. .NET 3.5 for SCSM 2012

2. .NET 4.5.1 for SCSM 2016

3. Add references to SCSM SDK

(Copy Local = false)

4. Add a workflow activity

5. Add Dependency Properties for workflow

parameters

6. Override the Execute method

Management Pack

1. Create in Authoring Tool

2. Change assembly references

Copy .DLL file to SCSM install directory on the

workflow server.

Sealing and bundling the management pack is

not needed.

Troubleshooting

1. Write console program which launches

the workflow

CONSOLE TASKS

Demo

CONSOLE TASKS

Example: Automatically assign an Incident to

a specific support group and add an action

log entry

Defined in a management pack

View States:

Form

View

View with multi-selection

References a .NET Class in an assembly

Assembly needs to be bundled into a

management pack

Console task executed from form:

Item is already in console memoryIDataItem i = Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.GenericForm.FormUtilities.Instance.GetFormDataContext(node)

Console task executed from view:

Item must be retrieved from management

server firstIDataItem i = Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.UI.Extensions.Shared.ConsoleContextHelper.Instance.GetInstance((Guid)node["$Id$"]);

Console task executed with multi-selectionIList<NavigationModelNodeBase> nodes

Demo:

Creating Console Tasks

HIGH LEVEL STEPS

Assembly

1. Project Type: Class Library

2. Target Framework:

1. .NET 3.5 for SCSM 2012

2. .NET 4.5.1 for SCSM 2016

3. Add references to SCSM SDK

(Copy Local = false)

4. Add a class inheriting ConsoleCommand

5. Override the ExecuteCommand method

Management Pack

1. Add console task definition

2. Add categories as needed

3. Add image reference

4. Add reference to the Assembly

5. Seal the management pack

6. Bundle with the DLL file

Troubleshooting

1. Attach Visual Studio Debugger to SCSM

Console process

2. Temporarily put DLL files in SCSM

Installation Directory on your computer

Demo:

Debugging with Visual Studio

SCSM KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

Closing

SCSM KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

Established ITIL knowledge

Established ITSM Processes preferred, but not a must

Carefully choose Application Ownership

SCSM is part of System Center, however the Infrastructure Team is rarely a good fit for

managing and owning SCSM

Make them choose an experienced solution integrator

There are many stumbling blocks, experienced SIs know them

Benefit from their experience in other projects

“How do other customers do it” can be beneficial

State-of-the-art infrastructure

SCSM KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

Feasible project plan and milestones

Take small steps – SCSM allows you to do so!

Align with ITIL maturity level

Skilled Engineers

Enterprise Architectures

Relational object models

XML, Scripting, .NET Development

Process-oriented mindset

“Not a geek”

No “Over-Engineering”

SCSM KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

Don’t reinvent the wheel!

SCSM has a big community

Someone is likely to have already solved your problem!

Technet Forums

Blogs

Technet Gallery

Books

Commercial 3rd party Add-Ons

RESOURCES

Management Pack Authoring:

Create Strong Name Key (SNK): sn.exe -k MyKey.snk

Get Public Key Token:

sn.exe -p MyKey.snk MyKey_public.snk

sn.exe -tp MyKey_public.snk

FastSeal.exe:

https://msdnshared.blob.core.windows.net/media/TNBlogsFS/prod.evol.blogs.technet.com/t

elligent.evolution.components.attachments/01/6241/00/00/03/30/25/60/FastSeal.zip

MPBMaker.exe:

http://www.itnetx.ch/wp-content/uploads/software/MPBMaker-7f8e4c73-fda1-404a-ae4c-

7e7e9d08d642.zip

RESOURCES

SDK:

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh965050.aspx

Console Tasks:

http://jhnr.ch/2013/12/09/how-to-create-a-custom-scsm-console-task-by-using-some-

c-and-xml-magic/

User Controls:

http://blog.scsmsolutions.com/2011/08/create-custom-user-control-for-scsm-2010/

Workflows:

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh964702.aspx

Source Code from this session:

https://mms2017.sched.com/event/99aeb04baf0c18d3a367e3965049616b