SCSM Apps

Install: SCSM Ticker

This article applies to: Cireson SCSM Ticker app, version v8.0.3 and above

Overview

Out of the box, Service Manager allows you to create announcements, such as “Email is down, Internet is not working, maintenance in Building 2, Floor 4”, but doesn’t actually let you communicate those announcements to your organization in any way. So when we created the Cireson Self-Service Portal, we decided to create an announcement feature to display messages to any employee when logged into the Cireson Portal. Although an elegant remedy to the issue, the obvious shortcoming here is that an employee has to be logged into the Cireson Portal to see the announcements. In the end, we decided to create the Service Desk Ticker app to solve the inherent challenge of communicating important messages to employees across your organization in real-time.

Prerequisites

  1. A network share with the following permissions
    1. Read access to all required users
    2. Write access to the SCSM Workflow Account

Installation

Step 1: Install Cireson Ticker app

Install the Cireson Ticker app, import the provided licensed Management Pack (MP) into SCSM. To complete this installation, perform the following steps:

In Microsoft System Center 2012 R2, Navigate to Administration | Management Packs

  1. Select “Import” on the Tasks menu
  2. Change the file type selection to MPB files(*.mpb)
  3. Import the provided Management Pack “Cireson.Ticker.App.Admin.mpb”

Example of installation for SCSM Ticker app:


  1.        The Import Management Packs dialog box will appear
    1.        Ensure the management pack has passed the import prerequisites as expressed by the green check next to the management pack name
    2.        Click the import button to complete the process

Step 2: Copy Cireson.Ticker.App.Workflows.dll

Copy the Cireson.Ticker.App.Workflows.dll from the "Server" folder to the Microsoft System Center Service Manager installation folder on your Workflow Server.

This folder is typically located at: :\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012 R2\Service Manager

Example: C:\Program Files\Microsoft System Center 2012 R2\Service Manager

Step 3: Edit Settings

Start the SCSM console and edit the settings for "Cireson - Ticker App Settings" under "Administration\Settings"

  1.        Reference the network share (UNC file path) you created in the prerequisites section of this document
  2.        Enable Announcement Processing to start the workflow
  3.        Enable Include Announcement Priority (if desired)

 

Important Note: Before ticking "Enable Announcement Processing" evaluate your currently active Announcements in the SCSM console.

Step 4: Client Installation

  1.        From the “Client” folder, double-click (execute) the client MSI “Cireson.Ticker.App.Setup.msi” to launch installation
    1.        Note: It is recommended to initiate this on a test PC
    2.        Click Run to start installation process

 

  1.        The Cireson Ticker App Setup Wizard will now be shown

 

  1.        Click Next to begin the installation wizard

 

  1.        Select the installation folder and profile availability desired

 

  1.        Configure the same UNC configuration path for the network share you configured previously

 

  1.        Configure check interval in seconds (recommendation is 60 seconds)

 

  1.        Confirm Installation and click Next to begin

 

  1.        Installation is now completed successfully.  Click the close button to exit the wizard

Note: The app does not launch after installation, you will need to manually start the application or reboot the PC for auto launch.

Testing

Follow these steps to test the setup and configuration of the Cireson Ticker app.

Step 1: Create Announcement

  1.        Create an active Announcement in the SCSM console.
  2.        After 1 minute or less, an XML configuration file should be created on the network share
    1.        If no file is created, please check the share and NTFS permissions to ensure the SCSM Workflow Account has write permissions to this folder

Step 2: Test PC

  1.        On the test PC, the Ticker should be displayed above the Microsoft Windows Taskbar
  2.        On Windows 8, the Ticker will only be seen if the Desktop is currently shown

Step 3: Acknowledge

  1.        To acknowledge and close the Ticker, click anywhere on the Ticker: 

Silent Installation

The MSI can be installed silently, for example:

Cireson.Ticker.App.Setup.msi CONFIGPATH=\\yourserver\yourshare\yourfolder INTERVALSECONDS=60 /q

 

Optional Settings

Additional settings, such as color and WAV file can be configured via the Registry.

For 64-bit Windows:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Cireson\Ticker App

For 32-bit Windows:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Cireson\Ticker App

Start on Logon

The Cireson Ticker App client will automatically start at Windows logon.

If you wish to prevent this, please remove the following Registry value:

For 64-bit Windows:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\CiresonTickerApp

For 32-bit Windows:

              HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\CiresonTickerApp