Asset Management

User Guide: Upgrading Asset Management

Overview

When a new version of Cireson Asset Management is released, the following steps are required to be followed carefully to be able to successfully upgrade. Key points in this article include: turning off ETL and MPSyncJob if using the Data Warehouse and installing the correct management packs and files. 

For installing Asset Management for the first time please read this KB article (KB2520 - User Guide: Installing Asset Management)

Related Articles

KB2519 - Reference: Asset Management

KB2520 - User Guide: Installing Asset Management

KB2521 - User Guide: Configuring Asset Management

KB2522 - How To: Asset Management Environment Permissions - Master User Role

KB2523 - User Guide: Asset Management Lists

KB2526 - User Guide: Upgrading Asset Management

KB2527 - User Guide: Optimizing Asset Management Intelligence

KB2528 - How To: Configuring Software Metering in Configuration Manager

KB2531 - How To: Configuring User Device Affinity in Configuration Manager

KB19 - Install: Asset Excel

KB2533 - User Guide: Configuring and Using Asset Excel

Pre-Upgrade Checks

Perform the following initial checks before upgrading any management pack. These are only required if you are utilising the Data Warehouse. 

Check for Failed Data Warehouse Jobs

  1. Within the SCSM console select the Data Warehouse workspace.
  2. Select the Data Warehouse Jobs node.
  3. Verify that none of the Data Warehouse jobs have a status of Failed.

Critical Note: If any jobs have failed DO NOT upgrade until these are resolved. 

On the SCSM Management server(s) and Data Warehouse management server, check the Operations Manager event log and verify there are no errors. Do not upgrade until these errors are resolved if any are found.

Preserve Workflow Settings

Screenshot the current Asset Management workflow schedules and states:

  1. Within the SCSM console select the Administration workspace.
  2. Select the Settings node.
  3. Edit the Cireson Asset Management Settings.
  4. Take a screenshot of each of the Schedules for each of the workflows.
    These will be used to re-apply after the upgrade as schedules may be removed in the upgrade process.
    It is not required to screenshot all other settings, as these should be maintained during an upgrade.

Finally ensure all databases have a successful backup and ensure all virtual machines have a snapshot to enable a rapid back out plan if required. 

Pre-Upgrade Process

This process is not required is you have not installed the Data Warehouse Asset Management Management Packs.

Perform the following initial process before upgrading any management pack as running jobs and workflows can interfere with the upgrade process if not completed correctly.

Temporarily Disable All Data Warehouse Jobs 

To disable the Data Warehouse jobs: 

  1. Within the Service Manager console select the Data Warehouse workspace.
  2. Select the Data Warehouse Jobs view.
  3. Verify the MPSyncJob status is Not Started or Stopped. 
    If the MPSyncJob has a status of Running wait until the job has completed before continuing. 
  4. Open an SCSM PowerShell prompt by selecting the Administration workspace and clicking the Start PowerShell Session task.

At the SCSM PowerShell prompt enter the following PowerShell commands in order: 

Get-SCDWJob -ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> | ForEach-Object {$_.DisableJob()} 

This command will disable all of the data warehouse jobs to ensure no other analyst can manually trigger them during the upgrade process. 

Get-SCDWJob -ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> | ForEach-Object {Disable-SCDWJobSchedule -jobname $_.name -computername <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN>} 

This command will disable all of the schedules for the data warehouse jobs to ensure no system event can trigger the jobs during the upgrade process. 

Get-SCDWJob -ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> | ForEach-Object {if ($_.Status -ne "Stopped") {Stop-SCDWJob -computername <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> -JobName $_.Name}} 

This command stops any of the running data warehouse jobs from running that may still be running or were started during the time taken to disable the jobs. 

Get-SCDWJob -ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> 

Ensure all jobs are Stopped or Not Started have an IsEnabled value of False.

Get-SCDWJobSchedule -ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> 

Ensure all schedules have a Schedule Enabled value of False.

Once the Data Warehouse Jobs have been disabled the Cireson Asset Management SCSM management packs and DLL files can be upgraded without syncing to the Data Warehouse until all files are in place. 

Delete Cireson Asset Management Cubes (Optional)

If there is a new release of the Cireson Asset Management Cubes with the version being upgraded to then the Cireson Asset Management Cubes are required to be totally deleted from the environment so they are recreated when the new upgraded management packs are installed. 

CRITICAL NOTE: DO NOT delete the Cireson AM Cubes if the new version you are upgrading to does not have new versions of the Cubes. If they are deleted and re-installed SCSM will report that the MP is already installed and will FAIL! 

To verify if the Cubes have been updated in the current version: 

  1. Navigate to the Administration workspace.
  2. Select the Management Packs node.
  3. Select Import from the Tasks menu.
  4. Select the Cubes management pack:
    AssetManagement.DataWarehouse.Cubes.mp
    DO NOT click Import at this stage.
  5. Record the version of the Cubes MP that is selected in the Management Pack list.

