User's Manual

Active System Manager Overview 1-3
Active System Manager User Roles
Active System Manager supports two different roles: users and administrators. Roles are associated to a
user profile; for more information, see Chapter 4, “User Profile Management.” Each role comes with a
specific set of built-in permissions, where, user profile permissions are configurable and built-in
permissions are not configurable.
The administrator has access to a larger set of functionality within the Active System Manager system. The
role of the Active System Manager administrator includes all of the capabilities of Active System Manager
users. Any user with the administrator role has the authority to grant other users additional responsibilities
for inventory management, Template management session management, and report management.
For example, the Active System Manager administrator can perform the following functions (not available
for standard users):
• Manage resource types and instances, including resource pools
• Define user groups and permissions
• Define and manage software repositories
• Access and manage all templates
• Configure system-wide session notifications and reminders
• Access and manage all sessions
• Start and stop ASAP Rescheduling along with other associated properties
• Manage Archive Bins and rules for both templates and sessions
Table 1-2 lists and describes the Active System Manager administrator tasks.
Table 1-2 Active System Manager Administrator Tasks
Task Description
Installing, upgrading,
and uninstalling the
Active System Manager
software
Typically, the Active System Manager administrator is responsible for installing, upgrading, and uninstalling
the Active System Manager client and server software. The administrator owns the <Active System
Manager _home>
directory, where the Active System Manager server software is installed. The Active
System Manager administrator makes the Active System Manager server available to all users. The Active
System Manager client software is designed to be installed by all Active System Manager users on their
client hardware platforms.
For information on how to install and configure the Active System Manager server software, see the Active
System Manager Server Installation Guide.
For information about installing the Active System Manager client software, see Chapter 2, “Getting Started.”
Consulting the Active
System Manager user
community
Configuring the Active System Manager software can be a complex and time-consuming task, depending on
the level of customization required in your organization. Further, because the Active System Manager
software addresses the needs of many different types of users—from individual environment users to
department managers—there can be several different interpretations of how best to configure the
environment, depending on the tasks the user needs to perform and the user’s role in the organization.
Consulting the Active
System Manager user
community
Before modifying the Active System Manager environment, the Active System Manager administrator should
consult with environment planners, environment developers, QA managers, and other key members of the
testing team, to determine what site-specific changes and customizations are needed. In general, it is best to
install the product, then implement, and test system-wide changes before deploying the product for general
use.
Integrating the Active
System Manager
software with other
products
The Active System Manager administrator is responsible for installing integrations with third-party products.
The Active System Manager software integrates with configuration management tools (ClearCase and
Concurrent Versions Systems [CVS]).