36 IBM CSM to IBM Systems Director Transformation Guide
? Monitoring
Be careful when removing CSM, because it is possible that application-related monitors
are used. Stopping these monitors or monitored CSM processes can cause undesired
effects at the application level.
A server that was managed by CSM is fully transformed to IBM Systems Director if all of
the hosted applications are running and monitored in the manner supported by the
required SLA.
? Refresh the backups of managed systems
New system backups should be created post-transformation and integrated into the new
OS deployment infrastructure, otherwise a restoration of an old backup image can cause
problems.
2.10.2 BAU after transformation to IBM Systems Director
After a successful transformation project you will have a changed management infrastructure
along with changed processes as well.
A summarization of some of the most important BAU (business as usual) activities performed
by system administrators that can change as the result of transforming from CSM to IBM
Systems Director includes:
? Hardware provisioning
Hardware provisioning can be integrated into OS deployment processes if you utilize the
virtualization features of Power Systems with VMControl Standard or Enterprise Edition.
Virtual I/O Servers and the storage environment has to be prepared for this change, which
typically also requires reviewing the processes used by server and storage administration
teams.
? Operating System (OS) deployment
The most widely used OS provisioning tool for AIX is the built-in Network Installation
Manager. IBM Systems Director VMControl™ Standard and Enterprise Edition provides
end-to-end OS deployment in conjunction with NIM. NIM resources are created and
removed as necessary for the deployment. New mksysb images need to be integrated not
only on the NIM server but with VMControl in virtual appliances format.
NIM resources can be created manually for post-install customization and assigned at OS
deployment time. This is likely the best method for initial security hardening, installing
necessary agents and configuring application prerequisites on the installed operating
system.
For more details, see 4.5, “OS deployment” on page 105.
? Operating System updates
Operating System updates can be automated via IBM Systems Director’s Update
Manager, which will also utilize NIM. See 2.8.2, “Update Manager” on page 28 for more
information.
? Firmware updates
CSM provided the capability to manage the installation of system firmware updates, and
this capability was enhanced with IBM Systems Director. Any system firmware update
(disruptive or concurrent) can cause problems if the update is not planned very carefully
after reading the documentation and understanding any issues and requisites.
See more information about the firmware update capabilities in 4.3.2, “System firmware
updates” on page 91.
Chapter 2. Planning and preparation 37
? Monitoring
Take advantage of dynamic groups in IBM Systems Director based on system attributes.
These attributes can determine which monitors are activated on which systems and can
speed up installation processes or changes.
? Handling hardware errors
Most IBM hardware products have the capability to notify IBM about any failure that
happens on the devices, either natively or using call-home reporting tools such as
Enterprise Service Agent. In addition, you can create notifications to administrators or they
can see it on the HMC GUI if they are logged in to the specific HMC where the failing
device is connected.
IBM Systems Director is designed to provide a single starting point for management of the
entire infrastructure and has enhanced grouping features. This makes it much easier to
see a problem just watching the high-level view of the whole infrastructure and drill down
for more information when you see any notification.
Utilizing Power System’s virtualization features and providing a broad view of the whole
infrastructure makes it much easier for the administrators to find the necessary
replacement resource and configure it when it is necessary to resolve a problem.
? Automating day-to-day activities
IBM Systems Director provides many features that ease the administrator’s burden:
– The graphical interface with the capability for filtering system lists using groups,
monitors and status information, provides an overview of the whole environment at a
glance.
– Operating system, HMC and Virtual I/O Server control functions are easy to access.
– There are multiple methods to run remote commands and operations, and to access
operating system prompts.
– Operating System and management software updates can be automated.
– Full inventory available all the time, which can be a huge help dealing with other
departments within the company.
? User IDs to improve the efficiency of managing User IDs for admin team members.
This can be a frequent activity because teams managing certain parts of the infrastructure
can change rapidly.
Creating roles and groups in IBM Systems Director can provide dynamic authorization of
user IDs to perform necessary activities with minimal configuration activities based on
external IDs, even if managed by the operating system or by an external directory (LDAP
or Active Directory).
Use the auditing feature in IBM Systems Director from the beginning, but be aware that
the audit log is circular.
See 4.4, “Security” on page 95 for more information.
Note: Adapter firmware updates can have requirements outside of the machines where
the adapter itself is installed because they can have prerequisites against the SAN and
storage infrastructure. Neither CSM nor IBM Systems Director today can completely
guard against a mismatch in component levels.
38 IBM CSM to IBM Systems Director Transformation Guide
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