Monitoring Portal - PureApplication

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  1. Overview
    1. Browser client differences
    2. Monitoring agents
    3. Features
    4. Predefined workspaces, situations, and more
    5. Tour
      1. Navigator
      2. Workspaces
      3. Views
      4. Situations
      5. Properties
      6. Conclusion
  2. Use the Navigator
    1. Overview
    2. Tools
    3. Situation event indicators
    4. More... indicators
    5. Expand the Navigator in increments
    6. Collapse the Navigator
    7. Find Navigator items
    8. Open a Navigator view
    9. Refresh the Navigator
    10. Respond to an application support event
    11. Remove an event item
    12. Remove an offline managed system Navigator item
  3. Use workspaces
    1. Workspace characteristics
    2. Open a workspace
    3. Open a new window
    4. Tabbed workspaces
    5. Refresh a workspace
    6. Suspend and stop refresh
    7. Link to a workspace
    8. View title bar and toolbar
    9. Set a time span to display
    10. Move a view
    11. Reorder columns and rows
    12. Zoom a chart view
    13. Export a query-based view
    14. Find text in a browser view or notepad view
    15. Find table data
    16. Print a view or workspace
  4. Responding to events
    1. Understand situation events
    2. Open the situation event results workspace
    3. Enterprise Status workspace
    4. Acknowledge an event
      1. acknowledgment status
      2. Review the acknowledgement and adding notes
      3. Add notes to an acknowledged event
      4. Remove an acknowledgment
    5. Close a situation event
    6. Turn off the sound
    7. Event reporting
  5. Customize workspaces
    1. Custom workspace options and guidelines
    2. Tutorial: Defining a workspace
    3. Start workspace administration mode
    4. Workspace properties
    5. Create a new workspace
    6. Save a workspace
    7. Edit a workspace
    8. Rename a workspace
    9. Delete or restoring a workspace
    10. Define links between workspaces
      1. Create a new link
      2. Testing the link
      3. Edit a link definition
      4. Delete a link definition
      5. Add or editing a link anchor
      6. Link examples
  6. Customize workspace views
    1. Create a new view
    2. Edit a view
    3. Query-based views
      1. Select a query for a view
      2. Filter a query-based view
      3. Properties editor
    4. Table view
      1. Add a table view
      2. Table view features
      3. Add column thresholds
      4. Guidelines for threshold icons
    5. Chart views
      1. Create a new chart
      2. Pie chart
      3. Bar chart
      4. Plot chart
      5. Area chart
      6. Circular gauge chart
      7. Linear gauge chart
      8. Chart style
      9. Chart baselines
    6. Topology view
      1. Create a topology view
      2. What the topology view shows
      3. Topology view style properties
      4. TMS Infrastructure view
    7. Event views
      1. Add a message log view
      2. What the view shows
      3. Apply quick settings
      4. Edit the message log view properties
      5. Add a Universal Message Console view
      6. Add a graphic view
      7. Graphic view toolbar
      8. Graphic view style properties
      9. Create a custom background image
      10. Create custom icons
      11. Change the default graphics
      12. Add a situation event console view
      13. What the situation event console shows
      14. Apply filters and thresholds
      15. Edit the situation event console view properties
      16. Add a common event console view
      17. Add a Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer
      18. Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer and console toolbars
      19. What to do if the view is disabled
    8. Create a browser view
    9. Add a notepad view
    10. Create a take action view
    11. Terminal view
    12. Terminal Emulator Scripting Language
    13. Custom queries
    14. Historical reporting
    15. Navigator views for logical organization
    16. Navigator editor and properties
  7. Situations for event monitoring
    1. Overview
    2. Open the Situation editor
    3. Filter the situations tree
    4. Situation editor
    5. Predefined situations
    6. Create a situation
    7. Start or stopping a situation
    8. Situation association with Navigator items
    9. Modeling conditions for situations
    10. Edit a situation
    11. Delete a situation
    12. Situation overrides for dynamic thresholding
    13. Embedding a situation
    14. Correlating situations
    15. Situation examples
    16. Situation troubleshooting
  8. Automating actions and responses
    1. Automation with policies
    2. View policy details
    3. Create a policy
    4. Edit a policy
    5. Copying a policy
    6. Delete a policy
    7. Start and stop policies
    8. Policy distribution
    9. Workflows
    10. Policy Details
    11. Workflow Editor
    12. Grapher View
    13. General activities
    14. Action Settings
    15. Attribute selection
    16. Emitter activities
    17. Emitter settings
    18. Extensions
    19. Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager policies
    20. Request Parameters
    21. Take action commands
    22. Launch application
  9. User administration
    1. Manage user IDs
    2. Manage user groups
    3. Administer Users
    4. Notes on user administration
    5. Troubleshoot logon error messages
  10. Manage the environment
    1. Grouping objects
    2. Managed system status
    3. PureApplication System Monitoring Server status
    4. Manage monitoring agents
    5. Optimizing PureApplication System Monitoring Server resources
    6. Organization of predefined workspaces
    7. PureApplication System Monitoring Server situations
  11. Formula functions
    1. Formula function types
    2. Attribute and attribute group characteristics
    3. Boolean AND and OR
    4. Formula editor menu
    5. Cell functions
    6. Group functions
  12. PureApplication System Monitoring Server and global attributes
    1. Agent Operations Log attributes
    2. Catalog Check attributes
    3. Deploy Status attributes
    4. Deploy Summary attributes
    5. Depot Inventory attributes
    6. EIB Change Log attributes
    7. ITM Audit attributes
    8. Local Time attributes
    9. Managed Systems attributes
    10. Situation Definition attributes
    11. Situation State Event attributes
    12. Situation Status Current attributes
    13. Situation Status Log attributes
    14. Universal Messages attributes
    15. Universal Time attributes


Overview of PureApplication System Monitoring Portal

The IBM PureApplication System Monitoring Portal a dashboard view of enterprise IT resources. You can open the monitoring portal from the Workload Console. Monitoring Portal is a window into your Tivoli monitored environment.


PureApplication System Monitoring Portal client, server, and agents

The PureApplication System Monitoring Client is a Java-based user interface for viewing and monitoring the enterprise network. You can start Tivoli Enterprise Portal as a desktop application, a web application through your browser, or Java Webstart, which downloads the installable software from the monitoring portal server, installs it, and then makes it available as a desktop application.

The PureApplication System Monitoring Server is based on a client-server-agent architecture.


Server

The PureApplication System Monitoring Portal client connects to its application server, the monitoring portal server. The monitoring portal server is a collection of software services for the client that enables retrieval, manipulation and analysis of data from the monitoring agents on your enterprise. This server connects to the PureApplication System Monitoring Server, which acts as a collection and control point for alerts received from the monitoring agents, and collects performance and availability data. The main, or hub, PureApplication System Monitoring Server correlates the monitoring data collected by agents and remote servers and passes it to the monitoring portal server for presentation and your evaluation.


Agent

PureApplication System Monitoring Agents are installed on the systems whose applications or resources you want to monitor. The monitoring agent collects the monitored data, and passes it to the PureApplication System Monitoring Server to which it is connected. The client gathers the current values of the monitored properties, or attributes, and displays them in views. It can also test the values against a threshold and display an event indicator when that threshold is exceeded.


PureApplication System Monitoring Portal window

The monitoring portal window displays information about monitored resources in your enterprise. On the left is the Navigator, which shows the arrangement of your monitored network and allows you to access information collected by different agents on your monitored systems. On the right is a workspace. The workspace can be divided into as many smaller frames, or panes, as you can reasonably fit inside the window. When you select an item in the Navigator, a new workspace opens with a set of views for that item.

The window comprises the following elements:

Title bar

In browser mode (as shown), the title bar shows the name of the workspace.

In desktop mode, the title bar shows the name of the workspace, the name and port number of the monitoring portal server, and the user name. For example, NT Cache Details - mars:14000 - JONDO tells us that the NT Cache Details workspace is open and the user JONDO is connected to the monitoring portal server named mars through port number 14000.

Banner

The banner is displayed when you run monitoring portal in browser mode. You can replace it with your own .GIF graphic, such as your company logo.

Menu bar

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal has a menu bar that includes the following four menus:

Menu Options
File Work with workspaces. Set a trace. Exit the monitoring portal.
Edit Workspace properties; historical data collection configuration; policies, situations; user IDs; queries; object groups.
View Open other workspaces for a Navigator item; hide the tool and status bars; refresh the data in the workspace; turn off sound for events; Open other Navigator views.
Help Tivoli Enterprise Portal Help; 10-minute tour; links to the IBM website.

Also available are menus that open when you right-click an item in the Navigator or a view in the workspace.

In browser mode you can also use the browser menu bar, which is displayed just below the title bar.

If your user ID does not have View or Modify permission for a function or does not have Workspace Author Mode permission, you will not see certain items in the menus, including the pop-up menus. For example, if you have no Workspace Author Mode permission, the Properties menu item is not displayed.

Toolbar

Your user ID requires Workspace Author Mode permission to create and maintain workspaces, including links.

The toolbar has four tool groupings:

Return to the previous workspace. Click the list button to see and select from a history of workspaces as they were opened. The selected workspace refreshes with the most recent sampling data from the agent. This icon is not available in browser mode. Use the Back tool in your browser instead.
Move forward to the next workspace. Click the list button to see and select from a history of workspaces that were opened after this one. The selected workspace refreshes with the most recent sampling data from the agent. This icon is not available in browser mode. Use the Forward tool in your browser instead.
Desktop mode only: Opens a new Tivoli Enterprise Portal window. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + N.
Save the current workspace properties, including any changes to views and links. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + S.
Open the Properties editor for this workspace. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + R.
Open the History Collection Configuration window to define and start historical collection for the specified monitoring agents and attribute groups. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + H.
Open the Workflow editor to customize policies for automation. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + W.
Open the Situation editor for viewing, editing, and creating situations that alert you when the conditions they describe have been met. When you use this method to open the Situation editor instead of through the Navigator item pop-up menu, the situation is not associated with any Navigator item. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + E.
Open the Administer Users window for adding and removing user IDs and changing user permissions. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + U.
Open the Query editor. When you use this method to open the Query editor (instead of opening the Query editor through the Properties editor), you can view and customize queries but you cannot assign them to table and chart views. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Q.
Open the Object Group editor for creating and working with groups, such as managed systems and situations. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + O.
Open the Performance Analyzer Configuration window for creating analytical tasks. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + F.
Pause or resume automatic refresh of the data in the workspace views. The tool is disabled if no refresh interval has been set for the workspace (View | Refresh Every). Keyboard shortcut: Shift + Esc.
Stop loading the workspace. If the workspace is set to refresh at intervals (View . Refresh Every), the refresh stops until the next interval. Keyboard shortcut: Shift + Esc.
Reload the saved workspace and refreshes the data in the workspace views. Keyboard shortcut: F5.
Open the workspace gallery containing thumbnail images linked to the targeted workspaces. Images are only displayed if the workspace has been previously accessed. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + G.
Turn sound off or on for open events. Enabling or disabling sound for an event is controlled through the Situation editor.
Replace the view you click next with a pie chart, the properties of which you can customize for the data you want to include.
Replace the view you click next with a bar chart, the properties of which you can customize for the data you want to plot.
Replace the view you next click inside with a plot chart, which you can then customize for the data you want to include.
Replace the view you next click inside with an area chart, which you can then customize for the data you want to include.
Replace the view you next click with a circular gauge chart, which you can then customize for the data you want to show.
Replace the view you next click with a linear gauge chart, which you can then customize for the data you want to show.
The notepad view is a simple text editor for writing notes about the workspace.
The table view shows a column for each attribute requested by the query and one or more rows of data. You can also get table views to show data samplings over a period of time.
The message log view shows the status of events that have been opened on the entire monitored enterprise and can include up to 100 row entries at a time.
The universal message console view displays situation and policy activities as they happen, such as when a situation has been created or deleted or a policy has been activated.
The graphic view places Navigator items and their alerts as icons on a map or a picture to represent your monitored environment. Alerts show on these icons just as they do in the Navigator.
The take action view enables you to send a command to a managed system.
The terminal view starts a 3270 or 5250 session for working with z/OS applications, or a Telnet session for working with the TCP/IP network.
The browser view opens the Tivoli Enterprise Portal integrated browser for accessing web pages and web applications.
A topology view can be added to a workspace to show the arrangement of monitored components associated with its Navigator item. Most Navigator items have at least one topology source available for the topology view, and some have multiple topology sources from which to chose.
The situation event console view shows the status of events that have been opened on this branch of the Navigator, such as the state and how long the event has been open.
The common event console view is able to integrates events from multiple event repositories: PureApplication System Monitoring Server, Tivoli Enterprise Console Server, and Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus ObjectServer.
The Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer integrates events from the Tivoli Enterprise Console Server with those from the PureApplication System Monitoring Server.
For performance analysis, you can specify a time span to use for the workspaces that get opened. Historical navigation mode is easily started and stopped, and you can adjust the time span.

You can hide the toolbar with View .Toolbar.

Each view in the workspace also has a title bar that includes these buttons:

Brings up the Properties editor for the view. This button does not display if the view has no properties.
Shows or hides the view toolbar. This button does not display if the view has no toolbar.
Splits the view horizontally into two separate views.
Splits the view vertically into two separate views.
Maximizes the view, at which time the button becomes a Restore button so you can restore the view to its original size.
Removes the view from the workspace.

Many views have a toolbar of functions that are applicable to that view. For example, the Time Span tool is displayed for table views, bar charts, and plot charts that query attribute groups that are historical in nature or that have been configured for historical data collection.

You can turn off the display of both the view title bar and toolbar through View .View Toolbars.

Navigator

The Navigator Physical view shows the hierarchy of your monitored enterprise, from the top level (Enterprise) down to individual groupings of information collected by monitoring agents. Every item in the Navigator has at least one workspace associated with it. When you click an item in the Navigator the default workspace is displayed in the application window.

The Navigator provides a physical view of your monitored network, organized by operating system platform, system type,PureApplication System Monitoring product (agents), and the attribute groups from which the agents can collect information.

Small colored event indicator (such as , , and) icons overlay Navigator icons when a situation (a test of certain conditions) becomes true. As you move up the Navigator hierarchy, multiple events are consolidated to show only the indicator with the highest severity.

You might see More... indicators in the Navigator. These indicators keep the tree compact so you can see more alerts in the viewable area without having to scroll. Click More... to expand that branch of the tree.

The tool for refreshing the Navigator view includes a count of the monitoring agent changes (added or removed) that are waiting to be updated. For example, six pending updates are shown as 6 Apply pending updates.

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal also comes with a Navigator Logical view that initially shows one Navigator item. To change to the Navigator Logical view, select it from the Navigator view list . You can also edit the Logical view and define new Navigator views for any logical hierarchy. For example, you might have a Navigator view for Manufacturing and another for Marketing.

The right border of the Navigator view has a button that hides the Navigator and expands the adjacent workspace views to fill the gap. Click to restore its original size. You can also click <Navigator name> in the right-most section of the status bar to restore the Navigator view; or right-click it to see a list of Navigator views to select from.

Workspace

The workspace is the working area of the application window and consists of one or more views.

A view is a pane in the workspace, typically a chart or table showing data collected from a monitoring agent, such as the process detail running on the UNIX operating system. A view can be split either vertically or horizontally into two separate, independent views.

Every item in the Navigator has a default workspace associated with it. Some items might have multiple workspaces, which are accessible from the Workspace gallery or from the Navigator item pop-up menu.

A workspace can be linked to other workspaces. A link can be context-sensitive, whereby you click a link in a table row or right-click a table row or a chart data series to link to more detailed information about one of the attributes in the row or data series.

Status bar

The status bar has several sections showing the following, starting from the left:

  • Hub Time, which is the local time at the hub monitoring server
  • Server Available (or offline if you see a red "X" over the server icon), which is the status of the connection to the portal server
  • Workspace name, portal server name, and port number, and the user name. If the user is in workspace administration mode, *ADMIN MODE* is displayed.
  • If the Navigator view is minimized, a Navigator button is displayed for you to click to restore the named Navigator.

You can turn off the display of the status bar through the View menu.


1.3. Browser client differences

The PureApplication System Monitoring Portal can be started as a desktop application or through your browser by entering the URL for the monitoring portal server. There are a few differences in operation between the two clients.

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal can be used with either a desktop or a browser client. For a desktop client, the application software is installed on your system and you start it as you would any other application; for a browser client, the application software is installed on the web server that is integrated with the monitoring portal server and users log on from their browsers. The software is downloaded to your system the first time you log on to monitoring portal, and thereafter only when software updates are available.

Portal toolbar

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal functionality is the same for both types of clients except for the Back, Forward, New Window, and Stop tools, which are not on the portal toolbar because they are already available browser toolbar. As well, keyboard shortcuts also used by Internet Explorer such as F1 for Help and Ctrl+H for the History Configuration window are not available in browser mode.

Workspaces have URLs

When you are logged on to the monitoring portal server through your browser, the address bar displays a URL for each workspace. You can log on and open to the workspace of your choice by adding the workspace URL to the logon URL. You can also send the URL in an email, include it in a hypertext link in an HTML page or other document, or bookmark it.

Tabbed workspaces

Every workspace has properties that control how it accessed and displayed. One of the options enables you to open the workspace in a new window instead of replacing the previous workspace in the same window. For browsers that are enabled for tabbed web pages, the browser client uses those settings and opens the workspace in a new tab.

Launch in context and with single sign-on

You can launch products in context, such as to the IBM Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager from the browser client. If your environment and user ID are configured for single sign-on, you do not need to re-authenticate as you launch into other applications.

Custom banner

The browser client has a banner image and text that you can customize for your organization. See Add your company logo and URL in the IBM Tivoli Monitoring Administrator's Guide for details.

Note: As an alternative to the browser client, you can use IBM Web Start for Java to download the Java Web Start client from the monitoring portal server.


1.4. Monitoring agents

PureApplication System Monitoring Agents are installed where you have resources you want to monitor. The agents and the operating system, subsystem or computer that they are running on are referred to as managed systems.

The Navigator Physical view shows the types of agents installed and running on each managed system.

Some agents also have subagents. In such instances the agent is the managing agent. For example, the WebSphere MQ Integrator Series agent has MQSI Broker subagents. Subagents are displayed in the Navigator below the managing agent and its attribute groups.

MQSI Agent - ::KQIA

The agent gathers the current values of the attributes (elements) specified in a view. Gathered attribute values can also be tested against a threshold and display an event indicator when conditions exceed the threshold.

Some agents have fewer than 100 attributes, and many have several hundred. These attribute values are displayed in the table and chart views of workspaces at the system, agent, and attribute group level of the Navigator Physical view.

When an attribute value (or range of values) is specified in a situation, as a table threshold, or as a chart or table view filter, monitoring portal compares the current value with the value specified and does the following:


1.5. Features

The PureApplication System Monitoring Portal gives you a single point of control for managing the resources your applications rely on, including a range of operating systems, servers, databases, platforms, and web components. For example, a typical IT network might have a web server on Windows, an application server and database on UNIX, and a transaction processor on CICS on the mainframe. The Tivoli Enterprise Portal brings all these views together in a single window so that you can see when any aspect of your network is not working as expected.

Your PureApplication System Monitoring Server products use the portal interface with these major features and you can find demos for many of them on developerWorks in the Tivoli Media Gallery:

Customize workspaces PureApplication System Monitoring Portal presents information in a single pane of glass called a workspace, which consists of one or more views. Monitoring data is retrieved at regular intervals and the results sent to the workspace in the form of chart and table views. You can start monitoring activity and system status immediately with the predefined workspaces. with just a few clicks of the mouse, you can tailor your own workspaces to look at specific conditions, display critical threshold values in red, and filter incoming data so you see only what matters.
Customize workspace views The charts display data that the monitoring agents have gathered from the systems where they are running. They can also show data from any ODBC-compliant database you write a custom query for.

The notepad view opens a simple text editor for writing text that can be saved with the workspace.

The table view displays data that the monitoring agents have gathered from the systems where they are running.

The message log shows the status of all situations distributed to the managed systems in your enterprise. (Your user ID requires View permission for the Event feature.)

The universal message console view shows situation and policy activity, and messages received as the result of universal message generation.

The graphic view places Navigator items as icons on a map or picture of your choosing. (User ID requires View permission for the Event feature.)

The action enables you to send a command to a managed system. (User ID requires View permission for the Action feature.)

The terminal view starts a 3270, 5250, or Telnet session, and enables you to write scripts for working with z/OS applications.

The browser view opens the integrated browser for accessing web pages.

The topology view can be added to a workspace to show the arrangement of monitored components associated with the Navigator item.

The situation event console view shows the status of all situations associated with items on this branch of the Navigator view, and has tools for instant filtering and event handling. (Your user ID requires View permission for the Event feature.)

The common event console view enables you to see events from the PureApplication System Monitoring Server in the same way as the situation event console, plus it incorporates events from the Tivoli Enterprise Console Server and the Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus ObjectServer if your managed environment is configured for those servers.

The Tivoli Enterprise Console view displays events from the Tivoli Enterprise Console Server and can integrate them with situation events from the PureApplication System Monitoring Server.

Links between workspaces If you often go from one workspace to another, and from one Navigator view to another, you can build a link from one to the other to get there more quickly. You can also build links that originate from a query-based view or a graphic view and use relevant data from the source to determine the link target.
Configure historical data collection Configure PureApplication System Monitoring Server to retain data samplings in history files and, if you have the Tivoli Data Warehouse configured, roll off to a historical database at selected intervals, from every 15 minutes to once a day. In chart and table views you can then look over what happened hours or days ago, or as far back as you have data stored to find a pattern, and you can filter out unwanted data to speed up data retrieval and to show specific areas of interest. Pruning and summarization features enable you to keep the data stored on the warehouse at a manageable level.
Create custom queries Every monitoring agent comes with a set of predefined queries for every attribute group. These queries tell the monitoring server what monitoring data to retrieve from the monitoring agent to display in a chart or table view. You can create your own queries to specify exactly which attributes to retrieve to the table or chart. This saves valuable resources by retrieving only the data you want and nothing more. For example, you can use filters in the query to retrieve only the records with a file size that is greater than five megabytes.

Additionally, you can write SQL queries to ODBC data sources and apply the results to any chart or table. This enables you to show Tivoli data and data from other sources (such as third-party databases) in a single workspace.

Take Action The take action feature lets you enter a command or select from one of the predefined commands for your product and run it on any system in your managed network either manually or automatically in response to reported conditions.
Launch Application The launch application feature enables you to write definitions that start applications on your computer. A launch definition can include arguments that are passed to the application when it is started. You can invoke a definition at any time from the portal interface to launch the specified application.
Condition-based alerts You can define conditions that are tested against monitored data at regular intervals. When matching values (or values that fall within a specified range) are found, a situation event is open and a visual indicator alerts you. You can automate a response to the event.
Object groups and managed system groups The object group editor enables you to create named lists of managed systems, historical data collection distribution lists, and situation lists.

You can create and maintain named lists of managed systems that can be applied to situation distribution lists, queries, custom Navigator managed system assignments, policies correlated by business application group.

User administration The user administration feature is for adding and maintaining user IDs and user groups, assigning permissions for the major features, and restricting access to specific managed systems and Navigator views.
Customize the Navigator The portal interface comes with the Navigator Physical view, which organizes your managed enterprise by operating platform and agent type, and the Navigator Logical view, which initially shows one Navigator item. You can also define Navigator views for any logical grouping, such as a departmental or site hierarchy.
Policies The Workflow editor enables you to design sets of automated system processes, called policies, to resolve system problems. A policy performs actions, schedules work to be performed by users, or automates manual tasks.
Universal Agent support The Tivoli Universal Agent is a monitoring agent you can configure to monitor any data you collect. It lets you integrate data from virtually any platform and any source, such as custom applications, databases, systems, and subsystems. Your defined data providers are listed in the Navigator, and default workspaces automatically created for them. You can display data from your Universal Agent attributes in workspace views and use them in situations.

When you create custom queries for these universal agents you can display and monitor data from any application, including APIs and third-party software.

Agent Builder support The Agent Builder is a wizard that makes it easier to build custom monitoring solutions. Using mostly point and click capabilities, the Agent Builder allows you to create a monitoring agent using multiple data providers such as WMI, Perfmon, Log scraping, scripts, and process monitoring. Over time additional data providers will be added to the Agent Builder.

Monitoring agents created using the Agent Builder have two advantages over agents based on the Tivoli Universal Agent. First, the Agent Builder monitoring agents tend to run with lower CPU utilization than an equivalent Tivoli Universal Agent. Second, you do not need to worry about Tivoli Universal Agent versioning.

However, the Agent Builder is not a complete replacement for the Tivoli Universal Agent. The Tivoli Universal Agent has some key capabilities that Agent Builder monitoring agents do not have. For example, the Tivoli Universal Agent has an ODBC data provider; the Agent Builder does not. A single Tivoli Universal Agent can be configured to monitor multiple remote systems, using several types of data providers. The Agent Builder can be configured to monitor multiple remote systems, but you must create one agent instance for each remotely monitored server.

Multiple applications in one workspace In one workspace you can build a table or chart with data from one type of monitoring agent, and another table or chart with data from a different agent, showing views from as many different agent types as are included on that branch of the Navigator.
Link between applications You can define a link from a workspace associated with one monitoring agent to the workspace of another.
Link between Navigators You can link from a workspace in one Navigator view to a workspace in a different Navigator view.


1.6. Predefined workspaces, situations, and more

Every agent is designed to monitor specific attributes of an operating system or other type of software. With these attributes, come definitions for use with the monitoring portal functions.

Use the definitions that have been designed for your product to begin monitoring and visualizing data immediately. Some definitions are ready to use; others are dormant until activated:

Workspaces

The workspaces that open when you click a Navigator item or select from the Workspace Gallery, are predefined. They provide visual feedback of real-time values from managed systems, and historical values when historical data collection has been configured. They provide a starting point for designing your own workspaces.

Queries

Predefined workspaces are populated with data gathered as a result of queries, which are also predefined. Creating your own queries from these predefined queries enables you to add or remove attributes, apply a sort order, and pre-filter the data to keep data retrieval at a manageable level and to enable you to more easily see data of interest.

Take action commands

Some agents have predefined take action commands, such as the Windows OS agent Start Service and Stop Service commands. They are available for selection and they provide examples of the kinds of actions that you might want to define for maintaining managed systems.

Situations

The tests for conditions to be alerted for are available in the predefined situations. To avoid an overwhelming number of events opening in a newly managed environment and, conversely to avoid missing important events because the comparison criteria was set too low, many of the predefined situations for an agent are not set to start automatically. They remain stopped until you either start them manually or set them to Run at startup. A good way to find out which situations are set to run at startup and which ones are not, is to filter the Situation editor tree with Show Situations, which is available when the Situation editor is opened from the Navigator pop-up menu. As agents report monitoring data, and especially when that data is being collected and stored in a Tivoli Data Warehouse, you can better determine the values and circumstances that are worthy of an alert, such as high CPU activity on a transaction server at peak times.

Policies

Predefined policies that are available with some products are not set to start automatically. This is primarily because policies automate activities, as described in the policy workflow.

Managed system groups

The Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server and every PureApplication System Monitoring Server product has at least one predefined managed system group, indicated by an asterisk at the beginning of the list name, such as *NT_SYSTEM for the Windows OS agent. When you assign one of these managed system groups to a situation, policy, historical collection configuration, or custom Navigator, all managed systems with that agent installed are selected.

Navigator views

Some products have custom Navigator views for access to special features.


1.7. PureApplication System Monitoring Portal tour


1.7.1. Navigator

The Navigator Physical view shows the physical hierarchy of your network, with enterprise at the top, followed by the operating platform, and so on. Have a look at the levels of the Navigator:

  1. Open the operating platform level (Linux Systems, UNIX Systems, Windows Systems, or z/OS Systems) by clicking Expand to the left of its icon.
    • Enterprise
      Windows Systems

    Opening a level in the Navigator reveals the next level in that branch.

  2. Open the operating platform level to see the names for the systems running on that platform.
    • Enterprise
      Windows Systems
      JDOE

  3. Open any system to see the monitoring agents installed on that system for monitoring applications and resources, and, below agents, the elements, or attributes, for which the agent can collect data for reporting and testing.
    • Enterprise
      Windows Systems
      JDOE
      Windows
      Disk
      Monitor Services
      Memory

Expand and Collapse enable you to open and close levels in the Navigator without selecting an item.

You can close the tree entirely by double-clicking the Enterprise item. To expand the tree, double-click again.


1.7.2. Workspaces

Every item in the Navigator has a workspace that opens when you select it. After you log into the monitoring portal server, the monitoring portal window opens. The top item in the Navigator, Enterprise, is selected and its workspace is displayed.

The workspace for the operating platform you selected replaces the one that was previously displayed. The workspace displayed when you click a Navigator item is the default workspace for that item. Your PureApplication System Monitoring Server product might come with multiple workspaces for some items, and you can create additional workspaces of your own.

If this is a new installation, you will see the splash screen instead of a thumbnail version of the workspace in the gallery until you or another user who is logged on to the same Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server opens the workspace for the first time. A check mark by a workspace name indicates that it is the default workspace for this Navigator item. You can reorder the workspaces in your copy of the gallery by clicking a thumbnail graphic and dragging it on top of the workspace to swap positions with.

Together, the Navigator and workspaces show the facets of your Tivoli managed enterprise from the highest level to the most detailed.


1.7.3. Views

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal offers many different views that you can add to your workspaces.

The view title bar has buttons for creating another view by splitting the view horizontally or vertically, for maximizing the view, and for deleting the view.

To add a different view complete the following steps:

  1. Select a view, then click Split Horizontally.

    This tool divides the view space in half horizontally to create a copy of the original view.

    If you cannot split a view and the tools for the notepad and other views are disabled (dimmed), your user ID does not have Workspace Author Mode permission.

  2. Click your desired view type from the toolbar. For example click Notepad

    When you click a view tool, the mouse pointer changes to an icon of the chosen view type (hand icon on Linux).

  3. Click inside the view pane. The new view replaces the previous view.

To rearrange views complete the following steps:

  1. Drag the title bar of one view and drop over another view.

    While dragging the title bar, you should see a semi-transparent copy of the view.

  2. Release the mouse button to switch the views.

Query-based views

The table and chart views are the first step to getting meaningful information from the data being collected. When you understand what values and states are causing problems, you can refine your views to show what is important. For attribute groups with attributes that can be expressed meaningfully as objects and show their relationship to other attributes in the same group, there is also the Relational Table Based topology view.

The table view and chart views display data the monitoring agents have gathered from the systems where they are running.

The topology shows the arrangement of monitored components associated with its Navigator item.

Event views

The message log view and console views (universal message, situation event, common event, and Tivoli Enterprise Console) update automatically to show new events as they arrive and changes in event status as they occur. The graphic view gives you a pictorial alternative to the Navigator for indicating alerts.

The message log view shows the status of events that have been opened on the entire monitored enterprise and can include up to 100 row entries at a time.

The universal message console view displays situation and policy activities as they happen, such as when a situation has been created or deleted or a policy has been activated.

The graphic view places Navigator items and their alerts as icons on a map or a picture to represent your monitored environment.

The situation event console view shows the status of situation events that have been opened on this branch of the Navigator. The console has a toolbar for quick filtering and a menu for responding to alerts.

The common event console view integrates events from multiple event repositories: PureApplication System Monitoring Server, Tivoli Enterprise Console event server, and Netcool/OMNIbus ObjectServer. This view has the same functional capabilities as the situation event console view, such as the ability to sort and filter events.

The Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer can integrate events from the Tivoli Enterprise Console Server with those from the PureApplication System Monitoring Server.

Other views

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal workspaces can also have any of the following specialized views:

The notepad view opens a simple text editor for writing notes or other text that can be saved with the workspace.

The take action view enables you to send a command to a managed system.

The terminal view starts a 3270 or 5250 session for working with z/OS applications, or a Telnet session for working with the TCP/IP network.

The browser view opens the integrated browser for accessing web pages.


1.7.4. Situations

In addition to providing a map of your enterprise, the Navigator can alert you of changing conditions in the systems you are monitoring. When a condition changes, the associated item is marked with an icon: Fatal, Critical, Minor, Warning, Harmless, Informational, or Unknown. The Navigator places one of these icons, called alert indicator or event indicator, at every level of the hierarchy so you can see an alert even if a Navigator branch is closed.

If you see any of these icons in the Navigator now, move the mouse pointer over an event indicator to open a flyover listing of the situations that caused the events at that level of the Navigator and below.

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal runs tests called situations on systems where monitoring agents are installed. When the conditions of a situation have been met, an event occurs and an event indicator is displayed over the applicable items in the Navigator.

Open a situation using the following steps:

  1. Right-click a system name in the Navigator and click Situations. The Situation editor opens with a list of situations on the left. This is where you can view and edit situations or create new ones.
  2. Click a situation name in the tree to see the Situation editor tabs. Formula to view, add, and change the conditions being tested; Distribution to view and specify the systems on which to run the situation; Expert Advice to write comments or instructions to be read in the event results workspace; Action to send a command to the managed system; and Until to close the event after a period of time or when another situation is true.
  3. Click Cancel to close the Situation editor.

You cannot open the Situation editor if your user ID does not have permission to View Situations.


1.7.5. Properties

In this last part of the tour, open the Properties editor, where you can edit the appearance and content of the views chosen for a workspace.

  1. Click Properties. The Properties editor opens with a list of the views on the left, grouped by type. The general workspace properties appear on the right.
  2. Select one of the views in the Properties tree. All types of views have a Style tab, with different options for the type of view. The table, charts, and topology views have Query and Filters tabs, table and topology have a Thresholds tab, and terminal emulators have a Configuration tab. Whenever you want to change the data elements that display for a chart or table or change the styling of a view, go to the Properties editor.
  3. Click Cancel to close the Properties editor.


1.7.6. Conclusion

You now know the basics on the main functionality of the monitoring portal. For practice, try splitting this view and apply a Browser view.


Use the Navigator

The Navigator provides a hierarchical view of your enterprise. At the highest level you can get a high level overview of the status of your monitored environment. From there you can navigate to specific monitored resources to check activity and investigate problems. At every level, event indicators alert you to changes in system or application conditions.


2.1. Navigator overview

The Navigator provides a hierarchical view of your enterprise. At the highest level you can get a high level overview of the status of your monitored environment. From there you can navigate to specific monitored resources to check activity and investigate problems.


Types of Navigator views

Navigator Physical view

The default Navigator view is Physical and shows the hierarchy of your monitored enterprise. The Navigator Physical view is a discovered view: as new managed systems come online or when they become disconnected, the view is adjusted accordingly.

