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

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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