  6. Verify this version umber against the currently installed Management Pack version. If the version is the same as the version that is currently installed, skip this section and DO NOT delete the existing cubes. 

To delete the Cireson Asset Management Cubes: 

  1. Connect to the Analysis Services on the Data Warehouse database server via SQL Server Management Studio. 
    Ensure you select Analysis Services from the connection window as shown 

  2. Expand the Databases node
  3. Expand the DWASDataBase node
  4. Expend the Cubes node
  5. Right click and delete the following databases:
    CiresonHardwareAssetCube
    CiresonSoftwareAssetCube 

Upgrade Asset Management

To upgrade existing management packs and DLL’s:

Import the Cireson Asset Management SCSM management packs one at a time in the following order:

  • Cireson.AssetManagement.mpb
  • Cireson.AssetManagementPreviewForms.mpb
  • Cireson.AssetManagementWorkflows.xml 

NOTE: Occasionally an error about a key already existing may be displayed when importing a new version of a management pack. This error can be safely ignored as this is a known bug in SCSM. Even with this error the MP has imported successfully. 

Copy the following DLL file to the SCSM install directory on the SCSM workflow management server(s):

  • Cireson.AssetManagement.Workflows.dll 

NOTE: As the DLL file may be in use it may be required to stop the System Center Management service in order to replace the file. After replacing the file ensure the service is started again before proceeding. 

If the environment has more than one management server, copy the DLL to each management server to allow for failover of the workflow server if required in future. 

Post-Upgrade Processes

This section is only required if you are utilising the Data Warehouse. Once the Cireson Asset Management SCSM management packs and DLL files have been upgraded there are a range of tasks to perform post upgrade to ensure the upgrade was successful. 

Perform the following steps on the SCSM Management Server to re-enable the MPSyncJob: 

Open an SCSM PowerShell prompt by selecting the Administration workspace and clicking the Start PowerShell Session task.

At the SCSM PowerShell prompt enter the following PowerShell commands in order: 

Enable-SCDWJob -JobName MPSyncJob –ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> 

This command will enable the MPSyncJob that is responsible for maintaining the Schema across the Data Warehouse database. 

Enable-SCDWJobSchedule -jobname MPSyncJob -computername <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> 

This command will enable the schedule for the MPSyncJob. 

Get-SCDWJob –ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> 

Ensure the MPSyncJob has an IsEnabled value of True.

Get-SCDWJobSchedule – ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> 

Ensure MPSyncJob schedule has a Schedule Enabled value of True.

Once the MPSyncJob is enabled monitor the status of the job within the SCSM Console until it has successfully completed at least once. 

To monitor the MPSyncJob: 

  1. Within the Service Manager console select the Data Warehouse workspace.
  2. Select the Data Warehouse Jobs view.
  3. Select the MPSyncJob and verify that all the management packs listed have a status of Associated.
  4. If any of the management packs have a status of Pending Association, wait until these have been associated before continuing. 
  5. Once all SCSM management packs are listed as associated verify that the last run date and time are within an expected range. 

Do not continue with report or cube deployment until all SCSM management packs are associated and the MPSyncJob Last Run date is within an expected time. 

Upgrade Asset Management Reports & Cubes 

CRITICAL NOTE: Prior to importing the Cireson Asset Management Data Warehouse and Cubes management packs, it is important to verify that the previous management packs have deployed correctly and there are no ETL or MPSync issues. 

Import the management pack:

  • Cireson.AssetManagement.DataWarehouse.mp 

Once successfully imported, import the following management packs:

  • Cireson.AssetManagement.DataWarehouse.Cubes.mp
  • Cireson.AssetManagement.DataWarehouse.Reports.mpb 

Finally, the data warehouse jobs and their associated schedules must be re-enabled to return the functionality to normal operating state. 

At the SCSM PowerShell prompt enter the following PowerShell commands in order: 

Get-SCDWJob –ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> | ForEach-Object {$_.EnableJob()} 

This command will disable all of the data warehouse jobs to ensure no other analyst can manually trigger them during the upgrade process. 

Get-SCDWJob -computername <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN>| ForEach-Object {EnableSCDWJobSchedule -jobname $_.name -computername <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN>} 

This command will disable all of the schedules for the data warehouse jobs to ensure no system event can trigger the jobs during the upgrade process. 

Get-SCDWJobSchedule – ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> 

Ensure all jobs have a Schedule Enabled value of True.

Get-SCDWJob –ComputerName <SCSMDWMgmtServer.FQDN> 

Ensure all schedules have an IsEnabled value of True.

Once the MPSyncJob is enabled and running the new changes to the Asset Management SCSM management packs will be synchronized with the Data Warehouse database.Â