HP OVO JavaOperatorGuide-1

8/10/2019 HP OVO JavaOperatorGuide-1

1/459


2/459


3/459


4/459


5/459


6/459


7/459


8/459


9/459


10/459


11/459


12/459


13/459


14/459


15/459


16/459


17/459


18/459


19/459


20/459


21/459


22/459


23/459


24/459


25/459


26/459


27/459


28/459


29/459


30/459


31/459


32/459


33/459


34/459


35/459


36/459


37/459


38/459


39/459


40/459


41/459


42/459


43/459


44/459


45/459


46/459


47/459


48/459


49/459


50/459


51/459


52/459


53/459


54/459


55/459


56/459


57/459


58/459


59/459


60/459


61/459


62/459


63/459


64/459


65/459


66/459


67/459


68/459


69/459


70/459


71/459


72/459


73/459


74/459


75/459


76/459


77/459


78/459


79/459


80/459


81/459


82/459


83/459


84/459


85/459


86/459


87/459


88/459


89/459


90/459


91/459


92/459


93/459


94/459


95/459


96/459


97/459


98/459


99/459


100/459


101/459


102/459


103/459


104/459


105/459


106/459


107/459


108/459


109/459


110/459


111/459


112/459


113/459


114/459


115/459


116/459


117/459


118/459


119/459


120/459


121/459


122/459


123/459


124/459

About Daily TasksSolving Problems in Your Environment

Typically, operator instructions do the following:

Describe Automatic Action

Describe a n a ut omat ic a ction. For deta ils, see Reviewing a ndRerunnin g Aut omat ic Actions on page 122 .

Describe Operator-initiated Action

G ive deta ils of how you should perform a n opera tor-initia ted a ction.For det a ils, see St a rt ing and Reviewing Opera tor-init iat ed Actionson page 123 .


125/459

Chapter 1 125

p g

Describe StepsDescribe any m a nua l steps required for solving a problem (forexam ple, S ta rt Applica tion X in t he Applica tion D esktop).

In th e at tr ibute column I of the messa ge brow ser hea dline, you see a n X for each message w ith w rit t en instructions.

The VPO a dministra tor can a lso use the instruction text int erface to ca llan externa l a pplicat ion t o present you with a message. The wa y you viewth ese messa ges varies, depending on th e externa l applicat ion used by theVPO a dminist ra tor. The applica tion ma y use either one of its ownwindows or a window in the Ja va G UI .


Starting and Customizing Applications

Applications ar e scripts or programs t hat have been integrat ed into VP O.

The VP O a dministra tor f irst exam ines your environment, t hendetermines w hich a pplications you need t o maint a in i t . E a ch a pplicationha s predefined sta rtup a tt r ibutes, including a l ist of th e mana ged nodesfor individua l operat ors.

Applicat ions ca n a lso be progra ms or services run ning in t heenvironment (for exa mple, the U NIX lp print spooler progra m). Youcould be responsible for controlling t he st a tus of the lp spooler an d its


126/459

Chapter 1126

p g p pperiphera ls. To maint a in th e print services, you respond t o messag esissued by the lp spooler, a nd send cont rolling comma nds, such a senable . Controll ing programs w ithin your environment m eans t ha t youha ve access to the correct comma nds a nd t he user login capa bilities.

Starting Applications

As a n opera tor, you ca n st a rt a pplications t o resolve unsuccessfulautomatic or operator-initiated actions, or messages for which an action

ha s not been configured

NOTE You should have a thorough understan ding of the event an d messagebefore sta rt ing a n a pplica tion to resolve a problem.

You ca n st a rt a pplicat ions from one of th ree locat ions:

Shortcut Bar

You ca n st a rt a pplica tions from nodes, a pplicat ions, a nd services inthe shortcut bar.

Object Pane

You ca n st a rt a pplica tions from nodes, a pplica t ions, a nd services inth e object pan e.

Message Browser

You ca n st a rt a pplicat ions from popup menus on messages in t hemessa ge browser.


NOTE If Van ta gePoint Naviga tor is insta lled, applications can a lso be sta rtedon services. This includes general a pplica tions th a t a re ava ilable in VP Oa s w ell a s service-specific a pplica tions t ha t h a ve been set up especia llyfor services.

Customizing Applications

If th e VP O a dministra tor ha s set up t he correct permissions you can


127/459

Chapter 1 127

If th e VP O a dministra tor ha s set up t he correct permissions, you can

cha nge many of the sta rtup a tt r ibutes of an a pplica tion using theStart

Customized Application w izard , a s shown in Figure 1-55 .

Figure 1-55 Start Customized Application Wizard (Step 2 of 3)

For exam ple, you ca n cha nge th e nodes on which a n a pplicat ion issta rted, the user na me, or a ddit iona l call para meters. The only i tem tha tcannot be cha nged is t he a pplica tion call its elf. To find out how y ou ca nuse message var iables to pass part s of the message as par am eters to thea pplica tion call, see Adding VPO Va ria bles on page 128 .


Adding VPO Variables

All message a tt r ibutes, including custom message a tt r ibutes, a re

varia bles tha t can be used in a pplica tions and a re exchanged for th eirva lues at a pplicat ion la unch time. For exa mple, you can w riteapplications tha t depend on specific a tt r ibutes. Then th e a tt r ibutes ar egiven a s para meters to the a pplicat ion.

Fig ur e 1-56 shows how t o add VP O variables as para meters in the StartCustomized Application wizard .


128/459

Chapter 1128

Figure 1-56 Start Customized Application Wizard (Step 3 of 3)


Broadcasting Commands

You ca n st a rt corrective actions simult a neously on mu ltiple nodes by

broadca stin g a comma nd. You specify the comma nd you wa nt t obroadcast, and select the nodes within your environment on which youwa nt t o start the comma nd. You can also use this capabil i ty toinvestiga te problems (for example, by issuing t he ps -ef comma nd t o allspecified nodes to check the number of currently running processes).

Star t ing the Broadcast a ppl ica t ion a lways s ta r ts the w izard .


129/459

Chapter 1 129

NOTE The Broadcast a pplica tion ma y not be ava ilable to you by defau lt. TheVP O a dministra tor ma y ha ve to assign i t t o you specifically.

When you broa dcast a comma nd, y ou specify t he comma nd once. Thecomma nd is t hen sent to mult iple nodes to help you to perform globalta sks quickly an d easily. Although VP O does not limit t he length of thecomma nd t o be broadca st , if the comma nd is longer tha n th e maximumlength supported on the target syst em, the tar get system will truncat e it .

Figure 1-57 shows t he last st ep in completing t he broadcast comma ndwizard.

Figure 1-57 Completing the Broadcast Command Wizard


VP O saves the most recent commands a nd a llows the user to reuse them.The broadca st comma nd hist ory is limited by default t o 128 entr ies peropera tor, al th ough this value may be cha nged by sett ing t he varia ble

$OPC_BRC_HISTSIZE . When you exit or update the G UI , the comma ndhistory is sa ved in the file .opc_brc_history in your h ome directory.The previous cont ents of t he file are overwr itt en.

To retrieve the comma nds fr om the comma nd h istory, you click the a rrowin the Command call , as shown in Figure 1-57 .

The output of a broadca st comma nd is displa yed in the CorrectiveActions w orkspace as application output


130/459

Chapter 1130

Actions w orkspace as application output.

Accessing a Terminal

You ca n w ork directly on nodes report ing problems by opening a virt ua lterm ina l (w indow) on the node. U sing th is window, you ca n investiga teproblems, issue comma nds or scripts, or st a rt a pplicat ions.

NOTE A virtua l terminal a pplica tion may not be ava ilable by default . The VP Oadm inistra tor ha s t o configure one ma nua lly.

You ca n use a virtual t erminal to a ccess many of the ma na ged nodeswit hin your environment. The VPO a dministra tor can configure adefault user nam e and passw ord, so you dont ha ve to enter t heinforma tion. St ar t t he virtua l terminal a pplication on th e nodes whereyou wan t to issue comma nd or review st a tus. A termina l window opensin the Corrective Actions w orkspace. U se this w indow to issuecomma nds or review st a tus. Without leaving your J ava G U I, you ca naccess a ny n ode wit hin your environment, perform ta sks a nd controls,an d st a rt corrective a ctions.

Escalating Messages

Messa ge escala tion is not part of th e defa ult VPO configurat ion. If y ourVP O a dministra tor ha s configured message escala tion, you can escalat emessa ges you yourself cannot solve. Tha t is, you can send a messa ge toan other ma na gement server m ore capa ble of ha ndling the problem.

About Daily TasksDocumenting Solutions in Your Environment

Documenting Solutions in Your EnvironmentAfter y ou have completed w ork on a messa ge, you document y our effortsa nd remove th e messag e from th e active messag e brows er, filtered a ctivemessa ge brows er, or filter ed pending m essa ges brow ser. To do this, youuse message an notat ions t o record how a problem w as resolved, a nd t henacknowledge the message t o remove i t from the current w ork a rea,storing it in the history dat aba se.

This section includes t he following informa tion t o help you un dersta nd


131/459

Chapter 1 131

This section includes t he following informa tion t o help you un dersta ndhow t o document s olut ions:

Annotating Messages

Explains how to ad d quick summa ries to a m essage.

Printing Messages

Explains how t o print message, message deta ils , and applicationoutput.

Acknowledging Messages

Expla ins how t o move messa ges from th e active message browser,filtered active messa ge browser, or filtered pending messa ges browserto the his tory da ta base.


Annotating Messages

Annotat ing a message is similar t o adding a short note of explana tion to

a business contra ct . Message a nnotat ion quickly summa rizes theimporta nt points of the message. I t can serve as a reference the next t imeyou receive th e same messa ge.

About Annotations

Message a nnotat ions generally contain the following informa tion:

Action performed to resolve the problem


132/459

Chapter 1132

Action performed to resolve the problem

Nam e of the user who sta rted th e action

St a tus informa tion of th e action performed (stdout, st derr)

St a rt a nd finish t imes for the a ction

Any pre- a nd post-a ction informa tion

Any message a tt r ibutes cha nged

Any d uplica tes of the messa ge found

Adding Annotations

You ca n a lso use ann ota tions t o record difficulties you encounteredsolving th e problem, verba l or w ritt en instr uctions you received aboutth e problem, communicat ions sent to users or groups affected by t heproblem, an d so on. For exam ple, if you a re a t th e end of your shift, but a

part icular problem is not y et resolved, you can leave a n a nnotat edmessa ge for your colleagues.


The Annotations ta b in the Message Properties dialog box conta ins a llan notat ions related t o a single message, as shown in Figure 1-58 .

Figure1-58 Adding a New Annotation


133/459

Chapter 1 133


Reviewing Annotations

Like a note of expla na tion, a message a nnotat ion serves as a resource forsolving problems. You ca n review t he messa ge a nnota tions for a record ofprevious actions used to solve the problem. This includes, for example,compa ring previous a ction exit va lues with current ones, or reviewingcaut ions or wa rning s relat ed to the proposed action. You ca n a dd yourown a nnota tions, or even delete t hem if they a re no longer needed orcorrect.

The VP O a dministra tor can use message a nnotat ions a s a record ofevents t ha t describe resolution techniques, times, an d resources. In


134/459

Chapter 1134

addition, the VP O administra tor ca n use message annota tions a s a ba sisfor developing instr uctional t ext a nd preconfigured a ctions for messa ges.

Printing Messages

VPO ena bles you to print t he follow ing:

Messages

Message Details

Applica t ion Output


Acknowledging Messages

Acknow ledging a messa ge is similar t o filing (or storing) a bill a fter y ou

have paid i t . You wan t to reta in a copy of the t ra nsaction to verify youha ve pa id the bill, a nd a s a r eference to compare w ith fut ure bills. Afteryou have finished w orking w ith a message you remove i t from yourdesktop and file it aw a y for futu re reference.

About Acknowledgements

Typica lly, you a cknow ledge a messa ge for one of the follow ing r easons:


135/459

Chapter 1 135

Resolved ProblemsYou have finished work on the messa ge an d resolved all relat edproblems.

Duplicate Messages

You have an other messa ge in your message browsers describing thesam e event.

Irrelevant MessagesYou no longer n eed the m essag e (for example, if the messa ge ha s lowseverity a nd requ ires no a ction).

Acknow ledging a m essag e moves it from the a ctive message browser,filtered active messa ge browser, or filtered pending messa ges browser t othe h istory dat aba se. Also, t he sta tus of the corresponding messag egroup and n ode ma y chang e depending on th e highest priority of theremaining m essages.

NOTE A problem is not r esolved by a cknowledging t he messa ge. You shouldreview th e results of your corrective act ions t o ensur e tha t t he problemha s been resolved before a cknow ledging th e messa ge. For deta ils, seeSolving P roblems in Your Environment on page 117 .


Automatic Acknowledgments from the Administrator

The VPO a dministra tor can configure an aut omat ic acknowledgment formessages with either automatic or operator-initiated actions. When theact ion for a message w i th an automat ic ac t ion a nd a n a utomat ica cknow ledgment is successfully completed, th e message is sent directlyto the history da ta base. The message disappear s from the messagebrowsers, without your intervention. You can review automaticallya cknow ledged messages using th e filtered history messa ge browser.

Automatic Acknowledgments from VPO


136/459

Chapter 1136

Messages can be acknowledged automatically by succeeding messages ifVP O esta blishes a r ela tionship betw een th em:

Problem Deteriorating

Succeeding messa ges report a deteriorat ion of the origina l problem(for exa mple, the a mount of free disk space ha s r educed even m ore).

Problem Solved

Origina l problem ha s been solved (for example, the a pplicat ion isrunning aga in).

Reviewing Acknowledgments

Messa ges tha t have been a cknowledged ar e stored in th e historydat a base. You ca n r eview these messages using the fi l tered historymessa ge browser. For d eta ils, see Investigat ing Message Histories on

page 114 .You ca n a lso move a cknowledged messa ges back to the a ctive messag ebrowser by una cknowledging th em. After una cknowledging a message,you ca n continue w orking w ith i t .

About Daily TasksCustomizing Your Environment

Customizing Your EnvironmentYou can customize your VPO environment a s follows:

Customizing the J ava GUI

Cha nging Operator Pa sswords

Loading the Default C onfigurat ion

Changing the Refresh Interval


137/459

Chapter 1 137

Sa ving Console Sett ings

Cha nging the Look and Feel of the J ava G UI

Showing a nd H iding the Posit ion C ontrols

Moving Pa nes and Areas

Showing and H iding Pa nes and Areas

Customizing the Shor tcut B ar

Ch oosing a Web B rowser

Customizing Popup Menus

Cust omizing Message E vent Notificat ion

Customizing Message Browsers

Sett ing Up Fil tered Message Browsers Sa ving and Reusing Filter Sett ings

Sa ving Filters t o the Object P an e

Accessing Quick Filter s

Adding Message Br owser Tabs in t he B rowser Pa ne

Sw itching Message Colors to a n E ntire Line

Cust omizing the Message B rowser Columns

Showing a nd Hiding Messag e B rowser Columns

Sa ving the Customized Messa ge Browser La yout


Changing Operator Passwords

VPO ena bles you to cha nge your login passw ord from t he ChangeOperator Password dialog box, as sh own in Figure 1-59 .

Figure 1-59 Change Operator Password Dialog Box


138/459

Chapter 1138

You can a ccess t his dia log box from t he File: Change Password in themenu bar. Once the informa tion is sent t o the ma na gement server a ndupdated in t he dat aba se, you receive a system messa ge confirming thepassw ord cha nge.

NOTE Only th e passw ord for th e current ly logged-in opera tor can be chan ged.


Loading the Default Configuration

The J ava G U I comes with a sta nda rd set of defaults . These defaults a renormally changed by your VPO a dministra tor. As a result , the first t imeyou login to the VPO J ava G U I, you receive a set of default component s,provided by your VPO administrator.

As a n operat or, you can one or both of the following:

Save Console Session Settings

If you customize the J ava G U I (for example, adding U RL shortcuts tothe shortcut ba r, moving panes or a reas, a dding fi ltered messageb d ) h h b l i Fil


139/459

Chapter 1 139

browsers, a nd so on), you ca n sa ve these cha nges by selecting File:Save Console Session Settings from th e menu ba r. The next t imeyou log on t o the J ava G U I, you will see these cha nges, w hich overrideth e defa ult configura tion originally provided by your VP Oa dministra tor. You ca n customize the J ava G U I a nd save yourchang es as often as y ou like.

Reload Assigned Defaults

If you ma ke a ma jor mista ke when customizing the J ava G U I (forexam ple, unint entiona lly deleting t he browser pan e), you ca n restorethe defaults originally provided by your VP O a dministra tors byselecting File: Reload Assigned Defaults from th e menu ba r.

CAUTION If you reloa d a ssigned default s, you lose all chang es you ma de to the

J ava G UI a nd saved wi th the File: Save Console SessionSettings option. Tha t is, your cha nges ar e overwr itt en by thedefault s origina lly a ssigned to you by your VP O a dministra tor.


Operator Defaults Assigned by the System

Figure 1-60 shows the operat or defa ults a ssigned by the system.

Figure 1-60 System-defined Defaults for Operators


140/459

Chapter 1140


The J ava G U I provides opera tors w ith t he following system defaults:

Movable Panes

Main window contains four visible movable panes: Shortcut bar (top lef t )

Object pa ne (top center)

Workspace pa ne (top right)

B rowser pane (bot t om)

B y default , t he movable pane is disabled.


141/459

Chapter 1 141

Shortcut Bar

In t he shortcut bar, the following shortcut groups a ppear a s menuitems:

Nodes

Sh ortcuts for every first -level node element

Services (if there ar e any s ervices ava ilable)

Sh ortcuts for every first -level service

Fi lter Sett i ngs (empty by defa ult)

Sh ortcuts for global (a dminist ra tor) a nd personal (operat or) filtersett ings.

U RL Shor tcuts

Includes the OpenView Home URL shortcut:

http://www.openview.com


Workspace Pane

In th e workspa ce pa ne, the following non-ActiveX workspaces ar ecreat ed, in the follow ing order:

1. Message Dashboard (default w orkspace)

In the Message Dashboard workspa ce, thr ee messa ge brow ser fora ll active messages a re opened with t he vertically tiled positionsan d t he following content types:

H is t or y ch a r t (s t a ckin g a r ea )

B a r cha rt (3D )


142/459

Chapter 1142

P ie cha rt (3D )

For details, see About t he Messa ge Da shboar d Workspace onpa g e 54 .

2. Services (if any services are ava ilable)

In the Services w orkspace, a service gra ph for all first -level

services is opened. For det a ils, see About th e S ervices Workspa ceon page 54 .

3. Diagnostic Dashboard

In the Diagnostic Dashboard w orkspace, other OpenViewa pplications tha t int egrat e with VP O ar e displayed. For deta ils ,see About the Dia gnostic Da shboar d Workspace on pa ge 55 .

4. Corrective Actions

In the Corrective Actions workspace, you can m aint ain acurrent and accurate overview of the computing environment byreviewing t he sta tus a nd results of actions. For deta ils, see Aboutth e Corrective Actions Workspace on page 56 .

Browser Pane

In t he browser pa ne, a message browser for a l l active messages

opened wit h t he cont ent t ype of Message Table is opened. For deta ils,see About t he Browser Pa ne on page 61 .


Operator Defaults Assigned by the VPO Administrator

The VPO a dministra tor can define default sta rtup behaviors for opera torareas of the J ava G UI wi th t wo applicat ion groups:

Shortcuts

The VP O adm inistrat or can creat e new a pplication groups tha t a rea dded individually a t t he end of the shortcut ba r. These applica tiongroups can conta in a ny kind of a pplicat ion. The sa me tr ee level foundunder the shortcuts a pplicat ion group is added t o the shortcut bar, asshown in Ta ble 1-1 .

Workspaces


143/459

Chapter 1 143

WorkspacesThe VP O adm inistrat or can creat e new a pplication groups tha t a readded individually a fter exist ing default workspaces in t he w orkspacepan e. These applica tion groups can conta in a ny kind of a pplicat ion.All applications found in the second level of the Workspaces application group are then started accordingly to the previouslycreat ed w orkspace pane w orkspaces. All opened applica tions in t hew orkspaces are t iled vert ica lly.

B eca use the default conta iner type for w orkspa ces is not Activ eX, youcannot use a Microsoft I nternet Explorer w eb browser in defau ltworkspaces. If you wa nt to use Internet Explorer, you must creat e anew w orkspace w ith t he ActiveX cont a iner type.

To avoid duplica t ion, VPO does n ot a dd i tems that a l ready exis t on thelevel to which you try to add t hem. Once the VP O a dministra tor a ddsnew shortcuts and workspaces for applications, the applications underShortcuts and Workspaces behave like a ny other a pplica tion in theobject pa ne. The a pplica tions a re a lwa ys opened in t he currently s electedworkspace.

Table 1-1 Object Tree I tems as Shortcuts

Object Pane Shortcut BarApplication Group Shortcut Group

Application Shortcut


NOTE VP O adm inistra tors can a ssign a set of shortcuts or workspaces to anindividual operat or, a group of operat ors, or a ll operat ors.

Changing the Refresh Interval

Choosing View: Refresh in the menu ba r updat es the node stat us,message group sta tus, brow ser sta tus summ a ry l ine, a l l messages in themessage browser, and the service sta tus. By default , the J ava G U I

aut omatically refreshes a t the preset interva l of 30 seconds. If you wa nt,o ca n choose Edit P f in the men ba r then modif this


144/459

Chapter 1144

y p yyou ca n choose Edit: Preferences in the menu ba r, then modify thisinterval in the Preference dia log box. H owever, if you ma ke the r efreshinterval too a la rge, you ma y not be immediat ely informed of a ny st at uschanges.

NOTE You can a lso reload your configurat ion if your VP O a dministra tor ha s

chang ed your responsibilities, ma na ged nodes, or a pplica tions. Reloa dingis done man ua lly. The refresh int erva l is only used for retr ieving thelat est messages or service sta tus.


Saving Console Settings

You can store any customiza tions you ma de in a J ava G U I session bychoosing File: Save Console Session Settings in th e menu bar, asshown in Figure 1-61 .

Figure 1-61 Save Console Session Settings Menu Item


145/459

Chapter 1 145

The next t ime you s ta r t t he J ava G UI , the s tored se t t ings are read a ndrestored in the J ava G U I. For example, you could add a few U RLshortcut s to the shortcut ba r, reverse th e positions of the shortcut ba ran d w orkspace pan e, a nd a dd a few fi ltered message browsers to thebrowser pa ne. If you save these cha nges, they appear t he next t ime youlogin to the J ava G U I.


You can sa ve th e follow ing console session set tings :

Position Controls

Position an d visibility of moveable area sShortcut Bar

Posi t ion and v is ib il ity of bu t tons and shor tcu t s

N a m es a n d loca t i on s of U R L s hor t cu t s

Workspace Pane

Workspace names, descr ipt ions , posit ions , and so onFi lt t l d i t i f b


146/459

Chapter 1146

Fi lters , s ty les , and posi t ions of open message browsers

Posi t ions of open URL appl ica t ions

Posi t ions of open se rv ice g raphs

Web br ow s er a n d pr oxy s et t i ng s

Browser Pane

Ta b na mes, descriptions, positions, a nd so on

Message Browser Toolbar

Visibility in t oolbar, workspaces, and brow ser pan e

VPO console session settings a re stored in a bina ry file ca lledHP_OV_consoleSettings_ mgmtServerName _ operator , wh ich is storedlocally on your syst em:

Windows 98

C:\Windows\Profiles\< user >

Windows 2000

C:\Documents and Settings\< user >

Windows NT

C:\WINNT\Profiles\< user >

UNIX

/home/


Changing the Look and Feel of the J ava GUI

You ca n cha nge th e look a nd feel of th e J a va G U I by choosing Edit:Preferences in th e menu bar.

From the Preferences dialog box, you can select one of the followinglook-and-feel options:

Metal

Motif

Windows


147/459

Chapter 1 147

NOTE You cannot use the Windows look and feel on a U NIX syst em.


Showing and Hiding the Position Controls

The posit ion contr ols a re th e narr ow ba nd of horizonta l a rrows nea r t hetop of the J a va G UI th at enable you t o move the shortcut ba r, objectpane, an d browser pane horizonta lly. If you do not wa nt to use theposition cont rols, you can hide th em by d eselecting View: PositionControls from th e menu ba r. Likewise, if the posit ion controls a realready hidden, you can ma ke them visible aga in by selecting View:Position Controls from the menu ba r.

Fig ur e 1-62 shows h ow t o ena ble the position cont rols from t he menu ba r.

Figure 1-62 Enabling the Position Controls


148/459

Chapter 1148


Moving Panes and Areas

You can use t he position cont rols to move th e shortcut ba r, object pan e,an d w orkspace pane horizontally, a s shown in Figure 1-63 .

Figure 1-63 Moving the Workspace Pane: Before


149/459

Chapter 1 149


150/459


Showing and Hiding Panes and Areas

VP O enables you to show or hide the following part s of the J ava G U I:

Shortcut barObject pa ne

B rowser pane

If you wa nt to hide the browser pane, simply remove all messagebrowsers from th e browser pan e. You ca nnot h ide the workspa ce pan e.

Figure 1-65 shows how t o ena ble the shortcut bar by selecting View:

Shortcut Bar in the menu ba r.


151/459

Chapter 1 151

Figure 1-65 Enabling the Shortcut Bar and Object Pane


Figure 1-66 shows how to disable the shortcut bar by deselecting View:Shortcut Bar in the menu ba r.

Figure1-66 Disabling the Shortcut Bar


152/459

Chapter 1152


Figure 1-67 shows how the VPO G U I a ppears a fter you have selectedDelete from the popup menu on a ll brow ser ta bs in the browser pa ne.

Figure1-67 Disabled Browser Pane


153/459

Chapter 1 153


Customizing the Shortcut Bar

You ca n customize the short cut ba r a s follow s:

Switch the Shortcut Bar On and Off Sw itch the shortcut ba r on or off from t he View menu in t he menu bar.

Add Object Pane Items

Add selected object pa ne items t o the short cut ba r by selecting Add toShortcut Bar from t he popup menu in t he object pa ne.

Customize Shortcut Groups

Add, rena me or delete short cut groups from th e popup menu in t heshortcut bar.


154/459

Chapter 1154

Customize Shortcuts

Add, rena me, or delete shortcuts from t he popup menu in the short cutbar.

Customize Icon Size

Cu stomize the size of th e icons in the shortcut ba r from the General ta b of the Preferences dialog box.

To sta rt or customize a shortcut, you right -click t he short cut icon, t henselect a n item from th e popup menu.

Choosing a Web Browser

Inst ead running a n external w eb browser in the background, you ca n runyour favorite web browser from with in the VP O J ava G U I i tself. As aresult , y ou can a ccess intra net si tes, sea rch the In ternet for business-related informa tion, and view your message browsers from w ithin asingle, integrat ed interface. Integra ted w eb browsers a ppear in t heworkspace pane of the VPO J ava G UI .

For deta ils about choosing a w eb browser, see About Integrated Web

B rowsers on page 71 .


155/459


Figure 1-69 shows a popup menu for a t a ilored set of a pplica tions. Thema rked applications use message-related va riables and ar e thereforeshown in th e popup menu upon the selected m essage.

Figure 1-69 Popup Menu for a Tailored Set of Applications


156/459

Chapter 1156


Customizing Message Event Notification

You ca n ena ble or disa ble message event notifica tion, run locala pplica tions (for exa mple, to produce acoustic wa rning s), or reset t heseverity t hreshold for notifica tion, from the Events ta b of thePreferences dialog box, as sh own in Figure 1-70 .

Figure 1-70 Message Event Notification Settings in the Preferences DialogBox


157/459

Chapter 1 157

For a n overview of message event notifica tion, see About Messag e Event

Notificat ion on pa ge 88 .


Setting Up Filtered Message Browsers

Filtered messa ge browsers show only a subset of al l ava ilable messages,filtered a ccording to criteria you select yourself. For exa mple, if you w a ntto display m essag es wit h severity levels of Warning or Critical , you ca nspecify tha t m essa ges of all oth er severity levels are not displayed.

You ca n a dd new filters a nd modify existing filters t hrough t he FilterMessages dialog box, as sh own in Figure 1-71 .

To a ccess t he Filter Messages dia log box, select Actions: Filtering-> from the menu ba r.

Figure 1-71 Filter Messages Dialog Box


158/459

Chapter 1158

The With Time filter is very useful for reviewing only those messa ges

th a t a rrive during a specific da y or period of time. Time ma y be definedas absolute or relative to the t ime the browser sett ings a re saved.

The With Own States filter m a y be used to see messag es you ow n. It isnot possible for t he a dministra tor t o determine from the With OwnState s f i l ter the identi ty of the owner of a given messa ge.


NOTE You ca n a dd filtered messag e brow sers to the browser pa ne from t heActions: Filtering menu in t he menu bar.

Saving and Reusing Filter Settings

Once you ha ve configured a filter, you ca n do one of the follow ing:

Apply the Filter

You can a pply t he filter (a fter h avin g provided a na me). A filteredmessage browser opens, display ing only th e messages t ha t you wan tt o see. The Filter Messages dia log box rema ins open. If y ou are

i fi d i h fil i f l


159/459

Chapter 1 159

sa tisfied wit h your filter, you ca n sa ve it for lat er reuse.

Save Filter Settings

Use the Filter Messages dia log box to save t he sett ings for reuse, a sshown in Figure 1-72 on pa ge 160 . In t his wa y, you ca n see the same

or similar informa tion at a lat er date wit hout having to repeat theconfiguration process.

Reuse Filter Settings

Use the Browser Settings dia log box to choose from a list of existingsett ings t ha t m ay be modified a nd renam ed to suit individual needs,as shown in Figure 1-73 on pa ge 160. These setting s a re independentof your h ome session a nd br owser la yout. To access the Browser

Settings w indow, select Actions: Filtering -> Use SavedSettings from the m enu ba r, or open a sa ved filter of desired typefrom t he object pa ne.

NOTE You can u se th e Save Setting and Browser Settings dia log boxes onlyto save or alt er th e sett ings of the window from w hich you opened t hem.In a ddition, if th e respective parent browser w indow is closed, both

dialog boxes a re closed a utoma tically.

The Browser Settings dia log box a llows y ou to select a sa ved filter. Touse a sett ing for a n ew filtered a ctive messa ge browser, filtered hist orymessa ge browser, or filtered pending messa ges browser, select th edesired setting in th e list box first.


Figure 1-72 show s the Save Browser Filter Settings dia log box.

Figure 1-72 Save Browser Filter Settings Dialog Box

Figure 1-73 shows the Browser Settings dialog box.

Figure 1-73 Browser Settings Dialog Box


160/459

Chapter 1160


Saving Filters to the Object Pane

VPO ena bles you to a ccess sa ved filters in t he object pane. For exa mple,if you wa nt t o see all messa ges tha t could show a possible problem in the

Performance area , you would creat e a f i lter th at shows all wa rnings, a l lminor, ma jor, a nd cri t ical m essages, and a ll unknown messages w ithmessage group Performance . You would th en sa ve the n ew filter. Lat er,to see the messa ges in your new filter, you could select t he filter from th eobject pan e, and open a filter ed messa ge browser.

To find out how to sa ve filters t o the object pan e, see To Sa ve th eB rowser Fi l ter S et t ings on page 238 .

Accessing Quick Filters

VPO bl t g filt i kl d il


161/459

Chapter 1 161

VPO ena bles you to a ccess messa ge filters q uickly a nd ea sily.

To a ccess filter ed messa ge brows ers, you select t he Filter Settings group of a popup menu in one of t w o locat ions:

Shortcut Bar

For deta ils, see About t he Shortcut B ar Popup Menu on page 78 .

Object Pane

For details, see About the Object Pa ne Popup Menu on pa ge 79 .

Adding Message Browser Tabs in the Browser Pane

When you open a filtered messa ge browser, it is a utoma tically display edin t he w orkspace pane. To move the filtered m essage br owser fr om th ew orkspace pa ne to the brow ser pan e, you need to click the t oolbar butt onPut Message Browser to Browser Pane (About Toolba r I cons onpage 305 ). Once in t he browser pa ne, the brows er can be moved back tothe w orkspace pan e using the same t oolbar button.

Figure 1-17 on page 63 shows how to move a browser from th e workspacepane to th e browser pa ne.


Switching Message Colors to an Entire Line

To toggle betw een th e defau lt a nd colorized modes, choose Edit:Preferences... from th e menu ba r. Then, in t he General ta b of the

Preferences dia log box, select or deselect t he checkbox Colored Lines ,then click [OK] .

The preferences a re saved on the computer w here the J a va G U I isrunning. The preferences are a lso saved to all J ava G U Is running on tha tclient. If you sta rt a nother Ja va G U I on an other client, the sett ingspreviously saved on tha t other client a re used. If you wa nt, you cancha nge the sett ings on tha t other client a s w ell .

Customizing the Message Browser Columns

VPO ena bles you to cha nge th e physica l layout of brows er columns:


162/459

Chapter 1162

VPO ena bles you to cha nge th e physica l layout of brows er columns:

Resize Columns

Resize th em by dra gging t he column borders t o th e left or right .

Reorder ColumnsReorder t he columns by dra gging t he column la bels.

Show or Hide Columns

Sh ow or hide columns by choosing in the Customize BrowserColumns dialog box which messa ge at tr ibutes t o show or hide. Fordeta ils, see Showing a nd H iding Message B rowser Columns onpage 163 .

Customize Column Labels

Specify new labels for message brows er columns in th e CustomizeBrowser Columns dialog box. For details, see About t he C ust omizeMessage Browser Columns Dialog B ox on page 346 .

These sett ings can be sa ved for fut ure sessions using t he Save MessageBrowser Layout item of the View menu.

To find out how to sa ve the messa ge browser la yout, see Saving theCust omized Message Browser Layout on page 164 .


Showing and Hiding Message Browser Columns

You ca n configure VPO t o display only a subset of all ava ilable messa gea tt ributes in th e message browsers. This also a pplies to cust om message

a tt ributes. This is done in t he Customize Browser Columns dialog box.To a ccess th is d ia log box, choose View: Customize Browser Columns from the View menu in the Java GU I .

The Customize Browser Columns dialog box contains t wo ta bs:

General tab

List of genera l message a tt r ibutes. Figure 1-41 on page 93 shows theGeneral t ab for displaying default columns in th e CustomizeBrowser Columns dia log box. The selected items a re displayed in t hecurrent messa ge brow ser w ith t he specified la bel or ID (if there is no


163/459

Chapter 1 163

label).

Custom tab

Cust omized message a tt r ibutes. Figure 1-42 on page 94 show s theCustom ta b for displaying custom message a tt r ibutes as columns inthe Customize Browser Columns dialog box.

The Custom ta b has three sections:

Avai la bl e Custom M essage At tr i but es

Att ributes already defined in the da ta base.

Pr edi cted Cu stom M essage At tr i but es

Att ributes you expect to be present in th e future.

N ew Pr edi cted Cu stom M essage At tr ibu te

New operat or-defined att ributes.

From either of these ta bs, you ca n configure to display the m essagea tt ribut es for th e curr ent messa ge brow ser. After pressing [OK] , thisconfigura tion a pplies only t o the current (a ctive) messa ge browser.


Saving the Customized Message Browser L ayout

To save th e browser la yout for opened messa ge browsers, use th e SaveBrowser Layout option for every pa rt icular ty pe of th e brows er:

Filtered Browsers

Ma tches th e filter na me for filtered messa ge browsers. The sa vedlayout a pplies only to t he na med messa ge browser. You ca nnotglobalize to other named message browsers.

Default Browsers

Mat ches th e type for default message browsers:

F ilt e red a ct iv e m es sa g es br ow s er

F ilt er ed hi st or y m es sa g e br ow s er


164/459

Chapter 1164

F ilt er ed pen d in g m es sa g es b r ow s er


165/459

Chapter 2 165

2 Performing Daily Tasks

Performing Daily TasksDetecting Problems with VPO

Detecting Problems with VPO

VP O detects problems a nd potential problems in the m an a gedenvironment.

This section describes the following:

Monitoring VPO

To monit or your VP O ma na ged environment , you ca n view messa genodes, sear ch the object t ree, a nd respond to messa ge event

notifications.Viewing Messages

When you sta rt t he VP O GU I, a m essage browser opens in the


166/459

Chapter 2166

browser pa ne, and a utomat ica lly displays a ll active messages fromth e nodes ass igned to you.

NOTE For an overview of the VPO problems solving process, see About t heP roblem S olving P rocess on page 83 .


167/459


To View a Message Node Automatically

Once you have detected a problem, you can a utomat ica lly highlight t hea ffected node in th e object pan e.

To access a messa ge node au toma tica lly, follow t hese st eps:

1. In t he messa ge browser, select the message you have investiga ted (seeAbout t he Message B rowser on pa ge 64 ).

2. Right-click the message, then select Select Node in Object Pane from t he popup menu (see right -click on page 441 ).

This high lights th e node or nodes in t he object pane. You can now st a rtapplications on tha t node.

To Search the Object Pane


168/459

Chapter 2168

You ca n sea rch for a specific item in th e object pa ne using th e basicsear ch function or the a dva nced search function. For an overview of thesear ch function, see Searching the Object P a ne on page 87 .

To sear ch for a s pecific item in t he object pa ne, follow t hese st eps:1. S elect Edit: Find... from the menu ba r.

2. In the Find dialog box, enter your sea rch criteria.

For descript ions of options in t he Find dia log box, see About t he FindDialog Box on pa ge 357 .

NOTE If you wa nt , you ca n choose to search for wh ole worlds only, ma tchingcase, or both. When t he sear ch function finds a specific item, t he itemis highlight ed in the object pa ne. If the item is not visible beca use th eobject tr ee is collapsed, th e tr ee is expan ded, a nd t he item is scrolledinto th e visible area of object pa ne. Norma lly, the sea rch sta rt s fromth e top of t he object tr ee. How ever, if you sta rt a sear ch while an it emis already highlighted, the sear ch sta rts from t he selected i tem.

3. C lick [Find Next] .

The ba sic search ena bles you to sear ch the ent ire object pane.


To View Message Event Notifications

Message event notifica tion keeps you informed a bout new messa ges withhigh severit y. This not ifica t ion is especia lly helpful if you have m a ny

w indows opened simult a neously, or if th ere ar e a lot of new messa gesw ith low severity coming in. For an overview of message eventnotifica tion, see About Message Event Notifica tion on page 88 .

When a messa ge event notifica tion dia log box appears, you can chooseone of two options:

Show Message Browser

Opens t he associat ed messa ge browser t o show the message w ith highseverity. If t he message is a ssocia ted w ith m ore tha n one messagebrowser (for exa mple because t hey a re using t he sa me filter), only onemessa ge browser is displayed).


169/459

Chapter 2 169

Close

Closes the messa ge event notifica tion dia log box.

NOTE You ca n ena ble or disa ble message event not ifica tion, or reset th eseverity t hreshold for notifica tion, from the Preferences dia log box. Tofind out how to configure messa ge event n otifica tion, see To C onfig ur eMessa ge Event Notificat ion on page 236. For d escriptions of options inthe Preferences dia log box, see About th e P references D ialog B ox onpage 372 .


Viewing Messages

When you sta rt t he VP O G U I, a message browser opens in the browserpane, and a utomat ica lly displays a ll active messages from the nodes

assigned to you.

NOTE For a n overview of the messa ge browser, see About t he Messa geB rowser on page 64 . For a n overview of the browser pa ne, see About t heB rowser Pane on pa ge 61 . For a n ima ge of messages in t he messagebrow ser, see Figure 1-15 on page 61 .

You ca n change t he number of messages displayed so tha t only t he lat estmessa ges ar e show n (see Cha nging th e Number of Messa ges Displayedon page 245 ). The default number of messa ges displayed is 50, but y ou


170/459

Chapter 2170

can change i t a s needed.

To furt her na rrow y our view of th e messag es in the messa ge browser, youcan open fi l tered message browsers t ha t display only messages ma tching

your selected view filters. For d eta ils, see To View Active M essa ges onpage 173.

This section d escribes how t o do th e followin g:

To View All Activ e Mess a ges

To View Selected Messa ges

To View Act ive Mess a ges

To View H ist ory Messa ges

To View P ending Messa ges


171/459


To View Selected Messages

It ma y be useful to open a m essa ge browser displaying only a selection ofmessa ges (for exa mple, if you wa nt to focus on messa ges from a

par ticula r node or messa ge group).

NOTE Viewing selected m essag es ena bles you t o open a filtered messa gebrowser q uickly. To open a filtered messa ge browser w ith a differentfilter criteria, see To View Active Messa ges on pag e 173 .

To view selected mess a ges, follow t hese st eps:

1. In t he object pane, right -click a node, messa ge group, or service.

For a n overview of the object pa ne, see About t he Object P a ne on41


172/459

Chapter 2172

pa g e 41 .

A popup menu a ppea rs.

2. In t he popup menu, select one of the following:

Filter Active Messages

Filter History Messages

In the w orkspace pan e, a m essage browser opens displaying onlymessa ges genera ted from t he selected n ode, messa ge group, orservice. Depending on w hich option you selected in t he popup menu,the m essage browser shows either a ctive or history messages.

For a n overview of the w orkspace pa ne, see About th e Workspa cePane on page 51 .


To View Active Messages

You can save message browser sett ings so tha t you can a pply the sa mefilter wh en required.

NOTE Viewing a ctive messages ena bles you to open a filtered messa ge brow serw ith a different filter criteria . To open a filter ed messa ge brows erquickly, see To View S elected Messa ges on pag e 172 .

To view filtered a ctive messa ges, follow th ese steps:

1. From the menu bar, select Actions: Filtering -> New ActiveFiltered Browser .

2. In the Filter Messages dialog box, enter a na me for t he filter.


173/459

Chapter 2 173

For a description of each option in t he Filter Messages dialog box,see About the Filter Messa ges Dia log B ox on pa ge 351 .

3. Select the fil tering criteria you wa nt to apply.

4. C lick [OK] .

A new filtered active messa ge browser opens, displaying only t hemessages ma tching your selected criteria.

To View History Messages

To view filtered hist ory messa ges, follow th ese steps:

1. From the menu bar, select Actions: Filtering -> New HistoryFiltered Browser

2. In the Filter Messages dialog box, enter a na me for t he filter.

For a description of each option in t he Filter Messages dialog box,see About the Filter Messa ges Dia log B ox on pa ge 351 .

3. Select the fil tering criteria you wa nt to apply.

4. C lick [OK] .

A new filtered hist ory messa ge browser opens displaying only t hemessages ma tching your selected criteria.


To View Pending Messages

U se the fi ltered pending messages browser to review an d ma na gemessages tha t a rrive on th e VP O ma na gement server outside of defined

service hours . For a n overview of the filtered pending messa ges browser,see About t he Fil tered P ending Messages B rowser on pa ge 70 .

To view filtered or unfiltered pending messa ges, follow th ese steps:

1. From the menu bar, select Actions: Filtering -> New PendingFiltered Browser .

2. In the Filter Messages dialog box, select all or specified pending

messages: Al l Pend i ng M essages

Click [OK] to see all pending messa ges.

Speci fi ed Pend i ngM essages


174/459

Chapter 2174

Speci fi ed Pend i ng M essages

To see only s ome pending messa ges, use th e following t a bs:

General

In the General t ab, you can select messages received with in acert a in time fra me, messages ow ned by selected par ties,messages selected in the message browser, messages that donot ma tch th e selected cri teria, messa ges with a selectedseverity level, and messages tha t ma tch a specified textpat tern .

Symbols and Obj ects In the Symbols and Objects t ab, you can select sym bols an dobjects chosen from t he messa ge browser or th e object pa ne.

Symbols and Obj ects

In the Symbols and Objects t a b, you ca n select bufferedmessages w ith a n expired buffer t ime fra me an d messagesreceived within a cert ain t ime fra me.

For descriptions of options in t he Filter Messages dia log box, seeAbout the Filter Messag es Dialog B ox on pag e 351 .

3. C lick [OK] .

A new filtered pending messa ges browser opens display ing only themessages ma tching your selected criteria.


NOTE Messages in th e pending messa ges brow ser a re read-only. If you wa nt t omove a pending message directly t o the history da ta base, simplyacknowledge it (see message acknowledgment on page 432 ). If youwa nt to work a pending message, you must f irst unbuffer i t to move i tinto the messa ge browser (see unbuffering message on page 444 ).


175/459

Chapter 2 175

Performing Daily TasksInvestigating Problems with VPO

Investigating Problems with VPO

If VPO detects a problem in your ma na ged environment , you need toinvestiga te t he problem. This section explain how t o use the messa gebrowser headline or the Message Properties dia log box to find out m orea bout t he problem, including w hen t he problem occurred, on w hich nodeth e problem occurr ed, how severe the problem is, and if a ny a ctions ar epreconfigured to solve the problem. The history d a ta bas e is also a goodresource for investiga ting h ow simila r problems ha ve been solvedpreviously.


Investigat ing Problems with t he Message Br owser

To Modify t he Attr ibutes of a Message


176/459

Chapter 2176

Investigat ing P roblems with th e Workspa ce Pa ne

Investigat ing Message H istories

Investigat ing Pending Messages


177/459


Viewing the Message Browser Headline

B y default , the message browser headline displays t he most importa ntat tr ibutes of a message. For a n overview of the messa ge browser a nd i ts

hea dline, see About t he Messag e B rowser on pa ge64. For a descriptionof default element s in the messa ge headline, see About t he Messa geB rowser Headl ine on page 385 .

If you wa nt, you ca n modify t he message browser headline as follows:

Sort Messages

You can sort message h eadlines by da te a nd t ime, or by a tt r ibute(including custom messa ge a tt ribute). For deta ils, see Changing theLayout of B rowser Windows on page 244 .

Resize Columns

You can resize th e columns of the m essag e browser. For deta ils, seeCha nging the Layout of B rowser Windows on page 244


178/459

Chapter 2178

Cha nging the Layout of B rowser Windows on page 244 .

Change Attributes

You ca n chan ge the a tt ributes of a m essa ge headline. For deta ils, seeTo Modify th e Att ributes of a Messa ge on pa ge 180 . For descript ionsof message a tt r ibutes, see About Messag e Fields on page 389 .

To Forward the Message Browser Headline

You ca n copy the messa ge browser hea dline to the clipboa rd a nd pa ste itinto a t ext file. This ma y be useful w hen you wan t t o send th e message

browser h eadline to another opera tor or to the VPO adm inistra tor.To forwa rd t he messa ge browser hea dline, follow th ese steps:

1. In t he message browser, se lect the headl ine.

2. In the menu ba r, sel ect Edit: Copy to Clipboard .

3. In your emai l program, pas te the t ext in to the body of a message, thensend the message a nother opera tor or to the VP O adm inistrat or.


To View Detailed Message Information

To view deta iled messa ge informa tion, follow th ese steps:

1. Acces s t h e Message Properties dialog box.

In t he browser pa ne, do one the follow ing:

Double-click

D ouble-click th e messa ge.

M enu B ar

Select th e message. Then, from t he menu ba r, select Actions:Messages -> Properties .

Popup M enu

Right -click the messa ge an d use t he popup menu (see right-clickon page 441 ).


179/459

Chapter 2 179

Toolbar

Select t he messa ge. Then, from t he t oolbar, click t he ShowProperties but ton (see About Toolba r Icons on pa ge 305 ).

The Message Properties dialog box a ppea rs.

2. In the Message Properties dia log box, a ccess options by clickingta bs, such a s t he following:

Or igi nal M essage

May contain more informat ion a bout the m essage i tself.

Instructions

Ma y cont a in informa tion a bout how to solve the problem.

For descriptions of options in the Message Properties dialog box,see About the Message P roperties Dialog B ox on page 361 .

3. Optional: P rint t he contents of the Message Properties window by

clicking [Print...] .A print dialog opens. There you can specify further options.

For more informa tion a bout prin ting t he content s of the MessageProperties dia log box, see P rinting VP O Messages a nd Applicat ionOutput on page 209 .


To Modify the Attributes of a Message

In some situa tions i t ma y be useful to modify the a tt r ibutes of a message(for exam ple, if you wa nt to give a messa ge a high er severity or a m ore

meaningful message text).

NOTE You can modify message a tt r ibutes only if your VPO a dministra tor ha sprovided you with th e appropriat e operat or privileges.

To modify th e at tr ibutes of a m essag e, follow th ese steps:

1. In t he message browser, select the message you wa nt t o modify.

2. Right-click the message, then select Modify from t he popup menu.

The Modify Message Attributes dia log box opens.

3 M dif h i


180/459

Chapter 2180

3. Modify the message sever i ty or text .

4. C lick [OK] .

Your cha nges a re a pplied immediat ely to the m essag e you selected.You now own th e messa ge.


Investigating Problems with the Workspace Pane

You ca n use t he w orkspace pane t o investiga te problems as follows:

Message DashboardYou ca n view messa ge severit y in t he Message Dashboard w orkspace.For det a ils, see Viewing Messa ge Severity in th e Messa ge Da shboardWorkspace on page 181 .

Diagnostic Dashboard

You can monitor other OpenView a pplicat ions t ha t integrat e withVP O in the Message Dashboard w orkspace. For det a ils, seeMonitoring Applicat ions in t he Dia gnostic Da shboar d Workspace onpage 182 .

Viewing Message Severity in the Message Dashboard Workspace

Y i g it i t h M D hb d k f


181/459

Chapter 2 181

You ca n view m essag e severit y in t he Message Dashboard w orkspace ofthe w orkspace pan e.

You ca n view m essa ge severity in one of tw o forma ts:Current State Chart

Display s th e severity of all messa ges in the current ly selectedmessa ge browser. For det a ils, see About t he Current St at e Cha rt onpage 109 .

History Chart

Display s th e severity cha nges over time of all messages in th ecurrent ly selected messa ge browser. For det a ils, see About theHis tory Char t on page 111 .

You ca n sw itch betw een t hese two chart s by using Switch to Pie Chart (current st a te cha rt) and Switch to History Chart icons in t he toolba r(see About Toolba r Icons on pa ge 305 ). You ca n a lso open a newmessage browser w ith t he same fi l ter as t he original browser from t he

message browser, current st a te chart , or history chart .For a n overview of the Message Dashboard w orkspace, see About t heMessage Da shboard Workspace on page 54 .


Monitoring Applications in the Diagnostic Dashboard Workspace

The Diagnostic Dashboard w orkspace ena bles you to monitor otherOpenView applications tha t int egrat e with VPO.

For exa mple, th e follow ing a pplica tions provide int egra tion point s forVPO:

Performa nce (H P OpenView P erforma nce for Windows)

Netw ork Neighbor View

Network Pa th

Int ernet S ervices

For more informa tion about h ow a pplicat ions can h elp you investiga teproblems, see th e documenta tion supplied wit h th e applica tions.

For a n overview of the Diagnostic Dashboard w orkspace, see Aboutthe D iagnostic Dashboard Workspace on pa ge 55 .


182/459

Chapter 2182


Investigating Message Histories

The history da ta base conta ins a ll of your a cknowledged messages (tha tis, a ll messa ges for w hich you ha ve completed w ork). It ca n serve as a

knowledge dat a bas e in which you can sea rch for previous solutions t oproblems. You access th e history da ta bas e by opening a filtered hist orymessage browser a nd reviewing the displayed messa ges.

NOTE For a n overview of the filtered history m essage brow ser, see About t heFiltered History Message B rowser on page 69 .

This section describes how to do the following:

To Access th e H istory Da ta bas e Quickly

To Specify a D eta iled Filter

h


183/459

Chapter 2 183

To Ch a nge Your C urr ent View

To Access the History Database QuicklyTo access t he hist ory da ta ba se quickly, follow th ese steps:

1. In t he object pane, select the node, message group, or service in w hichyou are interested.

For an overview of the object pane, see About t he Object P a ne onpa g e 41 .

2. Open a f il tered history message browser.

Right-click the message (see right -click on page 441 ), then selectFilter History Messages from t he popup menu.

A filtered history m essage brow ser opens, displaying only a cknow ledgedmessa ges from the selected n ode, messa ge group, or service. By d efault ,only messages generat ed the sam e day a re displayed. If you wa nt t o seemessa ge genera ted on oth er day s, you must specify a deta iled filter.


To Specify a Detailed Filter

To specify a det a iled filter, follow t hese st eps:

1. From the menu bar, select Actions: Filtering -> New HistoryFiltered Browser .

2. In the Filter Messages dia log box, select th e filtering criteria y ouwa nt to a pply.

For descriptions of options in the Filter Messages dia log box, seeAbout the Filter Messag es Dia log B ox on page 351.

3. C lick [OK] .

A filtered history messa ge browser opens displaying only th emessa ges ma tching your selected criteria (see About the FilteredHis tory Message B rowser on page 69 ).

To Change Your Current View


184/459

Chapter 2184

To cha ng e your curren t view , follow t hese st eps:

1. From the menu bar, select Actions: Filtering -> Modify Filter .

2. In the Filter Messages dia log box, specify furt her criteria .

You ca n open a s ma ny different filtered messa ge brow sers a s needed.


185/459

Performing Daily TasksSolving Problems with VPO

Solving Problems with VPOOnce you ha ve investiga ted a problem, you need to direct problemsolving activities to remedy the problem in the managed environment.


Owning Messages

To Unbuffer a Pendin g Messag e

Verifyin g Automa t ic Actions

Verifying Operator-initiated Actions

To Access Opera t or Ins tr uctions

To View Opera tor-a ssign ed Applicat ions

St a rt ing Applicat ions


186/459

Chapter 2186

St a rt ing X-OVw Applica tions

To Cust omize th e St a rt up Att ributes of an Applica tionTo Broadcast a C ommand

To Es cala t e a Messag e


Owning Messages

Owning a message indicates to other operat ors that you ha ve read amessage, and w ish to perform t he actions a ssocia ted wit h th at message.

When you assum e ow nership of a message, actions associated w ith t hemessa ge are rest ricted to you. However, oth er users ar e still allow ed toview the messa ge.

The number of messag es owned by you a nd own ed by others is displayedin th e color ba r of the messa ge browser.


To Own a Messag e

To Disown a Messag e

To Own a Message

To own a messa ge, follow t hese st eps:


187/459

Chapter 2 187

1. In t he workspace pan e, select t he message you wa nt t o work on (seeAbout th e Workspace Pa ne on page 51 ).

2. Do one of the following:

Toolbar

In th e toolba r, click the Own button (see About Toolba r I cons onpage 305 ).

Popup M enu

Right -click t he messa ge, then select Own from t he popup menu (seeright -click on page 441 ).

M enu B ar

From t he menu ba r, select Actions: Messages -> Own .


To Disown a Message

Disown ing a message indicat es tha t you no longer wa nt t o work withtha t message. Only the owner or the VP O a dminis t ra tor may disown a

message.To disow n a messa ge, do one of th e followin g:

1. In t he workspace pane, select the message you no longer wan t t o workw ith (see About th e Workspace Pa ne on pa ge 51 ).


Toolbar

In th e toolba r, click the Disown button (see About Toolbar Icon son page 305 ).

Popup M enu

Right -click t he messa ge, then select Disown from t he popup menu(see right -click on page 441 ).


188/459

Chapter 2188

( g p g )

M enu B ar

From t he menu ba r, select Actions: Messages -> Disown .


To Unbuffer a Pending Message

B efore you ca n sta rt w orking on a pending m essage , you must f irstunbuffer it (see unbuffering message on page 444 ).

To unbuffer a pending messa ge, follow th ese steps:

1. Open a fi l tered pending messages browser a nd select th e message youwant to unbuffer.

For deta ils, see To View P ending Messa ges on page 174 .


Popup M enu Right -click th e messa ge a nd select Unbuffer from th e popup menu(see right-click ).

M enu B ar

From t he menu ba r, select Actions: Messages -> Unbuffer .


189/459

Chapter 2 189

3. The pending message is moved to the message browser.

You can now work wit h the message a s you would with a ny otheractive messa ge.


Verifying Automatic Actions

Some problems are solved by VPO automatically through preconfiguredactions. If a messa ge has a n a ssociat ed aut omatic action, you will f ind avalue in the A column of the Flags field in t he messa ge browser.

You ca n verify whet her a n a utoma tic action is configured for a messa ge,a nd, if so, wh ether t he a ction wa s completed successfully, by using eith erthe messa ge headline or t he Message Properties dialog box.

This section d escribes how t o do th e following :

To Verify a n Automa tic Act ion in th e Messa ge H eadline

To Verify a n Automa tic Action in the Messa ge P ropert ies Dia log B ox

To Verify an Automatic Action in the Message Headline

To verify a n a ction in the messa ge hea dline, follow th ese steps:

1. C h eck t h e Flags (SUIAONE ) field of the m essag e head line.


190/459

Chapter 2190

2. In the A column, look for the following values:

- No a ut omat ic a ction is configured for th e messa ge.

S Automa tic a ction wa s successful.

F Automa tic a ction failed.

R Automa tic a ction is runn ing.


To Verify an Automatic Action in the Message Properties DialogBox

To verify a n a ction in t he Message Properties dia log box, follow th ese

steps:1. Acces s t h e Message Properties dia log box.

In th e browser pa ne, do one of the follow ing:

Double-click


M enu B ar


Popup M enu

Right -click the messa ge an d use t he popup menu (see right-clickon page 441 )


191/459

Chapter 2 191

on page 441 ).

Toolbar Select t he messa ge. Then, from t he t oolbar, click t he ShowProperties but ton (see About Toolba r Icons on pa ge 305 ).

2. C lick t h e Actions ta b of the Message Properties dialog box.

3. Check for any a ct ions of type Automatic .

4. C h eck t h e Status field.

If the Status field indica tes Successful , the automa tic action hasbeen completed successfully. The st a tus field ma y a lso indicat e tha tthe a utoma tic action is currently running. If necessary, you can stoprunning a ctions.


5. C lick t h e Annotations ta b of the Message Properties dialog box.

You can a lso the Annotations ta b by doing one of th e follow ing:

Toolbar

Select the messa ge, th en click th e Annotation butt on in thetoolbar (see About Toolba r Icons on pa ge 305 ).

Popup M enu


M enu B ar

Select the messa ge, th en select Actions: Messages ->Annotations from the menu ba r.

If the action ha s an a ssociat ed annota tion, the ann ota tion is shown .

6. Check th e a nnota tions for more informa tion about the results of theaction.


192/459

Chapter 2192


Verifying Operator-initiated Actions

U se opera tor-init iat ed actions w hen you wa nt to evaluat e a problembefore activating t he solution. If a message ha s a n a ssociat edopera tor-initia ted a ction, you will see a va lue in t he O column of theFlags field in t he messa ge browser.

You ca n verify w heth er a n opera tor-initia ted a ction is configured for amessa ge, and , if so, wh ether t he a ction w a s completed successfully, byusing either t he message headline or t he Message Properties dia logbox.


To Verify a n Opera tor-initia ted Action in th e Messa ge H eadline

To Verify a n Operat or-initia ted Action in t he Messa ge P ropertiesDialog Box

To Verify an Operator-initiated Action in the Message Headline

T if t i iti t d ti i th h dli f ll


193/459

Chapter 2 193

To verify a n operat or-initia ted a ction in th e messa ge hea dline, follow

these steps:1. C h eck t h e Flags (UIAONE ) field of th e messa ge hea dline.

2. In the O column, look for the following values:

- No opera tor-initia ted a ction is configured for th emessage.

X Operat or-initia ted a ction is configured for th e

message.S Operat or-initia ted a ction wa s successful.

F Operat or-initia ted a ction failed.

R Opera tor-initia ted a ction is runn ing.


To Verify an Operator-initiated Action in the Message PropertiesDialog Box

To verify a n operat or-initia ted a ction in t he Message Properties dialogbox, follow these steps:

1. Acces s t h e Message Properties dia log box.

In th e browser pa ne, do one of the follow ing:

Double-click


M enu B ar


Popup M enu



194/459

Chapter 2194

Toolbar Select t he messa ge. Then, from t he t oolbar, click t he Properties butt on (see About t he Toolbar on pa ge 75 ).

2. C lick t h e Actions ta b of the Message Properties dialog box.

3. Check for any a ct ions of type Operator Initiated .

4. Review the comma nd a nd determine if it is appropriate to proceed

with the a ction.


5. If you decide tha t t he configured a ction is appropriate, cl ick[Perform] to init iat e the a ction.

You can a lso initia te t he a ction by doing one of the following :

Toolbar Select the messa ge, then click the Perform Action button in thetoolbar (see About Toolba r Icons on pa ge 305 ).

Popup M enu

Right -click t he messa ge, then select Perform/Stop Action ->Perform Operator-Initiated Action from t he popup menu.

M enu B ar Select the messa ge, th en select Actions: Messages ->Perform/Stop Action from the menu ba r.

NOTE If you sta rted t he action by mista ke, or if the action seems t o bepending, you can a lso stop it.


195/459

Chapter 2 195

p g, y p

6. Check the annota tion (if configured) for t he output of the a ction.

You ca n perform operat or-initia ted a ctions a s often a s needed.

To Access Operator Instructions

In t he at tr ibute column I of the messa ge browser hea dline, you see a n Xfor each message w ith w rit t en instructions.

To read t hese inst ructions, follow th ese steps:

1. In t he messa ge browser, r ight-click the message.

2. In the popup menu, cl ick Properties .

3. C lick t h e Instructions ta b to review t he instruction text w rit t en

for you.


To View Operator-assigned Applications

To view a ll application s a ssigned t o you, do one of the following:

Menu Bar

In th e menu ba r, select one of th e follow ing:

Actions: Start

Actions: Start Customized...

Figure 2-1 on pa ge 197 shows a ll opera tor-a ssigned actions as viewedfrom the Actions menu.

Object PaneIn th e object pan e, do one of th e follow ing:

Double-cl ick an app li ca t ion in the Applications folder.

R igh t -cl ick an app li ca t ion in the Applications folder, t hen s electone of the following from the popup menu:


196/459

Chapter 2196

Start

Start Customized...

For des criptions of popup menu options in t he object pa ne, see AboutObject Pa ne Popup Menu It ems on pa ge 316.

NOTE When Use Tailored Set of Applications is checked in t hePreferences dialog box, the set of ava ilable a pplica tions in t he popupmenu is smaller tha n t he set of ava ila ble applica tion in t he Actions menu. For descriptions of options in th e Preferences dia log box, seeAbout the P references Dialog B ox on pa ge 372 .


197/459


Starting Applications

You can start an application from VPO to remedy an unsuccessfulautomatic action or operator-initiated action, or to handle a message forw hich no action ha s been configured. Applica tions a re execut ed on thema na gement server, configured n odes, or n odes you ha ve selected.

NOTE All applications assigned to an operator are displayed in the Actions:Start and the Actions: Start Customized... wiza rd in th e menu bar.

From the menu bar a nd popup menus, there are tw o wa ys to start a napplication:

Start

St a rt t he applicat ion directly th rough the Start menu withoutfurt her cust omizing the applicat ion. Figure 2-1 on pa ge 197 shows a llopera tor-a ssigned act ions a s view ed from th e Actions menu.

S C i d


198/459

Chapter 2198

Start Customized

Sta r t through the Start Customized Application wizar d, whichena bles you t o cust omize the a pplica tion (for exa mple, a ddpar a meters t o th e applica tion ca ll. For det a ils, see To Cus tomize t heSt ar tup Attributes of an Applicat ion on page 203 . For descriptions ofoptions in t he Start Customized Application wiza rd, see Aboutthe S ta rt Cust omized Applica tion Wizard on page 382 .


To St a rt a n Applicat ion from the Menu B a r

To Sta rt a n Applica tion from the Object Pa ne

To St a rt a n Applica tion from the Message B rowser


To Start an Application from the Menu Bar

To sta rt a n a pplica tion from the menu ba r, follow t hese steps:

1. In t he shortcut ba r or object pane, select the ma na ged node or nodes

on which you want to sta rt t he applica tion.

NOTE You can u se th e sea rch fun ction t o find th e node. To find out h ow, seeTo Sear ch the Object P a ne on page 168 . For a n overview of thesear ch function, see Sear ching the Object P a ne on page 87 . Fordescriptions of options in th e Find dialog box, see About t he F indDialog Box on pa ge 357 .

2. In the Actions m enu, select one of th e follow ing:

Start ->

St ar ts t he applicat ion wit hout further customizing th eapplication. Figure 2-1 on pag e 197 shows a ll operat or-a ssigned

i i d f h A i


199/459

Chapter 2 199

actions as viewed from th e Actions menu.

Start Customize...

Sta r t s the Start Customized Application wizar d, whichena bles you to customize the a pplicat ion (for exa mple, a ddpar a meters t o th e applica tion call. For deta ils, see To C ust omizethe S ta rtup Att ributes of an Applicat ion on page 203 .

For more informa tion a bout t he Actions menu, see About the

Actions Menu on pa ge 293 .3. Select the appl ica t ion you want t o s tar t .

NOTE Any output a ppea rs in a n ew w orkspace pa ne window . This output cana lso be printed. For deta ils, see P rinting VPO Messages a nd Applicat ionOutput on page 209 .


To Start an Application from the Object Pane

To sta rt a n a pplica t ion from t he object pan e, follow th ese steps:

1. In t he menu bar or object pa ne, select t he mana ged node or nodes on

wh ich you wan t t o sta rt t he applicat ion.2. Right-click the node.

A popup menu of ava ilable applica tion groups a nd a pplica tionsa ppea rs. For more informa tion a bout t his popup menu, see AboutObject Pa ne Popup Menu It ems on pa ge 316.

3. From the popup menu, choose one of the following i tems:

Start -&g