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The initialization and registration of HP Remote Software Manager can only be performed by a user who is logged onto the CMS via the system console or a console-mode RDC Session. Users should not attempt to initialize or register a CMS with the Remote Support Software Manager via a non-console mode Terminal Services or RDC session. HP Remote Support Software Manager is installed by default with an HP SIM 5.2 typical installation and optionally with an HP SIM 5.2 custom installation. When selected, RSSWM is installed on the CMS but not yet configured. With a custom installation, the RSSWM UI starts automatically. With a typical installation the RSSWM UI does not start automaticallly. The first time you access the RSSWM interface after a typical or silent installation, you are prompted to complete the initialization. The RSSWM initialization is an interactive process that both configures and registers the application for regular usage on your CMS. | | | |  | NOTE: HP recommends that you reference the required information in the preceding table before beginning the initialization process. | | | | |
About the Initialization Process | |
Throughout the RSSWM initialization, Form Submission and Action Submission windows appear These windows confirm that the data you provided or the direction you gave was accepted by the initialization process. These windows are mentioned but not displayed in the initialization instructions documented in the following section. Throughout the RSSWM installation a yellow Please Wait information box appears periodically as the process completes tasks. The following sections do not document every instance where the Please Wait box appears. Completing the Remote Support Software Initialization Process | |
After a custom installation the Remote Support Software Initialization starts automatically. The same instructions apply in this situation as are documented in the following section with two exceptions: When the RSSWM initialization starts after a custom installation the User Interface does not display an Update All option in the left panel. The first example below is what the menu looks like when the initialization starts automatically after a custom installation. The second example is what the menu looks like if you open the RSSWM initialization after a typical or silent installation. At the end of the initialization, additional steps may be required to update the components outside of the default download window; this is documented in step 22 in the following section.
Please procede to the next section, starting with step 2, to configure RSSWM after a custom installation. Running the Remote Support Software Initialization Process | |
To initialize the Remote Support Software Manager: Start the RSSWM by double clicking the Remote Support Software Manager (Windows Administrator Access only) icon on the CMS desktop. Click Continue in the Introduction window. Select the Enable the following web proxy settings for HTTP communications box, and then select the appropriate proxy settings. The User is the user name for the proxy server. Click Continue in the Proxy window. Click Continue in the Form Submission window. Click Continue in the Test Connectivity window to verify your Internet connection to the HP Support Center. Click Continue in the Action Submission window. Enter the name of your company and click Continue.
Click Continue in the Form Submission window. Select your appropriate Country/Region from the drop down list and click Continue.
Click Continue in the Form Submission window. Select the boxes for the contact options (Customer or HP Account Manager) you want to enable. Then, enter your contact information and select the appropriate reporting and notification options.
Click Continue in the Contacts window.
You may disable biweekly reports and periodic notifications sent from the HP Support Center through the Internet to your e-mail addresses at anytime by referencing the steps in Understanding and Configuring Customer Notifications and Reports Click Continue in the Form Submission window. Select your bandwidth settings and click Continue.
| | | | | NOTE: The bandwidth settings are set to a low value (10 Mpbs) by default, and this default will add to the duration of the RSSWM configuration. To expedite the configuration of RSSWM AND Service Essentials Remote Support Pack, you may choose to increase the bandwidth settings to at least 100Mbps. You can restore a lower setting once the configuration and registration are complete. | | | | |
Click Continue in the Form Submission window. Select your Global Preferences and click Continue.
If you select Automatic Install to activate automatic downloads and installations of software packages, then you will not be prompted for download or installation activities.During an Automatic Installation, you may see the status Aborted in the Packages window. This is normal behavior during the installation phase. If the status does not change to Installed in a reasonable amount of time, you may check the HP Remote Support Software Manager Troubleshooting guide at http://docs.hp.com/en/netsys.html#Service%20Essentials%20Remote%20Support%20Pack. If you select Automatic Download to activate automatic downloads only, then software package installations must be done manually. If you select Manual, then all downloads and subsequent installations will require manual approval and actions. You can check for software updates by logging into the Remote Support Software Manager.
See Understanding Automation Levels in the Remote Support Software Manager for more information about using Automation Levels, and for more information about selecting your scheduling options, please see Understanding and Modifying Scheduling in Software Manager.
