This section makes frequent use of data contained in the Technical Requirements.
All relevant sections of the Technical Requirements Data collection should be completed or known before commencing with the steps in this section.
There are two parts to the configuration, the first being installing the VSM Machine Proxy Agent on the server(s) under management, and the second being the supporting configuration on the web portal.
Both are covered in this chapter.
Client-side Installation
Machine Proxy Agent Installation
The Machine Proxy Agent (MPA) must be installed on each Microsoft Server under support. MPA is not required for Access Concentrator. The MPA collects infrastructure performance and connectivity information, so is needed for all other aspects of the service.
The minimum requirements for the Machine Proxy Agent are listed below:
Item | Specification |
OS | Windows Server 2008 R2 or later |
Feature | .Net 4.5 |
Make sure you have downloaded the latest Machine Proxy Agent installation package from your VSM portal. This is located in ‘Service Desk> Files and Folders> Shared with me> Virsae Owners> VSM> VSM Software> VSM Machine Proxy Agent XXXX.zip”.
Copy the install package to the machine on which it is to be installed.
Right-click on the installation package and extract the installation files to a known location. Navigate to the extracted files then right-click on the setup.exe file and select ‘Run As Administrator’.
When prompted click 'Next' to install the Machine Proxy:
Check the installation directory is satisfactory and then click 'Next':
On the ‘Confirm Install’ prompt click 'Next':
When prompted, enter the IP address or FQDN of the VSM collector on your network, then click ‘Check Connection’:
If the ‘Check Connection’ succeeds click ‘Save’:
VSM Web Portal
Windows Servers are set up in VSM to enable access concentration to these devices and/or to add a friendly name to devices that are not administered under their own specific vendor.
To add a Windows Server to VSM select the customer you wish to add the generic device to then navigate to Service Desk> Equipment Locations. Right-click on the Equipment Location that will serve this particular UC Server and select ‘Manage Equipment’
At the bottom of the ‘Manage Equipment’ page click on the ‘Add Equipment’ Button
A form will open which you can populate with the equipment details.
Select the Vendor ‘Microsoft’.
If you are adding more than one piece of the same equipment type check the ‘Add another’ box at the bottom of the form and the bulk of the configuration will be carried over for the next item.
Microsoft Server Field descriptions
Field | Setting |
Vendor | Microsoft |
Enable RDP Options | Ticked for enhanced RDP options (below) |
Name/Machine Proxy Agent | Select appropriate FQDN of administered device from the drop-down |
Fully Qualified Domain Name | FQDN of the device (Optional, only required if the Server is not in the dropdown box.) |
Equipment Name | Friendly Name of the device |
Site | Free text field, this information will be included in alarm notifications from the VSM Workflow. |
Advanced RDP Options | Setting |
Connect to Console | Console connect option for RDP sessions |
Redirect Clipboard | Clipboard option for RDP sessions |
Devices and Resources | Devices and Resources you want to use in your remote sessions |
Username | Username to be pre-populated in RDP connections |
Domain | Domain to be pre-populated in RDP connections |
Once all fields are populated Click ‘Add’.
Monitoring Windows Services
Once you have installed the Machine Proxy Agent and the Microsoft Server is administered in VSM you can then set which Windows Services you would like to monitor so that alarms can be raised for state changes, you do this by editing the Microsoft server within VSM.
Select the customer and then navigate to Service Desk > Equipment Locations. Right-click on the Equipment Location (Appliance) that will serve this particular UC Server and select ‘Manage Equipment’
Right-click on the server you wish to administer and then select ‘Edit’. Click on the ‘Services’ tab.
Find the Services you wish to monitor then click on the ‘Watched Mode’ Column and select the appropriate mode.
| Watched Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Not Watched | Not Monitored for State Changes |
| Stopped | Alarms will be generated when the service stops |
| Started | Alarms will be generated when the service starts |
| Changed | Alarms will be generated when the service starts or stops |
Network Connectivity
By default Network Connectivity (Ping) monitoring is configured on the Location page, and all equipment configured under that location inherits those network connectivity settings. However these can be over-ridden on a per equipment basis, and is described in detail on the Equipment Network connectivity page
Tags
It is possible to configure custom tags for this equipment. For more information visit the Tagging page.
Custom Scripts
It is possible to configure and execute customized PowerShell commandlets on the Windows server via VSM. Data output is managed and displayed within VSM.
Set up, and configuration is covered under Custom Scripts.
Once you are finished click on ‘Save’.