Visio Add-In for System Center-User Guide

System Center A Microsoft Office Visio 2007 Add-In Implementation

2008

Visio Add-In for System Center- User Guide v1.5 2

CONTENTS

1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 3

2 Installation Steps ......................................................................................................... 4

2.1 Installation Packages ...................................................................................................... 4

2.2 Related Documentation .................................................................................................. 4

2.3 Visio Add-In for System Center ................................................................................. 4

3 Working with Visio Add-In for System Center .......................................... 11

3.1 Starting the Add-In ......................................................................................................... 11

3.2 Configure Servers ............................................................................................................ 12

3.3 Filtering Data ...................................................................................................................... 15

3.4 Auto Generation & Data Graphics .......................................................................... 19

3.5 Refresh Data ....................................................................................................................... 25

3.6 Auto Refresh ....................................................................................................................... 26

3.7 Auto Link data .................................................................................................................... 27

4 Troubleshooting Guide ............................................................................................ 29

4.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................... 29

4.2 Visio Add-In for System Center Installation Issues ................................... 29

1 Introduction

In Microsoft Visio 2007® diagrams, appropriate data can be attached to the shapes depending on the

nature and domain of the diagrams. Visio Add-In for System Center allows IT professionals to visualize

data from the System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) and System Center Configuration Manager

(SCCM) by generating the diagrams for each machine configured for it. The Add-In allows filtering of

data, automatic generation of diagrams and an automatic refresh of the associated data.


2 Installation Steps

Visio Add-In for System Center can be installed on any Windows Operating System. The Add-In works

with distributed systems such as SCOM and SCCM provided the user must have access privileges to

SCOM and SCCM servers. Current user credentials are used to access SCOM/SCCM servers.

This section contains all the necessary installation steps for installing Visio Add-In for System Center on

to servers and user workstations.

2.1 Installation Packages

The Visio Add-In for System Center and associated components are as follows

S/No Package Version Remarks

1 Visio Add-In for System

Center.msi

1.5.3303 Installation file for Visio Add-In for System Center

2.2 Related Documentation

The document associated with Visio Add-In for System Center, installation and related information is as

follows

S/No Document Version Remarks

1 Visio Add-In for System

Center-User Guide.pdf

1.5 Document contains the installation instructions, user

guide and troubleshooting information

2.3 Visio Add-In for System Center

Visio Add-In for System Center is used to set the appropriate data filter and represent the data in Visio.

Prerequisites:

1 .NET Framework 2.0

Download and install the .NET framework 2.0 by accessing the following link:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en.

2 Visual Studio Tools for Office 2005 SE runtime

Download and install the Visual Studio Tools for Office 2005 SE runtime by accessing the

following link:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=F5539A90-DC41-4792-8EF8-F4DE62FF1E81&displaylang=en

3 Windows Installer 3.1 or higher versions

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en




Download and install the Windows Installer 3.1 by accessing the following link:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=889482fc-5f56-4a38-b838-

de776fd4138c&displaylang=en

4 Office 2007 Primary Interop Assemblies

Download and install the Office 2007 Primary Interop Assemblies by accessing the following

link:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=59daebaa-bed4-4282-a28c-

b864d8bfa513&displaylang=en

5 Visio Professional 2007

Installation Steps:

The steps for setting up the Visio Add-In for System Center are as follows:

1. Double-click on the Visio Add-In for System Center.msi file.

2. Click Next as shown in Figure 1. The License Agreement window appears.

Figure 1: Welcome Screen

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=889482fc-5f56-4a38-b838-de776fd4138c&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=889482fc-5f56-4a38-b838-de776fd4138c&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=59daebaa-bed4-4282-a28c-b864d8bfa513&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=59daebaa-bed4-4282-a28c-b864d8bfa513&displaylang=en


3. Click I Agree.

Note: Clicking I Agree enables the option Next

4. Click Next as shown in Figure 2

Figure 2: License Agreement


The Add-In will be installed in the default path, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Select Installation

5. Click Browse to locate a new path

6. To check the Disk Space Required, click Disk Cost.

7. Click Next. The Confirm Installation window appears as shown in Figure 4.


8. Click Next to begin the installation.

Figure 4: Confirm Installation


The progress window appears as shown in Figure 5

Figure 5: Installing System Center Add-In


9. Click Close to exit

Figure 6: Installation Complete


3 Working with Visio Add-In for System Center

3.1 Starting the Add-In

The Microsoft Office Visio Add-In for System Center is a COM Add-In that starts up automatically

with Visio 2007.

Selecting/Opening the SCOM-SCCM Add-In Template

On installation, the Add-In adds a new template Visio Add-In for System Center under Add-Ins

Templates category.

1. Select Add-Ins from the Template Categories list that appears on the left of the screen as shown

in Figure.

2. Select Visio Add-In for System Center from the All Templates group.

3. Click Create as shown in Figure 7

Figure 7: Selecting the template

The System Center menu is loaded and a new document appears as shown in Figure 8

Figure 8: Document loaded with System Center menu


4. On the System Center menu, click Options. The Options window appears as shown in Figure 9 .

5. Specify the data refresh interval. This will be used in Auto Refresh option

Figure 9: Options wizard

6. Type the Data Refresh Interval

7. Click OK to save the data

8. Click Cancel to return

3.2 Configure Servers

1. On the System Center menu, click Configure. The Server Configuration window appears as

shown in Figure 10


Figure 10: Configure Servers

2. Select the server type from the Server Type drop-down list

3. Type the relevant server name or IP address in the Server Name box

4. Click OK to save the changes

5. Click Cancel to return

Note: The grid view always contains an empty row to add a new SCOM and SCCM server.


Figure 11: Selecting the Server Type

After selecting the Server Type user must enter the corresponding Server Name for the

server type.

Figure 12: Specifying the server name


3.3 Filtering Data

1. On the System Center menu, click Select Data as shown in Figure 13

Figure 13: Select Data option in System Center Menu

The Filter Server Details Wizard appears as shown in Figure 14

Figure 14: Select the server data

2. Select the SCOM and SCCM checkboxes

3. Click Next

Note: All associated server types are listed. The list is based on the number of adapters that are

configured in the Configure form.

By default, there are two providers included in Version 1.1.0 for System Center Operations

Manager [SCOM] and System Center Configuration Manager [SCCM].

Additional adapters for external systems can be configured by configuring corresponding

providers in the Configure Menu item.


4. Select the relevant IP Address or Server Name checkbox as shown in Figure 15

Figure 15: Select the SCOM server

5. Click Next. The Filter Server Details Wizard appears as shown in Figure 16

Figure 16: Select the SCOM server fields

6. Select the Alert and Computers checkboxes

Note: The fields supported by the providers can be selected. For multiple fields to be listed, the

relevant provider should be configured. Each version of the provider supports a selected list of

fields. This information can be located in the configuration file of the provider.

Version 1.0.0 of SCOM provider supports Alerts and Computers

7. Select the relevant IP address or Server Name checkbox for SCCM as shown in Figure 17


Figure 17: Select SCCM server

8. Click Next. The Filter Server Details Wizard appears as shown in Figure 18

Note: The data from the primary site of the SCCM server is retrieved and the SCCM servers

configured in the Web services are listed.

9. Select the SYSTEMINFO, USERGROUPS and PATCHINFO checkboxes as shown in Figure 18

Figure 18: Select SCCM fields

10. To go back to the previous screen, click Back

11. To cancel the update, click Cancel

12. Click Finish. The Visio Add-In for System Center dialog box appears as shown in Figure 19

Note: The fields supported by the providers can be selected.


For multiple fields to be listed, the relevant provider should be configured. Each version of the

provider supports a selected list of fields. This information can be located in the configuration

file of the provider.

Version 1.0.0 of SCCM provider supports USERGROUPS, SYSTEMINFO and PATCHINFO

Figure 19: Server filter set

13. Click OK

Note: This filter criteria is now part of the Visio diagram. This criterion can be retrieved after

saving and closing the diagram.


3.4 Auto Generation & Data Graphics

On the System Center menu, click Generate Diagram as shown in Figure 20

Figure 20: Generate Diagram option in System center menu

Note: Clicking Generate Diagram will generate the diagram, appropriate sheets, shapes and

data graphics. The diagram consists of the default shapes and data graphics. In case of excessive

multiple shapes on a page, a new page for the data table will be created.

The external data pane shows the data that is associated with the shapes.

3.4.1 System Center Configuration Manager View

The view of SCCM data enables the user to fetch system information, user groups and patch

information from SCCM.

SYSTEMINFO appears as shown in Figure 21 and provides the following information:

Name: Specifies the machine name configured under SCCM

IP Address: Specifies the IP address of the machine configured under SCCM

Operating System: Specifies the Operating System of the machine configured under

SCCM


Figure 21: Diagram generated for SCCM:SYSTEMINFO

USERGROUPS appear as shown in Figure 22 and provides the following information:

Name: Specifies the user group name which is unique for each user configured

under SCCM

User Group Name: Specifies user group name which is common for a set of

users configured under SCCM

Windows NT Domain: Specifies the domain of the machines for users

configured under SCCM


Figure 22: Diagram generated for SCCM-USERGROUPS

PATCHINFO appears as shown in Figure 23 and provides the following information:

Resource Name: Specifies the machine name configured under SCCM

Operating System Name: Specifies the Operating System of the machine

configured under SCCM

IP Address: Specifies the IP address of the machines configured under SCCM

Article ID: Specifies the unique ID associated with each patch/update

Last State: Specifies if the patches/updates are needed or are already installed

on the machine configured under SCCM


Figure 23: Diagram generated for SCCM-PATCHINFO

3.4.2 System Center Operations Manager View

The view of Operations Manager data appears as shown in Figure 24 and Figure 25

enables the user to fetch alerts and computer health state from SCOM.

The Alerts provide the following information:

Source: The network name of the machine where the alert gets generated

Name: Specifies the name of the alert

Resolution State: Describes resolution state of the alert that is, whether it is

open or closed. If the alert is freshly generated then its state will be open and if

the error for the occurrence of alert is handled then its status will be closed.

Maintenance Mode: This specifies whether the alert is in maintenance mode or

not, which is indicated by marking it as True or False.

Created: Specifies the date when the alerts were generated.

Age: Specifies the time elapsed after generation of alerts


Figure 24: Diagram generated for SCOM-Computer-Alert

Computer Health State appears as shown in Figure 25 and provides the following

information:

Name: Specifies the network name of the computer

State: Specifies the state of the computer in terms of Success, Error, Warning,

Uninitialized depending upon its health state

Maintenance Mode: This specifies whether the computer is in maintenance

mode or not, which is indicated by marking it as True or False.

Agent: Specifies whether the agent software is installed on the computer or not,

which is indicated by marking it as True or False.

Management Server: Specifies the operations management server name for the

computer.


Figure 25: Diagram generated for SCOM-Computer-Health State


3.5 Refresh Data

1. On the System Center menu, click Refresh Data

2. User can either choose to refresh the data manually or automatically. Manual refresh is carried

out by clicking the menu item Refresh Data as shown in figure 26.

Figure 26: Refresh Data option in menu.


3.6 Auto Refresh

On the System Center menu, click Auto Refresh as shown in figure 27

Note: The automatic refresh can be activated by clicking Auto Refresh. The interval is

configured in the configuration file.

Figure 27: Auto Refresh option in menu


3.7 Auto Link data

1. On the System Center menu, click AutoLink data as shown in Figure 28. The Visio Add-In for

System Center dialog box appears as shown in Figure 29.

Figure 28: AutoLink Data option in menu

Note: Once the criteria are set, the user can connect to the servers to manually create the

diagram. The external data pane will be populated from the Web services as per the criteria

selected.

Figure 29: User option to connect server data

2. Click Yes

Note: Clicking Yes will connect the user to SCOM/SCCM servers depending on the option

configured in the Configure Servers form.

The data pane is populated and appears as shown in Figure 30.


Figure 30: Diagram generated for AutoLink Data


4 Troubleshooting Guide

4.1 Overview

The purpose of this section is to recommend steps for troubleshooting issues with Visio Add-In for System Center

4.2 Visio Add-In for System Center Installation Issues

The Visio Add-in for System Center installation issue is as follows

Problem: The installation of Visio Add-In for System Center fails abruptly.

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Ensure that your machine has all prerequisites installed before you run the MSI file. The prerequisites are as follows:

a. Office Primary Interop Assemblies (PIA)

b. .NET Framework 2.0

c. Visual Studio Tools for Office 2005 SE

2. If any of these components are not installed, run Visio Add-In for System Center.msi from the Visio Add-In for System Center installation folder which will provide links to install these components and then install the add-in.

3. If the installation is successful, System Center menu appears in Microsoft Office Visio 2007 menu bar.

4. For detailed instructions on installation of the add-in, refer to Section 2.3.

Visio Add-In for System Center-User Guide

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