Click Continue in the Form Submission window. Click Continue in the Configuration window, and the settings you have configured will be applied to the Remote Support Software Manager. There will be a several minute delay while the changes are updated, and you may see applications windows open and close. | | | | | NOTE: It is strongly recommended that you configure the settings for Automatic Install and Anytime and verify that all days of the week are marked, so that when you Update All the correct updates will be applied to your CMS immediately. You may reset to more restrictive options after the initialization is complete. | | | | |
Click Continue in the Action Submission window. Click Continue in the Registration window to register the CMS and the Software Management application with the HP Support Center. There will be a several minute delay while communication is established and the registration completes. The status will be displayed in a command prompt window. Do NOT close the command prompt window. Click Continue in the Action Submission window. | | | |  | IMPORTANT: If you originally performed a custom installation, this is your last step in the Initilization UI. You must now exit the RSSWM User Interface, and restart it to update your software packages immediately, or if you wait for up to six hours (if not restricted by update window settings) it will update itself automatically. To update immediately, upon reopening the RSSWM UI, choose the Actions option and in the Actions window, initiate the Check for Package Updates option by clicking the Check button. Once the packages are available, manage your package downloads and installation as directed in the section titked Using the HP Remote Support Software Manager. | | | | |
It is highly recommended that you click Continue in the Update All window. If you do, the CMS will receive updates of all of the latest packages from the HP Support Center. There will be a delay of several minutes while the changes are communicated to the HP Support Center, and the status will be displayed. While you may click Skip in the Update All window, if you do, new updates will not be applied, and you will not have the full functionality of the Remote Support Software Manager until you update your configuration or until the packages are updated according to your Automation Level options. Click Continue in the Action Submission window. Click Finish in the Finish window to complete the Software Manager initialization. There will be a delay while the initialization completes, after which the Software Manager User Interface will reload with the standard display, rather than the initialization display. | | | | | NOTE: If the Software Manager Packages window does not list any packages, please review the previous steps and verify that they were completed successfully and that the Update All process was selected. You can enter any corrected information in the standard RSSWM display and resubmit it using the steps in the Understanding and Using the Actions Option section. | | | | |
| | | | | NOTE: The OSEM application and its read me file will open after the Update All process runs. You can close these windows. | | | | |
Using the HP Remote Support Software Manager | |
Modifying HP Remote Support Software Manager SettingsMost of the RSSWM settings are originally configured during the Initialization. The settings can be modified at any time to meet your unique needs. For any of the following sections, this step is required to access the RSSWM and is then assumed in subsequent instructions:
Start RSSWM by double clicking the Remote Support Software Manager (Windows Administrators only) icon on the CMS desktop. Form or Action Submission WindowsWhen you modify a setting in the RSSWM, you will receive a Form Submission or an Action Submission window. These windows confirm that the data you provided or the direction you gave was accepted by and committed to the RSSWM. These windows will be mentioned but not displayed in the instructions documented in this section. Automation Levels and Scheduling in the Software ManagerTwo significant Remote Support Software Manager abilities on the CMS are: The ability to define automation level settings that configure how an update may or may not be downloaded and/or installed. The ability to define an update schedule during a time window in which RSSWM may request and retrieve updates.
The Remote Support Software Manager applies a combination of global and package-specific preferences to the process of updating software packages on the CMS. These preferences apply to both automation levels and scheduling. The package-specific defaults are set when the package is created, but the settings can be modified through the Remote Support Software Manager. The following table outlines the Remote Support Software Manager Automation Levels: For more information about using the Remote Support Software Manager see“Using the HP Remote Support Software Manager”. Understanding Automation Levels in the Remote Support Software ManagerThe Global Automation Levels are set during initialization of the Remote Software Manager. Individual package settings, however, cannot be configured until initialization. The following descriptions explain the differences and relationship between the Factory Automation levels, Global Automation levels, and Package Automation levels.
Factory Automation Levels: When a software package is created by HP it has factory automation levels set based on the intended function and business usage of the software package. These settings may be more or less restrictive than the global or package automation levels set by the Customer. If the factory automation levels are more restrictive, for instance Automatic Download, than the Global Settings configured to Automatic Install, then the package will only download and will require manual installation.
Global Automation Levels: Set globally, these levels are applied to all packages received by the Remote Support Software Manager, unless an individual package’s levels are configured independently from the global setting.
Package Automation Levels: As the authoritative automation level Package levels are customized per individual package. If not modified, the package level resolves to the existing global automation level for the enterprise.
Example: if a software update was published with a factory automation level of allow automatic download but install manually, a CMS with global automation level setting at do not automatically download nor install would not download the update. In the same example, a CMS with a package-level automation level setting of allow automatic download and install would download but not install that package. The factory automation level setting cannot be made less restrictive by a global or package-level setting. Once the Customer has modified these settings either globally or/and by package, the Customer preferences, if more restrictive than the preferences issued with the update, will always take precedence.
Global Automation Levels enable the Customer to restrict the application of all updates to the CMS. However, Global Automation Levels are overridden by a Package Automation Levels, unless the package automation level is set to Use Global Automation Level. Packages that are using customized Package Automation levels display a triple red asterisk *** next to the Preferences link in the Packages window. The available Global Automation Levels are (The installed default is Allow automatic download and install):
Allow automatic download and install
Allow automatic download but install manually
Do not automatically download nor install
Package Automation Levels are configurable and enable the Customer to restrict the application of updates to a specific package. Package Automation Levels override Global Automation Levels unless set to Use Global Automation Levels. The Package Automation Levels are: Use Global Automation Levels
Allow automatic download and install Allow automatic download but install manually Do not automatically download nor install
Understanding User Automation LevelsUser Automation Levels resolve to either the Global Automation Level or the Package Automation Level applied to an individual package. The User Automation Level is compared against the Factory Automation Level to determine the Effective Automation Level, which ultimately affects the package status and actions. Understanding Factory Automation Levels Factory Automation Levels are pre-determined by the package creators at HP and vary for each individual package. This setting is compared to the user automation level to determine the effective automation level. The Factory Automation Level only takes precedence over the User Automation Level if it is more restrictive than the user automation level.
The available Factory Automation Levels are: Allow automatic download and install Allow automatic download but install manually Do not automatically download nor install
Understanding Factory Effective Levels Effective Automation Levels ares the settings that are ultimately applied to an individual package after the resolution of precedence between the User and Factory Automation Levels. The available Effective Automation Levels are:
Allow automatic download and install
Allow automatic download but install manually
Do not automatically download nor install
Modifying Automation Levels in the Software ManagerThe following section explains how to modify the Automation levels for both Global Preferences and Package Preferences. To modify Global Automation levels: In the Remote Support Software Manager Application, select Options >Preferences. The Global Preferences window is displayed. In the Global Automation Level section
If you select Automatic Install to activate automatic download and install of packages, you will not be prompted for download or install activities.
If you select Automatic Download to activate automatic download only, installations must be done manually.
If you select Manual all downloads and installations must be done manually.
After making your selection, click Submit.
To modify Package Automation Levels: In the Software Manager, select Packages. The Packages window is displayed, with the details of the available packages. | | | | | NOTE: You may mouse-over the Package Name to get more information about that package. | | | | |
To restrict the application of updates for a specific package, select Preferences in the Actions column of the particular package.
The Package Preferences window is displayed. In the Automation Level section:
Check Use the Global Automation Setting to defer to the Global Automation Level for this package; this is the Software Manager default of all packages.
Select Automatic Install to allow automatic download and installation of this package. You will not be prompted for download or installation activities for this package. Select Automatic Download to allow only automatic download for this specific package. Installation of this package must be done manually. Select Manual to manually download and install this package when it is available.
After making your selection, click Submit.
Understanding and Modifying Scheduling in Software ManagerScheduling Software Manager updates on the CMS involves the coordination of two scheduling components, the Global Update Window and the Package Update Schedule. The Global Update Window is a predefined window of time during which the Software Manager is allowed to contact HP to retrieve software updates. Data retrieved can include downloading actual packages, if allowed by the effective automation level. The Package Update Schedule is a predefined time frame when the Software Manager will probe HP for updates of that particular package. If the schedule is set during an open Global Update Window, the update will be automatic. If the schedule is set during a time that the Global Update Window is closed, the update attempt will be queued until such time as a Global Update Window opens. The Package Update Schedule is subject to a variance of +/- 10 minutes. Modifying the Global Update WindowThe installed Global Update Window default allows updates to occur at any time. The Global Update Window options are: Anytime
[on any specific day(s)] At a specific time [hour, minute, am/pm, on X day(s)] Between two specific times [hour, minute, am/pm, on X day(s)]
To modify the Global Update Window: In the Remote Support Software Manager application, select Options Preferences. The Global Preferences window appears. In the Allow Downloads and Installations section, choose a Global Update Window type:
| | | | | NOTE: This section applies only if you have set your Global Automation Level as Automatic Install or Automatic Download. | | | | |
Select Anytime to download or install packages any time. The time of download will be determined by each package’s individual schedule. Select At and set the time you want the packages to be downloaded and installed. Select Between to set the time range. The packages will be downloaded or installed within that time range.
