Trouble Ticket Integration - Web Services

This page appears when you click the Web services option under the Trouble Ticket Integration node of the MANAGER SETTINGS tree that appears when you follow the menu sequence: Admin -> Settings -> Manager.

Without the need for any complex instrumentation, eG Enterprise can readily integrate with the following help desk systems via their web services interface:

• ServiceNow

• Manage Engine's ServiceDesk

• Autotask

• Remedy Force

1. To enable integration via the web services interface of ServiceDesk, set the Enable web service integration flag to Yes. By default, this is set to No.

2. If you want to integrate the eG manager with the ServiceNow installation then select the SERVICE NOW as the TT system from the TT system drop-down.

Note:
To know how to integrate the eG manager with the MANAGE ENGINE installation, click here.
To know how to integrate the eG manager with the AUTO TASK installation, click here.
To know how to integrate the eG manager with the REMEDY FORCE installation, click here.

ServiceNow is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) provider of Service Management (SM) software for the entire enterprise. The ServiceNow platform also supports the incident management process with the ability to log incidents, classify according to impact and urgency, assign to appropriate groups, escalate, and manage through to resolution and reporting.

• To enable the eG manager to connect to the ServiceNow installation in your environment, specify the following:

  • URL: The URL using which the eG manager should connect to the ServiceNow installation in your environment.

  • Port: The Port at which ServiceNow listens for problem information sent by the eG manager.

  • User and Password: The credentials of a user who has rights to access ServiceNow.

• Then, indicate the following as well:

  • Caller ID: The ID of the user to whom the problems sent by the eG manager are to be assigned.

  • Assignment group: The assignment group to which the eG alarms are to be assigned.

  • Assigned to: The name of the user to whom the problems sent by the eG manager are to be assigned.

  • Category: Indicate how to categorize the eG alarms in the ServiceNow system – whether as a request, enhancement, or an incident.

  • Critical due period: The time (in millisecs) by which tickets of a Critical priority will be resolved.

  • Major due period: The time (in millisecs) by which tickets of a Major priority will be resolved.

  • Minor due period: The time (in millisecs) by which tickets of a Minor priority will be resolved.

  • Next, specify the format in which the title of the trouble ticket is to be displayed in the ServiceNow console using the Ticket title format text box. The default format is as follows:

    Priority :$prior Component : $cname Component Type : $ctype Layer : $layer Problem Description : $pdesc

    The text preceding the ‘:’ (colon) in the format above indicates what information follows. The ‘dollared’ ($) text that follows the ‘:’ (colon) is a variable, the value of which varies at run time, depending upon the information contained in the eG alarms. For example, in the default format above, Priority is a label that indicates that the information that follows the ‘:’ is the priority of the alarm. The variable $prior that succeeds the ‘:’ represents the alarm priority, and changes according to the priority of the actual alarm that is sent by the eG manager to ServiceNow. While you can change the labels, you are advised against changing any of the variable names.

    The other variables that are part of the default format are discussed in the table below:

    $cname	Will display the name of the problem component
    $ctype	Will display the component type to which the problem component belongs
    $layer	Will display the layer affected by the problem
    $pdesc	Will display a brief problem description

    So, if a Critical alarm raised by the eG manager for a high CPU usage problem detected in the Operating System layer of the Windows server, 192.168.10.15, is routed to ServiceNow, the web services API of ServiceNow will convert the alarm into a trouble ticket titled (by default) as follows:

    Priority:Critical Component:192.168.10.15 Component Type:Windows Layer:Operating System Problem Description:High CPU usage

  • The implementation of eG integration with ServiceNow exists in a Java class file named ServiceNowIntegrator.java. Additionally, the API files and library files that support this class file are jarred in HttpClient.jar file. In eG, this jar file is referred to as the TT integration archive file. By default, the implementation class file and the jar file are bundled with the eG manager and are available in the <EG_INSTALL_DIR>\manager\lib directory on the eG manager host. However, if later, changes are made to these files, you will have to re-upload them to the eG manager. In such a case, set the Do you want to upload the supporting archives? flag to Yes, and click the Upload button alongside. This will invoke the UPLOAD FILES window.

    In the UPLOAD FILES window, specify the full path to the Wrapper class file - i.e., the ServiceNowIntegrator.java file - and the TT Integration Archive File - i.e., the HttpClient.jar file - to be uploaded. Use the Browse button for the path specification. Finally, click the Upload button in the UPLOAD FILES window.

3. If you want to integrate the eG manager with the Manage engine installation then select the MANAGE ENGINE as the TT system from the TT system drop-down. For more details Click Here.

4. If you want to integrate the eG manager with the Auto task installation then select the AUTO TASK as the TT system from the TT system drop-down. For more details Click Here.

5. If you want to integrate the eG manager with the Remedy force installation then select the REMEDY FORCE as the TT system from the TT system drop-down. For more details Click Here.

6. Finally, click the Update button to save the changes.