BMC ProactiveNet

BMC ProactiveNetAdministrator Guide

Supporting

BMC ProactiveNet version 8.6.01

April 2011

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4 BMC ProactiveNet Administrator Guide



Contents

Chapter 1 Getting started with the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console 17Accessing the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console ....................................17

Launching the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console on Windowscomputers ..............................................................................................................18Launching the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console on Solariscomputers ..............................................................................................................20Using the Search function in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console ......................................................................................................................................21

Configuring cell connection properties to the BMC ProactiveNet Server .............25Specifying ports in cell connection properties ................................................28

Setting BMC ProactiveNet Server connection properties .........................................29Logging out of and into the BMC ProactiveNet Server from the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console .................................................................................................30Changing your BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console password ...............31BMC ProactiveNet profiles ............................................................................................31Accessing online Help ....................................................................................................32

Chapter 2 Managing BMC ProactiveNet Agents 33Adding Agents ................................................................................................................33Editing an agent ..............................................................................................................35About Remote Agents ...................................................................................................35

Local Agents vs. Remote Agents .......................................................................36Adding remote agents .........................................................................................36Editing remote agents ........................................................................................39Connecting, disconnecting, and restarting agents ..........................................40Deleting a remote agent ......................................................................................41

How do Tunnel Agents work? ......................................................................................42Installing tunnel agents ..................................................................................................44Tunnel proxy setup ........................................................................................................48

Adding a proxy agent to the BMC ProactiveNet Server ................................49Adding the agent to connect through the proxy agent ..................................50Adding a tunnel agent to the BMC ProactiveNet Server ...............................51

Converting an HTTP/HTTPS Agent to a TCP Agent ...............................................51Converting an HTTP/Secure or HTTP Agent to HTTPS Agent .............................52Convert TCP Agent to HTTP/HTTPS Agent .............................................................53Configuration properties ...............................................................................................54

Contents 5

Available properties ............................................................................................55Properties used by Tunnel Agent ......................................................................56

SSL TCP/IP Agent ..........................................................................................................57Connecting to Agents using SSL .......................................................................57Converting a TCP Agent to SSL-TCP/IP Agent .............................................57

Configuring a SSL TCP/IP Agent ...............................................................................58Creating new keystore for the agent controller ...............................................59Creating new keystore for the agent .................................................................60Updating the Agent keystore with new self-signed certificate .....................61Updating the Agent keystore with an existing (CA signed) certificate .......62Updating the Agent Controller keystore with a new self-signedcertificate ...............................................................................................................63Updating the Agent Controller keystore with an existing (CA signed)certificate ...............................................................................................................64Examples for Configuring SSL TCP/IP Agents ..............................................65

TCP Proxy Agent ............................................................................................................70Adding a TCP Proxy Agent ...............................................................................71Limitations ............................................................................................................73

Chapter 3 Managing devices 75Summary of devices .......................................................................................................75Using device aliases ........................................................................................................76Avoiding duplicate devices ...........................................................................................77Creating a device ............................................................................................................78Selecting monitors for the device ................................................................................81Editing devices ................................................................................................................82Duplicating devices ........................................................................................................83Deleting devices ..............................................................................................................84Creating a monitor template .........................................................................................85Adding a device from a template .................................................................................86Applying templates to a single device .........................................................................89Warning message ............................................................................................................91Applying templates to multiple devices .....................................................................91

Editing an existing template ...............................................................................92Deleting a Template .............................................................................................94

Changing device associations .......................................................................................94Limitations ............................................................................................................95

Domain name ..................................................................................................................95Adding a domain name ......................................................................................96Editing a domain name .......................................................................................96Deleting a domain name .....................................................................................96


Port name .........................................................................................................................97Adding a port name ............................................................................................97Editing a port name .............................................................................................98Delete Port name ..................................................................................................98

Choosing monitors for the device ...............................................................................99Creating a group ...........................................................................................................100

Group checklist ..................................................................................................101Working with Dynamic Groups or Rule-based Groups ..............................101Applying rules to Dynamic Groups ................................................................102Defining Group display ....................................................................................103Group made by existing groups ......................................................................103Group made by specifying rules .....................................................................104

Adding Child Groups ..................................................................................................105Editing Groups ..............................................................................................................107Deleting Groups ............................................................................................................107

Chapter 4 Integrating with the BMC Atrium CMDB 109Benefits of BMC Atrium CMDB integration .............................................................109User scenario .................................................................................................................110Creating and editing publication filters in the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole ...........................................................................................................................112Understanding Atrium Filters ....................................................................................115Viewing publication history ........................................................................................116Viewing computer system CIs ....................................................................................117

Chapter 5 Configuring and using Remote Actions/Diagnostics 119What are Remote Actions/Diagnostics? ...................................................................119Properties files ...............................................................................................................120Creating Remote Actions .............................................................................................121

Defining the performance managed remote actions ....................................123Defining the remote action rule and task .......................................................126Assigning roles to actions .................................................................................131

Providing Remote Actions credentials ......................................................................131Working with credential records for event management rules option ......132Working with credential records for events ..................................................133

Triggering Remote Actions .........................................................................................138Defining the remote action policy ..................................................................138Executing remote actions ..................................................................................141Adding the AlarmPoint integration ................................................................142

Executing remote actions .............................................................................................143Generating Remote Action results .............................................................................144

Contents 7

Macros for Remote Action ...........................................................................................144Troubleshooting remote actions .................................................................................147Remote actions\diagnostics exit codes .....................................................................148

Chapter 6 Setting up diagnostic commands 151Diagnostics wizard .......................................................................................................151Script ..............................................................................................................................152

Register a user-defined Script command .......................................................152Editing script commands ..................................................................................159Deleting script commands ................................................................................159Creating a detailed diagnostic script for Windows ......................................159

Log file ............................................................................................................................160Registering a user-defined log file command ................................................161Editing a log file command ..............................................................................165Deleting a log file command ............................................................................166

Preconfigured commands ...........................................................................................166User-defined commands ..............................................................................................166Configuration of poll driven detailed diagnostics ...................................................167

Chapter 7 Administering BMC ProactiveNet 171SSL server certificate for Apache server ....................................................................171

Creating a Real SSL server certificate for the Apache Server ......................171Removing the pass-phrase at Apache startup time ......................................173Changing the pass-phrase on the private key file .........................................173Creating and using your own certificate authority (CA) ............................173Configuring the Apache web server to accept HTTPS connection only .....................................................................................................................................174Removing the pass-phrase window displayed during Apache startup .....................................................................................................................................175

BMC ProactiveNet Security .........................................................................................175Securing port communication ..........................................................................176Security related FAQs .......................................................................................177

Customizing the BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console ......................................183Customizing event text .....................................................................................183Customizing the logo on the Operations Console ........................................185Adding background images .............................................................................186Changing the default number of breadcrumbs displayed in the operationsconsole .................................................................................................................187Improving performance when the navigation tree is loaded in theoperations console .............................................................................................188Changing the maximum number of configuration items in a folder .........188


Configuring the operations console to automatically switch views ..........189Scheduling downtime ..................................................................................................190

Adding a downtime schedule ..........................................................................192Editing or deleting a downtime schedule ......................................................195Special notes .......................................................................................................196

Changing the default BMC ProactiveNet Agent TCP control port ......................196Determining which TCP control ports are being used ...........................................198Device application monitors and TCP control ports ..............................................200Admin tunneling through HTTP ...............................................................................200

Firewalls and BMC ProactiveNet interfaces ..................................................201Dealing with TCP/IP port restrictions ...........................................................201Dealing with NAT .............................................................................................202Activating the APACHE proxy server ............................................................203Admin tunnel limitations .................................................................................204

Fine tuning BMC ProactiveNet system components ...............................................204Important information for all configuration files ..........................................205BMC ProactiveNet Server - Solaris edition ....................................................205BMC ProactiveNet Server – Windows edition ..............................................206BMC ProactiveNet Agent – Windows edition ..............................................207

Chapter 8 Managing users 209Overview ........................................................................................................................209Default users, user groups and roles .........................................................................210Users ...............................................................................................................................210

Adding or editing users ....................................................................................211Associating user(s) to user groups ..................................................................213Deleting users .....................................................................................................213

User Groups ...................................................................................................................214Adding or editing user groups ........................................................................214Deleting user groups .........................................................................................215

Roles and Permissions ..................................................................................................216Defining or editing roles and permissions .....................................................216Deleting roles and permissions ........................................................................217

Configuring the system for external authentication ................................................218

Chapter 9 Deploying multiple ProactiveNet Servers 223Multiple ProactiveNet Server deployment overview ............................................223

Configuring an originating ProactiveNet Server .........................................224Configuring a central ProactiveNet Server ...................................................227

Chapter 10 Setting up web transactions 229

Contents 9

System requirements ....................................................................................................230How and where do I begin? .............................................................................230Backward compatibility ....................................................................................231

Web transaction capture screen field descriptions ..................................................232Menu bar options ...............................................................................................232Buttons .................................................................................................................234

Planning a Web Transaction .......................................................................................236Creating a web transaction ..........................................................................................238

Need for the transaction file ............................................................................238Launching the Web Transaction Capture tool ...............................................239Recording a new Web Transaction .................................................................239Creating a test monitor ......................................................................................244Playing a transaction file created with the Web Transaction Capture tool 245Working with a previously recorded web transaction ................................247Recording another transaction in the same user session .............................247

Authentication ...............................................................................................................247How to insert authentication information? ....................................................248

Subtransactions .............................................................................................................249Working with subtransactions .........................................................................250

Configuring a Web Transaction monitor ..................................................................251Web transaction test utility ..........................................................................................254Pop-up Windows ..........................................................................................................255

System authentication pop-up Windows .......................................................255Browser pop-up Windows ...............................................................................257

Exporting Web Transaction files ................................................................................257Editing Web Transaction files .....................................................................................258

Editing Web Transaction files created in BMC ProactiveNet 7.0 and later 258Editing Web Transaction files created prior to BMC ProactiveNet 7.0 ......263

Content match for Web Transaction monitor ...........................................................263Best practices to record content match ...........................................................264International characters ....................................................................................264Extra line feed characters ..................................................................................264

Web Transaction macro ...............................................................................................265Types of Web Transaction macros ..................................................................266Managing Web Transaction macros ................................................................267Usage scenarios ..................................................................................................269

Limitations of Web Transaction capture ...................................................................271

Chapter 11 Working with event management policies 277


Displaying the Infrastructure Management node ....................................................277Event management policy types ................................................................................278Out-of-the-box event management policies ..............................................................279How event management policies work .....................................................................282

Event management policy workflow overview ............................................282Event selectors ....................................................................................................283Event selector groups ........................................................................................284Event selection criteria ......................................................................................285Timeframes .........................................................................................................285Evaluation order of event policy types ...........................................................286

How dynamic enrichment event management policies work ...............................287External enrichment data sources ...................................................................287

How to create a new local timeframe ........................................................................289How to add a notification service (notification policies only) ...............................291How to create and edit a dynamic enrichment source file .....................................292

Using the sample PATROL messaging text translation dynamic enrichmentsource file ............................................................................................................294

How to create an event selector and specify event selection criteria ....................297Alias formulas ...............................................................................................................301

Working with Event Alias Formulas ..............................................................301Devices with multiple IP addresses ................................................................306

Creating new standard event management policies ...............................................307Creating a new standard blackout policy .....................................................308Creating a new component based enrichment policy .................................313Creating a new component based blackout policy .......................................318Creating a new closure policy .........................................................................322Creating a new correlation policy ..................................................................325Creating a new enrichment policy .................................................................329Creating a new escalation policy ....................................................................334Creating a new notification policy .................................................................338Creating a new propagation policy ................................................................342Creating a new recurrence policy ...................................................................344Creating a new remote action policy ..............................................................347Creating a new suppression policy ................................................................347Creating a new threshold policy .....................................................................350Creating a new timeout policy ........................................................................354

Enabling and disabling out-of-the-box standard event management policies ...356Creating a new dynamic enrichment event management policy .........................357Enabling out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment event management policies ........369

Enabling a dynamic enrichment blackout policy ..........................................370

Contents 11

Enabling a dynamic enrichment location policy ...........................................373Enabling a dynamic enrichment service contact policy ...............................377Enabling a dynamic enrichment PATROL message text translationpolicy ...................................................................................................................381

Importing dynamic enrichment source .....................................................................385Verifying that the policy is running ...........................................................................386Editing event selection criteria ....................................................................................387Deleting an event selector ............................................................................................388Troubleshooting event management policies ...........................................................388

Chapter 12 Working with the dynamic data editor 393Displaying the Infrastructure Management node ....................................................393Dynamic data definition using the Dynamic Data Editor ......................................394Navigating the Dynamic Data Editor ........................................................................394Filtering and sorting the Data List .............................................................................396

Filtering slots .....................................................................................................396Sorting data fields ..............................................................................................397

Working with data instances ......................................................................................399Adding a new data instance ............................................................................399Editing slots .......................................................................................................401Exporting data ....................................................................................................402

Chapter 13 Creating and using user-defined policies 405Understanding user-defined event policy types ......................................................405Understanding event processing rules (MRL) for policy types .............................405

Format of event processing rules for policy types ........................................405How a rule for a policy type is processed ......................................................406Sources of information about rules .................................................................406

User-defined event policy type creation ...................................................................407Creating user-defined policy types .................................................................407Defining the policy data class for a new policy type ....................................407Defining presentation names for a new policy type .....................................409Creating the event processing rule(s) for a new policy type .......................410

Chapter 14 Working with BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management 413Default BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management service model ..............413

Roles and permissions .......................................................................................415Walkthrough ..................................................................................................................415

Displaying the out-of-the-box real-time service model ...............................415Sampling context-sensitive information .........................................................417Managing files on remote systems ..................................................................418


Packaging support files .....................................................................................419Launching remote actions ................................................................................420

Common BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management tasks ...........................422Navigating the interface ....................................................................................422

Displaying and understanding the Details and Administer tab data ...................424Details tab data ...................................................................................................424Administer tab data ...........................................................................................427

Editing infrastructure relationships ...........................................................................428Creating logical components .......................................................................................430Deleting components ....................................................................................................430Usage reporting .............................................................................................................431Executing Remote Actions ...........................................................................................432Reloading cell configuration .......................................................................................432Forcing event propagation ..........................................................................................434Collecting metrics .........................................................................................................434Executing other actions ................................................................................................435Audit log parameters ..................................................................................................435

Supported component or application types ..................................................436Sample logs .........................................................................................................437Audit log properties in the ias.properties file ................................................437

Creating the support package .....................................................................................438Slots for specifying support files .....................................................................439UNIX processing note .......................................................................................440Reviewing the audit log of the support package ..........................................441

Background to BPPM Infrastructure Management .................................................442How a product component registers and communicates with the IAC ...442Registering a remote cell with the Impact Administration Cell .................442Recreating an Impact Administration Cell ....................................................443Unregistering with the IAC ..............................................................................444Remote actions ...................................................................................................444

Displaying remote cells in the Infrastructure Management tab after upgrading theBMC ProactiveNet Server ............................................................................................447

Chapter 15 Using the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console for service monitoring 449BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console Services Editor tab ..........................449Monitoring business services in BMC ProactiveNet ...............................................449

Opening a Service Model View .......................................................................450Viewing service component instances through the navigation pane ........451Finding service component instances to view ...............................................453Viewing information about a service component .........................................454

Contents 13

Searching for provider and consumer components ................................................455Viewing a service component’s SLM agreements ...................................................456Viewing property and performance data about a cell ............................................457

The General subtab ............................................................................................457The Workload subtab ........................................................................................458The Components subtab ...................................................................................459

Editing Service Model data in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console .459

Managing Service Model components ...........................................................459Managing Service Model component relationships .....................................464

Launching BMC Atrium Explorer from the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole ...........................................................................................................................469Using a customized SSL certificate to create a secure connection to the BMCAtrium CMDB ..............................................................................................................469Associate monitors to CIs through the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole ...........................................................................................................................470

Associate monitors to CI in Service Model View ..........................................471Associating monitors to a CI and verifying that they are associated .........472Associate a monitor to a CI when CI Alias is unknown to the BMCProactiveNet Server ...........................................................................................473Associating a monitor to a CI in the Monitor edit page ...............................474How aliases are used depends on how the BMC ProactiveNet Servers aredeployed ..............................................................................................................474

Chapter 16 Managing cells 475Production cells and test cells ....................................................................................475Cell configuration tasks ...............................................................................................476

Configuring mcell.conf parameters .................................................................477Creating cell-specific configuration files ........................................................480Configuring event slot propagation ................................................................481About mcell.dir, the cell directory file ............................................................484Configuring passive connections ....................................................................486Configuring slots for time stamping ...............................................................487Configuring encryption ....................................................................................488Configuring cell exception handling ...............................................................493

Reloading cell configuration .......................................................................................493Starting or stopping the cell .......................................................................................494

Stopping or starting a cell on UNIX computers ............................................495Starting or stopping a cell on Windows computers ....................................496

Creating and managing cell groups ..........................................................................497Monitoring event performance ...................................................................................500


Monitoring client to cell interactions .........................................................................502Configuring cell tracing ...............................................................................................503

Configuring mcell.trace ....................................................................................504Configuring a destination for cell trace output .............................................506Sending trace output to another cell ...............................................................507Event processing errors .....................................................................................509Automatic notification of trace configuration changes ................................509

Interpreting cell execution failure codes ...................................................................510Using the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console to manage cells .............511

Connecting or disconnecting a cell ..................................................................511Viewing cell information ..................................................................................512

Chapter 17 Configuring StateBuilder and gateways 513Understanding the StateBuilder and gateways .......................................................513

StateBuilder configuration file .........................................................................514statbld return codes ...........................................................................................515Gateway configuration ......................................................................................515

Exporting events ...........................................................................................................521Modifying a statbld.conf file to export events ...............................................521Modifying a gateway.export file to export events ........................................522

Configuring tracing for StateBuilder .........................................................................523Troubleshooting the StateBuilder process ................................................................523

Chapter 18 Setting up data views for external reports 525External reports benefits ..............................................................................................525Performance considerations .......................................................................................525Creating dataviews ......................................................................................................526Populating dataviews ...................................................................................................527Types of information available in dataviews ..........................................................527

Default dataviews ..............................................................................................527Configuration information .........................................................................................540Performance (stats, raw) information ........................................................................541Rate (rolled up, condensed) information ..................................................................542Baseline information .....................................................................................................543Event information .........................................................................................................543All alarms and events information ............................................................................544Command line option ..................................................................................................545Sample data dictionary ................................................................................................545Create ASA database interface ....................................................................................547

Installing the ASA ODBC driver ....................................................................547Downloading and installing Crystal Reports ...........................................................549

Contents 15

Connect to ASA database through Crystal Reports .....................................551Accessing the ASA database through Microsoft Excel ...........................................551

Creating sample reports using Microsoft Excel ............................................552

Appendix A mcell.conf file parameters 557Action result event parameters ...................................................................................557Cell configuration parameters ....................................................................................558Cell failover configuration parameters ......................................................................560Client communication parameters .............................................................................562Encryption parameters .................................................................................................564Event repository cleanup parameters ........................................................................565Heartbeat parameters ...................................................................................................567Internal cell monitor parameters ................................................................................569KB parameters ...............................................................................................................570Propagation parameters ...............................................................................................570

Deprecated MessageBuffer propagation parameters ...................................573Reporting client connection parameters ....................................................................574Service model parameters ...........................................................................................575State Builder parameters ..............................................................................................575Trace parameters ...........................................................................................................581


Getting started with the BMCProactiveNet AdministrationConsole

Accessing the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console

You can access BMC ProactiveNet Administrative functions in the following ways:

■ the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console

■ the Command Line Interface (CLI); for details, see the BMC ProactiveNet CommandLine Interface Reference Manual

These administrative functions allow you to modify and manage the BMCProactiveNet Server and the BMC ProactiveNet Agent network management areas,such as adding or deleting users, groups, monitored devices, applications, andservices, or changing event notifications and thresholds. All operational proceduresin this guide (unless explicitly mentioned) use the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console interface. For details about using the CLI commands, see theBMC ProactiveNet Command Line Interface Reference Manual.

Some administrative options are also available through the BMC ProactiveNetOperations Console. For details, see the BMC ProactiveNet User Guide.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have successfully installed the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole on the computer that is hosting the BMC ProactiveNet Server. Forinstallation instructions, see the BMC ProactiveNet Getting Started Guide.

1

Chapter 1 Getting started with the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console 17

Connection protocols used to access the BMC ProactiveNetServer

The BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console can connect to the BMCProactiveNet Server using one of the following methods:

■ Direct: Use this connection protocol when BMC ProactiveNet components areinstalled on computers that reside on the same side of the firewall. Allfunctionality in the Administration tab (General Administration, EventManagement Policies, Dynamic Data Editor, and Infrastructure Management) andthe Services Editor tab in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console isaccessible through this connection protocol.

■ HTTP Tunnel: Use this connection protocol when the BMC ProactiveNet Serverand the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console are installed on computersthat reside on different sides of the firewall. Only the General Administrationfunctionality in the Administration tab is accessible through this connectionprotocol. The Event Management Policies, Dynamic Data Editor, InfrastructureManagement, and Services Editor tabs will be grayed out.

In an HTTPS environment, BMC ProactiveNet encrypts the information relay fromthe Web interface. The Administration Console uses Secured Socket Layer (SSL)connections and encryption to connect to the BMC ProactiveNet Server.

For more information on Secure Login, see the BMC ProactiveNet TroubleshootingGuide.

Launching the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console onWindows computers

Perform the following procedure to start the administration console on Windowscomputers.

To launch the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console on Windows computers

1 On the computer where the BMC ProactiveNet Server is installed, go to Start =>Programs => BMC ProactiveNet Server => BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole.

2 In the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console Logon screen, specify thefollowing information:

■ Name or IP Address of the BMC ProactiveNet Server that you want to connectto.

Accessing the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console


■ User name with access rights to the BMC ProactiveNet Server. The default isadmin.

■ Password corresponding to the user name. The default is admin.

■ The type of connection to use to connect to the BMC ProactiveNet Server, eitherDirect or HTTP Tunnel.For details about the connection types, see “Accessing the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console ” on page 17.

3 Click OK.

The BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console is displayed as shown in thefollowing figure.

Multiple Administration Consoles on Windows computers

You can have multiple BMC ProactiveNet Administration Consoles open on thesame system. Any new installation of the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Consolewill be a fresh installation. If a previous version of the Administration Consolealready exists on a system and you try to install the Administration Console again,the following message is displayed:



“ProactiveNet Admin is already installed in the system. Thisinstallation will be a fresh installation and will not upgradeprevious Admin.”

For troubleshooting information, see the BMC ProactiveNet Troubleshooting Guide.

Launching the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console onSolaris computers

Perform the following procedure to start the administration console on Solariscomputers.

To launch the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console on Solaris computers

1 On the Solaris computer where the BMC ProactiveNet Server is installed, from acommand line, enter the following command:

■ pw admin

Note For remote utilization of BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, source theprofile using the .tmcsh script located in the /usr/pw/pronto/bin directorybefore entering the pw admin command.

2 Specify the following information:

■ Name or IP Address of the BMC ProactiveNet Server that you want to connectto.

■ User name with access rights to the BMC ProactiveNet Server. The default isadmin.

■ Password corresponding to the user name. The default is admin.

■ The type of connection to use to connect to the BMC ProactiveNet Server, eitherDirect or HTTP Tunnel.For details about the connection types, see “Accessing the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console ” on page 17.

3 Click OK.

■ The BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console is displayed as shown in thefollowing figure.



Using the Search function in the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console

The Search function provides a method for finding BMC ProactiveNet resources andenables you to search for monitors by applying various filters. This is useful in caseswhere you want to change all monitors on an existing agent or change all monitorsin a certain group. The monitors listed in the search result can be edited. Also, youcan select multiple monitors in the search result and edit common control attributesamong them.

You access the Search function from the Edit menu in the Administration => General Administration view. For details about how to perform a search, see “Touse the search function in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console” on page23.

The following filters can be applied to the search:

■ Search for Monitors using the Group filter: When the user selects the Group filterto search for monitors, the remaining search filters are disabled and the user ispresented with a list of groups to select from. After the user selects a group andclicks the Search option, the search result displays the list of all monitors thatbelong to the selected group.



■ Search for Monitors using the Source Agent filter: When the user selects theSource Agent filter to search for monitors, the remaining search filters aredisabled and the user is presented with a list of Agents associated with BMCProactiveNet Server. After the user selects an Agent and clicks the Search option,the search result displays the list of all monitors that have the selected Agent asthe Source Agent.

■ Search for Monitors using the Target Device filter: When the user selects theTarget Device filter to search for monitors, the remaining search filters aredisabled and the user is presented with a list of devices associated with BMCProactiveNet Server. After the user selects a device and clicks the Search option,the search result displays the list of monitors on the selected device.

■ Search for Monitors using the Monitor Type filter: When the user selects theMonitor Type filter to search for monitors, the remaining filters are disabled andthe user is presented with a list of Monitor types for the available monitors.Monitor type option 'ALL' is also allowed.

Note Previously, the list of Managed object types was presented to the user. Now,the list of Monitor Types is displayed. Managed object types like 'Device' areeliminated from the list now.

When the user selects a Monitor type, the user can refine the search criteria usingAttribute Name-value conditions. The Attribute Name-value conditions has thefollowing:

— List of configuration and control attributes for the selected Monitor type

— List of operators (Contains, Does not contain, Starts with, Equals, Does notEqual, Less than, Greater than)

— Field to specify attribute value

The user can select an attribute from the list, specify the attribute value, and selectthe operator to be applied to the selected attribute and its value. For example, if auser selects an attribute 'Statistics Poll Interval', specifies the attribute value as '20min' and selects the operator as 'Equals', it implies that the search result shoulddisplay those monitors whose attribute 'Statistics Poll Interval' equals '20 min'.The user can specify multiple Attribute Name-value conditions, by using the'MORE' option.If there are multiple Attribute Name-value conditions, users can also indicatewhether all the attribute Name-value conditions should be matched or any one ofthe specified attribute Name-value conditions can be matched.



Note When Monitor type option 'ALL' is selected, only the control attributes(PollRate, PollTimeout, DataCollect) and Source Agent attributes are allowed tobe used.

The search results show a list of all monitors fulfilling the search criteria. When thesearch result is displayed, the user can do one of the following:

■ Select one of the monitors and edit/delete the selected monitor

■ Select multiple or all monitors and edit common control attributes

■ Select multiple or all monitors and delete them

To use the search function in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console

1 From the menu bar in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, chooseEdit => Search.

2 In the Search for Monitors window, select the required filter option (select theradio button on left), and its associated value from the list.



■ If you select Monitor Type, you can further refine your search by using theAttribute, Operator, and Attribute Value fields.Figure 1 on page 24 shows the Search for Monitors window with the MonitorType search criteria selected.Figure 1: Search for Monitors with Monitor Type refining

3 Click OK.



4 The results of the search are displayed in the Search Results window as shown in Figure 2 on page 25.Figure 2: Example of Search Results

5 In the Search Results window, perform the following actions:

■ To edit a monitor, select the required monitor from the list and click Edit.

■ To edit common control attributes of all monitors retrieved by the Searchfunction, click Edit All.

■ To delete a monitor, select the required monitor from the list and click Delete.

■ Click Cancel to close the Search Results window.

Configuring cell connection properties to theBMC ProactiveNet Server

The first Impact Manager (cell) that you install is connected automatically to theBMC ProactiveNet Server. If you create additional cells, the connection betweenBMC ProactiveNet Server and each additional cell must be configured.

Configuring cell connection properties to the BMC ProactiveNet Server


To configure cell connection properties to the server and Impact Manager (cell)

1 From the menu bar, choose Edit => Configure => Administration Settings.

2 In the Configure Administration Settings dialog box, click the Impact Managerstab.

3 Select a cell or cell group.

4 If necessary, click Advanced to display the Cell Properties section of the dialogbox.

Note If you select a cell group, changes are applied to all the cells contained in the cellgroup. If you select a single cell, changes are applied only to the individual cell.

5 Use Table 1 on page 26 to set cell connection properties as required.

Table 1: Cell connection properties

Property Description

Name displays the name of the cell whose properties you are changing

Host displays the name of the host computer where the cell is installed

Port displays the port number the cell uses to connect to the host computer

Timeout specifies the length of time the console waits to receive data from the cell; default is 30secondsBMC ProactiveNet saves any negative Timeout values that you type as positive values.

Refresh Freq sets the time interval between polls of the cell; default is 60 secondsBMC ProactiveNet saves any negative Refresh Freq values that you type as positive values.

Attempts sets the number of times the console attempts to connect to a cell; default is 10BMC ProactiveNet saves any negative Attempts values that you type as positive values.

Connect Freq time interval between connection attempts; default is 5 secondsBMC ProactiveNet saves any negative Connect Freq values that you type as positive values.

Encrypted Mode enables and disables encryption of data between the console and the cell; default isenabled (selected)

Auto Connect enables and disables automatic connection to the cell at logon; default is disabled (cleared)

Auto Switch enables and disables automatic and continuous switching of the connection from thebackup cell to the primary cell after failover, using the value set in Connect Freq as theinterval; default is disabled




Use Port Range enables and disables using a specified range of local ports (on the console) forestablishing a connection between the console and a cell.Designating a port range is useful if the console must communicate to a cell through afirewall with only specific ports available for communication. The console scans throughthe specified port range until a port is connected to the cell or the connection failsbecause the port range is exhausted.

■ For using port range, once you select the Use Port Range check box, BMCProactiveNet automatically changes the Min Port No. and Max Port No. values to 1.

■ You must have at least four open ports within the port range, including the Min PortNo. and the Max Port No.

Min Port No. specifies the lower limit of the port range

Max Port No. specifies the upper limit of the port range

Auto Bind enables and disables the automatic connection attempt of the console to the first networkcard it encounters. Clear this option to bind to a specific IP address.If only one network card exists, ensure that Auto Bind is selected. See Specifying ports incell connection properties on page 28 for additional information.

IP Address specifies the IP address assigned to the local network card to which the console connects;available only if Auto Bind is cleared

To configure cell connection properties in the jserver

This feature enables you to configure the cell connection properties directly in thejserver. You need to log in as an admin user to perform this operation. To configurethe server cell settings, follow these steps:

1 From the menu bar, choose Edit => Configure => Server Impact ManagerProperties.

■ Or, from the Event Management Policies tab, right-click on the cell and chooseEdit => Server Impact Manager Properties.

■ Or, from the Dynamic Data Editor tab, right-click on the cell and choose Edit=> Server Impact Manager Properties.

2 In the Edit Server Cell Settings dialog box, select a cell to edit.

3 Use Table 1 on page 26 to set cell connection properties as required.



Note You can configure cell connection properties only on individual cells, and not oncell groups.

4 Click OK to save changes and close the dialog box.

To apply IP address, encrypted mode, and maximum and minumum port cellconnection properties to connections to the jserver

By default, when you use the Administration Console to configure connections to aremote cell, those changes are not applied to connections opened by the jserver to theremote cell. To extend the connection properties to the connections opened by thejserver, follow these steps:

1 In a text editor, open the pw/admin/etc/ix.properties file.

2 Set pronet.admin.applyCellConnectionPropertiesInJserver=true.

3 Save and close the file.

4 Restart the Administration Console.

Specifying ports in cell connection properties

The following circumstances require that you provide more specific informationabout communications between the console and the cell:

■ the presence of a network interface card (NIC) between the console and the cell

■ the presence of a firewall between the console and the cell

■ using a multi-homed computer for the console

In these circumstances, you must select Use Port Range and specify the limits of theport range and then select either Auto Bind or a particular IP address.

The Auto Bind option configures the console to connect to an NIC before it canconnect to a cell. If you specify no particular NIC, the console automatically attemptsto connect to the first NIC it encounters.

On a multi-homed computer, you can specify the NIC by selecting the IP addressthat the card is using from the IP Address list box. If Auto Bind is not enabled, youmust specify a port range for the network card to which the console binds.



Note If the console is running on a computer that is acting as a gateway between multiplesubnets, the network card that you bind to must be on the same subnet as the cell towhich the console connects.

Setting BMC ProactiveNet Server connectionproperties

In addition to adding and deleting connections in the console configuration, youmust configure the connections themselves, as described in this section.

To configure a BMC ProactiveNet Server

1 From the menu bar of the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, chooseEdit => Configure => Administration Settings.

2 In the Configure Administration Settings dialog box, click the Login Servers tab.

3 Modify any of the BMC ProactiveNet Server configuration parameters listed in Table 2 on page 29, as needed:

Table 2: BMC ProactiveNet Server Configuration Parameters

Field Description

Heartbeat Rate specifies the frequency, in minutes, at which the console sends a signal to theconnected BMC IAS to determine whether the BMC IAS is functioning. The defaultheartbeat rate is 1.

Enable Port Range specifies the maximum and minimum port number for the console to use inestablishing a connection to a BMC IASDesignating a port range is useful if the console must communicate to a cellthrough a firewall with only specific ports available for communication. Theconsole scans through the ports in the specified range until a port, local to theconsole, is connected to the cell or fails because the port range is exhausted.

Setting BMC ProactiveNet Server connection properties


Field Description

Auto Reconnect enables and disables automatic attempts to reconnect to the BMC ProactiveNetServer when the connection has been droppedThe Administration Console will attempt to reconnect to the server at theFrequency and for the Number of Retries that you specify. If, after the final try theserver is still not reconnected, an error message is displayed stating that the serveris down, and you must manually restart the server and log back on to theAdministration Console.A status message is displayed in the status area of the Administration Consoleshowing the number of reconnection attempts.

4 Click Apply to save the changes, or click OK to save and exit the dialog box.

Logging out of and into the BMC ProactiveNetServer from the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console

You can log out of the BMC ProactiveNet Server and log in from the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console interface without closing the console.

To log out of the BMC ProactiveNet Server from the Administration Console

1 From the menu bar of the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, chooseServer => Logout.

2 In the Logout Confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

To log on to the BMC ProactiveNet Server from the Administration Console

1 From the menu bar of the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, chooseServer => Login.

2 In the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console Logon screen, specify thefollowing information, enter the password for the user name that you are using tolog on to the BMC ProactiveNet Server and click OK.

■ The default password is admin.

Logging out of and into the BMC ProactiveNet Server from the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console


Changing your BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console password

To keep your password secure, you should change it periodically.

To change the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console password

1 From the menu bar, choose Server => Change Password.

2 In the Change Password dialog box, in the Old Password box, enter your currentpassword.

3 In the New Password and Confirm New Password boxes, enter a new password.

4 Click OK.

Your password for the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console logon ischanged immediately.

Note If you forget your password, your administrator must clear the encrypted form ofyour password from the configuration file. The next time that you log on, you willenter a new password, and you will be prompted to confirm it. This operationsets your new password.In a setup where LDAP authentication is used, administrators must changepassword from the LDAP server and not within the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console.

BMC ProactiveNet profilesBMC ProactiveNet acknowledges the following two types of profiles when logginginto the product:

■ Admin

■ User

BMC ProactiveNet Administrator manages profiles (and access rights) for individualusers.

Changing your BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console password


Admin profile

Administrators have unlimited access to BMC ProactiveNet. They can configure theenvironment, define individual user profiles, and perform full administrativefunctions.

User profile

The BMC ProactiveNet administrator creates user profiles, and can restrict users’access to BMC ProactiveNet features. The user profile (as set by the administrator)governs the functionality available to each user in the BMC ProactiveNet OperationsConsole.

BMC ProactiveNet enables the administrator to assign access rights at both microand macro levels.

Accessing online HelpChoose Help => Online Help to access online versions of the BMC ProactiveNetdocumentation. Context sensitive Help is provided through Help buttons on thevarious dialog boxes and windows within the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole.

Accessing online Help


Managing BMC ProactiveNetAgents

Adding AgentsUse the Add Agent option to add an agent after a device has already been set up.

To set up the device and the agent simultaneously, see About Remote Agents onpage 35.

The BMC ProactiveNet local agent (BMC ProactiveNet Agent) resides on thecomputer where the BMC ProactiveNet Server is installed. Remote agents are agentsthat reside on computers outside of the BMC ProactiveNet Server.

To add an agent after the device is set up

1 If not already done, install the agent software on the system where you want toadd the agent.

For information about installing the agent software, see the BMC ProactiveNetGetting Started Guide.

2 In the Administration Console, in the Administration => GeneralAdministration tab, expand the Devices folder.

a Drill down to the Instance level.

b Right-click the instance where you want to add the agent and click Agent => Add Agent.

3 In the Add Agent window, enter data in the required fields and select aConnection option.

2

Chapter 2 Managing BMC ProactiveNet Agents 33

■ Control Port - The default control port (TCP connection port) is 12124. Changethe port if 12124 is forbidden by a firewall or if it is being used by an existingapplication.To change the port, click Close, and then see Changing the default BMCProactiveNet Agent TCP control port on page 196.

■ Agent Name - BMC ProactiveNet inserts the device name that you specified.

■ Agent IP Address - BMC ProactiveNet inserts the IP Address (or name of theAgent if using DNS) that you specified in the IP Address field when youcreated the device.

■ Associated Device - BMC ProactiveNet lists devices with the same IP address.By default, the one created on the previous screen is selected.

■ Connection Options.

—Direct Access using TCP/IP - Select if the remote agent uses TCP/IP.

—Direct Access using SSL TCP/IP - Select if the remote agent uses SSL TCP/IP.

—HTTP Tunnel Proxy - Select if the remote agent uses an HTTP Tunnel. Forinstallation and configuration of the remote agent, see “Installing tunnelagents on page 44.

—TCP Proxy - Select if the remote agent uses TCP Proxy. For further details,see TCP Proxy Agent on page 70.

4 Click Next to create the agent.

■ When the agent is created, a second Add Agent window is displayed, in whichyou can choose the monitor for the device

5 Choose the monitor.

6 Follow the procedure in Choosing monitors for the device on page 99.

To view the new agent, expand (or close and expand) the Agents folder. To viewthe monitor, expand (or close and expand) the Monitors folder.

If a problem occurs while you are adding an agent, BMC ProactiveNet displays anerror message. For more information, see SSL server certificate for Apache serveron page 171.

Adding Agents


Editing an agentYou can edit the properties of the BMC ProactiveNet Agent by using the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console.

To edit agent properties

1 In the Administration Console in the Administration => GeneralAdministration tab, open the Advanced Options folder.

2 Expand the Agent folder and locate the agent from the list.

3 Right-click the agent and select Edit.

4 In the Edit Remote Agent dialog box, change the values as necessary and clickOK.

About Remote AgentsThe BMC ProactiveNet Agent is responsible for spawning the creation of monitors,collecting data, and delivering data to BMC ProactiveNet Server for storage in thedatabase.

Remote Agents are those agents that reside on computers outside BMC ProactiveNetServer. The Local Agent (aka BMC ProactiveNet Server Agent) resides on BMCProactiveNet Server.

Figure 3 on page 36 shows how to associate any number of BMC ProactiveNetAgents with a BMC ProactiveNet Server. BMC ProactiveNet Agent cannot beconnected to more than one server simultaneously. Once a BMC ProactiveNet Serveris disconnected from a BMC ProactiveNet Agent, the BMC ProactiveNet Agentbecomes available to be connected to any another BMC ProactiveNet Server.

Editing an agent


Note If BMC ProactiveNet Server or BMC ProactiveNet Agent is rebooted or shut downfor any reason, or if the network goes down, everything reconnects automatically onrestart.

Figure 3: Connecting Server and Agents

Local Agents vs. Remote Agents

Generally, all monitors that require direct access to the device’s local resource willrequire an agent to be on that same computer. For example, to parse a log file, theagent will need to reside on the device where the log file exists in order to access it.

An easy way to know if an agent is required on the device for which you want toadd a monitor is by noting the configuration parameters for the monitor. If 'SourceAgent' is one of the configuration parameters, then you have the ability to run themonitor from any BMC ProactiveNet Agent. Two exceptions apply:

■ Windows monitors - These system monitors have a Source Agent configurationparameter, but can monitor systems without an agent.

■ Agent’s status monitors must always be done from BMC ProactiveNet Serversource agent.

Note BMC ProactiveNet Agent residing on the BMC ProactiveNet Server mustalways be labeled BMC ProactiveNet Server for this monitor to work correctly.

Adding remote agents

Use this procedure to add new BMC ProactiveNet Agents to the computer where theBMC ProactiveNet Server is installed.

About Remote Agents


To add agents

1 In the Administration Console in the Administration => GeneralAdministration tab, expand the Advanced Options folder, right-click the Agentfolder and select Add Remote Agent.

The Add Device and Agent window is displayed.

2 In the Add Device and Agent window, enter the following required informationand click Next.

■ Device Type - Select a device type from the list.

■ Device Name - Enter a descriptive name for the device.

■ IP Address - Enter the IP address (or name of the Agent if using DNS) you areadding to the BMC ProactiveNet system. Example: 208.176.147.83.

3 Specify Control attributes on Control tab.

4 Click Next.

5 Specify Group Membership on the Groups Tab.

6 Click Next to open the Remote Diagnostics tab.

■ Protocol Types – rexec, rlogin, rsh, ssh, and telnet. Select a Protocol Type fromthe list.

■ PortNo – Enter the port number where the remote service is running. Initially,the default PortNo of the selected Protocol Type is displayed.

■ Local User Name – Mandatory when using the rsh and rlogin Protocol Type. The user name on the local system from where the DD is fired. Enter the LocalUser Name.

■ Remote User Name – Mandatory for all Protocol Types. Enter the Remote UserName.

■ Remote User Password – Mandatory for rexec, rlogin, telnet, and ssh ProtocolTypes. Enter the Remote User Password. Confirm the Remote User Password.

■ Remote System Prompt – Mandatory when using rlogin and telnet ProtocolTypes.

About Remote Agents


Note

■ The user should give a complete remote system prompt while using rloginand telnet protocols. For example, if the remote system prompt is[root@kadamba root]#, then the user should enter correctly in the remotesystem prompt field. If the user uses partial system prompt, i.e. # instead of[root@kadamba root]#, then the system is prevented from logging into theremote device. The maximum number of characters supported for remotesystem prompt is 512 characters.

■ The rhosts file works only on the rhosts authentication. There is no password-based authentication. It is users responsibility to set the proper rhostsauthentication before using the rhost protocol.

■ For details about protocol types, see Diagnostics wizard on page 151.

7 Click Next to open the Baseline tab.

8 If required, select the device from which baseline values of existing monitorsmust be copied to new monitors being created on the new device.

9 Click Next.

10 In the window that seeks server connection details, fill in the required fields.

■ Control Port - The default Control Port (TCP connection port) is 12124. Changethe Control Port when 12124 is forbidden by a Firewall, or because it is beingused by an existing application.To change, click Close, then see: TCP Control Ports. For a Windows Agent, see:Changing BMC ProactiveNet Agent (NT/2000/2003) Control Port. Otherwise,accept the default 12124 and continue with the next step.

■ Agent Name - The default value is the Device Name specified on the previousscreen.

■ Agent IP Address - The default value is the IP Address (or name of the Agent ifusing DNS) entered in the IP Address field.

■ Associated Device - The lists devices with the same IP address are listed. Bydefault, the one created on the previous screen is selected.

11 In the window that seeks server connection details, select a Connection option.

■ Select Direct Access using TCP/IP option if the remote agent uses TCP/IP.

■ Select Direct Access using SSL TCP/IP option if the remote agent uses SSL TCP/IP. For more information, see SSL TCP/IP Agent on page 57.

About Remote Agents


■ Select HTTP Tunnel Proxy option if the remote agent uses an HTTP Tunnel.Refer Tunnel Agent topic for information on installation and configuration ofthe remote agent.

■ Select TCP Proxy option if the remote agent is to be proxied behind anotherTCP Remote Agent. TCP Proxy Agent on page 70.

12 Click Next to create the agent and add monitors.

When the agent is created, the second Add Agent window is displayed to allowselection of monitors for the device.

a Choose the monitor.

b Follow the procedure detailed in Choosing monitors for the device on page99.

To view the new agent, expand (or close/expand) the Agents folder. To view themonitor, expand (or close/expand) the Monitors folder.

For information, see SSL server certificate for Apache server on page 171.

To view the new agent, expand (or close/expand) the Agents folder. To view themonitor, expand (or close/expand) the Monitors folder.

13 Select the monitors to be created on the Agent.

14 Click Finish.

■ BMC ProactiveNet registers the new agent and creates the specified monitors.The status of each action is listed on the screen.

15 Click OK to complete the procedure.

Editing remote agents

When the system date/time has been changed on an Agent computer, then theAgent must be restarted to resume data collection. You can also use the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console to edit remote agent properties.

To edit remote agent properties

1 In the Administration Console, expand the Advanced Options and Agentsfolders.

About Remote Agents


2 Right-click the Agent to be edited and select Edit. The Edit Remote Agentwindow is displayed.

3 Choose from the following:

■ Control Port - The default Control Port (TCP connection port) is 12124. Youchange the Control Port when 12124 is forbidden by a Firewall, or because it isused by an existing application.To change, click Close, then see: About TCP Control Ports. For a WindowsAgent, see: Changing BMC ProactiveNet Agent (NT/2000/2003) Control Port.Otherwise, accept the default 12124 and continue with the next step.To change, click Close, then see: About TCP Control Ports. For a WindowsAgent, see: Changing BMC ProactiveNet Agent (NT/2000/2003) Control Port.Otherwise, accept the default 12124 and continue with the next step.

■ Agent Name - Edit or rename the agent. (You cannot edit or rename 'BMCProactiveNet Server').

■ Agent IP Address - Change the agent IP address.

■ Associated Device - Device associated with this agent.

4 Click OK.

Note If you have changed any values, click OK before doing a reconnect. If you do notclick OK, changes made will not be saved.

Connecting, disconnecting, and restarting agents

Use the Administration Console to connect, disconnect, and restart local and remoteagents.

To connect, disconnect, and restart agents

1 In the Administration Console in the Administration => GeneralAdministration tab, expand the Advanced Options folder and then the Agentfolder.

2 Right-click the Agent to be connected, disconnected, or restarted.

■ Connect Agent - Select to connect the Agent to this BMC ProactiveNet Server.If dimmed, the agent is already connected.

About Remote Agents


■ Disconnect Agent - Select to disconnect the Agent from this BMC ProactiveNetServer. If dimmed, this agent is already disconnected.

■ Restart Agent - Select to restart the Agent. (This works only if the agent statusis 'Connection Active').

Deleting a remote agent

When you delete an Agent from the Advanced folder, the device corresponding tothe Agent remains in the Devices folder, but all monitors which relied upon theAgent are deleted (i.e., system monitors of the Agent or monitors using the Agent assource IP).

Note On deleting an Agent, the Administration Console displays the message 'allmonitors associated with Agent will be deleted'. This can be construed as that thedevice will also be deleted, which is not always the case. To remove the device,which contained the Agent, you need to delete it from the Devices folder using theAdministration Console. However, if you create a new device/agent pair, a certainnumber of default monitors are automatically added (i.e., Agent Status, Node Ping,System, and so on).

When the agent is deleted, these default monitors also get deleted. If there are noother monitors tied to the device at this point, the device also gets deleted. If youwish to permanently remove the Agent, you need to use the un-install function.

To delete an agent

1 From the Administration Console in the Administration => GeneralAdministration tab, expand the Advanced Options folder and then the Agentfolder.

2 Right-click the Agent to delete, and select Delete.

■ If the Remote Agent is currently monitoring applications, a Warning message isdisplayed.

Note Do not delete BMC ProactiveNet Server! It must always appear in the Agentfolder. The Confirm Deletion window is displayed.

3 Click OK.

To confirm that the agent has been deleted, close and expand the Agents folder.

About Remote Agents


Tech tip

To permanently remove the Agent, you must uninstall it. For UNIX or Linux Agents,you can uninstall the agent whether the Administration Console is open or not. ForWindows Agents, however, you must close the Administration Console first.

For instructions for uninstalling the agent, see the BMC ProactiveNet Getting StartedGuide.

How do Tunnel Agents work?When BMC ProactiveNet Server is outside the firewall, and BMC ProactiveNetAgent is inside, using an HTTP tunnel aids in BMC ProactiveNet Agent deploymentwithout any changes to the Firewall configuration.

Note In case BMC ProactiveNet Server is inside the firewall and BMC ProactiveNet Agentis outside, this type of tunneling will not work. In such cases, it is best to open theFirewall for outgoing connections on port 12124 and use normal TCP/IP Agents.Alternatively, you could open the Firewall to incoming connections on port 80 andmake agents Tunneled Agents. However, this results in additional load on the CPU.

Most Firewall configurations allow outgoing connections on port 80. HTTP tunnelacts as a virtual socket connecting BMC ProactiveNet Agent (inside the Firewall) toBMC ProactiveNet Server (outside the Firewall). BMC ProactiveNet HTTP proxiessend and receive messages on behalf of the Agent Controller and Agent.

The Agent side of the HTTP Proxy acts as the HTTP client which sends POST toApache Web servlet on BMC ProactiveNet Server. From the Agent and AgentController point of view, a simple socket connection is being used (which justhappens to be over a tunnel).

Figure 4: Tunneled Agent Connections - Proxy Embedded in Agent

How do Tunnel Agents work?


BMC ProactiveNet Server identifies proxies using the tunnel ID assigned to theAgent during installation. The Tunnel ID is stored in the Agent’s pronet.conf file. Ifthe assigned tunnel ID does not match the actual tunnel ID set in pronet.conf file, theAgent will not connect. The pronet.conf file also tells the Agent proxy which URL toconnect to. As shown in the figure 'Tunneled Agent Connections - Proxy Embeddedin Agent', the URL should point to the Apache Web servlet on BMC ProactiveNetServer.

Note The Agent Tunnel always uses port 12124. To change the port number because of aconflict, you must open the pronet.conf file and change it there. You cannot changethe port number via the console.

Supported modes

Tunnel Agents run in both the HTTP and HTTPS modes, but, it is advised to not usesecure tunneling.

Limitations

■ Tunnel Agents put additional load on CPU usage and I/O of the host computerdue to embedded HTTP proxy. The impact is proportional to the amount of databeing collected by the Agent. Generally, it is an additional 1-5 percent on CPU usage.

■ Tunnel Agent connection is virtual, and requires Agent proxy to connect beforedata transfer. Adding/editing monitors to Tunnel Agents requires more time.Tunnel Agent does not perform as well as standard BMC ProactiveNet Agents.Although there is no limit on how much data can be collected with a tunnelAgent, in general, poll frequencies and number of instances supported will not beas high as regular BMC ProactiveNet Agents.

■ AIX agents cannot be connected in secure tunnel mode.

■ The .jre file used in Red Hat Linux versions 7.1 and 9 is 1.3.1, and .jre on BMCProactiveNet Server is 1.4.2. Due to this mismatch in the .jre files, BMCProactiveNet Agent cannot connect in the Tunnel mode.

■ Windows Server will not perform the desired number of retries as mentioned bythe pronet.conf entry "pronet.apps.agent.pollperiod.allowednoreplies.tcp=2"when an agent is unreachable. The agent will be set as “AgentUnreachable”immediately.

Note The process 'tunnelproxy', which shows up under 'pw process list', is the one thattakes care of tunnel connections on the server side. However, this does not affect theway tunnel agents are configured.

How do Tunnel Agents work?


Installing tunnel agentsThis section provides procedures for how to install tunnel agents based on youroperating system.

To install tunnel agents

1 Log on to the Agent computer as 'root' (Solaris, AIX, Linux, and HP-UX) or withAdministrative privileges (Windows).

2 Insert the BMC ProactiveNet CD.

3 Follow the appropriate instructions given below based on the operating system ofthe Agent computer.

To install a Solaris Agent as a tunnel agent

1 Open Command prompt.

2 Go to CD (Disc 2) => BMC ProactiveNet Agent => Solaris folder.

3 Execute setupagent.sh specifying Tunnel as additional parameter. The actualcommand is as follows:

■ ./setupagent.sh tunnel

4 On the prompt, specify the installation path.

For example: /datadisk/tunnelagent

5 Accept the Terms and other prompts.

6 On the prompt, specify the unique Tunnel ID. For example: MyTunnel33. TheTunnel ID is an alphanumeric string (maximum length 32 characters). Specialcharacters and spaces are not supported.

7 This Tunnel ID is stored in pronet.conf file on the Agent computer.installDirectory /pw/pronto/custom/conf/pronet.conf

8 Enter 'true' when prompted to 'Allow Secure Tunneling'. This is optional. Securemode includes Authenticated, Encrypted, and Compressed methods for sendinginformation through the Tunnel.

9 Specify BMC ProactiveNet Server location on the following prompt:

Installing tunnel agents


■ Enter the server name/IP address that you want to connect to:Location is the name or IP Address of the host. For non-DNS environments,include the computer and domain name (server.mycompany.com).In case BMC ProactiveNet Server is using a port other than 80, you need toappend that server port number to the IP address. For BMC ProactiveNetServer using port 8080, specify Server IP as xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8080.

10 The installation program records the information, and completes the installation.

■ On completion of the process, the message 'Proactive Agent InstallationCompleted' is displayed.

To install an AIX Agent as a tunnel agent


2 Go to CD (Disc 2) => BMC ProactiveNet Agent => AIX folder.




For example: /datadisk/tunnelagent.



■ This Tunnel ID is stored in pronet.conf file on the Agent computer.<installedpath>/pw/pronto/custom/conf/pronet.conf

7 Enter 'false' when prompted to 'Allow Secure Tunneling'. AIX agents cannot beconfigured in secure mode


■ Enter the server name/IP address that you want to connect to:Location is the name or IP Address of the host. For non-DNS environments,include the computer and domain name (server.mycompany.com).In case BMC ProactiveNet Server is using a port other than 80, you need toappend that server port number to the IP address. For example: for BMCProactiveNet Server using port 8080, specify Server IP as xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8080.





To install a Linux Agent as a tunnel agent


2 Go to CD (Disc 2) => BMC ProactiveNet Agent => Linux folder.




For example: /datadisk/tunnelagent.



■ This Tunnel ID is stored in pronet.conf file on the Agent computer.<installedpath>/pw/pronto/custom/conf/pronet.conf








To install an HP-UX Agent as a tunnel agent


2 Go to CD (Disk 2) => BMC ProactiveNet Agent => HPUX folder.




For Example: /datadisk/tunnelagent.



■ This Tunnel ID is stored in pronet.conf file on the Agent computer.installDirectory /pw/pronto/custom/conf/pronet.conf






To install a Windows Agent as a tunnel agent

1 Run cmd.exe.

2 Go to CD (Disc 2) => BMC ProactiveNet Agent => Windows folder.



3 Execute Agentx.x_byyy.exe (x.x is the BMC ProactiveNet Release and yyy is thebuild number) by running the following command:

■ Agentx.x_Byyy.exe tunnel

4 On the Install shield window, navigate through the screens, accept terms, andspecify the path for installation.

■ Install shield starts the installation process. It prompts for the Tunnel ID andServer name.

5 Specify Tunnel ID and Server Name.

a Tunnel ID – It is an alphanumeric string with maximum 32 characters (nospecial characters or spaces allowed). This ID is stored in the Agent’spronet.conf file.

b Server Name/IP Address – Name/IP Address of the host computer. For non-DNS environments, be sure to include the computer name plus the domainname (server.mycompany.com). If BMC ProactiveNet Server is using a portother than 80, you need to append that Server port number to the IP address.

For example, suppose the Server is using the alternate HTTP port 8080. Whenspecifying the Server IP for this field, the IP to enter would be xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8080.

6 Click Next.

■ You are prompted to select the mode (secure/standard).

7 Select as required and click Finish.

Tunnel proxy setupIf multiple remote agents are present behind the firewall, it is possible to use oneagent as a Proxy Agent. The proxy agent collects data from other agents and deliversit to BMC ProactiveNet Server via http tunneling.

Proxy agent provides the following advantages:

■ Reduces the number of connections across the firewall

■ Minimizes the communications overhead introduced by secure HTTP tunneling

The Proxy agent is installed as a Tunnel Agent. It collects data from other remoteagents (normal TCP Agents) and communicates with BMC ProactiveNet Server.

Tunnel proxy setup


All NON-tunnel agents should be installed as normal TCP type. Any tunnel agentthat uses proxy agent needs to be installed as a tunnel agent with the proxy on adifferent computer.

Adding a proxy agent to the BMC ProactiveNet Server

Select a computer with minimal or no monitors for hosting Proxy Agent (so it candevote its resources to communication).

To add Proxy Agent to the BMC ProactiveNet Server

1 In the Administration Console in the Administration => GeneralAdministration tab, expand the Advanced Options folder.

2 Select the Agent folder, right click and select Add Remote Agent.

3 In the Add Device and Agent window, select the Device Type.

4 Specify the Device Name and IP Address. For example: Device Type = Server,Device Name = Gandaki, IP Address = 192.168.3.62.

5 Select the Agent Installed on Device option.

6 Click Next. The following window is displayed.Figure 5: Window 2 of Add Device and Agent window

7 In Connection to Server, select HTTP Tunnel Proxy.

Tunnel proxy setup


8 Specify Tunnel ID. For example: MyTunnel33.

9 Select On same machine as agent.

10 Click Finish.

Only default monitors will be created.

Adding the agent to connect through the proxy agent

BMC ProactiveNet Server uses the Tunnel ID to determine the agent to use as proxy.Note that only tunneling agents can be used as proxy agents.

To add an agent to collect through the proxy agent

1 In the Administration Console in the Administration => GeneralAdministration tab, expand the Advanced Options folder.

2 Select the Agent folder, right click and select Add Remote Agent.

3 Select/specify Device Type, Device Name, and IP Address.

4 Select Agent Installed on Device option.

5 Click Next.

6 In the next window that displays, select HTTP Tunnel Proxy.

7 Specify Tunnel ID. For example: MyTunnel33.

8 Select On same machine as agent.

9 Click Next to view the list of default monitors.

10 On the Add Device and Agent window listing Default Monitors, clear Pingmonitor (under Network tab).

11 Click Finish. Alternatively, click Next through the various monitors. When youget to Ping monitor, specify the IP address of the proxy agent computer as theSource Agent. Otherwise the monitor will not be created due to firewallconstraints.

Repeat the process for other remote agents to collect via the proxy agent.

Tunnel proxy setup


Adding a tunnel agent to the BMC ProactiveNet Server

The procedure is same as adding remote agents. Under Connection to server option,

■ Select Behind Firewall using HTTP Tunnel Proxy.

■ Specify the Tunnel ID and Port details.

Converting an HTTP/HTTPS Agent to a TCPAgent

You can use the Administration Console to change the connection protocol of anagent from HTTP/HTTPS to TCP.

To convert an HTTP/HTTPS-based Tunnel agent to TCP-based agent

1 In the Administration console, go to Advanced Options => Agent.

2 Right-click the agent instance and click Disconnect Agent.

3 Open pronet.conf file on the remote agent computer.

Note The pronet.conf file is available in the agentHome\Agent\custom\conf folder. Ifthe pronet.conf file is not available under agentHome\Agent\custom\confdirectory, check for the file under agentHome\Agent\pronet\conf

4 Comment the following lines:

■ pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.url

■ pronet.ipc.proxy.agentproxy.isruninternally=false

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.authenticate=false

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.compress=false

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.encrypt=false

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.mac=false

5 Restart Remote Agent.

Converting an HTTP/HTTPS Agent to a TCP Agent


6 In the Administration console in the Administration => General Administrationtab, expand the Advanced Optionsfolder and then the Agent folder.

7 Right-click the agent instance and click Edit.

8 On the Edit screen, change the connection type to TCP/IP and click OK.

The Agent reconnects during the next poll. However, the agent can be manuallyreconnected at anytime.

Converting an HTTP/Secure or HTTP Agent toHTTPS Agent

You can use the Administration Console to change the connection protocol of anagent from HTTP to HTTPS.

To convert an HTTP agent to an HTTPS agent




Note pronet.conf file is available under a gentHome \Agent\pronto\conf folder.Ensure that duplicate pronet.conf files are not present under a gentHome \Agent\custom\conf\pronet.conf. In case another file is present, you can either deletethat file or make the modifications on this file.

4 For the tunnel agents which were running under HTTP in secure mode, delete thefollowing lines:

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.authenticate=True

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.compress=True

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.encrypt=True

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.mac=True

5 For agents outside the server's network, qualify the server name. For example:

Converting an HTTP/Secure or HTTP Agent to HTTPS Agent


■ pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.url=https://aqua.bmc.com/controller/com.proactivenet.ipc.tunnel.Outside

6 The IP Address of the server can also be used. For example:

■ pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.ip=https://209.11.112.186/controller/com.proactivenet.ipc.tunnel.Outside




10 On the Edit screen, change the connection type to HTTP Tunnel Proxy and clickOK.

Convert TCP Agent to HTTP/HTTPS AgentYou can use the Administration Console to change the connection protocol of anagent from TCP to HTTP/HTTPS.

To convert a TCP agent to an HTTP/HTTPS agent




Note pronet.conf file is available under <Agent Home>\Agent\pronto\conf folder.Please make sure that duplicate pronet.conf files are not present under <AgentHome>\Agent\custom\conf\pronet.conf. In case another file is present, you caneither delete that file or make the modifications on this file.

4 Add the following lines:

■ pronet.ipc.proxy.agentproxy.isruninternally=true

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.inside.terminalid=<tunnelid>(UNIQUE)

5 To convert the TCP Agents to HTTP Agent in secure mode, add the followingproperties in the pronet.conf file:

Convert TCP Agent to HTTP/HTTPS Agent


■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.authenticate=true

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.compress=true

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.encrypt=true

■ pronet.ipc.tunnel.mac=true

6 For agents outside the server's network, qualify the server name. For example:

■ For HTTP:pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.url=http://aqua.bmc.com/controller/com.proactivenet.ipc.tunnel.Outside

■ For HTTPS:pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.url=https://aqua.bmc.com/controller/com.proactivenet.ipc.tunnel.Outside

7 The IP Address of the server can also be used. For example:

■ For HTTP:pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.ip=http://209.11.112.186/controller/com.proactivenet.ipc.tunnel.Outside

■ For HTTPS:pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.ip=https://209.11.112.186/controller/com.proactivenet.ipc.tunnel.Outside




11 On the Edit screen, change the connection type to HTTP Tunnel Proxy and clickOK.

Configuration propertiesBMC ProactiveNet Agent installation has separate configuration files available attwo locations in the BMC ProactiveNet Agent installation directory:

■ agentHome /Agent/pronet/conf/pronet.conf

Configuration properties


■ agentHome /Agent/custom/conf/pronet.conf

Properties available in pronet.conf file available under custom/conf/ overrides theproperties available in the other pronet.conf file.

For BMC ProactiveNet Agents installed as TCP, pronet.conf file is not availableunder custom/conf/ directory.

Available properties

Note Secure Tunnel agents can be configured only on MS Windows platform.

During Tunnel Agent installation, some of the properties are set in pronet.conf fileavailable under custom/conf/ directory. The change are based on user input.

For NON_SECURE mode installations, the properties are set as follows:

pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.url=http\://luni/controller/com.proactivenet.ipc.tunnel.Outsidepronet.ipc.tunnel.inside.terminalid=bismipronet.ipc.proxy.agentproxy.isruninternally=true

■ "pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.url" provides the information about the serverproxy handling URL to which tunnel agent needs to communicate. This propertyis commented in the pronet.conf file under \pronto\conf\ directory.

■ "pronet.ipc.tunnel.inside.terminalid" specifies the unique Tunnel ID for the Agent.The Tunnel ID is specified during the Tunnel Agent installation. The default valueis set as 1 in the pronet.conf file under \pronto\conf\ directory.

■ "pronet.ipc.proxy.agentproxy.isruninternally" is the most important property. Itdetermines whether to start the Agent Tunnel proxy or not. In case this propertyis not set, the Agent Tunnel Proxy will not be started. The default value inpronet.conf file under \pronto\conf\ directory.

For SECURE mode installations, the properties are set as follows:

pronet.ipc.proxy.serverproxy.url=http\://luni/controller/com.proactivenet.ipc.tunnel.Outsidepronet.ipc.tunnel.inside.terminalid=test1pronet.ipc.proxy.agentproxy.isruninternally=truepronet.ipc.tunnel.authenticate=truepronet.ipc.tunnel.compress=truepronet.ipc.tunnel.encrypt=truepronet.ipc.tunnel.mac=true



The first three properties are similar to the NON_SECURE installation. Remainingfour properties provide the authentication. The default values for the fourproperties is set to false in the pronet.conf file under \pronto\conf\ directory.

■ "pronet.ipc.tunnel.authenticate" provides the verification that the remote terminalis the same remote terminal that was communicated with last time.

■ "pronet.ipc.tunnel.compress" specifies compression. Compression may save somebytes and randomizes the data. This results in higher quality encryption.

■ "pronet.ipc.tunnel.mac" verifies that data has not been tampered with. It will verylikely be discovered and handled in case of encryption.

■ "pronet.ipc.tunnel.encrypt" provides the encryption status. Encryption makes itextremely difficult to view or even tamper with data.

Properties used by Tunnel Agent

Web proxy can be configured using the following properties:

pronet.ipc.tunnel.inside.httpproxy.name=<IP Address of Web proxy server>

pronet.ipc.tunnel.inside.httpproxy.port=<Port of Web proxy server>pronet.ipc.tunnel.inside.httpproxy.user=<User name for Web proxy server>pronet.ipc.tunnel.inside.httpproxy.password=<Password for Web proxy server>

The system uses default values for the following unchangeable properties:

pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.signatureKeyAlgorithm = DSA(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.signatureKeyProvider=SUN(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.signatureKeySize=1024(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.signatureAlgorithm= SHA1withDSA(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.signatureProvider=SUN(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.secureRandomAlgorithm= SHA1PRNG(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.secureRandomProvider=SUN(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.keyAgreeParamSize=512(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.keyAgreeAlgorithm=DH(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.keyAgreeProvider= SunJCE(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.keyAgreeAlgorithmParameterSpec= javax.crypto.spec.DHParameterSpec(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.cipherParamSize=56(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.cipherAlgorithm=DES(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.cipherMode=CBC(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.cipherPadding= PKCS5Padding(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.cipherProvider= SunJCE(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.macAlgorithm= HmacMD5(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.macProvider= SunJCE(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.macKeyAlgorithm= HmacMD5(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.macKeyProvider= SunJCE(ONLY DEFAULT) pronet.ipc.tunnel.security.macKeySize=64(ONLY DEFAULT)



SSL TCP/IP AgentBy default, SSL-TCP agent connections use the following SSL configurations:

■ 128 bits of encryption

■ RSA keys

■ SSL_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA cipher suite

■ SSLv3 ssl version

The connections are authenticated both on BMC ProactiveNet Server and the Agentusing a certificate issued by the BMC ProactiveNet Certificate Authority (to usecertificates issued by another CA, contact support).

Connecting to Agents using SSL

Follow the steps given below to connect to agents using SSL-based TCP/IPconnections.

To connect to agents using SSL

1 Install an agent as a TCP agent.

2 Set pronet.conf file.

■ From the agent end, create a custom/pronet.conf file under the BMCProactiveNet home directory to configure the remote agent to accept SSL TCP/IP connections from the server.Set the property in the pronet.conf file to:pronet.apps.agent.conntype=ssltcp

3 Restart the Agent.

4 Configure the agent on the server using the 'SSL TCP/IP' mode from theAdministration Console.

Converting a TCP Agent to SSL-TCP/IP Agent

You can use the Administration Console to change the connection protocol of anagent from TCP to SSL-TCP/IP agent.

SSL TCP/IP Agent


To convert a TCP agent to an SSL-TCP/IP agent

1 Use the Administration Console to disconnect the existing TCP agent.

2 Add the following line to the file installDirectory /pw/custom/conf/pronet.conf

■ pronet.apps.agent.conntype=ssltcp

3 Restart the agent

4 Edit the remote agent connection type in the Administration Console to change to'SSL-TCP'

5 Click OK.

6 Reconnect the agent using the Administration Console or CLI.

Configuring a SSL TCP/IP AgentSecure communication between an Agent and the Agent controller is achieved byconfiguring an Agent to be SSL Agent. (Refer to online documentation on how toadd a Remote Agent.)

This secure communication has the following default settings:

■ Trust and key management for the Agent Controller is driven by the pnserver.ksand for Agent is driven by pnAgent.ks, keystores present in the …/pw/pronto/conf/ directory.

■ Trust management and key management are driven by keystores which can becreated using the keytool utility. The keystores for the Agent Controller & Agentare specified using the following pronet.conf entries, respectively:

— pronet.apps.ipc.ssl.context.controller.keystore.filename

— pronet.apps.ipc.ssl.context.Agent.keystore.filename

The public-private keypairs for the Agent and Agent Controller are generatedusing the RSA algorithm.

■ Password that is necessary for these keystores is specified in the “.ks_pass” filepresent in the same (…/pw/pronto/conf/) directory.

■ BMC ProactiveNet supports the following protocol suites by default for Agent-Agent controller communication:

Configuring a SSL TCP/IP Agent


— SSL_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA

— SSL_DH_anon_WITH_RC4_128_MD5

— SSL_DH_anon_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA

— SSL_DH_anon_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

— SSL_DH_anon_EXPORT_WITH_RC4_40_MD5

— SSL_DH_anon_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA

This list is specified using the pronet.conf entry pronet.apps.ipc.ssl.enabledsuites,which can be enhanced, depending on the type of certificates to be used.

Changing security configuration

SSL configuration of BMC ProactiveNet can be configured broadly, in the followingareas:

■ Create a new keystore for Agent and/or Agent Controller

■ To enable Agent to use a new self signed/existing certificates

■ To enable Agent Controller to use a new self signed/existing certificates

Limitations

■ As of BMC ProactiveNet 7.1 only keystore in jks format is supported. Though itmay be configurable from java.security, java.policy and pronet.conf entries, it isnot verified.

■ BMC Software recommends using the keytool provided as part of the BMCProactiveNet product only, with no other JRETM/JVMTMs installed on the samesystem or at least not present in the path.

Creating new keystore for the agent controller

You can create a new keystore and use this keystore for trust and key managementfor the Agent controller.

To create a new keystore for the agent controller

1 Issue the following keytool command to generate a new keystore:



■ keytool -keystore <path>/<keystore-name> –alias <alias-name> -genkey –keyalg RSA.This command will generate a new public-private key pair. This public key willbe wrapped in a certificate by default. This key pair along with the certificatewill be stored in the keystore file mentioned in the –keystore option. Use theRSA algorithm to generate the key pair as it is supported by default. Additionalconfigurations required to be changed are listed under Default Configurationsection.

2 The keystore for the Agent controller can be specified in the, pronet.conf entrypronet.apps.ipc.ssl.context.controller.keystore.filename. Enter thepath to the newly generated keystore in this entry.

3 For trust management, add certificates into this keystore by issuing the followingcommand:

■ keytool -keystore <path> -import -alias <alias-name> -file <certificate-path>.Type in “yes” when the tool prompts “Trust this certificate? [no]:”.All the certificates added like this will be trusted by the Agent controller.

4 Password for this keystore must be specified in the .ks_pass file present in the …/pw/pronto/conf/ directory.

5 Restart the Agent controller for the changes to take effect.

Creating new keystore for the agent

You can create a new keystore and use this keystore for trust and key managementfor the Agent.

To create a new keystore for the agent

1 Issue the following keytool command to generate a new keystore:

■ keytool -keystore <path>/<keystore-name> –alias <alias-name> -genkey –keyalg RSA.This command will generate a new public-private key pair. This public key willbe wrapped in a certificate by default. This key pair along with the certificatewill be stored in the keystore file mentioned in the –keystore option. Use theRSA algorithm to generate the key pair as it is supported by default. Additionalconfigurations required to be changed to use any other algorithm arementioned later.

2 The keystore for the Agent can be specified in the,“pronet.apps.ipc.ssl.context.Agent.keystore.filename” pronet.conf entry.



■ Enter the path to the newly generated keystore in this entry.

3 For trust management, add certificates into this keystore by issuing the followingcommand:

■ keytool -keystore <path> -import -alias <alias-name> -file <certificate-path>.Type in “yes” when the tool prompts “Trust this certificate? [no]:”.All the certificates added like this will be trusted by the Agent.

4 Password for this keystore must be specified in the .ks_pass file present in theinstallDirectory /pw/pronto/conf/ directory.

5 Restart the Agent controller for the changes to take effect.

Updating the Agent keystore with new self-signed certificate

The following procedure assumes that the default pnAgent.ks and pnserver.ks filesare being used. If you want to use your own keystore files then the file name must bespecified correctly in the –keystore option when you update the keystore.

To update the agent keystore with a new self-signed certificate

1 Generate a key pair for the Agent by running the following command:

■ keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \Agent\pronto\conf\pnAgent.ks" –alias ALIAS -genkey –keyalg RSA.

2 Export the newly generated key into a certificate:

■ keytool –keystore " installationDirectory \Agent\pronto\conf\pnAgent.ks" –alias<ALIAS> -export –file "certificate name"The alias provided must match with the alias provided while generating thekeys in the previous step. Unless the destination directory is specified, thecertificate will be generated in the user’s home directory.

3 Make this as a trusted certificate on the Agent controller end:

■ Copy the certificate generated above, onto the Agent controller’s computer.Now import this certificate as a trusted certificate into the pnserver.ks keystoreby executing the following command:keytool -keystore "<Server Installation Dir>\pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" –import -alias ALIAS -file "PATH\certificate name"



Note Alias provided above must be a new Alias. See TCP Proxy Agent on page 70for further information.

The certificate name provided must be the name of the certificate, which wassupplied when the Agent’s certificate was created. The PATH is the path to thedirectory where the certificate is kept.Type in “yes” when the tool prompts “Trust this certificate? [no]:”.After this step the certificate copied onto the Agent controller computer can bedeleted.

4 Restart the server and the Agent for the changes to take effect.

Updating the Agent keystore with an existing (CA signed)certificate


To update the agent keystore with an existing certificate

1 Import the existing key pair of the Agent into the pnAgent.ks file:

Create a pkcs12 format file using the existing keypair and the certificate using theopenssl tool:

openssl pkcs12 -export -inkey key name -in certificate name -out server-new filename.pkcs12

Note The openssl tool is shipped as part of the BMC ProactiveNet product and can befound in installationDirectory /pw/apache/bin or installationDirectory \pw\ApacheGroup\Apache\bin directory.

This can be imported as a key entry, into the existing JKS format keystore usingthe IBMs freely downloadable KeyMan tool.

2 Import the existing certificate of the Agent into the pnserver.ks file:

Copy the Agent certificate onto the Agent controller computer. Now import thiscertificate as a trusted certificate into the pnserver.ks keystore using the command:



keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" –import-alias ALIAS -file "PATH\Certificate name"

Note Alias provided above must be a new Alias. Refer Troubleshooting for furtherinformation.

The certificate name provided must be the name of the Agent’s certificate. ThePATH is the path to the directory where the certificate is kept. Type in “yes” whenthe tool prompts “Trust this certificate? [no]:”. After this step the certificate copiedonto the Agent controller computer can be deleted.

3 Restart the server and the Agent for the changes to take effect.

Updating the Agent Controller keystore with a new self-signed certificate


To update the agent controller keystore with a new self-signed certificate

1 Generate a key pair for the Agent controller by running the following command:

keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" –aliasALIAS -genkey –keyalg RSA.


keytool –keystore " installationDirectory \pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" –aliasALIAS -export –file "Certificate name"

The alias provided must match with the alias provided while generating the keysin the previous step. Unless the destination directory is specified, the certificatewill be generated in the user’s home directory.

3 Make this as a trusted certificate on the remote Agent’s end:

Copy the certificate generated above, onto the Agent’s computer. Now importthis certificate as a trusted certificate into the pnAgent.ks keystore by executingthe following command:



keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \Agent\pronto\conf\pnAgent.ks" –import -alias ALIAS -file "PATH\certificate name"


The certificate name provided must be the name of the certificate, which wassupplied when the Agent controller’s certificate was created. The PATH is thepath to the directory where the certificate is kept.

Type in “yes” when the tool prompts Trust this certificate? [no]:.

After this step the certificate copied onto the Agent’s computer can be deleted.This step has to repeated for all the remote SSL TCP/IP Agents the Agentcontroller is connected to.

4 Restart the server and all the SSL TCP/IP Agents for the changes to take effect.

Updating the Agent Controller keystore with an existing (CAsigned) certificate


To update the agent controller keystore with an existing certificate

1 Import the existing key pair of the Agent controller into the pnserver.ks file:

Procedure is same as mentioned in Updating the Agent keystore with an existing(CA signed) certificate on page 62.

2 Import the existing certificate of the Agent controller into the pnAgent.ks file:

Copy the Agent controller’s certificate onto the remote Agent’s computer. Nowimport this certificate as a trusted certificate into the pnAgent.ks keystore byexecuting the following command:

keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \Agent\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" –import -alias ALIAS -file "PATH\Certificate name"




The certificate name provided must be the name of the Agent’s certificate. ThePATH is the path to the directory where the certificate is kept.

Type in “yes” when the tool prompts “Trust this certificate? [no]:”.After this step the certificate copied onto the Agent’s computer can be deleted.This step will have to be repeated for all the Agents the Agent controller isconnected to.

3 Restart the server and the all Agents for the changes to take effect.

Examples for Configuring SSL TCP/IP Agents

This section provides example procedures for configuring SSL TCP/IP agents withdifferent keystore certificates.

Configuring a remote agent to present a new self-signedcertificate

This procedure provides an example configuration.

To configure a remote agent to present a new self-signed certificate

1 Generate a key pair for the agent by running the following command:

keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \agent\pronto\conf\pnagent.ks" –aliasALIAS -genkey –keyalg RSA.

Note The ALIAS provided must be a new alias.


keytool –keystore " installationDirectory \agent\pronto\conf\pnagent.ks" –aliasALIAS -export –file "certificate name"



The ALIAS provided must match with the alias provided while generating thekeys in the previous step. Unless the destination directory is specified, thecertificate will be generated in the user’s home directory.

3 Make this as a trusted certificate on the agent controller end:

Copy the certificate generated above onto the agent controller’s computer. Nowimport this certificate as a trusted certificate into the pnserver.ks keystore byexecuting the following command:

keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" -import -alias ALIAS -file "PATH\certificate name"

The certificate name provided must be the name of the certificate, which wassupplied when the agent’s certificate was created. The PATH is the location to thedirectory where the certificate is stored.

Type in yes when the tool prompts Trust this certificate? [no]:.

After this step the certificate copied onto the agent controller computer can bedeleted.


4 Restart the server and the agent for the changes to take effect.

Configuring a remote agent to present an existingcertificate


To configure a remote agent to present an existing certificate

1 Import the existing key pair of the agent into the pnagent.ks file:

Create a pkcs12 format file using the existing keypair and the certificate. Run thefollowing openssl command to achieve this:

openssl pkcs12 -export -inkey key name -in certificate name -out new filename.pkcs12

Download IBM KeyMan tool, which is available for free download and import thepkcs12 format file generated above, into pnagent.ks file.



Note The openssl tool is shipped along with Apache and can be found in:installationDirectory \pw\ApacheGroup\Apache\bin\

2 Import the existing certificate of the agent into the pnserver.ks file:

■ Copy the agent certificate onto the agent controller computer. Now import thiscertificate as a trusted certificate into the pnserver.ks keystore by executing thefollowing command:keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" -import -alias ALIAS -file "PATH\certificate name"The certificate name provided must be the name of the agent’s certificate. ThePATH is the location to the directory where the certificate is stored.Type in “yes” when the tool prompts “Trust this certificate? [no]:”.After this step the certificate copied onto the agent controller computer can bedeleted.


3 Restart the server and the agent for the changes to take effect.

Configuring the agent controller to present a new self-signed certificate


To configure the agent controller to present a new self-signed certificate

1 Generate a key pair for the agent controller by running the following command:

keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" –aliasALIAS -genkey –keyalg RSA.



keytool –keystore " installationDirectory \pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" –aliasALIAS -export –file "certificate name"



The alias provided must match with the alias provided while generating the keysin the previous step. Unless the destination directory is specified, the certificatewill be generated in the user’s home directory.

3 Make this as a trusted certificate on the remote agent’s end:

Copy the certificate generated above onto the agent’s computer. Import thiscertificate as a trusted certificate into the pnagent.ks keystore by executing thefollowing command:

keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \agent\pronto\conf\pnagent.ks" -import -alias ALIAS -file "PATH\certificate name"

The certificate name provided must be the name of the certificate, which wassupplied when the agent controller’s certificate was created. The PATH is thelocation to the directory where the certificate is stored.

Type in “yes” when the tool prompts “Trust this certificate? [no]:”.

The Agent's controller's certificate, which was copied onto the agent's computer,can now be deleted. This step has to be repeated for all the remote agents (whichuse SSL TCP/IP) and which are connected to the agent controller.

Note The ALIAS provided must be a new ALIAS.