In the On these days of the week row, select the day(s) of the week that you want to allow the download and installation as selected in the previous step.
Click Submit.
The Form Submission window is displayed, confirming the details of the global preferences update that you selected.
Modifying Package Update SchedulingPackage Scheduling enables restrictions of when downloads and installations occur per package. The defaults for each package are specific to the Factory Scheduling Settings. Once you have modified a package’s scheduling settings, the Factory Scheduling Settings are lost. If not modified, the Factory scheduling defaults are preserved. To modify the Package Scheduled settings levels: In the Remote Support Software Manager, select Packages.
The Packages window is displayed, with details of the available packages. To modify a specific package schedule, select Preferences in the Actions column of the particular package. The Package Preference window will display. In the Update Schedule section: Select Never if you want to specify that an update to the package should NOT occur at any point of time. Select Daily and specify whether you want the updates to occur Everyday of the week or only on Weekdays.
Select Weekly to specify which day of the week you want an update to occur.
Select Monthly and the number that represents a particular day of the month in the drop down menu to specify a monthly update to the package.
To select a specific time for the updates, select Update at and specify the time frame. To specify a frequency for the update, select Update every and specify the time from the drop down menu. Click Submit. The Submission Form is displayed, confirming the details of the requested update schedule.
Managing Software Downloads and InstallationsSoftware updates are managed in the Packages window. The following sections describe the different columns in the Packages window and how they interact with each other. While, the configuration of RSSWM is detailed in this document, it is important to consult the full HP Service Essentials Remote Support Pack documentation set to fully
understand which packages you should install and maintain for your business needs.
The Packages Column
The Packages Column displays the name of a software package available from HP. You may mouse-over a package listed in the column to see a description of that particular package.
The Effective Automation Level
Due to the complexity of the automation levels and package availability, it is important to understand how the automation level affects behavior of updates, which in turn affects the status of packages on the CMS. As the status of packages available from HP changes, so do the actions available for those packages. The change is dependent on each package’s Effective Automation Level.
Download Size
The Download Size column communicate non-programmatic information that is set by the creator(s) of a particular software package. These entries are strictly informational and have no impact on the operations of RSSWM.
CMS Installation Proposal
The CMS Installation Proposal column indicates whether or not the package
is necessary for Remote Support Monitoring. The field may include any of the following entries: Compulsory – Required for Remote Support functionality or is a
dependency for another component Optional – Not required for Remote Support
Reboot
The reboot column indicates whether or not the package installation will require the CMS to reboot.
Status
Package status can be any of the following: Available: This package has not yet been downloaded or installed on the CMS. Downloaded: This package has been downloaded onto the CMS but has not been installed. Installed: This package has both been downloaded and installed on the CMS. Update Available: An update for this package, that was previously downloaded and/or installed on the CMS, has been detected, but it has not been downloaded. No further action has occurred. uninstalled: This package has been removed from the CMS.
When and if a Global Update Window opens, a package update schedule runs, and the Effective Automation Level settings allow, the package status for any or all packages may change. Additionally, if you manually execute the Check for Package Updates option the status may change if new updates are available.
Available Actions
An application package’s status can be modified through one of two different actions on the CMS: Install: Either install the package (if it is already downloaded) or download and install it. Remove: Removes a package from the CMS operating system.
It is important to understand that removing a package removes the software from the CMS and resets the package automation level to manual. If you do not want that package installed on the CMS, then do not reinstall it when it reappears in the Packages window.
Understanding and Configuring HP Reports HP Account Manager field adds this CMS to an HP internal report of devices managed by a specified HP contact(s). You may enter one or more HP contact(s) into this field to receive reports for this CMS by separating e-mail addresses with semi-colons. By default, this line is left blank. If you want this CMS included in HP internal reports for a specific HP engineer, add his/her e-mail address to this field. To configure reporting: In the Remote Support Software Manager, select Contacts. The Contacts window is displayed. Select Enable e-mail for status and connectivity reporting. In the HP Contact section, enter the e-mail address(es) of the HP contact(s) to whom the reports for this CMS is to be sent. Test the connectivity with the Test Connectivity option in the Actions page. Click Submit. The Form Submission displays. confirming the details of the HP Contact information that you have submitted.
Understanding and Configuring Customer Notifications and Reports The Customer Contact Option adds the contacts entered into the field to a notifications list for updates as they are published to HP’s hosting Software Manager servers at the HP Support Center. If package options are checked, then notifications are sent to the specified Customer contact for that package update. If left unchecked, no notifications are sent. Additionally, you may enable reports for both the software state of the Remote Support Software Manager and connectivity reports for communication from the Remote Support Software Manager. You may enter one or more Customer contacts into the e-mail field to receive e-mail notifications about updates and reports for Remote Support Software Manager on your CMS. The types of e-mail messages you will receive through the internet from the HP Support Center are: Software State Reports, which are sent biweekly and include the title, current version, status, and update availability of supported software applications installed on the CMS. Failed CMS RSSWM Connectivity Alerts which notify you when the Remote Support Software Manager has lost connectivity from the CMS to the HP Support Center. The notification will inform you of the last time the Remote Support Software Manager logged a successful Software configuration data collection from the HP Support Center.
You may opt in or out of either notification at any time by selecting or disabling the option and submitting your preferences. See Understanding and Using the Actions Option for information about manually updating the HP Support Center with your software configuration change. To configure notifications: In the Remote Support Software Manager, select Contacts. The Contacts window is displayed. In the Customer Contact section, enter the e-mail address(es) of the Customer contact(s) to which the notifications on the updates for the CMS are to be sent. Select e-mail announcements and/or e-mail reports and click Submit. The Form Submission window is displayed, confirming the details of the selection for e-mail notifications.
Proxy settings are configured to enable the Software Manager to function in conjunction with the Customers web proxy server configuration. The Web Proxy options are to enable specified settings which are: Modifying Bandwidth SettingsBandwidth settings allow the Customer to restrict how much bandwidth the Software Manager uses. The bandwidth options are:
Select the percentage of bandwidth (cannot be set to zero).
Limit bandwidth to a set Kbps measurement
The default setting for bandwidth is 25% of Ethernet (10Mbps). HP recommends, at a minimum, retaining the default bandwidth settings for timely service. Reducing the bandwidth settings will increase the time required to transfer files.
To configure bandwidth settings:
In the Remote Support Software Manager, select Bandwidth. The Bandwidth window is displayed. Select one of the options for setting the bandwidth availability for the Software Manager and click Submit. The Form Submission window is displayed, confirming the details of the bandwidth options that you have selected.
Understanding and Using the Actions OptionThe Actions window in the Remote Support Software Manager provides access to the following features: Restart Agent: this feature stops and restarts the processes associated with the Software Manager. Downloads or installations that are in progress may need to be resumed after the application restarts.
Check for Package Updates: this feature checks the HP Data Center for any software package updates. If updates are available, the status will display in the Package window. If new packages are available they will be processed according to their effective automation levels, and if set for automatic update they will only update and/or install only during a scheduled update window.
Test Connectivity: this feature allows you to test the connection between the Remote Support Software Manager on the CMS to the HP Support Center. If the test fails, recheck your proxy settings.
Submit Software Configuration Data: this feature submits updates to the software configuration (such as contact information) to the HP Support Center. While this task is performed daily, you may use this feature to do it immediately.
Removing or Reinstalling the Remote Support Software Manager | |
The HP Remote Support Software Manager has its own uninstall software. However, before removing the RSSWM application, you should remove the applications (Remote Support Common Components, OSEM, and Remotes Support Client software) that were installed using HP Remote Support Software Manager. To uninstall the all of the Service Essentials Remote Support Pack components, including Software Manager, from the CMS, complete the following steps: From the Packages window in RSSWM, select Remove for each of the individual applications, following the prompts to remove each application from the CMS.
Select Start > Programs > Hewlett-Packard > Remote Support Software Manager Uninstall.
| | | | | NOTE: Should you receive the following alert from Remote Software Manager, you may select no provided you followed Step One above.
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If you have already removed the Remote Support Software Manager in MS Windows using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, you can still run the uninstaller to remove all files. Reinstalling the Remote Support Software ManagerThe Remote Support Software Manager cannot be recovered. In the event that there is an application failure, the RSSWM application must be reinstalled by rerunning the HP SIM installer (you do not necessarily need to reinstall HP SIM). If there is a hardware or operating system failure, the RSSWM application would also require reinstallation along with HP SIM. |
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