ABots Guide
    • 08 Nov 2022
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    ABots Guide

    • PDF

    Article summary

    For information about custom orchestration using Automate Joe, see SysAid's Automate Joe Guide.

    Introduction to ABots

     SysAid ABots are a series of add-ons that allows admins to free up a significant percentage of their workload by automatically running ready-to-go script-based processes from SysAid, using SysAid's CA Automic-based Automate Joe platform. These processes can include user management in Microsoft and Azure active directory such as creating a user, adding licenses, adding or removing a user from groups, moving a user to an organizational unit, and more.

     Licensing

     When you activate the Automate Joe integration, you automatically get a trial license for 30 days or 50 transactions (automatic process runs). You can contact your SysAid Customer Success manager to acquire a permanent license.

    Requirements and Prerequisites

    Only an admin with SysAid Administrator permissions can set up ABots.

    For the service to run:

    • You must be running the latest version of SysAid and the SysAid agent.
    • Ensure that ports 2217-2220 are open from the machines where the ABot agents are installed to the following addresses:
      • us-automic.sysaidit.com
      • us-automic01.sysaidit.com
      • eu-automic.sysaidit.com
      • Eu-automic01.sysaidit.com
    • The relevant ABot workstation must be able to access the following addresses at ports 8443 and 443:

    We also recommend using a machine that is already running the RDS. Both the agent and the RDS should be set to automatically upgrade as an ABot can only run if an asset is running the latest version of the agent.

    Enable the Automate Joe Add-on

    The first step to enabling any ABot is to ensure that the Automate Joe add-on is activated. Automate Joe provides the Automic infrastructure that all ABots are built upon.

    Activate Automate Joe

    1. Obtain the Automate Joe add-on from the SysAid Marketplace.
    2. On the main My Apps page, in the Automate Joe icon, click .
    3. Click the slider.
    4. Click Save Changes.

    License Information

    Once Automate Joe is enabled, the following license information is displayed on the setup page:

    PermissionDescription

    Update date

    Date that the license was last updated.

    Expiration date

    Date that the license expires.

    License type

    Describes the type of license that is enabled. This can be a purchased production license or a free. 100-day trial license.

    Purchased

    The number of licenses you purchased. Each license allowed for automate joe to access an additional target or service (e.g. active directory server, AWS, Salesforce SCCM, etc.).

    Automate Joe tenant identifier

    A unique ID that support can use to identify the Automate Joe service for your account.

    Added Permissions

    Once Automate Joe is enabled, you can configure three additional permissions for admins and/or groups.

    PermissionDescription

    Enable/Disable Automate Joe agents and targets

    Allows admins to enable or disable Automate Joe agents and targets.

    Modify Automate Joe parameter mapping

    Allows admins to create/update the parameter mapping for an Automate Joe action processes input/output.

    Launch ABot from an existing service record

    Allows admins to launch an ABot in an open ticket.

    Deploy ABot Agents

     ABots works by deploying specific agents on the target machines or services. You do not need to deploy the ABots agents on every machine in the organization. You only need to deploy them on a single machine that has access to the machines you want to integrate with the relevant ABots processes. If any single machine has access to your entire network, that's an ideal host for the ABots agents.

    To enable the ABot agents on a device

    1. In SysAid, navigate to Assets > Asset Management > Asset List.
    2. Open the asset that you want to enable the ABot agents on.
    3. Open the embedded Services tab.
      1. If your screen doesn't resemble the screenshot below, check the SysAid Agent Version field to confirm that the asset is running the latest version of the SysAid agent.
    4. On the Automate Joe Agent drop-down list, select Enabled.
    5. Click OK.

    Once an agent is enabled, the SysAid agent deploys it on the relevant machines and automatically generates a unique ID for each deployed ABot agent.

    Sync SysAid Credentials With ABots

    ABots use SysAid's credentials management to access the various applications and services in your network by automatically and securely syncing them to a secure repository in the Automic Orchestration Server.

     To prepare a credentials set for an ABots process

    1. Navigate to Settings > Network Discovery > Credentials.
    2. From the Credentials list, open the credentials you want to use.
    3. Ensure that the user name includes the domain name. For example: "domain\administrator".
    4. Select the Valid for Automate Joe checkbox.
    5. Click OK.You can now select this credentials set in the parameter mapping of an ABot process. It's important that any credentials you select have access and permissions to the service on which you want to execute the automated process. Please see the individual ABot help pages for specific details on what parameters need to be mapped for the skills in that ABot.

    Download ABots

     When you add an ABot, you can import its skills to allow for it to run the automatic processes. The import process runs in the background and can take about an hour.

    1. Obtain the ABot from the SysAid Marketplace.
    2. On the main My Apps page, in the relevant ABot's icon, click .
    3. Click the slider to activate the integration.
    4. Click Save Changes.
    5. Click Import ABot Skills.

    Run an ABot From Inside a Ticket

     Once an ABot's skills have been imported, you can select any of them from within the automation panel in a SysAid ticket.

     To add an ABot process from any ticket

    1. In the ticket form, click Automations.
    2. From the Select an Automation Process drop-down list, select the ABot skill you want to run.
    3. Click Launch.
    4. In the window that opens, enter the information in the required fields.
    5. Click Apply.

    To run an ABot using a template

    1. Open a new request form.
    2. From the template drop-down, select the template for the ABot skill you want to run.
    3. Enter the information in the required fields.
    4. Click Apply.
      You can access a record for each process run by ABots in Settings > Automate Joe > Process Monitor.

    Available ABots

    For information on setting up and using individual ABots, see these pages: