User s Guide. Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter. Version 200 GC March 2000

Transcription

1 User s Guide Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter Version 200 GC March 2000 Candle Corporation 201 North Douglas Street El Segundo, California 90245

2 Registered trademarks and service marks of Candle Corporation: AF/OPERATOR, AF/PERFORMER, AF/REMOTE, Availability Command Center, Candle Command Center, Candle Electronic Customer Support, Candle logo, Candle Management Server, Candle Management Workstation, Candle Technologies, CL/CONFERENCE, CL/SUPERSESSION, CT, CT/Data Server, CT/DS, DB Logo, DB/QUICKCHANGE, DELTAMON, ETEWatch, IntelliWatch, MQSecure, MQView, OMEGACENTER, OMEGAMON, OMEGAMON/e, OMEGAMON II, OMEGAMON Monitoring Agent, OMEGAVIEW, OMEGAVIEW II, Solutions for Networked Businesses, and Transplex. Trademarks and service marks of Candle Corporation: Alert Adapter, Alert Adapter Plus, Alert Emitter, AMS, Amsys, AUTOMATED FACILITIES, Availability Management Systems, Candle Business Partner Logo, Candle Direct Logo, CandleLight, Candle CommandPro, CCC, CECS, CICAT, CL/ENGINE, CL/GATEWAY, CL/TECHNOLOGY, CMS, CMW, Command & Control, CommandWatch, Connect-Two, CSA ANALYZER, CT/ALS, CT/Application Logic Services, CT/DCS, CT/Distributed Computing Services, CT/Engine, CT/Implementation Services, CT/IX, CT/Workbench, CT/Workstation Server, CT/WS, DB/DASD, DB/EXPLAIN, DB/MIGRATOR, DB/QUICKCOMPARE, DB/SMU, DB/Tools, DB/WORKBENCH, Design Network, DEXAN, eba*servicemonitor, End-to-End, Enterprise Candle Command Center, Enterprise Candle Management Workstation, EPILOG, ERPNet, ESRA, ETEWatch, HostBridge, IntelliWatch Pinnacle, Lava Console, Messaging Mastered, MQADMIN, MQEdit, MQEXPERT, MQMON, NBX, OMA, OMC Gateway, OMC Status Manager, OMEGACENTER Bridge, OMEGACENTER Gateway, OMEGACENTER Status Manager, OMEGAMON Management Center, OSM, PC COMPANION, Performance Pac, PowerQ, PQConfiguration, PQEdit, PQScope, Response Time Network, Roma, Roma Application Manager, Roma Broker, Roma BSP, Roma Connector, Roma Developer, Roma FS/A, Roma FS/Access, Roma Network, Roma Systems Manager, Roma WF/Access, Roma Workflow Access, RTA, RTN, SentinelManager, Solutions for Networked Applications, Status Monitor, Tracer, Unified Directory Services, and Volcano. Trademarks and registered trademarks of other companies: AIX, DB2, and MQSeries are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. SAP is a registered trademark and R/3 is a trademark of SAP AG. UNIX is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd. HP-UX is a trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company. SunOS is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All other company and product names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright 2000, Candle Corporation, a California corporation. All rights reserved. International rights secured. Threaded Environment for AS/400, Patent No. 5,504,898; Data Server with Data Probes Employing Predicate Tests in Rule Statements (Event Driven Sampling), Patent No. 5,615,359; MVS/ESA Message Transport System Using the XCF Coupling Facility, Patent No. 5,754,856; Intelligent Remote Agent for Computer Performance Monitoring, Patent No. 5,781,703; Data Server with Event Driven Sampling, Patent No. 5,809,238; Threaded Environment for Computer Systems Without Native Threading Support, Patent No. 5,835,763; Object Procedure Messaging Facility, Patent No. 5,848,234; End-to-End Response Time Measurement for Computer Programs, Patent No. 5,991,705; Communications on a Network, Patent Pending; Improved Message Queuing Based Network Computing Architecture, Patent Pending; User Interface for System Management Applications, Patent Pending. NOTICE: This documentation is provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions set forth in the applicable license agreement and/or the applicable government rights clause. This documentation contains confidential, proprietary information of Candle Corporation that is licensed for your internal use only. Any unauthorized use, duplication, or disclosure is unlawful. 2 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

3 Contents Preface About This Guide Documentation Set Adobe Portable Document Format Chapter 1. Getting Started Introducing the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter Prerequisites Starting and Stopping the Alert Adapter Chapter 2. Creating Trouble Tickets Creating Trouble Tickets on the CMW Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically Creating Trouble Tickets Manually Chapter 3. Viewing and Updating Trouble Tickets Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket Report Viewing Candle-Generated Tickets Updating Tickets Chapter 4. Monitoring ServiceCenter Servers Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log Report SVC_Log Attributes Appendix A. Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Appendix B. Customer Support Candle Customer Support Glossary Index Contents 3

4 4 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

5 Tables Table 1. Chapters in This Guide Table 2. Documentation Set Table 3. Causes for Failing to Connect to a ServiceCenter Server Table 4. Causes For Being Unable to Create Tickets Table 5. Causes for Empty Reports Table 6. Customer Support Phone Numbers Tables 5

6 6 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

7 P Preface Introduction This guide introduces you to the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter. It provides detailed information for using the Candle Management Workstation (CMW) to create trouble tickets in ServiceCenter for problems detected by Candle monitoring agents. It also describes the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report and the SVC_Log attributes which enable you to monitor the status of ServiceCenter servers from the CMW. Preface 7

8 About This Guide About This Guide Purpose This guide is intended to provide the information necessary to use the CMW to create trouble tickets in ServiceCenter for problems that occur on systems, subsystems, networks, or applications monitored by Candle products. While it provides step-by-step instructions for many tasks, this guide is designed to complement the online help provided with the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter. Intended audience This guide is designed for system administrators, programmers, and operators. It presupposes basic knowledge of the NT operating system, Peregrine ServiceCenter, and the CMW. Chapters in this guide The table below describes the organization and content of the chapters in this guide. Use this table to locate instructions and information on a particular topic. Table 1. Chapters in This Guide Chapter Getting Started on page 13 Creating Trouble Tickets on page 19 Content This chapter provides an overview of the features of the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter. It also contains the prerequisites for using the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter. This chapter explains how to use the CMW to open trouble tickets in ServiceCenter for problems on Candle monitored systems. 8 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

9 About This Guide Table 1. Chapters in This Guide (continued) Chapter Viewing and Updating Trouble Tickets on page 33 Monitoring ServiceCenter Servers on page 41 Glossary on page 59 Content This chapter provides instructions for viewing and updating trouble tickets opened in ServiceCenter for problems on Candle managed systems. This chapter discusses the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report, which enables you to monitor the status of ServiceCenter servers. It also provides descriptions of the attributes you can use to create situations that alert you to problems with the servers. Provides definitions of terms used in this guide. Preface 9

10 Documentation Set Documentation Set Introduction Candle provides a complete set of documentation for the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter. Each manual in this documentation set contains a specific type of information to help you use the product. Table 2. Documentation Set Document Number Title Description NT MW MW MW Installing Candle Products on Windows and OS/2 Candle Command Center Administrator s Guide Candle Command Center User s Guide Candle Management Workstation Quick Reference Provides instructions for planning and installing your Candle Command Center on the Windows and OS/2 operating system platforms. Introduces you to the Candle Command Center and provides detailed instructions for using the Candle Management Workstation to monitor your enterprise. Describes how to use the Candle Management Workstation to monitor your enterprise and includes several scenarios of typical activities you can perform using the Candle Command Center Provides basic instructions for registering users, implementing event-based monitoring, and responding to situation changes, in pocket-size format. 10 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

11 Documentation Set Table 2. Documentation Set (continued) Document Number Title Description PT Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200 Introduces you to the features of the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter and provides instructions for using them. Candle welcomes your comments and suggestions for changes or additions to the documentation set. A user comment form, located at the back of each manual, provides simple instructions for communicating with the Candle Information Development department. Ordering additional product documentation To order additional product manuals, contact your Candle Support Services representative. Preface 11

12 Adobe Portable Document Format Adobe Portable Document Format Candle supplies documentation in the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). The Adobe Acrobat Reader will print PDF documents with the fonts, formatting, and graphics in the original document. To print a Candle document, do the following. 1. Specify the print options for your system. From the Acrobat Reader Menu bar, select File > Print Setup and make your selections. A setting of 300 dpi is highly recommended as is duplex printing if your printer supports this option. 2. To start printing, select File > Print on the Acrobat Reader Menu bar. 3. On the Print pop-up, select one of the Print Range options for a single page a range of pages all the document 4. (Optional). Select the Shrink to Fit option if you need to fit oversize pages to the paper size currently loaded on your printer. Printing problems? The print quality of your output is ultimately determined by your printer. Sometimes printing problems can occur. If you experience printing problems, potential areas to check are: settings for your printer and printer driver. (The dpi settings for both your driver and printer should be the same. A setting of 300 dpi is recommended.) the printer driver you are using. (You may need a different printer driver or the Universal Printer driver from Adobe. This free printer driver is available at the halftone/graphics color adjustment for printing color on black and white printers (check the printer properties under Start > Settings > Printer). For more information, see the online help for the Acrobat Reader. the amount of available memory in your printer. (Insufficient memory can cause a document or graphics to fail to print.) For additional information on printing problems, refer to the documentation for your printer or contact your printer manufacturer. 12 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

13 1 Getting Started Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the features of the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter. It also covers the prerequisites for using the Alert Adapter. Chapter Contents Introducing the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter Prerequisites Starting and Stopping the Alert Adapter Getting Started 13

14 Introducing the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter Introducing the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter Overview The Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter provides integration between Candle management products and ServiceCenter trouble ticket management. With the Alert Adapter, you can: create trouble tickets manually or automatically in response to events reported by Candle products review and update trouble tickets even change ticket assignments and trigger events on ServiceCenter without leaving the Candle Management Workstation (CMW) monitor the health of the ServiceCenter server using criteria-based alerts create policies that take actions in response to problems on the server Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket report The Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket report lets you view, update, and create tickets for events on Candle monitored systems. You just click on a ticket to view its details, change its status or assignment, or read a description of the reported problem. You can modify the report to show only the tickets you are interested in for a given session. Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report The Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report enables you to monitor the health of the ServiceCenter server. Automatic trouble ticket creation The Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter has the ability to create new trouble tickets automatically in response to events reported to the Candle Command Center (CCC). You create policies that use the data provided by Candle agents to open tickets in ServiceCenter. 14 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

15 Introducing the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter Manual trouble ticket creation You can manually create trouble tickets directly from the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket report or from the Events view of managed objects. When you create trouble tickets from the Events view, the CMW uses the data from the event. Event alerts You can use the categories in the server Log report to create situations you want to monitor. You can even create complex situations that combine server situation with situations you monitor with other Candle monitoring agents, so the CMW can alert you to conditions that threaten availability or performance of the server. Automation You can automate responses to critical events on the server using either simple system commands or policies and activities. For example, you can restart the Peregrine ServiceCenter server automatically if it goes down, or send a message to notify the operator. Getting Started 15

16 Prerequisites Prerequisites Software requirements This version of the Alert Adapter supports Peregrine ServiceCenter Version 2.0 This product requires the licensing of ServiceCenter SCAuto* SDK for the appropriate operating system. ServiceCenter and SCAuto are trademarks of Peregrine Systems, Inc. For full software requirements, please see Installing Candle Products on Windows and OS/2. CMW User authority To create, modify, and view trouble tickets in ServiceCenter from the CMW, you must have the Create User authority or any or all of the following: To create or modify Candle-generated ServiceCenter tickets on the CMW, you must have Create Ticket authority. To view Candle-generated ServiceCenter tickets on the CMW, you must have Create Trouble Ticket or View Trouble Ticket authority. To create an automation policy, you must have Create Policy authority. A CMW administrator or someone with Create User authority can grant user authority. Refer to the Candle Command Center Administrator s Guide for instructions on creating User Objects and assigning authority to users. Environment variables When you install the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter, you are prompted to enter values for the following variables: the hostname of the ServiceCenter server the port number of the ServiceCenter server (this is the port number of SCAUTOD) the port number of the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter to be used for log monitoring 16 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

17 Prerequisites Customizing the Peregrine ServiceCenter Event Maps The standard Peregrine ServiceCenter event maps for problem open, problem update, and problem close do not have entries for their assignment groups in their input mapping. You must add a new entry for the assignment group to each of these event maps. This customization is performed using the Event Services administration function on ServiceCenter. To access event maps, use Event Services from the Utilities section of ServiceCenter s Main menu. Select the Maps button from the Administration tab of Event Services. The new entry for the assignment group can be added using the Event Map form for problem open, problem update, and problem close. The name of the new entry is Assignment and must be added to the 25th position of the input map of each event type. The data type of assignment is Character. Note: The assignment group support is based on Peregrine ServiceCenter 2.0 (with customization information specific to that version). Contact your system administrator for information about updating event mapping for more recent versions of Peregrine ServiceCenter. Getting Started 17

18 Starting and Stopping the Alert Adapter Starting and Stopping the Alert Adapter Overview The Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter is installed as an NT Service which starts when the host is started. However, you can also start and stop the agent manually. You can manage the Alert Adapter from either the NT Services window or from the Manage Candle Services facility. Starting and stopping the Alert Adapter from Manage Candle Services To manage the Alert Adapter using Manage Candle Services: 1. From the Start menu, select Programs > Candle Command Center > Manage Candle Services 2. Select Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter, then click Start or Stop. 18 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

19 2 Creating Trouble Tickets Introduction This chapter explains how to use the Candle Management Workstation (CMW) to create trouble tickets in Peregrine ServiceCenter for problems detected on Candle monitored systems. Chapter Contents Creating Trouble Tickets on the CMW Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically Creating Trouble Tickets Manually Creating Trouble Tickets 19

20 Creating Trouble Tickets on the CMW Creating Trouble Tickets on the CMW Overview The Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter offers two methods of creating trouble tickets for problems on Candle managed systems from the Candle Management Workstation (CMW): automatically You can open tickets automatically by creating policies that open tickets when specified conditions are met. manually You can create tickets manually either from the Event tree of a managed object or from the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket report. Required authority To create trouble tickets, you need Create Trouble Ticket authority on the CMW. To create policies, you also need Change Policy authority. If you have Create User authority, by default you have Create Trouble Ticket and Change Policy authority. 20 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

21 Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically Overview You create trouble tickets automatically by creating policies that contain the situation or situations you want to monitor and the Peregrine_Ticket activity program. When the conditions described in the situations in the policies become true, the CMW automatically opens tickets using the situation data. The name of the policy that triggers the creation of a ticket is entered in the Ticket Name field of the ticket. The situation description and information about other attributes in the same group at the time the situation occurred are recorded in the Detailed Description field of the ticket. A reminder about required authority You must have Change Policy authority to create policies in the Policy Editor. Only a CMW administrator or someone with Create User authority can grant user authority. Refer to the Candle Command Center Administrator s Guide for instructions on assigning authority to users. Accessing the Policy editor You access the Policy editor from the Policies folder in the Administration folder. Follow the steps below to access the Policy editor. 1. In the CMW Main window, double-click the Administration icon. The Administration window opens. 2. In the Administration window, double-click the Policies icon. The Policies window opens. Creating Trouble Tickets 21

22 Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically Creating a policy that opens a ticket To create a new policy, follow the procedure below. Note: This procedure contains the steps for creating a simple policy. For instructions on creating more complex policies and information about policies in general, consult the Candle Command Center Administrator s Guide or the CMW online help. 1. In the Policies window, from the Edit menu select Create New... The Policies - Create New window appears. 22 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

23 Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically Creating Trouble Tickets 23

24 Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically 2. In the Policies - Create New window: a. For Object Name, type a name for the policy. b. For Description, type a description of the policy. c. For Type of System to Manage, select the type of managed system appropriate for the situation you intend to monitor. (Since the example policy uses a UNIX situation, the UNIX managed system type is selected.) d. Click Create. The Policy editor appears. 3. From the toolbar, select the Wait for Situation Event object, then move the cursor onto the work area and click to place the object. (If the Correlate Policies by Platform box is checked on the Policies - Create New window, this step is done automatically.) The PolicyName - Select a Situation window appears. 4. Select or create the situation from which you want to generate a ticket, then click OK. 5. From the toolbar, select the Activity Program object, then move the cursor to the right of the situation object on the work area and click to place the activity object. The Select Activity Program window appears. 24 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

25 Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically 6. Select Peregrine_Ticket and click OK. The Program Parameters window appears. Creating Trouble Tickets 25

26 Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically 7. Select the name of the the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter agent you want to create the ticket for as the Value for Managed Systems. If the list is empty, the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter agent has never connected to a CMS. 8. Complete the Program Parameters window by specifying the assignment group for the ticket by selecting the Assignment_Group program parameter and entering an assignment group in the Value: field. If you do not specify an assignment group, the initial value of DEFAULT is used. 9. Click OK. 10. Select the Connector object, click on the situation, then drag the connector to the activity object. When you release the mouse button, the PolicyName - Select an End Code window appears. 11. Select the appropriate end code, then click OK. Your new policy should look something like the following: 26 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

27 Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically 12. Distribute the policy to the managed systems you want to monitor: a. From the Policy menu, select Open as Settings. b. If necessary, select the Distribution tab. c. In Available lists, select the managed systems where the situation embedded in the policy is running. Note: If the Available list box is empty, or a particular managed system does not appear, the agents on those systems are not at version 200 level. d. Click <<ADD. e. Click OK to save the setting and close the notebook. Saving the policy To save the newly created policy: 1. Double-click on the system menu icon in the upper left corner of the Policy editor to close the window. A prompt asking if you want to save the policy appears. 2. Click Yes. A prompt asking if you want to restart the policy on all managed systems appears. 3. Click Yes. The Policy editor closes and the CMW returns to the Policies window. Example of a complex policy The following graphic illustrates a more complex policy, containing a Wait on Situation object, a User Choice object, a system command, and two Peregrine_Ticket activity programs. This policy does the following: When an OMEGAMON Monitoring Agent for UNIX reports a disk more than 85% full, the CMW operator is given a choice between sending a message to the user or creating a ticket to be assigned to the UNIX system administrator. If no action is taken within the specified time, a ticket is created by default. Creating Trouble Tickets 27

28 Creating Trouble Tickets Automatically FIGURE 1. Complex Policy 28 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

29 Creating Trouble Tickets Manually Creating Trouble Tickets Manually Overview It is not always possible to know in advance what problems should be reported in a trouble ticket system. For this reason, the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter lets you create tickets on the fly. For example, while viewing the CMW event tree for a managed object you might notice an event for which a ticket should be created, but for which no policy exists. You can easily open a ticket by clicking on the event and selecting Create Trouble Ticket from the popup menu the CMW fills in the situation data for you. You can also create tickets from the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket report. Creating a ticket from the Events view To create a ticket for an event in the Event tree: 1. In the Events view of a managed object, right-click on the event for which you want to create a ticket. A popup menu appears. Creating Trouble Tickets 29

30 Creating Trouble Tickets Manually 2. Select Create Trouble Ticket. If you have more than one trouble ticket alert adapter installed, the CMW asks you on which server to create the ticket. Select the system, and click OK. The Enter Assignment Group dialog box appears after you select an alert adapter. An initial value of DEFAULT is displayed for the assignment group. 3. Enter an assignment group or use the default value DEFAULT. 4. Click OK. The CMW uses the event data to fill out the ticket. The name of the situation that triggered the event is entered in the Ticket Name field of the ticket; the value of the attribute that caused the situation to raise and information about other attributes in the same group at the time the situation occurred are recorded in the Detailed Description field of the ticket. If the ticket is successfully created, the CMW presents a message giving you the ticket number. If a ticket has already been created for the same situation, the CMW updates the ticket and reports that the update has been successful. Creating a ticket from the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket report To create a trouble ticket from the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket report, follow the steps below. (For instructions on accessing the Peregrine ServiceCenter reports, refer to Accessing the Peregrine ServiceCenter report on page 36.) 1. In the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket Report - Managed System Selection window, right-click on the managed system on which you want to create the ticket and select Create Trouble Ticket. A Settings window appears. 30 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

31 Creating Trouble Tickets Manually Creating Trouble Tickets 31

32 Creating Trouble Tickets Manually 2. Fill in the appropriate fields on the Summary and Details pages with the information you want to appear on the ticket. Consult the online help for instructions on filling out the appropriate fields. On the read only Create/Alert page, the current date displays in the Created field. The name Candle is used for the By fields for all tickets. 3. Click Apply to create the ticket or OK to create the ticket and close the Create Trouble Ticket window. 4. The CMW asks you whether you want to save the ticket information. Click Yes to save the information and close the window. Click No to discard the information and close the window. Click Cancel to dismiss the prompt and return to the Create Trouble Ticket window. If the ticket is successfully created, the CMW presents a message giving you the ticket number. 32 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

33 3 Viewing and Updating Trouble Tickets Introduction This chapter provides instructions for viewing and updating trouble tickets opened in Peregrine ServiceCenter for problems on Candle-managed systems. Chapter Contents Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket Report Viewing Candle-Generated Tickets Updating Tickets Viewing and Updating Trouble Tickets 33

34 Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket Report Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket Report Overview The Peregrine ServiceCenter report enables you to manage trouble tickets for Candle managed systems without leaving the Candle Management Workstation (CMW). From the report you can browse all tickets generated automatically or manually from the CMW. You can also update tickets and create new ones. The report presents a list of tickets with their entry IDs and short descriptions. You double-click a ticket to display its contents for viewing or updating. Required authority To view tickets, you must have either View Trouble Ticket or Create Trouble Ticket authority on the CMW. If you have Create User authority, by default you have Create Trouble Ticket and View Trouble Ticket authority. Customizing reports By default, a Peregrine ServiceCenter Tickets report displays a list of all the tickets opened for Candle managed systems on an ARS server. This may provide more information than you require and can be quite costly in time, CPU, and network overhead. Candle recommends that you use the CMW Custom Report feature to generate reports that contain only the tickets you are interested in. You can create custom reports to use for a single session or save them to be used for other sessions. You can generate custom reports on the basis of any field in Settings notebook. For example, you might want to review all tickets that have been opened by filtering with a status of open. If you want to review the tickets assigned to a particular department, you can generate a report based on its association with an assignment group. Consult the CMW online help for instructions on customizing reports. 34 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

35 Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket Report Exporting report data You can save the data in a Peregrine ServiceCenter report as a flat file using the Export option on the Report menu. You can then import the data into a third-party program for data manipulation and reporting. Consult the CMW online help for more information. Viewing and Updating Trouble Tickets 35

36 Viewing Candle-Generated Tickets Viewing Candle-Generated Tickets Overview You view trouble tickets generated for problems on Candle managed systems in the Peregrine ServiceCenter report. Initially, the report shows a list giving the ticket number and short description for each ticket. You double-click an entry to view the ticket details. Reminder about required authority You must have either View Trouble Ticket or Create Trouble Ticket authority on the CMW in order to view entries in the Peregrine ServiceCenter report. Your Candle Command Center (CCC) administrator or someone with Create User authority can grant this authority. Accessing the Peregrine ServiceCenter report You access the Peregrine ServiceCenter report from the Reports folder. To access the report: 1. In the CMW Main window, double-click the Reports icon. The Reports window opens. 2. Double-click the Peregrine ServiceCenter report icon. The Managed System Selection window opens. 3. Double-click the managed system for Alert Adapter agent monitoring the ServiceCenter server whose tickets you want to view. The Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket report opens. 36 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

37 Viewing Candle-Generated Tickets Displaying the contents of a ticket To view the details of a ticket: 1. Double-click the entry. A Settings window with four tabs appears. 2. Select the Summary, Create/Alert, Report Refresh, or Details tab. The Problem ID field on the Summary page contains the ticket number assigned by ServiceCenter. For automatically created tickets or tickets created from the Events view, the Detailed Description field on the Details page shows the definition of the situation that caused the ticket to be created and the values of other attributes Viewing and Updating Trouble Tickets 37

38 Viewing Candle-Generated Tickets in the same group at the time the situation became true. For manually created tickets, the Detailed Description contains the information entered by the person who opened the ticket. If you have Create Trouble Ticket authority, many of the fields in the Settings view of a ticket are modifiable. If you inadvertantly make changes while viewing a ticket that you do not want to keep, click Reset or close the window by clicking Cancel. 38 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

39 Updating Tickets Updating Tickets Overview In the Peregrine ServiceCenter report you can update the status, assignment, and short and long descriptions of an existing ticket. Reminder about required authority You must have Create Ticket authority in order to modify tickets. Your Candle Command Center administrator or someone with Create User authority can grant this authority. Modifying fields When you open a ticket in its Settings view, you can change the contents of all the fields except for: Ticket Name Problem ID Logical Name Created... By Alert Time To change the contents of other fields: 1. Set your cursor in the field or select the contents of the field, as appropriate. 2. Type the information you want to enter. 3. Click Apply to apply the changes or OK to apply the changes and close the window. Click Reset to reset the fields to their original values. Click Cancel to void the changes and close the window. Viewing and Updating Trouble Tickets 39

40 Updating Tickets 40 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

41 4 Monitoring ServiceCenter Servers Introduction This chapter discusses the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report, which enables you to monitor the status of ServiceCenter servers. It also provides descriptions of the SVC_Log attributes you can use to create situations that alert you to problems with the servers. Chapter Contents Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log Report SVC_Log Attributes Monitoring ServiceCenter Servers 41

42 Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log Report Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log Report Overview The Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report displays status information from ServiceCenter servers monitored by the Alert Adapter. The information in the report includes: date and time at which messages were logged identity of affected nodes text of logged messages Use the report monitor the health and availability of ServiceCenter servers from the Candle Management Workstation (CMW). Starting the log monitor The Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report gets its data from a Java client which monitors the server log and sends the data to the Alert Adapter. For data to appear in the report, the log monitor must be started. The Alert Adapter does not have to be running when you start the monitor. You can start and stop the monitor and the agent in any order. If the agent goes down, the monitor attempts to reconnect indefinitely. Starting the log monitor on NT To start the log on NT: 1. On the machine where the log monitor is installed, change to candlehome\cma: cd candlehome\cma where candlehome is the directory in which the monitor is installed. 2. From a command prompt, enter: where kptjava host_name port_number log_name host_name is the name of the machine on which the Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter agent is installed. 42 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

43 Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log Report port_number is the port number assigned to the Alert Adapter agent when it starts log_name is the name of the ServiceCenter log that the agent should monitor Use the Task Manager to terminate the log monitor. Starting the log monitor on UNIX To start the log monitor on UNIX: 1. Transfer the following files from candlehome\cma to the UNIX machine on which the log monitor is installed: kptjava.sh kptlogmn.jar If you transfer the files via FTP, the second file must be transferred in binary mode. You can put the files in any directory, preferably a bin directory, but they must both be in the same directory. 2. Change to the directory where you placed the files and issue the following command: kptjava.sh The script prompts you for the following parameters: the jdk directory (the Java runtime directory) Use the complete path to specify the directory. For example: /user/jdk1.1.5 the hostname of agent Use Ctrl-C to terminate the log monitor. Monitoring ServiceCenter Servers 43

44 Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log Report Accessing the Log report To access the Log report: 1. In the CMW Reports window, double-click the ServiceCenter report icon. The Managed System Selection window appears. Each row in the window corresponds to a system on which you have installed an Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter. 2. Right-click on the Alert Adapter that monitors the server for which you want a report. 3. From the popup menu, select Log report. 44 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

45 Using the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log Report Customizing the report You can customize the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report in several ways: Use the Custom Report settings page to create reports with specific content (for example, a report containing only those log entries whose text contains the word Critical ). Use the Sort settings page to organize information based on the value of a specified parameter. Use the Include settings page to include or exclude information in a particular range. Use the Columns settings page to include or exclude columns in the report. Click the Help button on each settings page for instructions. Exporting report data Use the Export feature to save the data in the report as a flat file. You can then import the data into a database or spreadsheet for manipulation or formal reporting. Monitoring ServiceCenter Servers 45

46 SVC_Log Attributes SVC_Log Attributes Overview The columns in the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report correspond to attributes with which you can create situations on the CMW. These attributes belong to the group SVC_Log. You can use them to create situations that: alert you to problems with an ServiceCenter server trigger automated responses (for example, notifying an operator or restarting a server) The server log monitor must be running for SVC_Log situations to trip. See Starting the log monitor on NT on page 42 or Starting the log monitor on UNIX on page 43 for instructions for starting the monitor. Working with SVC_Log attributes SVC_Log attributes enable you to create situations that identify particular problems or statuses you want the CMW to notify you about. You can identify most problems with a single attribute or with a combination of alert attributes. For maximum performance, your definitions should be specific. For example, they might contain both the name of a particular host and the message text you are interested in. Alert adapters monitor events as they occur, rather than polling for them at intervals, so you do not set a monitor interval for situations you create with Event_log attributes. Because alert adapter events are "pure" rather than polled, the CMW does not reset them automatically. You must either reset them manually or use the UNTIL predicate in the situation to define the conditions under which the CMW should reset them. 46 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

47 SVC_Log Attributes Message_Date The date on the local host when the messaged was logged. Value Format the date as it appears in the Peregrine ServiceCenter log report Usage Use this attribute to monitor for problems logged on a particular date. Enter the date as it appears in the Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report. You can use either the Value or String Scan function. Example If you want to monitor messages logged on May 29, 1998, create the following situation: *VALUE SVC_Log.Message_Date *EQ thu 29 may 1998 Message_Node The local host name of the machine where a message originates. Value Format simple text string up to 64 characters Usage Use this attribute to specify or exclude a particular host. Example If you want to monitor messages originating from a host named Mercury, create the following situation: *VALUE SVC_Log.Message_Node *EQ Mercury Monitoring ServiceCenter Servers 47

48 SVC_Log Attributes Message_Time The time at which a problem was logged. Value Format The format is HH:MM:SS, where: HH = Hour, in 24-hour time (00-23) MM = Minute SS = Second Usage Use this attribute to monitor messages logged at a specified time. You can use either the Value or String Scan function. Example If you want to monitor messages logged at 2:30 p.m., create the following situation: *VALUE SVC_Log.Message_Node *EQ 14:30:00 Message_Text Specifies the text of an error message. Value Format simple text string up to 256 characters Usage Use this attribute to specify or exclude specific messages or parts of messages for your situation. For best results, specify key elements of the message and use the substring function *SCAN to search the message text for those elements. Example If you want to monitor for messages containing the word Critical, create the following situation: *SCAN SVC_Log.Message_Text *EQ Critical 48 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

49 A Troubleshooting Introduction This appendix contains troubleshooting tips for problems frequently encountered by new users. Troubleshooting 49

50 Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Overview This section lists several problems encountered by new users. It suggests reasons that this problems may be occurring and provides information for resolving the problem. The agent cannot connect to the ServiceCenter Server There are several reasons that an Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter agent is not able to connect to the Peregrine ServiceCenter server. The possible causes and the recommended actions are given in the table. Table 3. Causes for Failing to Connect to a ServiceCenter Server Cause The environment variables KPT_HOST and KPT_PORT have not been set correctly for the hostname and the port number of the ServiceCenter server. The ServiceCenter server is down. TCP/IP is down or is not installed. Suggested Action In the NT Registry, verify the host name and port number specified for these variables at installation time. If the values are incorrect, set the variables to the correct values. In the Registry, you find the variables in: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE \Candle\KPT\Ver201\Primary\Environm ent Verify that the server is running. If not, start the server. Verify that TCP/IP is installed. If it is installed, verify that it is running and, if not, start it. 50 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

51 Troubleshooting You are not able to create tickets There are several reasons that you may not be able to create a ticket. The possible causes and the recommended actions are given in the table. Table 4. Causes For Being Unable to Create Tickets Cause You do not have CMW Create Trouble Ticket authority. The Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter agent is not running. The Peregrine ServiceCenter server is not running. Suggested Action Check the Authority Settings page for your User Object. If you do not have correct authority, contact your CCC administrator. Verfiy that the agent is running. If not, start the agent. Verify that the server is running. If not, start the server. The Peregrine ServiceCenter reports are empty There are several reasons that the reports might be empty. The possible causes and the recommended actions are given in the table. Table 5. Causes for Empty Reports Cause ThePeregrine ServiceCenter server is down. No tickets have been created (Ticket report). You do not have CMW Create Trouble Ticket or View Trouble Ticket authority. The entries in the output event area monitored by the alert adapter have been deleted. Suggested Action Verify that the server is running. If not, start the server. Log into ServiceCenter to see if any tickets have been created. Check the Authority Settings page for your User Object. If you do not have correct authority, contact your CCC administrator. None. Wait for new entries. Troubleshooting 51

52 Troubleshooting Table 5. Causes for Empty Reports (continued) Cause The log monitor is not running (Log report). Suggested Action Start the log monitor program. There are no managed systems in the Available list when you attempt to distribute a policy You can only distribute policies to managed systems with agents running at the CCC 98 level or higher. If the managed system does not appear in the list, the agent is not at the appropriate level. 52 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

53 B Customer Support Introduction This appendix contains information on contacting Candle Customer Support. Customer Support 53

54 Candle Customer Support Candle Customer Support Introduction Candle Corporation offers a comprehensive maintenance and support plan to ensure you realize the greatest value possible from your Candle software investments. We have more than 200 technicians worldwide, committed to providing you with prompt resolutions to your support requests. Customer Support hours of operation are from 5:30 A.M. 5:00 P.M., Pacific Time. In the event of an after-hours or weekend emergency, Candle's computerized call management system ensures that a technician will return your call within one hour. For customers located outside of North America, after-hours and weekend support is provided by Candle Customer Support locations in the United States. Electronic support Candle provides information and support services through Candle's home page at You can use the Candle Worldwide Web Site to open problem records access maintenance information order products or maintenance access IBM compatibility information download fix packs for distributed products read news and alerts scan a list of scheduled Candle education classes Candle Electronic Customer Support (CECS), an electronic customer support facility. You can access this facility using the IBM Global Network. You can use CECS to: open problem records search our database for solutions to known problems look for answers to commonly asked questions read news and alerts scan a list of scheduled Candle education classes Both CECS and the Candle Worldwide Web Site are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. 54 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

55 Candle Customer Support Telephone support Our support network consists of product specialists who work with you to solve your problem. Candle uses an on-line problem management system to log and track all support requests. Your support request is immediately routed to the appropriate technical resource. When you call to report a problem, please have the following information: your Candle personal ID (PID) number the release level of the Candle product the release level of IBM or other vendor software identifying information and dates of recently applied maintenance to your Candle product or IBM product a detailed description of the problem (including the error message) and the events preceding the problem a description of any unusual events that occurred before the problem Customer Support Locations and Numbers To contact a Customer Support representative, refer to the following list. While these phone numbers were accurate at the time this document was published, the current numbers can be found on the Candle Web site, under Customer Support. Table 6. Customer Support Phone Numbers Office Telephone FAX North America (800) (310) (310) Europe Belgium/Luxembourg +32 (0) (0) France +33 (0) (0) Germany/Switzerland/ +49 (0) (0) Austria Italy Freephone Netherlands +31 (0) (0) Scandinavia +46 (0) (0) Customer Support 55

56 Candle Customer Support Table 6. Customer Support Phone Numbers (continued) Office Telephone FAX United Kingdom +44 (0) (0) (Southern Europe, Middle East and South Africa Agents call United Kingdom) Asia Pacific English Hub Australia Hong Kong India Indonesia Malaysia New Zealand Philippines Singapore Thailand Asia Pacific Japanese Hub Asia Pacific Korean Hub Asia Pacific Mandarin Hub Asia Pacific address: [email protected] When your local support office is unavailable, you can contact Candle's North America support center. If USADirect service is available in your country, use the 800 telephone number. If USADirect service is not available, ask your international operator for assistance in calling Candle's local (310) number. 56 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

57 Candle Customer Support Incident Documentation You may be asked to send incident documentation to the Candle Customer Support Center. On the outside of all packages you send, please write the incident number given to you by the Customer Support representative. Send tapes containing the incident information to the following address, unless directed otherwise by your Customer Support representative: Candle Customer Support Candle Support Center, Incident number 201 North Douglas Street El Segundo, California Send all other relevant documentation, such as diskettes or paper documentation, to the address provided by your Customer Support representative. Ensuring Your Satisfaction with Customer Support Candle Customer Support is committed to achieving high customer satisfaction ratings in all areas. These include connecting you to a support representative promptly providing you with the appropriate fixes answering support questions filling your shipping orders supplying documentation If you have a concern that has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you can open a complaint ticket. All tickets are logged and tracked to ensure responsiveness and closure. Using the ticket information, a manager will contact you promptly to resolve your problem. Customer Support 57

58 Candle Customer Support 58 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

59 G Glossary agent An executable file that gathers and distributes information about system parameters. There is always one agent per managed system. Candle Command Center (CCC) A client-server implementation whose environment includes: a server known as the Candle Management Server (CMS) a client, which can be: a Candle Management Workstation (CMW) running on a workstation for CCC products an OMEGAMON II product using a 3270 terminal session agents that collect and distribute data to a CMS Candle Management Server (CMS) The host data management component of the CCC. The CMS runs on the hub machine, sends out requests to, and receives data from, managed systems having an OMEGAMON monitoring agent or alert adapter installed, and sends the information it receives to the CMW. Candle Management Workstation (CMW) The workstation component of a CCC. The CMW provides a programmable workstation-based graphical user interface for CCC, and allows users to define and control all the monitoring and automation that CCC products provide. The CMW uses symbol and color changes to reflect the status changes of every object you are monitoring. Connector tool A Graphic view tool that enables you to connect objects in order to establish the logic path. end code A return code that indicates the result of the activity processing. Successor activities act on the basis of the endcode of their predecessor or predecessors. event A change in the status of a situation you are monitoring. Events view A view option that shows an expanded tree diagram of events Glossary 59

60 branching off managed objects. For any event, the Events view displays the name of the situation that generated the event, the name of the managed system where the event originated, and a time stamp of the event. Export A CMW feature that allows you to save report data to a file format that can be imported to database and spreadsheet programs. IF - CPU usage - GT - 90% - TRUE IF and TRUE appear in every situation. The expression CPU usage GT 90% is the situation predicate. trouble ticket A entry created in a problem tracking application to record and track a problem and its status. managed object A visual representation, typically an icon, of one or more situations being monitored on one or more managed systems. As the status of a situation changes, the appearance of a managed object icon on your workstation changes. managed system Any system, such as UNIX, Windows NT, or MVS, that a Candle Command Center is monitoring. When a new instance of a type of managed system comes online for the first time, information about it is placed automatically in the Managed Systems icon in the CMW main window. policy A collection of activities that provides the capability of automating responses to events or routine operator tasks. situation A logical expression involving one or more system conditions (attributes) that are of the form If - system condition - compared to - value - is true An example of a situation is 60 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200

61 I Index A activity program 21 Adobe portable document format 12 attributes see SVC_Log attributes authority, required 16 C Candle Electronic Customer Support (CECS) 54 Candle home page 54 Candle Internet site 54 Candle Worldwide Web site 54 complex policy, example of 27 creating trouble tickets automatically 14, 21 27, 28 from the Events view from the ServiceCenter Tickets report manually 15, overview 20 required authority 20 customer support electronic support 54 Internet 54 locations 55 numbers 55 telephone support 55 customizing reports 34 D documentation set 10 documentation, ordering 11 E editing trouble tickets, see updating trouble tickets empty reports, causes for 51 environment variables 16 events 46 Events view, creating tickets in 29 exporting report data 35 home page Candle 54 Internet site Candle 54 H I L log monitor about 42 starting on NT 42 starting on UNIX 43 Index 61

62 M Message_Date 47 Message_Node 47 Message_Text 48 Message_Time 48 modifying fields 39 modifying trouble tickets, see updating trouble tickets monitor interval 46 monitoring ServiceCenter servers O ordering documentation 11 P Peregrine ServiceCenter Log report 14 accessing 44 customizing 45 overview 42 using 42 Peregrine ServiceCenter Ticket report 14, accessing 36 customizing 34 displaying ticket contents overview 34 required authority 34 Peregrine_Ticket activity program 21 policies creating distributing 27 saving 27 policy editor, accessing 21 policy, complex 27 prerequisites authority 16 environment variables 16 software 16 printing problems 12 reports Log 14 Ticket 14 R S starting the Alert Adapter from Manage Candle Services 18 stopping the Alert Adapter from Manage Candle Services 18 SVC_Log attributes Message_Date 47 Message_Node 47 Message_Text 48 Message_Time 48 overview 46 working with 46 SVC_Log situations 46 T troubleshooting can t connect to server 50, 51 can t create tickets 51 no managed systems available 52 reports are empty 51 U updating trouble tickets 39 V viewing trouble tickets required authority 34 Worldwide Web site Candle 54 W 62 Alert Adapter for Peregrine ServiceCenter User s Guide, Version 200