4 Restart the server and all the agent(s) for the changes to take effect.

Note

■ To ease the transfer of agent's controller certificate to remote agents, thefollowing steps can be considered:

■ On the server, update the local agent's pnagent.ks with the agent controller'snew certificate (as mentioned above).

■ Transfer this pnagent.ks onto all the remote agents (which use SSL TCP/IP)using Transfer Files to Agents feature.

Configuring the agent controller to present an existingcertificate




To configure the agent controller to present an existing certificate

1 Import the existing key pair of the agent controller into the pnserver.ks file:

Create a pkcs12 format file using the existing keypair and the certificate. Run thefollowing openssl command to achieve this:

openssl pkcs12 -export -inkey key name -in certificate name -out new filename.pkcs12

Download IBM KeyMan tool, which is available for free download and import thepkcs12 format file generated above, into pnserver.ks file.

Note The openssl tool is shipped along with Apache and can be found in:

installDirectory \pw\ApacheGroup\Apache\bin\

2 Import the existing certificate of the agent controller into the pnagent.ks file:

Copy the agent controller’s certificate onto the remote agent’s computer. Nowimport this certificate as a trusted certificate into the pnagent.ks keystore byexecuting the following command:

keytool -keystore " installationDirectory \agent\pronto\conf\pnagent.ks" -import -alias ALIAS -file "PATH\certificate name"

The certificate name provided must be the name of the agent controller’scertificate. The PATH is the location to the directory where the certificate is stored.

Type in yes when the tool prompts Trust this certificate? [no]:. After thisstep the certificate copied onto the agent’s computer can be deleted. This step willhave to be repeated for all the agents (which use SSL TCP/IP)connected to theagent controller.


3 Restart the server and the all agents for the changes to take effect.

Note To ease the transfer of agent's controller certificate to remote agents, the followingsteps can be considered:



4 On the server, update the local agent's pnagent.ks with the agent controller's newcertificate (as mentioned above).

5 Transfer this pnagent.ks onto all the remote agents (which use SSL TCP/IP) usingTransfer Files to Agents feature.

Note All the above examples assume that you are using the default pnagent.ks andpnserver.ks keystore files. These keystores, as mentioned in the DefaultConfiguration, can be configured.

Refer Troubleshooting Section for frequently observed errors and their possiblesolutions.

TCP Proxy AgentTCP Proxy Agent can be used if multiple remote agents exist behind the firewall. It ispossible to use one agent as Proxy Agent, which collects data from other agents anddelivers it to BMC ProactiveNet Server.

How does a TCP Proxy Agent work?

Any normal TCP agent can act as a proxy, collect data from agents behind it andsend them to BMC ProactiveNet Server over TCP. With the use of TCP Proxy, therewill be a dedicated connection between BMC ProactiveNet Server and ProxyAgent. Messages can flow faster even in the environments that have network latency.

The main advantage of this feature over HTTP Tunnel is that a new connectionbetween proxy agent and BMC ProactiveNet Server is not created for each messagethat is to be delivered to the server. Messages can flow to and from within a singleTCP Connection between agent proxy and BMC ProactiveNet Server.

Figure 6: Flow Chart of TCP Agent Proxy

TCP Proxy Agent


Features of a TCP Proxy Agent

The TCP Proxy Agent has the following features:

■ Any TCP/IP Agent can be used as a Proxy Agent.

■ To add a remote agent behind a TCP/IP Agent, select the “TCP Proxy” option anda TCP Agent from list. The drop-down will list all the TCP Proxy capable Agentson the Server.

■ When Proxy Agent gets disconnected from the Server, all agents will also getdisconnected and the status of these agents is shown as “Proxy Agent Unreachable”.

■ No configuration is required on the agent to make a TCP Agent act as a Proxy. The only requirement is that the agent version should be 7.1 or higher.

■ For proxy communication to be secure, use a SSL/TCP Agent as the Proxy Agent.

■ TCP/IP Agents will have the capability to automatically detect messages to otherproxied agents and forward them correspondingly.

■ Messages from remote agents are sent to the agent controller using the dedicatedTCP connection established between TCP agent and Agent Controller.

Note The following Agents cannot be configured as a TCP Proxy Agent:

■ HTTP Tunnel Agents.

■ BMC ProactiveNet Agents prior to 7.1 Version.

■ TCP Proxied Agents (Agents using a TCP Proxy to connect to the server).

Adding a TCP Proxy Agent

Use the Administration Console to add a TCP Proxy agent.

To add a TCP Proxy Agent

1 In the Administration Console in the Administration General Administration tab,expand the Advanced Options.

2 Select the Agent folder, right click and choose Add Remote Agent.

TCP Proxy Agent


The Add Device and Agent window displays as shown in Figure 7 on page 72.

Figure 7: Configuration tab of Add Device and Agent window

3 In the Add Device and Agent window, select the Device Type.

4 Specify the Device Name and IP Address.

For example: Device Type = Server, Device Name = PN1, IP Address = 192.168.1.66.

5 Select the Agent Installed on Device option.

TCP Proxy Agent


6 Click Next. The following window is displayed.Figure 8: Add Device and Agent window - continued

7 Select TCP Proxy as the Connection to Server option.

8 Select the Agent from the list containing the TCP Proxy capable agents. Select acomputer with minimal or no monitors as the Proxy Agent (so it can devote itsresources to communication).

9 Click Finish.

Note Only default monitors will be created.

Limitations

■ If a TCP Proxy Agent is disconnected or shutdown, then all the agents behind itwill be unreachable.

■ If the Agent is behind a firewall, then the firewall has to be configured to allowincoming connection to the Proxy Agent for the port on which Agent is listening

■ Windows Server will not perform the desired number of retries as mentioned bythe pronet.conf entry "pronet.apps.agent.pollperiod.allowednoreplies.tcp=2"when an agent is unreachable. The agent will be set as “AgentUnreachable”immediately.

TCP Proxy Agent


TCP Proxy Agent


Managing devices

Summary of devicesYou add devices to BMC ProactiveNet through the Device folder on theAdministration Console.

When you add a device for BMC ProactiveNet to monitor, you are initially presentedwith the Add Device window in which you identify the device by type.

BMC ProactiveNet offers the following device type categories:

■ AppServer

■ DBServer

■ Firewall

■ MailServer

■ Other

■ RemoteAgent

■ Router

■ Server

■ Switch

■ WebServer

BMC ProactiveNet automatically creates a set of default monitors for each devicetype. After you add a device to BMC ProactiveNet, you can choose to monitorapplications residing on the device or collect statistics from its ManagementInformation Base (MIB), as described in the following sections.

3

Chapter 3 Managing devices 75

For detailed information about individual BMC ProactiveNet monitors, see the BMCProactiveNet Data Adapter and Monitor Guide.

Using device aliasesBMC ProactiveNet uses aliases to associate internal and external events to devices.Device alias are generated when a device is created. They can be generatedautomatically by BMC ProactiveNet or you can define them.

BMC ProactiveNet compares the device aliases from events with the alias defined foreach device, and when a match is found, the event is associated with the device thatmatches the alias.

Aliases generated automatically are prefixed with BMC_ComputerSystem and usethe following naming conventions, depending on how the device is generated:

■ BMC_ComputerSystem:deviceid

■ BMC_ComputerSystem:deviceName

■ BMC_ComputerSystem:fullyQualifedDomainName

■ BMC_ComputerSystem:devicename_ip (if BMC_ComputerSystem:deviceName is aduplicate)

■ BMC_ComputerSystem:reconid (if device is from the BMC Atrium CMDB)

When the BMC ProactiveNet cell receives an event, the event is processed as follows,depending on whether the event is internal or external:

■ For internal events, BMC ProactiveNet compares the device ID from the devicealias with the device ID from the event and if a match is found, then the event isassociated with the device.

■ For external events, BMC ProactiveNet compares other alias values, such asBMC_ComputerSystem:deviceName orBMC_ComputerSystem:fullyQualifiedDomainName, with the event mc_sms_aliasslot value, which contains device information. If a match is found, then the eventis associated with the device.

If no matches are found, then the event does not get associated to any device.

When a device is created, update, or deleted in the Administration Console, thedevice is also created, updated, or deleted in the BMC ProactiveNet cell.

Using device aliases


WARNING If a device is associated with multiple domains, the domain of the device must be thesame domain captured by the mc_host event or aliasing will fail.

Avoiding duplicate devicesIn BMC ProactiveNet, a device can be created in the following ways:

■ through one of the following adapters:

— BMC PATROL Adapter

— BMC Portal Adapter

— System Center Operation Manager (SCOM) Adapter

— BMC Transaction Management Application Response Time (BMC TM ART)Adapter

— IBM Tivoli Monitoring

— HP Operations Manager

■ manually by using the Administration Console or a Command Line Option

■ integrating with the BMC Atrium CMDB

When duplicate devices are created

Duplicate devices could result if multiple different sources that use different namingconventions are used to create the devices; for example, if the PATROL adapter usesthe host name of the computer where the device is located to name the device andthe BMC Atrium CMDB uses the IP address of the computer where the device islocated to name the device, then duplicate device instances would be created in BMCProactiveNet.

When duplicate devices are not created

Duplicate devices are not created in the following situations:

■ Devices are created by only one source.

■ Devices are created from different sources independently.

Avoiding duplicate devices


■ The different sources use the same naming convention when creating the devices;for example, IP address, host name, or fully qualified domain name.

■ Device aliases are created by using alias formulas

Best practices for device creation

To avoid creating duplicate devices,

■ Ensure that the device is created using the fully qualified domain name of the hostcomputer where the device is located.

■ Ensure that if the device is referenced from multiple adapters that each adapteruses the fully qualified domain name of the device.

Creating a deviceBefore you add devices, have the following information available:

■ A list of devices (by type) to add

■ DNS names, if you want to add devices by name

■ IP addresses, if you want to add devices by their IP address

■ For servers, a list of applications running on each server and a checklist ofapplications that you want to monitor

■ For adding SNMP devices, a list of MIBs and community strings for each device.BMC ProactiveNet Server uses the community string as a password for MIBaccess. If you do not enter a community string, the default community string,public, is used.

Note If you are not using the DNS, ensure that the BMC ProactiveNet Server IPaddress exists on the DNS server, mail server, or hosts file. This should havebeen completed during BMC ProactiveNet Server installation. If the IP addressis not included, BMC ProactiveNet cannot poll the device and issues an errormessage. To verify the BMC ProactiveNet Server environment settings, see theBMC ProactiveNet Getting Started Guide.

To create a device

1 In the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, select the Devices folder, rightclick, and select Add => Device.

Creating a device


2 In the Add Device window, enter the required information in the Configurationtab.

■ Device Type - Select a Device Type from the list.

Note Ensure that you select the correct Device Type. It is used by Probable CauseAnalysis algorithm to determine correlations between events and abnormalitieswithin the system. If the Device type is not accurate, it alters Probable CauseAnalysis behavior. Example, if a computer is a Web Server, set Device Type asWebServer (and not just Server).

■ Device Name - Specify the name of the device. If the device name is a DNSname, then the device name will be filled in automatically if it has not alreadybeen set. This may take a few moments.

Note Ensure that you do not use any special characters, such as /, in the devicename. If the device name includes special characters, then you cannot see themonitors for the device when you click on the device name in the Grid view ofthe BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console.

■ DNS Name / IP Address - Specify the device’s IP address. The address127.0.0.1 is the loop back address for any computer and should not be added tothe Device List. If the device IP address has a DNS name, then the device namewill be filled in automatically if it has not already been set.

■ Tag - Select a descriptive tag about the device that you are creating. Click theplus icon to display the Enter Tag Details dialog box, where you canselect the Tag Class as None, Location, Building, Department, or Owner, andenter a Tag Value. For example, if the device that you are creating is located ina particular city, you would select Location as the Tag Class and then specifythe city where the device is located as the Tag Value. Click Add to enter thevalues that you specify, and then click Finish to return to the Add Devicedialog box.

■ Aliases - Add one or more aliases to the device that you are creating. Usedevice aliases to associate events to the device, so that remote actions can beperformed on those associated events. For details about remote actions, see Configuring and using Remote Actions/Diagnostics on page 119.

■ Secondary IPs - View any secondary IP addresses associated with the devicethat you are creating, if that device has multiple IP addresses. The first IPaddress that is associated with the Device Name that you specify is used as theprimary IP address. Any additional IP addresses are used as secondary IPaddresses. If no secondary IP addresses exist, then N.A is displayed in thisfield. To view all secondary IP addresses, click on the ellipses button.

Creating a device


Note Only devices that have been synchronized with the BMC Atrium CMDBdisplay secondary IP addresses. Manually created devices will not displaysecondary IP addresses even if multiple IP addresses exist for that device.

■ Device Description - Enter a description about the device that you are creating.

■ Agent Installed on Device - Select this option if you have installed a BMCProactiveNet Agent on this device. Some monitors require that an agent beinstalled on the target device.

3 Click the Control tab to edit the control attributes.

Information in the Control tab tells the BMC ProactiveNet Server about thedesired data collection and polling frequencies for the device. You can accept thedefaults or change them as required.

■ SNMP Data Collection - Select this option to enable BMC ProactiveNet Serverto collect data for the entire device. If this option is not selected, data collectionfor the device stops (or for new devices, never starts). This flag lets you set upmonitors for devices that may not yet be online. Or, you can conductmaintenance on existing devices without generating events.

■ SNMP Read Community String - The Community String acts as a passwordfor BMC ProactiveNet Server access to the device MIB. To change this entry,you must have prior knowledge of how this device is set up. For example, ifthis device is set up for the Community String “snmpget,” then enter snmpget.

■ SNMP Retries - Specifies how many times (count) BMC ProactiveNet Servermust request data from the device before reporting an event. Default is 2 retries.

■ SNMP Timeout - Specifies the duration (seconds) BMC ProactiveNet Servermust wait for data from the device before reporting an event. Default is 2 seconds.

■ SNMP Use V2 - Select this option if the device is using version 2 of the protocol.

4 Click the Group Tab and enter the required information.

■ This tab enables you to add a device and its monitors to one or more groups.Optionally, you may associate the device with a group. A group is used tologically organize devices and monitors by department, geographic area, orservice. Assigning a device to a group also enables the system administrator torestrict or allow access to certain devices by group. If you want the device to beassociated with a group, select the group name here.

5 Click the Remote Actions/Diagnostics tab and enter the required information.

Creating a device


■ Protocol Types – Select a protocol type from the list. The supported protocolsare psExec, ssh (Secure Shell), and telnet.

■ PortNo – Default port number of the selected Protocol Type is displayed.

■ Remote User Name – Enter the remote user name. This is mandatory for allProtocol Types.

■ Remote User Password – Enter the remote user password. Mandatory forpsExec, ssh, and telnet protocol types. Confirm the remote user password.

Note You should give a complete remote system prompt while using telnet protocols.For example, if the remote system prompt is [root@kadamba root]#, then youshould enter correctly in the remote system prompt field. You should not use apartial system prompt, for example, # for [root@kadamba root]#, which mightprevent the system from logging into the remote device. The maximum numberof characters supported for remote system prompt is 512 characters.

For detailed information about Remote Actions, see Configuring and usingRemote Actions/Diagnostics on page 119.

6 Open the Baseline tab.

■ By default, no device is selected when you access the Baseline tab. When youselect a device to copy baseline values from, then for all monitors being addedto the new device, a corresponding monitor is searched on the selected device.If matching monitors are present, then all baseline values (hourly and weekly)are copied from the existing monitor to the new monitor instances being created.

7 Click Finish to save your actions and execute all remaining actions (usingdefaults).

This opens a summary panel. Click Finish.

Selecting monitors for the deviceBased upon the Device Type selected in the Configuration tab, the systemautomatically pre-selects some default monitors and pre-selects the Monitor tab. Forexample, for the Device Type 'Server', the NodePing monitor is pre-selected; and ifan agent is installed on the device, System and TCP/IP and Agent Status Monitorsare pre-selected, and the System Tab is pre-selected. You can add additionalmonitors for the applications and components installed on the device.

Selecting monitors for the device


To select monitors for a device

1 Select the monitors that you want to create for this device.

■ If the device has more than one application that needs monitoring, for example,a server running Mail and IP services, select all of the monitors here using thevarious tabs, or go back and add the monitors later.

2 Click Next.

■ First the Creating... Monitor screen opens, followed by the configurationwindows for each monitor you selected.The Configuration window contains specific entry fields, as shown in thisexample. Refer to the BMC ProactiveNet Data Adapter and Monitor Guide fordetailed instructions regarding setting the parameters for the monitors.Notice that each monitor also has a Control tab, which specifies the datacollection and polling frequency for individual Application or Intelliscope. Andsimilar to the Configuration tab, the input fields in the Control tab varydepending on the selected monitor.Click Skip if you have selected several monitors to add and you change yourmind about one of them or you are uncertain about an entry fieldClicking Skip moves on to the next monitor’s configuration. The skippedmonitor is not added. The program continues normally. When the last monitoris configured, the Summary screen appears to show what was created.

3 Click Finish.

To view the new device listing, expand (or close and expand) the correspondingdevice folder.

Editing devicesPerform the following steps to modify an existing device.

To edit devices

Devices published from the BMC Atrium CMDB cannot be edited in the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console. Also, you cannot edit a device alias for apublished device.

1 In the Administration Console, expand the Device folder

2 Expand the device type folder, and select the device to edit.

Editing devices


3 Right click on the device and select Edit.

4 On the Configuration tab, make any required changes.

5 On the Control tab, make any required changes.

6 Click OK.

If you make changes on the Control tab, all SNMP-based monitors are updated.However, if a Distributed Interface MIB Monitor instance exists on the device andyou make any changes on the Control tab, the Affected SNMP-based AutoDiscovery-enabled Monitors window is displayed.

7 Select the monitor to which to apply the new control settings.

8 Click OK.

Duplicating devicesYou use the Duplicate option to use an existing device and its monitors as aprototype for creating a new device. For example, if you have three servers with foursimilar applications that you want to monitor, you can add the first server with theapplications, and then use that server as a template for creating the other twoservers. For each additional server, you only need to enter the new IP address orDNS name.

To duplicate a device

1 In the Administration Console, expand the Devices folder.

2 Expand the device type folder, and select the device that you want to duplicate.

3 Right-click the device and select Duplicate.

4 In the Duplicate Device window, configure information on the Configuration,Control, and Group tabs, as required.

The Duplicate option enables you to use the highlighted device and its monitorsas a prototype for creating a new device. For example, if you have 3 servers with 4similar applications that you want to monitor, you can add the first server withthe applications, and then use that server as a template for creating the other two.For each additional server, you only need to enter the new IP address or DNS name.

Duplicating devices


Note

■ The Duplicate option does not save or store information. If you want to savethe information for future use when creating the same monitors on differentdevices, use the Create Template feature.

■ The Duplicate option does not duplicate or capture line graphs and absoluteinstance thresholds for auto-created SNMP objects like Interface and DLCI.However, these details are captured for custom SNMP monitors that youcreate using the Monitor Wizard.

Deleting devicesAuto-discovered devices can be deleted, if there are no auto-discovered monitorinstances under the devices. You can delete one or many devices at a time from theAdministration Console or through executing CLI commands.

Note You cannot delete devices that are published from the BMC Atrium CMDB.

To delete a single device

1 In the Administration Console, expand the Devices folder.

2 Expand the device type folder, and select the device that you want to delete.

3 Right-click the device and select Delete.

4 In the Confirm Deletion window, click OK to delete the device.

After a pause, the window closes and a beep signals deletion. To confirm that thedelete operation was successful, close and then expand the Devices folder andverify that the device is no longer listed.

To delete multiple devices

1 Expand the Device folder and continue to expand the folders to display thedevices.

2 Select one or more devices (use shift key to select multiple devices).

3 Right-click on the open space of the screen and click Delete.

Deleting devices


4 Click OK on the confirmation message. BMC ProactiveNet deletes the selecteddevice and returns to Administration Console screen.

■ To return to Administration Console without deleting the selected device, clickCancel.

Creating a monitor templateThe easiest way to develop a template is to start with an existing device. Forexample, if you have a cluster of 10 systems that you want to provision formonitoring, add one of the systems using the Administration Console, and thencreate a template to add the other nine.

You can create a template in the Administration Console or from the command line.

Note The Create Template command is not supported for Resource Pool Monitors andAbnormality Index Monitors.

To create a template using the Administration Console

1 In the Administration Console, drill down to an instance of a device in the Devicefolder.

2 Right-click on the device and select Create Template.

■ The Create Template window is displayed.

3 In the Create Template window, specify a name for the template.

4 If you want the template to save control parameters such as collect data, stats pollinterval, stats timeout, and so on, select the Preserve control attributes option.

5 Select or clear the existing monitors of the device.

6 Click Add to create a template with the selected options.

Creating a monitor template


Note

■ In the Administration Console, the Templates folder does not updateautomatically when you add or delete templates. You must close and thenreopen the Templates folder to reflect changes.

■ Templates can capture absolute instance thresholds and line graphs.

■ Autosync-created devices, groups, and monitor instances are not part of thetemplate.

To create a template using the command line interface

1 Run the following command:

pw template add templateName -d device

Use -savecontrol to save control parameters in the template.

In general, you should not save control attributes to a template. Usually you wantthe same control parameters for all instances of a monitor, but you can control theglobal defaults by editing the monitor defaults. If you save the control parametersto the template, and then later change the monitor defaults, the monitors createdwith the template will retain the old value because the template takes precedenceover the monitor defaults. So, set control parameters in the template only if it isimportant that these monitors have specific individual settings. For moreinformation, see the BMC ProactiveNet Command Line Interface Reference Manual.

2 Verify that the template exists.

The template created can be found on the computer that hosts the BMCProactiveNet Server at /usr/pronto/usr_config/templates/ templateName.

Note The Create Template command does not duplicate or capture line graphs andabsolute instance thresholds for auto-created SNMP objects like Interface andDLCI. However, these details are captured for custom SNMP monitors that youcreate by using the Monitor Wizard.

Adding a device from a templateTemplates enable you to create devices quickly or add a set of monitors to manydevices using a single blueprint. You can replicate and save the definition of everymonitor on the device, which is useful when you want to create the same monitors

Adding a device from a template


on different devices. Using templates means you do not have to re-create themonitors every time you want to add them to a different device. You save thetemplates for later use or edit them as necessary. This significantly streamlines andautomates the administration process.

Also, if you have a cluster of servers and you want to monitor each with the same setof monitors, you can create one template to provision all of the systems. You can usethe template repeatedly to provision new servers that are added to the cluster. Forexample, you have a series of URLs to monitor and the URLs are identical except forthe host name. If you want to keep the control parameters the same for all the URLs,you can create a template for this URL by using a macro for the hostname portion ofthe URL, example, http://$(HOST)/search.jsp?keyword=java.

For more information about creating templates and using macros, see the BMCProactiveNet Command Line Interface Reference Manual.

To add a device from a template

1 Launch the Administration Console.

2 Right-click the Device folder, and select Add From Template => Samples.

3 Select one of the sample templates.

4 Enter the required information in the Configuration tab

■ Device Type - Select a device type from one of the ten categories in the list.

■ Device Name - Specify the name of the device. If the device name is a DNSname, then the device name will be filled in automatically if it has not alreadybeen set. This may take a few moments.

Note Ensure that you do not use any special characters, such as /, in the devicename. If the device name includes special characters, then you cannot see themonitors for the device when you click on the device name in the Grid view ofthe BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console.

■ DNS / IP Address - Enter the device's IP address. The address 127.0.0.1 is theloopback address for any computer and should not be added to the Device List.If the device IP has a DNS name, then the device name will be filled inautomatically if it has not already been set.

■ Tag - Select a descriptive tag about the device that you are creating. Click theplus icon to display the Enter Tag Details dialog box, where you canselect the Tag Class as None, Location, Building, Department, or Owner, andenter a Tag Value. For example, if the device that you are creating is located ina particular city, you would select Location as the Tag Class and then specify



the city where the device is located as the Tag Value. Click Add to enter thevalues that you specify, and then click Finish to return to the Add Devicedialog box.

■ Aliases - Add one or more aliases to the device that you are creating. Usedevice aliases to associate events to the device, so that remote actions can beperformed on those associated events. For details about remote actions, see Configuring and using Remote Actions/Diagnostics on page 119.

■ Secondary IPs - View any secondary IP addresses associated with the devicethat you are creating, if that device has multiple IP addresses. The first IPaddress that is associated with the Device Name that you specify is used as theprimary IP address. Any additional IP addresses are used as secondary IPaddresses. If no secondary IP addresses exist, then N.A is displayed in thisfield. To view all secondary IP addresses, click on the ellipses button.

Note Only devices that are synchronized with the BMC Atrium CMDB displaysecondary IP addresses. Manually created devices will not display secondaryIP addresses even if multiple IP addresses exist for that device.

■ Device Description - Enter a description about the device that you are creating.

■ Agent Installed on Device - Select this option if you have installed a BMCProactiveNet Agent on this device. Some monitors require that an agent beinstalled on the target device.

5 Click the Control tab to edit the control attributes.

Information in the Control tab tells BMC ProactiveNet about the desired datacollection and polling frequencies for the device. You can accept the defaults orchange them as required.

■ SNMP Data Collection - Select this option to enable BMC ProactiveNet Serverto collect data for the entire device. If this option is not selected, data collectionfor the device stops (or for new devices, never starts). This flag lets you set upmonitors for devices that may not yet be online. Or, you can conductmaintenance on existing devices without generating events.

■ SNMP Read Community String - Community string acts as a password forBMC ProactiveNet Server access to the device MIB. To change this entry, youmust have prior knowledge of how this device is set up. For example, if thisdevice is set up for the Community String 'snmpget', then enter snmpget.Default is 'public'.

■ SNMP Retries - Specifies how many times (count) BMC ProactiveNet Servermust request data from the device before reporting an event. Default is 2 retries.



■ SNMP Timeout - Specifies how long (seconds) BMC ProactiveNet Server mustwait for data from the device before reporting an event. Default is 2 seconds.

■ SNMP Use V2 - Select this option if the device is using version 2 of the protocol.

6 Click the Group tab and enter the required information.

The Group tab enables you to add a device and its monitors to one or moregroups. Optionally, you may associate the device with a group. A group is usedto logically organize devices and monitors by department, geographic area, orservice. Assigning a device to a group can also allow the system administrator torestrict or allow access to certain devices by group. If you want the device to beassociated with a group, select the group name here.

7 Click Next.

8 Click Finish.

A summary panel is displayed.

Applying templates to a single deviceYou can apply a template to an existing device to add a set of monitors using a singleblueprint.

To apply a template to a device

1 In the Administration Console, expand the Device folder and continue to expandthe folders to display the device to which you want to apply a template.

2 Select the device, right-click, and select Apply Template.

You can apply a sample template or a user-created template.

3 Select the template to apply.

Applying templates to a single device


■ If the device does not have all the parameters required for this template, youmust enter certain parameters. See Adding a device from a template on page 86for input information.If the device has all parameters required for the template, the Apply TemplateTest window is displayed as shown in Figure 9 on page 90:Figure 9: Select/Clear monitors

4 Select or clear the options as needed.

5 Click Next.

6 Click Finish.

If a particular device does not have an agent with respect to the template, youmust enter agent information. See Adding Agents on page 33.

Applying templates to a single device


Warning messageIf a template specific to an operating system is applied to another operating system,the following warning message is displayed:Figure 10: Error Message displayed when the wrong template is applied

Applying templates to multiple devicesYou can apply a template to more than one device at a time.

To apply a template to multiple devices

1 In the Administration Console, expand the Device folder and continue to expandthe folders to display the devices to which you want to apply a template.

2 Press the Shift key while selecting multiple devices.

3 Right-click on the open space of the window and select Apply Template.

■ You can apply either a sample template or a template that you created.

4 Select the template to apply.

Warning message


■ If the device does not have all the parameters required for this template, youmust enter certain parameters. See Adding a device from a template on page 86for input information.If the device has all parameters required for the template, the followingwindow appears:Figure 11: Select/Clear monitors

5 Select or clear the options as needed.

6 Click Next.

7 Click Finish.

■ The Apply Template Summary window is displayed. This window shows allthe changes that you made to the devices.

8 Click Finish.

Editing an existing template

Perform the following steps to edit an existing template.

Applying templates to multiple devices


To edit an existing template

1 Right-click the template.

2 Click Edit.

3 On the Edit Template window, make required changes.

Note Templates can capture absolute instance thresholds and line graphs. Thresholdvalues can also be edited.

4 Click Syntax Check to validate the syntax of the template.

■ In case of any errors in the syntax, BMC ProactiveNet displays an error message.

5 Click OK to return to the Edit window and correct the entry.Figure 12: Syntax Check - Edit Template

Applying templates to multiple devices


6 After making all necessary changes and checking the syntax, click OK.

Deleting a Template

Perform the following steps to delete a template.

To delete a template,

1 Right-click the template to delete.

2 Click Delete.

3 In the Confirm Deletion window, click OK.

Changing device associationsMonitors are associated to at least one device, and this feature will give you theflexibility to change the device association from one device to another device.

■ This feature will be activated if more than one device is available in the server,and the selected monitor is a ghost monitor.

■ If any of the selected monitors is not a ghost monitor, then this feature will not beactivated.

To change the device association of multiple monitors

1 Click Edit => Change Device Association.

2 The Select new device dialog box is displayed.

■ This dialog box lists all the devices supported by the selected monitors alongwith a search utility. The search utility lists all the devices including the currentdevice.

3 Enter the initial letters of the name of the device that you want to search for in thesearch box and click Go.

■ Selection will be set to the first matching device and that device will behighlighted.

4 Click OK.

Changing device associations


5 In the Confirm Change Device Association dialog box, click OK.

The monitor is now associated with the selected device.

Note When Device Association of monitor is changed, all open events or events forthose instances are closed. Any configured event actions will be executed.Imported events associated with the Changed Device Association monitorinstance will be closed. If the error condition still continues, then a new event orevent is triggered after the duration defined in threshold.

Limitations

■ The closed event count is displayed incorrectly in the Device Matrix page. DeviceMatrix page will include the closed events of the updated instance in the previousparent device. The closed events of the updated monitor instances can be viewedby clicking on the Closed Event Count of the new parent device.

■ For monitors with source agent in disconnected state, changing device associationis not applicable.

Domain nameThe Domain Name feature enables you to truncate the domain name portion ofelements added to the Device folder.

For example, without this feature, adding two servers to the Device listing shows:

server1.mycompany.comserver2.mycompany.com

After entering the domain name mycompany.com using this feature, adding thesesame two servers, the domain name is truncated and the Device listing shows:

server1server2

This feature is not retroactive for existing devices. Listings entered before the use ofthe domain name feature that already include mycompany.com remain unchanged.Also, if you delete the domain name mycompany.com, the previously truncateddevice listings remain truncated.

Domain name


Adding a domain name

There is only one Domain Name file; additional Domain Names files cannot becreated nor can the existing file be deleted. There are no Control attributes eventhough the tab appears on the domain name window.

To create a domain name entry

1 Expand the Advanced Options and Domain Name folder.

2 Right-click the Domain Names file.

3 Select Edit.

The Edit Domain Name window is displayed.

4 In the Name field, specify the Domain Name you want to truncate.

5 Click Add.

The name appears in the Truncated Names box.

6 After adding each domain name you want to truncate to the Truncated Namesbox, click Add.

7 When all names have been added, click OK. To stop the operation, click Cancel.

When you add any device using this Domain Name, the domain name portion isautomatically truncated.

Editing a domain name

You cannot edit a domain name that appears in the Truncated Names list. Instead,you must first delete the Domain Name using the procedure described in the DeleteDomain Name topic, and then enter the Domain Name again using the Add DomainName procedure.

Deleting a domain name

If you want to modify the Domain Names entry, you must first delete the existingname and then add the name again using the Add Domain Name procedure.

Domain name


To delete a domain name

1 Expand the Advanced Options and Domain Names folder.

2 Right-click the Domain Names file.

3 Select Edit.

■ The Edit Domain Name window displays with a list of truncated names.

4 In the Truncated Names window, select the listings you want to delete.

5 Click Delete.

■ The names are removed from the list of truncated names.

6 Click OK.

Port namePort Name (TCP Control Port) is used to add a Port Monitor to any device thatappears on the Device list.

Port Name entries are used to add and edit Device configurations. For moreinformation, see TCP Control Ports. The instructions assume that the AdministrationConsole is open.

Adding a port name

Perform the following procedure to add a port name.

To add a port name to a device

1 Expand the Advanced Options folder.

2 Right-click the Port Name folder.

3 Click Add Port Name.

■ The Add Port Name window is displayed.

4 In the Port Name field, specify a name for the port.

Port name


5 In the Port Number field, enter the port number.

■ For example, to monitor Agent port you would enter: Agent as the Port Nameand 12124 as the Port Number.

6 Click Next.

Note The message 'failed to create port name' indicates that you have entered a PortNumber or Port Name already in use. If this occurs, click OK on the window,change your settings, and try again.

■ The Summary of Created Monitors window is displayed.

7 Click Finish.

8 To view the new Port Name, expand (or close and expand) the Port Name folder.The new port name now appears on the list.

Editing a port name

Perform the following procedure to edit a port name.

To edit a port name for a device

1 In the Administration Console, expand the Advanced Options and Port Namefolders.

2 Right-click the Port Name file to edit and select Edit.

■ The Edit Port Name window is displayed.

3 Change the Port Name as desired.

Note You cannot edit the Port Number. To change the Port Number, you must deletethe Port Name file and then create it again using the desired Port Number.

4 Click OK.

Delete Port name

Perform the following procedure to delete a port name.

Port name


To delete a port name from a device

1 In the Administration Console, expand the Advanced Options and Port Namefolders.

2 Right-click the Port Name file to delete and select Delete.

■ The Confirm Deletion window is displayed.


■ To verify that the Port Name is deleted, close and then expand the Port Namefolder. The Port Name will no longer be listed under the Port Name folder.

Choosing monitors for the deviceBased on the device type that you selected in the Configuration tab, the systemautomatically pre-selects some default monitors and the Monitor tab. For example,for the Server device type, the NodePing monitor is pre-selected; if an agent isinstalled on the device, System and TCP/IP and Agent Status Monitors are pre-selected, and the System tab is pre-selected. You can add additional monitors for theapplications and components installed on the device.

To choose monitors for a device

1 Select the monitors that you want to create for this device.

■ If the device has more than one application that needs monitoring (for example,a server running Mail and IP services), select the applicable monitors using thevarious tabs, or go back and add the monitors later.

2 Click Next.

■ The Creating Monitor window opens, followed by the configuration windowfor each monitor that you selected.The Configuration window contains specific entry fields, as shown in thisexample. See the BMC ProactiveNet Data Adapter and Monitor Guide for detailedinstructions in setting the parameters for the monitors.Each monitor also has a Control tab, which specifies the data collection andpolling frequency for individual Application, Intelliscope, or SNMP monitors.

Choosing monitors for the device


And similar to the Configuration tab, the input fields in the Control tab varydepending on the selected monitor.Click Skip if you have selected several monitors to add and you change yourmind about one of them or you are uncertain about an entry field.Clicking Skip moves on to the next monitor’s configuration. The skippedmonitor is not added. The program continues normally. When the last monitoris configured, the Summary screen appears to show what was created.

3 Click Finish.

■ To view the new device listing, expand (or close and expand) thecorresponding device folder.To view the new device listing, expand (or close and expand) thecorresponding device folder.Use the ProxyAgent category for all dedicated computers used for monitoring.The Source Agent list on the Creating Monitor window lists only the BMCProactiveNet Server, local agent, and agents running on the device underProxyAgent. To view other available agents, click More from the list for SourceAgents.

Creating a groupThe Group category represents a collection of monitored resources that you define.To make information easier to find and manage, groups corresponding to a varietyof real-world relationships (such as by city, a specific department, or the type ofresource, etc.) are set up. There is no limit on the number of groups you can define.

Groups can also provide a means of access control. As you set up user views,reports, and events, you can filter access by using groups.

The Group function lets you select individual devices, applications, and interfacesadded to the BMC ProactiveNet database, and put them together into a single unit(group) for management purposes.

Before creating a group, add all corresponding devices, interfaces, and applicationsto the BMC ProactiveNet database, and complete at least one poll.

Avoid creating a single group with hundreds or thousands of monitors. Not onlydoes this reduce the usefulness of the group, it can also hamper the performance ofProbable Cause Analysis if the group is used as a filter. When creating a group thatencompasses a large number of monitors or devices, it is best to create it fromsmaller groups that have real meaning in terms of function, dependency, ortopological relationships. For example, if you are grouping devices according tonetwork topology, BMC ProactiveNet recommends a maximum of 254, i.e., thenumber of addresses in a length-24 class-C subnet.

Creating a group


Group checklist

Have the following information available before using the Group function:

■ A list of devices, applications, and/or interfaces to group

■ A unique name for the group and an informative description

To add a new group from the Add Group window

1 From the administration console, select the Group folder, right-click and selectAdd Group.

2 In the Add Group window, in the Group Name field, specify a name (maximumlength of 60 characters; no spaces) for the group you want to create.

3 In the Group Description field, enter description of the group.

4 Select Group made by selected each Managed Object to create the new group.

5 Click Next.

■ The Add instances window is displayed.

6 Select the Monitored Resource in the left pane, and click Add to move it to theright pane. Alternatively, use the Search for Devices field to search and select thedevice.

■ You can add multiple Monitored Resources to a group, and if required, create agroup of aggregate monitors.Similarly, click Remove to remove objects from the right pane.

7 Click Finish to add the group to the Administration Console.

■ If required, click Close to cancel the operation.The newly added Group is now available under the Group folder.

Working with Dynamic Groups or Rule-based Groups

BMC ProactiveNet enables you to create dynamic groups or rule-based groups thatautomatically update their content based on the given rule. A rule is a combinationof a pattern match on entity name, entity tag, and monitor-type filter. These groupscontain only monitor instances.

Creating a group


Assume that an organization has offices in three different locations —Chicago, Perth,and Copenhagen. Each office has two departments – Planning and Procurement.

Scenario 1

Assume that you have multiple devices that have names based on the location ofeach office. For example, assume that all devices in Perth have names starting with"PERTH". You can create a group that consists of only those URL monitors thatbelong to the Perth office. With rule-based groups, you can create a rule with thename pattern match PERTH.* on devices and a monitor-type filter for all URLmonitors. BMC ProactiveNet consolidates all the URL monitor instances that matchPERTH.* in one dynamic group. When new instances are added or existinginstances are removed from the device, they are also added or removed from thedynamic group.

Scenario 2

Assume that you have some devices that are dedicated to the Planning departmentin all the 3 locations. Let us assume the devices are tagged as dept=planning. Tocreate a dynamic group that contains entities that are used by planning department,you can attach the tag pattern match dept.*planning on devices. BMC ProactiveNetconsolidates all the instances associated with the devices with matching tag in thegroup.

Note that the name and tag pattern match work independently. If you have a devicewhose name does not match the name pattern string but has a matching tag, BMCProactiveNet includes all those monitor instances in the dynamic group.

Applying rules to Dynamic Groups

You can use a regular expression to apply a rule to a group. BMC ProactiveNet usesa regular expression as pattern match on group, device, instance name, and tag. Thename pattern match can be applied to only of the chosen entities - group, device, ormonitor instance.

Tag pattern match is applied to the tag string. You can also specify a selected list ofmonitor types or you can choose to add all instances irrespective of the monitor typefilter.

Pattern match on entity name

■ If your entity is a group and name regex pattern matches a group name, BMCProactiveNet considers all instances for that group.

Creating a group


■ If your entity is a device and name regex pattern matches a device name, BMCProactiveNet considers all instances for that device.

■ If your entity is a monitor instance and name regex pattern matches an instancename, BMC ProactiveNet considers all instances whose names match that pattern.

Pattern match on tag

■ You can tag entities with meaningful information such as location, owner,department, and so on.

■ If your entity is a group and tag regex pattern matches a group tag, BMCProactiveNet considers all the instances in that group.

■ If the chosen entity is device and tag regex pattern matches a device tag, BMCProactiveNet considers all that instances associated to that device.

■ If your entity is a monitor instance and tag regex pattern matches an instancename, BMC ProactiveNet considers all instances whose tag match that pattern.

Monitor-type filter

■ All instances that result from the above pattern match are then checked for themonitor-type filter.

■ If you choose a set of monitor types, BMC ProactiveNet considers only thoseinstances whose monitor type matches the selected types and discards the rest.Every instance has a monitor type.If you do not specify monitor type, BMC ProactiveNet considers all the instances.

Defining Group display

You can choose to display group names in the following two ways:

■ Flat - Select this to display groups created on the server in a fixed and flat manner.By default, this option is selected.

■ Hierarchical - Select this to display groups in a classified manner.

Group made by existing groups

Groups can also be created by grouping existing groups. The groups attached to themain group, in this case, are child groups.

Creating a group


To create a new Group with the existing groups

1 From the Administration Console, select the Group folder, right-click and selectAdd Group.

2 In the Add Group window in the Group Name field, specify a name (maximumlength of 60 characters; no spaces) for the new group.

3 In the Group Description field, specify a description for the group.

4 Select Group made by grouping existing groups option to create a subgroup ofexisting groups.

5 Click Next.

6 In the Select Group dialog box, select the groups to be added from the list ofexisting groups and click Add.


Group made by specifying rules

Groups can also be created by specifying rules; these groups are known as rulebased groups. Rule based groups are dynamic groups.

To create a new Group by specifying rules

1 From the Administration Console, select the Group folder, right-click and selectAdd Group.

2 In the Add Group window in the Group Name field, specify a name (maximumlength of 60 characters; no spaces) for the new group.

3 In the Group Description field, specify a description for the group.

4 Select Group made by specifying rules.

5 Click Next. The Select Group window is displayed.

6 Select the Group Name, Device Name, or Monitor Instance Name.

7 Specify the Pattern Match. Instances which belong to any of the matching groupname, device name or monitor instance name are automatically included as themembers of this group. This supports all Java Regular Expression pattern match.

Creating a group


8 Select the Monitor Types that need to be associated to the group. Select All toinclude all the monitor types, or select Selected to associate the selected monitortypes.

9 Click Add or Remove to add or remove the selected monitor types.

10 Click Show Members to display the list of monitor types that match the pattern.

11 Click Finish. The rule based group is created and listed under the group folder.

12 Click Close to return back to the Administration Console without creating thegroup.

Adding Child GroupsYou can use the Administration Console to add child groups to the groups that youcreate.

To add a new child group to the selected group

1 From the Administration Console, expand the Group folder, right-click on agroup, and select Add Child Group.

2 In the Add Child Group dialog box, complete the screen options.

■ Group Name – Specify a name (maximum length of 60 characters; no spaces)for the new group.

■ Tag - Specify tag value to search or group the objects. You can enter multiplename-value pairs, text, or include both (name-value pair and text). This givesyou the option to group objects in different forms. Click icon + to select adefault tag class. The Enter Tag Details screen opens. Select Tag Class from thelist and enter a tag value, click Add to append tag class and value. Click Finish.

Note The tag specified by you is not considered as a default class. You cannot enterspecial characters &"/<>' in the tag field.

■ Editing Tag Value on Enter Tag Details screen. Select a tag value and click edit.Make the necessary modifications in Tag Value text box and click Set to add thechanges.

■ Deleting a Tag Value on Enter Tag Details screen. Select a tag value and clickDelete, dialog box is displayed with the options Yes or No. click Yes to deletethe tag value.

Adding Child Groups


■ Group Description – Specify a meaningful description for the group. Thisdescription will be displayed in the group matrix screen, when you bring themouse over the group name.

■ Group made by selecting Managed Objects and grouping existing groups -Select this option to create a new group.

3 Click Next.

■ The Monitored Resources/Group Members window is displayed.

4 Select the Monitored Resource in the left panel, and click Add to move it to theright panel. Alternatively, use the Search for Devices field to search and select thedevice. You can add multiple Monitored Resources to a group, and if required,create a group of aggregate monitors.

■ Similarly, click Remove to remove objects from the right panel.

5 Click Next.

■ The Add Group screen is displayed.

6 Click Add.

■ The Group Chooser window is displayed.

7 Select the groups to be added from the list of existing groups.

Note Refer Search Groups for information on how to locate groups.

■ Click Parent Group to add the group being created to the existing parent group(s).

■ Click Add New, only if you need to create a new parent group.

■ After adding resources to the group, click the appropriate action button.


Note For details about creating Resource Pool monitors, see Resource PoolResourcePool Monitors have variable number of Stats attributes. They can monitorcomplex combinations of metrics and monitor higher-level abstractions like poolsor clusters. Creating a monitor at this level enables setting thresholds that areotherwise not possible. .

■ The newly added Group is now available under the Group folder.

Adding Child Groups


Editing GroupsPerform the following steps to edit groups.

To edit an existing group,

1 Right-click the Group and click Edit Group.

2 In the Edit Group dialog box, make required changes, and click Finish.

BMC ProactiveNet updates the group information in its database. Alternatively,click Close to cancel the operation.

Deleting GroupsPerform the following steps to delete groups.

To delete a group

1 Right-click the Group and click Delete.

The Confirm Deletion window is displayed.

2 Click OK.

Note When a group is deleted, BMC ProactiveNet does not update all event rules thatrefer to the group. Although the Edit Event Rules screen does not show theassociated group, the database entry corresponding to the event rule still recordsreference to the deleted group. Such events rules are invalid and do not work.

To correct the event rules, open the edit screen and save the event rule again towipe out reference to the deleted group.

Editing Groups


Deleting Groups


Integrating with the BMC AtriumCMDB

This chapter provides details about retrieving and viewing BMC Atrium CMDBcomponent information in BMC ProactiveNet service models.

Note If you are integrating with the BMC Atrium CMDB, all BMC ProactiveNet Servers inyour environment must be synchronized with a single CMDB for probable causeanalysis and event propagation to work properly.

Although it is possible to configure event propagation among the nodes of one BMCProactiveNet Enterprise setup, status propagation will not occur. Therefore BMCProactiveNet does not support distribution of service models across the nodes ofBMC ProactiveNet Enterprise setup.

If you configure a new Atrium CMDB with the BMC ProactiveNet Server; and youneed to publish a service model; you must manually update and restart thepublishing server configuration.

For information about installing and configuring the BMC ProactiveNet CMDBextensions, see the BMC ProactiveNet Getting Started Guide.

Benefits of BMC Atrium CMDB integrationThe BMC Configuration Management Database (BMC Atrium CMDB) is used forsharing configuration data among various BMC products. BMC Atrium CMDB usesa federated data model, featuring a centralized database linked to other data stores,to share configuration data without the high setup and maintenance costs associatedwith a pure centralized approach.

Integrating BMC ProactiveNet with the BMC Atrium CMDB has the following benefits:

■ Provides more effective Probable Cause Analysis: BMC ProactiveNet leveragesthe service relationship information from the configuration items (CIs) in BMC

4

Chapter 4 Integrating with the BMC Atrium CMDB 109

Atrium CMDB for the service model components that you are monitoring in BMCProactiveNet to produce better results for Probable Cause Analysis.

■ Keeps the service model components of BMC ProactiveNet synchronized with theservice model components stored in the BMC Atrium CMDB: By default, BMCAtrium CMDB automatically publishes service model components to the BMCProactiveNet cell.

■ Faster deployment of BMC ProactiveNet: Instead of manually configuring CIs inBMC ProactiveNet, you can import CIs from BMC Atrium CMDB to define thecomponents for monitoring.

User scenarioThe section provides a high-level example of how service model objects in BMCAtrium CMDB are published to the BMC ProactiveNet cell and how they are viewedand monitored in BMC ProactiveNet.

Suppose that your BMC Atrium CMDB maintains an online ordering service modelthat has three services - online ordering, databases, and web servers.

■ The database service consists of two database devices (BMC_Databaseconfiguration items) called DB1 and DB2.

■ The web server service consists of two web server devices (BMC_SoftwareServerconfiguration items) called Web1 and Web2.

■ The online ordering service is dependent on, and impacted by, the databaseservice, the web server service, and the configuration items.

The following illustration describes this relationship.

User scenario


In BMC Atrium CMDB, you use the BMC Impact Model Designer to plot out theservice model objects. In a sandbox dataset, you specify how each component in theservice model will be published to the cell. Because the Online ordering service is atop-level consumer component, you configure it to publish with its providercomponents. Do not change the default publication setting for the providercomponents; by default, their publication is determined by the setting of theirconsumer components.

After setting up the service model components, you promote the service model.Promotion reconciles objects from the sandbox dataset to the production dataset. Bydefault, service model objects are automatically published to the BMC ProactiveNetcell.

In the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, you select the publishedcomponent and view the impact relationships in the service model. In the BMCProactiveNet Operations Console, you monitor the status of components and theimpact on their consumers.

Figure 13 on page 112 shows an example of how the service model looks in the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console. The lock icon that is displayed by each

User scenario


component indicates that the component cannot be edited in the AdministrationConsole. You can only edit a service model object in its source environment.

Figure 13: Example of a service model in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console

After you publish components, you associate the required monitors to thesecomponents.

You can also use templates to add monitors. For details, see the BMC ProactiveNetData Adapter and Monitor Guide.

By default, the services that you publish from BMC Atrium CMDB do not containany metrics. For an effective Probable Cause Analysis, you have to add those metricsthat indicate the health/status of the services. For details, see the BMC ProactiveNetUser Guide.

Creating and editing publication filters in theBMC ProactiveNet Administration Console

Use publication filters to determine which components are published to the cell fromBMC Atrium CMDB. The filters retrieve the service model objects from the cell forviewing and monitoring in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console or in theBMC ProactiveNet Operations Console.

You can create publication filters using one of the following configuration item (CI)selection methods:

Creating and editing publication filters in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console


■ Static CI selection method: select CIs imported from BMC Atrium CMDB from astatic list.

■ Dynamic CI selection method: select CIs imported from BMC Atrium CMDBwhose names match a specified pattern. The specified pattern uses regularexpressions.

After you filter CIs, you can select a component from those retrieved in the ServicesEditor tab, and see the service model associated with that component (see “Using theBMC ProactiveNet Administration Console for service monitoring” on page 449 fordetails). The service models show components that are specified for publication—that is, CIs that are set to Inherit, Yes and Propagate, and Yes, Only Me in the BMCImpact Model Designer.

You can locate and view a CI that is not specified for publication—that is, set to No:Do not publish me nor my providers in the BMC Impact Model Designer. You candisplay the CI and its providers separately, but not as impact providers tocomponents in a service model where they are specified as No. See BMC ServiceModeling and Publishing Guide for details about component settings.

Note

■ If a previous filter is deleted, removal from the system could take some time. Theamount of time can depend on the number of CIs or other factors, such as aninability to communicate with the cell (as when the cell is not running). Duringthis time the system cannot create another filter with the same filter ID.

■ Service models and instances of components and relationships are not imported ifthey are marked for deletion (MarkAsDeleted=Yes) in BMC Atrium CMDB

For a list of supported service model component types, see the BMC ProactiveNetService Modeling and Publishing Guide.

To create a static publication filter

1 In the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, expand the Root => Advanced Options => BMC Atrium CMDB => Publication Filter folder.

2 Select and right-click the Publication Filter folder and select Create PublicationFilter.

3 Enter values for Filter Name and Filter ID.

By default, the Filter ID is the same as the Filter Name, but with spaces removed.For example, if the filter name is CS Filter, the filter ID is CSFilter

4 (optional) Enter a 255-character-or-less description in the Description field.



5 Select Static (the default) from the CI Selection Method list.

6 Select (the default) or clear Include all impact providers of selected CIs.

7 Select (the default) or clear Show only top level CIs.

Top-level CIs are top-level consumers, that is, consumers that are not providers toother CIs.

8 Select the CI type and click Retrieve.

9 From the list of available CIs that matches the selected CI type, select CIs that youwant to show in the service model and click Add, or click Add All to add all theavailable CIs.

You can select CIs in the following ways:

■ Type a character in the Name field to show only CIs that contain that character.The field is case sensitive.

■ Hold the Shift key to select adjacent CIs in the list, or hold the Ctrl key to selectnon-adjacent CIs in the list.

10 Click OK to close the Create Publication Filter dialog box.

To create a dynamic publication filter


2 Select and right-click the Publication Filter folder and select Create PublicationFilter.

3 Enter values for Filter Name and Filter ID.

By default, the Filter ID is the same as the Filter Name, but with spaces removed.For example, if the filter name is CS Filter, the filter ID is CSFilter

4 (optional) Enter a 255-character-or-less description in the Description field.

5 Select Dynamic from the CI Selection Method list.

6 Select (the default) or clear Include all impact providers of selected CIs.

7 Using regular expressions, type a pattern by which to match CI names.

8 Click the + button to add another pattern.



You can use up to 11 patterns. The patterns are connected by a logical AND operator.

9 Click OK to close the Create Publication Filter dialog box.

To edit publication filters

You can edit the following


2 Select and right-click the publication filter name and select Edit .

3 Make the required changes and click OK.

Understanding Atrium FiltersAfter you designate service model components for publication in the BMC ImpactModel Designer (an extension for BMC Atrium CMDB), and then promote andpublish the objects to the cell, you can view these objects through filters in the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console.

The Administration tab of the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console indicateswhether service model components that originated from BMC Atrium CMDB andpublished to the cell.

Expand the folder Root => Advanced Options => BMC Atrium CMDB => Publication Filter. The appearance of the Atrium Filter – CIs and Providers and theAtrium Filter – Individual CIs folders confirm that components from BMC AtriumCMDB are available from the cell.

Filter Description

Atrium Filter – CIs andProviders

CIs that are published to the cell from BMC Atrium CMDB, with their impactproviders. This includes CIs that are specified in the BMC Impact ModelDesigner as Yes and Propagate, and their impact providers that are specifiedeither as Yes and Propagate or as Inherit.

Atrium Filter –Individual CIs

Individual CIs that are published to the cell from BMC Atrium CMDB, withouttheir impact providers. This includes CIs that are specified in the BMC ImpactModel Designer as Yes, Only Me.

If you create additional filters in the Administration Console, the names of the filtersare displayed under the Atrium Filter folders.

Understanding Atrium Filters


Note By default, imported components create devices without any monitor instancesassociated with them. You must add the required monitored instances after youimport the components. See “Associate monitors to CIs through the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console” on page 470 for details.

Viewing publication historyYou can view the history of publication requests to confirm the status of the requestor to troubleshoot issues.

From the Administration tab of the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console,expand the folder Root => Advanced Options => BMC Atrium CMDB. Select andright-click Publication History and select View Publication History.

The Publication History window shows the date and time of each request, therequest status, and the publication source (or publisher) of the request.

The following table describes the different publication request statuses.

Table 3: Publication request statuses

Status Description

Success Publication request passed to the cell successfully

Unknown Status of the publication request is unknown. The status can indicate that the publishingserver is waiting for a response from the system, or that a publication is in progress.Wait some time and then click Refresh to the updated status. You can also close thewindow and reopen it later.

Failure Publication request failed to be passed to the cell. Common reasons include parts of thesystem that are down, or responses that time out. Refer to the Publication Details pane ofthe Publication History window for details.

The following table describes different kinds of publishers that can be the source ofrequests to the publishing server.

Table 4: Publication sources for requests

Publisher Description

Automated Publisher Publication request sent automatically from the BMC Impact ModelDesigner

Viewing publication history


Publisher Description

cli@proactiveNetServerwhere proactiveNetServer is the nameof the BMC ProactiveNet servercomputer

Publication request sent through the CLI publish command on theBMC ProactiveNet server

pclassinfo@proactiveNetServer Publication request sent through the CLI pclassinfo command onthe BMC ProactiveNet server

pint@proactiveNetServer Publication request sent through the CLI pint command on the BMCProactiveNet server

penv@proactiveNetServer Publication request sent through the CLI penv command on the BMCProactiveNet server

psapi@proactiveNetServer Publication request sent by creating or editing static or dynamicfilters in the Administration Console

Publishing Server Indicates that the publishing server was restarted

For details about CLI commands, see BMC ProactiveNet Command Line InterfaceReference Manual

Detailed information about each publication request is displayed in the PublicationDetails pane of the Publication History window. See BMC ProactiveNet ServiceModeling and Publishing Guide to diagnose publication issues.

Note The publishing server retrieves publication changes for a subscription from theNotification Engine, a component in BMC Atrium CMDB. If the publication fails, thesystem removes the current subscriptions and subscribes again to the NotificationEngine. This process causes the publishing server to retrieve and publish all servicemodel components, not only the latest changes. The Publication History windowreflects this activity.

Viewing computer system CIsComputer system configuration items (CIs) that are published to the cell from BMCAtrium CMDB are displayed as devices in the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole.

In the Administration Console, you can view the computer system devices under theRoot => Device => Server folder. You cannot edit devices in the AdministrationConsole.

A device that is synchronized with BMC Atrium CMDB shows the following icon:

Viewing computer system CIs


Note Devices that are created by the following adapters, and published through BMCAtrium CMDB, do not display icons as CMDB-synchronized devices:

■ VMware

■ PATROL VMware

Viewing computer system CIs


Configuring and using RemoteActions/Diagnostics

What are Remote Actions/Diagnostics?The remote actions/diagnostics executes a command on a remote device. Forexample, if you want to view the Top 10 CPU processes running on a remote system,the remote diagnostics executes the required command on the remote system andlists the Top 10 processes using remote login protocols.

A detailed diagnostics can only be triggered from BMC ProactiveNet server and notfrom any other remote agent source.

The protocols supported by remote actions/diagnostics are:

■ xCmd protocolThe xCmd protocol enables an application to execute a command on a remotehost and does not require a port number. The xCmd protocol requires a remoteuser name and password. xCmd is only supported on Windows server.

■ ssh (Secure Shell) protocolThe ssh protocol provides secure, encrypted connections for logging on to remotecomputers, transferring files, setting up encrypted tunnels, and running remotecommands without manual authentication. The ssh protocol requires a remoteuser name, password, and a port. ssh is the recommended protocol on Windowsand Solaris servers.

■ telnet protocolThe telnet protocol can pass on the data it has received to many other types ofprocesses including the remote logon server. Communication is established usingTCP/IP and is based on a Network Virtual Terminal (NVT). The telnet protocolrequires a remote user name, user password, system prompt, and a port.

5

Chapter 5 Configuring and using Remote Actions/Diagnostics 119

Note You need to change the protocol, if you have used a different protocol afterupgrading to the recent version of BMC ProactiveNet.

Properties filesWhen defining remote execution tasks, you may need to configure values in thefollowing properties files that reside on JServer server:

■ ..\conf\ias.properties

■ ..\conf\resources\centraladmin-strings.properties

■ ..\conf\resources\remoteexecution.properties

Restart the JServer, if you have modified any of the .properties file.

ias.properties

The ias.properties file specifies the event slot names, key name values, and otherconfiguration items of remote execution under the text properties for remote execution.

Table 5: Remote execution properties in jserver.properties

Property name Description

com.bmc.sms.ixs.remoteexecution.hostname_slot Specifies the event slot name that contains the hostname value. The default value is mc_host.

com.bmc.sms.ixs.remoteexecution.instance_slot Specifies the event slot name that contains theinstance. The default value is mc_object.

com.bmc.sms.ixs.remoteexecution.application_slot Specifies the event slot name that contains theapplication. The default value is mc_object_class.

com.bmc.sms.ixs.remoteexecution.domain_slot Specifies the event slot name that contains thedomain value. The default value is mc_location.

com.bmc.sms.ixs.remoteexecution.ias_user_key Specifies the key name that contains the name of theuser. The default value is ias_user.

com.bmc.sms.ixs.remoteexecution.ias_user_password_key

Specifies the key name that contains the password.The default value is ias_user_password.

com.bmc.sms.ixs.remoteexecution.action_context_key

Specifies the root element in the action.xml file. Youcan enter the root element in the Action Name fieldof the Create Remote Actions dialog box. The defaultvalue is 2.

Properties files


Property name Description

com.bmc.sms.ixs.remoteexecution.search_credential_repository_key

Indicates the argument number (1, 2, 3, and so on) orslot name.

com.bmc.sms.ixs.remoteexecution.search_in_credentialrepository

If the client does not send the key, then thisparameter determines whether to search in thecredential repository. Valid values are true and false.

com.bmc.sms.ixs.dataparser.allowHostVerification Boolean true/false values that tells whether hostverification is done when you add a record to thecredential_repository. xml file. The default value isset equal to true, meaning that host verification isrequired.

centraladmin-strings.properties

The centraladmin-strings.properties file defines the default communicationprotocols for different operating systems.

Note If you modify the properties in the centraladmin-strings.properties file, you mustrestart the BMC ProactiveNet Server to apply the changes.

remoteexecution.properties

The remoteexecution.properties file defines the timeout values and default ports forthe SSH, FTP, SCP, and Telnet protocols.

Creating Remote ActionsYou can create remote actions to define the commands to be executed on the remotedevice.

Before you begin

To create a remote action for the cell installed with a remote BMC ProactiveNetAgent, you must add the following line to the mcell.dir file for that cell:

admin ias_Admin userName/passWord ProactiveNet_Server_hostName:3084

Once you have updated the mcell.dir file, restart the cell.

Creating Remote Actions


Note You can create and execute remote actions only for BMC ProactiveNet cells version8.5 and later.

To create remote actions

1 Log on to the Administration Console.

2 From the Tools menu, choose Remote Actions/Diagnostics => Remote Actions/Diagnostics.

The Remote Actions/Diagnostics Command definition dialog box appears:

Figure 14: Remote Actions/Diagnostics Command dialog box

3 On the Remote Actions/Diagnostics screen,

■ Select the Detailed Diagnostics option:

—to use the event criteria formulae.

—to use actions on an event only scenario.

For more information, see “Defining the performance managed remote actions”on page 123

■ Select the Event management rules option:

—to use actions/diagnostics for events.



—to use actions associated with devices and monitor types.

For more information, see “Defining the remote action rule and task” on page126

4 Click OK.

Note: Out-of-the-box remote actions that are available with the BMC ProactiveNetServer use the psExec protocol. Remote actions that you create use the xCmdprotocol. The psExec protocol is not supported for user-created remote actions.

Defining the performance managed remote actions

You can create remote actions to define the commands to be executed on the remotedevice.

To create performance managed remote actions through detailed diagnostics

1 From the Tools menu, choose Remote Actions/Diagnostics > Remote Actions/Diagnostics.

2 On the Remote Actions/Diagnostics dialog box, select the Detailed Diagnosticsoption.

The Remote Actions/Diagnostics Command dialog box is displayed:

Figure 15: Remote Actions/Diagnostics Command dialog box

3 On the Remote Action/Diagnostics Command dialog box, click Add.

4 On the Add Command screen, enter or select the following and click Next.



Item Description

Name Enter a unique name for the command.

Command Enter the syntax for the command that will be executed on the targetcomputer. For example netstat. You can include macros in thiscommand. For more information, see Macros for Remote Action onpage 144.If the command is very long, you can use the Edit button to enter oredit the command syntax.

Show Output Select this option to view the output in the Operations Console.

Configuration Diagnostic Select this option to qualify this command to be run with everyconfiguration poll of select system monitors.

Time-out Select the time-out period for execution of the command.An error message is displayed if the time-out period is exceeded.

5 On the Device screen, select the operating system of device and click Next.Bydefault, all devices are selected.

Note If you have selected a specific operating system then the remote action/diagnostics will not be listed in the third page of Event Rule Wizard unless youselect the monitor type for the specific operating system in second page. ForEvent Only Buyer, you have to select all Operating System while defining theremote action/diagnostics.

6 On the Monitor Type screen, select the monitor types and click Next.By default,all monitors are selected.

7 On the User Group screen, select the desired user group and click Finish.

Note The access permissions set while defining the User groups takes precedence. If theuser group is defined with All Diagnostics in the Diagnostics tab, then the newlycreated diagnostics will be available to those user groups irrespective of whetherthey are selected/non-selected in the Add to User Group screen in the AddCommand module of the Remote Actions/Diagnostics wizard.

8 On Test your command screen, select the Target IP from the list and click Test totest the command.



The Test your command dialog box is displayed.

Figure 16: Test your command dialog box

■ Note From the test button, the command does not execute properly if it requires thecell slot values that is to be resolved at run time. This occurs since there is noassociated event with the particular command.For example:msend –a EVENT –r CRITICAL –m $msg

The value for $msg is not available while executing from Test button. Thisoption is available from an event.

9 Click Finish to save the detail diagnostics/remote actions.



Note

■ Upgrading the path for Remote DD's is not supported when you upgrade fromolder version of the BMC ProactiveNet Server to a recent version.

■ By default the remote actions logs the error messages in theRemoteExecution.log. To debug remote actions, set the propertylog4j.rootCategory to DEBUG in the du_logger. properties file located in theinstallDirectory\pw\pronto\conf\resources directory.

■ When you edit a defined remote action/diagnostics, there is no provision forchanging the access roles.

■ Remote actions/diagnostics is executed for events whose status changes fromblackout to closed.

■ If Windows server to Windows remote computer telnet fails, increase the valueof the maxconn and maxfail parameters as follows.C:\>tlntadmn config maxfail=10 C:\>tlntadmn config maxconn=20

Defining the remote action rule and task

You can create remote actions to define the commands that are executed on theremote device.

To create remote actions on events

1 From the Tools menu, choose Remote Actions/Diagnostics > Remote Actions/Diagnostics.

2 On the Remote Actions/Diagnostics dialog box, select the Event managementrules option.



The Create Remote Actions dialog box is displayed.

3 On the Create Remote Actions dialog box, enter or select the following optionsand click Next.

Item Description

Action Name Name that describes the action to be performed. This is the label thatappears on the Action >Remote Actions menu.Each action name must be unique.

WARNING: Duplicate action names will result in KB compilationerrors.

Action Group Name of the group to which the customized action belongs. You cangroup similar actions under the same group name. However, youcannot nest groups.

Command String that contains the command to be run on the jserver or remotesystemIf the command string includes double quotation marks, as in the pingcommand, ping "{$mc_host}", forward slash is added to the commandin the action_name.xml file under the BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME/server/data/admin/actions directory: ping \”{$mc_host}\”.You must manually edit the action_name.xml file to remove the slashcharacters from the command string. Save the action_name.xml file toreturn to the Infrastructure Management tab. Select the jserverinstance object, right-click to open the pop-up menu, and chooseAction > Reload.If the command string includes a hard-coded path, then always specifythe path name using the UNIX style forward slash /, as in c:/ProgramFiles/BMC Software/Test1.exe, even if the target systems is Windows.

User Access Roles Roles including Full Access, Service Administrators, Read Only, and soon—that have permission to execute this action. You can choose one ormore roles.The available roles are listed in the Impact Administration server towhich your BMC Administration console is currently connected.

Note: The remote actions that are listed on the Remote Actions/Diagnostics menu in the operations console are defined in both the celland the ProactiveNet database server. When you create a remote actionor detailed diagnostic from the administration console and restrictaccess to a particular user group or role, you restrict the remote actionsfrom the ProactiveNet database server only and not from cell. Userswould still see the remote actions defined in the cell even though theymight be restricted from seeing and executing remote actions definedin the database server.



Item Description

Run Location System on which the action is run. It can be any remote system that canbe pinged from the BMC ProactiveNet Server, or the local system onwhich the BMC ProactiveNet Server resides.If you select Remote, you can deploy scripts to the remote system.

Operating System on Run Machine Specifies the operating system on which the remote action is to beexecuted. This can be the operating system of the remote computer orthe operation system of the computer where the jserver resides.

Impact Manager(cell) Name of the cell that receives the event associated with the action. Theaction rule is defined in this cell.

Impact Administration Server The name of the Impact Administration Server instance on which theaction task is defined.

Adding event criteria

The Event Criteria Formula field of the Create Remote Actions dialog box, allowsyou to enter an event criteria.

When you define an event criteria, you build a selector that acts as a filter for theincoming event that is associated with the action rule and action task. You can definethe selector, and the consequent event both broadly or narrowly. If the event doesnot satisfy the criteria, then the action rule and action task for that event are notavailable.

You should be familiar with Master Rule Language and Baroc class definitionsbefore developing complex event selectors. For more information on developingcomplex event selectors, see the BMC Knowledge Base Development Reference Guide.

Event criteria are essentially Master Rule Language (MRL) event definition. You canspecify the event class, slot values, and operators of the event definition. Forinteractive remote execution, this is the definition that the incoming event mustsatisfy before the action rule invokes the remote action.

Note Automatic remote execution requires a two-step validation. First, an event policyautomatically calls a specified action rule provided it satisfies the event criteria of thepolicy. Second, the action rule that you define in the Create Remote Actions dialogbox, invokes the remote action provided it satisfies the event criteria that you havedefined in the Add Event Criteria dialog box.

Refer to the following table for event criteria descriptions fileds.



Table 6: Add Event Criteria descriptions

Field/Control button Description

Description Optional. Enter a description of the event. This fieldcan be used to classify the selectors.

Event Class Select the list of event classes and subclasses in theClass Chooser dialog box.

Slot List of available slots.

Operator List of available operators that link the slots to thevalue strings.

Value Enter a value for the slot.

Insert Places the slot-operator-value string in the displayarea, where you can review and edit. When placingmultiple slot-value combinations, the defaultconnector is AND. You can specify other connectorsfrom the list.

Edit Displays the selected slot-value combination in theeditable fields above the display area.

Delete Removes the selected object from the display area.

Group Adds parentheses around the selected object toindicate the order and the logic of the operation. Youcan create nested objects using the Group button.

Move Moves the placement of the selected object to the leftor right.

1 Complete the remaining fields using the guidelines from the following table:

Table 7: Data fields (part 2): Create Remote Actions dialog box

Field Description

Time Out (Milliseconds) Interval in milliseconds before the action is canceled.The action can be canceled if the ImpactAdministration server does not receive a responsebefore the customized or default timeout interval.



Field Description

Use Stored Login Credentials Boolean value (True or False) that indicates if youcan execute the action using either of the following:

■ the user credentials of the remote host system =True

■ public key authentication = False (default)

Note: Only Event Management remote actions usethe credential_repository.xml file for credentials.Because ProactiveNet remote actions only can betriggered on a device-associated event, andProactiveNet remote actions use credentialsprovided in the device data.

If you choose False (default), then your public keyaccount on the system is sufficient to launch theaction. The procedure does not search thecredential_repository.xml file for login credentials.If you choose True, then the routine uses the remotesystem’s account information as defined in thecredential_repository.xml file (login_user andlogin_password).Reminder: For automatic remote execution, youmust specify an JServer user name and password inthe Admin record. By default, admin/admin. If youwant to modify, restart the cell.

Deploy(Use with Remote Run Location Only) Boolean value (True or False) that indicates if youcan deploy a script from the JServer system to theremote system and then execute the script through aRunRemoteTask command.The default is False, indicating that no script isdeployed.You can only deploy a script when the selected RunLocation option is Remote. You cannot deploy ascript on a remote system when the Run Locationoption is Local (jserver System). For moreinformation on Run Location, see “Defining theremote action rule and task” on page 126

Script To Deploy (optional) Name of the script or .bat file. If the boolean value isset to True, the the script or .bat file is displayed.

Script Path on Destination Machine File path of the script on the system on which it isexecuted.



2 Click Add Actions.Run iadmin -reinit actions to reload the Jserver

Assigning roles to actions

You can add or remove user roles for these actions by modifying the actiondefinition files (mc_actions.mrl or ao_actions.mrl depending on the type of action)found at installDirectory \server\etc\ cellName \kb\bin.

For upgrade users

If you have created devices during the previous releases, the device does not updateto the latest port. You must manually edit the port.

Providing Remote Actions credentialsProvide the required credentials to execute a remote action/diagnostics on a remotedevice.

To provide credentials for detailed diagnostics option

1 Log on to the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console.

2 In the General Administration tab, expand the Devices folder and select thedevice for which you want to add credentials.

3 Right click on the device name, and select Edit.

Providing Remote Actions credentials


4 On the Remote Actions/Diagnostics tab in the Edit Device dialog box, enter thecredentials and click OK.Figure 17: Remote Actions/Diagnostics tab of the Edit Device dialog box

There can be only one credential per device. All remote actions will use the samecredentials. The supported protocols are ssh, telnet, and xCmd.

Working with credential records for event management rulesoption

You can define a credential record for each application on a remote system for whichyou want a specific user to execute actions. You can use the iadmin command lineinterface for the following options to update credential records in thecredential_repository.xml file and to initialize any changes to the action taskdefinitions in the .xml files under the installDirectory\pw\server\data\admin\actions\folder.

Following are the iadmin options for the credential record:

■ -acr: adds a credential record to the credential_repository.xml

■ -mcr: modifies an existing credential record

■ -dcr: deletes a credential record



■ -lcr: lists the credential

■ -reinit actions: loads the action files after any additions or changes to the actiontasks defined in the .xml files under installDirectory\pw\server\data\admin\actions\

Guidelines for the credential records

The asterisk (*) functions as a wildcard. It is a valid entry only for theapplicationname and applicationinstancename fields. It indicates that any value ofthe applicationname or applicationinstancename field is acceptable.

The search algorithm does not support pattern matching. Your entry must matchexactly the underlying value.

Any alphanumeric value is valid for the applicationname andapplicationinstancename fields.

Enclose any password values in double quotation marks to ensure properprocessing. On UNIX systems, run the iadmin command without the bash shell toreinforce the proper processing of the password value.

The required fields in which you must enter a value are:

■ credentialId

■ hostname_or_domain

■ applicationname (wildcard is permitted)

■ applicationinstancename (wildcard is permitted)

■ loginuser

Working with credential records for events

You can define a credential record for each application on a remote system for whichyou want a specific user to execute actions. You can use the iadmin command lineinterface for the following options to update credential records in thecredential_repository.xml file and to initialize any changes to the action taskdefinitions in the .xml files under the installDirectory\pw\server\data\admin\actions\folder.

Following are the iadmin options for the credential record:

■ -acr: adds a credential record to the credential_repository.xml



■ -mcr: modifies an existing credential record

■ -dcr: deletes a credential record

■ -lcr: lists the credential

■ -reinit actions: loads the action files after any additions or changes to the actiontasks defined in the .xml files under installDirectory\pw\server\data\admin\actions\

Guidelines for the credential records

The asterisk (*) functions as a wildcard. It is a valid entry only for theapplicationname and applicationinstancename fields. It indicates that any value ofthe applicationname or applicationinstancename field is acceptable.

The search algorithm does not support pattern matching. Your entry must matchexactly the underlying value.

Any alphanumeric value is valid for the applicationname andapplicationinstancename fields.

Enclose any password values in double quotation marks to ensure properprocessing. On UNIX systems, run the iadmin command without the bash shell toreinforce the proper processing of the password value.

The required fields in which you must enter a value are:

■ credentialId

■ hostname_or_domain

■ applicationname (wildcard is permitted)

■ applicationinstancename (wildcard is permitted)

■ loginuser

To add a credential record

1 From the installDirectory\pw\server\bin directory, execute the iadmincommand using the -acr option, and follow the syntax in the example.iadmin -acr userorgroup=<user/group>:credentialId=<string>: applicationname=<string>:applicationinstance=<string>:hostname_or_domain=<Hostname or Domain>:loginuser=<string>:loginpassword=<string>:executeuser=<string>:executepassword=<string>:login_user_domain=<string>



The following table lists the required fields for the -acr option. You must includevalues for the required fields; otherwise the credentials record is not created.

Table 8: Required fields: adding a credential record

-acr field name Description

credentialId The user account (default) or the group Id value.

hostname_or_domain The host name of the remote system, as inmyremotecomputer123, or the domain name inwhich it resides.

applicationname Name of the application. You can enter an asterisk“*” to bypass a specific application value.

applicationinstance Name of the application instance. You can enter anasterisk “*” to bypass a specific instance value.

login_user_domain This option is required when the login accountbelongs to an MS Windows system.

The userorgroup field is optional. If you leave the userorgroup field blank, the -acr argument assumes that user is the selection, and the value you enter in thecredentialId field (required) is the user account. To specify a group Id value, setthe userorgroup field equal to group, and then specify the group value in thecredentialId field.

Using the iadmin command syntax, you enter password values in clear text.However, the passwords are encrypted when they are added to thecredential_repository.xml file.

To modify a credential record

1 From the installDirectory\pw\server\bin directory, execute the iadmincommand using the -mcr option, following the syntax shown in the example:iadmin -mcr userorgroup=<user/group>:credentialId=<string>:hostname_or_domain=<string>:applicationname=<string>:applicationinstance=<string>:login_user_domain=<string>:loginuser=<string>:loginpassword=<string>:executeuser=<string>:executepassword=<string>

You can modify any of the fields, but you must enter required fields listed in thefollowing table to create a record



Table 9: Required fields: modifying a credential record


credentialId The user account (default) or the group Id value. Ifyou specify a group Id value, you must setuserorgroup equal to group.

hostname_or_domain The host name of the remote system, as inmyremotecomputer123, or the domain name whereit resides (domain).

applicationname Name of the application. You can enter an asterisk“*” to bypass a specific application value.

applicationinstance Name of the application instance. You can enter anasterisk “*” to bypass a specific instance value.

To delete a credential record

1 From the installDirectory\pw\server\bin directory, execute the iadmincommand using the -dcr option, as in the following syntax example.iadmin -dcr userorgroup=<user/group>:credentialId=<string>:hostname_or_domain=<string>:applicationname=<string>:applicationinstance=<string>

To delete a record, you must specify values for the required fields listed in thefollowing table

Table 10: Required fields: deleting a credential record


credentialId The user account (default) or the group Id value.

hostname_or_domain The host name of the remote system, as inmyremotecomputer123, or the domain name whereit resides.

applicationname Name of the application. You can enter an asterisk“*” to include all values.

applicationinstance Name of the application instance. You can enter anasterisk “*” to include all values.

To list credential records

1 From the installDirectory\pw\server\bin directory, execute the iadmincommand using the -lcr option, as in the following example. You do not have tospecify any credential record parameters.iadmin -lcr



How Jserver searches for credentials

After the action task is invoked by the action rule, the Jserver searches the credentialrecord for the corresponding remote login credentials in the following sequence:

1 Jserver_USER + ApplicationName + ApplicationInstanceName + Host

2 Jserver_USER_GROUP + ApplicationName + ApplicationInstanceName + Host

3 Jserver_USER + ApplicationName + ApplicationInstanceName + Domain

4 Jserver_USER_GROUP + ApplicationName + ApplicationInstanceName +Domain

5 Jserver_USER + ApplicationName + * + Host

6 Jserver_USER_GROUP + ApplicationName + * + Host

7 Jserver_USER + ApplicationName + * + Domain

8 Jserver_USER_GROUP + ApplicationName + * + Domain

9 Jserver_USER + * + * + Host

10 Jserver_USER_GROUP + * + * + Host

11 Jserver_USER + * + * + Domain

12 Jserver_USER_GROUP + * + * + Domain

13 Jserver_USER + * + ApplicationInstanceName + Host

14 Jserver_USER_GROUP + * + ApplicationInstanceName + Host

15 Jserver_USER + * + ApplicationInstanceName + Domain

16 Jserver_USER_GROUP + * + ApplicationInstanceName + Domain

The wildcard * in the ApplicationName and ApplicationInstanceName fieldsindicates any value.

If you are implementing automatic remote execution, the Jserver searches thecredential records for an Jserver_USER with the same value as the Jserver username defined under the Encryption Key parameter of the Admin record.Therefore, to use the default Admin record, you must modify the defaultEncryption Key value of 0 by changing it to a specific Jserver user name andpassword. Then you define in the credential record the jserver User with the



credential Id set equal to the value you specified in the Encryption Key value ofthe Admin record.

Triggering Remote ActionsRemote action execution gets triggered on the following scenarios:

■ Using Event Rule Wizard: On receiving an event, matching event rules areidentified. If the matching event rule has a remote action assigned, the remoteaction is executed. An event rule can be defined through the BMC ProactiveNetOperations Console. For more information about adding an event rule, see theBMC ProactiveNet User Guide.

■ Using Remote Action policies: To set up automatic remote executions that aretriggered by events, you must first define a remote execution policy using theremote execution policy feature of the BMC ProactiveNet Console. The policycontains the definition of the event that triggers it. When the specified event isreceived, it triggers the rule, which invokes the remote action. For moreinformation, see Defining the remote action policy on page 138

■ Using the Event list User Interface(UI): You can also trigger a remote action fromthe Event list User Interface. For more information, see Executing remote actionson page 141. From the event list UI you can select any of the pre-configuredcommands which is defined. You can select the command and execute. For moreinformation, see BMC ProactiveNet User Guide.

■ Using All devices Grid View in the BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console: If aremote action is defined for an associated device of a particular operating systemand monitor types, the remote action is listed under the tools option for the deviceand instance of the monitor type in the Operations Console.

Defining the remote action policy

In this procedure you are defining a policy that will automatically call a specifiedaction rule provided the incoming event satisfies the remote action policy’s eventcriteria. The associated action rule, in turn, invokes the remote action provided thesame event satisfies its event criteria.

Before you begin

If an appropriate selector definition does not already exist, use the Edit => Selectors=> New Selector... menu option to define the event criteria for the incoming event.Be sure that the selector’s event criteria correlate with the event criteria of theselector you defined for the action rule in the Create Remote Actions dialog.

Triggering Remote Actions


To define selector criteria

Follow these steps to define the event selection criteria:

1 In the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, go to the Administration tab,and select the Event Management Policies tab.

2 In the tree view, open the By Selector folder and highlight the selector that youadded to the remote action policy to open the Selector panel.

3 Highlight this selector in the selector list of the Selector panel.

4 Click the Update Event Selector icon in the tool bar to enable the edit function.

5 In the Event Selector Criteria list of the Selector panel, highlight the selector andclick Edit to open the Edit Criteria dialog box.

6 In the Edit Criteria dialog box, specify the slots and values for events that youwant the selector to match.

■ For example, you can specify the matching criteria in the event message slot,such as $EV.msg contains ‘unreachable’.

7 Click OK.

To define a policy

1 In the tree view under My Production, open the server cell entry.

2 Choose the Remote Action Policy type under the By Policy Type folder.



■ The Remote Action Policy definition window is opened, as shown in Figure 18on page 140.Figure 18: Remote Action Policy definition window

3 Choose Edit => New Policy , or click the Add Event Policy icon in the tool bar.

4 In the Selector Chooser dialog box, choose the selector to which this policy anddesignated remote action apply. Then click OK.

■ You can use a default or a custom selector.

5 In the Remote Action Policy tab, enter the policy name (required) and adescription (optional).

6 Designate whether the timeframes are enabled. If enabled, indicate whetherpolicy activation timeframes are always active (default value), or select the optionto define your timeframes’ schedule.

7 In the Action name list, select the remote action to apply to this policy. The actionrule that you select should have event criteria that correlate with event criteria ofthe policy. You can select from predefined or customized actions, including BMCAtrium Orchestrator workflow actions.

8 Click OK.



The event selection criteria and the remote action are applied to the remote actionpolicy.

Executing remote actions

Remote Actions can be executed through automated actions and on demand. Youcan execute the automated actions by creating an event rule. If an action is executedin an event rule, the request is sent to the server. The server in-turn contacts theparticular remote devices with the credentials of the specific devices. The server isconnected to the remote devices and the command is executed on the remotedevices. When the actions are executed for device automatically, you can view theresult of actions by clicking the Detailed Diagnostics icon on the Intelligent EventHistory page or on the Events List page of the BMC ProactiveNet Operation Console.

Click the relevant event using Tools menu from the event list of BMC ProactiveNetOperations Console to view the results of the action.

When you use a remote action, it is issued from your local installation of theOperations Console but is executed on the computer where the BMC ProactiveNetOperations Management cell or the BMC ProactiveNet cell is installed.

To respond to an event by using a remote action

1 From the event list, select an event.

2 Click the blue wrench icon in the Tools Menu column.

3 Click Remote Actions/Diagnostics and then select a remote action.

Note The number of remote actions that you can execute for a BMC ProactiveNetOperations Management cell varies from that available for a BMC ProactiveNet cell.

4 To access the results of the remote action, in the event list row, click the ActionResult(s) icon in the Message column.

5 In the Event Remote Action Results dialog box, you can perform the followingoperations:

■ Export the information about the remote action to a file by selecting the actioninformation and clicking Export.

■ View the output, errors, and details about the remote action by clicking thecorresponding tab.



Adding the AlarmPoint integration

The AlarmPoint integration for BMC ProactiveNet provides the ability to notifyAlarmPoint users on any device if an event in BMC ProactiveNet meets thenotification criteria. BMC ProactiveNet processes the events it receives, and sendsthem to the AlarmPoint Java Client. The AlarmPoint Java client forwards the eventsto AlarmPoint, which notifies the user on the specified notification device.AlarmPoint client must be installed where the BMC ProactiveNet cell server isinstalled. With the AlarmPoint integration, the user is notified through sms, email,and phone messages.

On successful setup of BMC ProactiveNet server cell with AlarmPoint, the notifiedevent collectors are created in the Operations Console. Collectors are created whenan event rule is generated. Figure 19 on page 142 shows an example of the notifiedevent collectors in the Operations Console.

Figure 19: Notified events in the Operations Console

To notify an AlarmPoint user of alarms or events, create an event rule using RunCommand on ProacativeServer. Enter the pw_AlarmPoint - u<user name> in thePath field. If you do not enter the user name, the event is notified to the default user.E-mail will be sent to the configured user. For more information on the AlarmPointintegration, see the Event Administration chapter of the BMC ProactiveNet UserGuide.

Configuring Alarm Point for Window and Solaris

The following configuration should be done in custom/conf/pronet.conf forAlarmPoint to function with the JServer.

Change the property for Alarm Point in custom/conf/pronet.conf.

■ Windows: #pronet.jserver.alarmpoint.path=[<AP_Path>\\APAgent. Bydefault the property is pronet.jserver.alarmpoint.path=C:\\APAgent, or thepath where APAgent is installed.

■ Solaris: pronet.jserver.alarmpoint.path= <AP_Path>/APAgent. Forexample, pronet.jserver.alarmpoint.path=/opt/alarmpointsystems/APAgent.

Execute the following BMC ProactiveNet CLI command to initialize the change:

pw jproperties reload



Executing remote actionsRemote Actions can be executed through automated actions and on demand. Youcan execute the automated actions by creating an event rule. If an action is executedin an event rule, the request is sent to the server. The server in-turn contacts theparticular remote devices with the credentials of the specific devices. The server isconnected to the remote devices and the command is executed on the remotedevices. When the actions are executed for device automatically, you can view theresult of actions by clicking the Detailed Diagnostics icon on the Intelligent EventHistory page or on the Events List page of the BMC ProactiveNet Operation Console.


When you use a remote action, it is issued from your local installation of theOperations Console but is executed on the computer where the BMC ProactiveNetOperations Management cell or the BMC ProactiveNet cell is installed.

To respond to an event by using a remote action


2 Click the blue wrench icon in the Tools Menu column.

3 Click Remote Actions/Diagnostics and then select a remote action.

Note The number of remote actions that you can execute for a BMC ProactiveNetOperations Management cell varies from that available for a BMC ProactiveNet cell.

4 To access the results of the remote action, in the event list row, click the ActionResult(s) icon in the Message column.

5 In the Event Remote Action Results dialog box, you can perform the followingoperations:

■ Export the information about the remote action to a file by selecting the actioninformation and clicking Export.

■ View the output, errors, and details about the remote action by clicking thecorresponding tab.

Executing remote actions


Generating Remote Action resultsRemote Action/Diagnostics that are auto-triggered have their output saved in thedatabase and this information is accessible from the Diagnostics column in theIntelligent Action History page.

The Detailed Diagnostics icon is displayed if a diagnostics has been triggered.Click the Detailed Diagnostics icon to show the diagnostic output. If this columndisplays None, then there are no diagnostics for that event. To view the actions resultfor external events, select particular event and select Logs and Notes.

To manually view the results of Remote Action on an event

1 Log on the BMC ProactiveNet Operations console.


3 From the Tools menu, select Remote Actions/Diagnostics.

To view the results of Remote Action


2 View the results of the remote action by using one of the following methods:

■ Click the Action Results icon on the message column.

■ Click the wrench icon

■ In the Tools Menu column. From the pop-menu select Action Results

Note When the DD is edited and renamed, then the display of the DD output of theassociated events from the BMC ProactiveNet Operation Console is not shown.

Macros for Remote ActionThe command option while creating a remote action lets you define the followingparameters:

■ $device - Device name

Generating Remote Action results


■ $srcip - This is the IP of the source agent on which the monitor instance isrunning. If there is no Source Agent attribute for a monitor or if it is a Non PNETEvent, then this will be the IP of the device

■ $targetip - This is the IP of the TargetIP attribute available for the monitorinstance. If there is no TargetIP attribute for the monitor or if it is a Non PNETEvent, this will be N/A

■ $ip - If there is an attribute Target IP for the monitor, $IP will show the ServerIP. Ifthere is no TargetIP attribute, this will be the Device IP.

■ $instancename - The name of the monitor instance while creating/updating amonitor instance.

■ $monitortype - Name of a Monitor Type created by BMC ProactiveNet developersor external developers if users write an SDK monitor.

■ $rulename - event rule name that triggers this command. This is applicable only ifthe diagnostic command was triggered by an event rule. If not, a N/A would bedisplayed as a result for this parameter.

■ $pronethome - Home directory where BMC ProactiveNet software is installed.

■ $status - The status of an event (Open or Closed). Applicable only when thediagnostic command is triggered from Event List page and Event history page.From other pages, N/A will be displayed as output for this parameter.

■ $severity - The severity of an event (Critical, Major, Minor). Applicable only whenthe diagnostic command is triggered from Event List page and Event historypage. From other pages, N/A will be displayed as output for this parameter.

■ $mc_ueid - The universal event identifier. When an event is propagated, thereceiving cell gets a new local identifier, event_handle, but the event keeps the olduniversal identifier mc_ueid. For example, t2000-alr-2356.

— Events that are BMC ProactiveNet events have the format as <host><number>.

— Events that are BMC ProactiveNet abnormalities have the format as<host><number>.

— Events that are BMC ProactiveNet external/imported events have the format as<host><number>.

■ $mc_location - Location at which the managed object resides. For example,labs.bmc.com

■ $mc_host - Fully qualified name of the host on which the problem occurred. Forexample, t2000.labs.bmc.com

Macros for Remote Action


■ $mc_host_address - Network address corresponding to the mc_host slot. Forexample, 172.23.30.78

Note This slot can contain some other type of information in which a host value isnot meaningful.

■ $mc_object_class - Identifies the class of an object. For example, Windows Process.If the object class cannot be derived from the original event, it should be filled induring enrichment.

■ $mc_object - Subcomponent of the host to which the event is related. For example,http://www.bmc.com or Drive = C:\Program Files\ProactiveNet, Target IP/HostName = 172.22.173.108

■ $mc_tool_class - A user-defined categorization of the tool reporting the event. Forexample, the mc_tool_class value for an SNMP adapter could be SNMP. And themc_tool_Class value for an NT EventLog Adapter might be NT_EVLOG. Themc_tool_class value for native events is PNET. For BMC ProactiveNet events, thisslot contains the string PNET.

■ $mc_tool - Any event is within any value that can further distinguish whether theevent is coming from within a mc_tool_class value. For example, for the NT EventLog Adapter, it could be the name of the log to which the incident was logged. Ifthe mc_tool_class is a management tool such as PATROL or ITO, then the mc_toolshould be a string that enables an action on the event to initiate a communicationin context with the mc_tool. For BMC ProactiveNet events, this slot contains thefully-qualified DNS name of the BMC ProactiveNet Server.

■ $status - Status value of the event.

■ $severity - Severity value of the event.

■ $mc_priority - Current priority of the event. Possible value include PRIORITY_5 isconsidered as lowest priority, PRIORITY_4,PRIORITY_3,PRIORITY_2,PRIORITY_1 are considered as highest priority.

Note Macros are whole-word substitutions and do not work the way regularexpressions does.The given example illustrates the usage of macros in general.For example on usage of $MC_PRIORITY. If $MC_PRIORITY is used as /tmp/$MC_PRORITY, the macro replacement will not work.The correct usage for this macro is $MC_PRIORITY as a standalone word. Itwill not work if you use suffixes or prefixes with the macro.

■ $msg - Text description of the event. For example, Sybase ASA IntelliscopeForced Commits, 7.370 per sec is above All Baseline.

Macros for Remote Action


■ $mc_notes - List of free text annotations added to the event. The contents of thisslot is implementation dependant. Rules or users should not rely on a particularvalue in this slot.

■ $mc_long_msg - BMC ProactiveNet events, more information is stored inmc_long_msg.

■ $mc_owner - Current user assigned to the event.

■ $mc_origin_class - Identifies the event management system type. This slot mayhave the same value as the mc_tool_class slot if this is only a two-layerimplementation.

Troubleshooting remote actionsThis section provides information to help you troubleshoot issues that you mightencounter when implementing remote actions in your environment.

Executing reboot command via remote action results intimeout messages

When you execute the reboot command on a remote system, you may receive atimeout message on an action result event even though the remote system wasrebooted successfully.

For example, if you execute a reboot action without specifying the execute_userparameter in the credential_repository.xml, the remote system is rebooted, but theServer does not receive a response from the remote system. Because it does notreceive any response, it displays a timeout message, such as exit code 111: Timeoutoccurred while reading commands output.

If you execute a reboot action by specifying the execute_user parameter in thecredential_repository.xml, the remote system is rebooted, but the Server also doesnot receive a response from the remote system. The server cannot determine whetherthe lack of a response is due to a timeout or some other failure such as loss of anetwork connection. In this context, it displays a message, such as exit code 1007:Encountered error while waiting for system response. May be timedout.

Troubleshooting remote actions


Remote actions\diagnostics exit codesThe following table describes the common error codes that could be displayed whileexecuting the remote actions.

Table 11: Remote actions\diagnostics error codes

Error code Description

2001 Wrong command prompt for the specified protocol or timeoutoccurred while waiting for the command prompt.

1007 Encountered error while waiting for system response. Action may havetimed out.

1006 Action timeout for the run remote task

1004 Remote action has failed. Check the log file $PRONTO_HOME /logs/ias/ias0.log for additional information.

1003 Invalid credentials for SSH

1002 Protocol not available. Unable to connect to host. Connection refused.

129 Binary command not found in path

125 Invalid credentials for SSH

121 Error when trying to connect with the PsExec service

120 PsExec protocol issue: client or server is down

111 Action timeout occurred for Run task. The timeout occurred whilereading the command output.

99 Credentials not found

0 Remote action executed successfully

-1 Remote action execution is pending. User Response: Press F5 to refresh.Exit code returns to 0.

-2 ExecuteActionException. Check the log file $PRONTO_HOME /logs/ias/ias0.log for additional information.

-3 ExecuteActionException. Check the log file $PRONTO_HOME /logs/ias/ias0.log for additional information.

-4 Event deviceID is invalid

-8 Invalid device ID

-9 Invalid credentials for SSH

-10 Unable to get device credentials for device ID

-12 Could not retrieve command arguments for actionID

Remote actions\diagnostics exit codes


Error code Description

-13 Unable to retrieve remote action details for actionID or DetailedDiagnostics not available and may have been deleted

-14 Unable to retrieve remote action details for actionID





Setting up diagnostic commands

Diagnostics wizardLaunched from the Diagnostics Wizard option in the Administration Console andtriggered from the Operations Console, this powerful diagnostics feature helpsidentify problems by executing specific commands registered on the BMCProactiveNet system. Unlike scripts that are used in the Monitor Wizard, user-defined 'diagnostic' scripts are not restricted to numeric data, but may also containtext. Defining this type of command is appropriate when there is a large amount ofdata that may not be well-defined, but is useful for diagnosing a problem. Forexample, returning the output of a netstat command.

User-defined diagnostic commands are extremely valuable in helping isolate aproblem, which would not be possible to do using only statistical data returned frommonitors.

Consider the system commands normally run on a system when troubleshooting aparticular problem. These are the same commands you may want to integrate withBMC ProactiveNet as a 'diagnostic' command to leverage the full power of BMCProactiveNet infrastructure.

BMC ProactiveNet offers two types of registered commands:

■ Preconfigured Commands

■ User-defined Commands

These diagnostic commands can be launched (on any agent) from the OperationsConsole on demand or can be auto-triggered when tied to an Event Rule. When adiagnostic is auto-triggered, the output of the script is auto-saved and correlatedwith the event. The output appears in block text format. Refer Event RuleManagement for more details on setting up auto-triggered diagnostics.

For example, if a Web server in your network is suddenly receiving a flood ofconnections, you might normally run the 'netstat -an' command to view the source of

6

Chapter 6 Setting up diagnostic commands 151

connections. Rather than require this domain knowledge to be remembered by allusers, and simultaneously require them to manually access each computer in thenetwork, you can register these commands with BMC ProactiveNet. This enablesusers to have centralized Web access to these troubleshooting scripts. This saves timein isolating problems and enables greater leverage of domain knowledge.

A diagnostic command registered using Diagnostics Wizard (AdministrationConsole) is displayed as an available tool in the Tools menu (Operations Console).

For executing a DD, the user account associated with the corresponding monitorrequires Read access to the various tables in the database.

Note

■ Do not begin a detailed diagnostic command name with a number or specialcharacter if you are going to associate it with an event rule. Such commands donot get executed.

■ DD's are listed under a device based on Detailed Diagnostics (DD) againstOperating System association. Monitor type against DD association will be usedonly when the DD's are shown against a monitor instance.

Script Note

■ It is the responsibility of the administrator to ensure that the required scripts areaccessible to BMC ProactiveNet Agent.

■ Do not begin a detailed diagnostic command name with a number or specialcharacter if you are going to associate it with an event rule. Such commands donot get executed.

Register a user-defined Script command

Follow the procedure given below to register a command.

To register a user-defined script command

1 In the Administration Console, select Tools => Diagnostics Wizard => Script

Script


■ The Diagnostics Command window appears. Available commands, if any, willbe listed on the window.Button Options

—Add - Click this to add a new command.

—Edit - Click this to modify a previously registered command.

—Delete - Click this to remove the command from the system.

—Cancel - Click this to exit the Diagnostics Wizard.

2 Click Add. The Add Command window appears.

3 Fill in the required information on the configuration screen.

■ Name - Specify a unique name to the command you are adding.

■ Processing Options - Command or URL

■ URL option lets you add URL addresses. Parameters are also applicable to thisoption.For example: http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=$instancename&d=t . If this URLis launched against a monitor instance with instance name SUNW, it launchesYahoo's stock quote page for Sun Microsystems.The Command option lets you define the following system parameters:

—$pronethome - Home directory where BMC ProactiveNet software is installed.

—$ip - IP address of the device. If the diagnostic command triggered by eventrule or the diagnostic command invoked from the event matrix or “AllEvents” then the value of this parameter is the IP address of the source agentfor the monitor associated with the event.

—$device - Device name.

—$targetip - IP address of the target device. If the target device is notapplicable, “N/A” will be displayed.

—$scrip – IP address of the source agent.

—$instancename - Also known as Monitor Instance Name. It is the namegiven by a BMC ProactiveNet Administrator when creating/updating amonitor instance.

—$monitortype - Name of a Monitor Type created by BMC ProactiveNetdevelopers or external developers if users write an SDK monitor.

Script


http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=$instancename&d=t

—$rulename - Also known as the Event Rule name. This is the event rule thattriggers this user command. This is applicable only if the diagnosticcommand was triggered by an event rule. If not, a 'N/A' would be displayedas a result for this parameter.

—$status - The status of an event (Open or Closed). 'Normal' will be displayedif there is no event.

—$severity - The severity of an event (Critical,Major, Minor). 'Normal' will bedisplayed if there is no event.

Instance Input Configuration Parameters

Input Configuration Parameters for the monitor instance also serve as usefulparameters for user-defined scripts. To access the parameters, you must know theirnames internal to BMC ProactiveNet. The procedure to obtain the names isdescribed as follows:

■ Run the command pw device help -mlist to obtain a list monitor names.Monitor type names are in the extreme right column of the output.Run the command pw export meta config MonitorTypeName to retrieve a listof configuration parameters for the given monitor type.For example:

$ pw export meta config MSSQLServerQueryMSSQLServerQuery (25061) CONN_TYPE (250602) DATA_SOURCE (250606) DB (250611) INI_FILE (250603) INSTANCE_NAME (250601) PASSWORD (250605) PORT (250610) PW_MON_VER (250626) SQL (250607) SRCIP (250615) TARGETIP (250693) USER_NAME (250604)

With this monitor type, the possible parameters are $INSTANCE_NAME,$USER_NAME, $PASSWORD, $PORT, etc.

Note If you use this option, you must ensure that this command is attached to theright monitor type. In this example, the command should only be attached to'MS SQL Server Query'. Refer 'attaching the command under a 'Monitor Type'section for further information.

Example command:/usr/bin/sh -c 'cd /home/kchong; find . -name "*.java" -print' $pronethome/scripts/querydb.sh $USER_NAME $PASSWORD $PORT

Script


■ Show Output - This option is displayed only if Command is selected as theProcessing Option. Determines whether to display the output or not whileexecuting the command. If this option is not selected, BMC ProactiveNet launchesthe script without waiting for its completion, but reports back right away whetherthe script has been successfully launched or not. There is a default timeout periodof 300 secs for executing a user command.

Note If the operation times out, the script that is still being executed on the agent isterminated.

■ Configuration Diagnostic - Select this option to qualify this Detailed Diagnosticcommand to be run with every configuration poll of select system monitors (AIX,HPUX, Linux, Solaris, Windows, and X86).

■ Timeout - Specify the duration (between 5 and 55 minutes) the system must waitbefore timing out this command.

■ Agent from which CMD is launched - This option is displayed only if Commandis selected as the Processing Option. When you are registering a command, youmust select the Agent where this command will be executed. In using a URL theagent selection is not required. You need not select an agent if you are registeringa URL.

■ Use Agent on which the monitor is running - This enables running the commandon the agent to which the command’s monitor belongs.

■ Prompt for Agent - In this case, the Agent is known when the command is beingexecuted. This option is ignored if the command was triggered by an event rule. Itdefaults to as if the first option was selected.

■ Predefined Agent - Choose the Agent from the list of predefined agents.

■ Use Agent on which the monitor is targeted – This enables running the commandon the agent to which the command’s monitor is targeted.

1 Click Next.Select the Device OS on the new window.

—The left list contains all available OS.

—The right list contains all selected OS.

—Click >> to move a selected OS from the left list to the right.

—Click << to move a selected OS from the right list to the left.

—Select All to select all items in the left list.

Script


—Select None to not attach any specific OS type.

2 Click Next after selecting the required OS.

—The left list contains all available Monitor Types.

—The right list contains all selected Monitor Types under which you want toattach this command.

—Click >> to move a selected monitor from the left list to the right.

—Click << to move a selected monitor from the right list to the left.


—Select None to not attach any specific monitory type.

Note If you choose to use instance configuration parameters to define thecommand, the parameters selected should be in the monitor type selected.

3 Click Next. Select the User Groups on the new screen.

—The left list contains all available User Groups.

—The right list contains all selected User Groups.

—Click >> to move a selected User Group from the left list to the right.

—Click << to move a selected User Group from the right list to the left.


—Select None to not attach any specific User Group.

Note The access permissions that are set while defining the User groups takesprecedence, that is, if the user group is defined with “All Diagnostics” in theDiagnostics tab, then the newly created diagnostics will be available to thoseuser groups irrespective of whether they are selected/non-selected in theAdd to User Group screen in the Add Command module of the Diagnosticswizard.

4 Click Finish.This registers the commands with BMC ProactiveNet Server and opens a 'Test'window, if the command type is 'Command'.

Script


5 Click Transfer. No need to define script if you use this option.To transfer the script, see Transfering files to agentsAfter a script monitor isdefined, the corresponding script(s) and any dependent file(s) need to bedeployed on the required agent(s) so that monitor instances may be created andrun from those agents. Script(s) and any dependent file(s) needed for theoperation of Script DDs may also need to be deployed on required agent(s) inorder to run those DDs on those agent(s). A need may also arise to distributearbitrary file(s) (Example: keystore file containing new self-signed or CA-signed certificates) from BMC ProactiveNet Server to various connected agents.This can be done using the transfer files to agents functionality. Transfer Filesto Agents enables the user to select files that need to be transferred to agent(s)and optionally also specify a single destination directory on the agent(s) whereall the files will be transferred. The user can also select the agent(s) to transferfile(s). If you do not have the proper access rights, then the Transfer files toagents feature is disabled. .Once transferring is finished BMC ProactiveNet returns to Test Your Commandscreen.

6 Test the Command in the Test Your Command window.

a From the Source Agent list, select the Agent on which you want to test thecommand.

b Use Target IP to execute the command on the given target IP. If the requiredTarget IP is not available in the list, use 'Edit Target IP', which will bringeditable Target IP text fields as shown in the Administration console, fromthe list. This is applicable only if $ip is one of the parameters.

c Click Test to invoke a test.

The output is displayed in the Output area and the status is displayed at thebottom of the window. Data returned from the Detail Diagnostic history outputis ordered by the timestamp when the data is gathered.

■ Server Time - Time when the action is triggered.

■ Agent Time - Time when the agent actually executes the action. Agent Time couldbe different from the Server Time for the following reasons:The Agent is a remote agent and its time is different from the server's.The Agent is a local agent but the action didn't take place immediately after theevent has occurred. Depending on the state of the server, a busy server couldcause some delay.

1 Click Ok to close the window and bring up a list of all commands that havebeen registered.These diagnostic commands will now be available from the OperationsConsole's Tools menu as well as from the Event Rule Creation/Edit page.

Script


a Check Event Summary tables.Verify that the command is available in the Tools menu from the Device Matrix,Service Matrix, and All Events tables. If it is present, then the new command isavailable for use.

Note From the Service Matrix table you need to drill down to the Show Monitor levelto access the Tools menu.

You can now:

— Execute this command manually from the Tools menu, and

— Attach it to an event rule so that it executes automatically when an event istriggered (recommended).

Note These commands will only be displayed in the Tools menu against themonitor types where the diagnostic was registered.

1 Attach Script Command to an Event Rule.

Once you register the Script Command, it is recommended that you attach it to anevent rule so that it executes automatically when an event is triggered. Check thethresholds to ensure that the attributes you want are enabled.

1 Options => Edit Thresholds

2 Modify the default settings, if necessary.

3 Select Enabled for the attributes required.

4 Click Apply.

a Create the Event Rule.Once you have selected and edited the thresholds as required, you can create therule and attach it to an event.

1 Click Options => Event Rule Admin. A list of default scripts appears on theEvent Rule Administration screen. These are the Preconfigured Commands thatcome with BMC ProactiveNet.

2 Click Add. The Create Event Rule screen is displayed.Follow the instructions to create and attach the event rule to the new commandyou just registered.Diagnostics that are auto-triggered have their output saved in the database andthis info is easily accessible from the Diagnostics column in the Event Summary

Script


table. The Diagnostics Double Arrow icon is displayed when an event has beentriggered. When it is displayed, click the Double Arrow icon to show thediagnostic output. If this column displays None, then there are no diagnostics forthat event.

Editing script commands

Perform the following procedure to edit script commands.\

To edit script commands

1 In the Administration Console, select Tools => Diagnostics Wizard => Script.This launches the Diagnosis Command screen with a list of all available commands.

2 Highlight the command you want to edit and click Edit.

3 Make necessary changes.

4 Test your changes.

5 Click Ok.

Deleting script commands

Peform the following procedure to delete script commands.

To delete script commands

1 In the Administration Console, select Tools => Diagnostics Wizard => Script.The Diagnosis Command screen displays with a list of available commands.

2 Highlight the command you want to delete and click Delete.

3 Click Ok.

Creating a detailed diagnostic script for Windows

Perform the following procedure to create a detailed diagnotic script to be run onWindows computers.

Script


To run a Detailed Diagnostic script on Windows host

1 Add the path of the executable/batch file in the Command field.

■ The batch/executable file is basically a pointer to the main script. Example, torun a script (filename basic.java),

2 Write a batch file/executable with the following info:set classpath=d:\nataraj\java java -classpath d:\nataraj\java basic

■ The final script to execute is basic.java, which is available under d:\nataraj\java.

3 Save the batch file/executable (Example, first.bat) at a particular destination(ensure that the final script is accessible from this location).

4 To run the script (basic.java), enter the following in the Command field:

■ fileLocationPhysicalPath\first.batWhen you run the test, BMC ProactiveNet executes first.bat, which in turnexecutes basic.java file.

Log fileThis template-based diagnostic tool enables you to create user-defined log file searchcommands without having to write scripts. The total number of lines displayed inthe output for all matches of all files in a given instance is limited to 100,000characters. Irrespective of the number of files scanned or the number of matchesfound, the implementation always restricts the output to this global value. Analysisof log file monitors shows that more than 100,000 characters being pushed into thedatabase at same time affects database performance.

Note

■ While 'Log File Search DD' can match for patterns in any file, it displays correctoutput only for files containing all printable characters. This is because of XMLparser limitations. If the searched file contains non-printable characters, theoutput may not be displayed correctly.

■ Do not begin a Detailed Diagnostic command name with a number or specialcharacter if you are going to associate it with an event rule. Such commands donot get executed.

Log file


Registering a user-defined log file command

Follow the procedure given below to register a log file command.

To register a user-defined log file command

1 In the Administration Console, select Tools => Diagnostics Wizard => Log File

■ This launches the Create Log File Search Diagnostics window. Availablecommands, if any, will be listed on this window.Button Options

—Add: Click this to add a new command.

—Edit: Click this to modify a previously registered command.

—Delete: Click this to remove the command from the system.

—Cancel: Click this to exit the Diagnostics Wizard.

2 Click Add. The Add Command window appears.

a In the Name field, enter a unique name for the search and click Add.

The Add Log File Search window is displayed.

b Log File - select the file to be searched.

■ Alternatively,

For input = '*', the system reads the most recent file.

For input = '<prefix> + *', the system retrieves all files with names containing<prefix>

For input = '* + <suffix>', the system retrieves all files with names containing<suffix>

c Match on Regular Expression - This pattern is used to sort and retrieve linesfrom the specified file.

However,

For input = '*', the system retrieves all lines from the file. In this case, advancedfilters will not be available.

Log file


For input = '<valid pattern>', the system sequentially parses the file contentand retrieves matches. Additional filters available in the Advanced section canbe applied for more specific search.

d Negative Pattern Match - This acts as an additional sort filter for displayingoutput.

e Match Case Sensitivity - Select this to enable case-sensitivity for the search.Select this to make the search case-sensitive.

Advanced - The filters below work in tandem to further refine the search.

f Show +/- - The number of lines before and after the match to be considered foroutput. This value is restricted to a maximum of 1500.

g Limit search to the last “X” lines of the file - This limits the search to thespecified number of lines in the file. This value is restricted to a maximum of50,000.

h Limit output to “X” matches - This limits the search output to the specifiedmaximum. This value is restricted to a maximum of 50,000.

Note For optimum system performance and output accuracy, enter valuesjudiciously in the Advanced section. Very large values may result in the actiongetting timed out (Timeout is set to 5 mins), and the displayed result may notbe complete (the system truncates output to 100,000 characters).

i Click Apply. This displays the Add Command window again.

3 Select Configuration Diagnostic option to qualify this Detailed Diagnosticcommand to be run with every configuration poll of select system monitors (AIX,HPUX, Linux, Solaris, Windows, and X86).

4 In the Timeout field, specify the duration (between 5 and 55 minutes) the systemmust wait before timing out this command.

5 Choose the agents on which the log files will be searched.

a Select Use Agent on which monitor is running option.

b Alternatively, select a predefined Agent from the list.

6 Click Next.

7 On the window that is displayed, select device types. Use this window to attachthe command under a 'Device Type'.

Log file


■ Move the device types from the left panel to the right.

■ The left list contains all available Device Types.

■ The right list contains all selected Device Types under which you want toattach this command.

■ Click >> to move a selected monitor from the left list to the right.

■ Click << to move a selected monitor from the right list to left list.

■ Select All to select all items in the left list.

■ Select None to not attach any specific monitory type.

8 Click Next.

9 Select Monitor Types.

■ Move the monitor types from the left to the right panel.

■ The left list contains all available Monitor Types.

■ The right list contains all selected Monitor Types under which you want toattach this command.

■ Click >> to move a selected monitor from the left list to the right.

■ Click << to move a selected monitor from the right list to the left.

■ Select All to select all items in the left list.

■ Select None to not attach any specific monitory type.

10 Click Next.

■ Select the User Group as specified in the previous screens.

Note The access permissions that are set while defining the User groups takesprecedence, that is, if the user group is defined with “All Diagnostics” in theDiagnostics tab, then the newly created diagnostics will be available to thoseuser groups irrespective of whether they are selected/non-selected in the Addto User Group screen in the Add Command module of the Diagnostics wizard.

11 Click Finish.

Log file


■ This registers the commands with BMC ProactiveNet Server and opens a 'Test”window if the command type is 'Command'.

12 Test the Command on the Test Your Command window.

■ From the Source Agent list, select the 'Agent' on which you want to test thecommand.

■ Use Target IP to execute the command on given target IP. If the required TargetIP is not available in the drop down list, select Edit Target IP from the listwhich displays editable Target IP text fields as shown in the AdministrationConsole. This is applicable only if $ip is one of the parameters.

■ Click Test to invoke a test.

■ The output is displayed in the Output section of the window and the status isdisplayed at the bottom. Click Ok to close the window and display a list ofcommands that have been registered. These diagnostic commands will now beavailable from the Operations Console tools menu, but ONLY to users whohave access control privileges to execute commands.

13 Check Event Summary tables.

■ Verify that the command is available on the Tools menu from the DeviceMatrix, Service Matrix, and All Events tables. If it is present, then the newcommand is available for use.

Note From the Service Matrix table you need to drill down to the Show Monitor levelto access the Tools menu.

You can now:

—Execute this command manually from the Tools menu, and

—Attach it to an event rule so that it executes automatically when an event istriggered (recommended).

Note These commands are displayed in the Tools menu against the monitor typeswhere the diagnostic was registered.

14 Attach the script command to an event rule.

■ Once you have registered the Script Command, it is recommended that youattach it to an event rule so that it executes automatically when an event istriggered. Check the thresholds to ensure that the attributes you want are enabled.

Log file


a Click Options => Edit Thresholds.

b Modify the default settings, if necessary.

c Select Enabled for the attributes required.

d Click Apply.

15 Create the event rule.

■ After you have checked and edited the thresholds as required, you can createthe rule and attach it to an event.

a Click Options => Event Rule Admin.

■ A list of default scripts appears on the Event Rule Administration screen.These are the Preconfigured Commands that come with BMC ProactiveNet.

b Click Add.

■ The Create Event Rule screen appears. Follow the instructions on how tocreate and attach the event rule to the new command you just registered,which is described in the Adding Event Rules section.

Editing a log file command

Perform the following procedure to edit a log file command.

To edit a log file command

1 In the Administration Console, select Tools => Diagnostics Wizard => Log File.

■ The Command window displays with a list of available commands.

2 Highlight the command you want to edit and click Edit.

3 Make necessary changes.

4 Test your changes.

5 Click Ok.

Log file


Deleting a log file command

Perform the following procedure to delete a log file command.

To delete a log file command

1 In the Administration Console, select Tools => Diagnostics Wizard => Log File.

■ The Command window displays with a list of available commands.

2 Highlight the command you want to delete and click Delete.

3 Click Ok.

Preconfigured commandsPreconfigured commands are displayed in the Operations Console under the Toolsmenu.

Refer to the BMC ProactiveNet Data Adapater and Monitor Guide for more information.

User-defined commandsCustom user-defined commands are registered through the Administration Consoleusing the Diagnostics Wizard option on the Tools menu. Once defined, bothpreconfigured commands and user-defined commands can be run using the Toolsmenu in the Operations Console.

There are two user-defined command options from which to choose:

■ Script CommandUse this option to create custom script-based commands that can be executedthrough the Operations Console under the Tools menu or Event Rules.

■ Log File CommandUse this option to create custom Log File Search commands that can be executedthrough the Operations Console under the Tools menu or Event Rules.

Once defined, you can use the Diagnostics Wizard tool to add a new command, edita previously registered command, or delete a command from the system.

Preconfigured commands


To leverage the diagnostics feature to its full potential, it is recommended that youconfigure Event Rules to trigger your diagnostic command. Whenever possible thisshould be set up to trigger off of the signature thresholds (as opposed to justabsolute thresholds), since signature thresholds detect abnormalities that are notusually caught by absolute thresholds. Triggering diagnostics through signaturethresholds ties the power of diagnostics with the power of BMC ProactiveNet’sprobable cause correlation capabilities.

These commands, when attached to event rules, automatically launch when eventconditions are met.

Note URL Diagnostic Commands, or other Custom commands requiring user interactionat run time, should not be used with Event Rules, since these commands will beignored by the system. The best way to capture the desired

information and run a diagnostics against a Web site is to write a program/scriptand run it against the site.

■ Remote Diagnostics CommandUse this option to create Remote Commands that can be executed through theOperations Console under the Tools menu or Event Rules.

Configuration of poll driven detaileddiagnostics

While creating Script or log file detailed diagnostic commands, the optionConfiguration Diagnostic enables you to make them available to be run with everyconfiguration poll. Such commands are referred to as Configuration poll drivendetailed diagnostics. For information on creating such commands, refer Script andLog File Detailed Diagnostic topics.

BMC ProactiveNet enables you to run Detailed Diagnostic commands in thefollowing situations:

■ On Demand - The commands can be run (on any agent) from the OperationsConsole (Tools menu)

■ Auto run - When the commands are associated with an event rule

■ Periodic basis - When the commands are defined to be run with everyconfiguration poll. This can be set from the Control tab of select monitors usingthe Configuration Diagnostic field. The Detailed Diagnostic commands are runonce the configuration poll has been completed successfully.

Configuration of poll driven detailed diagnostics


The advantage of running Detailed Diagnostic commands on a periodic basis is thatdata is collected at regular intervals and most of this data can be considered as datacollected under normal conditions. This helps us compare data collected undernormal conditions with data from abnormal situations. For example, when data iscollected from commands auto run with an event rule.

This feature is available only for the following monitors:

■ Linux System monitor

■ Solaris System monitor

■ Windows System monitor

■ X86 Solaris System monitor

Data collected from Configuration Poll Driven Detailed Diagnostics can be viewedfrom the following pages of the Operations Console:

■ Graph Display page

■ Probable Cause Analysis for selected Event page

The Monitor Information tab of the Graph Display page displays the columnConfiguration Diagnostic for monitors that support configuration poll-drivendetailed diagnostic commands.

Click the Detailed Diagnostic icon in the configuration diagnostic column to displaythe Configuration Detail Diagnostics information for the monitor. The columndisplays None if no Detailed Diagnostics command is associated with the monitor.

For a Configuration Poll Detailed Diagnostic command output, the Server Time andAgent Time are the same.

However, the Date Executed column displays the time on the BMC ProactiveNetServer computer when the Detailed Diagnostic command output was received fromthe agent. This time will be equal to the Server Time and Agent Time of thecommand output if it was executed on the local agent. This time of execution of theDetailed Diagnostic command may be different from the Server Time and AgentTime if the command was executed on a remote agent.

Clicking the Diagnostics icon on the Probable Cause Analysis for Selected Eventpage displays the result of the Detailed Diagnostics command associated with theevent rule in the Detail Diagnostics window.

Clicking the Configuration Diagnostics icon in the Detail Diagnostics windowdisplays the results of the periodically run Configuration poll driven detaileddiagnostic commands for the monitor. The Diagnostics column displays None if no



Detailed Diagnostic command was triggered for this event rule and the DetailDiagnostic icon if a Detail Diagnostic command was triggered for the event rule.

Limitations

■ You cannot stop running a periodic Detailed Diagnostic command when themonitor with which it is associated is functioning.

■ Configuration poll driven Detailed Diagnostics cannot be associated withmonitors running on older BMC ProactiveNet Agents (prior to version 7.0).

■ After you edit or delete a Detailed Diagnostic command, edit monitor instances(with which the command is associated to be run at every configuration poll) forchanges to be effective.If you delete a Detailed Diagnostic command, the command is not listed in theControl tab of the Edit <Monitor> screen. However, you must edit the monitorinstance with which the command was associated.If you change a Detailed Diagnostic command name, the old name of thecommand is no longer listed in the Control tab of the Edit <Monitor> screen.Instead, the new name of the command is listed. Enable the command by selectingit in the Control tab.If you don't change the command name but alter the command properties, editthe monitor instance with which the command is associated.

Configuration poll driven Detailed Diagnostics may not run for the firstconfiguration poll for any monitor instance with which the configuration pollDetailed Diagnostic is associated. This usually happens when the agent on which themonitor is running is busy. In such conditions, the configuration poll DetailedDiagnostic output may not be available for the monitor from the MonitorInformation tab of the Graph Display page in the Operations Console. Please waitfor the next configuration poll for the configuration poll Detailed Diagnostic outputto be available.





Administering BMC ProactiveNet

SSL server certificate for Apache serverBMC ProactiveNet Server installs a SSL-enabled Apache Server. The SSL Web serveruses a dummy certificate that needs to be replaced before HTTPS protocol isseriously used.

Creating a Real SSL server certificate for the Apache Server

Perform the following procedure to create a real SSL server certificate for the Apacheserver.

To create a real SSL server certificate for the Apache server

1 Create a RSA private key for your Apache server.

■ This will be Triple-DES encrypted and PEM formatted:$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl genrsa -des3 -out server.key 1024

The private key sizes for SSL must either be 512 or 1024, for compatibility withcertain Web browsers. A keysize of 1024 bits is recommended because keyslarger than 1024 bits are incompatible with some versions of NetscapeNavigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer, and with other browsers that useRSA's BSAFE cryptography toolkit.Back up server.key file and remember the pass-phrase you had to enter at asecure location. You can see the details of this RSA private key via the command:$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl rsa -noout -text -in server.key

2 Create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) with the server RSA private key.

7

Chapter 7 Administering BMC ProactiveNet 171

■ This output will be PEM formatted.$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl req -new -key server.key -out server.csr

Ensure that you enter the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) of the serverwhen OpenSSL prompts you for the 'CommonName', i.e. when you generate aCSR for a Web site, which will be later accessed via https://www.foo.dom/ ,enter 'www.foo.dom' here. You can see details of this CSR via the command$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl req -noout -text -in server.csr

3 Now send this Certificate Signing Request (CSR) to a Certifying Authority (CA)for signing.

■ The result is then a real certificate that can be used for Apache.Here you have two options:

a First, you can let the CSR be signed by a commercial CA like Verisign orThawte. Then you usually have to post the CSR into a Web form, pay for thesigning, and await the signed certificate that you can then store in a server.crtfile. For more information about commercial CAs see:

Verisign: http://digitalid.verisign.com/server

Thawte Consulting: http://www.thawte.com/certs/server/request.html

CertiSign Certificadora Digital Ltd: http://www.certisign.com.br

IKS GmbH: http://www.iks-jena.de/produkte/ca/

Uptime Commerce Ltd: http://www.uptimecommerce.com

BelSign NV/SA: http://www.belsign.be

b Second, you can use your own CA and get the CSR signed by this CA.

Read below on how to get CSR signed by your CA yourself. You can seedetails of the received certificate via the command:

$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl x509 -noout -text -in server.crt

c Now you have two files: server.key and server.crt.

They replace the two corresponding files in /usr/pw/apache/conf/ssl.key/ and /usr/pw/apache/conf/ssl.crt/.

server.csr file is no longer needed.

The Verisign site http://www.verisign.com/support/csr/apache/v00.html alsohas some info on this subject.

SSL server certificate for Apache server


https://www.foo.dom/

http://digitalid.verisign.com/server

http://www.thawte.com/certs/server/request.html

http://www.certisign.com.br

http://www.iks-jena.de/produkte/ca/

http://www.uptimecommerce.com

http://www.belsign.be

http://www.verisign.com/support/csr/apache/v00.html

Removing the pass-phrase at Apache startup time

Since RSA private key inside server.key file is stored in encrypted format for securityreasons, the pass-phrase is required to read and parse this file. When you are surethat your server is secure enough, perform the following procedure.

To remove the pass-phrase at Apache startup time

1 Remove the encryption from the RSA private key while preserving the original file:$ cp server.key server.key.org $ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl rsa -in server.key.org -out server.key

2 Ensure that server.key is now readable only by root:$ chmod 400 server.key

■ Now server.key will contain an unencrypted copy of the key. When Apacheserver starts, it will not prompt you for a pass-phrase. If anyone gets this key,they will be able to impersonate you on the net. So ensure that permissions onthat file are such that only root or Web server user can read it (preferably getyour Web server to start as root but run as another server, and have the keyreadable only by root).

Changing the pass-phrase on the private key file

Here are the commands to accomplish pass-phrase change:$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl rsa -des3 -in server.key -out server.key.new $ mv server.key.new server.key

You will be asked twice for a PEM pass-phrase. At the first prompt, enter the old pass-phrase and at the second prompt enter the new pass-phrase.

Creating and using your own certificate authority (CA)

Perform the following procedure to create and use your own certificate authority.

To create and use your own certificate authority

1 Create a RSA private key for your CA (will be Triple-DES encrypted and PEMformatted):$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl genrsa -des3 -out ca.key 1024



■ Back up ca.key file and remember the pass-phrase you currently entered at asecure location. You can see details of this RSA private key via the followingcommand:$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl rsa -noout -text -in ca.key

2 Create a self-signed CA certificate (X509 structure) with the RSA key of the CA(output will be PEM formatted):$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl req -new -x509 -days 365 -key ca.key -out ca.crt

■ You can see details of this certificate via the following command:$ /usr/pw/apache/bin/openssl x509 -noout -text -in ca.crt

3 Prepare a script for signing.

■ This is needed because the 'openssl ca' command has some strangerequirements and the default OpenSSL config doesn't allow one easily to use'openssl ca' directly.So a script named sign.sh is distributed with apache mod_ssl. Use this script forsigning. Now you can use this CA to sign server CSRs to create real SSLcertificates for use inside an Apache Web server (assuming you already have aserver.csr at hand):$ /usr/pw/apache/openssl/misc/sign.sh server.csrThis signs the server CSR and results in a server.crt file.

Configuring the Apache web server to accept HTTPSconnection only

In case your site does not need a HTTP connection, here are the steps to reconfigureApache.

To configure the Apache web server to accept HTTPS connections

1 cd /usr/pw/apache/conf.

2 Save a copy of the httpd.conf file.

3 Edit the httpd.conf fileto comment out line 292 'Port 80' and line 301 'Listen 80', sothe two lines become '#Port 80' and '#Listen 80'.

4 Restart httpd by running the following command:

■ pw process restart httpd



Note Switching Apache server from HTTP to HTTPS mode requires restarting thesystem. BMC Software recommends due diligence before restarting the system.

Removing the pass-phrase window displayed during Apachestartup

The RSA private key inside the server.key file is stored in encrypted format forsecurity reasons. The pass-phrase window is displayed at startup and every restartbecause the pass-phrase is required to decrypt the RSA private key (so it can be readand parsed). Removing the pass-phrase removes a layer of security from your server- proceed with caution!

To remove the pass-phrase window displayed during Apache startup

1 Remove the encryption from the RSA private key (while keeping a backup copyof the original file) by following the steps given below:$ cp server.key server.key.org$ openssl rsa -in server.key.org -out server.key

2 Ensure that the server.key file is readable only by root:$ chmod 400 server.key

Now server.key contains an unencrypted copy of the key. Directing your server tothe server.key file ensures that the pass-phrase is not prompted for. However, ifanyone gets this key, they will be able to impersonate you on the Internet.PLEASE make sure that the permissions on this file are such that only root or theWeb server user can read it (It is recommended that you start the Web server asroot but run it as another user, and have the key readable only by root).

As an alternative approach you can use the 'SSLPassPhraseDialog exec:/path/to/program' facility. But remember that this is neither more nor less secure.

BMC ProactiveNet SecurityThis section provides details about configuring security for BMC ProactiveNet.

BMC ProactiveNet Security


Securing port communication

Certain BMC ProactiveNet Server ports are used for communication betweenprocesses. Some ports are used by processes running on the server only; these areinternal and need not be accessed by other computers in the network (Event server).For security reasons, BMC Software recommends that all internal ports be madeaccessible only via the loopback address (127.0.0.1). By default, ports that are notrequired by external computers are secured, ie the properties associated with theports are set to the loopback address.

To make BMC ProactiveNet Server accessible to other computers in a network,certain ports on the server must be made available. From a multi-homed computer,BMC ProactiveNet Server processes can be accessed using any of the available IPaddresses.

Table 12: Secure port communication

Port Process Properties Default Procedure to Secureport

Multi-homedcomputer Setup

2638 DatabaseServer

pronet.api.database.hostname( serverInstallDirectory /pw/pronto/conf/pronet.conf)

Availableserver IPaddress

Set the propertyvalue to 127.0.0.1.Then the databaseserver can not beaccessed fromother servers forreporting.

Set the IPaddress of therequired serveras the value ofthe property.

12124 LocalAgent

pronet.apps.agent.portserverInstallDirectory /pw/pronto/conf/pronet.conf

IP addressof theavailableserver

Internal process Set the IPaddress of therequired serveras the value ofthe property.

15000 Rate pronet.rate.hostIp( serverInstallDirectory /pw/pronto/conf/pronet.conf)

127.0.0.1 Internal processused by JServer;secured by default

Port not requiredby an externalcomputer

9149 JServerEventServer

pronet.jserver.event.hostIp( serverInstallDirectory/pw/pronto/conf/pronet.conf)

127.0.0.1 Internal processused by JServer;secured by default


12141 Log Server pronet.apps.logging.logServer.hostnamepronet.apps.logging.logServer.port( serverInstallDirectory/ pw/pronto/conf/pronet.conf)

127.0.0.1 Internal process;secured by default




Port Process Properties Default Procedure to Secureport

Multi-homedcomputer Setup

8093 JBoss JMSServer

( serverInstallDirectory /pw/jboss/server/minimal_jms/conf/jboss-serivice.xml) Line# 58 change bindaddress<attributename=”BindAddress”>{jboss.bind.address}</attribute>

Internal process;secured by default


1100 JBoss JNDI pronet.apps.jboss.bind.address ( serverInstallDirectory/pw/pronto/conf/pronet.conf)

0.0.0.0 Set the propertyvalue to 127.0.0.1.If the BMC AtriumCMDB isintegrated withBMC ProactiveNetand you changethis property, thenthe BMC ImpactModel Designercan notcommunicate withthe publishingserver.


12123 AgentController/ JServercommunication

pronet.apps.agentcontrollerhostIp (serverInstallDirectory /pw/pronto/conf/pronet.conf

127.0.0.1 Internal process;secured by default


Note To retain changes made to properties even after upgrade, copy the values toserverInstallDirectory /pw/custom/conf/pronet.conf file.

Security related FAQs

1 How can I restrict to see only One Console (Operations/Service Mgmt/Enterprise)?The options ‘Enable Operations Console Access Controls,’ ‘Allow EC Display’under general tab, and 'Enable SLO Access Controls’ under SLO tab can be usedto grant/restrict access to only one console.

2 How can I disable the HTTP interface and run BMC ProactiveNet over HTTPSinterface?To disable HTTP interface, configure the Apache configuration file httpd.conf andremove entries for port 80.



3 How can I set up BMC ProactiveNet to use PAM (Pluggable AuthenticationModules) to access computer level credentials?This feature is not available in the current BMC ProactiveNet release.

4 How can I configure the HTML headers to display "Internal FR" label on top ofeach page?This is only partially supported. You can only change the logo and/or navigationbar on the HTML page. For details on this, refer Customize logo on theOperations Console topic.

5 How can I disable the default Pronto account?To disable the default pronto account, simply delete the account after creating anew account with Administrative privileges.

6 Where does BMC ProactiveNet store user names and passwords?User names and passwords are stored in the database on BMC ProactiveNetServer. All passwords are kept in encrypted format.

7 Are user names and passwords accessible via regular database access?Database access to user name and password information is available to only todatabase users with administrative privileges.

8 How to change the BMC ProactiveNet password policy?The following entries in pronet.conf file can be used to set Password strengthpronet.login.minLength=6pronet.login.maxLength=15pronet.login.numericChars=1

9 Where is the HTTPS/SSL private key stored on BMC ProactiveNet Server?This information is stored in a file under /usr/pw/apache/conf/, which can be readonly by the 'root' (BMC ProactiveNet install User) user. Refer Troubleshootingsection for details on working with these keys.

10 How can I print user activity lists?To view user activity on BMC ProactiveNet, print Access.log ( located in usr/pw/pronto/logs directory). These files record information related to user logons,logouts, and logon failures.

11 Does BMC ProactiveNet automatically lock user accounts after certain number offailed logon attempts?BMC ProactiveNet does not lock the user account. However, all logon failures arerecorded in ProactiveNet.log. To lock such accounts, you can write a script todelete the account based on the log file entries.



12 How to restrict the agent so that it will only receive connections from a specificIPAddress?Use the following property in pronet.confpronet.apps.agent.authorizedcontrolleraddress=<ipaddress>

13 How to configure agent controller to present a specific IP Address to an agent ifserver has more than one NIC?pronet.apps.agentcontroller.useIPForAgentConnection=<ipaddress>If the server’s computer has got more than one IP (more than one NIC), set thisproperty to IP address that agent controller will present while connecting to theagent

14 Does BMC ProactiveNet automatically log out users after a certain period ofinactivity? By default, inactive users are logged out of the Operations Console after 24 hours.However, BMC ProactiveNet can be customized globally for all users. Use theproperty pronet.html.globalsession.timeout in pronet.conf file located in usr/pw/pronto/conf directory to configure this value.If you change this property, ensure that you set the same log out period in theTom Cat config file /usr/pw/tomcat/conf/web.xml (line 321).<session-config><session-timeout>1440</session-timeout></session-config>

Restart the httpd process by running the command 'pw p r httpd'.

Note On restarting the httpd process, all users will be logged out.

15 What encryption method is used for storing password information used by BMCProactiveNet monitors?Passwords used by BMC ProactiveNet monitors are protected by PassphraseBased Encryption (PBE) as defined in PKCS#5 version 2.0. This encryption isapplied to passwords stored in the BMC ProactiveNet Server database that maybe used by a monitor to execute a transaction that requires user authentication.

16 How can I configure BMC ProactiveNet Server to run as non-root?Run the script 'configNonRoot' to configure an installed BMC ProactiveNet Serverto run as a non-root user.The script prompts for the new HTTP and HTTPS ports to be used by Apacheserver and performs necessary changes. However, it is important that the initialinstallation be performed by 'root' user. After conversion to non-root, upgradescan be performed by a non-root user. The Apache and Tomcat components of theserver run as user 'nobody'. After running this utility, however, they will run asthe designated user.



Note The server after being changed to run as non-root will have the followinglimitations:

■ Web interface can no longer be accessed on ports 80 or 443; instead, you mustchoose alternate ports above 1024 -- you will be prompted for these ports whenyou run the conversion program "configNonRoot". You can also choose thealternate ports by editing the file /usr/pw/apache/conf/httpd.conf

■ You cannot revert the ownership once you change it to non-root.

■ The local agent also experiences its own limitations in monitoring. More detailson this are provided later in this section.ExampleTo make BMC ProactiveNet Server run as user "john":# csh# source /usr/pronto/bin/.tmcsh# configNonRoot john

Follow the instructions to make BMC ProactiveNet Server run as user "john".The same ConfigNonRoot command can also be run to switch BMCProactiveNet Server from one non-root user to another non-root user.BMC ProactiveNet Server running as a non-root user can be upgraded either bythe same non-root user or by root. If upgraded by the same non-root user, thesame HTTP(S) ports will be used by the Apache Web Server during upgrade.When BMC ProactiveNet Agent - Linux is run as non-root, the followinglimitations are applicable:

—Process monitor will not collect data for certain attributes (such as # filedescriptors), if process being monitored does not belong to the same user asthe agent.

—Ping or Traceroute monitors cannot be run, since these require creation ofraw socket (requires root privileges). However, these utilities can beexecuted from the command line by non-root users only because the stickybit is set, allowing them to run as root no matter who executes them.

—Log File monitor will not work if the user running the agent does not haveread privileges on the log files. The workaround is to assign Read privilegeson the particular log file to "all" or to a particular group.

—Disk Performance Monitor will not work since root privileges are required toread the device files.

17 For enhanced security, Apache server can be configured to accept only SSL v3requests. To accomplish this add the following entry in apache configuration filehttpd-ssl.conf.



SSLProtocol +SSLv3 ( Just above the directive SSLEngine on).

SSL communication between BMC ProactiveNet Server andBMC ProactiveNet Agents

1 Does BMC ProactiveNet include its keystore files as part of the agent and serverSSL communication?Yes, BMC ProactiveNet provides its own keystore files (pnserver.ks andpnagent.ks) as part of the Agent and Server SSL communication. The keystorefiles are stored under:

■ BMC ProactiveNet Server: /usr/pw/pronto/conf

■ BMC ProactiveNet Agent: <Agent Install Directory>/pw/pronto/conf

These files are only available to the root user for Read and Write.

2 Can you replace this keystore certificate with another one?Yes, you can replace this keystore certificate with your own self-signed certificate.

3 How can I replace the keystore certificate with my own self-signed one?To replace the BMC ProactiveNet certificate:

a Create a new keystore and self-signed certificate with corresponding public/private keys.

*keytool -genkey -alias agent_<name> -keyalg RSA -validity 365 -keystore agent_<name>.ks

This is the keystore that BMC ProactiveNet Agent uses.

1 Examine the keystore. Notice the entry type is |keyEntry|, which means that thisentry has a private key associated with it.keytool -list -v -keystore agent_<name>

2 Export and examine the self-signed certificate.*keytool -export -alias agent_<name> -keystore **agent_<name>.ks -rfc -file agent_<name>.cer

3 Import the certificate into a new truststore.*keytool -import -alias agent_<name>cert -file agent_<name>.cer -keystore pnserver.ks



4 Examine the truststore. Note that the entry |trustedCertEntry| has been created.*keytool -list -v -keystore pnserver.kskeytool -export -alias pnca -keystore pnserver.ks -rfc -file pnserver.cerkeytool -import -alias pnca -file pnserver.cer -keystore agent_<name>.ks

5 Copy agent_<name>.ks to the respective pronto/conf directory of the remoteagent computer.

6 Change the following entry in the pronet.conf of the remote agent computer.pronet.apps.ipc.ssl.context.agent.keystore.filename=pronto/conf/agent_<name>.ks

7 Change the following entry in the .ks_pass file present in pronet/conf/ directory ofthe remote computer.pronet.apps.ipc.ssl.context.agent.keystore.passwd=<password provided duringcreation of agent_<name>.ks>

8 Restart BMC ProactiveNet Agent using ./startremotepw multiple from the agent'spronto/bin directory.SSL communication between the agent and agent controller must be successful.

SSL communication architecture

BMC ProactiveNet Agent acts as the SSL server and the agent controller acts as theSSL client. On both the agent and agent controller, a single keystore is used tomanage keys and certificates. The default keystores are pnagent.ks on the agent andpnserver.ks on the server (found in <install directory>/conf directory). The keystorefile contains keyEntries (private keys) and trustedCertKey (public key) to trust theopposite party.

Certificate authentication/trust happens on both the agent and agent controller. Keypairs are generated through the keytool, and self-signed certificates are exportedfrom each keystore file.

The exported certificates are imported to the other party's keystore astrustedCertEntries (the public key of the agent keystore is imported as a trustedentry in the server and vice-versa).

For more information, see SSL TCP/IP Agent on page 57.



Customizing the BMC ProactiveNetOperations Console

This section provides details about ways that you can customize the BMCProactiveNet Operations Console.

Customizing event text

You can customize the Event Rule Name and add it to the event description bymodifying the appropriate strings in the pronet.conf file. This adds an additionalvariable called $EVENTRULE_NAME and causes the event processing system toinsert the name of the event rule into the description.

The properties to modify the Event Rule Name start with the following lines:

■ pronet.events.abs

■ pronet.events.sig

Note Multiple event rules could affect a singe event. In this case, only the first eventrule name gets inserted into the description text.

Event messages may be customized to include additional information in theDescription field of an Event table. By editing the event text template in thepronet.conf file, you can modify the event text and add additional event data to e-mail notifications and event summary links.

The event definitions and default event text can be found in the main configurationfile:/usr/pw/pronto/conf/pronet.conf. However, when making configurationchanges, it is best to place them in the custom configuration file: /usr/pw/custom/conf/pronet.conf.

You can use the definitions in the main file pronet.conf as templates. There are fourtemplates for absolute events and four for signature events.

Customizing the BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console


Note If you make changes to the main pronet.conf file, the changes will NOT be preservedon upgrade, but will be over-written. However, the custom pronet.conf file is alwayspreserved during upgrade. When a BMC ProactiveNet process starts, it first readsthe main pronet.conf file for initialization. It then reads the custom pronet.conf, andany properties defined in the custom file will override the definitions in the mainpronet.conf.

One application of this feature is to provide users with specific procedures to followwhen a problem occurs (i.e., "runbooks"). Such procedures can be referenced as aURL supplied in custom event text.

For example, changing the definition in pronet.conf frompronet.events.abs.abovethresh=$MO_TYPE $ATTR_NAME above $THRESH$UNITS.<$EVENT_CODE,$ABNORMALITY,$AVG,$LAST,$DUR> to

pronet.events.abs.abovethresh=$MO_TYPE $ATTR_NAME above $THRESH$UNITS.

Please see http://helpserver.mycompany.com/runbooks/$MO_TYPE/$ATTR_NAME<$EVENT_CODE,$ABNORMALITY,$AVG,$LAST,$DUR>.

This could be used to reference a Web page on a Web server called 'helpserver' thattells an operator what to do when an event is issued for (example) Solaris SystemMemory Utilization. You could make it even more specific by referring a procedurefor a particular monitor instance, for example:

http://helpserver.mycompany.com/runbooks/$MO_TYPE/$ATTR_NAME/$INSTANCE_NAME

Of course, this would mean creating an extra Web page for each particular monitorinstance that needs its own procedure.

The above examples are simplified and are useful only in notification e-mails sent asASCII. They cannot be used to drill-down from the event summary.

Below is a more sophisticated example that embeds an HTML reference in thedefinition so it can be referenced directly from the event summary. Note that in thisexample the Web server provides dynamic Web content using active server pages:

pronet.events.abs.abovethresh=$MO_TYPE $ATTR_NAME above $THRESH$UNITS.<A HREF http://helpserver.mycompany.com/proserver1/runbook.asp?INST=$INSTANCE_NAME&MOTYPE=$MO_TYPE&ATTR_NAME=$ATTR_NAME>Runbook1</A><$EVENT_CODE,$ABNORMALITY,$AVG,$LAST,$DUR>



Note

■ It is very important NOT to modify the following string: <$EVENT_CODE,$ABNORMALITY,$AVG,$LAST,$DUR>. Modifying this string will adverselyaffect certain operations in the system.

■ Each definition must appear on a single line (ignore the line breaks in the examples).

■ Expanded text appearing after "=" sign should not exceed 254 characters (thislimit is imposed by the database tables). Expanded text is one that already hasvariable substitutions. To prevent this, please avoid using long URL paths forrunbooks pages.

■ To avoid inappropriate navigation or event history generation failure, it isrecommended to have runbooks URL within quotes.

Once the changes are completed, you must restart BMC ProactiveNet Server for thechanges to take effect. Alternatively, you can just start the rate process (pw processrestart rate)., and then restart the snmpdc process (pw process restart snmpdc).

Customizing the logo on the Operations Console

BMC ProactiveNet enables the Administrator to change the ProactiveNet.gif logo onthe Operations Console.

Figure 20 on page 185 shows that the 'ProactiveNet' logo has been changed. Whensuch a change is made, the 'Powered by ProactiveNet' logo is placed on the top rightof the navigation bar. The 'About' link can also be changed to reflect your company’sname and point to a company Web site or other location.

Figure 20: Changing BMC ProactiveNet logo on the Operations Console

The properties files for these GIFs are located in /usr/pw/custom/conf/pronet.conf.Properties not present by default need to be created by the user.

The default GIF size for the logo is 210 X 20 pixels and you must reload theproperties by running the following command:




pronet.conf file contains the following properties:

■ pronet.toplogo=/custom/ART/gui_top_logo.gif

■ pronet.about.href=http://my.about.com

Note If you change the GIFs, the replacement GIFs must be copied from pronet.confand placed in the installDirectory /pw/custom/ART directory. The install scriptwill ensure that your new art files are restored during upgrades (therebypreserving your changes)

Adding background images

BMC ProactiveNet comes with default images that you can use to customize thebackground of the Tile and Canvas views in the Operations Console; however, youcan also add your own images to the BMC ProactiveNet Server and then select thoseimages to display in the Tile and Canvas views.

To add background images

1 On the computer that hosts the BMC ProactiveNet Server, copy the image filesthat you want to add to the following directory:

■ installDirectory \tomcat\webapps\pronto\jsp\swf\assets\backgroundsThe installDirectory variable is the installation directory for the BMCProactiveNet Server.BMC ProactiveNet supports common graphic file types such as .png, .gif,.bmp, .jpg, and .swf.

2 Backup the background.xml file.

■ The file is located in the following directory:installDirectory \tomcat\webapps\pronto\jsp\swf\assets

3 In a text editor that does not add new line characters to a file, open thebackground.xml file.

4 In the <backgroundImages> section of the background.xml file, add an entry foreach new image by entering the name of the image that you want to display in the



Operations Console and the file name of the image, including the path where theimage is located.

■ For example, if you want to add a file named CompanyHQ.gif, then the entryin the background.xml file would be as follows:<backgroundImages>’<image name="Company Headquarters" path="/jsp/swf/assets/backgrounds/CompanyHQ.gif"/>

Ensure that the entries that you add are formatted the same as the entries thatexist in the file. If the background.xml file is not configured correctly, the BMCProactiveNet Server will be unable to read it.

5 Save the background.xml file and close it.

To display the new images in the Tile and Canvas views

1 If you are logged on to the Operations Console, log out, clear the browser cacheand close the browser.

2 Open the browser, and log on to the Operations Console again.

3 Select an object in the Navigation Tree and then select Tile View or Canvas View.

4 Open the Preferences dialog box in the Tile View or Canvas View.

5 In the Background pane of the Preferences dialog box, select the Image check boxand then use the list to select the new background image that you want to display.

Changing the default number of breadcrumbs displayed inthe operations console

By default, the number of breadcrumbs displayed in the operations console is five.Perform the following procedure to change the default value.

To change the number of breadcrumbs displayed in the operations console

1 In a text editor, open the pronet.conf file.

The file is located in the installDirectory\pw\custom\conf directory.

2 Change the value for the following parameter:

pronet.breadcrumb.maximum=5

3 Close and save the pronet.conf file.



4 Enter the following command from a command line:


5 If the operations console is open, refresh the browser to view the change.

Improving performance when the navigation tree is loadedin the operations console

By default, when you open the navigation tree in the operations console, all nodesand subnodes are loaded even if a node is not expanded. If you have a lot of nodesdefined in the navigation tree, you could experience a delay in the navigation treeloading completely. You can change the way that the navigation tree loads byturning on an option called lazy loading. When lazy loading is turned on, a branchin the navigation tree gets loaded only when it is expanded.

To turn on lazy loading


The file is located in the installDirectory\pw\pronto\conf directory.

2 Change the value for the following parameter to True:

pronet.navtree.lazyloading




5 If the operations console is open, refresh the browser to view the change.

Changing the maximum number of configuration items in afolder

By default, a static or dynamic folder can hold a maximum of 500 configurationitems. You can configure this value in the pronet.conf file.



To change the maximum number of CIs in a folder



2 Enter a number for the following parameter:

pronet.max.ci.count=500

WARNING If you enter a value that is more than 500, you might experience performanceissues when folders are loaded into the navigation tree.


4 Restart the jserver.

Configuring the operations console to automatically switchviews

You use the view icons in the operations console to change the views for the objecttypes that you select in the navigation tree. The view stays the same until you selecta different view. Perform the following task to enable a configuration option thatallows the view to be changed automatically. When this option is enabled, theoperations console automatically changes to the default view defined for the objecttype that you select.

You can still use the toolbar to change to other views. The view does not changewhen you select objects of the same type.

To automatically change views when navigating in the operations console



2 Set the following option to true:

pronet.navigation.use.default.view


4 Enter the following command from a command line to reload the property files:




5 If the operations console is open, refresh the browser.

Scheduling downtime Tip

For information on the relation between the Scheduled Down Time feature and theblackout event management policy, see Relation to Scheduled Down Time feature onpage 308.

The Scheduled Down Time feature for devices, monitors, and groups enables BMCProactiveNet administrators to specify a time range during which the monitor,device, or group stops collecting data.

The Scheduled Down Time feature supports multiple schedules with different timeranges.

You can schedule down time for the following frequencies:

■ one-time

■ daily

■ weekly

■ monthly

The scheduler polls the database periodically for downtime events. By default, thisperiod is five minutes; therefore, down-time events cannot be scheduled with finergranularity than five minutes. In addition, if a large number of devices is scheduled,it may take some time for the scheduler to turn off data collection for the scheduleddevices.

To avoid the possibility of false events at the beginning of the maintenance window,BMC ProactiveNet recommends that the downtime event be scheduled 15-20minutes ahead of the actual maintenance period.

Scheduling downtime


Note While scheduling downtime, allow fair time for the device, monitor, or group to stopdata collection. The time taken to stop data collection and then resume datacollection depends on the server load, number of agents, and number of monitorsscheduled for down time.In Windows Day and Time Properties, select Automatically adjust clock for daylightsaving changes. This should always be selected to show the appropriate default timezone.

Note for upgrade users

New and upgrade users have different options available to them in this feature.Upgrade users can still access the Alarm/Event Generation, AlarmRule Action/Notification, and Calculate Baseline options from the Add Device for ScheduledDown Time dialog. For example, upgrade users can

■ stop alarm/event generation

■ stop alarm-related notifications/actions

■ calculate baseline parameters

If an upgrade user turns on the Data Collection option , then the Calculate Baselineoption is enabled. Upgrade users have the option to turn baseline calculation off oron when Data Collection is on. (When Data Collection is off, the Calculate Baselineoption is disabled because there is no data to calculate.)

Usage scenario

A typical data sample can consist of the following test data:

■ Load on BMC ProactiveNet Server: Moderate (system load <1.5)

■ Number of agents scheduled down: 4

■ Number of monitors scheduled down: 1200

■ Scheduled down duration: 45 mins

■ Time taken to stop data collection: 10 - 15 mins

■ Time taken to resume data collection: 1 - 5 mins

To understand the usage of the Scheduled Down Time feature, let us look at thefollowing example:

Scheduling downtime


Assumptions:

■ BMC ProactiveNet is monitoring a web server for availability and response time.

■ The web server is brought down on Sunday between 4 A.M. and 8 A.M. formaintenance.

Operations:

■ During regular monitoring, BMC ProactiveNet will poll for the monitoredattributes and report.

■ During downtime, both availability and response time will not return data andevents may be generated.

■ These events will automatically close after the web server is online again.

Scheduling: The web server downtime can be scheduled as follows:

1 Select web server.

2 Select the Downtime Option. Data collection is on. Alarm/Event generation is on.AlarmRule Action/Notification is off.

3 Frequency is Weekly.

4 Specify the Time and Date as applicable.

5 Add Time Range.

Application: In the above case, BMC ProactiveNet will monitor the Web server foravailability and response time even during the device downtime and generate event/alarm. However, any event/alarm generated during this period will not be notified.

The advantage of this setup is that, BMC ProactiveNet console will display theevents. Once the device is up again, the events will close. Thus the administrator cancheck the system and ensure that the web server is working as expected before thetime to get it online.

However, in case of SLOs defined for availability of this device , data collection canbe switched off to avoid inconsistent SLO compliance calculation.

Adding a downtime schedule

Perform the following procedure to add a downtime schedule.

Scheduling downtime


To add a downtime schedule

1 In the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, select Tools => ScheduleDevice Downtime.

■ Alternatively, in the BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console, launch theScheduled Down Time Administration window. Choose Options =>Administration => Data Collection => Scheduled Down Time => Edit.The Scheduled Downtime Administration window is displayed.All devices/groups that are currently down are highlighted in Red.The exact display of time (for each entry in "Devices Already Scheduled forDown Time" section) may vary depending on the Administration Console(Windows and Solaris).

2 Choose a Filter.

■ You can choose to filter the list by Device or by Group.If you choose to filter by Device, and are monitoring numerous devices, the listcan be quite extensive. You can narrow your device search if Groups have beenset up for your devices.

3 Click Add to open the Scheduler.

■ Next, you specify the duration of the down time. You have the following options:

—one-time setting

—daily

—weekly

—monthly

To specify the duration of the down time

On the Add Device for Scheduled Down Time screen,

1 Select the Device to be scheduled. New users can skip to step 3.

2 Upgrade users only. Select the Downtime Option. These settings govern BMCProactiveNet behavior during the scheduled downtime.

■ Data Collection - Select On or Off to continue collecting data or stop datacollection respectively.

In case data collection is On,

Scheduling downtime


■ Alarm/Event Generation - Specify if BMC ProactiveNet should generate Events/Alarms against the data collected.

In case Alarm/Event Generation is On,

■ Alarm Rule Action/Notification - Specify if BMC ProactiveNet should sendevent notification for the events generated during this period.

In case Calculate Baseline is Off,

■ Calculate Baseline is a scheduled downtime for baseline calculations. Duringthis period, previously calculated baseline is used. The baseline staysunaffected by new data. Hourly baseline is not recalculated and previousvalues are used. Daily and weekly baseline values are recalculated based on thehourly baseline. At the time of baseline calculation, BMC ProactiveNet checksfor the pause period corresponding to the current time. During the pauseperiod, only old values are used. Outside the pause period baseline calculationis performed using current data.

3 Select the Frequency:

Frequency Description

One Time Setting The downtime is scheduled to run once. It is not a recurring setting.

Daily The downtime is scheduled run daily at the specified time.

Weekly The downtime is scheduled weekly at the specified day and time.

Monthly The downtime is scheduled to occur monthly on the specified day andtime.

4 Under Time Pattern field, select the Start and End Date.

■ Manually specify the dates in mm/dd/yyyy format. Alternatively click on thecalendar link and select from the pop-up calendar.

5 Select the Start Time and End Time. By default, the server time is displayed here.

6 From the list, select the Time Zone. By default, the server time zone is displayedhere. When you change the time zone, the Start Time and End Time changeaccordingly. If you change the Time Zone and the corresponding time falls eitherin the previous day or the next day, the Start Date changes accordingly.

Note The Time Zone field displays GMT + Time Zone difference in hours, togetherwith location.

Scheduling downtime


■ For example, from 7.1, Time Zone for Indiana-Starke displays GMT – 05:00 US/Indiana-Starke instead of GMT – 5:00 as in 7.0.

7 Click Add time Range.

8 Click Yes to confirm.

■ To change the specified time and date combinations,

—Select the entry under Time Range Entry.

—Click Remove Time Range.

After specifying the required time and date combination,

9 Click Add.

The system presents various alerts/confirmatory messages. On confirmation,BMC ProactiveNet adds the schedule to the device.

10 Click Yes to confirm the schedule.

11 Click Ok on the 'Added Successfully' message.

■ After defining the required Device Downtime,

12 Click Close to exit the screen.

Editing or deleting a downtime schedule

Once a schedule is set, you can view and edit it by following the procedure given below.

To edit or delete a downtime schedule

1 If the Scheduler is closed, open it from Tools menu on the Administration Console.

■ The Scheduler presents the Devices Scheduled selection. Selection is displayedin red if opened during its own scheduled time.

2 Highlight the device whose schedule you want to change and click Edit. (If youwant to delete the schedule, click Delete.)

3 Modify the schedule as required, and click OK.

Scheduling downtime


Note BMC ProactiveNet does not allow editing of multiple schedules at a time.

To delete a schedule, select the schedule from the list and click Delete.

Special notes

■ Do not perform any operations (monitor creation, flash check, etc) on devicesduring their scheduled downtime. This can result in unexpected behavior anddisplay of invalid data.

■ If the devices data collection is off, schedule downtime has no affect on the devicedata collection.

■ From Release 6.5, editing multiple schedules is not allowed.

■ A schedule cannot be edited while it is active (during downtime).

■ In case of overlapping downtime, data collection resumes after the higherschedule is completed.

■ Example: Consider the following schedules:

■ Weekly: down at 9:00 A.M. - up at 10:30 A.M.

■ Daily: down at 9:30 A.M. - up at 10:00 A.M.

■ In this case, data collection resumes only after 10:30 A.M. (though the dailydowntime is from 9:30 A.M. to 10:00 A.M., we have an overlapping weeklydowntime from 9 A.M. to 10:30 A.M.).

■ In 7.1, Day Light Savings settings have been taken care of. Time settings for thepreviously scheduled downtime might get effected.

Changing the default BMC ProactiveNetAgent TCP control port

The default BMC ProactiveNet Agent TCP control port is 12124. You might need tochange the default TCP control port if it is forbidden by a firewall, or if it is beingused by an existing application. The procedure to change the TCP control port variesby whether the BMC ProactiveNet Agent is installed on Solaris or Windows.

Changing the default BMC ProactiveNet Agent TCP control port


To change the BMC ProactiveNet Agent control port on Solaris

1 On the BMC ProactiveNet Agent Server computer,open the /usr/pw/custom/conf/pronet.conf file in a text editor.

2 Scroll to the # Apps properties section and find (assuming the factory defaultsare still listed) the following entry:

■ pronet.apps.agent.port=12124

Figure 21: Apps properties

3 Change the port to the desired value. For example, from 12124 to 12199.

4 Save the changes and exit the text editor.

5 From a command line, run the following command to restart the BMCProactiveNet Agent:

■ pw agent startThe BMC ProactiveNet Agent stops, then starts again using the revisedpronet.conf file. (Allow several minutes for this action to complete.)

To change the BMC ProactiveNet Agent control port on Windows

1 On the BMC ProactiveNet Agent Server computer, in a text editor, open ProgramFiles\Proactive\Agent\Custom\conf\pronet.conf.

2 Scroll to the following entry (assuming the factory defaults are still listed):

■ pronet.apps.agent.port=12124

3 Edit this entry by replacing the port number to the desired value.

■ For example: change 12124 to 12199.

4 Save the changes and close the text editor.

5 To stop and then re-start BMC ProactiveNet Agent (Windows), navigate to Start=> Settings => Control Panel.

Changing the default BMC ProactiveNet Agent TCP control port


a Double-click the Services icon to launch the Services screen.

b Locate BMC ProactiveNet Agent on the list of services, highlight, then clickStop. Click Yes in the warning message that is displayed.

Status for BMC ProactiveNet Agent changes from Started to (blank).

c With BMC ProactiveNet Agent still highlighted, click Start.

■ Status for BMC ProactiveNet Agent changes from (blank) to Started.

d Close Service and Control Panel windows.

Determining which TCP control ports arebeing used

Before you change or assign a new TCP control port, you may want to determinewhich TCP control ports are already in use on that server. The procedure forretrieving this information depends on whether the server is running Solaris orWindows.

Before you begin

Ensure that all applications on the server that are using TCP control ports are running.

To determine which TCP control ports are in use on a Windows server

1 On a Windows server, access a command line and run the following command:netstat

■ On the command screen, active connections are listed, with the active TCPcontrol ports shown in the Local Address column in the format:pcuser:control_port. For example, the listing hjohnson:12124 indicates that

Determining which TCP control ports are being used


system name hjohnson is running the BMC ProactiveNet Agent on the defaultTCP control port 12124.Figure 22: Active connections

2 Check the TCP control port listings to see if the TCP control port entry that youwant to use is not already in use.

To determine if a TCP control port is in use on a Solaris server

Note

This procedure logs you in as root (Super User), which gives you special privileges.

1 On the UNIX server, access the command line interface and run the followingcommand:

■ netstat -a|grep LISTEN|grep ". control_port "No return indicates port 80 is not being used. Repeat for each of the followingports: 443, 1099, 9149, 12123, 12124, 12125, 12130, and 45000.These ports are required by the ProactiveNet product and if any are used, youneed to resolve the conflict before continuing. Refer Port Configuration Detailssection for more information.

Table 13: Non-configurable (Internal Process) Ports

Control port Description

BMC Software recommends that the following port configuration be not changed.

1099 pronet.rmi.port

8008 Connector port between Apache Web server and Tomcat servlet engine

8009 Connector port between Apache Web server and Tomcat servlet engineused for agent and agent controller tunneling

Determining which TCP control ports are being used


Device application monitors and TCP controlports

The table below shows the TCP Control Ports for each Device Application monitor.These port numbers appear on the configuration screens when you create aparticular Device Application Monitor. In most cases you use the default port, buthave the ability to change a port when necessary.

Table 14: Device Application Monitor TCP Control Ports

Application Port Comment

Port Monitor [Any] Configure monitor for any TCP Control Port

SMTP Monitor 25 Well-known Port

DNS Monitor 53 Well-known Port

Web Monitor 80443

Well-Known Port (http, www)Well-Known Port (https)

POP3 Monitor 110 Well-known Port

NNTP Monitor 119 Well-known Port

IMAP4 Monitor (IMAP)IMAP4IMAP4

143585993

Well-known Port (reserved)no/SSL - Well-known Portw/SSL - Well-known Port

MS-SQL Server Monitor 1433 Microsoft SQL Server registered port

Oracle 8 Monitor 1521 Oracle (nCube License Manager) registered port

Radius Monitor 1645 Radius (Datametrics) registered port

Informix 7.3 Monitor 2055 Informix registered port

Sybase 11 Monitor 4100 Sybase registered port

NT Disk Space Monitor 12124 Agent registered port

NT Process Info Monitor 12124 Agent registered port

NT System Info Monitor 12124 Agent registered port

Check Point Firewall Monitor 18184

Admin tunneling through HTTPIf BMC ProactiveNet Server and Administration Console are on different sides of thefirewall, the default BMC ProactiveNet setup may be affected. In such cases, special

Device application monitors and TCP control ports


configuration may be required - Accessing the Administration Console from aWindows Client through a firewall.

Firewalls and BMC ProactiveNet interfaces

■ Firewalls block a wide range of TCP ports required by one or more BMCProactiveNet UI tools. Usually, this only affects the Administration Consolebecause it requires a wide range of TCP ports for efficient operation. HTMLinterface is usually unaffected by port restrictions because most firewalls allowincoming connections on port 80, which is needed for HTTP (Web browser) access.

■ If a firewall uses NAT (Network Address Translation) whose translation is one-to-one, it causes problems for both the Administration and Operations Console. Toovercome this, certain configuration changes must be made on the server.

■ If BMC ProactiveNet Server is behind a firewall and the NAT translation is many-to-one (i.e., the firewall uses IP masquerading), then it is inaccessible to both theAdministration and Operations Consoles.

Dealing with TCP/IP port restrictions

Port restrictions affect the Administration Console because it uses a Javacommunications protocol called RMI (Remote Method Invocation). TheAdministration Console connects to BMC ProactiveNet Server using one of thedifferent ways listed below:

■ The client first tries to contact the server on TCP port 1099. If the connection issuccessful, the client and server randomly negotiate a free port between 10000 and65000, and then reconnect on that port (the connection on port 1099 is closed).This direct connection is the most efficient form of RMI communication. If a widerange of ports is not available, this first form cannot be used.

■ If the first method fails, the client builds a URL to the server's host and port, anduses an HTTP POST request on that URL, sending the information to the server'smethod skeleton as the body of the POST. This method is slower than the directTCP connection because the HTTP encapsulation adds over-head to the client'sRMI requests.

Note This method requires that Apache proxy be activated on BMC ProactiveNetServer. Refer to instructions on Apache proxy provided at the end of this section.

Admin tunneling through HTTP


■ If the second method also fails, the client builds URLs to the server's HTTP port,using a CGI script that will forward the posted RMI request to the server. This isthe slowest technique because the CGI wrapper adds considerable overhead inaddition to the HTTP encapsulation.

Methods 2 and 3 are noticeably slower than the direct TCP method of remoteinvocation. If the Administration Console operations seem sluggish, the first test youmust try is to attempt a direct connection on port 1099 by running the followingcommand:

telnet BMC ProactiveNet Server.mycompany.com 1099

If the command times out without connecting, then the communication is likely to behappening through some form of HTTP tunneling (method 2 or 3). Under specialcircumstances, it is possible to avoid the tardiness of methods 2 and 3. Thisworkaround, if permissible, would require you to launch ‘pw admin’ from the serverand direct the xwindow output across the firewall to the user's computer. This canbe accomplished by setting the DISPLAY variable to point to the IP address of theuser's console ("setenv DISPLAY 123.45.67.89:0.0") and punching holes through thefirewall for TCP ports 6000-6004 and UDP ports 177 and 32798.

Note The above-mentioned workaround involves some security risk and may not alwayswork. For more information, refer Sunsolve Infodoc 18370.

Dealing with NAT

When BMC ProactiveNet Server and a user are on opposite sides of a NATedfirewall, it can create difficulties when trying to access the server, either with theAdministration or Operations Console. These difficulties can be overcome bymaking two configuration changes.

You must modify the following two files on BMC ProactiveNet Server when dealingwith a NATed firewall (Ensure that you make a backup of each file before modifying):

■ In /usr/pw/apache/conf/httpd.conf, modify the ‘ServerName’ entry to use the hostname of the Proactive system rather than the private address (note that there aretwo of these entries). By default, this entry uses the private IP address of BMCProactiveNet Server.

■ In /usr/pw/pronto/conf/pronet.conf, modify the ‘pronet.rmi.server.hostname’entry to use the host name of BMC ProactiveNet Server. By default, this value isnot assigned and defaults to the private IP address of BMC ProactiveNet Server(to make this change permanent and to ensure that the change is preserved duringupgrade, copy the entire line to /usr/pw/custom/conf/pronet.conf.



Note Ensure that you do not insert any extra spaces or tabs within the line or at theend of line as it can cause problems.

The host name must resolve to the proper address on both sides of the firewall. IfDNS service cannot resolve the name, then an entry must be made in the ‘hosts’ fileof BMC ProactiveNet Server and every computer that runs the administrator client.On Solaris, the ‘hosts’ file is /etc/hosts and on Windows it is \WINNT\SYSTEM32\drivers\etc\hosts.

After making these changes, restart BMC ProactiveNet Server using the "pw systemstart" command.

Activating the APACHE proxy server

When the proxy feature of Apache Web server is activated, it enables theadministrator client to form a virtual RMI connection with BMC ProactiveNet Serverusing HTTP POSTs and GETs for RMI. For security, the proxy is deactivated in thedefault configuration of BMC ProactiveNet Server.

To activate Apache proxy server

1 Go to cd /usr/pw/apache/conf.

2 Edit httpd.conf file.

3 Locate the group of lines that read.# Proxy Server directives. Uncomment the following lines to# enable the proxy server:### ProxyRequests On### Order deny,allow# Deny from all# Allow from .your_domain.com# Allow from all##and uncomment the line "ProxyRequests On" and one or more of the appropriate accessrules. For Example: "Allow from all" or "Allow from .your_domain.com" where yousubstitute the actual domain name of your network. # Proxy Server directives. Uncomment the following lines to# enable the proxy server:# ProxyRequests On## Order deny,allow# Deny from all



# Allow from .your_domain.com Allow from all#

Note Unless BMC ProactiveNet Server is protected by a firewall, do not comment the'Allow from all' line as shown above. This can make BMC ProactiveNet Serverand your internal network vulnerable to attack from outside.

For minimum security risk, specify a list of specific host and/or networkaddresses in this allowed hosts section. For example,

Order deny,allow Deny from all Allow from 192.16.26.0/24 #specify network address as (networkaddr.)/(subnet mask) Allow from 192.16.27.0/24 Allow from 192.16.31.0/24Allow from 172.17.52.150 # specify host address as 4 octetsAllow from 172.17.52.151Allow from 172.17.52.148Deny from allAllow from 192.16.26.0/24 #specify network address as (networkaddr.)/(subnet mask) Allow from 192.16.27.0/24 Allow from 192.16.31.0/24Allow from 172.17.52.150 # specify host address as 4 octetsAllow from 172.17.52.151Allow from 172.17.52.148

Admin tunnel limitations

Using HTTP Tunneling as the connection type has the following limitations:

■ Admin tunnel does not work if Apache HTTP is configured for a port other than 80.

■ Only the functionality in the Administration => General Administration tab isavailable. All other functionality is disabled.

Fine tuning BMC ProactiveNet systemcomponents

Various JRE settings for BMC ProactiveNet Server components and BMCProactiveNet Agent can be set and used for fine tuning various aspects of the JRE.These settings are present in various configuration files corresponding to eachcomponent and can be edited to suit a particular environment. Each link belowcontains more details for each component and agent.

Fine tuning BMC ProactiveNet system components


Important information for all configuration files

The configuration files are located in the installDirectory /pw/pronto/conf directoryon Solaris computers. They are located in the installDirectory \pronto\conf directoryon Windows computers.

WARNING The settings present in the configuration files in these directories must never bemodified directly, instead the required settings from these files should be copied tothe custom configuration directory installDirectory /pw/custom/conf directory onSolaris computers and installDirectory \custom\conf directory on Windowscomputers into an identically named file and then edited.

Only settings in the Variable section present at the top of each configuration file maybe edited. Settings in the Fixed section should never be edited and if edited will beignored.

Note To modify any part of the variable section, the whole variable section of the conf fileneed to be copied over to pw\custom\conf directory & modified.

BMC ProactiveNet Server - Solaris edition

The following table shows which BMC ProactiveNet Server components aresupported by which configuration files:

Component Configuration file name

Jserver pnjserver.conf

Agent controller pnagent_cntl.conf

Rate pnrate.conf

Admin pnadmin.conf

Local agent pnagent.conf

Common settings

Following are the common settings for the BMC ProactiveNet Server – SolarisEdition, the BMC ProactiveNet Agent – UNIX Edition, and the ProactiveAdmin –Solaris Edition:



Table 15: Common settings for Solaris edition

Setting Explanation

Minheap This is the initial size of memory allocation pool required for the component to function.

MaxHeap This is the maximum size of memory allocation pool that a component can use. This is notapplicable for local agent on Solaris Edition, instead use LOCMaxHeap.

Specific settings

Following are the specific settings for the Local BMC ProactiveNet Agent – SolarisEdition:

Table 16: Specific settings for local agent

Setting Default Values Explanation

LOCMaxHeap 512m This is the maximum size of memory allocation pool for Solaris localagent. This setting is ignored for remote Unix agents. Default size forremote Unix agent is 256m.

BMC ProactiveNet Server – Windows edition

In order to maintain the consistency of file between Windows and Solaris, existingWindows files have been changed. The table below lists old and new files:

Table 17: BMC ProactiveNet Configuration files

Old configuration file (Earlier version) New configuration file (beginning in version 7.1)

pnadmin.txt pnadmin.conf

pnagent.txt pnagent.conf

pnagentcntl.txt pnagentcntl.conf

pnapache.txt pnhttpd.conf

pndbsrv.txt pndbsrv.conf

pnjboss.txt pnservices.conf

pnjserver.txt pnjserver.conf

pnrate.txt pnrate.conf

pntomcat.txt pnjservlets.conf



Note In earlier version these files were available in pronto/bin folder, from 7.1 onwardsthese new files will be available in pronto/conf. If you upgrade to 7.1 version .txtfiles will be deleted from pronto/bin folder and will be added as .conf files in pronto/conf folders.

Common settings

Following are the common settings for the BMC ProactiveNet Server – WindowsEdition and ProactiveAdmin – Windows Edition:

Table 18: Common settings for Windows edition


Minheap 16 MB This is the initial size of memory required.

MaxHeap 256 BM This is the maximum amount of memory that can be used.

BMC ProactiveNet Agent – Windows edition

Following are the specific settings for the BMC ProactiveNet Agent – Windows Edition:

Table 19: Specific JRE settings for Local Agent


LOCMaxHeap 512m This is the maximum size of memory allocation pool for windows localagent. This setting is ignored for remote windows agents. Default size forremote Windows agent is 256m.





Managing users

OverviewBMC ProactiveNet supports a hierarchical classification scheme that defines therelationships among permissions that are assigned to user groups, which, in turn,are assigned roles. All of these elements are contained in user definitions.Figure 23: Relationships among users, user groups, roles and permissions

You can create new users, user groups, and roles. You cannot, however, create newpermissions. You can only select from a predefined list of existing permissions.

8

Chapter 8 Managing users 209

Default users, user groups and rolesBMC ProactiveNet provides default user groups and roles that can be used to controlaccess to functionality in the Operations Console and the Administration Console.

Table 20 on page 210 describes the default user groups and roles provided in BMCProactiveNet.

Table 20: User Groups and roles

Users User Groups Roles

admin Full Access Full Access

ops Operators Event Operator, Data Collection Operator

user Supervisors Event Supervisor, Data Collection Supervisor

slm Service Administrators ServiceAdministrator

event_admin Event Administrators Event Administrator, Data Collection Administrator

Read Only Read Only

Service Manager

Service Manager Senior

Service Operator

Service Operator Senior

WARNING Ensure that there is another admin user in the system before deleting the admin useror the related objects (user group/role).

For more information on the permissions that are assigned to each role and usergroup, see the BMC ProactiveNet Upgrade Guide.

UsersYou can add users from the BMC ProactiveNet Administration console and associatethem to a user group. You must associate at least one user group to create a user. Thelist of available user groups are listed in the User Groups pane. You can also edit anddelete users.

The User folder maintains user accounts, letting you identify who has access to theBMC ProactiveNet system.

The following operations are available:

Default users, user groups and roles


■ Add User

■ Edit User

■ Delete User

The user activity on BMC ProactiveNet is available in the access logs which areavailable under:

usr/pronto/logs/access.log

Adding or editing users

Use the Administration Console to create new user accounts for BMC ProactiveNetor edit properties for existing user accounts.

To add a new user

1 In the Administration Console, go to Administration => GeneralAdministration.

2 Select the User folder, right-click, and choose Add User.

3 In the User dialog box, enter the following information:

Table 21: Properties for adding a user account

Item Description

User Name the name of the user.

Display Name the name that is displayed when the user logs on to the OperationsConsole.

Password a password to be used with the user name.The password should be at least 6 characters in length and shouldcontain at least one letter and one number.

Re-enter Password password verification

Email Address the recipient’s e-mail address

Force Change Password allow users to change the password the first time they log on to the system

Disable User disable the user account

Password will expire in x days the number of days after which the password of the user account willexpireThe default is 60 days.

Users


4 Under User Groups, select the user groups that you want this account to belongto.

5 Click Add.

A confirmation message is displayed stating that the user account has beensuccessfully created.

To edit information for an existing user

1 In the Administration Console, go to Administration => GeneralAdministration.

2 Expand the User folder and select a user.

3 Right-click on the user name and choose Edit User.

4 In the User dialog box, change any of the following information:

Table 22: Properties for editing a user account

Item Description / Task

User Name the name of the user whose account you are changing

Display Name the name that is displayed when the user logs in to the OperationsConsole

Password password to be used with the logon nameThe password should be at least 6 characters in length and shouldcontain at least one letter and one number.

Re-enter Password password

Email Address the recipient’s e-mail address.

Last Login the date and time that the user last logged on to BMC ProactiveNet

Force Change Password allow users to change the password the first time they log on to thesystem.

Disable User disable the user account

Password will expire in x days the number of days after which the password of the user account willexpireThe default is 60 days.

5 Under User Groups, change the user groups that this account is associated with.

6 Click Finish.

Users


A confirmation message is displayed stating that the user account has beensuccessfully changed.

The following default user names and passwords are used in BMC ProactiveNet:

■ Administrator: admin/adminService Manager: slm/slm

■ Event Administrator: event_admin/event_admin

■ Operator: ops/ops

■ Supervisor: user/user

For security reasons, the administrator should change the password for theseaccounts after the initial log on to BMC ProactiveNet.

Note By default, no user account is created for Read Only groups.

Where to go from here

You can add, edit, and delete user groups from the User dialog box by using theNew, Edit, and Delete buttons. For details, see “Adding or editing user groups” onpage 214 .

Associating user(s) to user groups

Perform the following procedure to associate users to user groups.

To associate user(s) to user groups

1 Select the user group from the Available User Groups list in the User Groups pane.

2 Click New to create a user group. For more information on adding user groups,see User Groups on page 214.

Deleting users

Perform the following procedure to delete a user account.

Users


To delete an existing BMC ProactiveNet User account

1 In the Administration Console and expand the User folder.

2 Select and right-click the user and click Delete.


WARNING Impact of deleting a user is that, any event rules or reports created by the deleteduser will display None as owner of the object.

User GroupsUser groups are groups of users that have a specified set of roles and permissionsassigned to them. You must associate at least one role to create a user group.

Default user groups defined in BMC ProactiveNet are Full Access, Operators,Supervisors, Service Administrators, Event Administrators, and Read Only. Formore information about these user groups and what access they control, see Defaultusers, user groups and roles on page 210.

Adding or editing user groups

Perform the following procedure to add or edit a user group.

To create or edit user group(s)

1 In the BMC ProactiveNet Administation Console, expand Advanced Options.

2 Right-click on User Group and click Add User Group or select the User Group,right-click and select Edit User Group.

3 In the Add/Edit User Group screen, enter/edit the Name of the user group.

4 In the Roles/Users tab select the available roles for the user or click New to createa new role. For more information on creating roles, see Roles and Permissions onpage 216.

Note You can add, edit and delete roles from the Roles pane in the Add User Groupscreen.

User Groups


5 The Views tab, permits you to either allow all views or selected views.

6 The Groups tab, provides you access to all or selected groups defined in thesystem.

7 The SLOs tab provides access to all or selected SLOs.

8 The Diagnostics tab provides access to all or selected Detailed Diagnosticcommands and execute them.

9 The Reports tab provides access to all or selected reports.

10 The Folders tab provides access to all or selected event/component folders.

11 Click Finish/OK for adding/editing the user groups.

Note

■ The SLOs, Diagnostics and Reports tab are disabled by default. To enable thetabs, you should select the appropriate Roles.

■ Managing the objects of the User Group are dependent on the role attached tothe user group.

Deleting user groups

Perform the following procedure to delete a user group.

To delete user group(s)

1 Open the Administration Console, expand Advanced Options and User Groupfolder.

2 Select and right-click the User Group and click Delete.


Note If a user is attached to only one user group, you cannot delete that user groupuntil you disassociate the user group from the user.

User Groups


Roles and PermissionsThe availability of various BMC ProactiveNet features for a user depends on theroles and permissions defined to that user. The roles attached to the user group givesthe permission to have access to the objects in the User Group. The predefined rolesare displayed in the available list box of the roles/permission tab in the User Groupscreen.

The actions on permissions are:

■ view (read-only access)

■ edit (create, edit and delete)

■ edit only (only edit permissions)

The permissions are categorized based on usability such as Events, ProductAdministration, SLOs, Reports, Graphs and so on.

Note The default event list does not display events based on permissions of devices. Itdisplays all events based on the permissions of event collectors.

There are filters available in the Roles screen which will ease the process of selectingpermissions. The filter are on Action and Category. For example, if you want a userto be able to only edit graphs, you can set the action to “View” and select the“Graphs” category.

You can assign roles and permissions to a user from the User Group screen.

Defining or editing roles and permissions

Perform the following procedure to define or edit roles and permissions.

To define or edit roles and permissions

1 In the Administration Console, expand Advanced Options.

2 Right-click on Role and select Add Role or expand Role, select the role, right-clickand select Edit Role.

3 In the Roles and Permissions screen, enter or edit the name for Roles.

4 Select the filters here if required.

Roles and Permissions


5 Click Finish/OK. A confirmation message is displayed on successful creation orafter successfully editing the role.

6 Add the new user role to the following .mrl files in the Knowledge Base of thecell.

■ ibrsd_collectors.mrl

■ pom_activeevents_collectors.mrl

■ pom_byuser_collectors.mrl

■ pom_intelligentevents_collectors.mrl

■ For more details about .mrl files, see the BMC Knowledge Base DevelopmentReference Guide.

7 After you add the custom role to the .mrl files, compile and reload the cell byopening a command prompt and entering the following commands:

■ mccomp -n cellNamemcontrol -n cellName reload kb

8 Log on to the BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console by using a user accountfrom the group to which you added the custom role.

Note You can also define roles and permissions by clicking New from the User Groupscreen.

Deleting roles and permissions

Perform the following procedure to delete roles and permissions.

To delete roles and permissions

1 In the Administration Console, expand Advanced Options.

2 Expand Role, select the role, right-click and select Delete


Note If a user group is attached to only one role, you cannot delete that role until youdisassociate the role from the user group.

Roles and Permissions


Configuring the system for externalauthentication

Both LDAP authentication over SSL and Windows Active Directory are supportedfor centralized user authentication. Both server certificate and client certificateauthentication are supported.

To enable secure LDAP authentication and LDAP queries, set the property(com.bmc.sms.ixs.enable.ldap.login) in the ias.properties file to True. This enablesserver certificate authentication and encrypted data communication with the LDAPserver and BMC ProactiveNet login modules.

To authenticate external users for LDAP server

1 Access the /pw/pronto/conf folder.

2 Edit the ias.properties file, update the following entry to TRUE and save thefile.com.bmc.sms.ixs.enable.ldap.login=true. This will enable you to log intoLDAP if you are a LDAP user.

Tip To avoid overwriting the parameter values of a .properties file, do not copy anybackup or reserved file with the .properties extension into the same ../conf folderas the .properties file or files you are accessing. The system reads the .propertiesfiles randomly and can overwrite the current values of duplicate parameters witholder values. Instead, store any backup or reserved files in a separate directory.

3 Open the ldap_configuration.xml file using a text editor.

4 Configure a LDAP server host by adding the following lines for example, beforethe </ldapList> tag.<ldap alias="sun-ldap"> <host>LDAP_SERVER_HOST</host> <port>389</port> <version>3</version> <baseDN>dc=bmc,dc=com</baseDN> <connectionUserName>uid=abc,ou=Dev,ou=Groups,dc=bmc,dc=com</connectionUserName> <connectionPassword encrypted="true">AtrRpWDUoaMnIw5w52M4m2tQ==</connectionPassword> <userIdAttribute>uid</userIdAttribute> <useSSL>false</useSSL> <groupMemberAttribute>uniqueMember</groupMemberAttribute> <userSearchFilter>(objectClass=inetOrgPerson)</userSearchFilter> <groupSearchFilter>(objectClass=groupOfUniqueNames)</groupSearchFilter> </ldap>

5 Save the ldap_configuration.xml file.

Configuring the system for external authentication


6 Open the ldap_ppm_group_mapping .xml file using a text editor and create amap between LDAP groups and BMC ProactiveNet Performance Management(PPM) groups. For example, if you have a LDAP group called MyLdapGroup andyou need to map it against a PPM group called "Full Access" then theldap_ppm_group_mappings.xml file should have an entry for example, <entrykey="MyLdapGroup">Full Access</entry>.

7 Enter the comma separated list of LDAP groups that you need to authenticate theuser against in the ias.properties file. The property used to store this value iscom.bmc.sms.ixs.search.ldap.group in the ias.properties file. For example, if youhave LdapGroup1, LdapGroup2, LdapGroup3, LdapGroup4 groups configuredon LDAP and you want only the user "username" to be validated againstLdapGroup1 and LdapGroup2 then the ias.properties file should have the entryfor example, com.bmc.sms.ixs.search.ldap.group=LdapGroup1,LdapGroup2

8 Check whether the property com.bmc.sms.ixs.default.group.present.check is setto false in the ias.properties file. By default this property is set to false. If thisproperty is set to true, you must create a separate group for the correspondingLDAP group in the PPM environment. For example, if the value of this propertyis set to true, you must use the Administration Console to create a new groupcalled MyLdapGroup for successful authentication of the users belonging to thegroup MyLdapGroup.

9 Restart the jserver (in BMC ProactiveNet Server, either restart the jserver or theBMC ProactiveNet Server).

10 Log in as external user from both Administration Console as well as theOperations Console.

To authenticate external users for LDAP server with SSL

Note The LDAP server should be configured with User Groups and Users. LDAPauthentication should be SSL that is, SSL Server certificate must be applied to the theLDAP server.

1 Access the /pw/pronto/conf folder.

2 Edit the ias.properties file, update the following entry to TRUE and save thefile.com.bmc.sms.ixs.enable.ldap.login=true. This will enable you to login toLDAP if you are a LDAP user.


4 Configure the LDAP server host by adding the following lines for example, beforethe </ldapList> tag.port = LDAP SSL port UseSSL =true



<ldap alias="sun-ldap"> <host>LDAP_SERVER_HOST</host> <port>636</port> <version>3</version> <baseDN>dc=bmc,dc=com</baseDN><connectionUserName>uid=abc,ou=Dev,ou=Groups*,*dc=bmc,dc=com</connectionUserName><connectionPassword encrypted="false">password</connectionPassword> <userIdAttribute>uid</userIdAttribute> <useSSL>true</useSSL> <groupMemberAttribute>uniqueMember</groupMemberAttribute> <userSearchFilter>(objectClass=inetOrgPerson)</userSearchFilter> <groupSearchFilter>(objectClass=groupOfUniqueNames)</groupSearchFilter> </ldap>


6 Open the ldap_ppm_group_mapping .xml file using a text editor, and create themap between LDAP groups and BMC ProactiveNet groups. For example, if youhave a LDAP group called MyLdapGroup and you need to map it against a PPMgroup called "Full Access" then the ldap_ppm_group_mappings.xml file shouldhave an entry like <entry key="MyLdapGroup">Full Access</entry>.

7 Enter the comma separated list of LDAP groups that you need to authenticate theuser against in the ias.properties file. The property used to store this value iscom.bmc.sms.ixs.search.ldap.group in the ias.properties file. For example, if youhave LdapGroup1, LdapGroup2, LdapGroup3, LdapGroup4 groups configuredon LDAP and out of these you want only the user "username" to be validatedagainst LdapGroup1 and LdapGroup2 then the ias.properties file should have theentry like com.bmc.sms.ixs.search.ldap.group=LdapGroup1,LdapGroup2

8 Check whether the property com.bmc.sms.ixs.default.group.present.check is setto false in ias.properties file. By default this property is set to false. If thisproperty is set to true, you must create a separate group for the correspondingLDAP group in the PPM environment. For example, if the value of this propertyis set to true, you must use the Administration Console to create a new groupcalled MyLdapGroup for successful authentication of the users belonging to thegroup MyLdapGroup.

9 Copy the SSL certificate to any local folder.

10 The SSL certificate should be imported into the jserver keystore pnserver.ksunder /install_directory/pw/pronto/conf.

11 Use the command keytool -import [-trustcacerts] [-alias <alias>] [-file <cert_file>][-keystore <keystore>] [-storepass <storepass>] For example, filename =ldapcert.cer keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias pnetv2 -file ldapcert.cer -keystore"e:\Program Files\ProactiveNet\pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks" -storepassget2net



12 Restart the jserver (in the case of BMC ProactiveNet Server, either restart thejserver or the BMC ProactiveNet Server).

13 Log in as external user from both Administration Console as well as theOperations Console.

To authenticate external users using Windows Active Directory

1 Access the \pw\pronto\conf folder.

2 Edit the ias.properties file, update the following entry to TRUE and save thefile.com.bmc.sms.ixs.enable.ldap.login=true.

Tip To avoid overwriting the parameter values of a .properties file, do not copy anybackup or reserved file with the .properties extension into the same ../conf folderas the .properties file or files you are accessing. The system reads the .propertiesfiles randomly and can overwrite the current values of duplicate parameters witholder values. Instead, store any backup or reserved files in a separate directory.


4 Configure a server host by adding the following lines, for example, before the </ldapList> tag.<ldap alias="ABCDOMAIN"><host>ABCdomain.bmc.com</host><port>389</port><version>3</version><baseDN>DC=ABCdomain,DC=bmc,DC=com</baseDN><connectionUserName>[email protected]</connectionUserName><connectionPassword encrypted="false">xyz123</connectionPassword><userIdAttribute>sAMAccountName</userIdAttribute><useSSL>false</useSSL><groupMemberAttribute>member</groupMemberAttribute><memberOfAttribute>memberOf</memberOfAttribute><userSearchFilter>(objectClass=organizationalPerson)</userSearchFilter><groupSearchFilter/></ldap>


6 Open the ldap_ppm_group_mapping .xml file using a text editor and create amap between the Windows Active Directory domain group and ProactiveNetServer.

For example, the sample code above shows a Windows domain group calledITgroup. To map ITgroup to a ProactiveNet group called Full Access add thefollowing entry to the ldap_ppm_group_mappings.xml file:

<entry key="ITgroup">Full Access</entry>



Note If there are multiple Windows domain groups, than add a new line entry in theldap_ppm_group_mapping.xml file for each domain group.

7 Save the ldap_ppm_group_mapping.xml file.

8 Open the ias.properties file in a text editor and set the value of thecom.bmc.sms.ixs.search.ldap.group property to the name of the Windowsdomain group.

For example: com.bmc.sms.ixs.search.ldap.group=ITgroupCheck

Separate multiple Windows domain groups with commas.

For example: com.bmc.sms.ixs.search.ldap.group=ITgroup,DomainGroup2

9 In the ias.properties file, verify whether thecom.bmc.sms.ixs.default.group.present.check property is set to false. If thisproperty is set to true, you must create a separate group for the correspondingWindows domain group.

For example, if the value of this property is set to true, you would use theAdminstration console to create a new group called ITgroup to successfullyauthenticate users belonging to the ITgroup group.

10 Restart either the jserver or the BMC ProactiveNet Server.

11 Log in as external user from both the Administration Console and the OperationsConsole.



Deploying multiple ProactiveNetServers

This chapter describes how to deploy and configure multiple BMC ProactiveNetServers.

Multiple ProactiveNet Server deploymentoverview

You can configure a central BMC ProactiveNet Server to monitor events frommultiple BMC ProactiveNet Servers for centralized event administration, and toexpand the abilities of a single event processing BMC ProactiveNet Server. You canalso use central BMC ProactiveNet Servers to structure event and data collectionaround a distributed hierarchy based on geography, business operation, or otherdispersed functions for your organization.

In a central BMC ProactiveNet Server, you can aggregate the following types of events:

■ abnormality events and early warning events that are automatically detectedfrom statistically significant abnormal trends

■ monitoring events that are generated from BMC ProactiveNet monitors or third-party adapters that retrieve performance data from other monitoring solutions

■ third-party events that are sent by other monitoring applications

Through a central ProactiveNet Server, you can perform the following activities onevents from other servers:

■ view event details

■ execute event operations, such as taking ownership of events or assigning events

■ export events

9

Chapter 9 Deploying multiple ProactiveNet Servers 223

■ copy events

■ launch the ProactiveNet Server from where an event originated

■ view BladeLogic device history if BMC ProactiveNet is integrated with BladeLogic

In the Event View, you can also launch Detail Diagnostics, Related Events, and ViewRemote Action Results from the central BMC ProactiveNet Server, when the relevanticon is displayed in the Message column of the event.

A central ProactiveNet Server does not require a separate installation, but it doesrequire configuration. On the originating ProactiveNet Servers that supply data (alsocalled child ProactiveNet Servers), you must configure the propagation policies topropagate events to the central ProactiveNet Server. On the central ProactiveNetServer, you must add details about the supplying servers.

This section provides procedures for completing the following tasks:

■ Configuring an originating ProactiveNet Server on page 224

■ Configuring a central ProactiveNet Server on page 227

To configure ProactiveNet Servers for multiple deployment, verify the followingprerequisites:

■ Ensure that all ProactiveNet Servers are the same version, BMC ProactiveNet 8.0or later.

■ Confirm the server port and protocol of the originating ProactiveNet Servers. Thedefault server port is 80 and the default protocol is HTTP.

■ When working behind a firewall, open the server ports for the central andoriginating ProactiveNet Servers.

Configuring an originating ProactiveNet Server

Use the following procedure to configure the propagation policies on an originatingProactiveNet Server to forward events to the central ProactiveNet Server. For detailsabout the propagation policy, see the BMC ProactiveNet Administrator Guide .

To configure an originating ProactiveNet Server to forward events to thecentral ProactiveNet Server

Repeat this procedure on every originating ProactiveNet Server in your environment.

Multiple ProactiveNet Server deployment overview


1 On the originating ProactiveNet Server, add details for the central ProactiveNetServer to the mcell.dir file:

a On the originating ProactiveNet Server, open the mcell.dir file, located in theinstallDirectory \pw\server\etc directory.

b At the end of the file, add a line with the following cell server information forthe central ProactiveNet Server, then save and close the file:

cell centralCellName mc cellHostName : cellPort

where

■ centralCellName is the name of the central ProactiveNet Server cell

■ cellHostName is the name of the central ProactiveNet Server host

■ cellPort is the cell port

■ For example:

cell pncell_central mc central.bmc.com:1828

c To reload the mcell.dir file with the updated information, open a commandprompt and run the following command:

mcontrol -n childCellName reload dir

where

childCellName is the name of the originating ProactiveNet Server cell.

2 Create a rule (mrl) file to propagate MC_CELL_ACTION_RESULT events:

Note Refer to Knowledge Base Development Reference Guide for details about rule files.

a Create a text file with the following rule:# ACTION_RESULTSpropagate cell_action_results_event: MC_CELL_ACTION_RESULT to <'centralCellName'>END

where

centralCellName is the name of the central ProactiveNet Server cell.



b Save the file with an mrl extension in the installDirectory \MCELL_HOME\server\etc\ childCellName \kb\rules directory.

c Add the file name (without the mrl extension) to the.load file in the samedirectory.

d Compile the cell by opening a command prompt and running the followingcommand:

mccomp -n childCellName

e Restart the cell by opening a command prompt and running the followingcommands:

mkill -n childCellName

and then

mcell -n childCellName

Alternatively, instead of restarting the cell, you can reload the Knowledge Baseof the cell by running the following command:

mcontrol -n childCellName reload kb

3 Open the Administration Console and in the Administration View, click theEvent Management Policies tab.

4 Expand MyProduction => childCellName => By Policy Type => PropagationPolicy =>All_Events.

5 Click to add a policy or to edit an existing policy.

6 In the Propagation Policy Details tab, ensure the following settings:

■ Select the Enabled check box to enable the event management policy.

■ In the Policy Activation Timeframes section, select Always Active to make theevent management policy active continuously.

■ In the Propagate to all of list, select the cell server for the central ProactiveNetServer.

7 Click OK to save the changes.



Configuring a central ProactiveNet Server

Use the following procedure to configure a central ProactiveNet Server to collectdata from originating ProactiveNet Servers.

To configure a central ProactiveNet Server to collect data

1 On a server designated as the central ProactiveNet Server, open the mcell.dir file,located in the installDirectory \pw\server\etc directory.

2 At the end of the file, add a line for each originating ProactiveNet Server with thefollowing cell server information, then save and close the file:

■ cell childCellName mc cellHostName : cellPort where

—childCellName is the name of the originating ProactiveNet Server cell

—cellHostName is the name of the originating ProactiveNet Server host

—cellPort is the cell port

For example:cell pncell_01 mc 01_server.bmc.com:1828

3 To reload the mcell.dir file with the updated information, open a commandprompt and run the following command:

■ mcontrol -n centralCellName reload dir wherecentralCellName is the name of the central ProactiveNet Server cell.

4 On the central ProactiveNet Server, open the serverlist.xml file, located in theinstallDirectory \pw\prono\conf directory.

5 For each originating ProactiveNet Server, type values under the<OriginatingProactiveNetServer> element.

■ The information for <cellname> and <hostname_or_ipaddress> are the sameas those entered in step 2.For example:<OriginatingProactiveNetServer> <cellname>pncell_01_server</cellname> <hostname_or_ipaddress>01_server_bmc.com </hostname_or_ipaddress> <serverport></serverport>



<protocol></protocol></OriginatingProactiveNetServer>

where

—pncell_01_server is the name of the originating ProactiveNet Server cell

—01_server.bmc.com is the name of the originating ProactiveNet Server host

—If you use the default server port, 80 (for HTTP), you can leave this elementblank; otherwise, type the server port.

—If you use the default protocol, HTTP, you can leave this element blank;otherwise, type the server port.

6 Save the serverlist.xml file.

7 For device aliases that were manually added to originating ProactiveNet Servers,manually add the device aliases to the central ProactiveNet Server, too, to ensurethat events are associated with the appropriate devices.

■ Refer to BMC Knowledge Base Development Reference Guide for details aboutdevice alias associations.

8 In the Event View of the central ProactiveNet Server, click the Refresh icon (notthe browser Refresh), or wait for the screen to refresh automatically.

Events from the originating ProactiveNet Servers are displayed in the centralProactiveNet Server.

Note When an originating BMC ProactiveNet Server receives events in a blackoutperiod, the events are not propagated to the central BMC ProactiveNet Server.



Setting up web transactionsThis chapter presents the following topics:

Web Transaction capture

BMC ProactiveNet Web Capture Tool helps you monitor Web site and applicationavailability in real-time from an end-user's perspective. It emulates end-userbusiness processes and helps report response times and availability.

A store that offers its users the convenience to shop online will definitely want to beaware of customer satisfaction at its Web site. The store's Web site provider maywant to measure the performance of a Web transaction, such as a series of steps, thata typical user might traverse while navigating through the store's Web site.

By measuring network response time and total user response time of these steps atregular intervals, the Web site provider can take proactive measures to improvedegrading response times and maintain customer satisfaction.

This is where the Web Capture Tool is useful.

The Web Transaction Capture tool can be used to capture the series of steps thatform a transaction on a Web site. This transaction can be saved to a file, to be used bythe Web Transaction Monitor to provide important information such as availabilityof the site, total response time for the transactions, Sum of the connect time for eachURL of the transaction and the like.

The most important feature of the Web Transaction capture tool is that it records theseries of URLs involved in a transaction as a single Transaction File. WebTransaction Monitor then runs this recorded Web transaction file and collects datafor the series of URLs in the file instead of collecting data for a single URL (WebMonitor).

The recorded transaction file can be configured to include subtransactions as well.For more information on subtransactions, refer Subtransaction section.

For performance data collected, refer Web Transaction Monitor under UserTransaction Monitors in the BMC ProactiveNet Data Adapter and Monitor Guide.

10


System requirements

■ Operating System: Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 6a), Windows 2000/XP/2003

■ .Net version: 2.0 (Installed automatically with remote BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console installation)

■ .Net version: 3.0 (Installed automatically with local BMC ProactiveNet Server andAdministration Console installation)

■ Browser: Internet Explorer 6.0 and 7.0.

Note

■ Supported for 32-bit and 64-bit processors.

■ Any other version of .net already installed on the system will not getuninstalled since other applications might be using it.

■ Fresh installation of BMC ProactiveNet 7.6 server on Windows 2000 does notsupport this feature on local BMC ProactiveNet Administration Consoleinstallation.

■ Upgrading BMC ProactiveNet server to version 7.6 on Windows 2000supports this feature on local BMC ProactiveNet Administration Consoleinstallation.

How and where do I begin?

To ensure your Web Transaction Monitors are complete and successfully collectingdata, follow the steps given below to create the transaction file correctly:

1 Plan the Web TransactionUse a text editor (or pen and paper) to plan your Web transaction.

2 Record the Web TransactionUse the Web Transaction Capture Tool to record your transaction and create aWeb Transaction File.You may include Subtransactions in the transaction file and store authenticationinformation. To learn to deal with pop-up windows that may appear while youare recording, refer Pop-up Windows topic.

System requirements


3 Playback and validate the Web Transaction FileUse the Playback option in the Web Capture tool to verify that the transaction justrecorded will replay successfully. This step is recommended, but is optional.Use the Validate option to verify whether a Web Transaction Monitor can becreated successfully using the Web Transaction file you saved.

4 Export the Transaction FileUse the export tool to transfer your transaction file to BMC ProactiveNet Server.

a Playback and validate the Web Transaction FileUse the Playback option in the Web Capture tool to verify that the transaction justrecorded will replay successfully. This step is recommended, but is optional.

5 Configure a Web Transaction MonitorUse the Administration Console to create the Transaction Monitor.

Note Certain limitations exist while recording and playing back Web transactions. Tolearn more about them, refer Web Transaction Monitor Troubleshooting section.

Backward compatibility

The table below indicates the various features of the Web Capture Tool that aresupported for Transaction files created using earlier versions of BMC ProactiveNet:

Table 23: Backward compatibility of the web capture tool in BMC ProactiveNet 7.0 & above

Feature Whether Supported Alternative, if feature not supported

Open No None

Edit Yes (only from the menu baroption in the AdministrationConsole)

You cannot make changes to anold transaction file using the WebCapture tool

Playback No None

Validate Yes

Creation of Monitor using the oldtransaction file

Yes

Best Practices

If you are using a Web transaction file created in a version prior to BMCProactiveNet 7.0, it is recommended that you record and save the same transactionin a different file using the new Web Capture tool. However, if you want to use an

System requirements


old transaction file, the combination of BMC ProactiveNet Agent 6.5 and BMCProactiveNet Server 7.0 and above, is recommended.

Web transaction capture screen fielddescriptions

This section describes options in the Web transaction capture tool.

Menu bar options

The following menu bar options are included in the web transaction capture tool.

File

■ Open - Click this to display the Open BMC ProactiveNet Transaction Filewindow. From here, select a previously recorded transaction to work with.

■ Save - Click this to save the transaction file in the installDirectory /pw/pronto/usr_apps/Webtranx directory. You cannot save transaction files in any otherdirectory or folder.

■ Exit - Click this to close and quit the application.

Options

Advanced Settings

The Advanced Settings window enables you to set certain properties to govern therecording tool.

Session Only Settings

The options that you select here are applicable to only one session of the recording.

■ Enable Title Match - Select this option to automatically record the title of the Webpages as Positive Content Match.

■ Allow Popups - Select this option to allow other pop-up windows and screensassociated with the Web site you are viewing to be displayed while you are

Web transaction capture screen field descriptions


recording the transaction. This does not interfere with the system authenticationpop-up windows that may be displayed.

This feature helps to record a transaction by blocking unwanted pop-up windowsthat may appear on a site.

Permanent Settings

The options that you select here are applicable across all sessions.

Debug

■ Simple Logging - Select this to record basic logging of the navigation steps. Onlysequence of the navigation is saved.

■ Advanced Logging - Select this to record more detailed information about thenavigation. This info will be useful to debug problem areas in a transaction thatfailed.

■ Record Persistent Cookies - Select this if persistent cookie information has to berecorded in the transaction file and the same cookie must be used for the playbackof the recorded transaction.

■ Enable Snoop - Select this to get the snoop output. This info will be useful todebug problem areas in a transaction that failed.

■ Edit - Click this to open a previously recorded file and make changes to it.

■ Test Monitor - Click this to check whether this transaction can be played correctlyfrom the monitor. This is the same as the Test Monitor button on the menu bar.

■ Reset - Click this to delete any unsaved transaction information.

Record

■ Start Recording - Click this to begin recording a new transaction. This option isdisabled when you open a previously recorded transaction.

■ Stop - Click this to stop recording a transaction.

■ View Source - Click this to view the HTML source of the Web page you areviewing. This lets you copy the desired content for Content Match from theHTML source so that extra line feeds or in-between newline characters are notcopied.



Play

■ All Steps - Click this to replay all steps of the recorded transaction withoutintervention.

■ Step-by-Step - Click this to replay one step of the recorded transaction at a time.You must click Next to view the next step in the transaction.

■ Next - Click this to play the next step in the recorded transaction. This option isavailable only when you are viewing a transaction step-by-step.

Help

■ Help Topics - Click this to view Help topics related to the Web TransactionCapture tool.

■ About - Click this to view information about the version of BMC ProactiveNetinstalled on the system.

Buttons

The following buttons are included in the Web transaction capture tool.

Web capture section

■ Open - Click this to open a previously recorded transaction.

■ Record - Click this to record a new transaction file.

■ Save - Click this to save the transaction steps to a file.

■ Stop - Click this to stop recording a transaction.

■ Test monitor - Click this to test whether the recorded transaction can be playedsuccessfully by the Web Transaction Monitor. Click here to know more about thevalidate process.

■ Edit - Click this to open a previously recorded transaction and make changes to it.

■ Sub Transactions - Click this to display the Add/Edit Sub Transactions window.Here you can group several steps of a transaction to form a subtransaction.

■ Play - Click this to view the recorded transaction.



■ All Steps - Click this to replay all steps of the recorded transaction withoutintervention.

■ Step by Step - Click this to replay one step of the recorded transaction at a time.You must click Next to view the next step in the transaction.

■ Reset - Click this to clear the screen without saving any changes.

■ Step Info - This section displays information about the steps that are recorded asa transaction in a tree structure. Step information also displays content match andtitle match, if specified. The URLs of the steps recorded are displayed in thissection. Positive content match is displayed with a '+' symbol next to the insertedcontent match string and negative content match is displayed with a '-' symbol.Title match string recorded is displayed with the letter 'T'

■ Log Info - When you select this tab, two additional tabs 'Debug' and 'Error' aredisplayed. Debug tab contains all debug messages and the Error tab lists errorsthat occurred during recording.

■ Update Step Name - By default, the URL of a step in a transaction is considered asits name. This is displayed in the field next to the Update Step Name button.Change the step name displayed in the field and click this button to assign thename to the step.

■ Content Match - The Content match feature enables the Web Transaction user toverify that the monitor navigates to the correct web pages during the transactionplayback. Content match can be specified for each step of the transaction file.During playback, the downloaded page is parsed and the recorded content ismatched with the corresponding page to check the authenticity of the transactionplayback.

■ Positive - During playback, the downloaded page is checked for the specifiedpositive match content. If the content is present in the page, then the playback isconsidered as successful. If the content is not present, then an error is reportedand availability is set to zero.

■ Negative - During playback, the downloaded page is checked for the negativematch content. If the content is not present in the page, then the playback isconsidered as successful. If the content is present, then an error is reported andavailability is set to zero.

■ Insert - Click this to insert text as the content match. If the text assigned here isfound in a page on the Web site, then the transaction is considered successful. Thecontent match text that you assign is displayed in the field next to the ContentMatch section.

Note Go to Record => View Source to copy text for content match.



■ Delete - Select a content match text and click this to delete it from being a contentmatch.

■ Update - Click this to select an already assigned content match text and makechanges to it.

■ Title Match - Select this option to enable Title Match. Page title can be recorded aspart of the transaction file. As with Positive Content Match, the downloaded pageis checked for the Title during playback. Title match can be used to validaterendered pages without manually insert content matches.

■ Ready - Indicates the status of the Web Capture tool.

■ Recording - Indicates the status of the Web Capture tool.

Planning a Web TransactionBefore you start using the Web Transaction capture tool, BMC recommends that youplan out and 'rehearse' the transaction that you want to record using a Web browser.

It is important to plan the transaction you intend to replay before you actually startrecording it since any erroneous mouse clicks or keystrokes will result in an invalidtransaction that may fail when executed by the monitor. This step will also help youanticipate the actions you want to record, as well as avoid any surprises that mightpop up (literally!) when you are working with and recording live Web sites.

1 Delete cookies and temporary files from your browser.Before launching your browser, it is critical to delete all cookies that have been setin your browser and clear all pages that may be stored in cache. Failure to do thismight produce unexpected results, like an incorrect HTML page, when yourtransaction is later executed by the monitor.

Note Internet Explorer on a Windows computer is the preferred platform since this isthe environment supported by the Web Transaction capture tool.

2 Launch a text editor, such as Notepad, or use a pencil and paper to keep track ofyour actions.It is strongly advised that you write down the exact steps you take and the actionsyou want to execute as you click through the intended transaction. In reality, mostWeb sites are fairly complex and you may be confronted with pop up windows,log in forms, advertisements, and other such innovative features. In the next topic'Recording your Transaction', we will discuss these specific issues, but for now itis important to note your steps and any 'surprises' that might appear.

Planning a Web Transaction


3 Launch your browser and start your transaction with the first URL.For this tutorial, we use the bmc.com Web site to record a transaction. As youclick through the site, remember to write these steps on paper or in the text editor.Your transaction planning sheet would look like this:

■ Go to http://www.bmc.com

■ Click Contact Us option in Company menu.

■ Click BMC ProactiveNet's world wide office.

■ Stop (close the browser).

Remember - this is the trial run of the transaction. Take time to look at the Webpages and plan out what you actually want to record.

4 Note the Content Match parameters.You will most likely want to ensure that the transaction you are about to recordactually returns the content you were expecting. To do this you will use ContentMatching. For this sample transaction, you want to ensure that you have reachedthe International Office page. To do so, make a note on your planning sheet toattach a Positive Content Match for the string ""International Offices"" (step “b”below). Alternately, add a note to attach a Negative Content Match for the string""No listings were found"" (step “e” below).Your transaction planning sheet would now look like the following:

■ BMC ProactiveNet International Offices transaction with content matches: http://www.bmc.com

■ Go to Company => Contact Us => International Offices

■ Positive content match: International Offices

■ Negative Content match: No listings were found

■ Stop (close the browser)

Positive Content MatchA positive content match on a page verifies that the specified text string is foundon the page. If that string is not found, the transaction fails.Negative Content MatchA negative content match flags the transaction as failed if the specified stringappears anywhere on the page.More on how to specify content matching is explained in the Content Match topic.

Planning a Web Transaction


http://www.proactivenet.com



5 Plan Sub transactionsYou may want to record sub transactions. A transaction can include multiplesubtransactions.

6 Planning step completedYou have now completed the first step of planning the transaction and will nowuse your planning sheet to go back and actually record the same steps you justrehearsed and made notations about.You will find that the more detailed your planning is, the easier it is to create areliable and effective monitor.

Creating a web transactionBefore you actually create a new web transaction, you should plan your transactionand practice creating a transaction using a Web browser.

For details, see “Planning a Web Transaction” on page 236.

For details about creating a new Web transaction, see “Recording a new WebTransaction ” on page 239.

Need for the transaction file

The Web Transaction File is the basis for the Web Transaction Monitor. A WebTransaction File saves Web browser activities, which the monitor plays back torecord the Web site availability and response time. This file can created using theWindows Administration Console and exported to BMC ProactiveNet Server as partof the file creation process. If you set up the Web Transaction Monitor using BMCProactiveNet Server as the 'Source IP', then the transaction file, for example,testfile.tran, must already reside in the following BMC ProactiveNet Server directory:

/usr/pronto/usr_apps/webtranx/testfile.tran

If you select a BMC ProactiveNet Agent (UNIX) as the 'Source IP' when setting upthis monitor, the transaction file you select (currently on BMC ProactiveNet Server)is automatically copied to the Agent (UNIX) directory:

/usr/pronto/usr_apps/webtranx/testfile.tran

A common configuration is to install BMC ProactiveNet Server inside the Domainand BMC ProactiveNet Agent (UNIX) outside the Domain. This requires that yourFirewall or Proxy policy enables TCP Control Port 12124 (the default port for BMC

Creating a web transaction


ProactiveNet Server and BMC ProactiveNet Agent communications) to be enabledfor Proactive operations. Setting up your Firewall server and proxy server are yourresponsibility, with the only requirement that your proxy server set up does notrequire a user name or password.

Launching the Web Transaction Capture tool

You create Web Transaction files using a Windows PC, then export the files to theBMC ProactiveNet Server for use with Web Transaction Monitors.

To launch the Web Transaction Capture tool

1 From the Tools menu in the Administration Console, select Web TransactionCapture => Launch Web Capture.

2 In the BMC ProactiveNet Web Capture screen, perform one of the followingactions:

■ To start recording a series of steps as a transaction, click Record. For details, see “Recording a new Web Transaction ” on page 239.

■ To work with a previously recorded transaction, click Open. For details, see “Working with a previously recorded web transaction ” on page 247.

For a description of each option available in the BMC ProactiveNet Web Capturescreen, see “Web transaction capture screen field descriptions” on page 232.

Recording a new Web Transaction

Perform the following procedure to record a new web transaction.

To record a new web transaction

1 In the URL field, enter the address of the Web site and click Go.

■ The static BMC ProactiveNet icon next to the Go button turns dynamic. Theicon returns to its static state to indicate that the navigation to the intendedURL is complete.



Note Do not click any button or option on the screen when the icon is changing itsstatus. This may lead to errors.

Figure 24: Web recorder in the record mode

Note If the Title Match check box in the Recorder is turned on, then title of the Webpages are automatically recorded as Positive Content Match and the TitleMatch is enabled automatically in Content Match Details screen.

2 Enter the starting URL, that is the first step of the transaction, in the URL field. Inthis example, we use http://www.bmc.com as the first step.




■ You can record additional links within the Web site by simply clicking on therespective links. They will automatically be added to the transaction file.Figure 25: Recording a transaction

3 Follow the steps you have planned. To continue the trial transaction recording, goto Solutions => Infrastructure monitoring => User Transaction Recorder.

■ The Web Recorder window records every page you visit in the Web site. Thisinfo is available to you in the Step Info section.Figure 26: Step Info

While recording there will always be a slight delay from when you click on alink and when the next page is actually rendered (more of a delay than usual).Be sure to wait until the page is completely loaded before clicking on the nextbutton or link. If you do not wait there is a chance that the step will not be



recorded correctly in the transaction file, which will cause the transaction tofail. One way to verify that you have correctly recorded each step is to verifythat the step is recorded in the Step Info section after each click.The Log Info tab is useful when you are trying to troubleshoot a failedtransaction. This tab consists of two more tabs - Debug and Error. The Debugtab contains all debug messages associated with the transactions and the Errortab lists errors that occurred during recording.

4 Insert text for Content Match. For example, Infrastructure Availability. Therecommended way to insert a content match is to copy the text from the ViewSource feature. For proper content match, the text should be pasted directly fromthe HTML source of the URL. Do not copy the text from the page as displayed inthe browser, for there could be extra characters in the HTML source that arehidden.

■ Use this feature to monitor changes in the Web content on the Web sites.Content matches apply to specific pages.

Note Content Matching may only contain alphanumeric characters(Internationalization support).

■ In the Step Info section, select the step for which you want to add a contentmatch.

■ Go to Record => View Source.

■ Copy the content match text and paste it in the Content Match section of therecorder.

■ Select Positive or Negative.

■ Click Insert.

Follow the above steps to insert multiple content match strings for a step.Figure 27: Insert Content Match

Positive Match: This displays an error if the string is not found on the designatedpage. The text strings must appear in the designated URL or frame for themonitor to report success. The monitor reports success only if *all* strings are found.

If all the multiple strings are found, then the monitor reports success.



Negative Match: This displays an error if the string is found on the designatedpage. If the text strings appear in the designated URL or frame, the monitorreports failure (no response). The monitor reports failure if any one of the stringsis found).

Example:

HTTP 404;The page cannot be found

If any one of the negative content match strings is found, then the monitor reportsfailure.

This is the exact string that must be used for defining content matches. Rememberthat the monitor is case-sensitive and the string should be entered EXACTLY as itappears on the HTML source. The reason is that there may be multiple frames inthe Web page, and this option will not display any of the frame source text (it is,however, useful for identifying the URLs for all frames in the page). Instead, youshould right-click on the frame of interest and select View Source.

The Operations Console lists Web monitor attributes such as Source Agent andCollect Data.

You can define multiple content matches on a page by repeating this step. Oncethe form is open, you can insert content match strings for every steps withouthaving to open and close the form every time you want to insert a contentmatching string. If you make a mistake, such as typing an incorrect string orinserting it in the wrong place, you can change it by clicking Edit.

Note The Web Transaction Monitor supports Unicode characters in Web content.However, it does not support Unicode characters in a 'pop-up' loginAuthentication Info.

POP-UP log in: If a logon pop-up (Basic/Digest/NTLM Authentication) windowappears during the transaction, refer Pop-up Windows help topic.

You may also run into more complicated transaction recordings, such as SystemAuthentication pop-up screens, advertisement windows, and other complextransactions. For information on working with these, refer Pop-up Windows topic.

5 Click Stop to stop the transaction recording.

■ The Save Transaction File window is displayed. Specify a name for yourtransaction file and click Save. The file is saved with the extension .tran ininstallDirectory \agent\pronto\usr_apps\webtranx directory

Once you save a transaction file, you can do either of the following:



■ Test whether a Web Transaction Monitor can be created using the transactionfile you saved

■ Play back the saved transaction file

Creating a test monitor

This option helps you to verify whether a Web Transaction Monitor can be createdsuccessfully using the transaction file created. The Test Monitor option is enabledonly when you are working with a previously saved transaction file or immediatelyafter you save the transaction file.

On clicking Test Monitor, the Validate Transaction window is displayed. Thiswindow seeks proxy setting and security information.

Advanced options - proxy details

■ Proxy Server - Specify the IP address of the proxy server.

■ Proxy Port - Specify the port number on which the proxy server is listening.

■ Proxy User Name - Specify the user name to access the proxy server.

■ Proxy Password - Specify the password associated with the proxy server user name.

Security

■ JSSE - Select this option to use JSSE package for HTTP connections.

■ Cryptix - Select this option to use Cryptix (ice storm) package for HTTPconnections.

■ Emulate Netscape - Select this option to set Netscape as the user agent in theHTTP request header.

■ Full Download - Select this option to download all images in the page.

■ Timeout (in secs) - Specify the timeout value for the validate process. By default,the timeout period is 600 seconds.

■ Validate - Click this to begin testing the transaction file.

The View Logfile button is disabled before the file is validated.

After validation, the result (SUCCESS or FAIL) is displayed on the screen.



■ Success: Indicates that a monitor can be created using this transaction file tocollect data.

■ Fail: Indicates that a monitor cannot be created using this transaction file.Figure 28: Transaction File Validation Result

■ View Logfile - Click this to view the log file of the played back transaction. Thishelps in debugging a failed transaction. The log file will be stored in the logsfolder installDirectory \agent\webrecorder\logs) with the same name as theTransaction File.

Playing a transaction file created with the Web TransactionCapture tool

The Play feature is enabled when you are working with a previously savedtransaction file or immediately after you save the transaction file.

This feature enables you to view, playback, and add or edit content match to yourtransaction file. You can also change step names using this feature.

The Step by Step and All Steps features are enabled only after you click Play.

1 Click Play.Steps in the transaction file are displayed in the Playback Details section. You can either playback the transaction one step at a time (Step by Step) or allsteps continuously without user intervention (All Steps).

2 Click either All Steps or Step by Step, as required.

3 If required, insert or change content match text and update the step name.

4 Click Stop.



Successfully played back transactions with Title match enabled in the Recorder andContent Match Details screen are displayed in green and without enabling Titlematch are displayed in gray color.

Figure 29: Title match playback transactions

Successfully played back transactions are displayed in green and failed transactionsin red. If a step fails, the playback process stops.

Figure 30: Playback transactions

If a step fails, you cannot continue playing back the other steps in the transaction file.

1 A message seeking confirmation to save changes made to the transaction file isdisplayed. You can choose to select the same file to save current changes or savethe set of transactions with the new properties as a different file.

Note Log entries for GUI playback of a transaction are available in the running logfile (installDirectory \agent\webrecorder\logs\WebRecorder.log). However,the log entries are overwritten after each session.



Working with a previously recorded web transaction

When you open a previously recorded transaction file, you can do any of the following:

■ Test whether a Web Transaction Monitor can be created using the transaction file

■ Play back the transaction file

■ Edit the transaction file

Recording another transaction in the same user session

If required, you can record another transaction immediately after you have savedone. To do this, click Reset on the BMC ProactiveNet Web Recorder window. Thisclears the recorder window and displays the default setting of the Web Capture tool.Click Record and begin recording the second transaction.

If you close the Web Capture tool after saving a transaction file on the local system, aconfirmation message may be displayed, asking you whether you want to exportweb transaction files that you have created from the local system to BMCProactiveNet Server.

After you have created the transaction file, you may need to export it to BMCProactiveNet Server (if you have created the transaction file on a remoteadministration console). To do this, refer Export Web Transaction File topic.

AuthenticationThis procedure is required to record system authentication pop-up windows thatappear while recording a transaction and is not necessary for logons, which arepresented as form data. In other words, it is not needed when user name andpassword fields are part of the Web page.

If a pop-up logon (Basic/Digest/NTLM Authentication) window appears during thetransaction, you must follow the steps given below to ensure that it is recorded.

Open the Web Recorder and enter the first URL.

The Enter Network Password window pops up but notice that there is no new URLrecorded in the Web Recorder window. This pop-up window is not a browserwindow. Let us refer to it as a System Authentication pop-up window.

Some additional steps are called for to record such a transaction.

Authentication


How to insert authentication information?

When you click Add Authentication in the Web Transaction Recorder, the Add/EditAuthentication window is displayed.

■ Step - Select the step/URL for which you want to add authentication information.

■ UserName - Specify the user name that is to be used to gain access to theparticular page in the Web site.

■ Password - Specify the password associated with the user name.

■ Domain - Specify the domain where the user name and password combination isto be used.

■ Authentication Type - Select the type of authentication mechanism supported byyour Web site. You can select Basic, Digest, or NTLM from the list.

Basic authentication

Upon receiving a 401-response header, the client's browser, if it supports basicauthentication, seeks user name and password information to be sent to the server. Ifyou are using a graphical browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer, a windowis displayed where you must specify your user name and password. The informationyou type in is sent back to the server. If the user name is in the approved list, and thepassword specified is correct, the resource will be returned to the client.

Digest authentication

Digest authentication is implemented by the module mod_auth_digest. There is anolder module, mod_digest, which implemented an older version of the digestauthentication specification, but which will probably not work with latest browsers.

Using digest authentication, your password is never sent across the network in theclear, but is always transmitted as an MD5 digest of the user's password. In this way,the password cannot be determined by sniffing network traffic.

NTLM authentication

NTLM is an authentication protocol used in various Microsoft network protocolimplementations and supported by the NTLM Security Support Provider(NTLMSSP). Originally used for authentication and negotiation of secure DCE/RPC,NTLM is also used throughout Microsoft's systems as an integrated single sign-onmechanism.

NTLM employs a challenge-response mechanism for authentication, in which clientsare able to prove their identities without sending a password to the server. It consists

Authentication


of three messages, commonly referred to as Type 1 (negotiation), Type 2 (challenge),and Type 3 (authentication).

The client sends a Type 1 message to the server. This primarily contains a list offeatures supported by the client and requested of the server. The server respondswith a Type 2 message. This contains a list of features supported and agreed upon bythe server. Most importantly, however, it contains a challenge generated by theserver. The client replies to the challenge with a Type 3 message. This containsseveral pieces of information about the client, including the domain and user nameof the client user. It also contains one or more responses to the Type 2 challenge.Responses in the Type 3 message are the most critical piece, as they prove to theserver that the client user has knowledge of the account password.

■ Insert - Click this to save data that you have specified as user logon information.

■ Delete - Click this to delete saved user logon information.

■ Update - Click this to save changes made to the existing user logon information.

■ Close - Click this to close and exit from the window.

Authentication information that you save is not displayed in the Step Info section.However, if you want to view the authentication information that you have addedfor a step, open the Add/Edit Authentication window.

SubtransactionsThe Web Transaction Capture tool enables you to group several transactional stepsunder one transaction. These transactional steps may be referred to as'Subtransactions'.

Subtransactions allow you to record and display more detailed data for attributescollected by the Web Transaction Monitor. The monitor in turn reports moregranular set of stats data. This way the monitor can not only report the 'TotalResponse Time' of an entire transaction but also the sub 'Response Time' of each stepin the transaction.

Apart from reporting the response time of each step in the transaction, the monitoralso maintains a baseline of each step. This is a powerful feature since it enables anyabnormal behavior associated with the subtransactions to be correlatedautomatically to the degradation in Total Response Time (without having to set athreshold on it).

Subtransactions


Working with subtransactions

Click Subtransactions to display the Add/Edit Sub Transactions window.Alternatively, go to Record => SubTransactions. This window enables you toconfigure sub transactions for a transaction by grouping different URLs/steps.Figure 31: Add/Edit Subtransactions window

To add a subtransaction,

The Starting Step and Ending Step drop-down lists consist of URLS/steps recordeduntil then. The lists display the URLs in the order they were accessed and arenumbered accordingly. You can select a single step as a subtransaction or choosemultiple steps to form a single subtransaction.

■ Select the first and last step to define the subtransaction.

■ If required, specify a name for the subtransaction in the Name field. By default,this field displays the URL of the starting step.

■ Click Add.

Subtransactions


Note

■ To add a single step/URL as a subtransaction, select the same step as thefirst and last steps. For example, to add Step.2 as a subtransaction, select Step.2 as both the first and last steps.

■ The starting URL/step of a sub transaction should always precede theending URL/step in the order of access. For example, you can configure asubtransaction that navigates from Step1 to Step2 but not from Step2 to Step1.

To edit a subtransaction,

■ From the Select Sub Transaction list, choose the subtransaction that you want toedit.

■ Change the starting and/or ending steps of the subtransaction.

■ If required, provide a new name for the subtransaction.

■ Click Update.

To delete a subtransaction

■ From the Select Sub Transaction list, choose the subtransaction to be removed.

■ Click Delete.

Notes about subtransactions:

■ To take advantage of this feature, BMC ProactiveNet Agent running the WebTransaction monitor must be Version 5.1 or later.

■ Only 20 subtransaction attributes are supported.

■ No nested subtransactions are allowed.

■ Over lapping subtransactions are not allowed.

Configuring a Web Transaction monitorNow that the Web Transaction File is created and exported to BMC ProactiveNetServer, you are ready to create the Web Transaction Monitor.

Configuring a Web Transaction monitor


To create a Web Transaction Monitor

1 In the Administration Console, right-click on the device and navigate to AddMonitor => User Transactions => Web Transaction Monitor.

■ The Add Web Transaction window is displayed.

2 Enter information required in the Basic Information tab of the Add WebTransaction window.

■ Transaction File - Select the transaction file you created for this monitor fromthe list. This is the transaction file created previously. If there are no files in thelist or the file you want is not present, you may have a problem with thelocation or generation of your transaction file. The list contains files only in the /usr/pronto/usr_apps/webtranx directory. If no transaction file exists, or thefile you want is not present, check the location or generation of yourtransaction file.

■ View/Edit option is discussed in the Playback the Web Transaction File topic.

■ Source Agent - BMC ProactiveNet Server, unless you own an enhanced BMCProactiveNet license. Choose the BMC ProactiveNet Server or BMCProactiveNet Agent where this monitor will run.

■ HTTP User Agent String - Select the HTTP user agent string. Each browsertype identifies itself to the Web server by sending a HTTP user agent stringwith each request. You can simulate various browser types by modifying theuser agent string, which may be useful if a site launches different content basedon the browser type making the request.

■ User Agent string is used by BMC ProactiveNet to identify information aboutthe browser making the HTTP request. Under most circumstances, this fieldshould not be changed, since setting it to incorrect formats could cause themonitor to fail when making requests to the Web server.

■ Instance Name - Provide a unique instance name that better describes yourtransaction. This is displayed on folders, graphs, lists, and so forth. Example:Web Trans test

3 Click Advanced Options tab.

■ Select the options that meet your requirements for this monitor, or accept thedefaults.Full Page Option

—Download Full Page - Select this option to download the entire Web page.By default, only the text of the base page is downloaded. When this option isselected, response time includes the download of links referenced on thatpage. Select this option only if you want all images on the page, frames, and



HTML text to be downloaded. If this option is NOT selected, only framesand text is downloaded. This option is not recommended since it affectsperformance.

HTTP Proxy

—Use Proxy - Optionally, a proxy server can be used to access the URL. Selectthis option if a proxy is required to access the Web site specified.

—Proxy Server - Enter the name/IP address of the computer hosting the proxyserver.

—Proxy Port - Enter the port of a HTTP Proxy Server.

—Proxy User - Enter the user name of a HTTP Proxy Server.

Note Your proxy server must support Proxy-Authenticate for this option to function.

—Proxy Password - If the proxy server requires a password to access the URL,enter the password here.

Statistics Polling Options

—Collect Data - Select this option to enable BMC ProactiveNet Server tocollect data for the monitor device. If this option is not selected, datacollection for the device stops (or never starts for new devices); you canconduct maintenance on the device without generating events. Used to setdata collection parameters.

—Statistics Poll Interval (min) - Specify the time interval between playing twotransactions. Default is 5 minutes. For performance purposes, it is notrecommended that you replay the transaction more than every 5 minutes.

—Statistics Poll Timeout (min) - Specify the duration the system must wait fora poll response before reporting 'No Response'. Default is 2 minutes.

—Number of Retries - Enter number of times to retry the Monitor beforegenerating an event.

—Retries Wait (sec) - Enter the number of seconds to wait before retrying theMonitor after an error condition is detected.

Page Capturing Option

—Capture Page on Failure - Select this checkbox to capture the page in whichthe error (if any) has occurred during playback by the monitor instance. Thecaptured error page can be viewed from more info option in the OperationsConsole.



4 Click Finish to view the Summary screen.

■ The Web Transaction Monitor is now ready. Creating a Web TransactionMonitor automatically creates a device type called WebServer and places thenewly created Web Transaction monitor under this device.Expand the Web Transaction subfolder under the Monitors folder in theAdministration Console to see that the new monitor is listed.

Web transaction test utilityThe Web Transaction monitor can be tested from the command line using theprogram webtranmon. This program is available in the directory /usr/pronto/bin/.webtranmon can be run both at the server as well as the agent. webtranmon can beused as described below:

webtranmon [-options] webtranfilename

where options include:

■ -proxy:host:port:user:passUse proxy to get pages.

■ -emulateNSSet Netscape as user agent.

■ -fulldownloadDownload objects like browser.

■ -jsseUse JSSE for SSL3 support.

■ -cryptixUse cryptix for SSL support.

■ -timeout Should be a positive integer in seconds.

webtranmon utility implements the same functionality as Web Transaction monitorsduring polling.

The final status of processing of the transaction is displayed on the screen.

The examples below list the format of the output.

Web transaction test utility


Note On non-Windows platforms, the transaction file is looked for in the directory /usr/pw/pronto/usr_apps/webtranx

■ Example 1 - Success TransactionUNIX# webtranmon yahoo.tranStarting webtranmon test with webtran file: /usr/pw/pronto/usr_apps/webtranx/yahoo.tranWebTrantest result: SUCCESS -- see more details in the file /data/pw/pronto/usr_apps/webtranx/yahoo.log

■ Example 2 - Failure TransactionUNIX# webtranmon failure.tranStarting webtranmon test with webtran file: /usr/pw/pronto/usr_apps/webtranx/failure.tranWebTran test result: FAIL -- see more details in the file /data/pw/pronto/usr_apps/webtranx/failure.log

Pop-up WindowsThis section provides details about how to record pop-up windows with the webtransaction capture tool.

System authentication pop-up Windows

This procedure is required to record system authentication pop-up windows thatappear while recording a transaction and is not necessary for logons, which arepresented as form data. In other words, it is not needed when user name andpassword fields are part of the Web page.

If a pop-up logon (Basic/Digest/NTLM Authentication) window appears during thetransaction, you must follow the steps given below to ensure that it is recorded.

1 Click Add Authentication in the Web Transaction Recorder to display the Add/Edit Authentication window.

■ Step - Select the step/URL for which you want to add authentication information.

■ UserName - Specify the user name that is to be used to gain access to theparticular page in the Web site.

■ Password - Specify the password associated with the user name.

Pop-up Windows


■ Domain - Specify the domain where the user name and password combinationis to be used.

■ Authentication Type - Select the type of authentication mechanism supportedby your Web site. You can select Basic, Digest, or NTLM from the list.

Basic authentication

Upon receiving a 401-response header, the client's browser, if it supports basicauthentication, seeks user name and password information to be sent to the server. Ifyou are using a graphical browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer, a windowis displayed where you must specify your user name and password. The informationyou type in is sent back to the server. If the user name is in the approved list, and thepassword specified is correct, the resource will be returned to the client.

Digest authentication

Digest authentication is implemented by the module mod_auth_digest. There is anolder module, mod_digest, which implemented an older version of the digestauthentication specification, but which will probably not work with latest browsers.

Using digest authentication, your password is never sent across the network in theclear, but is always transmitted as an MD5 digest of the user's password. In this way,the password cannot be determined by sniffing network traffic.

NTLM authentication

NTLM is an authentication protocol used in various Microsoft network protocolimplementations and supported by the NTLM Security Support Provider(NTLMSSP). Originally used for authentication and negotiation of secure DCE/RPC,NTLM is also used throughout Microsoft's systems as an integrated single sign-onmechanism.

NTLM employs a challenge-response mechanism for authentication, in which clientsare able to prove their identities without sending a password to the server. It consistsof three messages, commonly referred to as Type 1 (negotiation), Type 2 (challenge),and Type 3 (authentication).

The client sends a Type 1 message to the server. This primarily contains a list offeatures supported by the client and requested of the server. The server respondswith a Type 2 message. This contains a list of features supported and agreed upon bythe server. Most importantly, however, it contains a challenge generated by theserver. The client replies to the challenge with a Type 3 message. This containsseveral pieces of information about the client, including the domain and user nameof the client user. It also contains one or more responses to the Type 2 challenge.Responses in the Type 3 message are the most critical piece, as they prove to theserver that the client user has knowledge of the account password.

Pop-up Windows


■ Insert - Click this to save data that you have specified as user logon information.

■ Delete - Click this to delete saved user logon information.

■ Update - Click this to save changes made to the existing user logon information.

■ Close - Click this to close and exit from the window.

Authentication information that you save is not displayed in the Step Info section.However, if you want to view the authentication information that you have addedfor a step, open the Add/Edit Authentication window.

Browser pop-up Windows

Several sites automatically pop up small windows with advertisements. These willbe referred to as Browser pop-up windows and can be recognized by the IE logo onthe top left. While these windows may not be of interest most of the time, they affectthe way one records a content match on the main window.

If you do not want to record browser pop-up windows,

1 Go to Options => Advanced Settings.

2 Select Allow Popups option.

The Allow Popups option enables other pop-up windows and screens associatedwith the Web site you are viewing to be displayed while you are recording thetransaction. This does not interfere with the system authentication pop-up windowsthat may be displayed.

Exporting Web Transaction filesTransaction files need to be exported from a remote Windows Administrationconsole to BMC ProactiveNet Server.

After you save a Web Transaction file, a window is displayed that seeksconfirmation whether you want to export the saved transaction file from the localsystem to BMC ProactiveNet Server.

If you click Yes, then the Transaction File Export window is displayed.

Exporting Web Transaction files


To export web transaction files

1 Select the file(s) that you want to export from the local system to BMCProactiveNet Server.

2 Click Export.

To delete Web Transaction files from the server, select the files and click Delete.

Editing Web Transaction filesPerform one of the following procedures depending on which version of BMCProactiveNet you are using.

Editing Web Transaction files created in BMC ProactiveNet7.0 and later

To edit a previously recorded Web Transaction file,

1 Go to Tools => Web Transaction Capture => Edit.Alternatively,Go to Tools => Web Transaction Capture => Launch WebCapture.The ProactiveNet Web Capture window is displayed.

2 Click Open to list all the saved transaction files.

3 Select a transaction file to be edited.

Editing Web Transaction files


4 Click Edit, the ProactiveNet Transaction File Editor window is displayed.All steps of the transaction are listed in the left pane. The right pane consists ofdifferent attribute groups that can be edited for each step.Figure 32: Transaction File Editor window

Content match details tab

■ Title Match – Displays the name of the title match.

■ Enable Title Match – Select this option to automatically record the title of theWeb pages as Positive Content Match.

■ Content Match – The Content match feature enables the Web Transaction user toverify that the monitor navigates to the correct web pages during the transactionplayback. Content match can be specified for each step of the transaction file.During playback, the downloaded page is parsed and the recorded content ismatched with the corresponding page to check the authenticity of the transactionplayback.



■ Positive Match - If the content is present in the page, then the playback isconsidered as successful. If the content is not present, then an error is reportedand availability is set to zero.Positive content match strings are preceded by the '+' symbol in the ContentMatch section. Change the content match and title match strings, if required.

■ Negative Match – During playback, the downloaded page is checked for thenegative match content. If the content is not present in the page, then the playbackis considered as successful. If the content is present, then an error is reported andavailability is set to zero.Negative match is used ascertain that error condition related content is notpresent on the page. Negative content match strings are preceded by the '-' symbolin the Content Match section. Change the content match and title match strings, ifrequired.

Note

■ If the title match is enabled in Recorder or can be enabled from Edit optionmanually, the Content Match will be displayed in green color.

■ If the title match is disabled in Recorder or can be disabled from Edit optionmanually, the content match will be displayed in gray color.

■ Add – Click to add a new content match.

■ Update – Click to save any changes made to the selected content match.

■ Delete – Click to delete the selected content match.

Sub transaction tab

This tab displays the subtransactions that you have defined for the transaction.Change the properties of the subtransactions, if required.

■ Select Sub Transaction – From the Select Sub Transaction list, choose thesubtransaction that you want to edit.

■ Select Starting URL for the Sub Transaction – From the list, select the first URLof the sub transaction recorded.

■ Select Ending URL for the Sub Transaction – From the list, select the last URL ofthe sub transaction recorded.

■ Sub Transaction Name – Specify a name for the sub transaction.

■ Add – Click this to add a new sub transaction.



■ Update – Click to save any changes made to the selected sub transaction.

■ Delete – Click this to delete the selected sub transaction.

Advanced settings tab

From the drop-down menu of View, select either Authentication, Step Details, FormDetails, or Request Header. By default, Authentication is selected. AdvancedSettings tab is intended for advanced users. The steps involved in creating, editing,and deleting macros are same across the Advanced Settings tab.

There are four types of View:

1 AuthenticationThis tab displays information to be used during system authentication. Changeany details, if required. By default, Authentication is enabled.

■ User Name – Specify the user name that is to be used to gain access to theparticular page in the Web site and is mandatory. Left-click or right-click macro icon to enter the new macro or edit the existing macros. See WebTransaction macro on page 265.

■ Password – Specify the password associated with the user name and ismandatory. Left-click or right-click to enter the new macro or edit the existingmacros. See Web Transaction macro on page 265.

■ Domain – Specify the domain where the user name and password combinationis to be used. Left-click or right-click to enter the new macro or edit theexisting macros. See Web Transaction macro on page 265.

■ Type – From drop-down menu, select either BASIC, DIGEST, or NTLM.

■ Add – Click this to add new authentication.

■ Delete – Click this to delete the selected authentication.

2 Step Details

■ Protocol - Indicates the protocol used (for example, HTTP 1.1 HTTP 1.0) (noneditable).

■ Method - Indicates the method used.

■ Name - Name assigned to the transaction step.

■ URL - The URL of the transaction step and is mandatory. Left-click or right-click to enter the new macro or edit the existing macros. See Web Transactionmacro on page 265.



■ Update - Click to update the transaction step details with any changes you made.

3 Form Details

■ Form Name - Name of the form associated with the URL/step.

■ Form Index - Index of occurrence of the form with the same name in the page

■ Form Source - URL of the page where the form is present.

■ Form Action URL - Associated URL action of the form.

■ Input elements involved in the form are displayed in the name value pair format.

■ Name - The attribute name.

■ Value - The attribute value. Left-click or right-click to enter the new macro oredit the existing macros. See Web Transaction macro on page 265.

■ Update - Click this to save any changes made to the form details.

■ Delete - Click this to delete the selected form details.

4 Request HeaderIn HTTP protocols, the client sends a request and associated options for responsefrom the server. This request consists of a set of properties likeUser Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0; .NET CLR1.1.4322).

■ Name – The attribute name.

■Value – The attribute value. Click macro icon to enter the new macro oredit the existing macros. See Web Transaction macro on page 265.

■ Add – Click this to add a new request header.

■ Update – Click this to save any changes made to the request header.

■ Delete – Click this to delete the selected request header.



Editing Web Transaction files created prior to BMCProactiveNet 7.0

BMC ProactiveNet enables you to view a previously created transaction file andrefresh your memory on the steps performed in the chosen transaction. At this point,some of the features can be edited.

To view or edit a transaction file

1 From the menu bar on the Administration Console, select Tools => WebTransaction Capture => Edit.

The Select a Transaction File window is displayed. This lists all the transactionfiles saved on the server. Select the file to edit and click OK.

Edit the file under the available tabs. The step being modified is highlighted in theright window.

Content match for Web Transaction monitorThe Content match feature enables the Web Transaction user to verify that themonitor navigates to the correct web pages during the transaction playback. Contentmatch can be specified for each step of the transaction file. During playback, thedownloaded page is parsed and the recorded content is matched with thecorresponding page to check the authenticity of the transaction playback.

Web Transaction monitor supports three types of content match:

1 Positive MatchDuring playback, the downloaded page is checked for the specified positivematch content. If the content is present in the page, then the playback isconsidered as successful. If the content is not present, then an error is reportedand availability is set to zero.

2 Negative MatchDuring playback, the downloaded page is checked for the negative match content.If the content is not present in the page, then the playback is considered assuccessful. If the content is present, then an error is reported and availability is setto zero.Negative match is used ascertain that error condition related content is notpresent on the page.

Content match for Web Transaction monitor


3 Title MatchPage title can be recorded as part of the transaction file. As with Positive ContentMatch, the downloaded page is checked for the Title during playback. Title matchcan be used to validate rendered pages without manually insert content matches.To enable Title Match, select the checkbox on the recorder GUI.

Note Content match validation is supported both by the Web Transaction Monitor aswell as the Browser Playback feature.

Best practices to record content match

To insert text for content match on a given HTML page:

■ Locate the content using the View Source feature (Record => View Source).Alternatively, right-click in the browser section of the BMC ProactiveNet WebCapture screen to access the View Source feature.

■ Copy the desired content from the HTML source so that extra line feeds or in-between newline characters are not copied. Do not copy the content from theHTML page directly.

■ Content match is case-specific. So it is best if the content is copied from the HTMLsource (and not the HTML page), than typed manually.

International characters

You can insert international characters as content match strings.

Extra line feed characters

User must ensure that the content is not copied from the browser window, but fromthe actual HTML source. This is important since the HTML source maybe differentfrom the way the content is rendered in the browser. The actual HTML source maycontain tags such as ‘ ’ line feed characters, etc.

Content match for Web Transaction monitor


Web Transaction macroA web transaction macro is a set of tasks combined together so that you can run orreplay the entire task together with a single command. Macros are a powerfulproductivity tool. A web transaction macro is defined with a name, type, and value.Web transaction macros are available only in Advanced Settings section.

Web Transaction macro


Types of Web Transaction macros

The types of Macros that can be embedded in a transaction file, so that it is executedduring monitor playback, are:Figure 33: Web Transaction Macro flowchart

■ Static Macro - Simplest of all macros. The value of the macro is statisticallydefined in the transaction file.

■ ValueList Macro - Reads the value of the macro from the specified property file. Ituses the macro name as the name of the property and gets the value of that fromthe property file. Multiple values can be specified for the macro as semicolon (;)separated values in the property file.

■ Dynamic Macro - The value of the macro is obtained dynamically duringplayback of the transaction.

■ Dynamic JavaScript Macro – The value is obtained by executing the JavaScript.

■ Dynamic Predefined Macro – The value is obtained by executing a predefined script.

■ Dynamic HTLM Macro – You should be able to indicate variables which have tobe replaced dynamically during playback. Form data or hidden-form data,changed through JavaScript, session information, cookies, URLs, and otherinformation may need to be replaced dynamically.



Managing Web Transaction macros

Through the BMC ProactiveNet Transaction File Editor window, you can create newtransaction macros, edit existing macros, or delete existing macros.

To create a new Web Transaction macro

1 Click the macro icon .

The Macro Input Dialog window is displayed. From the list of Type, select thetype of the macro to be created.

2 Enter appropriate input details for the type of the macro you want to create. Thefields displayed on the Macro Input Dialog window differ, depending on the typeof macro.

■ STATIC

—Name – Indicates the name of the macro and is mandatory.

—Type – Indicates the type of the macro and is mandatory.

—Value – Indicates value of the macro and is mandatory.

—Default Value – Indicates the default value to be replaced.

■ VALUELIST



—ValueList File – Indicates the name of the file from which the value is to bepicked along with path and is mandatory.

—Default Value – Indicates default value to be replaced, if there is no value inthe defined file.

■ DYNAMIC_EXTERNALJS



—Enter JavaScript or Browse – Indicates free-form editor to write java scriptor click on browse to load any java script file.

■ DYNAMIC PREDEFINEDSCRIPT





—Select PreDefined Script Name – From the drop-down menu, select thepredefined script that is bundled along with BMC ProactiveNet Server.

—Dynamic ID – Indicates input parameters for the predefined scripts and ismandatory.

—Step number - Indicates input parameters for the predefined scripts and ismandatory.

3 Click OK to create a new macro.

Note Web Transaction Macro name should not contain characters $$#$ as it is areserved key word for the web transaction macro. The web transaction macroname field can contain any characters except in the sequence of $$#$.

To edit an existing macro


2 Select the macro to be edited and click Edit. Name and type fields are disabled inedit mode.

3 Click OK to save the changes made and exit.

To delete the already created macro


2 Select the macro to be deleted.

3 Click Delete.

4 Click Yes in the confirmation message to delete the selected macro and exit.

Limitation

An already applied web transaction macro cannot be deleted; however, the webtransaction macro can only be deleted if the defined web transaction macro is notapplied to any field.



Usage scenarios

Static Macro

If you want to test the same application on different web servers, then instead ofrecording several similar transactions, you have to just provide the server IPaddresses as web transaction macros. You can change the IP addresses easily.

For example,

The following are the steps of a recorded transaction:

http://192.168.3.105/servlets/com.proactivenet.servlet.Login

http://192.168.3.105/jsp/LayoutPage.jsp

http://192.168.3.105/jsp/AlarmSummary.jsp

If you want to test the same application running on different web servers, then youdefine a Static macro by name “ServerMacro” (see xml snippet below). The value ofthis macro is set to “http://192.168.1.122”. $$#$[ServerMacro]$$#$ indicates avariable, which has to be replaced by value of Macro ‘ServerMacro’. After replacingthe values, the transaction is changed to the following steps:

http://192.168.1.122/servlets/com.proactivenet.servlet.Login

http://192.168.1.122/jsp/LayoutPage.jsp

http://192.168.1.122/jsp/AlarmSummary.jsp

Table 24: Web transaction file StaticMacro snippet

<MACRO NAME=”ServerMacro” TYPE=”STATIC” VALUE=”http://192.168.1.122” DEFAULTVALUE=”192.168.3.105”></MACRO><STEP URL=”$$#$[ServerMacro]$$#$/servlets/com.proactivenet.servlet.Login”></STEP><STEP URL=”$$#$[ServerMacro]$$#$/jsp/LayoutPage.jsp”></STEP><STEP URL=”$$#$[ServerMacro]$$#$/jsp/AlarmSummary.jsp”></STEP>

ValueList macro

The transaction recorded maybe for an application, which the user wants to test fordifferent login information. The user should be able to indicate different logininformation in the transaction file. Otherwise, the user has to record several similartransactions with just the login information changed.

You can indicate the login information as ValueList macro in the transaction file andthe Web transaction monitor can use different login information.



For example, in the xml snippet below, a ValueList macro by name ‘Login’ isdefined. The value for this macro is read from the property ‘Login’ in the propertiesfile ‘/home1/user.list’. It is then used to replace the login information in the form data.

Table 25: Web transaction file ValueList macro snippet

<MACRO NAME=”Login” TYPE=”VALUELIST” SRC=”/home1/user.list” DEFAULTVALUE=”admin”></MACRO><STEP><FORMDATA><INPUTDATA NAME=”username” VALUE=”$$#$[Login]$$#$”></FORMDATA></STEP>

Dynamic Macro

In a transaction, there is ‘currentDate’ as one of the form input data. When this formdata is submitted, next page validates if the ‘currentDate’ is same as today’s date. Ifthe validation fails, it throws up error page.

In this case, you can use a Dynamic JavaScript macro. The macro is defined with aJavaScript that returns today’s date. That macro can be used for form input data‘currentDate’. This makes the transaction successful.

For example, in the transaction file snippet below, a Dynamic JavaScript macro byname ‘todayDate’ is defined. The value of this macro is a JavaScript, which returnstoday’s date. The macro can be used in the form input data ‘currentDate’.

Table 26: Web transaction file DynamicMacro snippet

<MACRO NAME="todayDate" TYPE="DYNAMIC_EXTERNALJS" VALUE="new Date ();"></MACRO><STEP ><FORMDATA> <INPUTDATA NAME="currentDate" VALUE="$$#$[todayDate]$$#$" TYPE="text" ENCRYPTED="FALSE" DOMSIGNATURE=""/></FORMDATA></STEP>

Dynamic predefined macro

If the value is obtained by executing a predefined script, then it is a DynamicPredefined Script Macro. Below is the list of predefined scripts that can be used inmacros.

Table 27: Web transaction Dynamic Predefined Macro snippet

1 pn_getFromHTML(String dynamicId,int stepNum)pn_getFromHTML(String dynamicId)

It is used to get the value dynamically from thedownloaded HTML page.

2 pn_getFromHeader(StringheaderName, intstepNum)pn_getFromHeader(StringheaderName)

It is used to get the value dynamically from the HTTPheader



3 pn_getFromCookie(StringcookieName)pn_getFromCookie(String cookieName, int stepNum)

It is used to get the value dynamically from a cookie.

4 pn_getFromHtmlDomPath(StringdomPath, StringattributeName)pn_getFromHtmlDomPath(String domPath, StringattributeName, int stepNum)

It is used to get the value dynamically from thedownloaded HTML page DOM path. DOM pathmatches the HTML element. If attributeName is null,then the HTML element’s value is considered.

Limitations of Web Transaction captureAn already applied web transaction macro cannot be deleted; however, the webtransaction macro can only be deleted if the defined web transaction macro is notapplied to any field.

AJAX

AJAX-enabled sites are not supported

■ Web sites that include Asychronous Javascript and XML (AJAX) content are notsupported.Example: www.flickr.com , www.maps.google.com

■ Web sites with DHTML layers are not supported.Example: www.sonystyle.com

Files/Plug-ins

■ Web sites that download content are not supportedBMC ProactiveNet Web Capture tool does not support transactions thatdownload or upload files such as MS Word documents, spreadsheets,presentation files, PDF files, and ASCII text files.For example: http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf

■ Web sites with Plug-ins are not supportedThe Web Capture tool does not support transactions that involve plug-ins such asApplets, Flash, SVG, and multimedia features.For example: www.ebay.com , www.macromedia.com (Flash)

Limitations of Web Transaction capture


http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf

Forms

■ Web sites that reset passwords before a POST are not supportedSome Web sites clear the password field in a form before doing a POST to theserver. In such situations, the Web Capture tool does not record the password.Example: www.traderji.com

■ Flash-based Forms are not supportedThis tool does not record data from Flash Forms.Example: Search form at www.macromedia.com

■ Form POST is not supported

■ The Web Capture tool does not support pages, which do a POST of values fromdifferent forms in the page.

■ The Web Capture tool fails to record the password value when the Password fieldin a form is reset to an empty string or to a predefined default value before aPOST. In such situations, playback and monitor creation fail.

■ This tool does not support forms that do not POST but redirect. Some pages donot POST selected values, but use JavaScript redirection to load the required page.This event may not be recorded by the Web Capture tool.Example: www.hsbc.co.in

■ Form Action URLs with dynamic session IDs are not supported

■ The monitor and the Playback tool do not support transactions that have dynamicsession ID values as part of the Form action URL.Example: www.homedepot.com

Frames

Web sites with Cross-scripting feature are not supported

Due to cross-site scripting (XSS) limitation of Internet Explorer, Web sites thatcontain frames from a different domain (or a sub-domain) are not recorded.

For example: www.federaldaily.com



Images

■ ImageMaps are not supportedThe Web Capture tool does not support Web sites with ImageMaps. (An ImageMap is a list of coordinates relating to a specific image, created in order tohyperlink areas of the image to various destinations)Example: http://www.ihip.com/

■ Image tags with OnClick eventhandlers are not supportedThe Web Capture tool does not record the click event, when the action URL of aform is manipulated and a POST happens in the OnClick eventhandler of Imagetags.Example: www.americanairlines.com

Internationalization

■ URLs with internationalized Domain Names are not supportedThe Web Transaction monitor does not support URLs with InternationalizedDomain Names (IDN).Example: http://www.nestle.com/All_About/All+About+Nestlé.htm

■ Internationalization is not supported in the Attribute pages of the OperationsConsoleAttribute pages of the Operations Console do not display Non-English Unicodecharacters correctly.For more information on Internationalization support, refer InternationalizationSupport topic.

Javascript

■ Javascript redirection is not supportedThe Web Capture tool does not record JavaScript redirection in Web pages.

■ Suppressing JavaScript Error windowWhile recording and playing back a transaction, the Web Capture tool does notsuppress JavaScript Error windows that may appear.Example: www.perbio.com

■ Transactions with DOM object manipulation not supportedThe Web Capture tool does not support transactions wherein the DOM object ofthe page is manipulated explicitly in JavaScript functions.Example: www.mappoint.msn.com



http://www.ihip.com/

http://www.nestle.com/All_About/All+About+Nestlé.htm

Log files

Unicode characters not displayed correctly

Web Recorder log files and log files generated by the Validate tool do not display allUnicode characters correctly. Non-English characters may be displayed as '?' or othersymbols.

Miscellaneous

■ Pop-up windows with the Close button/hyperlink are not supportedThe Web Capture Tool does not close a pop-up window when the Close button orhyperlink on it is clicked.Workaround: Close the pop-up window manually.

■ Monitor plays back blocked pop-up windowsThe Web Transaction monitor does not suppress pop-up windows even iftransactions are recorded without selecting the Allow Popups option.

■ Web sites that accept inputs from soft keyboard not supportedTransactions that require you to specify inputs using a soft keyboard (an onscreen keyboard that duplicates the hardware keyboard. One uses the mousepointer to choose which key/characters to enter) are not recorded.Example: www.citibank.co.in

■ URLs with dynamic session IDs are not supportedThe monitor and Playback tool do not support transactions that have dynamicsession ID values as part of the URL.Example: www.lexus.com

■ Dynamic Page Titles are not supported

■ Page in a site where the title is frequently altered fails in Title Match. Suchtransactions should be treated as site-specific.

■ Some Web servers change page titles dynamically. In such situations, thePlayback tool and Web Transaction monitors fail to match the recorded Title.Workaround: Record the transaction without Title Match or edit the transactionfile and delete the title of the particular step.



Playback

■ Persistent Cookies not supportedBMC ProactiveNet Web Capture tool does not support persistent cookies whileplaying back a transaction file (GUI mode).

■ Digest Authentication information not supportedWhile playing back a transaction (GUI mode), access information for Digest typeauthentication must be entered manually.

■ NTLM AuthenticationIf user name or password with special characters such as '@' or domain name isspecified as NTLM authentication information for a transaction while recording,then the same information must be entered manually during GUI playback

■ Support for Transactions recorded using earlier versions of BMC ProactiveNet

BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console does not support playback fortransactions recorded using earlier versions of BMC ProactiveNet that are saved onBMC ProactiveNet Server (upgrade setups). Only those transactions that are locallyavailable on the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console are played back.





Working with event managementpolicies

This chapter describes the components of event management policies and explainshow to implement them. It contains the following topics:

Displaying the Infrastructure Managementnode

By default, the Infrastructure Management node is not displayed in the EventManagement Policies tab or the Dynamic Data Editor tab in the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console.

Perform the following procedure to display the node in these tabs.

To display the Infrastructure Management node

1 In a text editor such as Notepad, open the ix.properties file.

By default, the file is located in the following directory:

BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME\admin\etc\

2 Change the value of the following parameter to True:

infrastructure_management_node_visibility

3 Save and close the ix.properties file.


The Infrastructure Management node is displayed in the Event ManagementPolicies and the Dynamic Data Editor tabs.

11


Event management policy typesEvent management policy types provide a base policy definition that enables you toquickly create certain types of policies. Policy types allow you to quickly set uproutine event management processes.

Table 28 on page 278 describes the standard event management policy types.

Table 28: Standard event management policy types

Policy name Definition

Blackout sets the status of an event to BLACKOUT. A blackout policy might be usedduring a maintenance window or holiday period.

Closure closes a specified event in response to receipt of a separate event

Component BasedEnrichment

enriches the definition of an event associated with a component by assigningselected component slot definitions to the event slots

Correlation relates one or more cause events to an effect event, and can close the effect eventThe cell maintains the association between these cause-and-effect events.

Enrichment adds values for specific event slots if those slots are empty as received from theevent sourceAn enrichment event management policy can also reformat slots or normalizeslot values.

Escalation raises or lowers the priority level of an event after a specified period of timeA specified number of event recurrences can also trigger escalation of an event.For example, if the abnormally high temperature of a storage device goesunchecked for 10 minutes or if a cell receives more than five high-temperaturewarning events in 25 minutes, an escalation event management policy mightincrease the priority level of the event to critical.

Notification sends a request to an external service to notify a user or group of users of the eventA notification event management policy might notify a system administrator bymeans of a pager about the imminent unavailability of mission-critical piece ofstorage hardware.

Propagation forwards events to other cells or to integrations to other products

Recurrence combines duplicate events into one event that maintains a counter of the numberof duplicates

Remote action automatically calls a specified action rule provided the incoming event satisfiesthe remote execution policy’s event criteriaSee also Configuring and using Remote Actions/Diagnostics on page 119 formore information.

Suppression specifies which events that the receiving cell should deleteUnlike a blackout event management policy, the suppression event managementpolicy maintains no record of the deleted event.

Event management policy types


Policy name Definition

Threshold specifies a minimum number of duplicate events that must occur within aspecific period of time before the cell accepts the eventFor events allowed to pass through to the cell, the event severity can be escalatedor de-escalated a relative number of levels or set to a specific level. If the eventoccurrence rate falls below a specified level, the cell can take action against theevent, such as changing the event to closed or acknowledged status.

Timeout changes an event status to closed after a specified period of time elapses

Component BasedBlackout

Specifies which events the receiving cell should classify as unimportant andtherefore not process . The events are logged for reporting purposes.A Component Based Blackout event management policy might specify that thecell ignore events generated from a component or device based on componentselection criteria for this policy.

It is also possible to define custom policy types that allow you to do specializedevent processing not supported by the out-of-the-box policy types.

For more information about creating user-defined policy types, see Creating andusing user-defined policies on page 405.

Out-of-the-box event management policiesSeveral event management policies are included with the product that enable you tointeractively set up routine event processing quickly. Standard event managementpolicies that are provided out-of-the-box include:

■ PATROL_Portal_Closure_on_OK_Events

■ Apache_Login_Failed_Repeats

■ Blackout_Suppression

■ Adapter_Start_Stop_Closure

■ Client_Stop_Closes_Start

■ Sample_Component_Based_Enrichment_Policy

■ Sample_Intelligent_Incident_Service_Policy

■ Event_Reporting_Propagation

■ Event_Propagation_To_Remedy_Help_Desk

Dynamic enrichment policies that are provided out-of-the-box include:

Out-of-the-box event management policies


■ Location_Enrichment

■ Service_Contact_Enrichment

■ PATROL_Message_Translation

■ BPM_STATE_CHANGE

■ BPM_RSM_STATE_CHANGE

■ PATROL_EVENT

To use these out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment policies, you must enable thepolicy, import useful data into the sample .csv files and then import the data into thecell using the policy mechanism. For instructions on creating dynamic enrichmentpolicies, see Creating a new dynamic enrichment event management policy on page357.

Table 29 on page 280 lists the out-of-the-box policies and indicates whether or noteach out-of-the-box policy is enabled by default.

Table 29: Out-of-the-box policies

Policy type Policy name Description Enabled?

Closure PATROL_Portal_Closure_on_OK_Events

closes previous Portal events for thesame managed object

Yes

Adapter_Start_Stop_Closure closes previous events for the sameadapter instance

Yes

Client_Stop_Closes_Start Client Stop events close Client Startevents and then close themselves

Yes

JSERVERCellConnectionStatusPolicy

Yes

Close_Open_Alarms Yes

RATECellConnectionStatusPolicy

Yes

Component BasedEnrichment

Sample_Component_Based_Enrichment_Policy

enriches events by filling selected eventslots with the slot values of thecomponent type

No

Dynamic Blackout Dynamic_Blackout blacks out events that meet a specifiedcriteria during a specified time period

No



Policy type Policy name Description Enabled?

Dynamic Enrichment Location_Enrichment appends the location of a server to anevent

No

Service_Contact_Enrichment appends contact information for aserver administrator to an event. Forexample, contact information mayinclude the name of the administratorfor that server and his or her telephonenumber.

No

PATROL_Message_Translation

replaces the text of existing PATROLevent messages with messages that canbe more easily understood by operators

No

Intelligent IncidentService

Sample_Intelligent_Incident_Service_Policy

sample policy for creating IntelligentIncidents for Remedy Helpdesk

No

Propagation Event_Propagation_To_Remedy_Help_Desk

propagates events to Remedy Helpdesk No

Event_Reporting_Propagation propagates events to the Portal forevent reporting

No

Recurrence Apache_Login_Failed_Repeats handles repeating Apache Login Failedevents

No

Patrol_Portal_DeDup_Policy handles repeating Portal events for thesame managed object

Yes

Suppression Blackout_Suppression suppresses Blackout events No

Component BasedBlackout

Component_Based_Blackout suppresses events that meet a specifiedcriteria during a specified time periodfor specified components

No

For instructions on using these out-of-the-box policies, see Creating new standardevent management policies on page 307 and Creating a new dynamic enrichmentevent management policy on page 357.

Note The BMC Impact Integration for PATROL product can detect duplicate events andcan correlate events that come from the same origin. The rules for detectingduplicated events are located in the MCELL_HOME /etc/ cellName /kb/rules/bii4p.mrl file. See the patrol_duplicates and the correlate alarm_and_radefinitions. You can use the new patrol_duplicates rule to delete duplicate eventsand the correlate alarm_and_ra rule to close a current event after a subsequent eventarrives from the same origin.BMC Impact Integration for PATROL does not provide a policy for these events.



How event management policies workAll event management policies must include the following components:

■ event selector

■ process(es)

■ timeframe(s)

■ evaluation order

Each event management policy defines selection criteria that is applied to incomingevents to determine which events are processed. A timeframe determines when thepolicy is active or inactive. The evaluation order determines which policies areimplemented first if there is a conflict.

In addition to these components, dynamic enrichment policies also require adynamic enrichment source file, for more information on how dynamic enrichmentpolicies interact with dynamic enrichment source files, see How dynamic enrichmentevent management policies work on page 287.

Event management policy workflow overview

The following figure illustrates the workflow for creating and implementing anevent management policy.Figure 34: Event management policy definition workflow

How event management policies work


Event selectors

An event selector is the component of an event management policy that selects oneor more events to which an event management policy applies.

Rather than specifying a particular event to process, as a rule does, a selectorspecifies a list of event selection criteria (also called an Event Condition Formula(ECF)). When an incoming event meets any of the specified event selection criteria,the cell applies the associated event management policy to the event. For moreinformation, see Event selection criteria on page 285.

Table 30 on page 283 lists the out-of-the-box event selectors.

Table 30: Out-of-the-box event selectors

Event selectorGroup

Event selector Events selected

Default Adapter_Start_Stop Adapter starting and stopping events

Default Apache_Login_Failed Apache web server login failed events

Default Client Stop client stop events

Default PATROL_Portal_Events events coming from PATROL Portal

Default PATROL_Portal_OK_Events OK severity events coming from PATROL Portal

IBRSD All_Critical_Events critical events propagated to the Integration withBMC Remedy Service Desk

IBRSD Component_Change service model component change events fromBMC Service Impact Management

None All_Events all events

None BPM_RSM_STATE_CHANGE state change events coming from the BMC PortalRemote Service Monitor

None BPM_STATE_CHANGE state change events coming from the BMCPerformance Manager

None Blackout_Events all blacked-out events

None PATROL_Event not used

None PATROL_Events events coming from PATROL agents

PPM JSERVERCellConnectionStatusSelector

events coming from the Jserver

PPM RATECellConnectionStatusSelector RATE events

PPM OK_Alarms events with a status of OK

You can create custom event selectors. For information about creating eventselectors, see How to create an event selector and specify event selection criteria onpage 297.



Note The maximum number of selectors that can be displayed in the Event ManagementPolicies view is 2500. The view will display 1024 selectors if you set the query_sizeparameter in the %BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME%\admin\etc\ix.propertiesfile to less than 100 (< 100) or greater than 2500 (> 2500).

Event selector groups

An event selector group, created when an event selector is defined, enables you toorganize event selectors. For example, you could create event selector groups thatclassify event selectors by the severity of events. You could create one event selectorgroup for major severity events and one for minor severity events.

Event selector groups appear as folders in the By Selector subtree in the EventManagement Policies navigation pane. The names of event selectors which belongto a group are displayed as group.event_selector_name in the selectors lists in the listpane and in the By Event Class subtree. The name also is displayed in a separatefield in the Selector Details tab.

Figure 35 on page 284 shows an event selector group called Default that has theAdapter Start Stop event selector highlighted. Notice that details about thehighlighted event selector appear in the Selector list in the right pane of theAdministration View.

Figure 35: Event selector group name



Event selectors do not have to belong to a group. Event selectors that do not belongto a group are displayed directly under the By Selector subtree.

Event selection criteria

Event selection criteria tells a cell to which incoming events to apply the associatedevent policies. By using selection criteria to choose events rather than creating asingle event management policy for each event type, event selection criteria performthe event management policy equivalent of dynamic data for rules. One eventmanagement policy using event selection criteria that spans a range of event typescan be easier to maintain than a separate rule for each of many event types.

The BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console interface enables you to interactivelycreate syntactically accurate event selection criteria expressions without the need forspecific syntax knowledge because the editor verifies that the expression has thecorrect syntax.

For more information see, How to create an event selector and specify eventselection criteria on page 297.

Timeframes

Timeframes allow you to specify when the event management policy is active. Forexample, during scheduled database maintenance periods, you might want toactivate an event suppression policy for maintenance-related events to reduceunnecessary event accumulation.

For events to be impacted by a timeframe setting, the timeframe must be active forthe entire time that is specified in the policy.

Example An escalation policy is defined to escalate an event to priority level 1 (escalated onelevel) after 10 minutes. Events are generated. No event will be escalated for at least10 minutes. Five minutes after the policy is enabled, the policy is disabled. Eventhough the policy was active at the beginning of the 10 minute period, no event isimpacted by the policy because it is not active at the end of the 10 minutes.An escalation policy is defined to escalate an event priority after 30 minutes with anactive timeframe from 4:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. At 4:45 P.M. Events are generated. Theactive time period expires at 5:00 P.M. Events generated at 4:45 P.M. are notimpacted by the policy because the timeframe is not active at 5:15 P.M.

Table 31 on page 286 describes the types of timeframes you can use in an eventmanagement policy.



Table 31: Timeframe types and descriptions

Type Icon Description

local timeframe Local timeframes are used for event policies only.They are maintained in the cell and are only visibleto a single cell.You create local timeframes from the EventManagement Policies tab of the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console, as described in How tocreate a new local timeframe on page 289.

Evaluation order of event policy types

BMC ProactiveNet cells evaluate event policies of different types based on the orderof the rule phase in which the event management policy executes.

Table 32 on page 286 describes the standard rule phases and their associated eventpolicy types.

Table 32: Evaluation order of event policy types

Evaluation order Rule phase Event policy type

1 refine blackoutenrichmentdynamic blackoutdynamicenrichmenttimeout (initialization)

2 filter NOPASS suppression

3 regulate threshold a

4 threshold threshold a escalation

5 new closurerecurrence

6 abstract no related event management policy

7 correlate correlation

8 execute timeout (arm)notification

9 propagate propagation

10 delete no related event management policy

11 timer timeout (execute)escalation

a Unlike other event policies, cells evaluate threshold event policies in two distinct phases—the first phasefor the hold threshold and the second phase for the pass through threshold.



WARNING Although event policies of different types are evaluated according to their associatedrule phase, event policies of the same type do not have an evaluation order. Forexample, if event selectors for two event policies of the same type select the sameevent, the cell evaluates the event according to one event management policy andignores the other event management policy.To prevent omission of event management policy evaluation, you must createmutually exclusive event selection criteria for two event policies of the same type.With the exception of dynamic blackout, dynamic enrichment, notification andpropagation event policies, two or more policies of the same type should not executeagainst the same event. In the case of exceptional event policies, the cell evaluates allevent policies of those four types, even if their selectors reference the same event.

How dynamic enrichment event managementpolicies work

Dynamic enrichment event management policies require the same components asstandard event management policies. However, dynamic enrichment policies allowyou to import external enrichment data into the policy, rather than having to enter itmanually.

First, you must either export data from a data source (such as an asset database) ormanually enter information into the enrichment file (.csv).

Once the data enrichment source file contains the data required, you can use thepolicy to import the data into BMC ProactiveNet for use in the enrichment process. Figure 36 on page 287 illustrates the dynamic enrichment flow.

Figure 36: Flow of data required to implement a dynamic enrichment policy

External enrichment data sources

An external enrichment data source can provide additional information about anevent that is not available from the technology from which the event originates. Anexample of an external enrichment data source is a database such as an asset datastore. Information from the database must be manually exported into a flat delimited

How dynamic enrichment event management policies work


file, so that BMC ProactiveNet can access the information. The recommended formatto export the data to is a .csv file.

BMC provides some sample policies and associated enrichment data sources in the%BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME% \admin\etc\samples directory.

Dynamic enrichment source files

A dynamic enrichment source file must contain at least one match field and at leastone output field.

A match field is the lookup or key field which the dynamic enrichment policy uses toidentify the incoming event. You may use multiple match fields to identify anincoming event.

An output field identifies the type of enrichment information that is to be added tothe event.

Once the policy has matched the event data of the match field(s) with the data in theenrichment file, it will add the associated enrichment data from the enrichment fileinto the output field identified in the policy.

WARNING It is critical that the policy definition and the data enrichment source file contain theexact same number of match fields and output fields in the same order. If the matchfields and output fields in the enrichment file and the policy do not match, the policywill not run.For example, if you are using the contact.csv file that is included with the product,you must select the Host Class, Host, Object Class, and Object slots as the MatchFields and the Service and Owner slots as the Output Fields to correspond to theslots in the contact.csv file.

Wildcards are supported for pattern matching which enables for more generic policyrules to be written.

Sample dynamic enrichment source files

Table 33 on page 289 lists the product-supplied dynamic enrichment source filesthat are located in the %BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME%\admin\etc\samplesdirectory. These sample files provide commonly needed enrichment information.

You can use these files as a guide to create your own dynamic enrichment sourcefiles or you can modify and use these sample files.

How dynamic enrichment event management policies work


Table 33: Dynamic enrichment source files

Data source file Policy name Description

location.csv Location_Enrichment appends the location of a server to an event

contact.csv Service_Contact_Enrichment appends contact information for a serveradministrator to an event. For example, contactinformation may include the name of theadministrator for that server and his or hertelephone number

TextTranslation.csv

PATROL_Message_Translation replaces the text of existing PATROL eventmessages with messages that can be more easilyunderstood by operators in your enterprise. Thisfile includes predefined message translationsthat will be immediately useful. For moreinformation, see Using the sample PATROLmessaging text translation dynamic enrichmentsource file on page 294.

blackout.csv Dynamic_Blackout blacks out events that meet a specified criteriaduring a specified time period

BPM_Category_Table.csv

Dynamic_Enrichment_Policy supports event categorization for BMCPerformance Manager (BPM)

BPM_RSM_STATE_CHANGE_Category_Table.csv

Dynamic_Enrichment_Policy supports event categorization for RemoteService Monitor (RSM) events

PATROL_P7_Category_Table.csv

Dynamic_Enrichment_Policy supports event categorization for PATROL 7events

For information on creating and using dynamic enrichment source files, see How tocreate and edit a dynamic enrichment source file on page 292.

How to create a new local timeframeLocal timeframes allow you to specify periods of time that determine when an eventmanagement policy will or will not run. You can set up a single timeframe that canapply to multiple policies.

For example, if you have several policies that you do not want to run on weekends,you can set up a timeframe from 12:00AM to 12:00 AM on both Saturday andSunday and call that timeframe Weekend. You can then apply the timeframeWeekend to all policies that you do not want to run on weekends.

How to create a new local timeframe


Note Timeframes are required for blackout policies.

To define an event management policy timeframe

1 From the toolbar of the Event Management Policies tab in the BMC ProactiveNet

Administration Console, click the View/Update Timeframes button .

The Timeframes window is displayed, as shown in Figure 37 on page 290.

Figure 37: Timeframes

2 From the Timeframes toolbar, click the New Timeframe button.

3 In the Timeframe New dialog box, enter or modify the information described in Table 34 on page 291.

How to create a new local timeframe


Table 34: Timeframe New dialog box options

Field Description

Name Name of the timeframe

Description Description of the timeframe

Start, End Period when the timeframe begins and ends. You can specify the End value aseither a Time or Duration. If you select Time, select the appropriate value fromthe list. If you select Duration, select the number of hours that you want thetimeframe to be active.The individual time zone of the cell will be used in timeframe calculations.

Recurrence pattern Schedules how often the timeframe will recur. Changing the selection in the leftside list will change the options available on the right side.Besides the Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly timeframe options, you canselect individual dates that are part of the timeframe by selecting Date List andchoosing dates from the displayed calendar.

Range of recurrence When you have selected a Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly timeframe option,you can choose the starting and ending date range for the recurrence.Optionally, instead of choosing an end date, you can enter the number ofrecurrences for the timeframe.

4 To create additional timeframes, click Save and repeat this procedure startingwith step 2.

5 To close the editor, click Close.

How to add a notification service (notificationpolicies only)

Before you can create or enable a standard notification event management policy,you must add a notification service. A BASIC_EMAIL notification service that sendsan email notification to a specified user or group of users when selected events occuris provided by default.

To add a notification service

1 On the Administration View, choose the Dynamic Data Editor tab.

2 In the Dynamic Data Editor tree, expand the server for which you want to addnotification.

How to add a notification service (notification policies only)


3 Expand the Data section, and then expand the Cell Data section.

4 Select Notification Service.

The available notification services are listed in the Notification Service tab in theright pane of the Administration View.

5 Click the Add data instance icon .

A New notification service tab is displayed.

6 On the New tab, in the Name field, enter a unique name for the service.

7 In the Type field, choose one of the following notification service types:

■ Command—the notification service is implemented using a command or script

■ Gateway—a gateway to an external notification service will be used

8 In the Service field, enter the appropriate information based on the notificationservice type:

■ Command—enter the command or script used to initiate notification. Forexample, the script for the default BASIC_EMAIL notification service ismc_sendmail.

Note If the notification service will be executed using a script, the script must belocated in the kb/bin/ platform directory of the cell Knowledge Base.

■ Gateway—enter the name of the destination gateway. This gateway must bereferenced in the directory file of your cell (mcell.dir).

9 [Optional.] In the available_targets field, within the square brackets enter a comma-separated list of predefined users that you want to receive the notification. The listmust be known to the notification service. If no predefined list exists, any targetstring may be entered (such as an email address).

10 Click OK.

How to create and edit a dynamic enrichmentsource file

How to create and edit a dynamic enrichment source file


Note Dynamic enrichment source files are not required for standard event managementpolicies. You only need a dynamic enrichment source file if you are creating adynamic enrichment policy.

Before you enable a dynamic enrichment policy, you must import or enter the datathat you want to use for enrichment into a data file. You can import the enrichmentdata into any delimited flat file; however, BMC Software recommends importing thedata into a .csv file and using Microsoft Excel to view and manipulate the contents ofthe file. The spreadsheet format of Microsoft Excel makes it easier to view andmanipulate the information in the file.

You can use the sample data enrichment files provided with the product as a guideto set up your own data enrichment source files. The sample files are located in the%BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME%\admin\etc\samples directory. For a list ofsample files provided with the product, see Sample dynamic enrichment source fileson page 288.

Before you begin

If you will be referencing a timeframe in your dynamic enrichment source file, youmust ensure that the timeframe that you will be referencing already exists. If thetimeframe you want to reference does not exist, you must define it as described in How to create a new local timeframe on page 289.

To create a dynamic enrichment source file

1 In Microsoft Excel, create a new file and save it as type .csv.

2 In each column of the spreadsheet, enter information that corresponds to eachmatch value and output value that will be included in your dynamic enrichmentpolicy.

WARNING It is critical that the policy definition and the data enrichment source file containthe exact same number of match fields and output fields in the same order. If thematch fields and output fields in the enrichment file and the policy do not match,the policy will not run.For example, if you are using the location.csv file that is included as a samplewith the product, this file has two columns—mc_host and mc_location. If youare creating a dynamic enrichment location policy that uses the location.csv file asthe data enrichment source file, you must select the Host slot as the Match Fieldand the Location slot as the Output Field to correspond to the columns in thelocation.csv file.




To edit a sample dynamic enrichment source file

1 Open one of the sample data source files included with the product located in the%BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME%\admin\etc\samples directory.

2 Import or enter information specific to your enterprise.

■ Figure 38 on page 294 shows an example of an edited location.csv file.Figure 38: Example edited location.csv file

# This enrichment file is used to add an extra field "mc_location" to an event.# This can be useful to group together or understand the physical location of IT components to help with event assignment and resolution.# mc_host, mc_locationTexan1, HoustonTexan2, HoustonCowboy*, Dallas

The location for hosts Texan1 and Texan2 is listed as Houston. The location forall hosts beginning with Cowboy (for example, Cowboy1, CowboySmith,CowboyAikman) is listed as Dallas.


4 The data enrichment source must be imported into the policy each time youmodify the .csv file. For instructions on importing dynamic enrichment datasource, see Importing dynamic enrichment source on page 385.

Using the sample PATROL messaging text translationdynamic enrichment source file

The sample PATROL messaging text translation data enrichment source file,TextTranslation.csv, provided in the %BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME%\admin\etc\samples directory is prepopulated with over two hundred translations formessages from the following Knowledge Modules:

■ BMC SQL-BackTrack NetWorker OBSI Module

■ PATROL KM for CONTROL-M

■ PATROL KM for UNIX and Linux

■ PATROL KM for Microsoft Windows Servers

■ PATROL KM for Netware

■ PATROL KM for Sybase



■ PATROL KM for Internet Server Manager

■ PATROL KM for Oracle

■ BMC Performance Manager for Microsoft Windows Terminal Services

If you are integrated with PATROL, you can gain instant value by enabling thispolicy and importing the data from TextTranslation.csv into the cell as described in Enabling a dynamic enrichment PATROL message text translation policy on page381. This policy enables you to reword ambiguous event messages into messagesmore easily understood by the IT operators handling the events in the BMCProactiveNet Operations Console.

The sample policy, TextTranslation.csv, will translate PATROL event messagescoming from either BMC Impact Integration for PATROL 3 or BMC ImpactIntegration for PATROL 7.

Overview of the PATROL messaging text translationdynamic enrichment source file

The following figure shows some sample rows included in the TextTranslation.csvfile.Figure 39: Sample rows in the TextTranslation.csv file

The first three columns are match fields for incoming events. The first columncontains the object class or application class of the KM. The second column containsthe parameter. The third column contains the origin class.

The last column is the output field or the message that should be displayed when anevent matching the criteria in the first three columns is received.

For example, in the first row, the cell will look for an event coming from theCPUCpuUtil parameter of the CPU application class. When the cell receives thatevent, it will display the message:

CPU Utilisation is at 97%



or whatever number the CPU utilization percentage is at that time.

Many of the messages in the sample file contain slots that will be populated withvalues from the parameter. For information on the syntax for using slots in a textmessage see, Editing the PATROL messaging text translation dynamic enrichmentsource file on page 296

Editing the PATROL messaging text translation dynamicenrichment source file

You can also add to and edit the TextTranslation.csv file, if required. For example,you might want to translate the messages included in the file into your nativelanguage. Or, you might want to include messages related to a KM that is notalready included in the file.

One of the most powerful features of the text translation file is the ability to includeCORE_EVENT base event class slots that will allow you to dynamically populate themessage with information from parameters or other components. This featureenables you to create messages that are very meaningful.

Figure 39 on page 295 shows some actual messages in the TextTranslation.csv filethat include variables. For example,

Figure 40: Variable syntax example

FILESYSTEMFSCapacityFilesystem %mc_object% is %mc_parameter_value%\% full

This message includes the %mc_object% and %mc_parameter_value% variables.This syntax in the enrichment source file enables you to substitute the value of theslot you have referenced into the event message.

To insert a slot value into a message, use the following syntax:

Message text %<slot_name>% message text

If you need to include a % sign in the actual message text, you must precede the %character with a back slash (\). For example, in Figure 40 on page 296 the desiredtext message includes a % character. The syntax for the message is%mc_parameter_value%\% full.

If the value of mc_object is D: and the value of mc_parameter is 97 the rewordedmessage would be:

Filesystem D: is 97% full.

For a list of CORE_EVENT base event class slots that you can use in text messages,see BMC Knowledge Base Development Reference Manual.



How to create an event selector and specifyevent selection criteria

An event selector is the component of an event management policy that selects oneor more events to which an event management policy applies using specified eventselection criteria. When an incoming event matches any of the specified eventselection criteria, the cell applies the associated event management policy to the event.

Before you begin

■ Unless you want the event management policy to run continuously, you mustdefine a timeframe as described in How to create a new local timeframe on page289.

■ [For dynamic enrichment policies only.] Create a data enrichment source file asdescribed in How to create and edit a dynamic enrichment source file on page 292.

To create an event selector and specify event selection criteria

1 From the Administration View, select the Event Management Polices tab.

2 Select a valid node (non-cell group) from the navigation pane.

■ Valid nodes for event selector creation are all visible nodes except the top-levelcell group node. When the Add Event Selector button in the toolbar becomesactive, this is an indication that valid node is selected.

3 On the Administration View toolbar, click the Add Event Selector button .

How to create an event selector and specify event selection criteria


The Selector Details tab, shown in Figure 41 on page 298, is displayed.

Figure 41: Selector Details tab

4 In the Selector Name field, type the event selector name.

5 In the Group field, type an event selector group name.

The event selector that you create in the next step will belong to the event selectorgroup that you enter. If you enter a name of an event selector group that does notexist, that group will be created.



6 To the right of the Base Event Class field, click the ellipses button to displayan event class chooser dialog box (shown in Figure 42 on page 299) from which tochoose the event class.Figure 42: Class Chooser dialog box

7 Select an event class from the tree and click OK to accept the class.

For more information about event classes, see the BMC Knowledge BaseDevelopment Reference Guide.

8 In the Description field, type an optional description for the event selector.

9 Click Add to add event selection criteria to this event selector.

The Add Event Criteria editor is displayed.



10 From the Add Event Criteria editor, type a description for the event selectioncriteria in the Description slot.

11 In the Event Class field, use one of the following methods to select an event classon which to base the event selection criteria:

■ Accept the default event class in the Event Class field.

■ Change the class by clicking the browse button. The Class Chooser dialog boxis displayed, select a class and click OK.

Note You cannot change the event class specified in an ECF to any class that is not atthe same level or below the event class already specified in the ECF. If the ECFcontains slots in the current class that are not in the new class, you cannotchange to the new class, even when it occurs in the hierarchy rooted in the baseevent class.

12 In the Selection Definition section, shown in Figure 43 on page 300, create anexpression that is used to determine whether an event of the selected class isprocessed by the policy by choosing a Slot, Operation, and Value.Figure 43: Selection Definition section of the Add Event Criteria editor

■ The example expression in Figure 44 on page 300 tests events for Windowssecurity messages containing logon and logoff messages. You might use thisexpression as part of an event selector for implementation in an event blackoutpolicy that hides these security events from display but maintains their history.

Figure 44: Example event selection criteria expression

■ For a list and definitions of EVENT slots available for selection, see the event anddata classes appendix of the BMC Knowledge Base Development Reference Guide.For a list and definitions of the operators available for each slot, see the sectionon operators in the Master Rule Language (MRL) appendix of the BMCKnowledge Base Development Reference Guide.



13 Click OK to save the expression and close the Add Event Criteria editor.

The event selection criteria is displayed in the Event Selection Criteria section ofthe Selector Details tab, as shown in Figure 45 on page 301.

Figure 45: Completed event selection criteria in Selector Details tab

14 To add more event selection criteria, click Add and repeat List item. on page 300through List item. on page 301.

15 Click OK to save the event selector and its event selector group.

Alias formulasYou can add and edit alias formulas provided you

■ belong to the Full Access or Service Administrators group

■ have at least one cell connection to the BMC ProactiveNet Server

Several default alias formulas are provided out-of-the-box. For example, defaultaliases for the BMC PATROL product are offered for PATROL events of classPATROL_EV. These aliases can be used by the BMC Impact Integration for PATROLproduct.

Working with Event Alias Formulas

This section provides details about how to create event alias formulas.

To create a new event alias formula

1 From the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console menu bar, chooseTools =>Event Alias Formulas.

Alias formulas


■ The Alias Formulas Editor window is displayed. It lists the connected cells inthe Cell list. It displays all current alias formulas for the selected cell in the list,as shown in Figure 46 on page 302.Figure 46: Alias Formulas Editor

The menu bar at the top of the window contains the following icons:

Icon Purpose

to edit a selected alias formula

to create a new alias formula

to copy an existing alias formula to use as a template for creating a new alias formula

to delete a selected alias formula

to copy an existing alias formula

to paste an alias formula

Alias formulas


2 In the Cell list, select the cell you want to work on.

3 To add a new alias formula, click the New Alias Formula icon.

■ The Add Alias Formula dialog box is opened.Figure 47: Add Alias Formula dialog

4 In the Formula Name text box, enter a name for the alias formula.

5 Under the Event Match Criteria label, in the Event Class box, select an event classfrom the list.

■ When an event arrives at the cell, its event class has to match the event class or asubclass of the event class before the alias formula is even considered.

6 (optional) In the Match Attributes box, choose attributes and enter values to refinewhich events (within the event class) will generate aliases.

■ For each attribute you choose, select one of the conditional operators, asdescribed in Table 35 on page 304, and enter a value in the text box to furtherdefine the events that are used to generate aliases using this formula.

Alias formulas


Table 35: Description of conditional operators

Conditional operators Description

anything the attribute can contain any value and is not used as a selection criteriaIf every attribute listed has anything that means that every incoming event thatbelongs to the event class will pass through alias formula processing

contains the characters you enter in the text box occur someplace in the value

has prefix the value starts with the characters you enter in the text box

has suffix the value ends with the characters you enter in the text box

equals the value exactly matches the characters you enter in the text box

If you use more than one attribute, each condition must test true (the Booleanoperator between the selection criteria phrases is AND) before the alias formulaprocess is performed. For example, in Figure 48 on page 304, the search phrasewould read: Hostname contains SALLOG and IP address equals 555.22.19.105.Both conditions must be true for the event to be selected for alias processing.Figure 48: Example of match attributes

7 In the Alias Formula area, use the Attribute, Text, and Function buttons in anyorder and as many times as needed to build the formula:

a To insert an attribute in the formula, click the Attribute button. The attributesshown are those that belong to the event class you selected in the EventDefinition area.

When an attribute is selected, the control shows the attribute name, and thepreview area is updated to show the syntax of the formula as it currently exists.

Alias formulas


Tip If your formula for a configuration item contains the mc_host slot with a hostname value, then the mc_host slot of the matching event definition should alsocontain the host name value, not the IP address, of the configuration item. Forexample, if you assign the mc_host slot in your formula the valuemycomputer.abc.com, then the mc_host slot of the incoming event shouldcontain the same host name value, not the IP address.You can check with your system administrator for the correct Domain NameSystem (DNS) resolution if the object represented by the configuration itemexperiences host name resolution errors.

b To insert literal text (for example, a period, semi-colon, the word Oracle), clickon the Text button. In the text box, type the literal text that you want in thealias formula.

Literal text appears in the first part of the alias formula with data type definitions.

c To insert a function that defines the data type and an expression in theformula, click on the Function button. Type the function and choose the datatype.

For a list of functions you can use, see BMC Knowledge Base DevelopmentReference Guide .

d (optional) To change the order of the elements in the alias formula, select thepart of the formula you want to move and click the Move arrow button asappropriate.

e (optional) To delete one of the elements in the alias formula, select the part ofthe formula you want to delete and click the Delete button.

8 When the alias formula is complete, click Save.

To edit an event alias formula

1 Choose Tools => Event Alias Formulas.

2 In the Alias Formulas Editor window, select an existing alias computing formula.

3 Click the Edit Alias Formula icon.

4 In the Edit Alias Formula dialog box, make changes as needed.

5 When your changes are complete, click OK.

Alias formulas


To delete an event alias formula

1 Choose Tools =>Event Alias Formula s .

2 In the Alias Formulas Editor window, select an existing alias computing formula.

3 Click the Delete Alias Formula icon .

Devices with multiple IP addresses

BMC ProactiveNet 8.0 supplies aliases and alias formulas for all devices. However,the alias only applies to the first device-IP association, when the device is associatedwith multiple IP addresses. You have to create a custom alias formula to supply analias to any subsequent device-IP associations. For example, the following aliasformula associates the alias pn_vm-w23-sms29_<IPAddress> to a device with theattributes EA_EVENT class and with the mc_object slot equal to testobj1:BMC_SIM_MATCH_TABLE; data_handle=966; mc_udid='mc.pncell_vm-w23-rds847.ad85f87.0'; mc_creation_time=1255694215; mc_modification_time=1255694275; mc_modification_requestor=admin; publish_env_id=''; ReadSecurity=[]; WriteSecurity=[]; name=Custom_AF1; tag=alias; input_match=['<EA_EVENT>','*','*','*','*','<testobj1>','*']; ref_instances_classes=[EA_EVENT]; output_expressions=['sprintf("pn_vm-w23-sms29_%s", [$1.mc_host_address])'];END

To add/edit an alias formula associated with a component instance

1 Open a service model in a View window of the Services tab.

2 Select a component instance, right-click to display the pop-up, and choose EventAlias Formulas to open the Alias Formulas Editor window.

Note If the host names of the component instances are not in lower case, then you mustdefine a custom alias formula to associate the event with the CI.

3 Refer to the procedures described in this topic, Working with Event AliasFormulas on page 301.

Alias formulas


Creating new standard event managementpolicies

This section provides instructions for creating new standard event policies based ondefault event management policy types.

If you want to create an event management policy based on a custom policy type, see Creating and using user-defined policies on page 405.

■ Unless you want the event management policy to run continuously, you mustdefine a timeframe as described in How to create a new local timeframe on page289.

■ Define an event selector and specify event selection criteria as described in Howto create an event selector and specify event selection criteria on page 297.

Table 36 on page 307 lists each standard event management policy type and thepage number of the procedure for each type.

Table 36: Standard event management policy types and procedures

To create this event policy... See...

Blackout To create new a standard blackout policy on page 309

Component Based Enrichment To create a new component based enrichment policy on page 313

Closure To create a new closure policy on page 322

Correlation To create a new correlation policy on page 325

Enrichment To create an enrichment policy on page 329

Escalation To create an escalation policy on page 334

Notification To create a new notification policy on page 339

Propagation To create a new propagation policy on page 342

Recurrence To create a new recurrence policy on page 345

Suppression To create a new suppression policy on page 348

Threshold To create a new threshold policy on page 350

Timeout To create a new timeout policy on page 354

Component Based Blackout To create a new component based blackout policy on page 318

Creating new standard event management policies


Creating a new standard blackout policy

A blackout policy specifies a period of time during which notifications aboutincoming events that match the event specification criteria are ignored. The blackoutevents, however, are logged. You can view the blackout events when you open thecollector that is specific to the events.

Typically you define a blackout policy for a specific time frame or time frames,indicating when the policy is active, inactive, or both.

Although the events originating from the device are blacked out, you can still collectdata from the device.

Relation to Scheduled Down Time feature

Note See “Scheduling downtime” on page 190 for information on the Scheduled DownTime feature.

To stop data collection from a device or monitor, you can schedule a downtimeperiod that effectively makes the device or monitor unavailable.

Data-only users must use the Scheduled Down Time feature to manage datacollection. You schedule a device or monitor downtime through the BMCProactiveNet Administration or Operations console.

Event-only users must use the blackout policy to manage event notifications. Youdefine an event management policy through the BMC ProactiveNet Administrationconsole.

Tip When you stop data collection through the Scheduled Down Time feature on amonitored device, the monitors stop generating events. You do not have to schedulea blackout policy in this instance. However, if external events are generated from thesame device components, then you should schedule a blackout policy to stop theevent notifications.

Event and data users must use both the blackout policy and the Scheduled DownTime feature to stop external event notification and data collection.

You can simultaneously

■ schedule a downtime period for a device to stop data collection

■ apply a blackout event mangement policy to events that originate from the device



You can schedule the downtime period and the event management policy atseparate or overlapping time periods.

The following matrix outlines the interrelationship among the Scheduled DownTime, managing data collection, and the event management blackout policy features.It focuses on the impact on internal and external events, event views, and event rules.

Table 37: Relationship among scheduled downtime, managing data collection, and blackout policy

Scheduled downtime/Managing datacollection On or Off?

Internaleventsgenerated?

Externaleventsgenerated?

Blackoutpolicy formonitoredevents?

Events displayed in EventView

Event ruletriggered?

On Yes Yes True internal (Blackout state)and external events

external only

On Yes Yes False internal and external events internal andexternal

Off No Yes True only external events only external only

Off No Yes False only external events only extermal only

When to use a blackout policy

You would schedule a blackout policy for events for several reasons. Some of theminclude

■ upgrading the BMC ProactiveNet device

■ changing your network environment

■ reducing the volume of event messages displayed in the consoles

■ eliminate misleading events and notifications

■ during a maintenance window

To create new a standard blackout policy

1 From the Event Management Policies tab of the Administration View, expandthe By Policy Type folder.

2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Blackout Policy.

3 Click the Add Policy button .



A Selector Chooser dialog box is displayed.

4 From the Selector Chooser dialog box, choose the event selector that you want touse for this policy and click OK.

The Blackout Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View as shown in Figure 49 on page 310.

Figure 49: Blackout Policy Details tab



5 In the Policy Name field, type a unique alphanumeric name for the eventmanagement policy. The name must contain no spaces.

6 In the Description field, type a description of the event management policy.

7 To enable the event management policy, select the Enabled check box. If you donot want to enable the policy at this time, you can return to this dialog box andenable the policy later.

8 In the Policy Activation Timeframes section, define the periods of time the eventmanagement policy should be active (when enabled) by performing the followingactions:

a Select one of the following choices:

■ To make the event management policy active continuously, select AlwaysActive. You would choose this option rarely, only under special circumstances.

■ To specify when the policy is active or inactive, select Define ActivationTimeframes. This is the typical option for scheduling blackout events.The Active Timeframes and Not Active Timeframes selections are shown,as shown in Figure 50 on page 311.Figure 50: Policy Activation Timeframe panel

b If you selected Define Activation Timeframes, depending on how you want todefine the timeframe for your policy do one or both of the following:

■ To specify the periods of time when the policy should be active, select theActive Timeframes check box and one or more timeframes from itsscrollable list.

■ To specify the periods of time when the policy should be inactive, select theNot Active Timeframes check box and one or more timeframes from itsscrollable list.



Note You can select both check boxes to create active and inactive time periods.However, the inactive time period takes precedence over the active time period.

9 When specifying the time frames, you can indicate how you want to handleblackout events at the start, during, and at the end of the timeframe schedule. Theactions under each timeframe period are mutually exclusive and are described in Table 38 on page 312.

During the processing phase, the blackout event policy evaluates each event for amatch based on its selector only once, when it arrives at the cell. To maintainadequate system performance, the blackout policy does not evaluate events at thestart and the end of every active time frame.

Table 38: Actions for blackout events

Timeframe period Action

At start of Blackout Window■ Do not change status of existing events

This default option leaves all existing events in their current status.

■ Change status of existing open events to blackout

You would choose this option to reclassify open events, effectivelyremoving unneeded statuses that would no longer make senseduring the blackout time frame.

During Blackout Window■ Keep incoming events and set their status to blackout

This default option converts all incoming matching events toblackout status.

■ Discard incoming events

This option filters out all incoming blacked-out events so that youdo not have to see them.




At End of Blackout Window■ Leave blacked-out events in blackout status

This default option maintains the blackout status of the eventsreceived during the blackout window and those events whosestatus was changed to blackout at the start of the blackout window.

■ Change existing blacked-out events to open status

This option changes all events in blackout status to open status. Itdoes not impact events in closed status. Choosing this option letsyou see events which arrived during the blackout time frame thatare still valid.

Note Blackout event actions are applied to events based on their policy selectors whenthe events first arrive at the cell. If you modify an event after it has beenprocessed by the cell so that it no longer matches its policy selector, the blackoutevent action is still applied to the event based on the initial evaluation.

10 Click OK.

BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console saves the defined event managementpolicy, and it is displayed in the list of event policies for the selected event selector.

Creating a new component based enrichment policy

A component based enrichment policy enables you to enhance the event definitionof an incoming event that is already associated with a component through anmc_smc_id or mc_smc_alias match. When you define the component based policy,you assign specified slot values from a standard list of component slots(BMC_BaseElement class) to matching slots in the associated event definition.Whenever an event that matches the selection criteria is received, its definition isautomatically enriched by the specified component slot values.

To create a new component based enrichment policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Component Based Enrichment Policy.

3 Click the Add Event Policy button.





The event selector controls which events are processed by the policy and,consequently, which event slots are displayed in the Event fields list.



The Component Based Enrichment Policy Details tab is displayed in the detailspane of the Administration View as shown in Figure 51 on page 315.

Figure 51: Component Based Enrichment Policy Details tab




8 Assign a numerical value to the policy in the Execution Order combo box.

The numerical value indicates the order in which policies are automaticallyexecuted. Policies are executed in ascending chronological order. A policy withthe lowest numerical value is executed first while the policy with the highestnumerical value is executed last. During the execution phase, policies with highernumerical values always overwrite the preceding policies with lower numericalvalues.



Example You have defined four component based enrichment policies and have assignedeach a unique numerical value (1, 2, 3, or 4) in the Execution Order combo box.The policy assigned the value 1 is executed first, followed in ascending numericalorder by policies assigned the values 2, 3, and 4. During the execution sequence,the policy with the value 2 overwrites the policy with the value 1; the policy withvalue 3 overwrites the policy with value 2; and the policy with value 4 overwritesthe policy with value 3.

You should assign higher numerical values to policies that you want to executelast and lower values to policies that you want to execute first.



■ To make the event management policy active continuously, select AlwaysActive.

■ To specify when the policy is active or inactive, select Define ActivationTimeframes.The Active Timeframes and Not Active Timeframes check boxes are enabled.





10 In the Component Based Event Enrichment Details tab, assign the componentslots to the matching event slots in the Match the Component and Event Slotssection.

Consider these guidelines before you make the assignments:



■ The list of event slots is dynamic insofar as it depends on the base event classyou chose in the selector. The list that you see always contains a subset of theCORE_EVENT class. It also contains any additional slot or slots derived fromthe subclass you specified as the base event class.

■ The list of component slots is static. The component slots are derived from theBMC_BaseElement class.

■ You can view and edit a list of excluded event and component slots in the%BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME%\pronto\data\ix\configurationItemPolicies\configurationItemEnrichment.slotFiltering.properties file. You can specifyevent and component slots to be excluded in the appropriate field:excluded.event.slots and excluded component.slots. Add or update the slotsusing a comma-separated list.

After updating and saving theconfigurationItemEnrichment.slotFiltering.properties file, restart the jserver byentering the following commands:

pw p e jserver

pw p s jserver

■ The component slot value overwrites any current value in the matching eventslot.

■ You must match slots of similar types: STRING with STRING, INTEGER withINTEGER, BOOLEAN with BOOLEAN, and so forth.

Note The table does not support the assignment of LIST or LIST OF slots.

To make the assignment, select a slot name in the Event fields column and, usingthe arrow button, move it to the Assignment Table, where you match it with a slotin the Component fields column.

11 Click OK.

BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console saves the defined component basedenrichment policy, and it is displayed in the list of event policies for the selectedevent selector.



Creating a new component based blackout policy

A component based blackout policy specifies a period of time during whichincoming events that match the component selection criteria will be ignored. Allignored events are logged.

Typically you define a blackout policy for a specific time frame or time frames,indicating when the policy is active, inactive, or both.

To create a new component based blackout policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Component Based Blackout Policy.






The Component Based Blackout policy Details tab is displayed as shown in Figure 52 on page 319.

Figure 52: Component Based Blackout Policy Details tab




8 Edit the component selection criteria by clicking Edit Component Selector toopen the Edit Criteria dialog box.

You can devise component selector criteria by specifying the component class, aslot within the class, and a corresponding slot value. You can include multipleconditions by using the AND operator.



Some example component selectors are shown below:

BMC_BaseElement($CI) where [$CI.Name contains 'HR_Workways']

BMC_BaseElement($CI) where [$CI.Name contains 'HR_Workways' AND $CI.Department contains 'Warehousing']

BMC_BaseElement($CI) where [$CI.Name contains 'HR_Workways' AND $CI.Company contains 'ENEL']

9 Enter the component selection criteria, and click OK.



■ To make the event management policy active continuously, select AlwaysActive. You would choose this option rarely, only under special circumstances.

■ To specify when the policy is active or inactive, select Define ActivationTimeframes. This is the typical option for scheduling blackout events.The Active Timeframes and Not Active Timeframes selections are shown,as shown in Figure 53 on page 320.Figure 53: Policy Activation Timeframe panel







11 When specifying the time frames, you can indicate how you want to handleblackout events at the start, during, and at the end of the timeframe schedule. Theactions under each timeframe period are mutually exclusive and are described in Table 39 on page 321.

During the processing phase, the blackout event policy evaluates each event for amatch based on its selector only once, when it arrives at the cell. To maintainadequate system performance, the blackout policy does not evaluate events at thestart and the end of every active time frame.

Table 39: Actions for blackout events


At start of Blackout Window■ Do not change status of existing events

This default option leaves all existing events in their current status.

■ Change status of existing open events to blackout

You would choose this option to reclassify open events, effectivelyremoving unneeded statuses that would no longer make senseduring the blackout time frame.

During Blackout Window■ Keep incoming events and set their status to blackout

This default option converts all incoming matching events toblackout status.

■ Discard incoming events

This option filters out all incoming blacked-out events so that youdo not have to see them.




At End of Blackout Window■ Leave blacked-out events in blackout status

This default option maintains the blackout status of the eventsreceived during the blackout window and those events whosestatus was changed to blackout at the start of the blackout window.

■ Change existing blacked-out events to open status

This option changes all events in blackout status to open status. Itdoes not impact events in closed status. Choosing this option letsyou see events which arrived during the blackout time frame thatare still valid.

Note Blackout event actions are applied to events based on their policy selectors whenthe events first arrive at the cell. If you modify an event after it has beenprocessed by the cell so that it no longer matches its policy selector, the blackoutevent action is still applied to the event based on the initial evaluation.

12 Click OK.


Creating a new closure policy

An closure policy closes a specified event when a separate specified event is received.

To create a new closure policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Closure Policy.






The Closure Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View as shown in Figure 54 on page 323.

Figure 54: Closure Policy Details tab














9 Click Edit Event Criteria.

The Add Event Criteria window is displayed.

10 In the Add Event Criteria window, specify event selection criteria for the eventtype that you want to close and click OK.

11 To close only matching events that occur within a certain timeframe, check theClose Events with Age Less Than check box and specify an amount of time. If theClose Events with Age Less Than check box is not checked, there is no limit onthe time between the closed event and the closing event.



12 To suppress (drop) the closing event, check the Suppress the Closing Eventcheck box.

In this context, the closing event is the event that matches the selector criteria andthat closes the previously received events, which are identified in the Events toClose section. For example, a “client-stop” event can be chosen to close a “client-start” event.

When you choose to suppress the closing event, you are instructing the system todrop the event that matches the selector and that closes the previously receivedevents in the Events to Close section. In the example, the client-stop event, afterclosing the client-start event, would then be dropped.

13 To save the completed event closure policy, click OK.

BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console saves the defined event managementpolicy, and it is displayed in the list of event policies for the specified event selector.

Creating a new correlation policy

A correlation policy relates one or more cause events to an effect event. If desired,this policy can close the effect event. The cell maintains the association between thesecause-and-effect events.

To create a new correlation policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Correlation Policy.








The Correlation Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View, as shown in Figure 55 on page 327.

Figure 55: Correlation Policy Details tab


6 To enable the event management policy immediately, select the Enabled checkbox. If you do not want to enable the policy at this time, you can return to thisdialog box and enable the policy later.







■ To specify when the policy is active or inactive, select Define ActivationTimeframes.The Active Timeframes and Not Active Timeframes lists are enabled.





9 Complete a separate Cause Event tab as appropriate for each cause event that youwant to define.

Table 40 on page 328 describes each of the controls in the Cause Event tabs.

Table 40: Cause Event tab controls

Field name Description

Enable check box Select this check box to relate the cause events to the effect events; thisinformation is stored in the cell.

Edit Event Criteria button Click this button to specify the selection criteria for the cause event.

Correlation Timespan check box Select this check box and enter a time limit within which the causeevent must occur to produce the effect event.



Field name Description

Close Effect Event radio buttons Choose one of the following radio buttons to specify thecircumstances under which the effect event will be closed:

■ Upon Correlation—as soon as events are associated (cause andeffect), the effect event is closed

■ On Cause Event Closure—when the cause event closes, the effectevent is closed also

■ On Its Own—closing the cause event has no consequence to theeffect event

Escalate Cause Event check box select this check box to escalate the cause event to the specifiedpriority level

De-escalate Effect Event check box select this check box to de-escalate the effect event

10 To save the completed event correlation policy, click OK.


Creating a new enrichment policy

An enrichment policy adds values for specific event slots if those slots are emptywhen the event is received from the event source. An enrichment policy can alsoreformat slots or normalize slot values.

To create an enrichment policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Enrichment Policy.








The Enrichment Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane as shown in Figure 56 on page 331.

Figure 56: Enrichment Policy Details tab



7 In the Policy Activation Timeframes section, define the periods of time that theevent management policy should be active (when enabled) by performing thefollowing actions:










8 Enable the following check boxes as necessary to assign appropriate settings:

■ Event Priority—the relative priority to assign to the event (1 is a high priority)

■ Event Category—the classification to assign to the event; categories include

—AVAILABILITY_MANAGEMENT

—CAPACITY_MANAGEMENT

—CHANGE_MANAGEMENT

—CONFIGURATION_MANAGEMENT

—FINANCIAL_MANAGEMENT

—INCIDENT_MANAGEMENT

—OPERATIONS_MANAGEMENT

—PROBLEM_MANAGEMENT

—RELEASE_MANAGEMENT

—SECURITY_MANAGEMENT

—SERVICE_CONTONUITY_MANAGEMENT

—SERVICE_DESK_MANAGEMENT



—SLA_MANAGEMENT

■ Event Severity—the severity to assign to the event

■ Location to Set—the physical location of the object, such as a city

■ Services to Set—the service that the event is associated with

9 In the Message Text Format box, define the message slot enrichment for the eventas follows:

a From the list of available event slots in the Event Slot box, select an event slotto which to add enrichment information and click Insert.

b To insert a a slot value into the message, either type the slot name surroundedby % characters or select the slot name from the Event Slot list and click Insert.

The box is a standard text box. You can position the cursor and type or inserttext and slot references in any order. The Event Slot list and Insert button areprovided as a convenience so you do not have to remember the valid slotnames. The resulting string of characters in the Message Text Format box,%<slot name>%, whether typed or inserted, is used as a template to create themessage (msg slot) for the event.

Repeat steps these steps to add more enrichment information to the event slot,if necessary.

Note The hidden and list of slots are not available for message enrichment.To avoid unpredictable results when adding a text message, use no more thanone set of quotation marks.

10 To save the completed event enrichment policy, click OK.


Note The enrichment policy is ineffective when an event is updated by the RATE process.



Creating a new escalation policy

An escalation policy raises or lowers the priority level of an event after a specifiedperiod of time. A specified number of event recurrences can also trigger escalation ofan event.

For example, if the abnormally high temperature of a storage device goes uncheckedfor 10 minutes or if a cell receives more than five high-temperature warning eventsin 25 minutes, an escalation event management policy could increase the prioritylevel of the event to critical.

To create an escalation policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Escalation Policy and click OK.






The Escalation Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View, as shown in Figure 57 on page 335.

Figure 57: Escalation Policy Details tab














9 In the Time Escalation section, shown in Figure 58 on page 337, use theTimespan Before Priority is Escalated selectors to enter the number of a specifiedperiod of time that must elapse before an event is escalated. The default timeperiod is seconds, but this time period can be changed to minutes, hours, or daysby selecting one of these time periods from the drop list.



Note You can set Time Escalation or Rate of Event Arrival, or both. To set only one,leave the fields of the other set to zero.

Figure 58: Time Escalation Controls

10 Choose one of the following radio buttons to determine how the priority of theevent will be escalated after the specified time has elapsed:

■ Levels to Escalate/De-escalate Priority By—Choose this radio button toescalate or de-escalate the event by a specified number of levels after the timeperiod specified by the Timespan Before Priority is Escalated selector haselapsed. Enter the number of levels that the event is to be escalated.

■ Set Priority to This Value—Choose this radio button to set the event to aspecified priority level after the time period specified by the Timespan BeforePriority is Escalated selector has elapsed. Choose the priority level from thedrop list.

11 (optional) To prevent the event from being escalated after it has beenacknowledged, select the Do not Escalate if Acknowledged check box.

12 (optional) To prevent the event from being escalated after it has been assigned,select the Do not Escalate if Assigned check box.

13 In the Rate of Event Arrival section, shown in Figure 59 on page 338, in theNumber of Events Needed for Escalation selector, enter the number of eventsthat must occur before the event is escalated.



Note You can set Time Escalation or Rate of Event Arrival or both. To set only one,leave the fields of the other set to zero.

Figure 59: Rate of Event Arrival Controls

14 In the Timespan in which Events Must Arrive selector, enter the time in whichthe events must arrive before the event is escalated or the event priority ischanged.

15 Choose one of the following radio buttons to determine how the priority of theevent will be escalated after the number of events have arrived within thespecified timespan:

■ Levels to Escalate Causal Event Priority—Choose this radio button to escalatethe causal event by a specified number of levels after the number of eventsspecified Number of Events Needed for Escalation selector have occurredwithin the time period specified by the Timespan in which Events MustArrive selector. Enter the number of levels that the event is to be escalated.

■ Set Priority to This Value—Choose this radio button to set the event to aspecified priority level after the number of events specified Number of EventsNeeded for Escalation selector have occurred within the time period specifiedby the Timespan in which Events Must Arrive selector. Choose the prioritylevel from the drop list.

16 To save the completed event escalation policy, click OK.


Creating a new notification policy

A notification policy sends a request to an external service to notify a user or groupof users that the event has occurred.



For example, a notification event management policy might notify a systemadministrator about the imminent unavailability of a mission-critical piece of storagehardware.

Before you begin

You must add a notification service as described in How to add a notification service(notification policies only) on page 291.

To create a new notification policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Notification Policy and click OK.






The Notification Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View, as show in Figure 60 on page 340.

Figure 60: Notification Policy Details tab














9 From the Notification Service drop list, select the service to use as the notificationmechanism. The default service is email.

10 In the Notification Source field, enter the source of the notification.

11 In the Add field, type the name of a person or group to notify. Click Add to addthe name to the Notify slot. Add more names or groups if necessary.

12 From the Event Status that will Notify Users list, choose the event status that youwant to trigger the notification.

13 In the Notification Subject field, enter the subject of the notification message. Ifdesired, you can use the Event Slot drop list to choose event slots to add to thenotification subject. Click the Insert button to insert the slots into the subject.Enter a space before and after each slot that you add.

14 In the Notification Text field, enter the notification message. If desired, you canuse the Event Slot drop list to choose event slots to add to the notificationmessage. Click the Insert button to insert the slots into the message. Enter a spacebefore and after each slot that you add.

15 (optional) Select the Auto Acknowledge check box to automatically acknowledgethe event.



16 (optional) Select the Auto Assign check box to automatically assign the event tothe user you select from the list.

17 To save the completed event notification policy, click OK.


Creating a new propagation policy

A propagation policy forwards events to other cells or to integrations to other products.

To create a new propagation policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Propagation Policy and click OK.






The Propagation Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View, as shown in Figure 61 on page 343.

Figure 61: Propagation Policy Details tab


6 In the Description box, type a description of the event management policy.












9 In the Propagate to all of list, choose one or more cells.Figure 62: Propagation cell list

10 In the Propagate to one of list, select one or more cells.

11 To save the completed event propagation policy, click OK.


Creating a new recurrence policy

A recurrence policy combines duplicate events into one event that maintains acounter of the number of duplicates.

Note All of the dup_detect slots on the incoming event must be the same for all eventsthat match the selector or the recurrence policy will not function.Because PATROL integration has dup_detect set on the mc_origin_key and thesekeys are unique, recurrence policies will not operate as expected for PATROLintegration events.



To create a new recurrence policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Recurrence Policy and click OK.






The Recurrence Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View, as shown in Figure 63 on page 346.

Figure 63: Recurrence Policy Details tab

5 In the Policy Name box, type a unique alphanumeric name (with no spaces) forthe event management policy.













9 If you want to define a time window for events that are considered to berecurring, check the Recurring Events Must Arrive Within this Timespan checkbox and set the maximum time after the initial event within which an event mustarrive to count toward recurrence. If the box is not checked, there is no limit onthe time between duplicate events that are counted as recurring.

10 In the Slot Updates section, select any original event values that you wantupdated by the latest recurrent event values.

11 To save the completed event recurrence policy, click OK.


Creating a new remote action policy

To set up automatic remote actions that are triggered by events, you must first definea remote action policy using the remote action policy feature of the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console.

For instructions for creating a remote action policy, see Configuring and usingRemote Actions/Diagnostics on page 119.

Creating a new suppression policy

A suppression policy specifies the events that the receiving cell should delete. Unlikea blackout event management policy, the suppression event management policymaintains no record of the deleted event.



To create a new suppression policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Suppression Policy.




The Suppression Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View, as shown in Figure 64 on page 348.

Figure 64: Suppression Policy Details tab














9 Click OK.




Creating a new threshold policy

A threshold policy specifies a minimum number of duplicate events that must occurwithin a specific period of time before the cell accepts the event. For events allowedto pass through to the cell, the event severity can be escalated or de-escalated arelative number of levels or set to a specified level. If the event occurrence rate fallsbelow a specified level, the cell can take action against the event, such as changingthe event to closed or acknowledged status.

To create a new threshold policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Threshold Policy.






The Threshold Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View as shown in Figure 65 on page 351.

Figure 65: Threshold Policy Details tab














9 For the Number of Duplicate Events Received slot, supply a numeric value andan associated time measurement to specify the threshold above which an event isaccepted.

10 Select one of the following radio buttons (The threshold-specific optionsdisplayed on the tab change depending on which button you select.):

■ Hold Events Until Threshold is Met—Select this option to prevent creation ofany specified event until the number of events exceeds the threshold within thespecified time period.

If you select Hold Events Until Threshold is Met, the options shown in Figure 66on page 353 are displayed. Specify whether to include allowing the last, first,



highest, or lowest severity event to pass and whether to acknowledge or close thepassed event when incoming (new) events fall below a specified low threshold rate.

Figure 66: Hold Events options

■ Pass Events through—select this option to create all events when they meet therequired threshold rate.

If you select Pass Events through, the options shown in Figure 67 on page 353are displayed.

Figure 67: Pass Events Through options

Choose one of the following radio buttons to determine how the severity of theevent will be escalated or de-escalated:

■ Levels to Escalate/De-Escalate Event Severity By—Choose this radio button toescalate or de-escalate the severity of the event by a specified number of levelsafter the number of events specified Number of Duplicated Events Receivedselector have occurred within the time period specified by the Timespan inwhich Events the Must Arrive selector. Enter the number of severity levels thatthe event is to be escalated.

■ Set Severity to This Value—Choose this radio button to set the event to aspecified severity level after the number of events specified Number ofDuplicated Events Received selector have occurred within the time periodspecified by the Timespan in which Events the Must Arrive selector. Choosethe severity level from the drop list.



Note From the Set Severity to This Value drop list, choose Critical, Non-critical,Minor, Warning, or OK. Do not choose Unknown, as it is considered a statusrather than a severity.

11 To save the completed event threshold policy, click OK.


Creating a new timeout policy

A timeout policy changes an event status to closed after a specified period of timeelapses.

To create a new timeout policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Timeout Policy.






The Timeout Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View as shown in Figure 68 on page 355.

Figure 68: Timeout Policy Details tab














9 In the Timeout Event After field, enter a number of time periods that must elapsebefore an event will time out. The default time period is seconds, but this timeperiod can be changed to minutes, hours, or days by selecting one of these timeperiods from the drop list.

10 To save the completed event timeout policy, click OK.


Enabling and disabling out-of-the-boxstandard event management policies

This section provides instructions for enabling and disabling out-of-the-box standardevent management policies.

For a list of out-of-the-box event management policies, see Out-of-the-box eventmanagement policies on page 279.

For instructions on enabling out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment policies, see Enabling out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment event management policies on page369.

To enable or disable a standard event management policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select the policy type for the out-of-the-boxstandard event policy that you want to enable.

Out-of-the-box standard event policies are included under the following policytypes:

■ Closure Policy

Enabling and disabling out-of-the-box standard event management policies


■ Recurrence Policy

■ Suppression Policy

■ Timeout Policy

A list of out-of-the-box standard event management policies of that policy typeare displayed in the right pane of the Administration View as shown in Figure 69on page 357.

Figure 69: List of event management policies

3 From the list of event management policies, select the policy that you want toenable.

■ The Details tab for that policy is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View.

4 On the BMC Impact Manager toolbar, click the Update Policy button toenable the Details tab to be edited.

5 Enable or disable the policy by selecting or deselecting the Enabled check box.

6 Click OK.


Creating a new dynamic enrichment eventmanagement policy

This section provides instructions for creating a new dynamic enrichment eventmanagement policy and for creating a new dynamic enrichment blackout policy.

Before you begin

Creating a new dynamic enrichment event management policy


■ Ensure that the timeframe referenced in your dynamic enrichment source fileexists. If it does not exist, you must define the timeframe as described in How tocreate a new local timeframe on page 289.

■ Determine which event selector you want to apply to your dynamic enrichmentpolicy. If none of the out-of-the-box event selectors are appropriate for yourpolicy, define an event selector and specify event selection criteria as described in How to create an event selector and specify event selection criteria on page 297.

■ Create a data enrichment source file as described in How to create and edit adynamic enrichment source file on page 292.

To create a new dynamic enrichment policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Dynamic Enrichment Policy.






The Dynamic Enrichment Policy Details tab, shown in Figure 70 on page 359, isdisplayed in the details pane of the Administration View.

Figure 70: Dynamic Enrichment Policy Details tab





7 To enable the policy immediately, select the Enabled check box. If you do notwant to enable the policy at this time, you can return to this dialog box and enablethe policy later.

8 In the Execution Order field, if more than one policy exists, specify the order ofexecution.

Note When a new policy is created, the number shown in the Execution Order fieldshould be one greater the largest current execution order.If two policies have the same execution order, they will run in indeterminate order.




■ To specify when the policy is active or inactive, select Define ActivationTimeframes.The Active Timeframes and Not Active Timeframes lists are displayed.





10 If you do not want to accept the default event class, you can select an event classby clicking the ellipses button in the Event Class field of the Match Fieldssection, selecting a new event class, and clicking OK.

The Event Class determines what slots are available in the Available EventFields column.



11 In the Class Chooser dialog box, select an event class and click OK.

12 In Available Event Fields column, select the slots that correspond to the matchfields in your dynamic enrichment source file. Use the left arrow button to movethose slots into the Match Fields column. You may select and move multiple slotsat the same time.

13 In Available Event Fields column, select the slots that correspond to the outputfields in your dynamic enrichment source file. Use the right arrow button to movethose slots into the Output Fields column. You may select and move multipleslots at the same time.

WARNING It is critical that the policy definition and the data enrichment source file containthe exact same number of match fields and output fields in the same order. If thematch fields and output fields in the enrichment file and the policy do not match,the policy will not run.For example, if you were creating a file similar to the location.csv file that isincluded with the product, you must select the Host slot as the Match Field andthe Location slot as the Output Field to correspond to the slots in the location.csvfile.

14 (optional) In the Match Fields section, activate the Match Tracing check box toadd diagnostic notes to the event, if necessary.

15 In the Match Table section, in the Type field, accept the default.

Note Typically, you do not need to the change the value of the Type field. You canoverride the default; however, you must use a unique tag within the given matchtable.

16 In the Match Table section, in the Tag field, accept the default.

Note The Tag field uniquely identifies the match table that will be used by the policyinstance.You do not need to the change the value of this field. You can override thedefault; however, you must use a unique tag within the given match table.

17 In the Match Table section, in the Data File field, do one of the following actions:

■ Type the path to the enrichment data source.

■ To browse for the enrichment data source, click the ellipses button .. In theFile Chooser dialog box, select the dynamic enrichment source file appropriate



for your policy and click OK. For more information, see External enrichmentdata sources on page 287.

18 In the Match Table section, in the File Format field, select one of the followingradio buttons to specify the type of data enrichment file to import:

■ Data file with this separator—Choose this radio button to import a flat,delimited file, such as a .csv file. Enter a separator to delimit the data column inthe file.

For example, if you are using a .csv file, enter a comma (,) as the separator.

■ PMEP file—Choose this radio button to import a PMEP table and select theappropriate PMEP format for your policy from the drop list:

—Blackout

—Blackout CSV

—Location

—Location CSV

—Service

—Service CSV

—Text

—Text CSV

Note If you select the PMEP file button, the Event Class, Match Fields, andOutput Fields are autopopulated with predefined values and becomeread-only.

19 Click OK.



If this is the first time a policy is saved, the a confirmation dialog box is displayedas shown in Figure 71 on page 363.

Figure 71: Import confirmation

20 Click Yes.

A green check mark should be displayed in the Enable column next to the policyin the event management policies list. (You may need to scroll the window to theright to see the Enable column.) The policy also should show up in the tree in theleft pane of the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console window.

21 Import the data from the dynamic enrichment source enrichment file as describedin Importing dynamic enrichment source on page 385.

To create a new dynamic enrichment blackout policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Dynamic Blackout Policy.

3 Click the Add Policy button







The Dynamic Blackout Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View, as shown in Figure 72 on page 365.

Figure 72: Dynamic Blackout Policy Details tab





7 To enable the policy immediately, select the Enabled check box. If you do notwant to enable the policy at this time, you can return to this dialog box and enablethe policy later.











10 If you do not want to accept the default event class, you can select an event classby clicking the ellipses button in the Event Class field of the Match Fieldssection, selecting a new event class, and clicking OK.



The event class determines what slots are available in the Available Event Fieldscolumn.

11 In the Class Chooser dialog box, select an event class and click OK.

12 In Available Event Fields column, select the slots that correspond to the matchfields in your dynamic enrichment source file. Use the left arrow button to movethose slots into the Match Fields column. You may select and move multiple slotsat the same time.

13 In Available Event Fields column, select the slots that correspond to the outputfields in your dynamic enrichment source file. Use the right arrow button to movethose slots into the Output Fields column. You may select and move multipleslots at the same time.

WARNING It is critical that the policy definition and the data enrichment source file containthe exact same number of match fields and output fields in the same order. If thematch fields and output fields in the enrichment file and the policy do not match,the policy will not run.For example, if you were creating a file similar to the location.csv file that isincluded with the product, you must select the Host slot as the Match Field andthe Location slot as the Output Field to correspond to the slots in the location.csvfile.


15 In the Match Table section, in the Type field, accept the default.

Note Typically, you do not need to the change the value of the Type field. You canoverride the default; however, you must use a unique tag within the given matchtable.

16 In the Match Table section, in the Tag field, accept the default.

Note The Tag field uniquely identifies the match table that will be used by the policyinstance.You do not need to the change the value of this field. You can override thedefault; however, you must use a unique tag within the given match table.

17 In the Match Table section, in the Data File field, do one of the following actions:

■ Type the path to the enrichment data source.



■ To browse for the enrichment data source, click the ellipses button .In theFile Chooser dialog box, select the dynamic enrichment source file appropriatefor your policy and click OK. For more information, see External enrichmentdata sources on page 287.

18 In the Match Table section, in the File Format field, select one of the followingradio buttons to specify the type of data enrichment file to import:

■ Data file with this separator—Choose this radio button to import a flat,delimited file, such as a .csv file. Enter a separator to delimit the data column inthe file.

For example, if you are using a .csv file, enter a comma (,) as the separator.

■ PMEP file—Choose this radio button to import a PMEP table and select theappropriate PMEP format for your policy from the drop list:

—Blackout

—Blackout CSV

—Location

—Location CSV

—Service

—Service CSV

—Text

—Text CSV

Note If you select the PMEP file button, the Event Class, Match Fields, andOutput Fields are autopopulated with predefined values and becomeread-only.

19 Click OK.



If this is the first time a policy is saved, the following confirmation dialog box isdisplayed:


20 Click Yes.



Enabling out-of-the-box dynamic enrichmentevent management policies

This section provides instructions for enabling out-of-the-box dynamic enrichmentevent management policies.

You must export data from an external enrichment data source into the dynamicenrichment source files provided with the product before you can enable any of theout-of-the-box dynamic enrichment policies. For more information see, How tocreate and edit a dynamic enrichment source file on page 292.

The dynamic enrichment source file for the PATROL Message Text Translationpolicy (TextTrans.csv) is the only out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment source file thatincludes valid data. You can enable PATROL Message Text Translation policywithout exporting data into TextTrans.csv. For more information aboutTextTrans.csv, see Using the sample PATROL messaging text translation dynamicenrichment source file on page 294.

Table 41 on page 370 lists each out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment eventmanagement policy type and the page number of the procedure for each type.

Enabling out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment event management policies


Table 41: Out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment event policy types and procedures

To enable this event policy... See...

Dynamic blackout Enabling a dynamic enrichment blackout policy on page 370

Dynamic location enrichment Enabling a dynamic enrichment location policy on page 373

Dynamic service contact enrichment Enabling a dynamic enrichment service contact policy on page 377

Dynamic PATROL messagetranslation

Enabling a dynamic enrichment PATROL message text translationpolicy on page 381

Enabling a dynamic enrichment blackout policy

A dynamic enrichment blackout policy specifies external schedules that initiateevent blackout.

Before you begin

For the dynamic blackout policy to work, you must define the timeframes referencedin the enrichment source file (blackout.csv). If any of the timeframes referenced inthe enrichment source file have not been created in BEM, then the policy will not run.

For instructions on defining timeframes, see How to create a new local timeframe onpage 289.

To enable a dynamic enrichment blackout policy


2 Under the By Policy Type folder, select Dynamic Blackout Policy.



The Dynamic Blackout Policy Details tab is displayed in the details pane of theAdministration View, as shown in Figure 74 on page 371.

Figure 74: Dynamic Blackout Policy Details tab



3 On the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console toolbar, click the Update

Policy button to make the Dynamic Blackout Policy Details tab editable.

4 On the Dynamic Blackout Policy Details tab, select the Enabled check box.

5 In the Execution Order field, if more than one policy of this type exists, specifythe order of execution.


6 In the Policy Activation Timeframes section, define the periods of time the eventmanagement policy should be active and/or inactive (when enabled) byperforming the following actions:



■ To specify when the policy is active or inactive, select Define ActivationTimeframes.The Active Timeframes and Not Active Timeframes timeframe lists aredisplayed.





7 (optional) In the Match Fields section, activate the Match Tracing check box toadd diagnostic notes to the event to assist with trouble-shooting an event.

8 Click OK.



A confirmation dialog box is displayed, asking if you want to import data now, asshown in Figure 75 on page 373.

Figure 75: Import Data Confirmation dialog box

9 Click Yes.



Enabling a dynamic enrichment location policy

The dynamic enrichment location policy adds location information to an event.

Some examples of uses for a dynamic enrichment location policy include:

■ Provides information to IT Operations so that they know which area/datacenterthe problematic technology is located in and can direct engineers more quickly tothe problem.

■ Enables IT Operations to build views in the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole of specific areas/data centers and understand at a glance where theproblems are.

■ Enables IT Operations to view reports in BMC Impact Reporting based onlocation. For example, they can identify which locations which are generating themost events.

■ If you are integrating with a service desk the location identifier can be passedalong with the rest of event, providing more useful information to the engineerthat will be assigned to handle the incident.



To enable a dynamic enrichment location policy



A list of out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment policies are displayed in the rightpane of the Administration View as shown in Figure 76 on page 374.

Figure 76: List of out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment policies

3 From the list of out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment policies, selectLocation_Enrichment.








Policy button to make the Dynamic Enrichment Policy Details tab editable.

5 To enable the policy, select the Enabled check box.

6 In the Execution Order field, if more than one of this type of policy exists, specifythe order of execution.











9 Click OK.





10 Click Yes.



Enabling a dynamic enrichment service contact policy

The dynamic enrichment location policy adds contact information related to theoriginating technology to an event.

For example, you can add a server administrator’s name and telephone number toall events originating from a particular server

To enable a dynamic enrichment service contact policy







3 From the list of out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment policies, selectService_Contact_Enrichment.








Policy button to make the Dynamic Enrichment Policy Details tab editable.

5 To enable the policy, select the Enabled check box.

6 In the Execution Order field, if more than one type of this policy exists, specifythe order of execution.











9 Click OK.





10 Click Yes.



Enabling a dynamic enrichment PATROL message texttranslation policy

If you are integrated with PATROL, the dynamic enrichment PATROL messagetranslation policy enables you to substitute existing PATROL messages withmessages that are meaningful to your enterprise.

For example, you can use the PATROL message translation policy to change thismessage:

NT_CPU.CPU_0.CPUprcrUserTimePercent parameter CPUCputil triggered on 90 <= 97 <= 100

to the following, more comprehensible message:

CPU Utilization is at 97%



Note A sample dynamic enrichment service contact policy data source file,TextTranslation.csv, is provided in the %PROACTIVENET_HOME%\admin\etc\samples directory. The TextTranslation.csv file includes translations for manycommon messages that will be useful in your enterprise. If you are integrated withPATROL, BMC Software recommends that you take advantage of the data that isalready included in this sample file. For information about using theTextTranslation.csv file, see Using the sample PATROL messaging text translationdynamic enrichment source file on page 294.

To enable a dynamic enrichment PATROL message translation policy





3 From the list of out-of-the-box dynamic enrichment policies, selectPATROL_Message_Translation.

4 Click the Update Policy button .





5 To enable the event management policy, select the Enabled check box. If you donot want to enable the event management policy at this time, it can be enabled later.














9 Click OK.



10 Click Yes.





Importing dynamic enrichment sourceBefore a dynamic enrichment policy can take effect, the data in the dynamicenrichment source file must be imported.

Before you begin

If you are importing a file that contains more than 500 entries, before you begin theimport procedure, change the import_method_new parameter to true in the%BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME%\admin\etc\ix.properties file and restart theBMC ProactiveNet Administration Console.

To import dynamic enrichment source

1 Ensure that the policy is enabled.

2 Select Import tab.

■ The Import tab is displayed as shown in Figure 85 on page 385.Figure 85: Import tab

Table 42 on page 385 describes the uneditable fields of the Import tab. Thesefields are for your information only.

Table 42: Import tab uneditable fields

Field Description

Data File Path to the enrichment data source

File Format Type of file used by the policy

Last Action Last time an import (replace or merge) was completed.

3 In the field opposite the Import button, select whether you want to Replace theexisting data in the cell or Merge new data with existing data in the cell.

Importing dynamic enrichment source


4 Click Import.

■ The data is imported from the file into the cell.

5 Verify that the information has been uploaded by ensuring that the Last Actioninformation in the Import tab shows a completed upload message.

Verifying that the policy is runningPerform the following procedure to verify that the policy that you created is running.

To verify that a policy is running

1 Send an event that should trigger the policy.

2 In the BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console, review the Historical Attributes forthe event in the Logs & Notes pane of the Event List Details notebook and verifythat your policy has executed.

Figure 86 on page 387 shows the Logs & Notes pane in the Event List Detailsnotebook. Click the More Info button to expand the pane. Figure 87 on page 387

Verifying that the policy is running


shows the expanded pane and the events that verify that the policy was executedproperly.

Figure 86: Logs & Notes pane in the Details notebook

Figure 87: Expanded Logs & Notes page showing dynamic enrichment policy hasbeen executed

Editing event selection criteriaIf you need to edit event selection criteria that you have already defined, followthese steps.

Editing event selection criteria


To edit event selection criteria

1 From the event management policy tab navigation tree, select an event selector.

2 Click the Update Event Selector button .

3 From the Event Selection Criteria section of the Selector Details tab, select anevent selection criteria in the list and click Edit.

The Edit button remains inactive until you select an event selection criteria.

4 Use the Edit Event Criteria editor to make the necessary changes to thedescription, event class, or expression.

5 To save the edited event selection criteria, click OK.

6 From the Selector Details tab, click OK to save the edited event selection criteriaand the event selector.

Deleting an event selectorIf you need to delete an event selector that you have defined, follow these steps.

To delete an event selector

1 From the event management policy navigation tree, select the appropriate eventselector.

2 Click the Delete Event Selector button .

The Delete Confirmation dialog box is displayed.

3 Click Yes.

The event selector is deleted.

Troubleshooting event management policiesThis section lists some common problems encountered with event managementpolicies and some tools to assist you trouble-shoot problems not listed here.

Deleting an event selector


Problem: The policy is not running

If the policy is not running, try the following:

■ Access the Policy Details tab for the policy and ensure that the Enabled check boxis selected.

■ (Dynamic enrichment policies only) Access the Policy Details tab for the policyand ensure that the Match Fields and Output Fields contain the exact samenumber of match fields in the same order as the associated data enrichmentsource file.

■ (Dynamic enrichment policies only) Ensure that you have imported the data fromthe data enrichment source file into the cell using the Import tab.

■ For policies that use a schedule, check to see if CellEventEnable=No is set inmcell.conf. If it is then change it to CellEventEnable=Yes.

Problem: I receive an invalid data error when running adynamic enrichment policy

Access the Policy Details tab for the policy and ensure that the Match Fields andOutput Fields contain the exact same number of match fields in the same order asthe associated data enrichment source file.

Figure 88 on page 389 shows an example error message generated by dynamicenrichment policy that has a mismatch between the match and output fields definedin the policy and the number of columns included in the enrichment data source file.

Figure 88: Invalid data error: dynamic enrichment policy

Troubleshooting event management policies


Problem: I receive an error message when running adynamic enrichment blackout policy

Ensure that the timeframe defined in the data source enrichment file actually exists.For information on creating valid timeframes, see How to create a new localtimeframe on page 289.

Figure 89 on page 390 shows an example error message generated by dynamicblackout policy that has an invalid timeframes.

Figure 89: Invalid timeframe error: dynamic blackout policy

Problem: I have several thousand data records displayedin the Dynamic Data Editor tab

If your Match Table contains several thousand data records (testing has noted 7500),then when you try to execute a copy, paste, export, or print action, you canencounter poor response times from the BMC ProactiveNet Server and find messagebuffer full exceptions in the trace files.

To overcome this limitation, you can uncomment out the five sizing properties in the%BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME%\admin\etc\ix.properties file.

#data_handle_method_new=true

#IX will handle below specified chunk size data at a time. Default data chunk size is 100#data_handle_chunk_size=100

#sleep interval (in milliseconds) between the specified chunk size data handling. Default Sleep interval is 500 milliseconds#data_handle_sleep_interval=500

#IX will handle specified chunk size data at a time while paste action. Default data chunk size is 25#data_paste_chunk_size=25

#sleep interval (in Milliseconds) between the specified paste chunk size



data handling. Default Sleep interval is 1000 milliseconds#data_paste_sleep_interval=1000

After modifying the ix.properties file, you must log out and log back in to the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console.

Troubleshooting tools for dynamic enrichment policies

You can use the following methods to trouble-shoot the dynamic enrichment policiesthat you have defined:

■ Enable the Match Tracing check box in the Dynamic Enrichment Policy Detailstab to to add diagnostic notes to the event.

■ Access the History tab and check the Operations Log to determine which dynamicenrichment policy added the information into the event.





Working with the dynamic dataeditor

This chapter describes the Dynamic Data Editor.

Displaying the Infrastructure Managementnode

By default, the Infrastructure Management node is not displayed in the EventManagement Policies tab or the Dynamic Data Editor tab in the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console.

Perform the following procedure to display the node in these tabs.

To display the Infrastructure Management node

1 In a text editor such as Notepad, open the ix.properties file.

By default, the file is located in the following directory:

BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME\admin\etc\

2 Change the value of the following parameter to True:

infrastructure_management_node_visibility

3 Save and close the ix.properties file.


The Infrastructure Management node is displayed in the Event ManagementPolicies and the Dynamic Data Editor tabs.

12

Chapter 12 Working with the dynamic data editor 393

Dynamic data definition using the DynamicData Editor

Dynamic data is contextual reference data that is stored in the event repository andupdated whenever the context changes while the cell is running. Its function issimilar to a global variable. You use the Dynamic Data Editor to define data classinstances for use in event management rules or service models. To define the datainstances, you must first define a data class. See BMC Knowledge Base DevelopmentReference Guide for additional information about dynamic data.

Navigating the Dynamic Data EditorYou can use the Dynamic Data Editor to add a dynamic data instance to use as acontextual variable in MRL rules and policies.

This section discusses the basics of how to navigate the Dynamic Data Editor.

Dynamic data definition using the Dynamic Data Editor


Navigation pane

In the Dynamic Data Editor tab on the Administration View you can view the dataclasses for a cell in a hierarchical tree, as illustrated in Figure 90 on page 395.

Figure 90: Dynamic Data Editor Navigation Pane

Table 43 on page 395 lists the parts on the Administration Tab Navigation pane.

Table 43: Administration tab navigation pane

# Name Description

1 Dynamic Data Editor tab identifies the dynamic data editor

2 cell group icon identifies a cell group

3 cell icon identifies a cell

Navigating the Dynamic Data Editor


# Name Description

4 DATA class root class to which all data classes belong

5 DATA subclass data class defined as a subclass of the root class DATAData subclasses comprise the dynamic data tables in thecurrent cell.

6 view selection tabs access to the events, services, or administration portions of theconsole

Toolbar functions

Figure 91 on page 396 describes the toolbar buttons available in the Dynamic DataEditor.

Figure 91: Dynamic Data Editor toolbar

Filtering and sorting the Data ListThe Data List of the Dynamic Data Editor tab in the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console provides an interface to assist you in working with a cell’sdynamic data. From the Data List, you can

■ filter slots

■ sort data

Filtering slots

The Slot Quick Filter enables you to filter the displayed data list according tospecified slot criteria.

Filtering and sorting the Data List


To filter slots

1 Click on the Slot Quick Filter button or the down arrow to its right to displaythe Slot Quick Filter dialog box, shown in Figure 92 on page 397, in which you setthe filter criteria.Figure 92: Slot Quick Filter dialog box

2 From the Slot list, select the slot name.

3 From the Operator list, select the specific operator with which the filter acts.

4 In the Value box, enter the value with which you want to filter the Data List.

5 Click OK.

The filter you specified appears in place of the Slot Quick Filter button and thedata instances that meet the criteria are displayed in the Data List.

To toggle the quick filter on and off, click on the Slot Quick Filter button or onthe filter specifications currently displayed in place of the icon.

Sorting data fields

You can sort fields in the Data List using two methods: a multiple column sort orderor single-click on a column to sort immediately by that column.

To sort using multiple column sorting

Designating multiple columns for a sorting order is useful in resolving sort orderconflicts in the data list. Multiple column sorting functions as the followingillustrates. Set a multiple column sort order for a maximum of three columns withthese steps.

1 Right-click on a column head to display the Slot Order Indicator.



2 Select the order position desired for that column.

■ The Slot Order Indicator permits you to select a column as having no influenceon the sort order, or as first, second or third in the order.

Note When you select the first column to include in your sort order the only optionsavailable in the Slot Order Indicator are None and First. After you designate acolumn as first in the sort order, the option Second is available in the Slot OrderIndicator when you right-click on the second column. The Third option isavailable when you have designated a column as Second in the sort order.

3 Right-click next on the column you want to include in the sort order.

4 Select the order position desired for that column.

5 Repeat if you want to establish a third column in the sort order.

An alternative method of multiple-column sorting is to press the Ctrl key and single-click on a header to add that column as the next column in the sort order. That is,pressing Ctrl and single-clicking on a column sets it as the first in the sort order,pressing Ctrl and single-clicking on the next column sets it as the second in thesort order, and the third column is set as the third in the sort order by againpressing the Ctrl key and single-clicking on the column header.

Currently only three columns can be included in the sort order. Pressing the Ctrlkey and single-clicking on a fourth column will designate it as third in the sortorder in place of the column previously designated as third. Also, pressing theCtrl key and single-clicking on a column that is part of a sort order will remove itfrom the sort order.

The remaining columns in the designated sort order will reposition in the sortorder to replace the one that has been removed. For example, if you press the Ctrlkey and single-click on the column previously designated as first in the sort order,it will be removed from the order and the two remaining will move from secondto first and from third to second in the new sort order.

Remember the following facts about sorting:

■ Only if there is a sorting conflict in the First sort column will the sorting beresolved by use of the Second sort column.

■ The sorting will extend to the Third sort column only if there is a sortingconflict in the Second sort column.

■ Establishing a multiple column sort simply ensures that any sorting conflictsthat may arise can be resolved to the third column level.



If you have established a multiple sort order in the Data List, clicking on one ofthe sort order columns toggles that column’s display between ascending anddescending order, as indicated by the small arrow next to the sort order numberin the column head.

To sort using single-click sorting

1 Sorting also can be done by single-clicking on the column you want to use as thebasis of your Data List sort. Even if a multiple sort order has been established, asin the preceding section, you can click on any column that is not part of thedesignated multiple sort order to reset sorting. This action establishes singlecolumn sorting and the column on which you clicked is designated as the First,and only, column in the new sort order.

Working with data instancesFrom the Administration View, you can edit and manipulate a cell’s dynamic datainstances. All classes that are visible in the Administration View are subclasses of thebase data class DATA and MC_SM_DATA. Subclasses of MC_SM_DATA are shown in thenavigation pane, but data instances are not shown for these classes. Each cell’s dataclass definitions reside in its Knowledge Base.

To define data instances in the Administration View for a custom data class, youmust first define that data class in the KB of the cell. For further information, see theBMC Knowledge Base Development Reference Guide.

The Details pane for each data instance contains the following tabs:

■ Extended Details tab: Displays extended details of a selected data instance.

■ Internals tab: Displays the internal data as defined on the base DATA class.

The Data List of the Dynamic Data Editor tab of the Administration Consoleprovides an interface to assist you in working with a cell’s dynamic data. Right-clickon a data instance in the Data List on the right side of the Administration Console todisplay the pop-up context menu. For instructions on adding a data instance, see Adding a new data instance on page 399

Adding a new data instance

The following procedures focus on creating data instances by using the New andNew Copy menu options.

Working with data instances


To create a new data instance with the New option

1 In the Data List of the Dynamic Data Editor, right-click on a data instance.

2 Select New.

The New tab is displayed in the Details pane next to the Extended Data andInternals tabs.

The fields on the New tab are the slots for which data information can be enteredfor this new data instance. The fields with a white background can be edited;fields with an asterisk are required.

The unique data identifier slot (mc_udid) has a white background and is empty.

Note The mc_udid slot information is assigned by the cell and BMC Softwarerecommends that you allow the cell to assign this value rather than entering oneof your own.

The cell assigns a valid value for this slot. The slot fields that are dimmed will becompleted automatically by the cell. The only exception to this is the listassociated with the Type field that permits you to select from specified options, asshown in Figure 93 on page 400.

Figure 93: Type field list

3 Click OK to complete the new data instance and close the New tab.

The success or failure of your attempt to create a new data instance will bereflected in the message bar at the bottom of BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole window. Figure 94 on page 400 illustrates a notification of a failedattempt to create a new data instance.

Figure 94: Message bar

To create a new data instance with the New Copy option

1 When you use the New Copy menu option, certain of the editable fields containslot information that is copied from the selected data instance in the Data List, as



shown in below.

The New Copy menu option provides the same selection in the type field list asthe New menu option, as shown in Figure 93 on page 400.

When you have entered or edited the appropriate slot information, click OK tocreate the new data instance and close the New tab. The success or failure of yourattempt to create a new data instance is reflected in the message bar of the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console window.

Editing slots

A class definition consists of one or more slots. Each slot has a data type and canhave specific attributes called facets that can control the values that the slot can haveor control aspects of a class instance’s processing. A class that is a subclass to anotherclass inherits all the slots of the parent class.

The Edit pop-up menu option enables you to update the selected data instance of thecurrent data list in the Data List display pane.

To edit slots

1 Select and right-click on the data instance and click Edit to display the Edit tab inthe Details pane of the Dynamic Data Editor tab.



The Edit tab contains the slot value information of the selected data instance.Fields that can be changed have a white background.

2 To save the edited information and close the Edit tab, click OK.

Exporting data

From the Data List in the Administration View, you can export a data instance as afile with a specified file name, in a format selected from a list, and containing all oronly the visible slot information available for the data instance. Multiple datainstances can be exported to the same file at the same time. Do this by selecting allthe data instances your want included to begin the export process.

To export data

1 Select a data instance and select the File => Export menu option or click on theExport toolbar button to display the Export Policies dialog box, as shown in Figure 95 on page 402.Figure 95: Export Data dialog box

2 In the Format list, select the format for the export file, as shown in Figure 96 onpage 402.Figure 96: Export Data dialog box—Selecting the data format

3 With the Visible Slots and All Slots option buttons, select whether you want toinclude only the visible slots or all slots in the file.



■ If you select All Slots, the Filter for Importing check box is available.

4 In the To File box, accept the default or specify the file name and location for theexport file.

5 Click OK to create the export file and close the Export Data dialog box.

For illustration purposes, in Figure 97 on page 403, the export file mcdata.csvcontaining information on all the slots for the selected data instance is created in C:\Documents and Settings\zane\My Documents.

Figure 97: Contents of mcdata.csv

Figure 98 on page 403 illustrates an export file containing four data instances.

Figure 98: Export file containing four data instances





Creating and using user-definedpolicies

This chapter describes how to create and how to implement user-defined policytypes. This chapter presents the following topics:

Understanding user-defined event policy typesPredefined policy types cannot cover all requirements of different BMC ProactiveNetimplementations.

To support specialized event processing, you can also define and implement customevent policy types to do specialized event processing not supported by thepredefined policy types. For instructions about creating event policy types, seeUser-defined event policy type creation on page 407.

Understanding event processing rules (MRL)for policy types

This section describes the form of policy type rules and discusses how they work.

Format of event processing rules for policy types

A typical event processing rule for a user-defined policy type has this form:

<rule-phase> rule-name: using_policy { <POLICY_TYPE> ($POL) where [ ($POL.enabled == 1) AND

13

Chapter 13 Creating and using user-defined policies 405

(($POL.active_timeframes == [] ORtf_active($POL.active_timeframes)) AND NOT tf_active($POL.except_timeframes)) ] } $POL.selector_ecf ($EV) where [ <other conditions> ]{ <actions>; opadd($EV, $POL.name, "action name", ""); } END

How a rule for a policy type is processed

The processing of a rule for a policy type is a follows:

1 The using_policy clause finds the applicable policy, that is, the instance of theuser-defined policy class (derived from IM_POLICY).These class definitions describe the slots available in a policy class:MC_DATA_CLASS : POLICY ISA CORE_DATA DEFINES { name : STRING, key = yes, read_only = yes; description : STRING; enabled : INTEGER, default = 1; }; ENDMC_DATA_CLASS: IM_POLICY ISA POLICY DEFINES { active_timeframes : LIST_OF STRING; except_timeframes : LIST_OF STRING; selector_name : STRING; selector_class : STRING; selector_ecf : ECF EVENT; ordinal : INTEGER, default=0; }; END

2 The tf_active calls evaluates timeframes for the policy.

3 The selector ECF selects the event to process.

4 The actions implement the policy and the opadd call adds an entry to theoperations log of the event.

Sources of information about rules

You can get more information about rules for policy types and how to create themfrom these sources

For... See...

examples of rules for policy types the pre-defined policies in .../kb/rules/im_internal.mrl.

Understanding event processing rules (MRL) for policy types


For... See...

definitions of the MRL constructs andprimitives for policy rules

BMC Knowledge Base Development Reference Guide

User-defined event policy type creationIf you want to create a new user-defined event policy to perform specialized eventprocessing, first, you must define a new event policy type. An event policy type is adata class, derived from that defines the distinct type of event processing to beperformed.

Creating user-defined policy types

To define a new user-defined policy type, you must do the following things.

Table 44: Policy Type Creation processStep Task Topic

1 Define a new policy data class that describes the policytype and copy it to the Knowledge Base of each BMCIM instance to use the user-defined policy.

Defining the policy data class for a newpolicy type on page 407

2 Define the presentation names that you want to appearin user interfaces for the policy type in a ix.propertiesconfiguration file.

Defining presentation names for a newpolicy type on page 409

3 Create a new rule that defines the event processingdone by the policy type and copy it to the KnowledgeBase of each BMC IM instance to use the policy.

Creating the event processing rule(s) fora new policy type on page 410

Defining the policy data class for a new policy type

To create a new policy type, first you must define a data class derived directly fromthe IM_BASE_CUSTOM_POLICY base class. This policy data class describes thepolicy type’s data. It also provides the template of data fields (slots) used by BMC IMto generate the BMC ProactiveNet Custom Policy Details panel in which usersspecify the processing details for a policy of that type.

To define a new policy data class

1 Using a text editor, open the appropriate BAROC language file in the KnowledgeBase.

User-defined event policy type creation


■ Because the IM_BASE_CUSTOM_POLICY base class is defined in .../kb/class/im_policies.baroc file, you must define the new policy type in a separate filethat is loaded for compilation after .../kb/class/im_policies.baroc file (it islisted after the im_policies.baroc in the .../kb/class/.load file list).

2 Define the new policy data class derived directly from theIM_BASE_CUSTOM_POLICY base class.

a Create the new class slots. You can create slots of these types:

■ ENUMERATION

■ INTEGER

■ STRING

■ LIST OF

No other slot types are supported in custom event policies.

b Define the class slots in the order that you want them to appear in the BMCProactiveNet Custom Policy Type panel.

The BMC ProactiveNet Custom Policy Details panel created from the policytype will have a field for each slot added to the IM_BASE_CUSTOM_POLICYclass. The interface fields appear in the same order as the slots are defined inthe class definition.

■ See the BMC Knowledge Base Development Reference Guide for detailedinformation on creating new classes.

3 Save the edited file after defining the new policy type (data class).

4 Add and entry for the new file that you created to the compiler load list in the .../kb/class/.load file after the entry for the ../kb/class/im_policies.baroc file, whichcontains the base policy data class that the new policy type references.

5 Recompile the BMC Impact Manager instance’s Knowledge Base (KB) afterdefining the new policy data class.

■ For more information on compiling a KB, see “Compiling a Knowledge Base”in the BMC Knowledge Base Development Reference Guide.

6 Finally, you must copy the changed KB to every BMC Impact Manager instance(cell) that will use the new policy.



Verifying that you created the class successfully

If you created the class successfully, you should be able to see it in the “By Policy”list and the “Custom Policy Details” panel.

Next, define user-friendly presentation names to appear in the user interface for thepolicy type and its slots.

Defining presentation names for a new policy type

If you want user-friendly presentation names to appear in the user interface for thepolicy type and its slots instead of the internal names, you must:

■ define presentation names for the policy type in a resource file

■ list the resource file for the policy type in the BMC ix.properties file

To define presentation names for a policy type

1 Create a resource file for the policy type to list the policy type and each slot withits assigned presentation name. The resource file name must have the .propertiesfile extension.

2 Edit the resource file to add an entry for each presentation name assignment.

a To define the presentation name (label) for the policy type, add a line with thefollowing format to the resource file:

CLASS.<policy type name>=<policy type presentation name> Policy

b To define the presentation name (label) used for a slot, add a line with thefollowing format to the resource file.:

SLOT.<policy type name>.<slot name>=<slot presentation name>

3 Place the resource file in the installDirectory \ admin\lib\lang\kbinfo directory.



a Add the base name of the resource file to the value of kb_info_resourcesparameter in the installDirectory \admin\etc\ix.properties file using this format:kb_info_resources=<resource file name>,kb_core_resource, kb_deprecated_resource

The defined presentation names will display in the Event Management Policiestree, the Policy Type picker window, and in the Policy List panel. Any slot orpolicy type for which a presentation name is not defined displays its internalname.

The event policy details tab for all user-defined policy types is Custom PolicyDetails.

Creating the event processing rule(s) for a new policy type

Before you can define an event policy based on the user-defined policy type that youcreated, you must:

■ create a new Knowledge Base rule or rules to define the event processing done bythe policy type

■ copy the rule or rules to the Knowledge Base of each BMC IM instance on whichthe user-defined policy will run

Event processing rule requirements

The event processing rule or rules that you define for the new user-defined policytype must:

■ do dynamic selection (use the using_policy clause)

■ reference the policy data class that describes the new policy type

To create the event processing rule for a new policy type

1 , Add a new file in the .../kb/rules directory, for example, my_policies.mrl, for thenew event processing rule or rules for the new policy type.

2 Edit the policy MRL file and write the event processing rule for the appropriaterule phase.

■ For more information, see

—Evaluation order of event policy types on page 286

—Understanding event processing rules (MRL) for policy types on page 405



—See the MRL for the pre-defined policy types in ...\kb\rules\im_internal.mrl file.

3 Add the file name for the new rule or rules to the compiler load list in the ...\kb\rule\.load file.

4 Compile the cell instance’s Knowledge Base (KB) after defining the rule for thepolicy type.

■ For more information on compiling a KB, see the BMC Knowledge BaseDevelopment Reference Guide.

5 Copy this KB change to every cell instance that will use a policy based on the newpolicy type.

The definition of the policy type is complete and users can now create policiesbased on it in the Custom Policy Type panel.





Working with BMC ProactiveNetInfrastructure Management

Infrastructure Management makes it easier for administrators with a Full Access orService Administrator role to monitor and manage BMC ProactiveNet infrastructurecomponents in a real-time service model.

These infrastructure components include cells, servers, and integrations. In theInfrastructure Management interface, you can perform actions on these components,such as editing configuration and log files and packaging support files fortroubleshooting purposes. Users assigned to Full Access, Service Administrator, orother Admin groups could remotely manage a subset of BMC ProactiveNetInfrastructure Management components and applications. In the InfrastructureManagement tab on the Administration tab of the BMCProactiveNet AdministrationConsole, these users could manually launch remote actions (stop, start, pause, and soforth) by selecting the component, right-clicking to open the pop-up menu, andchoosing the action from a list of available ones. The availability of the actionsdepended on the user role and the type of component or application.

Default BMC ProactiveNet InfrastructureManagement service model

The default BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management model consists of logicalgroupings of BMC infrastructure applications and components. Upon installationcertain components send registration events and become automatically registeredwith the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management model.

14

Chapter 14 Working with BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management 413

Gray indicates that the object is a logical grouping, components whose status isunknown to the Impact Administration cell. Only registered components areviewable in the Find window and services graph. The arrows indicate the direction(provider to consumer) of the event feed. A dotted line indicates that the relationshipis inactive.

The following versions of BMC components register with this service model. Theycan be added as components instances to the respective logical group.

Table 45: Supported application groups

Group Id Name

100 EM_CELL

101 EM_SERVER_1

102 EM_SERVER_2

103 SIM_CELL

104 SIM_SERVER_1

105 SIM_SERVER_2

112 PS (BMC Impact Publishing Server)

120 Adapter

121 LOG_FILE_ADAPTER

122 SNMP_ADAPTER

123 WINDOWS_EVENT_ADAPTER

124 SYSLOG_ADAPTER

Default BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management service model


Group Id Name

125 TCP_ADAPTER

126 TELNET_ADAPTER

127 UDP_ADAPTER

142 IBRSD

152 ARS_SD

154 BiiZ

156 SLM

160 EM_Server_Standby

Roles and permissions

The following group roles have full write permission to the components and featuresof the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management subtab:

■ Service Administrators

■ Event Administrators

■ Full Access

Only members of these groups can view the BMC ProactiveNet InfrastructureManagement subtab.

For information about assigning roles, see “Defining or editing roles andpermissions” on page 216.

WalkthroughThis section provides a walkthrough of BMC ProactiveNet InfrastructureManagement, highlighting its main features. You can use this walkthrough to learnabout and become familiar with BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management.

Displaying the out-of-the-box real-time service model

BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management automatically deploys a BMCinfrastructure service model, called BPPM Infrastructure. It consists of logical

Walkthrough


groupings of BMC services and applications, together with registered componentsthat send all relevant information and latest statuses. The out-of-the-box servicemodel reflects the real-time states of the registered components.

To display the infrastructure service model

1 In the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, click the Administration tab.

2 In the icon bar at the top of the navigation area on the left, click the BMCProactiveNet Infrastructure Management icon

(the wrench or spanner icon).

3 Under Find Infrastructure Components in the bottom pane of the navigation area,choose Find to list the services and applications.

4 The logical groupings of components and applications are displayed, along withregistered components.

Alternatively, you can open the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Managementgroup to display the navigation tree, as shown in the following figure.

BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management navigation pane

Walkthrough


5 Locate the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure object in the Find list, and then, usingthe mouse, click and drag it into the graph viewing area in the top right pane toreveal the service model.

You can also choose to select BPPM Infrastructure in the navigation tree underBPPM Infrastructure Management to display it in the graph viewing area.

You may need to click the Orientation icon

at the top of the graph viewing area to reposition it vertically.

The gray-colored icons represent logical groupings, components whose status isunknown to the Impact Administration Cell.

Sampling context-sensitive information

The BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management interface offers a range of context-sensitive information that you can access from right-click pop-up menus and multi-layered notebook tabs.

For example, you can expand the model and select a component under the SIM Cellsheading.

■ Click the leaf component under SIM Cells to select it.

■ Click the Details tab. Click the subtabs such as General, Status, Priority and Cost,Advanced, RelatedComponents, SLM, and Schedule. These tabs providecomponent specific information.

■ Click the Administer tab. Click the subtabs such as Configuration, Logs, andSupportPackage. You can access the Workload and Components tabs if you haveselected either a SIM or an EM cell server.

■ Click Edit Component in the Details=>General tab and change a property of thecomponent.

Status

In the Status subtab, you can view the applicable status levels of the component:Service Level Agreement and computation statuses.

Walkthrough


Advanced

In the Advanced subtab, you can view information on identification, creation andmodification time, and read/write permissions for groups for the selected object.

Related Components

In the RelatedComponents subtab, you can retrieve status causes, possible problems,providers, and consumers of the selected component type. You can modify therelationship by selecting Edit Relationship..., which opens the Edit Relationshipsdialog where you can add, modify, or remove relationships. Using the right-clickmenu options, you can highlight a retrieved component in the list, and add a link tothe navigation tree by choosing the Add Navigation Link option.

This subtab also lets you view other components that have relationships with theselected component.

SLM

In the SLM subtab, you can list and view the details of Service Level Managementagreements assigned to the component.

Schedule

In the Schedule subtab, you can view the times when the component is in servicetogether with its priority costs when it is in service and when it is out of service.

Managing files on remote systems

From the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management interface, you can edit andsave the configuration and log files of other applications and services that arerunning on remote systems.

To edit and save configuration files

1 Click the leaf component under a service or an application, such as a serviceimpact management cell, to select it.

2 From the notebook tabs, choose Administer => Configuration.

The drop list reveals the configuration files of the selected component.

3 To modify a file, select it from the list, and click Edit.

Walkthrough


4 In the Credentials dialog box, enter the credentials of the remote system, and clickOK.

The configuration file is displayed in the editor.

The Additional command credentials check box applies mainly to UNIX systems,where you may need to log into the system under one user account, but thenswitch to another user account (for example, root) to execute the action.

5 Edit the file.

6 When you are done, you can click either of the following:

■ File => Save a Copy to save a copy of the file to your local system

■ File => Update Original to update the file on the remote system

To edit and save log files

1 Click the leaf component under a service or an application, such as a serviceimpact management cell, to select it.

2 From the notebook tabs, choose Administer => Logs.

The drop list reveals the log files of the selected component.

3 To modify a file, select it from the list, and click View.

4 In the dialog box, enter the credentials of the remote system, and click OK.

The log file is displayed in the editor.

5 Edit the file.

6 When you are done, click File => Save a Copy to save a copy of the file to yourlocal system.

You cannot update a log file on a remote system. You can save it only to the localsystem.

Packaging support files

You can package selected debug files to help troubleshoot customer cases. BMCProactiveNet Infrastructure Management automatically packages the selected filesinto a zipped file.

Walkthrough


To package support files

1 Click on a component in the service model.

2 From the notebook tabs, choose Administer=>Support Package.

3 In the Destination field, enter the file path where the package should be saved onthe local system. You can use the Browse button to navigate to the directory.

The file name of the support package is created automatically.

4 ( Optional ) Enter a tracking number in the Issue Number field.

5 ( Optional ) Enter a description of the issue in the Description field.

6 Click Create Package.

7 Enter the credentials of the remote system from which you are retrieving the files.

A pop-up progress indicator shows the status of the retrieval. If it completessuccessfully, go to the specified directory and review the contents of the zippedpackage. The file contents vary based on the type of component.

8 Repeat steps 1 through 7 for a server component, verifying that the file contents ofits zipped package are different from those of the service impact managementcell.

Launching remote actions

From the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management interface, you can executeactions through the right-click pop-up menus on components and applications thatare running on remote systems.

For this exercise, you must have a registered cell component installed on a remotesystem.

Walkthrough


To launch remote actions

1 Right-click the leaf component under a service impact management cell or eventmanagement cell to select a cell residing on a remote system.

2 Choose Actions to display a list of all possible actions for that component.

3 Choose Stop Cell Server Process, click Stop, and enter the logon credentials forthe remote system.

If the selected component resides on an Microsoft Windows system, your logincredentials should have administrative rights to the system. The AdditionalCommand Credentials are needed check box is disabled.

When the component on the remote system has stopped, its status changes toUnavailable.

4 Return to the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management interface, right-clickthe service impact management cell component to display the pop-up menu, andchoose Actions => Start Cell Server Process.

5 Verify that the cell has started--for example, you can execute an mcstat commandto check the cell's status. Then you can verify that the status of the selectedcomponent is changed to OK.

6 Repeat steps 1 through 5 for a BMC ProactiveNet Server component, such aspublishing server or IBRSD.

The actions permitted on the server component are limited to Stop Process andStart Process only.

You can also launch remote actions for selected components by clicking one of theAction toolbar icons of the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management view.

Depending on the type and state of the selected component, you can choose fromamong the following actions:

Walkthrough


■ Start Cell Server Process (Start)

■ Stop Cell Server Process (Stop)

■ Restart Cell Server Process (Restart)

■ Pause Events Admittance (Pause)

■ Resume Events Admittance (Resume)

■ Set to Active

■ Set to Standby

Different actions are enabled based on the status and type of component. Forexample, if a component in an unknown state is already started and you chooseActions => Start, you receive a status message notifying you that the componentis started already. For more information, see “Remote actions” on page 444.

Common BMC ProactiveNet InfrastructureManagement tasks

This section describes the most common BMC ProactiveNet InfrastructureManagement tasks.

Navigating the interface

In the Administration tab view of the Administration Console, select the BMCProactiveNet Infrastructure Management subtab, represented by the wrench icon:

In the Class drop-down list, click All if it is not already displayed.

Click Find to open the list of logical groupings and registered components in yourinfrastructure.

Logical groupings and registered components are depicted by different icons:

Icon Definition

logical services grouping

SIM cell

Common BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management tasks


Icon Definition

SIM cell server 1

SIM cell server 2 (high availability implementation)

SIM cell server standby (high availability implementation)

EM Cell

EM cell server 1

EM cell server 2 (high availability implementation)

BEM cell server standby (high availability implementation)

Publishing Server

Integration for BMC Remedy Service Desk

Select the BPPM nfrastructure grouping, which contains the default infrastructuremodel, and drag-and-drop it on to the graph viewing area. You may need to selectthe Orientation icon to display it along a vertical axis.

Multiple graphs

You can display multiple graph views. For example, you can select registeredcomponents from the Results list in the navigation pane, and drag-and-drop them onthe graph viewing area, creating new graph views. You can switch from one view tothe other by selecting the tabs at the top of the graph viewing area.

Navigation tree

To help organize your model, you can display and manipulate the grouping andcomponent hierarchy in the navigation tree view under the BPPM InfrastructureManagement heading.

You can select objects in the navigation tree and display them in the graph viewingarea.

You can drag objects from the graph viewing area and drop into the navigation tree,creating a navigation link between the two.

Common BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management tasks


Tip You can press the CTRL or SHIFT key and then click an object in the navigation treeto display the object in the graph viewing area without closing any displayed objects.

You can create customized subgroups under the BMC ProactiveNet InfrastructureManagement heading. After selecting the heading, right-click to open the Add a subgroup menu item.

After you define your group, you can drag-and-drop component objects into it.

Displaying and understanding the Details andAdminister tab data

The Details subtabs display information that identifies the characteristics of theselected component and returns its status. They let you perform common actions,such as changing provider-consumer relationships between components. TheAdminister subtabs display specific infrastructure information and let you performunique infrastructure actions, such as editing configuration and log files andcollecting debug files for troubleshooting.

To view data about an object in the interface, first select it. Then you can scan thecorresponding subtabs under Details and Administer. To view information on one ofthe Administer tabs, the selected object must be a registered infrastructurecomponent, not a greyed-out logical services group icon.

Details tab data

The Details tab displays the subtabs and data

General

In the General subtab, you can view the name, class, and subtype of the selectedobject. Depending on the subtype, you can also view other slot values, as describedin Table 46 on page 425.

Displaying and understanding the Details and Administer tab data


Table 46: Slot values: Details: General subtab

Section Slot Description

Component Name Name of the component that you have selectedunder BPPM Infrastructure in the navigation treeor in the service model in the Service Model View.

Class The type of component that you have selected

Subtype

Short Description

Description

Editable Here contains a Boolean Yes/No indicator that sayswhether the selected component object can beedited in the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole.BPPM Infrastructure Management only containsobjects that are not published. Therefore, EditableHere is always set to Yes in BPPM InfrastructureManagement.

Master Repository specifies the data source of the component object.For example, component objects that originate froma direct feed source, such as BMC IX, mposter, oran MRL, are designated in this format: Cell-cellName. The default name for BPPMInfrastructure Management is Cell-Admin.

Run State the current state of the object, which helps todetermine its status, its icon shape, the icon's color,as well as which actions can be performed againstthe object. This slot value is updated whenever thecomponent changes its state, from start to stop,from start to paused, from stop to start, and so forth.

Host host name of the computer where the component isinstalled

Port Port number through which the BMC ProactiveNetServer communicates with the host where thecomponent is installed

Data Destinations

Started Date

Role indicates whether a component, such as a cellserver, is standalone or, in an HA pair, eitherprimary or secondary.

Owner Owner name the individual responsible for the component

Owner Contact the contact information for the owner of thecomponent



Section Slot Description

Release Environment

Release

Build

Cells and Cell ServersOnly

From the General subtab, you can click Edit Component to open the Edit ServiceComponent dialog in which you can modify the component's properties.

Status

In the Status subtab, you can view the applicable status levels of the component:Service Level Agreement and computation statuses.

Advanced

In the Advanced subtab, you can view information on identification, creation andmodification time, and read/write permissions for groups for the selected object.

Related Components

In the RelatedComponents subtab, you can retrieve status causes, possible problems,providers, and consumers of the selected component type. You can modify therelationship by selecting Edit Relationship..., which opens the Edit Relationshipsdialog where you can add, modify, or remove relationships. Using the right-clickmenu options, you can highlight a retrieved component in the list, and add a link tothe navigation tree by choosing the Add Navigation Link option. You can view theevents associated with the component.

This subtab also lets you view other components that have relationships with theselected component.

SLM

In the SLM subtab, you can list and view the details of Service Level Managementagreements assigned to the component.

Schedule

In the Schedule subtab, you can view the times when the component is in servicetogether with its priority costs when it is in service and when it is out of service.



Administer tab data

The Administer tab for BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management displays thefollowing subtabs.

Configuration

The Configuration subtab lists the editable configuration files of the selectedcomponent. You can retrieve these files, even those associated with components onremote systems. Click Edit. Then enter the logon credentials for the system wherethe component resides. (On UNIX, your login account must have permission toaccess the target system. On Microsoft Windows, you must have administrativeprivileges on the system.) The file opens in a default text editor.

You can edit any supported configuration file of an infrastructure component. Thetype of file varies with the component, but the files include:

■ mcell.dir file

■ .conf files

■ filter files

■ selector files

■ mapping files

■ trace.conf files

■ cell_info.list file

You should know the parameters of the file before trying to edit it. Refer to thecomponent's respective documentation.

You can save the edited configuration file to a local or remote system. If saving to alocal system, you can specify a different file path. If saving to a remote system, youupdate the configuration file in its current directory path. You cannot save it to adifferent file path.

Logs

Similar to configuration files, you can open and annotate log files of components onlocal systems in the Log subtab. You cannot save an edited or update a viewed logfile to a remote system, however. You must save it to the local system.



Support Package

In the SupportPackage subtab, you can prepare a zipped package of predefinedsupport files for troubleshooting purposes. For more information, see “Creating thesupport package” on page 438.

Workload

The Workload subtab dynamically tracks the event activity of the cell servercomponent. It presents counts, averages, and percentages of different event actions,such as sent, received, dropped, and removed. You can refresh the table by clickingthe Refresh button.

Components

The Components subtab dynamically tracks the component instances that sendevents to the selected object. You refresh the table by clicking the Refresh button.This subtab view is available for both service impact management and eventmanagement cell servers.

Editing infrastructure relationshipsTo open the Edit Relationships dialog box, select an infrastructure object in the grapharea, and then perform one of the following actions:

■ Select the Related Components subtab from the Details notebook tab. Click theEdit Relationship button.

■ Click Edit => Edit Relationship.

■ Click the Edit Relationship toolbar icon.

The Edit Relationships dialog box is opened. The following figure shows an openEdit Relationships dialog box with a selected service impact management cellopened for editing in the Edit This Relationship subdialog.

Editing infrastructure relationships


The Edit Relationships dialog box contains the fields listed in the following table:

Table 47: Edit Relationship dialog: field descriptions

Field Description

Component Name name of the selected infrastructure component

Related Component Type identifies the infrastructure component subtype thathas a consumer or provider relationship to theselected component and for which you want to search

Relationships lists the consumer, provider, or both consumer andprovider relationships of the selected componentsubtype and component

Component identifies the infrastructure object related to theselected component

Direction indicates the event flow of the object relationship. Aconsumer direction indicates that the componentobject receives events and data from the selectedcomponent. A provider direction indicates that thecomponent object sends events and data to theselected component

State identifies current state of the relationship: active orinactive

Type specifies the class that contains the relationship type

Propagation Model identifies the status propagation model used fordetermining the propagated status from theprovider's main status

Editable indicates whether you can edit the object

You can search on component types by selecting an Impact Administration subtypefrom the drop-down list. When you click Search, it retrieves the relationshipsassociated with the selected subtype.

Editing infrastructure relationships


Select an item in the Edit Relationships dialog, and right-click to open the pop-upmenu. You can perform actions common to all object relationships: View ServiceModel, Edit Component, Add Navigation Link, and Add Relationship.

You can edit any of the component's relationships by selecting it and then choosingthe Edit Relationship button at the bottom of the dialog. The Edit This Relationshipsubdialog contains the following fields:

Table 48: Edit This Relationship subdialog

Field Description

Consumer/Provider indicator indicates the directional flow of the relationshipbetween the selected component and the componentsubtype. You can modify the relationship

Type of Relationship Direct, Increasing, Decreasing, Just_Info, orJust_Warning

Status Weight weight (numeric value) of a relationship used whilecalculating the status using weighted cluster mode

Description Summary description of the relationship

Creating logical componentsYou can add logical components to the BPPM Infrastructure Management servicemodel.

Logical components in this context refer to components that do not have apredefined registration event associated with them, as do the BMC infrastructurecomponents listed in Table 45 on page 414. Although logical components are notregistered with the IAC and therefore do not provide real-time status information,they can help to complement the BMC infrastructure model. For example, you canadd logical integrations and server processes to the model to represent an idealizedinfrastructure environment.

Note The names of logically created components do not display in Korean in the graphviewing area while its component object does.

Deleting componentsYou can delete both logical service groupings/objects and live, registered objectsfrom the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management service model.

Creating logical components


To organize your service model around its real-time components, you can deletelogical groupings that do not have registered components associated with them.

Generally, you should delete the leaf objects, not objects that lie between otherobjects. If you delete objects that lie between other objects, some objects that shouldbe deleted because of relationship associations with the other objects willnonetheless remain.

BMC recommends that you do not delete components that have been registeredautomatically with the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management servicemodel. However, if you delete a live, registered object, it is removed from the BMCProactiveNet Infrastructure Management service model, and an event of the classService Model Component Delete is sent to the IAC.

Tip You can recover a deleted registered object by modifying the DATA/ADMIN_DATA/ADMIN_REGISTRATIONS table of the IAC in the General Administration tab view.

You change the enable parameter for the specific component from NO to YES in theEdit tab. Then you restart the component to reregister it.

Usage reportingIn the Infrastructure Management tab, you can choose the File => Usage Reportmenu option to display and print a report that lists the BMC ProactiveNetcomponents that are registered with the BMC Impact Administration cell.

These components include:

■ management servers

■ standalone cells

■ high availability cells

■ Integration for BMC Remedy Service Desk

Usage reporting


Note By default, users belonging to the user group Full Access, Service Administratorscan access these reports.

You can save and print the report in a plain text file or a comma-separated values(CSV) file for tabular data presentation.

To display and save a usage report

Be sure that you are connected to the Impact Administration Cell. Otherwise theUsage Report... option is unavailable.

1 In the Infrastructure Management tab of the Administration Console, chooseFile => Usage Report.

2 Perform one of the following actions:

■ Save the report in .csv or .txt format

■ Print the report

Executing Remote ActionsRemote Actions can be executed through automated actions and on demand. Youcan execute the automated actions by creating an event rule. If an action is executedin an event rule, the request is sent to the server. The server in-turn contacts theparticular remote devices with the credentials of the specific devices. The server isconnected to the remote devices and the command is executed on the remotedevices. When the actions are executed for device automatically, you can view theresult of actions by clicking the Detailed Diagnostics icon on the Intelligent EventHistory page or on the Events List page of the BMC ProactiveNet Operation Console.


Reloading cell configurationUse the Reload menu command to access the commands for reloading a cell'sconfiguration.

The Reload => All menu option is the equivalent of the mcontrol command'sreload all option. This means the default data from the cell's KB\data directory is

Executing Remote Actions


reloaded, taking it back to a default out of the box data state. This removes anycustom data that the customer has created. However, the other options, such asReload => Knowledge Base, Reload => Directory (mcell.dir), etc., do not reloaddata.

To reload all of the cell configuration

1 Right-click a cell.

2 Select Reload => All.

All configuration files and the KB are reloaded.

To reload only the cell's knowledge base


2 Select Reload => Knowledge Base.

The KB is reloaded.

To reload the directory


2 Select Reload => Directory .

The mcell.dir file is reloaded.

To reload cell configuration


2 Select Reload => Cell Configuration .

The configuration files mcell.conf, mcell.propagate, and mcell.modify arereloaded.

To reload trace configuration


2 Select Reload => Trace Configuration .

The mcell.trace file is reloaded.

Reloading cell configuration


Forcing event propagationYou can use the Propagate Events command to force the selected cell to send thecontents of the destination buffers to one or all its destination cells immediately.

To force propagation to all target cells


2 Select Propagate Events => All Destinations to force propagation of the buffercontents to all target cells.

To force propagation to a selected target cell


2 Select Propagate Events => Select Destinations.

3 In the Propagate dialog box, specify the target cell to which you want topropagate the buffer contents.

4 Click OK.

Collecting metricsUse the Metrics Collection menu command to access the commands for workingwith metrics.

To turn metrics collection off


2 Select Metrics Collection=> Disable.

To reset collection counters


2 Select Metrics Collection => Clear Values.

3 The collection counts are reset to 0.

Forcing event propagation


Executing other actionsWhere appropriate for the component, you can perform the actions that are availablein the Services Editor tab view.

These actions include

■ viewing the graph of a selected component and its relationships

■ adding links to components from container folders

■ refreshing the graph view after making an edit to a component or relationship

Audit log parametersBy default, BPPM Infrastructure Management automatically maintains an audit logof all remote actions that an administrator performs on remote hosts. The audit loguses the following format:

TIME_STAMP LOG_LEVEL IAS_USER OS_USER SUB_TYPE:OBJECT ACTION_ID EXPLANATION

Table 49 on page 435describes the audit log parameters:

Table 49: Audit log parameters for Infrastructure Management

Audit log parameter Description

TIME_STAMP month, day, year, hour, minute, and second that thelog entry was created. Uses the format mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss

LOG_LEVEL the severity level of the logged action. Valid valuesinclude

■ INFO: informational message

■ SEVERE: error message

A typical SEVERE message documents the errorexceptions that occur during the execution of aremote action, such as Unable to save file on remotemachine

Executing other actions


Audit log parameter Description

IAS_USER current BMC ProactiveNet user name that haslogged on and connected with the BMC ProactivNetServer

OS_USER user name that logs into the remote host's operatingsystem. This is the user name under which the actionis executed on the remote host

SUB_TYPE the component or application type on the BMCProactiveNet administrator is performing the remoteaction. BPPM Infrastructure Management supportsthe subtypes listed under “Supported component orapplication types” on page 436

OBJECT user-specified value in the Object slot of thecomponent or application on the which remoteaction is being executed

ACTION_ID unique Id associated with the remote action. Thisunique Id is defined in the correspondingactions.xml file stored on the computer where theBMC ProactiveNet Server resides. It is stored underthe BMC PROACTIVENT_HOME/server/data/admin/actions folder on the BMC ProactiveNetServer computer.

EXPLANATION short text description of the logged action

Supported component or application types

BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management supports the following types in thisproduct version:

■ EM_CELL ■ SIM_SERVER_2

■ EM_SERVER_1 ■ IBRSD

■ EM_SERVER_2 ■ BEM_SERVER_STANDBY

■ SIM_CELL ■ SIM_SERVER_STANDBY

■ INTEGRATIONS ■ PS

Audit log parameters


■ SIM_SERVER_1

Sample logs

A sample audit log for a remote startup action on a service impact management cellmight look as follows:Mon 07/23/2007 16:50:15 INFO iasuser superuser SIM_CELL:PUNE_CELL start_im_windows Executing action

Audit log properties in the ias.properties file

These audit logs are stored by default under the BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME/pronto/logs/ias directory on the BMC ProactiveNet Server.

You can configure the audit log by modifying the properties in the ias.properties fileshown in the table below.


com.bmc.sms.ixscomm.util.auditLogEnable Boolean true/false value that indicates whetherauditing is enabled. The default is true.

Audit log parameters



com.bmc.sms.ixscomm.util.auditLogFilename specifies the file path and name of the audit log file,using the %g indicator to show that the audit logfiles are cycled through a numerical sequence. Forexample, ifauditLogFilename=AuditLog%g.logauditLogFilecount=10auditLogLimit=5000then the initial audit log is assigned the nameAuditLog1.file. When its file size reaches 5000 bytes,a new audit log is generated with the same name butincremented by one: AuditLog2.file. As each logreaches the maximum size, a new audit log is createdand incremented by one. When the maximum log filecount (10 in this example) is reached, then theprocess repeats itself because only one cycle of logs ismaintained. The first audit log of the new cycle startsat 1 (AuditLog1), overwriting the existing file. Asnew logs are generated in the new cycle, theyoverwrite the existing ones in sequence.By default the audit logs are stored in theBMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME/server/log/iasdirectory. You can specify another directory path inthis parameter value: for example,auditLogFilename=log/AuditLog%g.log, providedthat the specified directory exists underBMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME/server.

com.bmc.sms.ixscomm.util.auditLogLimit size in bytes of the audit log file. The default is 5000bytes (approximately 4.88 kilobytes). While there isno predefined maximum size, BMC recommendsthat each log file not exceed 5 MB.

com.bmc.sms.ixscomm.util.auditLogFileCount indicates the number of audit log files that are cycledthrough during a rotation. After the specifiednumber is reached, the cycle repeats itself,overwriting in sequence the log files of the previouscycle. The default is 1.

After you modify any of the properties in the ias.properties file, you must restart theBMC ProactiveNet Server.

Creating the support packageYou can create a support package for troubleshooting purposes by collecting filesfrom remote systems and saving them to a specified file path on the local or a remotesystem.

Creating the support package


The support package contains the following files:

■ .dir files

■ .conf files

■ filter files

■ selector files

■ mapping files

■ trace files

■ trace.conf files

In addition, it contains

■ default support files

These are internal files of the infrastructure application. They are not included in theother categories. They vary among the applications, but they include .baroc, .mrl,.wic, and .cmd files. Generally, for a cell server, this package contains the files of itsKB directory and its log directory. You can choose which files to include. They alsoinclude a sysinfo.text file that captures active port connections, OS and hardwareconfigurations, and network card details. The absolute file path to each file is included.

■ additional support files

This is a customizable list of files that the user can edit by adding or deleting files toor from the support package. It is designed to enable the user to add other files to thesupport package.

Slots for specifying support files

You can specify which support files you want to receive by editing thecorresponding slot in the Edit Service Component dialog for the selected component.

To specify which support files to include, select the component and choose Edit => Edit Component or choose Edit Component from the right-click pop-up menu. TheEdit Service Component dialog is displayed. Scroll down the list of slots. You canspecify values in the slots specified in the following table.

Slot Description

Additional Support Files full path to other support files that you want to include



Slot Description

Configuration files full path to configuration files (.conf)

Dir files full path to *.dir files, such as mcell.dir or admin.dir

Filter files full path to *.filter files

Map files full path to *.map files

Selector files full path to *.selector files

Trace conf files full path to the *.trace file

Trace files full path to the trace logs

Your support files should be on the system on which the component is running.Enter the full path to the file you want to include. If you are adding multiple files,separate the complete file paths with commas. There is no limit to the number of filesthat you can add.

To compile your support package, choose the Administer => Support Package tab.Browse to the destination folder where you want to save the list of configuration andlog files, and select it. You can enter the issue number (maximum of 16 characters) ifone has been assigned.

WARNING Microsoft Windows does not support the creation of files that have any of thefollowing special characters in their file names: , \, /, ?, *, ", |, <, >. If the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console is installed on Microsoft Windows, do notenter any of the special characters in the Issue Number slot. Otherwise, the supportpackage creation fails.

If you do enter the issue number, assign it as a prefix to the support package name.You can type a short, but informative, description of the package (maximum of 256characters). Then click Create Package.

The file name of the support package file follows this format:

OBJECT_NAME_support_package_TIMESTAMP.zip

The OBJECT_NAME value is taken from the object slot of the selected component.The time stamp is in the format: MMDDYY_HHMMSS.

UNIX processing note

On UNIX computers, it may take several minutes to create a support package.



The following causes can contribute to the delay in processing:

■ whether the component for which you are creating the support package resides ina different domain from the system on which you are running the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console. If it does lie in a different domain, expect adelay.

■ the size of the zipped or tarred file. The greater the size, the longer the delay,especially as the file approaches 500 kb or larger.

Reviewing the audit log of the support package

Internally, the process of building a support package consists of these actions:

1 saving the OS-based compression utility (zip or zip.exe) to the remote system

2 creating the support package

3 removing the OS-based compression utility from the remote system

4 executing the get-file action to retrieve the support package from the remotesystem and putting on the system where BMC ProactiveNet Server resides

5 getting the binary file from the BMC ProactiveNet Server system to the localsystem where the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console resides

Because this is a remote action, the audit log captures the process. If the supportpackage creation is a success, you receive an audit log message that looks similar tothe following Windows example:

Fri Aug 17 12:49:25 IST 2007 INFO user ADPROD\slondhe SIM_SERVER_1 :slondhe-pun-01 saveRemoteFile : zip.exe Executing action.

Fri Aug 17 12:49:28 IST 2007 INFO user ADPROD\slondhe SIM_SERVER_1 :slondhe-pun-01 create_support_package_WINDOWS Executing action.

Fri Aug 17 12:49:30 IST 2007 INFO user ADPROD\slondhe SIM_SERVER_1 :slondhe-pun-01 remove_zip_WINDOWS Executing action.

Fri Aug 17 12:49:31 IST 2007 SEVERE user ADPROD\slondhe SIM_SERVER_1 :slondhe-pun-01 remove_zip_WINDOWS Stderr returned with some error.

Fri Aug 17 12:49:32 IST 2007 INFO user ADPROD\slondhe SIM_SERVER_1 :slondhe-pun-01 get_file : Test1_support_package.zip Executing action.

Fri Aug 17 12:49:33 IST 2007 INFO user ADPROD\slondhe SIM_SERVER_1 :slondhe-pun-01 getBinaryFile : Test1_support_package.zip Executing action.

In a successful support package creation, the audit log does return an error message:Fri Aug 17 12:49:31 IST 2007 SEVERE user ADPROD\slondheSIM_SERVER_1 :slondhe-pun-01 remove_zip_WINDOWS Stderr returned withsome error. You can ignore this error because users can still retrieve the zipped



support package automatically from the remote system without any manualintervention.

If you receive a SEVERE error message on any of the other support package actions,such as saveRemoteFile, create_support_package, get_file, and getBinaryFile, itindicates that the support package creation failed. Discard the package, and try again.

Background to BPPM InfrastructureManagement

The information in this section describes some of the internal workings of BPPMInfrastructure Management.

How a product component registers and communicates withthe IAC

To register with the IAC, the component or application sends a configurationinformation event. This configuration event contains certain required slots such asmc_event_model_version, mc_object and mc_tool, os_class, and so forth. Thecomponent or application sends the configuration information event upon eachstartup or change in its configuration.

After it registers with the IAC, the application or component sends statusinformation such as startup, shutdown, and error events.

Note All event information should be compliant with the event format strictures ofversion 1.1.00 of the Common Event Model (CEM). for more information, see theBMC ProactiveNet Knowledge Base Development Reference Guide .

Registering a remote cell with the Impact Administration Cell

When you add a remote cell using the mcrtcell CLI command, you need to registerthe cell with the BMC ProactiveNet Server using the iadmin -ac command.

To manually register a remote cell with the IAC

1 Add the cell using the mcrtcell CLI command, as in the following example:mcrtcell -as -ba -r -@ hostName/2008 -n sparkles_cell

Background to BPPM Infrastructure Management


2 Next, use the iadmin -ac command to register the cell with the BMCProactiveNet Server. From the BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME/server/bindirectory, execute the iadmin -ac command as in the following example:iadmin -ac name=sparkles_cell:key=mc:primaryHost=moondog:primaryPort=2008:failoverHost=suncat:failoverPort=2008:environment=Production:usergroups=*

The cell is added automatically to the cell_info.list of the BMC ProactiveNetServer located in the BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME/pronto/conf directory. It isalso automatically added to the admin.dir file of the Admin cell located in theBMC_PROACTIVENET__HOME/pronto/data/admin directory, as in thefollowing example:

cell moondog_10 mc moondog.bmc.com:1828

cell Admin mc moondog.bmc.com:1827

cell sparkles_cell mc moondog.bmc.com:2008 suncat.bmc.com:2008

3 Add the cell entry to the mcell.dir file.

By default, the file is located in the BMC_PROACTIVENET_HOME/server/etcdirectory.

4 Restart the cell that you are registering.

5 Restart the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console.

The newly registered cell is displayed in the Infrastructure tab of theadministration console. In the Event View of the BMC ProactiveNet OperationsConsole, you see that the cell that you have registered sends a registration eventto the IAC.

Recreating an Impact Administration Cell

If you accidentally remove your IAC, you can recreate it through the mcrtcell CLIcommand by using the -aa switch, as in the following example:mcrtcell -aa -ba -r -@ hostName/1827 -n Admin

In this example, you create an IAC with the name "Admin" and assign it to portnumber 1827.



Unregistering with the IAC

You cannot formally unregister a component. To remove a component from theBMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management model, you must manually delete it.It is removed from the BMC ProactiveNet Infrastructure Management interface, butnot from the model contained in the IAC. For example, its .log and .conf files persistin the IAC. The application or service, however, is no longer operational.

Remote actions

While events flow only from the components to the BMC ProactiveNetInfrastructure Management interface, administrators can initiate actions on thecomponents from the interface in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console.

Depending on the type of component and its status, you can initiate several actionson the local or remote component.

How context-sensitive remote actions are processed

The current state of a selected component is shown in its run_state slot (Run State),which you can view in the Details => General subtab in the BMC ProactiveNetInfrastructure Management tab. The different run_state values are described in thefollowing table:

Table 50: run_state values for components

run_state value Description

unknown state of the component cannot be determined

active indicates that the cell is the active server componentof an HA relationship

unavailable the connection with the component is disrupted orthe component is down

started the component is online; unable to determine if it'sthe active component in an HA relationship

stopped the component has sent is stopped and has sent astatus event indicating that it is stopped

paused the component is in maintenance mode

passive the secondary cell in an HA relationship is instandby mode

The current run_state of the component determines which context-sensitive actionsare disabled or enabled from the Actions option on the right-click menu.



The following table indicates which menu options are enabled (Yes) or disabled(blank) for each run_state of a normal cell or a primary cell in an HA configuration.

Table 51: Component state and menu options for a normal or primary cell in a high availabilityconfiguration

Menuoptions

run_state Start CellServerProcess

Stop CellServerProcess

Restart CellServerProcess

PauseEventsAdmittance

ResumeEventsAdmittance

Set toStandby

Set toActive

state_unknown

Yes

state_active Yes Yes Yes

state_unavailable

Yes

state_started

Yes Yes Yes

state_stopped

Yes

state_paused

Yes Yes Yes

state_passive

None

Note If a component in an unknown state is already started and you choose Actions => Start, you receive a status message notifying you that the component is started already.

The following table indicates which menu options are enabled (Yes) or disabled(blank) for each run_state of a secondary cell in an HA configuration.

Menuoptions

run_state StartCell ServerProcess

StopCell ServerProcess

RestartCell ServerProcess

PauseEventsAdmittance

ResumeEventsAdmittance

Set toStandby

Set toActive

state_unknown

Yes

state_active Yes Yes Yes Yes

state_unavailable

Yes



Menuoptions

state_started

Yes Yes Yes

state_stopped

Yes

state_paused

Yes Yes Yes

state_passive

Yes Yes Yes

Exceptions

Generally, most component objects receive the actions Start, Stop, Restart, Pause, andResume.

For cell servers, the Start, Stop, and Restart menu options in the Actions submenuare described as:

■ Start Cell Server Process

■ Stop Cell Server Process

■ Restart Cell Server Process

For other objects apart from cell servers, the Start, Stop, and Restart menu options inthe Actions submenu are described as:

■ Start Process

■ Stop Process

■ Restart Process

Different actions are available for different types of components. The following tablelists the main exceptions:

Table 52: Components and actions

Component Exception

HA cell all actions. The HA cell is the only component thatallows the Set to Standby and Set to Active menuoptions

BMC ProactiveNet Server receives the Restart action only

Publishing Server receives the Start and Stop actions



Component Exception

IBRSD receives the Stop and Start options

normal cell receives the Stop, Start, Restart, Pause EventsAdmittance, and Resume Events Admittance options

Logical components that you add to the BPPM Infrastructure Management servicemodel receive no actions.

Displaying remote cells in the InfrastructureManagement tab after upgrading the BMCProactiveNet Server

If you upgrade the BMC ProactiveNet Server, but do not upgrade any BMCProactiveNet remote agents, you cannot view the remote cells associated with thoseagents in the Infrastructure Management tab of the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console. To display the remote cells and manage them from theInfrastructure Management tab, perform the following procedure.

To display remote cells in the Infrastructure Management tab

1 On the computer where the previous version of the BMC ProactiveNet agent isinstalled, open the admin_rec_options.baroc file.

This file is located in the agentInstallDirectory/pw/server/etc/cellName/kb/records directory.

2 In the section titled Record Admin_Options Defines, change the default valueof the attribute IAC_enabled to Yes.


4 Stop the cell by entering the following command from a command line:

mkill -n cellName

5 Compile the cell by entering the following command from a command line:

mccomp -n cellName

6 Start the cell again by entering the following command from a command line:

mcell -n cellName

Displaying remote cells in the Infrastructure Management tab after upgrading the BMC ProactiveNet Server


You can now manage the cell from the Infrastructure Management tab in theadministration console.

Displaying remote cells in the Infrastructure Management tab after upgrading the BMC ProactiveNet Server


Using the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console for servicemonitoring

BMC ProactiveNet Administration ConsoleServices Editor tab

The Services Editor tab of the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console is the viewthat service managers, service administrators, and IT operations staff use to monitorbusiness services. Service managers can view the service models that represent acompany’s business services. Service models are created by organizing servicemodel components into hierarchical relationships that can then be navigated byoperators and service managers from the Services Editor tab in the BMC ProactiveAdministration Console or in the BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console.

In the Services Editor tab, a service manager or operator can see whether a servicemodel component consumes the services of another service model component(consumer) or whether it provides service to another component (provider).

From the service model component, IT operations staff can view and manage theunderlying events in the BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console.

Monitoring business services in BMCProactiveNet

You monitor published and manually created service models that represent yourbusiness services in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console Service ModelView of the Services Editor Tab. The Service Model View provides a graphicalrepresentation of the service configuration items and how they relate to each other.

15

Chapter 15 Using the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console for service monitoring 449

Figure 99 on page 450shows an example of an Service Model View.

Figure 99: Services Editor tab - Service Model View

Depending on whether the default setting is set to horizontal or vertical expansion,the consumer components are displayed on the left or at the top and the directprovider components expand to the right or toward the bottom. A direct consumer orprovider component is a component immediately linked to another component. Thestatus of the provider has a direct impact relationship with the consumer component.

Opening a Service Model View

1 Click the Services Editor tab at the top of the navigation pane in the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console.

2 Open a Service Model View by using one of the following methods:

■ From the navigation pane, select a service component instance. See Viewingservice component instances through the navigation pane on page 451.

■ Click and drag the service component instance from the Results list to an emptyarea of the Service Model View. See Finding service component instances toview on page 453.

Monitoring business services in BMC ProactiveNet


■ Right-click a service component instance and choose View Service Model.

3 Double-click a service component instance to open or close its related servicecomponent instances.If you double-click a node that does not have any providers and consumers, themessage This object does not have any consumers/providers is displayed.

Viewing service component instances through the navigationpane

Use the navigation pane to view the components associated with a service in theService Model View. Service managers create the navigation pane tree in BMCImpact Model Designer.

Note If the navigation pane tree does not reflect published changes, log out and log backon to the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console.

The navigation pane tree contains service component instances associated with aproduction cell. To view service component instances associated with a productioncell, use the Find tool. For instructions, see Finding service component instances toview on page 453.



The Services Editor tab navigation pane is shown inFigure 100 on page 452.

Figure 100: Services Editor tab navigation pane

Table 53 on page 452 describes the elements in the Services Editor tab navigation pane.

Table 53: Description of elements in the Services Editor tab navigation pane

Name Description

Service Views tab shows the available service groups

My Services group the top level for locally-defined service groups

subgroup icons identifies user-created subgroups of components



Name Description

service component icons identifies individual components and subcomponents

Global Services group the top-level node for globally-defined service groups

Find Service Componentsbox

searches for service component instances that match specific criteriaUse the Show Find button in the toolbar to view or hide the Find ServiceComponents box.

Class list box specifies the component type for the object of the search

Name contains text box specifies all or part of the target component name

Propagates Priority checkbox

select this check box to show the Priority Propagator service componentinstances that pass their priority to a causal component when it is impactedThese components are considered the important components for your business.

In SLM Agreement checkbox

select to show the service components that are associated with a Service LevelAgreementNote: This feature requires the BMC Service Level Management product to beinstalled.

Results list displays the results of the component search

Finding service component instances to view

Use the Find Service Components tool to locate a particular component in a cell andview it in the Service Model View.

To search for a service component instance

1 If the Find Service Components section of the navigation pane is not open, clickthe Show Find button on the toolbar of the Services Editor tab.

2 From Class, select a component type, such as Computer System, applicationservice, database, and so on. If you select Base element, all service componentinstances for all types are returned.

3 In Name Contains, enter a comparison value.

Note If you leave Name Contains blank, the search could take a long time, dependingon the number of service component instances. Also, the Results list could bevery long. You should refine the search by specifying values in one or both ofthese fields.

4 To find only those components that propagate their priority to causalcomponents, select Propagates Priority.



5 Click Find.

All components matching the search criteria appear in Results.

6 Drag the service component to the Service Model View.

Tip To uniquely identify each component listed in Results, you can hover the cursorover each component name to display its unique mc_udid slot value.

Viewing information about a service component

To view information about a service component, click the component in the ServiceModel View and then select one of the tabs as shown in the following table. .

Table 54: Services Editor service component information subtabs

Tab Purpose

General shows the value of slots that contain basic information about aservice component and the status computation model used forthe component, Standard (default), Self-preferred, Cluster,Weighted_cluster

Priority and Cost shows the value of slots that contain priority and impactinformation about a service component

Related Components provides search capabilities to find components that are

■ consumers of the selected component

■ providers of the selected component

SLM shows information about the service level agreementassociated with the componentNote: This tab is visible only when BMC Service LevelManagement is installed.

Schedule shows the schedule associated with a component

Advanced shows the value of slots that contain creation and securityinformation about a service component



Searching for provider and consumercomponents

Use the Related Components tab in the Service Model View to search for providersand consumers of a component in a service model.

1 Click a component in the Service Model View. For instructions on how to view acomponent, see Opening a Service Model View on page 450.

2 Click the Related Components tab below the Service Model View.

3 To view impacts or causes, select one of the following Relationship types:

Select To view

Providers - All all providers to this consumer

Providers - Direct provider components that directly impact the status of the consumer

Consumers - All all consumer components associated with the provider component

Consumers - Direct components that directly consume the services of the providercomponent

4 Select a Component type from the drop-down list. To view all relatedcomponents regardless of type, leave the Component type set to Base Element.

5 Click Search.Components matching the search criteria are displayed in the Components list, asshown in Figure 101 on page 455.Figure 101: Related components - providers search

6 To view a component in the Components list, select the component, right-click,and then select View Service Model.

Searching for provider and consumer components


Viewing a service component’s SLMagreements

You can view the status of an SLM compliance target for those componentsassociated with a service agreement.

You can launch the Service Level Management Console by right-clicking on acomponent and selecting the task that you want to perform.

To find components with an associated SLA

1 If the Find Service Component section of the navigation pane is not open, clickthe Show Find button on the toolbar of the Service Editor tab.

2 In Class, if you want to select components of a specific type, select a componenttype, such as Computer System, application service, database, and so on.

If you select Base element, all service components for all types are returned.

3 In Name contains,to select a subset of components by name, enter a comparisonvalue.

4 Select In SLM Agreement to find the components associated with an SLA.

5 Click Find.

All components matching the search criteria appear in Results.

6 Drag the service component to the Service Model View.

To view or modify an SLA associated with a component

1 Click a component in the Service Model View with an SLM status indicator. Forinstructions on how to view a component, see To find components with anassociated SLA on page 456.

2 Click the SLM tab below the Service Model View.

3 To view SLM information, click Compliance Details.

The component Compliance View Dashboard is displayed, which is view only.The component Compliance View shows all configuration items (CIs) associatedwith an Agreement. For each component, you can view the Service Targetmeasurement status and the Agreement compliance status related to thecomponent.

Viewing a service component’s SLM agreements


If you want to modify or view a SLM agreement or a service target when you areviewing the Dashboard, click the SLM Console tab in the SLM application, thenselect an agreement from the list to view in the Agreement form.

Viewing property and performance dataabout a cell

Property and performance information for a cell is maintained in the ImpactManager Info dialog box.

To access this information

1 In the Event Management Polices tab or Dynamic Data Editor tab in theAdministration tab of the navigation pane, right-click a cell and choose ViewManager Info.

The General subtab

The General subtab of the Impact Manager Info dialog box is displayed. This subtabdisplays information about the cell property data such as the cell name, description,release and build versions, service address, port number, and platform information.

In a high availability (HA) environment, use the General subtab to determinewhether the server is one of a failover server pair. You can also learn whether theprimary server or the secondary server is active. The following fields provide youwith the required information.

■ Currently Active Server—This field displays the active server and indicateswhether it is a primary or secondary server.

■ Server Mode—This field displays the status of the server and indicates whether itis active or is in a standby mode.

Viewing property and performance data about a cell


The General subtab also provides you information about the IP address and portsfor the primary and secondary servers.

Figure 102: Impact Manager Information dialog box - General subtab

The Workload subtab

The Workload subtab displays performance statistics for the cell, including howmuch data the cell has received, the number of errors, and how much data has beenstored, removed, and propagated.Figure 103: Impact Manager Information dialog box - Workload subtab

Viewing property and performance data about a cell


The Components subtab

The Components subtab displays service performance data specifically pertaining tothe number of service model components associated to the cell, such as the type ofcomponents and the relationships.Figure 104: Impact Manager Information dialog box - Components subtab

Note

To refresh the contents of the Impact Manager Info dialog box, click the (Refresh) icon.

Editing Service Model data in the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console

This section provides procedural information about how to work with your servicemodel and its components.

Managing Service Model components

If your user role has the correct permissions, you can create the individualcomponents and compose a service model by using the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console. Service model components can represent anything, such asa hardware device, an application, a service, or a business entity.

Editing Service Model data in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console


For the various user roles and permissions and the operations possible for varioususers, see the “Default users, user groups and roles” on page 210.

Creating Service Model components

You can create components for a service model in the Services Editor tab in the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console.

To create a Service Model component

1 Click the Create Component icon on the Administration Console toolbar.

2 In the Create Service Component dialog box, specify the appropriate settings asdescribed in the following table.

Table 55: Create component fields

Field Description

Name (required) specifies the name for the component. Enter a name meaningful to yourorganization.

ID specifies the unique logical ID for the component, which is how the componentis identified in the service model or in event data

Class specifies the type of component (its data class). Select the appropriate valuefrom the list.

Home Cell specifies the cell that will receive events for the component

Site specifies the site where the cell is, if applicable

Description briefly describes the component

Owner Name specifies the individual responsible for the component

Owner Contact specifies the contact information for the owner of the component

Impact Cost Per SecondDuring Service Schedule

specifies the cost associated with the component during service schedule timing

Impact Cost Unit the unit of cost specified in Impact cost per second during service schedule



Field Description

Status Model specifies the status computation model to use for the component. Values are:

■ Standard (default)

■ Self_preferred

■ Cluster

■ Weighted_cluster

Account ID account ID

Category category

Company company

Aliases Each component instance must have a unique Alias. If more than onecomponent instance has the same alias, publishing will fail.

Department department

DeviceID unique identification for a device

Floor floor

Home Page URI URL of the home page of the business

Host name if you are creating a computer system CI, specifies the name of the computersystem on which the CI resides; you must enter a value for this field

Impact Cost Per SecondOff Service Schedule

specifies the cost per second associated with the component during off-scheduletime

Item item

Manufacturer Name name of the manufacturer

Model model number and details, if available

Notes additional information about the model

Priority - During ServiceSchedule

specifies a priority value that you assign to the component. This value can bebetween one and five, with five being the lowest priority and one being the highest.

Priority - Off ServiceSchedule

specifies a priority value that you assign to the component when for the off-schedule time. This value can be between one and five, with five being thelowest priority and one being the highest.

Propagates Priority specify if you want the priority to be propagated to the causal components. Thevalue can be Yes or No.



Field Description

Read Permission forGroups

specify user groups that have read permissions. Type user groups in squarebrackets, each separated by a comma.While creating a component from BMC IX, if you do not enter any value in theRead Users and Write Users fields of the component properties, by defaultthese fields are populated with a value Full Access when you save the properties

Region region where the component is located

Room physical location of the component

Schedule ID By default, the value is 24X7X365 (always in schedule)

Self Priority Function the method used to compute the self-priority of a CI. Choose one of thefollowing options:

■ BASE_PRIORITY

■ COST

■ WORST_SLA_STATE

Self Priority FunctionParam

parameter that you can set to determine the priority of a CI

Serial Number serial number of the component if one exists

Short Description Default value is n/a

SiteGroup details of the business associated with the CI

Type type of CI

Users Affected the number of users impacted if the CI becomes unavailable

Version Number version number

Write Permissions forGroups

specify user groups that have write permissions. Type user groups in squarebrackets, each separated by a comma.While creating a component from BMC IX, if you do not enter any value in theRead Users and Write Users fields of the component properties, by defaultthese fields are populated with a value Full Access when you save the properties.

Business Data

Comment Enter comments, if any.



Field Description

Schedule Status Specify if

■ High Demand

■ Low Demand

Default value of this slot is High Demand.

After you have specified the mandatory fields, the Apply and OK buttons areenabled.

3 Click Apply and click OK.

Editing Service Model components

Use the Services Editor tab to edit the service model components for service modelsthat you create in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console.

Note You cannot edit service model components that are imported from the BMC AtriumCMDB. You must edit those components in BMC Impact Model Designer, which youcan launch from the Services Editor tab in the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole. For details, see “Launching BMC Atrium Explorer from the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console” on page 469.

To edit a Service Model component

1 Select a component and click the Edit Component icon on the toolbar.

■ Select a component and choose Edit => Edit Component from the menu bar.

■ Right-click a component and choose Edit Component from the menu.

2 In the Edit Service Component dialog box, modify any of the component settingslisted in Table 20 on page 210, except for the following fields, which you cannotedit:

■ ID

■ Class

■ Home Cell

■ Schedule ID



3 Click Apply to save the changes, or click OK to save and exit the dialog box.

Deleting Service Model components

Use the Services Editor tab to delete the service model components that you create inthe BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console.

To delete a Service Model component

1 Perform one of the following steps:

■ Right-click a component that you want to delete and select Delete Component.

■ Select a component and click Delete Component on the toolbar.

The Delete Confirmation message dialog box is displayed with the followingmessage:

Do you really want to delete this component?

2 Click Yes.

Managing Service Model component relationships

After you have created the component instances that participate in a service modelrelationship, you can define their relationships.

For each component instance for which you are creating relationships, you must know

■ whether it is a consumer or a provider for the related component

■ its relationship state value (active or inactive)

■ its status propagation model value (relationship policy)

Adding Service Model component relationships

Use the Services Editor tab to add relationships between the service modelcomponents that you create in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console.

To add a Service Model component relationship

1 Open a component relationships pane in the Services Editor tab by using one ofthe following methods:



■ On the navigation pane, select the component.

■ On the navigation pane or from Results, right-click a component and chooseView Service Model.

■ Drag and drop the component from either the navigation pane or Results ontothe relationships pane.

2 On the Services Editor tab navigation pane or from Results, right-click acomponent and select Add Relationship.

3 In the Find Service Components pane, select a data class from the Class list.

4 In the Name Contains field, enter a comparison value.

5 If you want the priority to be propagated to the causal components, selectPropagates priority.

6 Select the In SLM Agreement check box if required.

7 Click Find.

All components matching the search criteria appear in the Results pane.

8 From the Results pane, select the appropriate component and click OK.

9 Optionally, instead of steps List item. on page 402 to List item. on page 80, dragand drop the component from either the navigation pane or Results into therelationships pane on the component to which you want to add the relationshipto.

10 In the Edit Relationships dialog box, specify which component should be theconsumer and which component should be the provider by selecting the requiredarrow direction.

11 Specify the type of relationship:

■ Direct, Increasing, or Decreasing

—Direct—the status of the consumer component may be identical to that of itsprovider component, depending on the events directly affecting theconsumer’s status, which is also taken into account.

—Decreasing—the status of the consumer component is less critical than thatof the provider component by one level. For example, if the provider statusis WARNING, the consumer status is INFO.



—Increasing—the status of the consumer component becomes more criticalthan that of its provider component by one level. For example, if theprovider status is WARNING, the consumer status is MINOR.

■ Active or Inactive

—Active—An active relationship is an impact relationship and indicates thatthe status of the consumer instance depends in some measure on the statusof the connected provider instance.

—Inactive—An inactive relationship means that no dependency exists or thatthe dependency is irrelevant to the model. The components are only logicallyand visually linked.

12 In the Status Weight box, accept the default value or enter a number for theconsumer object. (Status weight is used in the WEIGHTED_CLUSTER statuscomputation model. For more information about component status computation,see BMC Impact Solutions Service Modeling and Publishing Guide.)

13 Optionally, in Description, type a description for the relationship. The defaultdescription changes based on the relationship type that you select as follows:

■ DIRECT relationship (linear impact)

■ DECREASING relationship (reducing impact)

■ INCREASING relationship (increasing impact)


Note To be able to add a relationship between two components from two differentcells, you must create an entry of both the cells in the mcell.dir file for both thecells and then restart these two cells.

Editing Service Model component relationships

Use the Services Editor tab to edit the service model component relationships forservice models that you create in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console andthose published from the BMC Atrium CMDB.

To edit a Service Model component relationship





■ On the navigation pane or from Results, right-click a component and selectView Service Model.

■ Drag and drop the component from either the navigation pane or Results intothe relationships pane.

2 From the component details pane, click the Related Components tab.

3 Select the required component and click Edit Relationship. Alternatively, fromthe menu bar, choose Edit => Edit Relationship.

■ The Edit Relationships dialog box opens. A list of components appears underRelationships.

4 If required, select the required relationship and click Add Relationship. Fordetails about adding a relationship, see To display remote cells in theInfrastructure Management tab on page 447.

5 If required, select the required relationship for deleting and click RemoveRelationship. For details about removing a relationship, see To remove a ServiceModel component relationship on page 468.

6 If required, select the required relationship for editing and click EditRelationship.

7 In the Edit This Relationship dialog box, specify which component should be theconsumer and which component should be the provider by selecting the requiredarrow direction.

8 Specify the type of relationship:

■ Direct, Decreasing, Increasing

—Direct—the status of the consumer component may be identical to that of itsprovider component, depending on the events directly affecting theconsumer’s status, which is also taken into account.

—Decreasing—the status of the consumer component is less critical than thatof the provider component by one level. For example, if the provider statusis WARNING, the consumer status is INFO.

—Increasing—the status of the consumer component becomes more criticalthan that of its provider component by one level. For example, if theprovider status is WARNING, the consumer status is MINOR.

■ Active or Inactive



—Active—An active relationship is an impact relationship and indicates thatthe status of the consumer instance depends in some measure on the statusof the connected provider instance.

—Inactive—An inactive relationship means that no dependency exists or thatthe dependency is irrelevant to the model. The components are only logicallyand visually linked.

9 Optionally, in Description, type a description for the relationship. The defaultdescription is DIRECT relationship (linear impact).


Removing Service Model Component relationships

Use the Services Editor tab to remove the service model relationships for servicemodels that you create in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console and inBMC Atrium Explorer.

To remove a Service Model component relationship



■ On the navigation pane or from Results, right-click a component and chooseView Service Model.

■ Drag and drop the component from either the navigation pane or Results intothe relationships pane.

2 From the component details pane, click the Related Components tab.

3 Click Edit Relationship.

The Edit Relationships dialog box opens and displays a list of components underthe Relationships heading.

4 Select the required component and click Remove Relationship.

The Remove Relationship dialog box opens and displays the following message:

Do you really want to remove this relationship?

5 Click Yes.



The relationship is removed and the Services Editor view is refreshed.

Launching BMC Atrium Explorer from theBMC ProactiveNet Administration Console

You can launch BMC Atrium Explorer from the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole to access the BMC Impact Model Designer so that you can edit the servicemodel components that are imported and synchronized with the BMC Atrium CMDB.

To launch BMC Atrium Explorer

1 In the Service Model View of the Services Editor tab, select a component in theservice model.

2 Select the Tools => Launch Atrium Explorer menu command.

BMC Atrium Explorer is launched in a separate window, and you can edit theservice model components in BMC Impact Model Designer.


For details about using BMC Impact Model Designer, see the BMC ProactiveNetService Modeling and Publishing Guide. For details about using BMC Atrium Explorer,see the BMC Atrium Core User Guide.

Using a customized SSL certificate to create asecure connection to the BMC Atrium CMDB

By default, BMC ProactiveNet uses a default keystore BMC Atrium CMDB SSLcertificate to establish a secure connection when BMC Atrium Explorer is launched.

If you want to use a customized keystore SSL certificate instead of the default, youmust import the certificate before you execute the synchronization task. Perform thefollowing procedure.

To import a customized CMDB SSL certificate

1 Open a command prompt.

2 Change to the following directory:

Launching BMC Atrium Explorer from the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console


■ installDirectory \pw\jre\binThe variable installDirectory is the location where you installed the BMCProactiveNet Server.

3 Run the following command:keytool -import -alias uniqueAliasName -file pathToCustomCertificate -keystore installDirectory\pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks

The uniqueAliasName variable is the name of the file where the certificate will bestored, and the pathToCustomCertificate variable is the location where thecertificate that you imported is stored.

4 When prompted for the keystore password, enter the value get2net.

5 When prompted to confirm that you want to trust the certificate, enter Yes.

6 To verify that the certificate is imported, enter the following command:keytool -list -keystore installDirectory\pw\pronto\conf\pnserver.ks

The name of the certificate is displayed in the resulting list.

7 Open a command prompt and enter the following command to restart the jserverprocess of the BMC ProactiveNet Server.pw process restart jserver

Associate monitors to CIs through the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console

The Associate Monitors feature in the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Consoleprovides the ability to associate any monitor and its events to any CI by using an alias.

Monitor to CI alias overview

An alias uniquely identifies the CI. A CI can have multiple aliases. Every CI in BMCProactiveNet has an alias attribute and a value associated with it. The value of thealias attribute is set when you create the CI. If an alias is not supplied, the ID is usedas the alias. The CI ID is auto-generated. cases. The alias attribute has the followingcharacteristics:

■ A token ID integrates the attributes of the CI. The Alias can be the token ID.

■ It can be auto-generated or entered manually.

■ You can only associate a monitor with one CI.

Associate monitors to CIs through the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console


■ A monitor can only use one alias to refer to the CI, even when the CI has multiplealiases.This is important in a scalable deployment scenario where the same alias is usedon multiple servers.

■ The alias is used in event to CI associations.When an event is generated on a metric that the BMC ProactiveNet Server ismonitoring, the alias for the event is the alias used for the monitor to CI mapping.This alias is traced to a CI, and the ID slot of the event is filled. If no matching CIis found, based on the alias, the event is associated with a device.

Use cases

By default, BMC ProactiveNet devices are associated to the Computer Systemconfigurable instance (CI). Also by default, a native abnormality event is associatedwith the monitor of the BMC ProactiveNet device’s ComputerSystem CI, unless themc_smc_alias is set for the event. In some cases, the user might want to associate themonitor's event with a different CI. For example, a higher level CI, such as BusinessService, or a more granular CI under the Computer System CI.

The following examples illustrate how you can use this feature:

■ Associate a monitor's events to a higher-level CIA monitor might collect metrics that represent the overall health of a service orapplication, for example, sales volume per minute. By default, any event on themonitor is associated with the monitor's parent device. However, you might wantto associate the monitor to a higher level CI, for example, Business Services.

■ Associate a monitor's events to a more granular CIA service model might break a device into a ComputerSystem plus other lower-level CI components. However, you might want events on the device's monitorsassociated to a more granular CI. For example, if BMC ProactiveNet is monitoringa database server, you could associate the database monitors with the DatabaseCI, and not with the ComputerSystem CI.

Associate monitors to CI in Service Model View

You can create a service model by creating components in the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console.

In the Service Model View, you can perform the following tasks for a CI:

■ Add monitors to the list by selecting monitor type, then monitor instance.



■ Delete monitors from the list by selecting one or more and then pressing delete orunassociate.

■ Select a group, and then all monitors in that group are added to the list.

Note If a monitor added is already mapped to another CI, a warning dialog is displayed.A monitor can only be mapped to one CI at a time.

Associating monitors to a CI and verifying that they areassociated

After associating all of the monitors and adapter monitors, verify that the monitorsand adapter monitors are associated to the desired components.

Note You cannot associate monitors to a ComputerSystem CI.

To associate monitors to a CI

1 In the Service Model view, right-click on the component and select EditComponent.

2 In the Edit Service Component window, find the values for ID and Alias, andwrite those values down. The value of an alias can be an array of aliases.

3 In the Service Model view, right-click on a component and choose AssociateMonitors.

The CI Monitor Associations window is displayed.

4 In the CI Monitors Associations window, in Component, the class(BMC_Application) and name (MyApplication) of the component are displayed,along with a list of the component's aliases. By default, the first alias in the Aliaslist is associated to the monitors. To associate a different alias to the monitors,select another alias from the Alias list.

5 The Add Selected option is highlighted when a monitor is selected. You can addas many monitors as you want by clicking Add Monitors and Copy From Group.

6 To remove monitors, select the monitors you want to remove (press CTRL+SHIFT for multiple-selections) and click Remove Selected.

7 After making all desired associations, click Apply and Close.



To verify that the monitors are associated to the desired components

1 Generate an event on the monitor(s), for example, generate a regular IntelligentEvent using a threshold.

2 After generating the event(s), inspect the event in the Open Events Event List.

3 To view the mc_smc_id and mc_smc_alias event slots, click the Edit Preferencesicon in the top-left of the Objects panel and select the Component ID andComponent Alias slots.

4 Click on the event(s) you generated in the event list and for each event, verify thatthe Component ID and Component Alias match those of the components towhich you associated the monitors.

Associate a monitor to a CI when CI Alias is unknown to theBMC ProactiveNet Server

A CI exists but is unknown to the BMC ProactiveNet server when the CI exists in theCMDB, but the BMC ProactiveNet Server has not yet synced with the CMDB.

In this case, you can find the alias in the BMC Atrium Explorer, and enter the alias inthe monitor edit page.

There are some instances where associating a monitor to a CI alias that is unknownto the BMC ProactiveNet Server is desirable. For example,

■ If you add the data collection (devices, monitors) before you add the servicemodel, you can set the aliases when the monitors are created.

■ If you have multiple BMC ProactiveNet Servers with one or more child serverscollecting data and feeding events to a parent or master BMC ProactiveNet Server,you can associate a monitor to a CI alias on a child server.The CI alias need not exist on the child server, either. If the child server does nothave a service model, the monitor’s events are not associated to a CI on the childserver. However, when the event is propagated to the parent or master BMCProactiveNet Server, the CI alias for the event is resolved to a CI alias in theservice model on the parent or master BMC ProactiveNet Server.



Associating a monitor to a CI in the Monitor edit page

You can associate a monitor to a CI alias that is unknown to the BMC ProactiveNetServer through the Administration Console in the Monitor edit page, by using thefollowing steps.

To associate a monitor to a CI when the CI alias is unknown to the BMCProactiveNet Server

1 In the Administration Console, select a BMC ProactiveNet native monitor or anadapter monitor and click Add or Edit.

The Add or Edit window opens and provides fields for CI ID and CI Alias.

2 In the CI ID and CI Alias fields in the Add or Edit window for the selectedmonitor or adapter monitor, enter the values for the component ID and Aliases.

The component is now associated with the monitor or adapter monitor selected.

How aliases are used depends on how the BMC ProactiveNetServers are deployed

The deployment scenario for BMC ProactiveNet Servers can determine how aliasesare used, as in the following examples:

■ Multiple BMC ProactiveNet Servers using the same CMDB.In this case, the same service model is shared and the CIs on the BMCProactiveNet Servers have the same alias.

■ Multiple BMC ProactiveNet Servers using different CMDBs.In this case, there are multiple service models. The expectation is that the aliasesare the token IDs used by event sources and that the cell or other aliases are thesame.

■ Multiple BMC ProactiveNet Servers using a local cell or Service Model.In this case, you are expected to set the same alias for the same CI.



Managing cellsThis chapter describes how to manage and configure cells.

Production cells and test cellsA production cell is a cell that service operators and service managers use to monitorthe events and services associated with your IT resources in real time.

A test cell provides senior service managers and service administrators with a testenvironment. For event management, a test cell provides KB developers with a testenvironment for defining event classes, event management rules, policies, actions,and collectors and testing their behavior with test event data.

Production and test cell naming and creation

The only way to distinguish a test cell from a production cell is by the cell name.Adopt a naming convention for test and production cells that clearly identifies itspurpose.

You name a cell when it is created. The default production cell is created when youinstall the BMC ProactiveNet Server. An additional cell can be created when youinstall a BMC ProactiveNet Agent on a remote computer.

You use the mcrtcell command to create additional production or test cells on alocal computer where the cell is being created. For more information about syntaxand options available with mcrtcell, see the BMC ProactiveNet Command LineInterface Reference Manual.

Production and test cell configuration

In BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console, assign the production and test cells toa group. The default groups are MyTest and MyProduction.

16

Chapter 16 Managing cells 475

Viewing test cell data

You view test data in BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console.

■ To view test event data, collectors, and actions, select a test cell in the EventManagement Policies view.

■ To view and create test event management policies, select a test cell in the EventManagement Policies view.

■ To view test service model components, use the Find tool in the Services view andselect a test cell.

Cell configuration tasksThe more you customize your cell to fit your needs, the more efficiently the cellworks. All configuration tasks are optional.

Table 56 on page 476describes the cell configuration tasks.

Table 56: Cell configuration tasks

Task Description For more information, see

1 Create additional cells.When you install BMC Impact Manager on a system, one cell isinstalled. You can create additional cells by running themcrtcell command.

the BMC ProactiveNet CommandLine Interface Reference Manual

2 If you created multiple cells for an environment, you can createseparate configuration files for each cell.

Creating cell-specific configurationfiles on page 480

3 If you created multiple cells for an environment, configure thecells so that they can communicate with other cells in the network.

Creating a new propagation policyon page 342

4 Events can be processed locally or selectively propagated toother cells. To configure the event slots that must be propagatedwhen they are changed configure the propagation configurationfile.

Configuring event slot propagationon page 481

5 If inbound connections to the cell are disallowed in a protectedenvironment, the connection has to be established within theprotected zone to allow a connection between an external clientand a cell in the protected zone.

Configuring passive connectionson page 486

6 To add a time stamp to a slot so that the date and time isrecorded when the slot is changed, configure the mcell.modifyfile.

Configuring slots for timestamping on page 487

Cell configuration tasks


Task Description For more information, see

7 If desired, you can encrypt communication among the variouscomponents.

Configuring encryption on page488

8 Set the default client parameters executing CLI commands. the BMC ProactiveNet CommandLine Interface Reference Manual

Configuring mcell.conf parameters

The mcell.conf configuration file installed with the cell enables it to run without anyadditional configuration.

You can change the configuration parameters in the mcell.conf file to customize thecell for your particular IT infrastructure and environment. You can override someparameters using command line arguments when you start the cell. For moreinformation, see the BMC ProactiveNet Command Line Interface Reference Manual.

To configure the mcell.conf file using a text editor

1 Open the mcell.conf file in a text editor.

■ The default location is MCELL_HOME \etc.

2 Create line entries using the format Parameter=Value based on the syntax rulesdescribed in Rules for cell configuration parameter syntax on page 477.

3 Save the changes.

4 Either reload the cell configuration or restart the cell for the changes to go intoeffect. For more information, see Reloading cell configuration on page 493.

Rules for cell configuration parameter syntax

■ One parameter per line, in the form: Parameter=Valuewhere the Value extends to the end of the line

■ Typically, the value for a parameter is a Boolean value, a string, or a path. Thesupported Boolean values are Yes/No and On/Off.

■ The Boolean values are not case sensitive, so, for example, On, ON, on, and evenoN are equally valid.

■ Do not enclose the value in quotation marks unless you want the quotation marksto be part of the value.



■ Times are stated in seconds unless otherwise specified.

■ By default, all parameter settings are disabled, that is, commented out with a #sign at the beginning of the line of code. Enable a parameter setting by removingthe # sign that precedes it.

For more information on cell configuration parameters, see mcell.conf fileparameters on page 557

Specification of path values

Parameters that have path values contain the string FileName or DirName, forexample TraceConfigFileName or SystemLogDirName.

Path values can be stated as:

■ absolute path—starts with slash (/) or backslash (\), or on Windows, with a drivedesignator (for example, D:)

■ runtime relative path—starts with ./ or ../. The path is relative from the cell’sworking directory. The working directory is the root directory (/) when it runs asa daemon or a service. When running in foreground, it is the directory wheremcell is started.

■ configuration relative path—all other path values are relative from the cell’s logfile directory, or, for program paths, from the kb\bin directory.

Path values can contain the substitution parameters $VAR or %X. Any $VAR parameteris substituted by the value of the environment variable VAR. The following table liststhe possible %X substitution parameters.

Table 57: Substitution parameters for %X in path value parameters

Parameter Description

%H cell home directory (MCELL_HOME)

%C cell configuration directory (etc/ CellName)

%V variable data directory (var/ CellName)

%L log file directory (log/ CellName)

%T temporary file directory (tmp/ CellName)

%B Knowledge Base binary directory (kb\bin)

%P program name

%N cell name




%U unique number for process

Modifying SystemLogDirName, SystemTmpDirName, SystemVarDirName, andKBDirName

With the cell configuration parameters SystemLogDirName and SystemTmpDirName,users can specify alternative path locations for the system defined log and tmpdirectories. Their default values are % H/log and %H/tmp. To enable file namespecifications that refer to these alternative locations, use the substitution parameters%L for the log and %T for the tmp directory. They are substituted by the specifiedpath to the log and tmp directory, respectively.

If you change the default value for the SystemVarDirName parameter or theKBDirName parameter in the mcell.conf file, you must also change the value in thestatbld.conf file. If you fail to do this, the cell loses persistency and the mcdb file isnot created, because the StateBuilder is configured from statbld.conf file and has noinput from the mcell.conf file. As a result, StateBuilder does not know where to findthe log files or the KB directory it requires.

ConnectionPortRange syntax

Figure 105 on page 479 shows the syntax of ConnectionPortRange.

Figure 105: ConnectionPortRange syntax

PortRange = PortSequence{, PortSequence}PortSequence = Port[-Port

A range is a number of sequences, each of which is a consecutive range of ports. Thecell attempts to access all ports in the specified order. The default is to use any of theephemeral ports.

For example,

■ 1828—1840 specifies a range of ports 1828 through 1840

■ 1828, 1829, 1840 specifies the sequence of ports 1828, 1829, and 1840

Scale factors for enhancing configuration parameters

You can add scale factors to numerical configuration parameters in the mcell.conffile. Table 58 on page 480 lists the scale factors that are available in BMCProactiveNet. Scale factors are case sensitive.



Table 58: Scale factors that can be used for configuration parameters in the mcell.conf file

Symbol Meaning Factor

s seconds 1

m minutes 60

h hours 3600

d days 86400

w weeks 604800

k, K kilo 1024

M mega 1048576

G giga 1073741824

If you add a scale factor to a numerical configuration parameter value, then thatvalue is mulitpled by the scale factor that you use.

For example, if you add the minutes scale factor to the following parameter

#MessageBufferReconnectInterval=2

so that it becomes

#MessageBufferReconnectInterval=2m

then the value for that parameter is equal to 120 (2 times the scale factor for minutes,which is 60). Without the scale factor, the parameter specific unit of measure is used,which is seconds for most time related parameters. So in this example, without thescale factor, the value for the #MessageBufferReconnectInterval is 2 seconds.With the scale factor, the value changes to 2 minutes (120 seconds).

Creating cell-specific configuration files

By default, one set of configuration files is installed during installation of the BMCImpact Manager . These files are located in the MCELL_HOME\etc directory andmultiple cells on a host can use them. You can also create unique configuration filesfor individual instances (cells) as needed.

To create cell-specific configuration files

1 Using a text editor, edit the configuration file and customize it for that cell andsave it.



■ You can copy and edit any configuration file located in the MCELL_HOME\etcdirectory.

2 Either reload the cell configuration or stop and start the cell so that the changestake affect.

■ When a cell starts, it searches for configuration files in the MCELL_HOME\etc\ CellName directory. If no configuration file is found, the cell uses theconfiguration file in the MCELL_HOME\etc directory. For example, if youcopy the mcell.conf file into the MCELL_HOME\etc\ CellName directory andmodify it, the cell reads that mcell.conf file and all other files in theMCELL_HOME\etc directory.

All cells use the following cell-specific directories:

■ MCELL_HOME/etc/ CellName contains cell-specific configurations (includingthe Knowledge Base)

■ MCELL_HOME/log/ CellName contains the cell’s default trace file

■ MCELL_HOME/var/ CellName contains the persistent state of the cell (mcdb,xact)

■ MCELL_HOME/tmp/ CellName contains the cell’s temporary files

Configuring event slot propagation

Events can be processed locally or selectively propagated to other cells. To configurethe event slots that must be propagated when they are changed, and in whichdirection (forward/backward), you configure the propagation configuration filemcell.propagate. The mcell.propagate file lists all of the slots whose modificationswill be propagated.

In addition, using the gateways, events can be propagated to a third-party programin a specific format that is described in a gateway configuration file, gateway.GWType.

The default location for these files is MCELL_HOME\etc.

When an event has been propagated to a destination and that event is later modified,the modifications are then propagated to the same destination. The event can bepropagated through a Propagate rule. If the destination is a gateway, gatewayconfiguration rules also apply.



For the mcell.propagate file to be effective, one or more Propagate rules must berunning. For information about Propagate rules, see the BMC Knowledge BaseDevelopment Reference Guide .

The format is Slotname = Value, where:

Slotname = slot name or CLASS for class-specific slots

Value = sequence of { b = backward f = forward }

You can specify a slot in the base CORE_EVENT class. However, if you want tospecify a slot outside those in the base CORE_EVENT class you must use the CLASSspecifier, which means that all class-specific slots are propagated in the direction given.

Table 59 on page 482 lists the parameters in the mcell.propagate file and thedefaults.

Table 59: Default mcell.propagate options

Parameter Action Performed Default Values

CLASS propagates changes to the class-specific slots up (forward)within the cell hierarchy

f

mc_modhist propagates changes to the mc_modhist up (forward) within thecell hierarchyThis is a system defined slot that requires such propagation.

f

mc_notes propagates changes to notes attached to an event up (forward)within the cell hierarchy

f

mc_operations

propagates all of the operations that have been performed onthat event

f

mc_owner propagates the person to whom the event has been assigned f

mc_priority propagates the priority of an event bf

msg propagates any messages associated with the event bf

repeat_count propagates changes to repeat_count up (forward) within thecell hierarchy

f

severity propagates severity value changes up (forward) within the cellhierarchy

f

status propagates status value changes in both directions, backwardand forward, in the cell hierarchy

bf

If you have multiple remote cells installed, you might want to use event propagationto distribute the event processing load among the cells or to back up events onanother cell for failover.



Figure 106 on page 483 illustrates a cell network that is collecting and processingnumerous events in a distributed environment.

Figure 106: Distributed event management using event propagation

In this illustration, the lower-level cells process the source events and then propagate(or forward) the events on to higher-level cells according to a Propagate rule or anEvent Propagation policy. As events pass through a series of cells, the cells discardunneeded events, identify and leave behind unimportant events, and resolve someof the problems reported by other events.

To enable event propagation, perform the following tasks:

■ enable cell-to-cell communication in mcell.dir

■ configure propagation parameters in mcell.conf

■ specify the slots whose modification has to propagate in mcell.propagate

■ either write a Propagate rule or define an Event Propagation policy

How unpropagated events are buffered

When the cell is started, the buffers are set to a minimum workable size. The defaultminimum size is 5000 events for each destination buffer and 5000 requests for thepropagation buffer.

If the cell cannot propagate events, the cell stores the events to be propagated in thedestination buffers and the requests for propagation of those events in thepropagation buffer. When the buffers become full, the cell automatically expands thebuffer size by a specified percentage (10 percent, by default), unless the buffer hasexceeded a maximum size. By default, the maximum buffer size is unlimited,



although the practical limit of the buffer size is the amount of available memory.Once the maximum defined buffer size is reached, additional requests will fail.

When automatic expansion occurs, an MC_CELL_RESOURCE_EXPANSION eventis generated.

An expanded buffer will contain free space after propagation has resumed. To freememory resources, the buffer will be reduced when it contains more than thespecified amount of free space. Reduction will leave enough free space to avoid theneed for an immediate expansion. The buffer will never be reduced below thespecified minimum size. When the buffer is reduced, anMC_CELL_RESOURCE_REDUCTION event is generated.

Parameters controlling the buffer size are located in the mcell.conf file. Forinformation on configuring these parameters, see Propagation parameters on page570.

About mcell.dir, the cell directory file

The mcell.dir file is created during product installation. It acts as the cell directoryfile and contains the list of cells, servers, and gateways known on a specificcomputer. Upon startup, the cell reads the mcell.dir file and associates itself with theappropriate name, encryption key, address information, and port number. Inaddition, it reads this information for the other cells to which it connects.

The mcell.dir file for a cell has an entry for each cell and the servers and integrationgateways to which the cell connects. Figure 107 on page 484 shows the format andan example of an entry in the mcell.dir file.

Figure 107: Format of an entry in the mcell.dir file

### One line per component :# <Type> <Name> <EncryptionKey> <IpAddress/Port># <Type> = cell | gateway.type## cell EncryptionKey Host/1828# admin ImpactAdministrationServerName UserID/Password Host/3084

Each parameter in the file is defined as follows:



Attribute Description

Type type of component. It can be

■ cell— cell name

■ gateway. type—Gateway of type type

■ gateway.jServer - predefined jServer gateway type

■ admin - named Impact Administration Server (IAS)

Name Name is an abstract name for the component. Component names are not case-sensitive andmay be any alphanumeric string, including underscores (_).

EncryptionKey String to be used as part of the key for the encryption of the communication between a celland the component. Default value is mc.Note: If the string has an odd number of characters, the last character is ignored.For an IAS component, the string must have the form UserID / Password, or be 0. If thevalue is non-zero, the indicated UserId and Password are used as IAS login credentials.

IPAddress/Port Host name or IP address and port number on which the component is listening. Defaultport number for a cell is 1828.

Example of the mcell.dir file

Figure 108 on page 485 shows an example of the mcell.dir file with typicalcomponent entries.

Figure 108: Example of the mcell.dir file and its entries

### One line per component :# <Type> <Name> <EncryptionKey> <IpAddress/Port># <Type> = cell | gateway.type#cell bos-71 mc bos-71/1828cell local mc 127.0.0.1/1828admin ias1 Mac/FreeAI1 bos-71/3084cell sim1 mc pprod001:1828 bprod001:1828

Conventions for mcell.dir file entries

The following conventions apply when creating entries for the mcell.dir file:

■ Cells may be grouped into separate mcell.dir files readable only by certain usersor groups (domains).

■ A cell must be configured to communicate with, at a minimum, the cells to whichit propagates events. A cell does not need to be configured to communicate withthe cell from which it receives events, even for backward propagation.



■ The mcell.dir file may define any number of entries, but each entry must be on aseparate line.

■ You can place mcell.dir files on remote mountable partitions or distribute themusing rdist, tftp, or any other distribution mechanism.

Configuring passive connections

If inbound connections to the cell are disallowed in a protected environment, theconnection has to be established within the protected zone to allow a connectionbetween an external client and a cell in the protected zone. To connect to the cell, theclient issues a passive connection; that is, it waits until the cell establishes theconnection to the client.

Note A passive connection is only possible with the “server” type clients, such as the celland gateway clients.

Configuring the client for passive connections

On the client side, the mcell.dir file has to indicate that the destination cell is locatedin an isolated protected zone.

To configure the client for passive connections

1 Open the mcell.dir file in a text editor.

■ The default location is MCELL_HOME\etc.

2 For the destination cell, replace Host:Port with 0 as shown in the followingexample:cell cellName EncryptionKey 0

3 Save the changes.

4 Either reload the cell configuration or stop and start the cell.

When a cell or gateway client needs to connect to an isolated destination cell, itcannot establish a connection because it does not have the IP address and portnumber of the cell. Instead, the cell or gateway client registers the destination andwaits for a connection from it.



Configuring a cell for passive connections

On the cell side, an indication is needed that a client could be waiting on a connection.

To configure a cell for passive connections

1 To configure a cell for passive connection, you must create a data object andspecify how to control it, as shown in below.MC_CELL_PASSIVE_CLIENT ISA MC_CELL_HEARTBEAT ; END

The cell slot, as defined in the MC_CELL_HEARTBEAT superclass, gives thename of the passive client. The enable slot in the superclass specifies whether ornot monitoring and reconnection is enabled. The cell attempts to connect topassive client targets as configured with the standard connection parameters. Assoon as a connection is established, the connection is reversed. At that moment,the client takes up the connection and behaves as an ordinary client.

Monitoring passive targets

The cell may not be aware that a connection has been terminated when a connectionfrom a passive client to a cell is terminated. The passive client cannot try toreestablish the connection, nor can it signal the cell to reestablish the connection. Toavoid such situations, the cell monitors the passive client, based on the standardheartbeat monitor mechanism. Then, when a disconnect is detected, the cell attemptsto connect to the passive client target.

Configuring slots for time stamping

Each event has an mc_modification_date slot that contains the time stamp of thelast modification of the event. Only select slot modifications set this time stamp. Toadd a time stamp to a slot so that the date and time is recorded when the slot ischanged, you must configure the mcell.modify file. The mcell.modify file containsthe names of the slots that affect the mc_modification_date slot. When one of theslots listed in the mcell.modify file is modified, the mc_modification_date slot isset with the time stamp of this change.

To configure slots for time stamping

1 Open the mcell.modify file in a text editor.

■ The default location is MCELL_HOME\etc.



2 Create a line entry containing the name of the slot whose modification is to betime stamped. Figure 109 on page 488 shows an example of the mcell.modify file.Figure 109: mcell.modify file

# Configuration of slots affecting mc_modification_date when modified# Format :# SlotName# Special name : CLASS : specifies all class-specific slotsstatusseveritymc_priorityrepeat_countCLASS

3 Save the changes.

4 Either reload the cell configuration or stop and start the cell.

Configuring encryption

You can encrypt communication among the various BMC Impact Solutionscomponents. To enable encryption, make the appropriate settings in the followinglocations:

■ the cell’s configuration file mcell.conf

■ the CLI configuration file mclient.conf

■ the BMC Impact Administration server used by BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console

■ the cell directory file, which is MCELL_HOME\etc\mcell.dir by default

mcell.conf file settings that control encryption

The primary settings controlling encryption are in the cell configuration filemcell.conf. The following settings control encryption:

■ Encryption

■ ForceEncryption

■ EncryptionKey

If Encryption is set to Yes, encrypted communication to and from the cell is enabled,but not required. For example, if a BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console doesnot have encryption enabled, then the communication with that particular BMCProactiveNet Administration Console console is not encrypted.



ForceEncryption requires encryption for all communications. If the BMCProactiveNet Administration Console attempts an unencrypted connection to thecell, the connection is rejected.

The encryption process uses the EncryptionKey value as part of the encoding key. Ifthere is no encryption, the EncryptionKey value has no effect.

mclient.conf file settings that control encryption

All CLIs can use an mclient.conf file to determine encryption functionality. Theparameters are

■ Encryption

■ EncryptionKey

For more information about the CLI configuration parameters, see the BMCProactiveNet Command Line Interface Reference Manual.

mcell.dir file settings that control encryption

The mcell.dir file contains a field for an EncryptionKey. At installation, the defaultEncryptionKey value is set to mc. BMC Software recommends that you modify thevalue for security.

The string specified as the encryption key is transformed to a binary value as follows:

■ Characters of the encryption key are grouped in pairs. If the string has an oddnumber of characters, the last character is ignored.

■ Each pair is converted to an 8-bit value. The first character of the pair determinesthe four most significant bits, the second character determines the four leastsignificant bits.

■ A character in the hexadecimal range (0-9, A-F, a-f) is converted to thecorresponding hexadecimal value (for example, 8 gives the value 8, B gives thevalue 11).

■ Any other character is converted to its ASCII code modulo 16.

Encryption behavior between cells and components

This section describes the encryption behavior of cells and components duringcommunication. The following actions occur when a BMC Impact Solutionscomponent initiates communication with a cell:



1 The component scans the cell configuration file, mcell.dir, for that cell’sconnection information.

2 BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console retrieves the cell’s connectioninformation from the BMC ProactiveNet Server.

3 The component opens a connection to the cell.

If the cell has Encryption=yes, the component can use encrypted or non-encryptedcommunication. The component must use encrypted communication if the cell hasForceEncryption=yes and Encryption=yes.

If the communication is encrypted, both the cell and the component must use thesame EncryptionKey values to establish communication.

Information retrieval

A component must have the address and port of a cell to establish communicationswith it. To establish encrypted communications, the component must also have theencryption key of the cell. BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console and the CLIcommands determine the information in different ways:

■ BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console acquires the information from theBMC Impact Administration server (cell_info.list ).

■ BMC Impact CLI commands obtain the information by determining the serverlocation using one of the following methods:

— directly from the CLI command

— from CLI configuration parameters in mclient.conf

— from mcell.dir if you use the -n CellName option

Default values

The default value for CellName is the name of the host (HostName). The default valuefor the port is 1828.

When the mcell.dir file is present, the default value is EncryptionKey=mc atinstallation. BMC Software recommends that you modify this value for security.

If the mcell.dir file is absent on the host and you do not specify an encryption key,the CLI command uses 0 (zero) as the default value for EncryptionKey. This valueenables encrypted communications.



Note You can disable encryption by setting the configuration parameter toEncryption=No. You might want to use this setting to disable encryption while tracing.

Mandatory key specification conditions

You must specify the encryption key if the following conditions apply:

■ you execute the CLI command on a host without an mcell.dir file

■ the cell has an encryption key other than 0 (zero)

These conditions apply with the default installation. However, if the mcell.dir file ispresent on the host, and the file specifies the encryption key, you are only requiredto specify the cellName.

Limiting cell access

A client is allowed to connect to the cell if its IP address matches the generalAllowConnectionFrom as well as the client type-specific Allow*From.

Figure 110 on page 491 shows an example of masking syntax.

Figure 110: Masking syntax

AddrMaskList = AddrMask {':' AddrMask}AddrMask = Addr ['/' Mask]Addr = Nr '.' [Nr '.' [Nr '.' [Nr]]]Mask = Addr | Nr Nr = 0..255

The following conventions apply:

■ An abbreviated Addr or Mask is expanded with zeros.

■ A numeric Mask (number without trailing dot) gives the number of 1 bit.

■ An omitted Mask defaults to all bits set to 1.

■ A connection is allowed if the source address ANDed with the Mask matches AddrANDed with the Mask .

When the Mask is all zeros, any address matches regardless of the value of Addr. Forall Mask bits whose value is one (1), the equivalent bits in Addr must match theequivalent bits in the source address.

Table 60 on page 492 lists the IP address parameters.



Table 60: IP Address parameters


AllowConnectionFrom=0./0 all systems allowed(same as 0.0.0.0/0)

AllowConnectionFrom=0./32 no system allowed(00.00.00.00 is not a valid IP address)

AllowConnectionFrom=198.12./255.255. any system from the 198.12. xx . xxnetwork can connect

AllowConnectionFrom=127.0.0.1/1 enables any host with an IP address lower than128.0.0.0, because it indicates there is only 1 bit in themaskOnly the highest-order bit is considered and must be thesame as 127, which is a 0 bit.

AllowConnectionFrom=198.12.33./255.255.255.:198.12.92./255.255.255.

systems on the 198.12.33. xx and 198.12.92. xxnetworks may connect

The default is 0./0, indicating that the server should accept connections from anysource. Usually this is useful only for testing or debugging, or for use with a systemthat is isolated from the network.

To specify one single address, specify the address without a mask, or use a 32-bitmask. The following examples are equivalent ways of specifying a single address:

■ 127.0.0.1

■ 127.0.0.1/32

■ 127.0.0.1/255.255.255.255

When you specify more than one address per mask pair, a system that matches atleast one of the pairs can accept a connection.

Connection attempt using invalid encryption key

An attempt to connect to a cell using an invalid encryption key or from andisallowed address generates an internal event MC_CELL_UNALLOWED_CONNECT. Thisevent contains a slot, reason, that includes the reason for the refused connection.



Configuring cell exception handling

Cell exception handling is configured using the CellExceptionHandlingEnabledparameter in the mcell.conf file. By default, CellExceptionHandlingEnabled is set toYes. This setting ensures that when an exception occurs, the cell:

■ catches the exception

■ collects dump data for problem analysis, including cell trace files, cell state filesand a core dump, if possible

■ generates an internal event to report the abnormal termination

■ restarts itself

The generated internal event is of class MC_CELL_ABORT, which is a subclass ofMC_CELL_STOP. MC_CELL_ABORT has the following slots:

■ exception— a textual description of the exception that has been caught

■ dump_data—the path of the file that contains the collected dump data

You may send the dump data to BMC Software Support for analysis.

If CellExceptionHandlingEnabled is set to No, when the cell encounters anexception, the cell process will terminate and will not become available until the cellprocess is started manually.

Reloading cell configurationThe cell does not automatically reconfigure itself, but you can customize and reloadthe configuration after you have made configuration changes without restarting thecell.

To reload cell configuration

To trigger the reconfiguration, perform one of the following actions:

1 Send a hang-up signal on UNIX.

2 Run the mcontrol command on UNIX or Windows. For information about themcontrol command, see the BMC ProactiveNet Command Line Interface ReferenceManual.

Reloading cell configuration


Table 61 on page 494 lists the specific instances in which the reconfigure feature canbe used and the effect that results from its use.

Table 61: Files for cell reconfiguration

Type Name/Directory Result of reconfiguration

cell directory mcell.dir a This internal directory is replaced with new contents from themcell.dir file. Associated data objects are replaced as well.Connected clients and destinations remain connected, even if thecorresponding directory entries are modified.

cell tracing mcell.trace a Tracing is adapted and has the same effect as through themcfgtrace CLI.

cellconfiguration

mcell.conf The cell restarts automatically.

mcell.propagate

mcell.modify

KB collector kb\collectors The cell restarts automatically.

KB program kb\classes The cell restarts automatically.

\kb\rules

\kb\lib

\kb\bin

KB data kb\data The cell restarts automatically.

\kb\records

a For mcell.dir and mcell.trace, a hang-up signal on a UNIX platform performs maximum reconfigurationwithout a cell restart. For information about restarting a cell, see “Interpreting cell execution failurecodes” on page 830.”

Starting or stopping the cellThe installation process automatically starts a cell’s service. However, as changes aremade to a cell’s configuration files or knowledge base, you must stop and start thecell to accept the changes.

Starting or stopping the cell


Stopping or starting a cell on UNIX computers

By default, a cell runs as a UNIX daemon. You override this behavior with acommand line option, not a configuration file parameter.

Before you begin

A cell can be installed as owned by any user. Only users with execute permission onthe mcell binary can start the cell. All users with execute permission on the mkill ormcontrol CLIs can stop the cell. However, if a user without root permissionsattempts to start the process, the following issues must be considered.

■ External actions run as the user ID that started the process. Those actions aredefined in %MCELL_HOME%\etc\ CellName \kb\bin on Windows platformsand in $MCELL_HOME/etc/ CellName /kb/bin on UNIX platforms.Actions are defined in .mrl files located in the kb/bin directory and listed in .loadin that directory. The action programs or scripts can be located in the kb/bin/A orkb/bin/ Arch directory. They can also be located anywhere else on the system.

■ The user who starts the cell must be able to write to log and trace files in thedirectories specified through configuration parameters SystemLogDirName,SystemTmpDirName, and SystemVarDirName. Default values for these are the logand tmp subdirectories of MCELL_HOME.

To stop a cell on UNIX computers


mkill -n cellName

If no cell name is provided, mkill attempts to stop a local cell whose name is thesame as the local host name. For more information about the mkill command, seethe BMC ProactiveNet Command Line Interface Reference Guide.

To start a cell on UNIX computers


mcell -n cellName

It is possible to start a cell without specifying a cell name. If you start a cellwithout any options, the command attempts to start a cell with the same name asthe host. You must set the MCELL_HOME environment variable to point to thedirectory in which the cell is installed. The home directory also can be indicatedusing the option -l followed by the path to the home directory, instead of definingit in the environment. To learn more about using the mcell command, see theBMC ProactiveNet Command Line Interface Reference Manual.



Note You can change all configurable cell parameters by making changes in theconfiguration file, mcell.conf. When you start the cell, the cell looks for theconfiguration file in the default location, MCELL_HOME\etc\cellName\mcell.conf. Use the -c option with the mcell command to have the cell look forthe configuration file in a specified location.

Starting or stopping a cell on Windows computers

On Windows computers, you can stop a cell by using one of the following options:

■ Windows Services

■ the net stop command

■ the mkill command

On Windows computers, you can start a cell by using one of the following options:

■ Windows Services

■ the net start command from a command prompt window

To stop a cell on Windows platforms by using services

1 Open the Services window by choosing Start => Settings => ControlPanel => Administrative Tools => Services.

2 Select mcell_ cellName .

3 Click Stop Service.

To stop a cell on Windows platforms by using the net stop command

1 Select Start => Programs => Command Prompt.

2 Enter the following command from the command line:.

net stop mcell_cellName

To stop a cell on Windows platforms by using the mkill command

1 Choose Start => Programs => Command Prompt.

2 Enter the following command from the command line:



mkill -n cellName

Note If you do not use the -n option when stopping a cell, the default cell, namedhostName, is stopped.

To start a cell on Windows platforms by using services

1 Open the Services window by choosing Start => Settings => Control Panel =>Administrative Tools => Services.

2 Select mcell_ cellName.

3 Click Start Services.

To start a cell on Windows platforms by using the net start command

1 Select Start => Programs => Command Prompt.

2 Enter the following command:

net start mcell_cellName

■ .

Note When used without the -d option, mcell contacts the Service Control Managerto start itself as a service. It uses mcell_%N as a service name. %N is the cellname as specified by the -n option. Without the -n option, the default cell nameis the hostname.

Creating and managing cell groupsYour access to additional Impact Managers (cells) depends on the access privilegesassigned to you by your administrator. You may be able to add cells to your consolethat are not currently displayed in the navigation pane. You can view the availablecells versus the cells already selected for monitoring on the Impact Managers subtabof the Configure Administration Settings dialog box in the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console.

Each cell must belong to a group, so when you add cells to your console, you addthem to a group. A group can contain just one cell, or it can contain multiple cells,and you can create as many cell groups as you need. Cell groups enable you toorganize cells into manageable units.

Creating and managing cell groups


By default, two cell groups labeled MyProduction and MyTest are created during theinstallation process. You can edit and delete these cell groups.

You can create cell groups and name them according to your organizational needs.For example, you can create a cell group for each of the office locations in yourenterprise. Also, as your environment changes, you might need to change the namesof the cell groups that you create.

To create a new cell group


2 In the Configure Administration Settings dialog box, click the Impact Managerssubtab.

3 In the Group text box, enter a new group name.

4 Click Add.

■ The new cell group is added to Selected Impact Managers.

5 Click OK.

■ The new cell group is displayed in the navigation pane.

To change a cell group name



3 From Selected Impact Managers, select a cell group.

4 In Group, enter a new name for the cell group.

5 Click Edit.

6 In the Change Group Name Configuration dialog box, click Yes to accept thename change.

7 Click OK.

To remove a cell group name





3 From Selected Impact Managers, select the group that you want to remove.

4 Click Remove.

5 In the Delete Group confirmation dialog box, click Yes to remove the cell group.

6 Click OK.

To add cells to a cell group



■ Available Impact Managers lists all BMC Impact Managers (cells) to which youare connected, as shown in Figure 111 on page 499.Figure 111: Available Impact Managers list for a user account withadministrator permissions

3 From Available Impact Managers, select the cell that you want to add to theconsole.

4 From Selected Impact Managers, select the group to which you want to add thecell.



Tip You can select multiple cells at one time, as follows:

■ To select adjacent cells, select the first cell, hold down the Shift key, and selectthe last cell.

■ To select nonadjacent cells, select a cell, hold down the Ctrl key, and select eachof the other cells.

5 Click the right arrow to move the selected Impact Manager to the selected ImpactManager group.

Tip You can also select a cell from Available Impact Managers and drag it to theappropriate cell group in Selected Impact Managers.

6 Click OK.

■ The cell that you added is displayed in its cell group in the navigation pane.

Monitoring event performanceEvent processing metrics are internal counts maintained on cell performancecategories in connection with event processing. These metrics count the followingitems:

■ number of events received, including erroneous ones

■ number of events containing errors

■ number of events dropped by rules (Filter, Regulate)

■ number of events removed from the event repository during cleanup

■ number of events propagated, including sendto

■ number of events added to the event repository, that is, entering the permanentcontext

Calculation is performed on a 60-second basis, so every minute the counters arerestarted. Counts from the last five minutes are retained. Running counters are resetonly on demand.

The resulting metrics are:

Monitoring event performance


■ short term—total count of the last complete one-minute interval

■ medium term—sum of the five last, completed one-minute intervals

■ long term—running total

Metrics are stored in MC_CELL_METRIC data objects, one object instance for eachmetric. Each metric mentions the subject. For each of the short-, medium-, and long-term results, it contains the length of the interval, in seconds, and the total count. Anaverage per second is also provided, rounded to an integer. Other averages persecond, minute, or hour can be calculated by the application from this information, ifneeded.

A configuration parameter, CellMetricsEnabled , determines whether metrics arecollected or not.

The mcontrol CLI is used to switch metric collection on and off, and to reset thecounters. The duration of the short- and medium-term metrics are configurableusing the cell configuration parameters. For more information, see “Cellconfiguration parameters” on page 558. Short- and medium-term metrics are resetwhenever metrics are disabled. Metrics can be retrieved through rules by data objectaccess, or through a command. The mgetinfo CLI can use that command.

The received event counter does not include incoming messages that cannot beparsed as events. It does include events of nonexistent classes or events witherroneous slots. These are added to the erroneous event counter. Internallygenerated events are counted as received events. Dropped events include those thatare dropped when an event with the same universal ID exists.

Table 62 on page 501 lists the metrics data objects MC_CELL_METRIC slots.

Table 62: MC_CELL_METRIC slots

Slot Description

description metric description

long_average long-term average, per second

long_interval long-term interval lengths, in seconds

long_total long-term total count

medium_average medium-term average, per second

medium_interval medium-term interval lengths, in seconds

medium_total medium-term total count

short_average short-term average, per second

short_interval short-term interval lengths, in seconds

Monitoring event performance


Slot Description

short_total short-term total count

subject metric subject name

Subject names available are:

ReceivedEventsErrorEventsDroppedEventsStoredEventsRemovedEventsPropagatedEvents

CLI commands for collecting metrics are:

mcontrol metrics on|off|resetmcontrol metrics interval 60 amount 5mgetinfo [-v] metrics

Monitoring client to cell interactionsWhenever a client connects, disconnects, or modifies an event, the cell generates aninternal event to represent this operation. Such events are only generated for certainclients configured by means of the ReportConnectClients andReportModifyClients settings.

The parameter value is interpreted from left to right. Settings that conflict withprevious settings override the previous ones. Table 63 on page 502 lists the defaultsfor these two parameters.

Table 63: Default values for client parameters

Parameter Value

ReportConnectClients browser, Console, mcontrol, mkill, mposter, msetmsg, msetrec

ReportModifyClients mposter, msetmsg, msetrec

Every parameter corresponds to a reporting clients set. Such a set has a positive anda negative list. Clients that belong to the positive list will have their operationreported while operations performed by clients on the negative list will not bereported. Clients that are not named in the parameter are considered to be on thedefault list. The default list initially is the negative list. The default list can bemodified through a special setting of the parameter.

A value for a reporting configuration parameter consists of a comma separatedsequence of client names. Every client name can be prefixed with a minus sign (-) ora plus sign (+). The client name prefixed with the minus sign (-) is added to the

Monitoring client to cell interactions


negative list. When not prefixed, or prefixed with a plus sign (+), it is added to thepositive list.

The special value ALL in place of a client name refers to the default. Including ALL or+ALL modifies the default list so it becomes the positive list. With -ALL, the defaultlist is the negative list. Both parameters could include - ALL, as this is the defaultsetting for clients that are not explicitly mentioned.

The superclass for client operation related events is MC_CELL_CLIENT. The followingtable lists the slots.

Table 64: MC_CELL_CLIENT slots

Slot Data

client_location the location of the client as IPAddress : Port

client_name the client's name, as announced by the client, or noname

client_type type of client, such as adapter, CLI, console, cell

There are three subclasses of this class:

■ MC_CELL_ALLOWED_CONNECT to represent successful client connection

■ MC_CELL_UNALLOWED_CONNECT to represent a refused connectionAn attempt to connect using an invalid encryption key generates an internalevent, MC_CELL_UNALLOWED_CONNECT, that contains the slot reason, which detailswhy the connection is refused.

■ MC_CELL_DISCONNECT to represent a disconnect.

Another class, MC_CELL_MODIFIED_EVENT, represents the operation of modificationof an event. Table 65 on page 503 lists the slots.

Table 65: MC_CELL_MODIFIED_EVENT slots

Slot Data

event universal event ID of the event being modified

requestor identification of the user that performed the modification

Configuring cell tracingTo set up cell tracing, configure

Configuring cell tracing


■ the trace configuration file, mcell.trace

■ tracing parameters in the mcell.conf configuration file

You can also configure cell tracing using the mcfgtrace command. For furtherinformation, see the BMC ProactiveNet Command Line Interface Reference Manual.

Configuring mcell.trace

The trace configuration file, mcell.trace, configures the tracing of the cell’s operation.Tracing messages are divided in several levels. Every module of the cell can beconfigured differently. An output destination can be determined per message leveland per module. Messages also can be disabled at the same granularity.

The default location is MCELL_HOME \etc.

The configuration commands in mcell.trace are incremental. Every new commandadds to the configuration, possibly overriding previous commands either completelyor partly.

Figure 112 on page 504 shows the format of a configuration line in the mcell.tracefile.

Figure 112: Format of configuration line in mcell.trace file

<Module> <Level> <Destination>SWITCH <Switch> <Destination>

Table 66 on page 504 lists the parameters that must be defined in a configuration line.

Table 66: Trace configuration file parameters


Destination destination file name or predefined value for the selected trace messages or switchpredefined values:no—disables these tracing messagesconsole—sends to the console devicestderr—sends to standard error stream




Level a message severity value levelpredefined values:

■ FATAL

■ ERROR

■ WARNING

■ INFORM

■ VERBOSE

Module a name of module, each of which corresponds to a particular category of information,such as filtering or configuration; values are as follows:

■ ACTION

■ COLLECT

■ COLLMAP

■ CONFIG

■ CONTROL

■ DATAPROC

■ DBDATAID

■ DBEVTID

■ DBEVTTM

■ EVTLOG

■ EVTPROC

■ EXPORT

■ FILTER

■ HEARTBEAT

■ INTEVT

■ MC2TEC

■ MCBAROC

■ MESSAGES

■ METRIC

■ PROPAGATE

■ QUERY

■ RECOVERY

■ RECTRL

■ REGEX

■ REGULATE

■ RESULT

■ ROLES

■ RULES

■ SERVICE

■ SRVMGT

■ STATBLD

■ SVCMGT

■ SVRCOMM

■ SVRDIR

■ SYNCH

■ SYSPROC

■ TRACE

SWITCH keyword that enables access to a sublevel or category of messages for a module

Switch switch name

a You can also specify ALL or * (wildcard) for these parameters.



Configuring a destination for cell trace output

You can use the tracing parameters to configure the cell to output information to aspecified destination. The destination for cell trace output is determined by the valueof the DESTINATION parameter in the mcell.trace file.

Possible destinations for cell trace output are:

■ the console

■ the standard error stream

■ an external file or files

■ no trace output

In addition to sending trace output to one of these destinations, you also can sendtrace output to another cell. For information, see Sending trace output to another cellon page 507.

Sending trace output to a console

To send trace output to a console, open the mcell.trace file and set the DESTINATIONparameter to the value console.

Sending trace output to the standard error stream

To send trace output to the standard error stream of the command window wherethe cell is running, open the mcell.trace file and set the DESTINATION parameter tothe value stderr.

If the cell runs as a service or daemon, all trace output that is configured to go tostderr will be redirected to the file specified in the TraceDefaultFileNameparameter in the mcell.conf file.

If you specify for the trace output to go to stderr, the trace file is truncated everytime the cell restarts, and a new trace file is written.

Sending trace output to an external file

To send trace output to an external file or files, open the mcell.trace file and set theDESTINATION parameter to the path and file name of the destination file.

The cell keeps the trace file open on both UNIX and Windows systems. On UNIX,any attempt to remove the file will succeed. However, all trace output goes to aninvisible file that becomes visible when the cell is restarted.



A trace destination file can be located anywhere, but the BMC Impact Solutionsprocess must have write access to that location.

WARNING The MCELL_HOME \tmp\ cellName directory is for temporary files only. A tracefile placed in that directory will be deleted by the cell when it restarts. To maintainyour trace file across cell sessions, place it in a different directory.

Disabling trace output

To disable trace output, open the mcell.trace file and set the DESTINATION parameterto the value no.

Sending trace output to another cell

Sending trace output to a cell enables you to capture the traces of one or more cells ina centralized location. To send the trace of one cell to another cell, the trace of theoriginating cell should be produced as events. Those events can be sent to thedestination cell using a propagate rule.

To enable sending cell trace information to another cell, you must

■ configure which module/level combinations of trace messages will be producedas events

■ add a propagate rule to the Knowledge Base to specify which trace log eventshave to be propagated to which destination(s)

Once configured, the cell trace module will generate an internal event for each tracelog message.

Definition of the class of trace log events

Each trace message is represented through a single MC_CELL_LOG_MSG event, as shown:

ENUMERATION MC_LOG_LEVEL 10 VERBOSE 20 INFORM 30 WARNING 40 ERROR 50 FATALEND

MC_EV_CLASS: MC_CELL_LOG_MSG ISA MC_CELL_CONTROL DEFINES { log_time: INTEGER; -- Timestamp log_program: STRING; -- Name of the program generating the message



log_module: STRING; -- Name of the module producing the message log_level: MC_LOG_LEVEL; -- Message level log_src_file: STRING; -- Source file name log_src_line: INTEGER; -- Source file line number log_msg_id: STRING; -- Unique message identifier (form BMC-IMCxxxxxxC) log_args: LIST_OF STRING; -- Message argument list log_text: STRING; -- Message text in origin's locale };END

The log_time date and time slot is an integer in timestamp format.

The textual representation of the log message log_text uses the originating cell'slocal message catalog.

Configuring trace messages to be produced as log events

By default, a cell will not produce log events for its trace. This has to be enabledexplicitly using the TraceEvents configuration parameter in the mcell.conf file. Thevalue of this parameter is a comma-separated sequence of module:levelcombinations. Each one is optionally prefixed with a + or a - sign to indicateaddition or removal, respectively, from the list. The special value ALL for module andfor level indicate all modules and all levels.

For example

TraceEvents=ALL:ALL,-ALL:VERBOSE

This setting specifies that events must be generated for messages from all modules,of all but the VERBOSE level.

WARNING Event tracing should be configured with care, as it may produce an excessivenumber of events. In particular, VERBOSE level messages should not be configured asevents.

For more information about the trace configuration parameters in mcell.conf, see Trace parameters on page 581.

Adding a propagate rule to the Knowledge Base to specifywhich trace log events have to be propagated to whichdestination(s)

The propagate rule syntax is described in the BMC Knowledge Base DevelopmentReference Guide.



The following is an example of a propagate rule for trace log events:

propagate PropTraceEvents: MC_CELL_LOG_MSG to CentralAdminCellEND

Event processing errors

When an error occurs during the processing of an event, the cell’s trace displays anerror message and generates an internal event of class MC_CELL_PROCESS_ERROR.

Table 67 on page 509 lists the slots that are associated with theMC_CELL_PROCESS_ERROR event.

Table 67: MC_CELL_PROCESS_ERROR slots

Slot Data

error_code the error number

error_goal the part of the processing command that has the error

error_message an error description message

error_source the position in the rule source where the error occurred

event the mc_ueid of the event that was being processed

Automatic notification of trace configuration changes

The cell automatically generates the following MC_CELL_LOG_CHANGED event whentrace configuration is modified for a cell:MC_EV_CLASS: MC_CELL_LOG_CHANGED ISA MC_CELL_CONTROL DEFINES { log_module: STRING; -- Name of the module log_level: MC_LOG_LEVEL; -- Message level log_destination: STRING; -- Destination file name };END

If the modification applies to all modules, then log_module=ALL.

If the modification applies to all message levels, then log_level=ALL.

The log_destination slot contains the full path to the destination file, innormalized (UNIX) form. Other possible values are:

■ no—indicates disabling



■ stderr—indicates redirection to the standard error stream

■ console—indicates redirection to the console terminal

Interpreting cell execution failure codesWhen the cell runs as a daemon or a service, it has no standard output or errorstream. Tracing that is configured to go to stderr will be redirected to a file in thiscase. The path for that file can be configured in mcell.conf. The default isMCELL_HOME \tmp\ cellName \trace.

If the cell service setup fails, an error file, mcell.err, is generated. Additional servicesetup failures can be appended to the original file, resulting in a file content ofmultiple lines. Normally, each line corresponds to one failed service setup. This errorfile contains exit codes specific to BMC Impact Manager.

Table 68 on page 510 lists the exit codes for BMC Impact Manager.

Table 68: BMC Impact Manager exit codes

Code Description

1 invalid command line options used

2 bad home directory specification through option -l

3 no home directory could be determined

4 specified home directory is invalid

5 internal initialization failure

16 tracing configuration failed

17 system process handling module initialization failure

19 logging facility initialization failure

27 service control module initialization failure

29 Knowledge Base load failed

37 message handling module initialization failure

39 internal object initialization failure

47 event processing module initialization failure

49 saved state reload failed

57 query handling module initialization failure

Interpreting cell execution failure codes


Code Description

59 service activation failed

67 internal object module initialization failure

69 metrics initialization failed

77 data processing module initialization failure

79 metrics activation failed

97 service setup failed

Using the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole to manage cells

You can also manage cells by using a pop-up menu in the Event ManagementPolicies tab or the Dynamic Data Editor tab in the BMC ProactiveNet AdministrationConsole to perform the following tasks:

■ connect and disconnect a cell

■ view cell information

■ edit cell alias formulas

■ edit cell properties

Connecting or disconnecting a cell

Use the Disconnect and Connect menu commands to connect or disconnect a cellfrom BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console .

To connect or disconnect a cell

1 On the Event Management Policies or Dynamic Data Editor tab, right-click thecell icon or name.

2 Select Connect or Disconnect from the pop-up menu.

■ This menu item toggles between Connect and Disconnect, depending on thestate of the cell when you right-click it.

Using the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console to manage cells


Viewing cell information

Use the View Manager Info menu command to view information about and themetrics associated with the cell selected.

To view cell information

1 On the Event Management Policies or Dynamic Data Editor tab, right-click a cell.

2 Choose View Manager Info.

■ The Impact Manager Info dialog box appears with cell property informationpresented on the Info tab.

3 To refresh the information in the Workload tab of this dialog box, click Refresh inthe top right corner of the tab.

Using the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console to manage cells


Configuring StateBuilder andgateways

This chapter describes how to configure the StateBuilder and gateways for exportingevents and contains the following topics:

Understanding the StateBuilder and gatewaysThe StateBuilder is an executable, statbld.exe, located in the MCELL_HOME \bindirectory. It records saved states of the cell at regular intervals. When it starts, thecell loads its last saved state (mcdb). All transactions it performs are stored in atransaction file (xact). As soon as the transaction file reaches a certain size, or after acertain period, the StateBuilder is started. It produces a new saved state from theprevious file and from the transaction file. When the cell terminates and restarts, anytrailing transaction file is first processed by the StateBuilder to produce a new savedstate. A history of saved states and corresponding transaction files can be kept. Themcdb and xact files of that history have their timestamp in the file name.

All mcdb and xact files are located in the MCELL_HOME \var\ cellName directory.The StateBuilder runs as configured in the cell’s mcell.conf file, which is detailed in StateBuilder configuration file on page 514. The configuration of how theStateBuilder itself operates is in the statbld.conf file.

Table 69 on page 513 lists the file naming conventions for the StateBuilder.

Table 69: StateBuilder file name conventions

File Description

mcdb state file the cell uses at startup

mcdb.0 new state file being generated

mcdb.t saved state history files, where t = timestamp in hexadecimal epochTimestamp t in the mcdb.t file corresponds to the time when the state is created.

17

Chapter 17 Configuring StateBuilder and gateways 513

File Description

mcdb.lock lock file indicating StateBuilder activity

xact transaction file generated by the cell

xact.n terminated transaction file, where n=1 is the oldest transaction file

xact.t.n terminated transaction history file corresponding to mcdb.tTimestamp t in the xact.t file refers to the mcdb.t file to which the transactions lead.

There is also a statbld.trace file for the configuration of StateBuilder tracing. Forfurther information, see Configuring tracing for StateBuilder on page 523.

The StateBuilder uses the gateway.export file in conjunction with its statbld.conf fileto export event data. For more information, see the StateBuilder configuration file onpage 514and Exporting events on page 521.

StateBuilder configuration file

The state configuration file, statbld.conf, is located in the MCELL_HOME \etcdirectory.

Table 70 on page 514lists the statbld.conf parameters, which use the same syntaxas all BMC Impact Solutions configuration files.

Table 70: statbld.conf Parameters

Parameter Description Default value

Export uses Boolean values to specify whether to export data No

ExportConfigFileName sets path to the gateway.export file %H/etc/%N/gateway.export

ExportDiscarded indicates whether discarded events are included inthe export fileDiscarded events are those that were dropped in thefirst four rule phases: Refine, Filter, Regulate, andNew (Update).

No

ExportTriggerArguments sets the arguments to be passed to the executableserving as the export trigger programValue is interpreted as a sequence of space-separatedarguments, so spaces within each argument are notallowed.

blank; no arguments

ExportTriggerProgram sets the program to execute after exporting dataThe value is interpreted as a path. See the mcell.conffile for special syntax for a path.

blank

Understanding the StateBuilder and gateways


Parameter Description Default value

StateHistoryCount sets the number of state files to retain in the historyEach time a new saved state is produced, the oldeststate is removed.

3

statbld return codes

The following table lists the return codes for statbld.

Table 71: statbld return codes

Return code Description

1 failed to build new mcdb

2 failed to update history files

10 early initialization failure

37 process handling module initialization failure

47 StateBuilder specific file access initialization failure

57 transaction file handling initialization failure

67 failed to load KB classes

77 server directory load failure

87 internal table initialization failure

97 detected running StateBuilder (mcdb.lock)

Gateway configuration

This section discusses general message formatting that applies both to StateBuilderexport and to gateways.

Gateway specific message formats are described in a gateway configuration file. Thelocation of this file for gateway of a particular type is determined from the Gw TypeConfigFileName parameter of the cell. Its default value is %H/etc/gateway. Typewhere Type represents the type of gateway.

Example default parameter values for TEC and jServer gateways:

■ GwTECConfigFileName=%H/etc/gateway.TEC

which means: $ MCELL_HOME /etc/gateway.TEC



■ GwjServerConfigFileName=%H/etc/gateway.jServer

which means: $ MCELL_HOME /etc/gateway.jServer

A gateway configuration file contains parameter settings in the form ofparameter=setting.

Parameters can be specified differently for new events and for event modifications.The parameter name must be suffixed with

■ .new for new events

■ .mod for event modifications

Without a suffix, the setting is assumed to be on both categories. Both the contents ofa message and its format are specified using parameters.

Gateway predefined variables

The following figure lists the parameters that can refer to predefined variables.

Table 72: Gateway configuration parameter predefined variables

Variable Description

$CLASS class name

$CONTEXT context name:

■ Permanent—event permanently in DB (until out of date)

■ Processed—discarded by rule processing

■ Regulated—discarded by regulation

■ Filtered—discarded by filter

■ Refined—discarded by refine

■ Received—discarded immediately

$DATE date stamp

$TIME time stamp

$MODNMS names of modified slots (empty for “new”)

$GHANDLE event ID in gateway

$CNAME cell name of cell connecting to gateway



Variable Description

$CHANDLE event ID in cell

$VALUE slot value of slot slot

$NAME selected slot name (only for body parameter)

$VALUE selected slot value (only for body parameter)

$MODS all modified slots (empty for “new”)

$ALL all slots (only for slots parameter)

$ALL cls all slots, but limited to class cls(only for slots parameter)

$MAP. map val mapped value of val using mapval can be a literal or a variable reference

Gateway text parameters

Text parameter values consist of literal text, possibly mixed with references tovariables and with escape sequences.

Table 73 on page 517 lists these parameters.

Table 73: Gateway Configuration Parameter Text Values

Character Name

\\ backslash

\s space

\n new line

\r carriage return

\t tab

\0ddd character code in octal (0, 1, 2, or 3 digits d)

References to variables that are not followed by punctuation or space charactersmust be enclosed in curly brackets ( { } ). For example, $NAMEabc is invalid; ${NAME}abc is correct. Non-printable characters and hard spaces must be expressedwith an escape sequence. String values for parameters are considered from the firstnon-white space character up to the first (non-escaped) white space character.

Table 74 on page 518 lists the gateway.export file parameters.



Table 74: gateway.export file parameters


Communication parameters

protocol sets the communication protocol. Both categories, new event andmodification, use the same protocol. The last one specified is used. Thedefault value is MCELL.

Contentsparameters

cond sets the condition for a slot to be included in the $ALL variable. Usealways to always include the slot. Use propagate to include the slot ifits value is different from the default value for the slot and it is able to beparsed. The default value is propagate for new, and always for mod.

drop lists slots that must be dropped from the $ALL and $MODS variable. Listof comma separated slot names. Only real slot names can be used. Thedefault value is [], so no slot is dropped.

add lists additional new slot definitions. List of comma separated settings inthe format slotname=slotvalue. slotname represents the name for the newdefined slot and slotvalue defines the value of the new slot. The defaultvalue is [], so no slot is added.

slots sets and orders the slot names to be included. Non-base class slots mustbe prefixed with ClassName: . The list can also contain variablereferences to include those values among regular slots.The default value is [], so no slots are exported.

modify lists slots whose modifications result in a message. Modifications of slotsthat are not included in this list are ignored. The default value is [],which means that every slot modification is included.

map.name Defines the map table with the name nameList of comma separated settings in the format original_value =converted_value

original_value represents a value that has to be replaced andconverted_value is the replacement value. Both values must be literalvalues.




Formatparameters

init text or value to be printed at the beginning of each export message. Thedefault value is blank. At least one of the init, body, or termparameters must be specified to populate the export file.

body text or value to be printed for every slot to be included; can use thevariable, $NAME (name of the slot) and $VALUE (value of the slot). Thedefault value is blank. At least one of the init, body, or termparameters must be specified to populate the export file.

term text or value to be printed at the end of each event. The default value isblank. At least one of the init, body, or term parameters must bespecified to populate the export file.

separator sets the separator character or string to use between slot values. Thedefault value is nothing.

quotable sets the characters leading to quotation when appearing in a slot value. Ifthe parameter value is empty, slot values are never quoted. The defaultvalue is standard MRL quotation rules.

openquote sets the opening quotation character to use for values that must bequoted. The default value is a single quote (‘).

closequote sets the closing quotation character to use for values that must be quoted.The default value is a single quote (‘).

escapequote determines how to escape a quotation mark inside a quoted value. Thedefault value is a single quote (‘).

Gateway configuration value mapping

For some destinations, it is necessary to map values from a cell domain to a gatewaydomain. You can implement value mapping by defining a map table and using thevalue mapping function.

You define a value map table using the parameter map suffixed with the name of themap table.

map. name =[ original_value = converted value,original_value = converted value, etc.]

name represents the name you give the map table; original_value is the value to bereplaced and converted_value is the replacement value.

You convert a value applying a map table, by using the variable $MAP.

$MAP. name ( value )

If the specified value cannot be found in the map table, it is not replaced.



For example: You want to modify the value of the enumeration SEVERITY when it issent to a certain gateway. Value WARNING will be replaced with LOW, and valueCRITICAL with URGENT.

To do this, create a map table to define the required mapping:

Example map.GW1severity=[WARNING=LOW,CRITICAL=URGENT]

All other values of SEVERITY are passed unchanged.

To actually replace the values of slot severity, the slot has to be dropped and a newslot, with the same name, has to be added, mapping the value:

Example drop=[severity]add=[severity=$MAP.GW1severity($VALUE(severity))]

Example of printed events

To print events in BAROC format, set the parameters as shown in Figure 113 on page520.

Figure 113: Parameters used to print event in BAROC format

init=$CLASS;\nbody=\t$NAME=$VALUE;\nterm=END\n

The BAROC format produces output similar to the example shown in Figure 114 onpage 520.

Figure 114: Example of printed events

MC_CELL_TICK;server_handle=0;date_reception=1010183001;event_handle=2;source=;sub_source=;...END

The slots are displayed, one per line, indented by a tab (\t). For every slot, the slotname and value are printed, separated by an equals sign (=) and terminated withsemicolon and a new line (\n). To terminate, END is printed on a line at the end of thedata.

In the example shown in Figure 115 on page 521, the first two lines configure theexport file so that it exports new events and modified events differently. Specifically,



slots.new=[$ALL] exports all slots of new events to the database andslots.mod=[event_handle,$NAME,$VALUE] exports event_handle, slot name,and value of events that are modified to the export file.

Figure 115: Command to configure the export file

slots.new=[$ALL]slots.mod=[event_handle, $NAME, $VALUE]

Exporting eventsEvents received in the cell can be exported to a flat file that resides on the samecomputer as the cell. The exported events then can be used in third-party productsfor archiving and data mining. Also, they can be exported to a program on anothercomputer by using the BMC Impact Solutions Gateway.

To export events, you configure the statbld.conf and gateway.export files.

Modifying a statbld.conf file to export events

To modify the statbld.conf file to generate an export file, set Export=Yes andremove the # sign that precedes it. If you retain the default valueExportDiscarded=No, events that were discarded in the first four rule phases—Refine, Filter, Regulate, and New/Update—are not included in the export file. SetExportDiscarded=Yes to include these events in the export file.

Use the E xportConfigFileName parameter in the statbld.conf file to set the locationof the export configuration file. By default, the location is the gateway.export file inthe cell-specific subdirectory of MCELL_HOME \etc.

When the data files are generated, the cell can trigger a program, which can be usedto import the data automatically into another product, such as a database. This canbe controlled using the ExportTriggerArguments and the E xportTriggerProgramparameters, which are set also in the statbld.conf file. The arguments specified inExportTriggerArguments are passed as arguments to the program, if any. Theseare always followed by the paths to the new event and modification export files, inthat order.

The export process produces two separate files that are located in theMCELL_HOME \var\ cellName directory. These two files areexp.TimeStamp.new, which contains all new events since the previous export, andexp.TimeStamp.mod, which contains all modifications of events after they have firstpassed through all rule phases. The TimeStamp part of the file name corresponds tothe timestamp part used in the mcdb and xact file names and enables archiving ofmultiple export files.

Exporting events


Because the primary goal of exporting events is to import the data into anotherformat for other use, BMC Software recommends that you remove the export files assoon as their contents have been archived. The easiest way to do this is to have themremoved by the program that is triggered at the end of the export.

Modifying a gateway.export file to export events

In a gateway.export file, you can configure what data goes into the export file andhow that data is formatted. A default gateway.export file exists in theMCELL_HOME \etc directory. Copy the gateway.export file to the MCELL_HOME\etc\ cellName directory and edit the copy.

By default, the gateway.export file has the format shown in the following figure.

Figure 116: gateway.export file format

# Export Gateway Configuration#cond=alwaysslots.new=[$ALL]slots.mod=[$MODS]body=$VALUEterm=\nseparator=,quotable=,"openquote="closequote="escapequote="

Using the default values in the gateway.export file for new events produces outputin the format shown in Figure 117 on page 522.

Figure 117: gateway.explore file output for new events

0,1010183001,1,,,,,,,,OPEN,,[admin],1,OK,,,0,0,0,0, mc.exp.000000001,0,['exp:1'],[],[],[],[],[],0,[],exp, 10.0.9.10:1981,286980,1010183001,2,,,,,,,,OPEN,,[admin],1,OK,,,0,0,0,0, mc.exp.000000002,0,['exp:2'],[],[],[],[],[],0,[],exp, 10.0.9.10:1981,600

Using the default values in the gateway.export file for modified events producesoutput in the format shown in Figure 118 on page 522.

Figure 118: gateway.explore file output for modified events

mc.exp.000000001exp10.0.9.10:198128698mc.exp.000000002exp10.0.9.10:1981600ACK

Exporting events


1010183062mc.exp.000000003exp10.0.9.10:198128698

Configuring tracing for StateBuilderYou configure StateBuilder tracing in the MCELL_HOME \etc\statbld.trace file. Thestatbld.trace file uses the same parameters as the mcell.trace configuration file. Fordetails on the cell tracing configuration, see the BMC Impact Solutions: EventMonitoring Operator’s Guide .

Troubleshooting the StateBuilder processIf the StateBuilder process (MCELL_HOME /bin/statbld) fails to start, try thefollowing solutions:

■ Check the MCELL_HOME/var/cellName directory for the number of xact. n files,where n is 1, 2, 3. More than three xact.n files is an indication that the StateBuilderprocess is failing. If more than three xact.n files are present, follow these steps:

1 Check the MCELL_HOME/var/cellName directory to see if either of thefollowing files are present:

—mcdb.0

—mcdb.lock

If either of these files are present, delete them.

1 From a command line, manually run the StateBuilder process by entering:statbld -n cell_name

■ Check the MCELL_HOME/var/cellName directory to ensure that your xact. nfiles are named xact.1, xact.2, and so forth. If the file does not have the numericextension (.n) (the file is only named xact), then rename the file to xact.1.

■ Determine whether or not the MCELL_HOME/bin/statbld program exists andcan be executed by the current user who is running the mcell process.

Configuring tracing for StateBuilder


■ Verify your system’s available memory and compare it with the actual memoryusage of the mcell process.On some UNIX platforms, available unused virtual memory must equal orexceed the virtual memory used by the mcell process.

Troubleshooting the StateBuilder process


Setting up data views for externalreports

BMC ProactiveNet provides the ability to create customized reports to suit yourspecific needs by exporting data from the BMC ProactiveNet database. To preventthe mundane task of keeping up with ongoing schema changes and prevent possibledatabase entry corruption, you can leverage the Database Views feature (also calleddataviews) provided by the relational database system.

External reports benefits

■ Significantly reduces development time to providing data to external tools.

■ No special domain knowledge about data storage is required.

■ The read-only user option helps to prevent data corruption.

Performance considerationsBefore using the dataviews feature to access data directly from the BMCProactiveNet database, you need to consider the performance impact on the BMCProactiveNet Server.

Several factors can affect the server performance, including the following:

■ Hardware resources (CPU, memory & disk i/o)

■ Number and type of monitored instances

■ Poll frequencies

18

Chapter 18 Setting up data views for external reports 525

■ Number of graphs in the hourly, daily, weekly views, number of daily, weekly,monthly reports

■ Number of users accessing this information

■ Increases to the processing load on the database server/BMC ProactiveNet Server

Note Due to performance impact on the BMC ProactiveNet Server, dataviews shouldnot be used as real-time data feed. This feature is meant for the external reporting.

■ High volume of data in the database

■ When updates to monitor configuration data are scheduled. By default, this datais updated as part of daily job that runs at 3.30. This information is not availableuntil the update script is run either as part of a daily job or run manually using thepw dataview update command.

■ Use of custom monitors such as Monitor Wizard monitors, MetaAPI monitors, orSDK monitors; these monitors require that you regenerate the dataviews schemaso that they appear in the dataviews.

Also, though dataviews in general provide information in a usable format, you willhave to interpret some of the raw values into corresponding usable values. Forexample, No data, No response values that are stored as high negative numbersneed to be mapped to their respective meanings.

Creating dataviewsDataview schema and views described in Dataview Tables are created duringproduct installation.

You can create the schema manually by using the pw dataview create command lineoption. For details about this command line option, see the BMC ProactiveNetCommand Line Interface Reference Manual.

Because custom monitor schemas are created at run-time, you need to use thecommand line option to reflect this schema in the dataviews. This step is alsonecessary if you make any updates to the custom monitor definition. Using thecommand line option, you can generate the Data Dictionary that explains each of thedataviews tables and columns. The configuration information table values describedin the Data Dictionary match the configuration information described in the BMCProactiveNet Data Adapter and Monitor Guide with each of the Monitors. Similarly statsdata column description in the Data dictionary matches with the description of theperformance data collected for each of the monitors.

Creating dataviews


The best way to find out which column represents the data of interest is to crossreference attribute names from the BMC ProactiveNet Data Adapter and Monitor Guideto the description in the Data Dictionary.

Populating dataviewsConfiguration information in the INSTANCEINFO_CFG table is populated as part ofthe daily job. You can use the command line utility to update this info as desired.

The rest of the information is populated during normal operation of BMCProactiveNet Server. Views expose this information from the corresponding datastorage tables.

Types of information available in dataviewsThe following section describes the different types of dataviews and how they arecreated and organized:

■ Configuration Information

■ Performance (stats, raw) information

■ Rate (Rolled up, Condensed) Information

■ Baseline Information

■ Event Information

Default dataviews

The following sections describe the default data views that are available in BMCProactiveNet.

Thresholds (Absolute, SLO, and Signature)

This view has the thresholds information of type 'Absolute Default Thresholds ( 156 )'.

Populating dataviews


Table 75: Global absolute thresholds - ABSDFLTTHRESHOLDS_VIEW

Columns Description

ABSDFLTABOVE Above means current value should be greater than the thresholdfalse –belowtrue – above

ABSDFLTAUTOCLOSE Tells whether to automatically close the event or not.false – Notrue - yes

ABSDFLTDURATION How long the current values should exceed the threshold value beforegenerating an event. 0 means event is generated immediately as one data pointcrosses the threshold value.

ABSDFLTSEVERITY Severity of the event: Critical, Major, Minor, Event Only

THRESHOLDID Internal threshold ID

MOTYPE Monitor type ID

MOATTRID Attribute ID

MONAME Monitor type name

MOATTRNAME Monitor Attribute Name

ABSDFLTTHRESHOLD Threshold value

ABSDFLTBLTYPE Can work in conjunction with threshold value. If non-zero, raw data points willalso needs to pass the hourly, daily or weekly baseline before the event can betriggered. Same thing applies for closing of events

This view has the thresholds information of type 'Absolute Instance Thresholds (161)'.

Table 76: Instance absolute thresholds - INSTABSTHRESHOLDS_VIEW

Columns Description

ABSINSTANCEABOVE Above means current value should be greater than the thresholdfalse –belowtrue – above

ABSINSTANCEAUTOCLOSE Tells whether to automatically close the event or not.false – Notrue - yes

ABSINSTANCEDURATION How long the current values should exceed the threshold value beforegenerating an event. 0 means event is generated immediately as one datapoint crosses the threshold value.

ABSINSTANCESEVERITY Severity of the event: Critical, Major, Minor, Event Only






MOINST Monitor instance ID

Types of information available in dataviews


Columns Description

DEVICENAME Device name

INSTNAME Monitor instance name

ABSINSTANCETHRESHOLD Threshold value

ABSINSTANCEBLTYPE Can work in conjunction with threshold value. If non-zero, raw data pointswill also needs to pass the hourly, daily or weekly baseline before the eventcan be triggered. Same thing applies for closing of events

This view has the thresholds information of type 'Signature Default Thresholds (157)'.

Table 77: Global signature thresholds - SIGNDFLTTHRESHOLDS_VIEW

View Name Description




MOATTRID Attribute ID of threshold

MOTTRNAME Monitor attribute name

SIGNDFLTTHRESHOLD Threshold value

SIGNDFLTSEVERITY Severity of the event. Critical, Major, Minor, Event Only

SIGNDFLTDURATION How long the current values should exceed the threshold value beforegenerating an event. 0 means event is generated immediately as one datapoint crosses the threshold value.

SIGDFLTSUPPRESSEVNTS Whether to deactivate the signature threshold

SIGNABSPADFACTOR Specify a margin around the baseline values to make it more difficult forsignature events to occur.

SIGNPERPADFACTOR Same as absolute pad factor, but instead of using a number, a percentage ofthe baseline will be used.

SIGNDFLTBLTYPE Allow threshold to be compared of daily and weekly baseline, in addition tohourly baseline.

SIGNDFLTABOVE Above means current value should be greater than the thresholdfalse –belowtrue – above

SIGNDFLTAUTOCLOSE Tells whether to automatically close the event or not.false – Notrue - yes

This view has the thresholds information of type 'Signature Instance Thresholds (162)'.



Table 78: Global Signature Thresholds - INSTSIGNTHRESHOLDS_VIEW





MOATTRID Attribute ID of threshold

MOTTRNAME Monitor attribute name

SIGNDFLTTHRESHOLD Threshold value

SIGNINSTSEVERITY Severity of the event. Critical, Major, Minor, Event Only

SIGNINSTANCEDURATION How long the current values should exceed the threshold value beforegenerating an event. 0 means event is generated immediately as one datapoint crosses the threshold value.

SIGDFLTSUPPRESSEVNTS Whether to deactivate the signature threshold

SIGNABSPADFACTOR Specify a margin around the baseline values to make it more difficult forsignature events to occur.

SIGNPERPADFACTOR Same as absolute pad factor, but instead of using a number, a percentage ofthe baseline will be used.

SIGNINSTBLTYPE Allow threshold to be compared of daily and weekly baseline, in addition tohourly baseline.

SIGNINSTABOVE Above means current value should be greater than the thresholdfalse –belowtrue – above

SIGNINSTAUTOCLOSE Tells whether to automatically close the event or not.false – Notrue - yes




Table 79: SLO Thresholds - SLOTHRESHOLDS_VIEW


ABSINSTABOVE Above means current value should be greater than the thresholdfalse –belowtrue – above

ABSINSTAUTOCLOSE Tells whether to automatically close the event or not.false – Notrue - yes

ABSINSTDURATION How long the current values should exceed the threshold value beforegenerating an event. 0 means event is generated immediately as one data pointcrosses the threshold value.

ABSINSTSEVERITY Severity of the event: Critical, Major, Minor, Event Only












ABSINSTTHRESHOLD Threshold value

ABSINSTBLTYPE Can work in conjunction with threshold value. If non-zero, raw data points willalso needs to pass the hourly, daily or weekly baseline before the event can betriggered. Same thing applies for closing of events

SLO configuration Info

This view has the information about the attributes sets used in the system in reportsand SLO.

Table 80: View Name - ATTRIBUTESET_VIEW

Columns Description

MOINSTID Attribute set ID

ATTRIBUTELIST List of attributes

This view has the information about the schedules.

Table 81: View Name - SCHEDULE_VIEW

Columns Description

MOINSTID Internal schedule ID

NAME Name of the schedule

TIMERANGE Time

This view has all SLO information.

Table 82: View Name - SLO_INFO_VIEW

Columns Description

SLOID SLO ID



Columns Description

NAME Name of the SLO

CONTENTID Content type SLO/instance. Refer to CONTENTID inSLO_CONTENT_VIEW.

SLOTYPEID Refer moinstid in attributeset_view

SLO_SCHEDULE Refer moinstid in schedule_view

COMPLIANCE_OBJECTIVE

OWNER

CONTACT_INFO

CREATE_DATE

COMMENTS

UPDATE_DATE


Table 83: View Name - SLO_INSTANCES_INFO_VIEW

Columns Description

INSTID SLO Instance ID

SLOID SLO ID

MOTYPEID Monitor type ID

MOINSTID Monitor instance ID


Table 84: View Name - SLO_THRESHOLD_INFO_VIEW

Columns Description

INSTID Refer instid in slo_instances_info_view

SERVICE_LEVEL_THRESHOLD_ID Refer thresholdid in slo_threshold_view

WEIGHT

COMMENTS

This view has SLO containment information.



Table 85: View Name- SLO_CHILD_INFO_VIEW

Columns Description

SLOID Parent SLO IDRefer sloid in slo_info_view

CHILD_SLOID Child SLO IdRefer sloid in slo_info_view

WEIGHT

SLO summary data

This view has SLO summary information.

Table 86: View Name - SLO_SUMMARY_VIEW

Columns Description

SLOID SLO ID

PREVIOUS_DAY Compliance value for previous day

PREVIOUS_WEEK Compliance value for previous week

WEEK_TO_DATE Compliance value for week to date

PREVIOUS_MONTH Compliance value for previous month

MONTH_TO_DATE Compliance value for month to date

QUARTER_TO_DATE Compliance value for quarter to date

YEAR_TO_DATE Compliance value for year to date

PREVIOUS_DAY_TREND Compliance value for previous day trend

WEEK_TO_DATE_TREND Compliance value for week to date trend

This view has SLO summary by day.

Table 87: View Name - SLO_SUMMARY_DAY_VIEW

Columns Description

SLOID SLO ID

DATE_TIME

COMPLIANCE_VALUE

This view has SLO summary by week.



Table 88: View Name - SLO_SUMMARY_WEEK_VIEW

Columns Description

SLOID SLO ID

DATE_TIME

COMPLIANCE_VALUE

This view has SLO summary by month

Table 89: View Name - SLO_SUMMARY_MONTH_VIEW

Columns Description

SLOID SLO ID

DATE_TIME

COMPLIANCE_VALUE

This view has SLO summary by quarter

Table 90: View Name - SLO_SUMMARY_QUARTER_VIEW

Columns Description

SLOID SLO ID

DATE_TIME

COMPLIANCE_VALUE

This view has SLO summary by year.

Table 91: View Name - SLO_SUMMARY_YEAR_VIEW

Columns Description

SLOID SLO ID

DATE_TIME

COMPLIANCE_VALUE

This view has the data for each SLO instance by day.



Table 92: View Name - SLO_INSTANCES_DAY_VIEW

Columns Description





ATTRIBUTEID Attribute ID

DATE_TIME

TOTAL_VALID_DATA_POINTS

TOTAL_VIOLATED_DATA_POINTS

TOTAL_UNKNOWN_DATA_POINTS

COMPLIANCE_VALUE

MINVALUE

MAXVALUE

MEDIAN

AVERAGE

WEIGHT

This view has the data for each instance by week.

Table 93: View Name - SLO_INSTANCES_WEEK_VIEW

Columns Description






DATE_TIME




COMPLIANCE_VALUE

MINVALUE



Columns Description

MAXVALUE

MEDIAN

AVERAGE

WEIGHT

This view has the data for each instance by month.

Table 94: View Name - SLO_INSTANCES_MONTH_VIEW

Columns Description






DATE_TIME




COMPLIANCE_VALUE

MINVALUE

MAXVALUE

MEDIAN

AVERAGE

WEIGHT

This view has the data for each instance by quarter.

Table 95: View Name - SLO_INSTANCES_QUARTER_VIEW

Columns Description







Columns Description


DATE_TIME




COMPLIANCE_VALUE

MINVALUE

MAXVALUE

MEDIAN

AVERAGE

WEIGHT

This view has the data for each SLO instance by year.

Table 96: View Name - SLO_INSTANCES_YEAR_VIEW

Columns Description






DATE_TIME




COMPLIANCE_VALUE

MINVALUE

MAXVALUE

MEDIAN

AVERAGE

WEIGHT



SLO Violation Records

This view has all the SLO violations.

Table 97: View Name

Columns Description

THRESHTIME

ENDTIME

KEEPALIVETIME

VIOLATIONID

MOTYPEID

MOINSTANCEID

ATTRID

HOSTID

SLTTYPE

SLTID

SEVERITY

LASTVALUE

EXCEEDPOINTCNT

DESCRIPTION

Groups

This view has all the user groups.

Table 98: View Name - GROUP_INFO_VIEW

Columns Description

GROUPID Group ID

GROUPNAME Name of the group

DESCRIPTION

This view has groups containing other groups.



Table 99: View Name - GROUP_TREE_VIEW

Columns Description

PARENTGROUPID Parent Group ID

CHILDGROUPID Child Group ID

This view has monitors that belong to a specific group.

Table 100: View Name - GROUP_MONITOR_VIEW

Columns Description

GROUPID Group ID



Using group views

Suppose there are three groups Sample_1, Sample_2, Sample_3. This information canbe retrieved from GROUP_INFO_VIEW.

Table 101: GROUP_INFO_VIEW

Group ID Group Name Description

1 Sample_1 Sample group 1



Sample_1 and Sample_2 groups are made of monitor instances. This information canbe retrieved from GROUP_MONITOR_VIEW.

Table 102: GROUP_MONITOR_VIEW

Group ID MO Type ID MO Instance ID

1 20031 1

2 20031 10

2 20035 15

This shows that Sample_1 group contains one instance with ID 1 of monitor typeweb URL (20031). Sample_2 group contains one instance with ID 10 of monitor typeweb URL (20031) and one instance with ID 15 of type web transaction (20035).



Lets assume that Sample_3 group is made of other two groups. This groupcontainment information can be retrieved from GROUP_TREE_VIEW.

Table 103: GROUP_TREE_VIEW

Parent Group ID Child Group ID

3 1

3 2

For details of all default dataviews in BMC ProactiveNet, use the pw dataviewgendoc command.

Configuration informationBMC ProactiveNet collects performance data from several heterogeneous systemssuch as Network, Application, Database, and user-defined or custom systems.Defining these heterogeneous systems requires capturing system-specificconfiguration information. This configuration information resides in various tablesand is used during data collection.

To simplify access to configuration information, a single table(INSTANCEINFO_CFG) is defined that stores information of all monitor typeinstances which include application, SNMP, and monitors created by users throughthe Monitor Wizard, and meta API.

Table 104 on page 540 shows the base table for all configuration dataviews for eachmonitor type that exists on BMC ProactiveNet Server.

Table 104: Configuration information

Column Description

MOTYPEID Monitor type ID (example, Weblogic, Websphere, etc.) This value is internal and fixed.

MOINSTID Monitor instance ID. This is a unique number generated for each instance. The value isassigned by BMC ProactiveNet system during monitor creation. This value is internaland fixed. This number identifies all other data for each instance.

DEVICENAME Name of the device entered by the user when this instance is created using theOperations Console or via command line.

INSTANAME Description of the monitor instance.

SOURCEIP IP address of the device from where the performance data is being collected.

TARGETIP IP address of the device on which this instance is running.

Configuration information


Column Description

CONFIGVALUES All configuration type of attributes of this monitor type that can be displayed. This isorganized in the name=value pairs format separated by ';'. Parse this value to retrievethe associated value for each attribute.

The schema for this table is created at the time of product installation. Therefore, ifcustom monitors such as MetaAPI, SDK, and Monitor Wizards are created at run-time, you need to regenerate the schema to include these monitors. Since this is adatabase table and not a view generated from an existing table, values in this tableare populated as part of daily jobs. The default run-time for daily jobs is 3.30 A.M.

Configuration dataviews named as <tablename prefix>_CFG_VIEW are created foreach monitor type using the values in this table.

Each of these Config dataviews contains the following information:

Table 105: Configuration information

Column Description

MOTYPEID Monitor type ID (example, Weblogic, Websphere, etc.) This value isinternal and fixed.

MOINSTID Monitor instance ID. This is a unique number generated for eachinstance. The value is assigned by BMC ProactiveNet system duringmonitor creation. This value is internal and fixed. This number identifiesall other data for each instance.

DEVICENAME Name of the device entered by the user when this instance is createdusing the Administration Console or via command line.

INSTANAME Description of the monitor instance.

SOURCEIP IP address of the device from where performance data is being collected.

TARGETIP IP address of the device on which this instance is running.

CONFIGATTRIBUTE NAMES All configuration attributes with their values that can be displayed forthis monitor type.

Performance (stats, raw) informationPerformance data, also called raw data or stats data, is the attribute performancevalues collected during every poll of a monitor instance. Creating views for statsdata of most monitor types is relatively easy, as data is organized in individual(horizontal) tables, which allow one to one mapping of stats table to a view for eachmonitor type available in the BMC ProactiveNet system.

MetaAPI application monitors’ stats data is the exception to this rule and isorganized in a single (vertical) table by attribute of each monitor. To address this

Performance (stats, raw) information


issue, a view for each Stats attribute is created and a view joining these views iscreated to give the effect of a horizontal table. The final view is the same as viewscreated for other monitors. As a result, accessing MetaAPI monitor views isperformance intensive.

Accessing stats data from a view is advantageous as values stored in the tables aremultiplied by a scale factor that is different for each attribute and monitor type.Configuration data 'Configuration dataviews (<tablename prefix>_CFG_VIEW)' andStats dataviews can be joined on the MOINSTID column to get all informationrelated to an instance.

Stats dataviews are named as <tablename prefix>_ST_VIEW. Each of these Statsdataviews contains the following information:

Table 106: Performance information

Column Description

MOINSTID Monitor instance ID. This is a unique number generated for each instance. Thevalue is assigned by BMC ProactiveNet system during monitor creation. Thisvalue is internal and fixed. This number identifies all other data for each instance.

TIMERECORDED UNIX time stamp when the data point was collected

Stats Attribute Name Displays all Stats attributes with their values of these monitor types that areproperly converted with appropriate conversion factors. The following valuesshould be interpreted as described below:'No Response' = -2147483647'No Data' =-2147483646

Rate (rolled up, condensed) informationRaw performance data is statistically computed and rolled into hourly data calledRate data. This enables you to retain data for an extended period of time (90 days)without increasing disk storage or having a negative impact on database performance.

Creating views for Rate data is relatively easy for most monitor types as data isorganized in individual (horizontal) tables. This enables a one to one mapping of aRate table to a view for each monitor type that is available in the BMC ProactiveNetsystem. Rate dataviews are named as <tablename prefix>_RT_VIEW. Each of theseRate dataviews contains the following information:

Table 107: Rate Information

Column Description

MOINSTID Monitor instance ID. This is a unique number generated for each instance. Thevalue is assigned by the BMC ProactiveNet system during monitor creation.This value is internal and fixed. This number identifies all other data for eachinstance.

Rate (rolled up, condensed) information


Column Description

FROMTIME UNIX time stamp for the start of the duration

TOTIME UNIX time stamp for the end of the duration

Stats AttributeName_AVGStats AttributeName_HIGHStats AttributeName_LOW

This contains Rate values for the above FROMTIME to TOTIME duration.Each attribute of this monitor type has three Rate values. Refer Administrationguide for further details on how Rate values are computed.

Baseline informationBaseline data provides attribute values during each hours of the day of the week.Creating views for Baseline data is relatively easy for most monitor types as data isorganized in individual (horizontal) tables. This enables one to one mapping of aBaseline table to a view for each monitor type that is available in BMC ProactiveNetsystem. Baseline dataviews are named as <tablename prefix>_BL_VIEW.

Each of these baseline dataviews contains the following information:

Table 108: Baseline information

Column Description

MOINSTID Monitor instance ID. This is a unique number generated for each instance. Thevalue is assigned by BMC ProactiveNet system during monitor creation. Thisvalue is internal and fixed. This number identifies all other data for eachinstance.

TIMESLOT This indicates the hour of the day of the week. BL_TIMESLOT_DESCR_VIEWhas textual description of each time slot. This view has two columns:TIMESLOT and DESCRIPTION.

Stats AttributeName_AVGStats AttributeName_HIGHStats AttributeName_LOW

This contains Baseline values for the above TIMESLOT. Each attribute of thismonitor type has three Baseline values. Refer Administration guide for detailson how Baseline values are computed.

Event informationThere is one event view for each monitor type. The view provides information aboutevents generated for all monitor instances of a monitor type. Event dataviews arenamed as <tablename prefix>_AL_VIEW.

Each of these event dataviews contains the following information:

Baseline information


Table 109: Event information

Column Description

MOINSTID Monitor instance ID. This is a unique number generated for each instance. The value isassigned by BMC ProactiveNet system during monitor creation. This value is internaland fixed. This number identifies all relevant data for each instance.

EVENTID Internal ID for this event

SEVERITY This is an integer defined as follows:

■ 4 = CRITICAL

■ 3 = MAJOR

■ 2 = MINOR

■ 1 = ABNORMAL

■ 0 = CLOSED

DESCRIPTION Reason for the event

ASSIGNEDTO Assigned person's name

THRESHTYPE This is an integer defined as follows:156 > Crossed absolute threshold. Applicable toall instances of specified monitor type157 > Crossed Signature threshold. Applicable toall instances of specified monitor type158 > External events that are imported using'pw userevent' > Crossed absolute threshold. Applicable to a specific monitorinstance162 > Crossed signature threshold. Applicable to a specific monitor instance

TIMERECORDED UNIX time stamp. Time when this attribute value crossed the threshold the first time

CLOSED_TIME UNIX time when the event was closed

ENDTIME Time when the state of the event record changes. Time recorded here is typically thetime of the next event record that has the same event ID, or time when the event wasclosed. The ENDTIME column is used in cases where the event changes severity whileit is still open. In that case, ENDTIME for the older records contains the start time ofthe next record - each severity change creates a new event record.

EVENT_ID Internal ID of the associated event. Every alarm is associated with an event

ATTRID Internal ID of the attribute for which this event is created

LASTTIME UNIX time when the event was created

All alarms and events informationThese views contain all of the columns that are described with alarm and eventviews information. The additional column MOTYPEID indicates the type of monitorinstance. There are also two global views, ALARM_LOG_VIEW and

All alarms and events information


EVENT_LOG_VIEW, which provide information on all alarms and events that aregenerated on BMC ProactiveNet Server.

Command line optionCommand line options are provided to generate dataviews Data Dictionary, createand delete views, and populate instance configuration data.

See the CLI description of pw dataview for details on using the command line.

Sample data dictionaryThis is a sample Data Dictionary generated by running 'pw dataview gendoc'command.Figure 119: Sample Data Dictionary

Table INSTANCEINFO_CFGDesc : Information related to all the instances in the system is stored here.Columns : MOTYPEID : Monitor type id. This value is internal and fixed.MOINSTID : Monitor instance id. This is an unique # generated for each instance. This value is internal and fixed. All statistics data for each instance is identified by this.DEVICENAME : Name of the device to which this instance is added in the administration console.INSTANAME : Description of the monitor instance.SOURCEIP : IP Address of the device from where the statistics data is being collected.TARGETIP : IP Address of the device on which this instance is running.CONFIGVALUES : Values of the configuration attributes of the monitor instance in the format name=value pairs separated by ';'.Host name : narmadaCreating viewsView BMC_CFG_VIEWDesc : This view has the config information for monitors of type 'Adapter for BMC Patrol ( 29753 ) 'Columns : MOINSTID : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.DEVICENAME : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.INSTNAME : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.SOURCEIP : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.TARGETIP : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.APP_INST : Application Instance NameAPP_PARAM : Application Parameter NameAPP_TYPE : Application Type NameCOMPUTATION : Measure AsPASSWORD : PasswordPORT_NO : Port NumberSCALE_FACTOR : Scaling FactorUSER_NAME : User NameView BMC_ST_VIEWDesc : This view has the stats information for monitors of type 'Adapter for

Command line option


BMC Patrol ( 29753 ) 'MOINSTID : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.TIMERECORDED : unix time stamp of when this data is collectedVAL : Application Parameter Value ( # )View AGENTCONN_CFG_VIEWDesc : This view has the config information for monitors of type 'Agent Connection (27011) 'Columns : MOINSTID : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.DEVICENAME : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.INSTNAME : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.SOURCEIP : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.TARGETIP : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.PW_MON_VER : Monitor VersionView AGENTCONN_ST_VIEWDesc : This view has the stats information for monitors of type 'Agent Connection ( 27011 ) 'MOINSTID : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.TIMERECORDED : unix time stamp of when this data is collectedSTATUSCHGS : Agent Status Changes ( # )CONN : Agents Connected ( # )DISCONN : Agents Disconnected ( # )NOTCONN : Agents Not Connected ( # )TOTALAGENTS : Total Agents ( # )View AGENTSTATUS_CFG_VIEWDesc : This view has the config information for monitors of type 'Agent Status ( 28601 ) 'Columns : MOINSTID : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.DEVICENAME : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.INSTNAME : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.SOURCEIP : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.TARGETIP : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.AGENT_IP : Agent IPPW_MON_VER : Monitor VersionView AGENTSTATUS_ST_VIEWDesc : This view has the stats information for monitors of type 'Agent Status ( 28601 ) 'MOINSTID : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.TIMERECORDED : unix time stamp of when this data is collectedAVAILABILITY : Availability ( % )View AIXCPU_CFG_VIEWDesc : This view has the config information for monitors of type 'AIX CPU ( 43001 ) 'Columns : MOINSTID : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.DEVICENAME : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.INSTNAME : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.SOURCEIP : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.TARGETIP : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.PW_MON_VER : Monitor VersionPROCESSOR_NAME : Processor NameView AIXCPU_ST_VIEWDesc : This view has the stats information for monitors of type 'AIX CPU ( 43001 ) 'MOINSTID : same as described in instanceinfo_cfg.TIMERECORDED : unix time stamp of when this data is collectedSYSTIME : % System Time ( % )USRTIME : % User Time ( % )WAITTIME : % Wait Time ( % )IDLETIME : %Idle Time ( % )CNXTSWTCH : Context Switches ( per sec )SYSCALLS : System Calls ( per sec )

Sample data dictionary


Create ASA database interfaceThis section provides details about how to create an ASA database interface.

Install Sybase ASA driver on the Windows computer

BMC ProactiveNet provides an application on Windows that installs the ASA ODBCdrivers and creates a DSN. The following sections provide instructions on how toinstall the package.

Prerequisite for ASA ODBC driver installation

Microsoft Driver Manager for Windows should be available. To check if this isavailable, navigate to:

Start => Settings => Control Panel => Administrative tools => Data sources(ODBC)

Installing the ASA ODBC driver

Perform the following procedure to install the ASA ODBC driver.

To install the ASA ODBC driver

1 Locate ASA_Client.exe in the Utilities folder on the BMC ProactiveNet DVD.

2 Double-click ASA_Client.exe.

■ The installation package opens to install the product. The Install WizardWelcome window is displayed and then the License window is displayed.

3 Click Next.

4 Follow the prompts. The installation directory will be displayed. Change thelocation if you want to. After selecting the installation directory click Next.

■ Summary of the installation is displayed in the next window.

5 Once the installation is complete, click Finish to close the install window.

■ This completes the ASA ODBC driver installation.

6 Check the ODBC Administrator manager for a DSN 'ASA Client' by followingthese steps:

Create ASA database interface


a Select Start => Settings => Control Panel => Administrative Tools => DataSources (ODBC) => System DSN.

b Select ASA Client and click Configure.

■ The ODBC Configuration for Adaptive Server Anywhere window displays.

7 ODBC tab: ASA Client is populated by default. Modify the DSN to connect to theASA database of your choice, if necessary.

8 Login tab: The log in panel is configured to user name 'report' and password'report'. You can change the user name and password if it is different.

9 Database tab: In the Server Name field, specify the server name.

■ Confirm the database name before filling in the field. You can confirm this bygoing to BMC ProactiveNet Server under the directory: usr/pw/sybase/storm_<hostname>.dbExample: server name is storm_krishna, where krishna is the host on whichASA database is running.For the By default, the database name will be storm_<hostname>. If the databasename has been modified, you can find it by the .db extension on BMCProactiveNet Server.

10 Network tab: Select the TCP/IP option and fill in the host details in the Networkpanel.

■ Enter the value: host=<hostname or IP address>:2638Example: host=krishna:2638.Host specifies the host on which ASA database is running and 2638 is the porton which the database is listening for client connections.

11 Access the ODBC tab and test the connection by following these steps:

a Click Test Connection. A message window displays that the connection issuccessful.

b Click OK in the message window.

12 Click OK in the ODBC window.

■ This completes the process of configuring the DSN that is created byASA_Client.exe.

Create ASA database interface


Downloading and installing Crystal ReportsThis section describes how to download and install Crystal Reports and theprerequisites for BMC ProactiveNet.

Before you begin

■ You need a user name and password for the BMC Software Electronic ProductDownload site. You can register and obtain credentials at http://www.bmc.com/support_home .

■ You must obtain a support ID and password for BMC ProactiveNet from yourBMC Software sales representative.

To download Crystal Reports and the integration components

1 Take the appropriate step:

■ If you are already logged on to the BMC Software Support Home, clickDownloads & Patches, and then click Product Downloads (EPD).

■ If you are not logged on, go to at http://webapps.bmc.com/epd and log on.

2 Follow the instructions for completing the Export Validation & License Termspage. You must select I agree in the Export Compliance Disclaimer and TRIALAGREEMENT panes.

3 Click CONTINUE.

4 If you have previously entered the support for BMC ProactiveNet, go to step Listitem. on page 549.

■ To enter the support ID and password:

a In the My Entitled Products page, click MANAGE SUPPORT IDS.

b In the Manage My Support IDs page, enter the support ID and password, andthen click ADD.

c Click BACK TO MY ENTITLED PRODUCTS.

5 If BMC ProactiveNet version 2.0.00 is not displayed, perform the followingactions:

a Click ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS.

Downloading and installing Crystal Reports


http://www.bmc.com/support_home

http://www.bmc.com/support_home

http://webapps.bmc.com/epd

b In the Search field, enter BMC Service Assurance Reporting, and then clickSEARCH.

Tip

■ Case does not matter in this search.

■ You can enter a substring of the product name, such as assurance rep.

6 Select BMC Service Assurance Reporting 2.0.00, and then click CONTINUE.

7 In the Select Product Version page, select BMC Service AssuranceReporting 2.0.00, and then click CONTINUE

8 In the Download files page, choose the appropriate component for your situation:

If this is a first-time installation Crystal Reports Server SP2 (Full Install)

If you have Crystal Reports Server XI release 2without SP2

Crystal Reports Server SP2 (Incremental Patch-SP1Customers Only)

If you want to design custom reports, and this is a first-time installation

Crystal Reports Designer SP2 (Full Install)

If you have Crystal Reports Designer XI release 2without SP2

Crystal Reports Designer SP2 (Incremental Patch-SP1 Customers Only)

To download temporary license passwords License Information for BMC Service AssuranceReporting

9 For each item that you choose, follow the instructions to complete the download.


For information about installing Crystal Reports, see the Crystal Reports ServerInstallation Guide, currently available from http://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/ .

General information about the product is available from http://businessobjects.com/ .

The following prerequisites must be met for running Crystal Reports:

■ Crystal Reports should be installed on the Windows computer where you wouldrun the report.

■ On BMC ProactiveNet Server, one or more Web URL monitor instances shouldhave been created.

Downloading and installing Crystal Reports


http://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/

http://help.sap.com/businessobject/product_guides/

http://businessobjects.com/

http://businessobjects.com/

■ The Web URL monitors should have collected data for at least 24 hours.

■ On the server side, the following command should be running after creation ofinstances: (If its already done, ignore.)#runjava scripts.InstanceInfo update

■ Sybase ASA client drivers should be installed on the Windows computer fromwhere Crystal reports will be run.

■ A DSN should be created for the ASA database of BMC ProactiveNet.

■ On BMC ProactiveNet Server computer, the ASA database process dbsrv7 shouldbe running.

Connect to ASA database through Crystal Reports

1 Start Crystal reports.

2 Select File => New.

3 Select a report type from the available report types.

4 From the Step 1: Tables tab, click SQL/ODBC icon.The Log on Server window, which lists all ODBC driver sources available on thesystem, displays.

5 Select the DSN that was created in the previous section (ASA Client).This opens the Choose SQL Table window, which lists all tables and views of theconnected database.

Accessing the ASA database throughMicrosoft Excel

This section provides details about how to create sample reports by accessing theASA database through Microsoft Excel.

Accessing the ASA database through Microsoft Excel


Creating sample reports using Microsoft Excel

Perform the following procedure to create sample reports with Microsoft Excel.

Prerequisites

■ Microsoft Query should be installed on the Windows computer.

■ Sybase ASA client driver packages should be installed on the Windows computer.

■ On the BMC ProactiveNet Server computer, the ASA database process (dbsrv7)should be running.

■ BMC ProactiveNet Server processes should have been running for at least a dayand data collection should have been occurring for 24 hours.

To create sample reports in Microsoft Excel

1 Open Microsoft Excel.

2 Select Data => Pivot Table and Pivot Chart Report… from the main menu. ThePivot Table and Pivot Chart Wizard pop-up window displays.

3 In step 1, select External Data source and Pivot Chart. Click Next.

4 In step 2, click Get Data…. The Choose Data source pop-up window displays.

5 Select the data source that connects to the ASA database. Refer to the earliersection that specifies the procedure to create DSN. Select the data source nameand click OK. Example: ASA Client.

■ A new pop-up window Query Wizard - Choose columns displays.

6 Choose the tables/columns you want to use in the report. For the sample report,choose moinstid, devicename, instname columns from SOLPROC_CFG_VIEWview and TOTALCPU column from SOLPROC_ST_VIEW view.

7 Click Next.

■ A warning message displays, asking to start-up Microsoft query to join the twotables that are selected.

8 Click OK.



■ Microsoft Query opens and shows the column names of the two views that areconsidered for the report.

9 Join the moinstid column of SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW with MOINSTID column ofSOLPROC_ST_VIEW. A warning may appear indicating that the columns are ofdifferent types. Click OK.

10 In Microsoft Query, add criteria to TOTALCPU column.

■ Use Criteria"Add Criteria of main menu tool bar. The constraint is to choose therows that have values of TOTALCPU greater than -1. Usually, the value will beless than 0 in the very first record on creation of monitor instance. Click Add.

11 In Microsoft Query, select moinstid column.

■ Keeping the moinstid column highlighted, click View "Query Properties…from main menu tool bar. Query Properties window pops up. Select GroupRecords field and click OK.

12 In Microsoft Query, keeping the moinstid column highlighted, click Records =>Sort from the main menu bar. Select SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.moinstid for columnfor sorting, use ascending order sorting, and click Add.

13 In Microsoft Query, click View"à"SQL…. The SQL window that contains the SQLQuery statement displays.

■ The statement looks like:SELECT SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.moinstid, SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.devicename, SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.instname,SOLPROC_ST_VIEW.TOTALCPUFROM DBA.SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW, DBA.SOLPROC_ST_VIEW SOLPROC_ST_VIEWWHERE SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.moinstid = SOLPROC_ST_VIEW.MOINSTIDGROUP BY SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.moinstid, SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.devicename, SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.instname,SOLPROC_ST_VIEW.TOTALCPUHAVING (SOLPROC_ST_VIEW.TOTALCPU>-1)ORDER BY SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.moinstid

The query statement will retrieve all the records from the SOLPROC_ST_VIEW iftime-range is not provided. In order to retrieve records that is in a time-range,edit the statement.

SELECT SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.moinstid, SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.devicename, SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.instname,SOLPROC_ST_VIEW.TOTALCPUFROM DBA.SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW, DBA.SOLPROC_ST_VIEW SOLPROC_ST_VIEWWHERE SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.moinstid = SOLPROC_ST_VIEW.MOINSTID and DBA.SOLPROC_ST_VIEW.TIMERECORDEDbetween <start-timestamp> and <end-timestamp>GROUP BY SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.moinstid, SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.devicename, SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.instname,SOLPROC_ST_VIEW.TOTALCPU



HAVING (SOLPROC_ST_VIEW.TOTALCPU>-1)ORDER BY SOLPROC_CFG_VIEW.moinstid

■ The start-timestamp and end-timestamp are UNIX timestamps.

14 After entering the time-range in the query, click OK.

■ For future reference, save the query to a file.

15 In Microsoft Query, click File => Return Data to Microsoft Excel from the mainmenu.

■ Microsoft Query exits and Microsoft Excel gets back the prompt.

16 In Microsoft Excel, click Next in Step 2 of 3. Step3 of 3 window displays.

17 Click Options…. The Pivot Table Options window displays.

18 Disable the following format options and click OK.

■ Grand totals for columns

■ Grand totals for rows

■ Autoformat table

19 Click Finish in the Step 3 of 3 window.

■ The report window appears.

20 From the Pivot table fields, drag the following fields to the More Category area(Drop More Category fields here area).

■ Moinstid

■ Instname

21 Drag the Devicename field to Total area (Drop more Series fields here area)

22 Drag the TOTALCPU field in the Data area (Drop Data items here area)



The graph provides maximum CPU utilization by BMC ProactiveNet processes.To change the summary formula to display graph of minimum, average, sum, orother graph, left-click Max of TOTALCPU.

Figure 120: Pivot Table





mcell.conf file parametersThis appendix discusses all of the parameters in the mcell.conf file, which isinstalled with the cell enables it to run without any additional configuration. You canview the default configuration parameters, or change them in the mcell.conf file tocustomize the cell for your particular IT infrastructure and environment. You canoverride some parameters using command line arguments when you start the cell.

Action result event parameters

Table 110: Action result event parameters

You can view the default values for these parameters in the mcell.conffile.

Parameter Description Type

ActionResultInlineLimit the size limit, in bytes, for an action result to beincluded directly in the action result event slotsThis applies to both the output stream (slot"output_val") and the error stream (slot "error_val"). Ifthe respective result is larger than the indicated size, itis stored in a file.Instead of placing the value directly in the *_val slot,the reference to the file is placed in the corresponding*_ref slot.

number

ActionResultKeepPeriod the period, in seconds, that an action result is kept onbehalf of a (Browser) clientThe client should retrieve the result within that period.After the period has expired, the result is dropped. Thisis independent of the action result event. A generatedaction result event is not influenced by this parameter.It exists as long as other events.

number

A

Appendix A mcell.conf file parameters 557

Cell configuration parameters

Table 111: Cell configuration parameters



CellDescription used as the initial value of thecell_description slot of the internalMC_CELL_INFO record

string

CellExceptionHandlingEnabled used to configure how the the cell handles exceptions

■ Yes - cell catches exceptions, automaticallyrestarts itself, and collects data for problemanalysis including cell trace files, cell state filesand a core dump, if possible

■ No - cell service is not available until the cell isrestarted manually

Boolean

CellOperationLevel indicates the level on which the cell must operateThe operation level determines from which clientsthe cell accepts connections and events. The defaultvalue can accept connections from any computer.

string

CellOperationRelax indicates whether the operation level should belowered in case there is no license available for thedesired level, as set by CellOperationLevelTypically, more license tokens are available forlower operation levels.

Boolean

ConnectionPortRange1 specifies the range of ports to use for outgoingconnectionsFor forward propagation, this port is used on theclient side (or on the propagating cell side). This isuseful to pass the event through firewalls with highrestrictions. Most firewall configurations ignoresource port information but require destinationport information. However, firewall configurationusually can restrict the source ports as well.

string




ConnectionPortReuse 1 indicates whether or not the ports specified inConnectionPortRange should be reused as much aspossibleBy default, the cell or command line interface (CLI)tries to reuse ports from the specified range, in thegiven order. When ConnectionPortReuse=No,for every new connection within the same session,the next free port from the specified range is used.Only when it reaches the end of the range will itrestart at the beginning of the range.

Boolean

POMEnabled determines whether or not the cell is a ProactiveNetOperations Manager cell. This parameter isautomatically configured by mcrtcell and shouldnot be changed manually in mcell.conf.Jserver can only communicate directly withPOMEnabled cell.A ProactiveNet Operations Manager(POMEnabled=Yes) cell does not accept adapterclients, unless a license key is provided.Note:

■ A ProactiveNet Operations Manager cellKnowledge Base must not be recompiled,unless license key is provided.

■ If POMEnabled=Yes, then you cannotmsend events to the cell unless you have anEvent Management license.

■ If POMEnabled=No, then you can msendevents to the cell but the Jserver will not beable to communicate with it.

Boolean

ProcessingLimit Percentage specifies limitation of event processing speedAt 100% the cell accepts events as fast as it can. At x% it does not accept events during (100-x)% of thetime. This limits the cell’s CPU utilization.

number

CellMetricsCollectInterval determines the interval length (in seconds) of asingle collection. Metrics from a single collectionare presented in the short term metrics counters. Thedefault value isCellMetricsCollectInterval=60

number

CellMetricsCollectAmount specifies the number of similar single collections tobe taken into account. The combination of thatmany most recent collections is presented in themedium term metrics counters. The default value isCellMetricsCollectAmount=5

number




ServerAllInterfaces determines whether the cell listens on one specificinterface or on all available interfacesWhen ServerAllInterfaces=Yes, the cellcommunicates on all network interfaces on thehost. When ServerAllInterfaces=No, the cellonly communicates with the network interface thathas the IP address specified in the mcell.dir file ofthat cell.

Boolean

ServerDirectoryName 1 specifies the name of the cell directory file path

ServerPort 1 specifies the TCP/IP port number at which the celllistens for all in-bound requests from sources, suchas the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console,CLIs, and adapters

number

ServiceModelEnabled specifies whether the cell is an Event Managementcell or a Service Impact Model cell.If ServiceModelEnabled=No, the cell operates asan Event Management cell.If ServiceModelEnabled=Yes, the cell operatesas a Service Impact Model cell, if the SIM classdefinitions are loaded. If these class definitions arenot available, the cell operates as an EventManagement cell.Note: Do not try to configure a SIM cell unless youhave the proper license.

Boolean

SystemLogDirName specifies the path to the default system-defined logdirectory

path

SystemTmpDirName specifies the path to the default system-definedtmp directory

path

SystemVarDirName specifies the path to the default system-defined vardirectory

path

a Can also be used in the mclient.conf configuration file, which affects the behavior of all of the CLIcommands. These parameters retain the same qualities and definitions in the mclient.conf file as theyhave in the mcell.conf file.

Cell failover configuration parameters

Table 112: Cell failover configuration parameters





CellDuplicateAutoFailOver determines whether the primary serverautomatically fails over to the secondary server.For automatic failover to occur, this parametermust be set to YES on both servers.

Boolean

CellDuplicateAutoSwitchBack determines whether the secondary serverautomatically switches back to the primary serverwhen the primary server restarts after failover.For automatic switchback to occur, this parametermust be set to YES on both the primary andsecondary servers.

Boolean

CellDuplicateFailOverStartTimeOut

specifies the length of time (in seconds) that thesecondary server waits to become active after it isstarted.When the secondary server starts, it expects theprimary to connect to it. If the primary server doesnot connect to the secondary within the timespecified by theCellDuplicateFailOverStartTimeOutparameter, the secondary server will become active.The time specified for CellDuplicateFailOverStartTimeOut should be longer thanthe time specified forCellDuplicateFailOverTimeOut to allowoperators to start up primary and secondaryservers at almost the same time, in any order.

number

CellDuplicateFailOverTimeOut specifies the length of time (in seconds) that thesecondary server waits to become active after thesecondary server loses connection to the primaryserver.

number

CellDuplicateHeartbeatEnabled can be used to disable the heartbeat of a highavailability cell, to prevent the secondary cellserver from becoming active when the primarycell server is active due to VMware clockdiscrepancies

Boolean

CellDuplicateMode specifies the operation mode of the server.1 = primary server2 = secondary server0 = the server is operating as a non-highavailability cell.This is the only parameter that needs a differentvalue between primary and secondary.

number



Client communication parameters

Table 113: Client communication parameters



ClientCleanupInterval the interval, in seconds, between clean-ups of pendingclientsAfter each such period, clients that did not give the cell anotice of life are disconnected.

number

ClientPollTimeOut the maximum time, in milliseconds, the cell waits for aclient request before it continues processing

number

ClientSendTimeOut the time interval, in milliseconds, that the cell has to senda packet to a client on the lowest communication level

number

DateFormat the format used to display timestamps in the date slotA default value of CIM indicates use of the CommonInformation Model (CIM) format from the DesktopManagement Force Group.DateFormat parameters use the syntax of %[ letter ]. Table 114 on page 563 lists the DateFormat parametersfor Solaris; for other operating systems, see theirdocumentation.

string

SynchronizeTimeOut the maximum time, in milliseconds, the cell waits forsynchronization before dropping a connection

number

If the cell receives an event with an empty value for the date slot, it sets the date slotto the textually formatted value of the date_reception slot. That value isdetermined by the DateFormat parameter. This assignment is performed only once,when the event first enters the cell. If the cell is shut down and restarted, the value ofdate remains the same even if the DateFormat parameter has been modified in theinterval.

The CIM format is yyyymmddhhmmss.mmmmmmsutc, where:

■ yyyy = year

■ mm = month

■ dd = day

■ hh = hour, based on 24-hour clock

■ mm = minutes



■ ss = seconds

■ mmmmmm = microseconds

■ s = + or -

■ utc = offset in minutes from UTC; UTC is the Universal Time Coordinate system

Table 114 on page 563 lists the parameters from the Solaris platform. Otherplatforms, including UNIX and Microsoft Windows platforms, may have slightdifferences.

Table 114: Date and time format parameters for Solaris


%% same as %

%a locale’s abbreviated weekday name

%A locale’s full weekday name

%b locale’s abbreviated month name

%B locale’s full month name

%c locale’s appropriate date and time representation

%C locale’s date and time representation as produced by date (1)

%d day of month [1,31]; single digits are preceded by zero (0)

%D date as %m/%d/%y

%e day of month [1,31]; single digits are preceded by a space

%h locale’s abbreviated month name

%H hour (24-hour clock) [0,23]; single digits are preceded by zero (0)

%I hour (12-hour clock) [1,12]; single digits are preceded by zero (0)

%j day number of year [1,366]; single digits are preceded by zero (0)

%k hour (24-hour clock) [0,23]; single digits are preceded by a blank

%l hour (12-hour clock) [1,12]; single digits are preceded by a blank

%m month number [1,12]; single digits are preceded by zero (0)

%M minute [00,59]; initial 0 is permitted but not required

%n insert a new line

%p locale’s equivalent of A.M. or P.M.

%r appropriate time representation in 12-hour clock format with %p




%R time as %H:%M

%S seconds [00,61]

%t insert a tab

%T time as %H:%M:%S

%u weekday as a decimal number [1,7], where 1 represents Sunday

%U week number of year as a decimal number [00,53], where Sunday is the first day of week 1

%V week number of the year as a decimal number [01,53], where Monday is the first day of the weekIf the week containing January 1st has four or more days in the new year, then it is consideredweek 1. Otherwise, it is week 53 of the previous year, and the next week is considered week 1.

%w weekday as a decimal number [0,6], where 0 represents Sunday

%W week number of year as a decimal number [00,53], where Monday is the first day of week 1

%x locale’s appropriate date representation

%X locale’s appropriate time representation

%y year within century [00,99]

%Y year, including the century. (for example, 2006)

%Z time zone name or abbreviation, or no bytes if no time zone information exists

Encryption parametersThe following table describes the encryption parameters that are listed in themcell.conf file.

Table 115: Encryption parameters



AllowAdapterFrom specifies the adapters within the range of IP addressesThese are adapters that use the BMC Impact Solutionscommunications protocol.

string

AllowBrowserFrom specifies the BMC ProactiveNet Administration Console andthe BMC Impact Portal connections within the range of IPaddresses

string

AllowCellFrom specifies the cells within the range of IP addresses string

Encryption parameters



AllowCLIFrom specifies the command line interfaces (for example, mkill ormcstat) within the range of IP addresses

string

AllowConnectionFrom specifies the client within the range of IP addresses that isallowed to connect to a cell

string

AllowEIFFrom specifies the EIF event sources (for example, a postemsg)within the range of IP addresses

string

Encryption specifies to use encryption Boolean

EncryptionKey specifies the encryption key string

ForceEncryption specifies if encryption is to be forced Boolean

Event repository cleanup parameters

Table 116: Event Repository cleanup parameters



EventAutoClose automatically closes a duplicate event in thedatabase when an event arrives withstatus=CLOSED, or it is closed in the Refinerule phaseIf the default value is left as Yes, the event isdropped and the duplicate is closed. If thevalue is set to No, there is no duplicatedetection and the CLOSED event is not dropped.

Boolean

EventDBCleanupDurationLimit the maximum duration, in seconds, of a singlecleanupAfter expiration of that period, the cleanup isinterrupted. Normal operation proceeds for anequal duration. Then cleanup is resumed,with the same limit again.

number

EventDBCleanupInterval the time interval, in seconds, between periodiccleanups of the repository

number

EventDBCleanupPercentage the percentage of free space required attermination of an EventDB cleanupWith a default EventDBSize of 100000, thismeans that at least 10000 places must beavailable at termination of a completedcleanup.

number




EventDBCleanupOnDateReception indicates the preference for deleting eventsfrom the repository based on when they werereceived instead of when they were lastmodified

Boolean

EventDBCleanupPreferClosed indicates the preference for cleaning up closedevents rather than older eventsWhen there is not enough free space afterremoving all expired events, additional,unexpired events are removed. These areselected, oldest first, either from any events orfrom the closed ones first.The default is no, meaning that the eventstatus value is not taken into account whenselecting events for removal.

Boolean

EventDBKeepClosed the minimum age, in seconds, of CLOSEDevents before they are removed from therepository

Note: Any modifications to theEventDBKeepClosed parameter should becarefully considered. Events of these classesremain in the event repository until youmanually delete them.

number

EventDBKeepNonClosed the minimum age, in seconds, of non-closedevents before they are removed from therepository

number

EventDBSize the number of events to retain in therepository (the mcdb and xact files located inthe MCELL_HOME/var/ CellName directorypathThe default size is 100000.When the specified number is reached, the cellperforms a cleanup procedure, which isdescribed in Executing reboot command viaremote action results in timeout messages onpage 147The value of the EventDBSize may have animpact on memory consumption. Whenincreasing the value of the EventDBSize,consider the size of your system’s virtualmemory and the number of programs runningon the system. Contact your systemadministrator if in doubt.

number

EventDBNoCleanupClosed list of classes in which closed events will notbe deleted from the repository

string




EventDBNoCleanupNonClosed list of classes in which non-closed events willnot be deleted from the repository; commaseparated

Boolean

Event cleanup process

The related group of event cleanup parameters gives you control over which eventsare removed, limits the duration of the cleanup, and specifies a preference forcleaning up closed events rather than older events.

A cleanup first removes expired events. Expired events are those that are older thanthe times in the EventDBKeepClosed and EventDBKeepNonClosed parameters, forclosed and non-closed events, respectively. After this cleanup, if there is still less freespace than specified in the EventDBCleanupPercentage parameter, additional,unexpired events are removed. As many events are removed as needed to reach thedesired amount of free space.

Older events are removed first, with one possible exception. If parameterEventDBCleanupPreferClosed=Yes, closed events are removed first, even if someolder unclosed events remain. In EventDBCleanupPreferClosed=No mode, allevents are considered, starting with the oldest first.

The mc_date_modification slot is considered to determine the time of an event.However, if parameter EventDBCleanupOnDateReception=Yes, thedate_reception slot is considered instead.

Cleanup is interrupted if it takes longer than the value of theEventDBCleanupDurationLimit parameter. By default, this value is 10 seconds. Ifthe cleanup period was not long enough to remove all expired events, a new cleanupis scheduled for a later time with the same amount of time as the duration limit. If allexpired events were removed, the next cleanup is scheduled after the normalinterval value of EventDBCleanupInterval.

Heartbeat parameters

Table 117: Heartbeat parameters



HeartbeatEnabled indicates whether the heartbeat monitoring mechanismis enabled or not

Boolean




HeartbeatInterval the default interval between two beats, if not specified inthe data object

number

HeartbeatMissedCritical the default number of consecutive missed beats that areneeded to generate a critical event, if not specified in thedata object

number

HeartbeatMissedMinor the default number of consecutive missed beats that areneeded to generate a minor event, if not specified in thedata object

number

HeartbeatMissedWarning the default number of consecutive missed beats that areneeded to generate a warning event, if not specified inthe data object

number

The heartbeat feature enables a specific cell, called the monitoring cell, to monitor oneor more cells, called the monitored cell or cells, for enabled access by the monitoringcell.

The parameter in the mcell.conf file of the monitored cell should beHeartbeatEnabled=Yes. By default, the monitored cell sends a beat every 300 seconds.

Heartbeats are configured through MC_CELL_HEARTBEAT dynamic data objects in themonitoring cell. An MC_CELL_HEARTBEAT dynamic data object contains information,such as the name of the cell to be monitored, the length of the expected time intervalsbetween the heartbeats, and the number of heartbeats that must be missed togenerate corresponding internal events in the monitoring cell.

The cell receives the dynamic data object either by loading it from the data directory,receiving it through an mposter call, or viewing it in the Administrative View of theBMC ProactiveNet Administration Console . The monitoring cell sends a request tothe monitored cell. The monitored cell sends a heartbeat back to the monitoring cellat the specified intervals. If the monitoring cell does not receive a heartbeat in theexpected timeframe, the monitoring cell generates an alert that can be viewed in theBMC ProactiveNet Operations Console console.

The default settings for missing heartbeats are as follows:

■ 1 missed heartbeat generate a warning event

■ 2 missed heartbeats generate a minor event

■ 3 missed heartbeats generate a critical event

For example, cell 1 is the monitoring cell, which sends a request to cell 2, the monitoredcell. If it does not receive a response at a specified interval, then the monitoring cellsends an alert that can be seen in the BMC ProactiveNet Operations Console.



After a monitoring cell terminates and restarts, it is aware of prior requests forheartbeats because it rereads the dynamic data objects that are stored in the cellrepository mcdb. After it rereads the data, the monitoring cell attempts to resend therequest to the monitored cell.

If the monitored cell terminates, the monitoring cell resends the request forheartbeats at the specified intervals. Table 118 on page 569 lists theMC_CELL_HEARTBEAT slots.

Table 118: Heartbeat slots

Slot Description

cell target monitored cell name

enable 0 = disabled, 1 = enabled

last_time time last heartbeat was received

interval length of interval between heartbeatsSpecify zero (0) to use the default, as determined by the HeartbeatIntervalconfiguration parameter.

missed_warning number of missed heartbeats before a WARNING event is generatedSpecify zero (0) to use the default, as determined by the correspondingHeartbeatMissedWarning configuration parameter. Specify -1 to disablegeneration of the corresponding event.

missed_minor number of missed heartbeats before a MINOR event is generatedSpecify zero (0) to use the default, as determined by the correspondingHeartbeatMissedMinor configuration parameter. Specify -1 to disable generationof the corresponding event.

missed_critical number of missed heartbeats before a CRITICAL event is generatedSpecify zero (0) to use the default, as determined by the correspondingHeartbeatMissedCritical configuration parameter. Specify -1 to disablegeneration of the corresponding event.

missed number of consecutive missed heartbeats

Note Deleting an instance of an MC_CELL_HEARTBEAT data object from a monitoring cellterminates the monitoring of the corresponding cell or cells.

Internal cell monitor parameters

Table 119: Internal cell monitors parameters


Internal cell monitor parameters



CellEventEnable a flag that indicates whether the cell should generate internalevents, such as start, stop, and heartbeat; does not include eventsgenerated by the rules

Boolean

CellErrorEvents indicates whether an event processing error should produce aspecial internal event to flag that error, or not

Boolean

CellMetricsEnabled determines whether metrics for cell performance are collected ornot

Boolean

CellTickInterval the time interval, in seconds, between generation of cell heartbeatevents (ticks)The purpose of such heartbeats is to send a sign of life from thecell. A zero (0) value disables cell ticks without disabling otherinternal events. This parameter operates only if theCellEventEnable is set to Yes.

number

RuleLoopDetect a flag that requires the cell to check for certain conditions that caninduce infinite looping of eventsSetting this parameter to Yes can cause mild cell performancedegradation.

Boolean

KB parameters

Table 120: KB parameters



KBDirName the path to the active KB directory path

KBRecoveryDirName the path to an alternate KB directory to be used for recoveryfrom catastrophic damageFor more information, see BMC ProactiveNet Command LineInterface Reference Manual.

path

Propagation parametersThe propagation parameters allow you to configure propagation and destinationbuffers.

You can configure these parameters for individual destinations and also configure adefault value for all other destinations. Use the asterisk (*) to specify all destinations.

KB parameters


The following parameter definition illustrates how to configure these parameters forall destinations.

DestinationBufferReconnectInterval = *=600

This example specifies that the interval to try to reconnect is 600 seconds for alldestinations. If the * is not explicitly defined, the default value for the parameter willbe applied to all destinations.

To configure parameters for individual destinations, the value for these parametersis formatted as a comma-separated sequence of destination-specific settings in theform of DestinationName=Value. DestinationNames #1 and #2 are reserved toindicate the primary and secondary nodes of a high availability cell.

For example,

DestinationBufferReconnectInterval = #1=10,#2=10,*=600,SlowCell=1200

This example specifies that the interval to try to reconnect is 10 seconds for the highavailability nodes, 1200 seconds for a cell called SlowCell and 600 seconds for allother destinations. If the * is not explicitly defined, the default value for theparameter will be applied to all unspecified destinations.

Table 121: Propagation parameters



DestinationBufferBaseSize the initial number of messages, or events,retained in the buffer

number

DestinationBufferExpandPercentage percentage of the actual buffer size that thebuffer expands when events continue to bepropagated after the buffer is full

number

DestinationBufferSizeLimit maximum allowed buffer sizeThe default value of 0 means the buffer sizeis unlimited. In practice, the size is limitedto 2^32-1, or to the available amount ofmemory.If the limit is set to a value lower thanDestinationBufferBaseSize, thebuffer will not expand beyondDestinationBufferBaseSize.

number

DestinationBuffer ReducePercentage minimum percentage of free buffer sizerequired to perform a reduction

number

DestinationBufferKeepSent a the time, in seconds, to keep sent eventsbuffered while waiting for an answer

number

Propagation parameters



DestinationBufferKeepWait The amount of time, in seconds, that eventsare retained in the buffer until they can besent.Once the specified time elapses, the retainedevents are removed from the buffer.

number

DestinationBufferReconnectInterval the time interval, in seconds, in which thecell attempts reconnection to a destination ifthe original connection failedThe cell continues to reestablish aconnection as long as there are events in thebuffer.

number

Destination BufferResendCount the number of times to resend unansweredevents

number

PropagateBufferBaseSize the number of requests for propagation toretain in the propagation bufferSuch a request corresponds to firing aPropagate rule. There is one propagatebuffer per cell with as many places forrequests as set by the parameter.

number

Propagate BufferExpandPercentage percentage of the actual buffer size that thebuffer expands when events continue to bepropagated after the buffer is full

number

PropagateBufferSizeLimit maximum allowed buffer sizeThe default value of 0 means the buffer sizeis unlimited. In practice, the size is limitedto 2^32-1, or to the available amount ofmemory.If the limit is set to a value lower thanPropagate BufferBaseSize, the bufferwill not expand beyond PropagateBufferBaseSize.

number

PropagateBuffer ReducePercentage minimum percentage of free buffer sizerequired to perform a reduction

number

PropagateConfigFileName the name of the propagation configurationfile

path

a Can also be used in the mclient.conf configuration file, which affects the behavior of all of the BMCImpact Solutions CLI commands. These parameters retain the same qualities and definitions in themclient.conf file as they have in the mcell.conf file.



Deprecated MessageBuffer propagation parameters

The MessageBuffer propagation parameters described in this section have beendeprecated, but are retained for backward compatibility with earlier versions ofBMC Impact Manager. These parameters may be removed in a later version of theproduct.

If one of the DestinationBuffer parameters is not specified, or if it does not containa default setting, the value of the corresponding MessageBuffer parameter is usedas default. If the corresponding MessageBuffer parameter is not specified, aninternal default value is used.

Table 122: Deprecated MessageBuffer propagation parameters



MessageBufferBaseSize the initial number ofmessages, or events,retained in the buffer

number

MessageBufferKeepSent a the time, in seconds, tokeep sent messagesbuffered while waiting foran answer

number

MessageBufferKeepWait The amount of time, inseconds, that messagesare retained in the bufferuntil they can be sent.Once the specified timeelapses, the retainedmessages are removedfrom the buffer.

number

MessageBufferReconnectInterval the time interval, inminutes, in which the cellattempts reconnection to adestination if the originalconnection failedThe cell continues toreestablish a connectionas long as there aremessages in the buffer.

number

MessageBufferResendCount the number of times toresend unansweredmessages

number




MessageBufferSize the number of messages,or events, retained in thebuffer when the cell isunable to send, or whenwaiting for an answer; amessage that is not sentbecause the destination isdown, for example, or amessage that was sent butnot yet answered, remainsin the bufferA cell maintains onebuffer for eachdestination. Such buffershave the same size, as setby the parameter.

number

PropagateBufferSize the number of requestsfor propagation to retainin the propagation bufferSuch a requestcorresponds to firing aPropagate rule. There isone propagate buffer percell with as many placesfor requests as set by theparameter.

number


Reporting client connection parametersThe following table lists the parameters that report on client operations on the cell.

Table 123: Reporting client connection parameters



ReportConnectClients reports connect and disconnect of clients string

ReportModifyClients reports modifications of events by clients string

Reporting client connection parameters


Service model parametersThe following table lists the parameters that control the service model.

Table 124: Service model parameters



ServiceModelEnabled specifies whether the cell is an Event Management cell or aService Impact Model cell.If ServiceModelEnabled=No, the cell operates as an EventManagement cell.If ServiceModelEnabled=Yes, the cell operates as a ServiceImpact Model cell, if the SIM class definitions are loaded.If these class definitions are not available, the cell operatesas an Event Management cell.Note: Do not try to configure a SIM cell unless you havethe proper license.

Boolean

ServiceModelPublish controls whether or not Service Model Data is publishedNote: If ServiceModelPublish is disabled, theServiceModelDirectFeed parameter has no impact. Inthis case, Service Model Data is always accepted throughdirect feed.

Boolean

ServiceModelDirectFeed when ServiceModelPublish is enabled,ServiceModelDirectFeed controls whether or notService Model Data is accepted through direct feed

Boolean

State Builder parametersThe running of the State Builder is controlled by the cell, using the parameters in themcell.conf file.

Table 125 on page 575 lists the StateBuilder parameters.

Table 125: State Builder parameters


Service model parameters


Parameter

Description

Type

StateBuildInterval

thetimeinterval,inseconds,betweentwobuildsofsavedstatesofthecell

number

State Builder parameters


Parameter

Description

Type

StateBuildSize

themaximumsize,inkilobytes,ofatransactionfilebeforeitistransformedintoanewsavedstatewhentheStateBuilderrunsagain.

IfBMCImpactManagerseemstobeconsumingtoomuchCPU,verifythatStateBuilderisnotrunningtoofrequently.Comparethetimestampsofthemcdb.*filesinthevardirectoryofthecell.Ifthetimebetweentwostatebuildsislessthan10minutes,increasetheStateBuildSizeparameter.

number



Parameter

Description

Type

StateBuildConfigFileName

theStateBuilderconfigurationfilename

path



Parameter

Description

Type

StateBuildAtTerminate

indicationtoruntheStateBuilderwhenthecellterminates

Boolean



Parameter

Description

Type

StateBuildRunTimeOut

thetimeout,inseconds,toconsiderwhenwaitingfortheStateBuildertoterminate

number



Trace parameters

Table 126: Cell tracing parameters



Trace a enables the generation of trace messages Boolean

TraceSrc includes the file and line number in the trace messages Boolean

TraceConfigFileName location of the file containing the configuration of the tracemessages

path

TraceDefaultFileName destination file to redirect trace messages from stderr to, incase the cell runs as a daemon or serviceNote: If you direct trace files to the temporary directory of thecell (for example, TraceDefaultFileName=%T/trace -%T=cell_tmp), the trace file will be removed each time the cellstarts because the cell always cleans up its tmp directory atstartup.To keep trace files across cell sessions, do not use the tmpdirectory as the default destination file location.

path

TraceRuleLevel sets the level of rule execution tracing:

■ 0—no rule tracing and no cell error catch (not recommended)

■ 1—no rule tracing; cell errors are caught in the standard celltrace (default)

■ 2—rule tracing enabled

number

TraceRulePhases When rule tracing is enabled, lists the rule phases to be traced.The value ALL can be used to specify that all phases are to betraced. Each phase can be prefixed with a + or a - sign toindicate addition or removal from the list. The list isinterpreted in sequential order.For example, the following parametersetting:TraceRulePhases=ALL,-refine,-regulateindicates that all rule phases will be traced except for therefine and regulate phases.NOTE: TraceRulePhases and TraceRuleName worktogether to determine which rules are traced. A rule is onlytraced if both the phase to which it belongs and the rule itselfare configured for tracing.

string

Trace parameters



TraceRuleNames When rule tracing is enabled, lists module:rule combinationsto be traced. The value ALL can be used to specify that allmodules and/or rules are to be traced. Each module:rulecombination can be prefixed with a + or a - sign to indicateaddition or removal from the list. The list is interpreted insequential order.For example, the following parametersetting:TraceRuleNames=HelpDesk:ALL, -HelpDesk:rule1,SendMail:rule1

indicates that all rules in the HelpDesk module will be tracedexcept for rule1. Also, rule1 from the SendMail modulewill be traced.NOTE: TraceRulePhases and TraceRuleNames worktogether to determine which rules are traced. A rule is onlytraced if both the phase to which it belongs and the rule itselfare configured for tracing.

string

TraceRuleHeader enables you to configure the header text of the trace messages.You can configure the header text to contain references toparameters, using the following designations to represent theassociated parameters:

■ %I — message id

■ %F — source file name

■ %L — source line number

■ %M — KB module name

■ %R — rule name

■ %P — rule phase

■ %H — handle of the main event being processed(event_handle slot)

■ %C — class name of the main event being processed

For example, the default parameter settingTraceRuleHeader=%F, %L: %P %R: %C #%H:results in a message similar to:mc_intevt.mrl, 42: newStbldStop: MC_CELL_STATBLD_STOP #118: Rule executionstarting

text

TraceRuleToXact indicates whether to include rule tracing in the transaction file,as well as in the standard cell trace, in module RULES

Boolean

Trace parameters



TraceFileSize limit on the size of a trace destination file, expressed in kilobytesWhen the trace file grows beyond the indicated size, it isrenamed with a numerical suffix appended. A new trace file isstarted.Special value 0 (the default) means no limitation on file size.

number

TraceFileHistory number of trace files to be kept in historyWhen this number is reached, a new numbered trace file willremove the oldest one.

number

TraceFileAppend indicates whether to append to existing trace files or emptyexisting trace files at startup

Boolean


Trace parameters


Trace parameters


Index

Aaction result event parameters

ActionResultInlineLimit 557ActionResultKeepPeriod 557

actionsresponding to an event 141, 143

administering remote cellsAdministration View (BIX) 511

Administration Viewcreating new data instance 399edit menu 401exporting data 402managing cells from 511Slot Quick Filter 396sort multiple columns 397sort, single-click 399

Advanced subtab 454alias 474alias formulas

conditional operators 303functions in 305

AllowAdapterFrom 564AllowBrowserFrom 564AllowCellFrom 564AllowCLIFrom 565AllowConnectionFrom 565AllowEIFFrom 565Atrium CMDB. See BMC Atrium CMDBAuto Bind cell connection property 28

Bblackout policy (standard), creating 308blackout policy, creating 309, 313, 318, 356BMC Atrium CMDB

integration 109viewing publication history 116viewing service model objects 115

BMC Impact Explorerremote cell administration 511using to monitor business services 449

BMC ProactiveNet Administration Consolechanging your password 31

BMC ProactiveNet Publishing Serverpublication filters 112viewing publication history 116viewing service model objects 115

BMC ProactiveNet ServerAuto Reconnect configuration parameter 30configuration parameters 29Enable Port Range configuration parameter 29Heartbeat Rate configuration parameter 29logging out of and in to from the

administration console 30setting connection properties 29

business servicesmonitoring in BMC Impact Explorer 449

Ccell configuration

creating files for specific cells 480cell connection properties

specifying ports 28used to connect to the BMC ProactiveNet

Server 25cell parameters

CellDescription 558CellOperationLevel 558CellOperationRelax 558ConnectionPortRange 558ConnectionPortReuse 559POMEnabled 559ProcessingLimitPercentage 559ServerAllInterfaces 560ServerDirectoryName 560ServerPort 560SystemLogDirName 560SystemTmpDirName 560SystemVarDirName 560

cell tracing parameters, list of 581

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Index 585

CellDescription 558CellErrorEvents 570CellEventEnable 570CellMetricsEnabled 570CellOperationLevel 558CellOperationRelax 558cells

heartbeats 570permissions required to start on UNIX 495production, described 475reconfiguring 494remote administration 511starting and stopping 494starting and stopping on UNIX 495starting and stopping on Windows 496starting or stopping on Windows 496starting with services 497stopping with mkill 496stopping with services 496test, described 475view information 512

CellTickInterval 570central ProactiveNet Server 223changing your BMC ProactiveNet Administration

Console password 31child ProactiveNet Server 223Class list box 453client configuration for passive connections 486client parameters 570

ClientCleanupInterval 562ClientPollTimeOut 562ClientSendTimeOut 562DateFormat 562SynchronizedTimeOut 562

ClientCleanupInterval 562ClientPollTimeOut 562ClientSendTimeOut 562closure policy, creating 322CMDB. See BMC Atrium CMDBcommands

mcell 495mkill 495, 496net start 497net stop 496

communication and encryptionAllowAdapterFrom 564AllowBrowserFrom 564AllowCellFrom 564AllowCLIFrom 565AllowConnectionFrom 565AllowEIFFrom 565encryption behavior 489ForceEncryption 489mcell.conf settings 488mcell.dir settings 489mclient.conf settings 489

component based enrichment policy 313component based enrichment policy, excluding

slots 317computer system CIs 117conditional operators in alias formulas 303configuration

BMC ProactiveNet Server 29configuration files

cell-specific, creating 480mcell.conf 477, 481mcell.propagate 481mcell.trace 504StateBuilder configuration 514

configuration parametersHeartbeatEnabled 567HeartbeatInterval 568HeartbeatMissedCritical 568HeartbeatMissedMinor 568HeartbeatMissedWarning 568

configuringclients for passive connections 486reloading cell configuration 494setting cell-specific configurations up 480StateBuilder 514

connectingcells in a protected zone 486

connecting to the BMC ProactiveNet Server,methods used 17

connection protocols, used to connect to the BMCProactiveNet Server 17

ConnectionPortRange 558ConnectionPortReuse 559console

dynamic data 399exporting data 402Slot Quick Filter 396sort data fields 397sort, single-click 399

consumer componentssearching for 455

correlation policy, creating 325



creatingconfiguration files

cell-specific 480Creating_event_correlation_policies 325

Ddata

creating new instance 399dynamic 399exporting 402sorting 397

DateFormat 562deleting

event alias associations 306deployment scenarios 474Direct, method used to connect to the BMC

ProactiveNet Server 17dynamic blackout policy, enabling 370dynamic data 399

model 568dynamic data enrichment policies

blackout 370creating new 357

dynamic enrichment policy, creating 373

EECF (event condition formula) 285edit menu 401editing

event alias associations 305Editing_slots 401EM cell

production 475test 475

encryptionbehavior 489mcell.conf settings 488mcell.dir settings 489mclient.conf settings 489

encryption key 489enrichment policy, creating 329error file

mcell.err 510escalation policy, creating 334establishing inbound connection in protected

environment 486evaluation order of policies 286event alias associations

deleting 306editing 305

event condition formula 285

event management policiesclosure 322component based enrichment 313correlation 325enabling and disabling 356escalation 334execution order 315notification 338propagation 342recurrence 344remote action policy 278, 347standard blackout 308suppression 347threshold 350timeout 354

event parametersEventAutoClose 565EventDBCleanupDurationLimit 565EventDBCleanupInterval 565EventDBCleanuponDateReception 566EventDBCleanupPercentage 565EventDBCleanupPreferClosed 566EventDBKeepClosed 566EventDBKeepNonClosed 566EventDBNoCleanupClosed 566EventDBNoCleanupNoCleanupNonClosed 567EventDBSize 566repository cleanup 565

event policyevaluation order 286types of 278

event propagationenabling 483illustrated 483

event repositorycleanup parameters 565

event selectorsdefined 283, 297groups 284maximum number 284

EventAutoClose 565EventDBCleanupDurationLimit 565EventDBCleanupInterval 565EventDBCleanupOnDateReception 566EventDBCleanupPercentage 565EventDBCleanupPreferClosed 566EventDBKeepClosed 566EventDBKeepNonClosed 566EventDBNoCleanupClosed 566EventDBNoCleanupNonClosed 567EventDBSize 566


Index 587

eventsexporting to a flat file 521propagating using a gateway 481responding with an action 141, 143

events, sorting 397ExportConfigFileName 514ExportDiscarded 514exporting

event data from mcdb by StateBuilder 514events to a flat file 521

exporting data 402ExportTriggerArguments 514ExportTriggerProgram 514external data sources 288

Ffiles

gateway.export 514, 521, 522mcdb state 513mcell.conf 481mcell.err error 510mcell.modify 487mcell.propagate 481mcell.trace 504propagation configuration 481statbld.conf 513, 521statbld.exe 513statbld.trace 514, 523StateBuilder configuration 514trace configuration 504xact transaction 514

filtering publications 112Find Service Components box 453finding service components to view 453ForceEncryption 489functions

in alias formulas 305

Ggateway 481gateway configuration 515gateway.export file 514, 521, 522General subtab 454Global Services

group 453

HHeartbeatEnabled parameter 567HeartbeatInterval parameter 568

HeartbeatMissedCritical parameter 568HeartbeatMissedMinor parameter 568HeartbeatMissedWarning parameter 568heartbeats, cell 570HTTP Tunnel, method used to connect to the BMC

ProactiveNet Server 17

Iicons

Refresh 459Impact/Cause View

illustrated 450opening 450

Index Term 132, 187, 188, 238, 239, 277, 393, 413,470–474

integrating with BMC Atrium CMDB 109

KKBDirName 570KBDirName parameter 570KBRecoveryDirName parameter 570Knowledge Bases

KBDirName 570parameters

KBRecovery 570

Llaunching the administration console

configuring cell connection properties to theserver 25

connection protocols used 18on Solaris 20on Windows 18using multiple consoles on Windows

computers 19using the Search function 21

lazy loading 188

Mmcdb state file 513mcell command 495mcell.conf file

parameter rules 477path substitution parameters 478specifying paths 478



mcell.dir fileconfiguring clients for passive connections 486description and usage 484example file 485format of entries 484keywords for entries 485rules applied to entries 485

mcell.err file 510mcell.modify file 487mcell.propagate file 481

default options 482usage 481

mcell.trace file 504menu, editing 401message buffer parameters

MessageBufferKeepSent 571, 573MessageBufferKeepWait 572, 573MessageBufferReconnectIntervalparameters

MessageBufferReconnectInterval 572,573

MessageBufferResendCount 572, 573MessageBufferSize 570, 573, 574

MessageBufferKeepSent 571, 573MessageBufferKeepWait 572, 573MessageBufferReconnectInterval 572, 573MessageBufferResendCount 572, 573MessageBufferSize 570, 573, 574methods used to connect to the BMC ProactiveNet

Server, Direct 17methods used to connect to the BMC ProactiveNet

Server, HTTP Tunnel 17mkill command 495, 496monitor to CI alias 474monitoring

business services in BMC Impact Explorer 449monitoring passive connections 487multiple ProactiveNet Server deployment 223My Services group 452

NName contains text box 453navigation pane

using to view service components 451navigation tree, improving performance 188new data instance, creating 399notification policy, creating 338

Oopening Impact/Cause Views 450originating ProactiveNet Server 223

Pparameters

ActionResultInlineLimit 557ActionResultKeepPeriod 557client 570HeartbeatEnabled 567HeartbeatInveral 568HeartbeatMissedCritical 568HeartbeatMissedMinor 568HeartbeatMissedWarning 568KBRecovery 570Server 570state 570trace, list of 581tracing, configuring 508

passive connections 486client configuration 486monitoring 487

password, changing for the BMC ProactiveNetAdministration Console 31

permissionsconsiderations for root user 495


Index 589

policiesBlackout 308, 356Closure 322component based enrichment 313Correlation 325creating new dynamic data enrichment 357dynamic data enrichment blackout 370Dynamic Enrichment 373enabling dynamic data enrichment dynamic

data enrichment policiesenabling out-of-the-box 369

enabling standard out-of-the-box 356Enrichment 329Escalation 334evaluation order 286new closure 322new correlation 325new escalation 334new notification 338new propagation 342new recurrence 344new standard blackout 308new suppression 347new threshold 350new timeout 354Notification 338Propagation 342Recurrence 344Suppression 347Threshold 350Timeout 354

policy type, user-definedcreating presentation names for 409creating processing rules for 410creating, task overview 407defining policy data class for 407

presentation namesdefining for a new policy type 409

ProcessingLimitPercentage 479, 559production cells

described 475profile types used in the administration console

Admin profile 32User profile 32

pronet.conf 183PropagateBufferSize 572, 574PropagateConfigFileName 572Propagates Priority check box 453propagating

events using a gateway 481propagation configuration file, mcell propagate 481propagation parameters

PropagateBufferSize 572, 574PropagateConfigFileName 572

propagation policy, creating 342protected environments

client configuration for passive connections 486monitoring passive connections 487

protected zone, connecting cells in 486provider components

searching for 455publication filters 112publication history

viewing 116publishing server

computer system CIs 117

Rreconfiguring

cell files for 494recurrence policy, creating 344Refresh icon 459Related Components subtab

described 454illustrated 455searching for provider and consumer service

components 455remote actions

accessing results of 141, 143responding to event 141, 143

remote executionpolicy 138Remote Action Policy dialog box 123, 127Remote Action Policy window 122, 140troubleshooting 147

resultsof a remote action 141, 143

Results list 453return codes

statbld 515root permissions

considerations 495rule phases 286RuleLoopDetect 570

SSchedule subtab 454searching

for provider or consumer components 455for service components to view 453



server parameters 570CellErrorEvents 570CellEventEnable 570CellMetricstEnabled 570CellTickInterval 570ConnectionPortRange 558ConnectionPortReuse 559ProcessingLimitPercentage 479, 559RuleLoopDetect 570ServerDirectoryName 560ServerPort 560

ServerAllInterfaces 560ServerDirectoryName 560ServerPort 560service component

viewing SLM agreements for 456service components

accessing through navigation pane 451finding to view 453searching for providers 455viewing information about 454

service model objectsviewing 115

servicesstarting cells with 497stopping cells with 496

Services Group tab 452Services View

overview 449subtabs 454

settingcell-specific configuration up 480

SIM cellproduction 475test 475

SLMviewing agreements for a component 456

SLM subtab (Services View details) 454Slot Quick Filter 396sorting 397, 399starting cells

UNIX platforms 495using mcell 494Windows 496with net start 497with services 496, 497

statbld return codes 515statbld.conf file 513, 521statbld.exe file 513statbld.trace file 514, 523

state configuration parameters 570ExportConfigFileName 514ExportDiscarded 514ExportTriggerArguments 514ExportTriggerProgram 514StateHistoryCount 515

state parameters 570statbld.conf 578StateBuildAtTerminate 579StateBuildInterval 576StateBuildRunTimeOut 580StateBuildSize 577

StateBuildAtTerminate 579StateBuildConfigFileName 578StateBuilder 513

configuration parameters for event data export514

StateBuildInterval 576StateBuildRunTimeOut 580StateBuildSize 577StateHistoryCount 515stopping cells

on Windows 496UNIX platforms 495using the mkill command 496with mkill 494with net stop 496with services 496

subtabsAdvanced 454General 454in Services View 454Related Components 454Schedule 454

suppression policy, creating 347SynchronizedTimeOut 562SystemLogDirName parameter

described 560used to specify log and trace file directories 495

SystemTmpDirName parameterdescribed 560used to specify trace and log file directories 495

SystemVarDirName parameterdescribed 560

Ttest cells

described 475threshold policy, creating 350timeframes

creating 289timeout policy, creating 354


Index 591

toolbarin dynamic data editor 396

trace configuration file 504configuring 504parameters 504

Trace parameter 581trace parameters

list of 581trace, disable encryption to 491TraceConfigFileName parameter 581TraceDefaultFileName parameter 581TraceFileAppend parameter 583TraceFileHistory parameter 583TraceFileSize parameter 583TraceRuleLevel parameter 581TraceRuleToXact parameter 582TraceSrc parameter 581tracing parameters

configuring 508Trace 581TraceConfigFileName 581TraceDefaultFileName 581TraceFileAppend 583TraceFileHistory 583TraceFileSize 583TraceRuleLevel 581TraceRuleToXact 582TraceSrc 581

UUNIX

permissions required to start cells 495root user permissions 495starting cells 495stopping cells 495

Vview switching, enabling 189viewing

service component information 454service components with find 453

viewing publication history 116viewing service model objects 115views, changing automatically in the operations

console 189

WWindows

starting a cell with services 497starting cells 496starting cells with net start 497stopping a cell with mkill command 496stopping a cell with services 496stopping cells 496stopping cells with net stop 496stopping with mkill 496

Xxact transaction file 514



49532*196906 *