IT Management Suite 8.

5 powered by Altiris IT
Management Suite 8.5 powered by Altiris

IT Management Suite has the following key features and functions:

 Centralized management platform
All of the parts of IT Management Suite are built on a common foundation that is called the
Symantec Management Platform. The Symantec Management Platform is a set of core services
that all of the parts of IT Management Suite share. These services can include aspects such as
security, reporting, communications, and data storage.
IT Management Suite introduces an improved management interface that gets you where you
want to be faster. Common concepts such as managing computers, delivering software, and
managing licenses and deployment are consolidated into an integrated experience. When you
click on a computer, resource management details are immediately visible. Powerful search
features help you drill down and build filters in a short period of time. You can quickly save the
searches for future use.
 Common database and management console
The different parts of the platform can read and write from a common database. The database is
called the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). Even though IT Management Suite
covers a wide variety of IT-related capabilities, you interact with all of its technologies through a
common Web-based user interface. This interface is called the Symantec Management Console.
 Management agent and management server
IT Management Suite can discover the computers that are present in your environment. You can
install the Symantec Management Agent on these computers. The agent lets you gather very
detailed information about them. It regularly sends information about the computer to a
management server computer called Notification Server. Notification Server processes the
information about your computers and stores it in a common database. The Symantec
Management Agent gives you robust control and visibility into the hardware and software on
your managed computers and servers. It helps you to maintain your corporate standards and
policies remotely from the Web-based Symantec Management Console.
 Asset Management
You can use the data in the CMDB to manage your assets more efficiently. For example, you can
use this information with reports and filters to gain visibility into and track metrics on the assets
in your environment
 License management
License management and asset management and usage are tightly integrated. Within the software
display is an at-a-glance view of the current deployments and cost details. These details are based
on the current installations and the purchasing details. A graphic can help you to determine if a
software product is over-deployed or under-deployed, and evaluate its current usage. It gives
visibility into the financial implications of a product. You can see the potential savings from
harvesting licenses, and you can see the cost effect when a product is over-deployed.
 Software Management
You can see what software is installed, how often it is used, and how many licenses for it you
have purchased. This type of information can help you determine the IT assets you need to
purchase. You can also use this information to determine how to maximize your software
investment and when to replace or decommission software. In addition, you can use IT
Management Suite to take action on the information that it gathers. For example, IT Management
Suite may discover that certain software is installed and licensed but is not used. You can
configure the suite to remove the unused software.
In IT Management Suite, the Software Catalog interface is streamlined and redesigned. Any
software that is found is stored in the newly discovered list. From this list you can quickly
determine whether you want to make the identified software a managed product. If not, you can
assign it to unmanaged software. After you identify software as a managed software product, you
can manage all elements of it in a single interface. Inventory, metering, delivery, and license
tracking are all presented in a single interface.
The Managed Delivery feature separates the schedule for delivery and the schedule for execution.
You can first stage packages in advance, and then later schedule the execution.
 Task and policy engines
Notification Server has two components that are called the task engine and the policy engine.
These components let you do work on your managed computers. You can use policies to maintain
consistent standards, and you can use tasks to execute sequential steps. Policy-based management
can allow the managed computer autonomy whether it is in a connected or disconnected state.
Task-based management follows the traditional server to client communications paradigm.
 Managed computers
Managed computers have the management agent installed. They regularly communicate with the
Notification Server computer. When a managed computer contacts Notification Server, it checks
to see if you have configured any work for it to do.
The agent can check to see if the computer on which it is installed is compliant with a policy. For
example you can set up a policy to ensure that all of your managed computers have the latest
version of software. If it is not compliant, then the agent can download and install the software
according to your settings. When software is remotely executed on target computers with
Notification Server, this software is called a software package.
 Patch Management
You can use IT Management Suite to keep your computers secure, patched, and compliant. IT
Management Suite lets you manage all aspects of applying Microsoft Windows security updates
and patches.
 Provisioning
You can remotely provision and deploy standardized operating system images to your computers.
This functionality includes bare-metal deployment and re-imaging computers to return them to
known-good states.
 Migration and deployment
Deployment Solution is natively integrated with the Symantec Management Platform.
Consequently, you work with Deployment Solution and Symantec Management Platform through
 a single console, database, and agent. IT Management Suite provides many enhancements to the
Deployment Solution console.
The DeployAnywhere capability supports all plug-and-play driver types for hardware-
independent imaging. This addition complements the support for hardware abstraction layers
(HAL), network interface cards, and mass-storage-controller drivers to provide a complete
hardware-independent imaging solution. Management for the driver database is now available
through the console. You can consolidate driver management because both imaging and scripted
operating system installations consume the drivers in the DeployAnywhere database.
Ghost imaging supports multicasting. PC transplant supports Microsoft Office 2010 (32-bit and
64-bit).
Enhanced Virtual Machine Management capabilities streamline configuration and extend the
virtual machine creation wizard. The wizard can execute any Deployment Solution job as part of
the virtual machine creation process. This ability lets you leverage existing server provisioning
jobs and apply them to virtual server provisioning.
 Server health monitoring
IT Management Suite also lets you monitor and maintain the health of your servers. You can
monitor key metrics and indicators of your server health performance. These metrics can be
viewed in real time. With the task engine, you can proactively manage your servers. For example,
you can automate complex sequences of fail-safe measures such as provisioning a backup server
in the event that a server crashes. You can configure the system to alert you if a specific metric
starts to indicate a potential problem. You can then resolve that problem so that it does not
manifest in the future.
 Workflow engine
IT Management Includes a workflow engine that lets you automate human and system
interactions. You can set up robust workflows to automatically complete many of the sequential
tasks that are required for efficient service management.
In addition to form builders, you can use the full component generator capability for access to
third-party technologies. These technologies include HR or finance systems, and the Workflow
portal. The Workflow portal lets you track the overall process as a workflow moves through the
various stages.
 Advanced reporting and IT Analytics
The executive dashboard and trend analysis give you a representative view of your IT assets. Key
performance indicators let you measure critical success factors for your organization and quickly
assess trends of how these measures change over time. You can use ad-hoc data mining to
construct pivot table reports. The reports are based on predefined measures and dimensions. The
functionality allows for easy manipulation of the data so you do not have to be a SQL expert to
access the information you need. Multidimensional analysis and robust graphical reporting are
incorporated to help you arrive at your answers with very little customization and without
waiting.
The MultiCMDB feature provides global IT Analytics reporting across multiple CMDBs without
the need to replicate large amounts of data.

Actions
Discovery

 Import Microsoft Active directory

https://help.symantec.com/cs/ITMS8.0/SMPLAT/v14292349_v113932717/Importing-resources-
using-Microsoft-Active-Directory-Import?locale=EN_US

 Import domain membership/win

https://help.symantec.com/cs/itms8.5/SMPLAT/v14282107_v125258922/Discovering-
computers-with-domain-resource-discovery?locale=EN_US

 Network

Agents/Plugins
 Push Symantec Management Agent.
 Roll out Agent to Computers

https://help.symantec.com/cs/ITMS8.5/SMPLAT/v15880927_v125258922/Installing-the-Symantec-
Management-Agent-for-Windows-with-a-manual-push?locale=EN_US

Methods for installing the Symantec Management Agent

https://help.symantec.com/cs/ITMS8.5/SMPLAT/v15880675_v125258922/Methods-for-installing-
the-Symantec-Management-Agent?locale=EN_US

Prerequisites for installing IT Management Suite

Before you begin installation, ensure that the computer on which you plan to install IT Management Suite
(ITMS) meets the minimum requirements.
The minimum requirements for installing IT Management Suite on a computer are as follows:

Table: Installation checklist

Ite Checklist item Description
m
1 Space availability Ensure that sufficient space is available on the computer's target drive (for example, C:\
on the target drive).
drive.
The additional space that is required on the target drive is as follows:
 Hard disk drive of 80 GB capacity is required on a physical computer or a virtual
computer for installing the ITMS solutions on that computer.
 15 GB of free space is required for first-time installation of the ITMS solutions
and the Symantec Management Platform (SMP).
The ITMS and SMP folders and data would consume around 7 GB of space, the
ITMS log files would consume around 1 GB of space, Symantec Management
Platform environment with SQL installed locally would consume around 2.5 GB
of space, and in hierarchy setups the replication data would consume around 2
GB of space.
You can install the Symantec Management Platform (SMP) on an alternate drive of the
computer.
However, a few SMP operations write files to the target drive's hidden
folder ProgramData, typically the C:\ProgramData\Symantec\SMP folder.
By default, the data that gets written to the OS drive's (C:\drive)
hidden ProgramData folder is as follows:
 Log files that Notification Server generates
The log files contain the data that Notification Server generates. By default, up to
2000 MB of data can be stored, and up to 200 log files can be stored.
 Data that another Notification Server generates for replication
No limit is set for the size of data that another Notification Server generates for
replication in a hierarchy.

2 System settings Symantec recommends to join computer to domain. However, you can also perform the
such as the installation on a standalone computer.
computer name,
and the domain Ensure that the account that you use for ITMS installation has local administrator's rights
name. on the computer. Additionally, ensure that the computer name does not include
underscores.
3 Minimum Ensure that the computer on which you plan to install the IT Management Suite is
software configured with the following software:
requirements.
 Windows Server
 SQL Server
Because ITMS functionality creates a heavy workload on the SQL Server,
Symantec recommends that you install Microsoft SQL Server on a more powerful
computer which is not affected by any other activities of the ITMS processes.
 .NET Framework 4.5
.NET Framework 4.5.1 is minimal requirement, while the version 4.7 is
recommended.

Sometimes it is required to restart the computer after installing the

.NET Framework 4.5.
See SQL Server recommendations and third-party software requirements

4 SQL Server Install SQL Server on the computer where you plan to install the IT Management Suite or
database. on a different computer.
The latest version of the IT Management Suite requires SQL Server to be installed either
on the same computer or on a different computer. The edition of SQL and resources
allocated to SQL Server that you need depends on the number of endpoints that you
manage.

See SQL Server recommendations and third-party software requirements

5 Server roles and On the computer where you plan to install IT Management Suite, you must install the
role services. following server roles and server role services:
 Application server
 Web server (IIS)
 File Services
 .NET Framework 4.5
 Windows Process Activation Service
 Message Queuing Activation
 WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) Activation

If the required role services are not previously installed, you are prompted to
install the roles during the Install Readiness Check in the Symantec
Installation Manager installation wizard.

6 Third-party Install the additional third-party software that the IT Management Suite solutions require.
software.
The required third-party software list is outlined during the Install Readiness Check in
the Symantec Installation Manager installation wizard.
 See SQL Server recommendations and third-party software requirements
7 Access in firewall Verify and configure access in firewall and additional network ports for executing specific
and additional communication tasks in your environment.
network ports to
be configured for Notification Server and endpoints communicate with each other using the standard web
performing ports. By default, the standard web ports, such as port 80 for HTTP communication, and
different port 443 for HTTPS communication are configured on the computers.
communication Apart from the standard web ports that are configured on computers, you may also need to
tasks. configure additional network ports to perform specific communication tasks. For example,
the following tasks require configuration of additional network ports on the computer:
 Enabling the hierarchy and replication on the Notification Server computer.
 Downloading packages from Notification Server or package server on the client
computer.
 Downloading the agent for UNIX, Linux, or Mac operating systems from
Notification Server on the client computer.
 Enabling the Unified Help System (UHS).
See Installing Symantec Management Platform and IT Management Suite
The following knowledge base article provides information about all the additional
communication tasks and their associated network ports that you can configure in your
ITMS 8.5 environment:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC6770

8 User credentials Verify and configure the ITMS user credentials and security best practices for executing
different account different tasks in your environment.
types to be
configured for You must configure the following user credentials to perform the associated tasks:
performing  Database Access Credential to access and modify the database.
different tasks.
 App Identity Credential to execute the core Symantec Management Platform
services and several other ITMS processes.
Additionally, the user account with App Identity Credential must be a local
administrator on the computer where you install the ITMS solutions. You are required to
execute this step so that you can perform additional tasks in your ITMS environment, such
as, upgrading to the latest version of ITMS solutions.
The following knowledge base article provides information about various user accounts
and their roles and privileges for performing specific tasks in your ITMS environment:
www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO75157

9 Site distribution Identify your site distribution requirements and plan the site server requirements.
requirements.
The topology and usage of solutions in your environment lets you determine whether to
combine site services onto a single computer or use dedicated computers.
Task service, package service, and network boot service are all site server roles. These site
services can be deployed in multiple combinations to meet the endpoint requirements in
 your environment.
For example, a remote site may only need a package server. A task server may be needed
only at the datacenter.

10 Requirements for Identify the requirements for installing solutions in a Notification Server hierarchy.
installing
solutions in a In a hierarchy, all solutions that are to be installed on child Notification Servers must be
hierarchy. installed on the parent Notification Server.

IT Management Suite installation includes the installation of a few solutions

or architectural components that must be used only on the parent Notification
Server. Do not use the functionality of the CMDB and Asset Management
Solutions on child Notification Servers.

11 Check for Check whether there are any pending restarts on the computer from other installations or
pending restarts updates and restart the computer if required before proceeding.
and restart the
computer, if The Symantec Installation Manager checks for any pending restart tasks when you launch
required. the Symantec Installation Manager and during the install readiness check. You must
restart Notification Server if Symantec Installation Manager detects any pending reboots
before installing or upgrading any solution.
 Installing the Symantec Management Agent on Windows computers
You can install the Symantec Management Agent with a manual push or a manual pull. Symantec
recommends that you install the Symantec Management Agent by manually pushing to selected
computers. However, to install on the remote computers that have limited network access or are behind
a firewall, you may need to perform a manual pull.

Table: Process for installing the Symantec Management Agent on Windows computers

Step Action Description

Step Verify that the computers meet the Each computer must meet the hardware prerequisites and the software prerequisites
1 installation prerequisites. before you can install the Symantec Management Agent on it.

See Symantec Management Agent for Windows installation prerequisites