Enterprise, or root, level contains all managed systems
Platform is the operating system
System, or node, is the name of the computer or z/OS image
Agent type. Multiple instance agents have child items; some are grouped into one folder
Attribute category being monitored

Here is an example of a system named JDOE, running on Windows, with the Windows OS agent.

Enterprise
Windows Systems
JDOE
Windows OS
Disk
Monitor Services
Memory

You can collapse the tree by double-clicking the Enterprise item, and expand it by double-clicking again.

Custom Navigator views

Your monitoring portal configuration can also have custom-designed Navigator views. These views are selectable from the Navigator toolbar, navigable and show event indicators (described below) in the same way as the Navigator Physical view. Unlike the Navigator Physical view, custom Navigator views can be edited. You can, for example, design a Navigator view for Manufacturing and another for Marketing.

Your user ID can be assigned to all or a subset of the defined Navigator views, and your access in any of these views can be restricted to a certain branch. To see the list of available Navigator views, click the list box in the Navigator toolbar.

A small white cross over a Navigator item icon means one or more other Navigator items share the characteristics of that item. This happens when an item from one Navigator view has been copied to another Navigator view. All the managed systems, workspaces, link definitions, situations, and policies associated with the original (source) item are applied to the new item. And from then on, changes to one item (such as a new workspace is added) are applied to the other. Right-click a Navigator item and click Show Navigator List to see the other Navigator views it is contained in.

Navigator Logical view

Users initially have one custom Navigator view called Logical with a single Navigator item for Enterprise. Click the list box and select the Navigator Logical view from the list.


Workspaces

The workspace is the working area of the application window. Selecting an item in the Navigator opens its default workspace. The workspace contains views of information for that item in the Navigator.

If the item has multiple workspaces created for it, you can click Workspace Gallery to see thumbnail images of them and select another workspace to open.

You can move around the Navigator without selecting workspaces by using the vertical scroll bars and clicking to expand a list or to collapse it.

Use and to return to previously viewed workspaces in the order they were initially visited. The data in those workspaces is not cached, so any chart or table views are refreshed with the most recent data samplings when you revisit them.


2.2. Navigator tools

Use the tools in the Navigator view toolbar to update the display when managed systems have come online or gone offline, to open another Navigator view, to edit custom Navigator views, and to collapse the view.

2 Apply pending updates

The Apply pending updates tool updates the Navigator tree with the correct status of agents, in response to the count of agents that have been removed from or added to the PureApplication System Monitoring Server. The counter is displayed next to the tool and in the status bar. Refresh is enabled when the Navigator view has been edited, such as a new item has been added, so that you can update the view with the changes. This tool is dimmed when no updates are required.

6 Application support event

After you start the monitoring portal, the application support version is read from the portal client and the portal server. Any discrepancies in versions between client and server are noted in the Application Support Mismatch list.

Find Navigator item

Use Find in the Navigator toolbar to look for a Navigator item by such criteria as managed system name or associated situation name. When the search has completed, any items that match the criteria are listed in the Find results table where you can switch to the default workspace for a found item or open it in a new window.

Edit navigator view

Opens the Navigator editor for creating, deleting, and modifying Navigator views.

If the tool is disabled (dimmed), your user ID does not have Modify permission for Custom Navigator Views.

Opens a list that you can select a Navigator view from. The views available are those assigned to your user ID. When you select another Navigator view, a tab is added to the bottom of the Navigator so you can quickly switch among the views by clicking the tab.

Minimizes the Navigator and expands the adjacent workspace views to fill the gap. Click to restore its original size. You can also click <Navigator name> in the right-most section of the status bar to restore the Navigator view; or right-click it to see a list of Navigator views to select from.

Splits the Navigator horizontally to create a new workspace view.

If the tool is disabled your user ID does not have Author Mode permission.

Splits the Navigator vertically to create a new workspace view.

If the tool is disabled your user ID does not have Author Mode permission.


2.3. Situation event indicators

When you see a small colored icon overlay the Navigator icons, you are seeing an event indicator . An event indicator is displayed when a situation (a test of certain conditions) running on a system becomes true. These indicators alert you that conditions have changed and need attention.

Event indicators can be, from highest severity to lowest, Fatal, Critical, Minor, Warning, Harmless, Informational, or Unknown. As you move up the Navigator hierarchy, multiple events are consolidated to show only the indicator for the event with the highest severity. Go to the lowest level of the hierarchy to see individual event indicators over attribute groups with values that have met situation definitions.

Move the mouse pointer over an indicator to open a flyover listing of the situations that are true for the Navigator item and any branching items. This flyover list might also show a status icon on the right:


2.4. More... indicators

You might sometimes see More indicators in the Navigator. These indicators are used to keep the Navigator tree compact so that you can see more in the viewable area without having to scroll. Click More to open that branch of the tree.

When clicking Expand on a Navigator branch of more than, by default, 25 child items, you are prompted to enter the number to expand at one time. You can also right-click a Navigator item and click Expand to open the Expand child items window. After you enter the number to expand, a group of child items opens. Click More to open the next group of child items.

In large managed environments this feature helps you control the Navigator display and its performance. In this example, the expansion limit of 4 was chosen for the Windows Server branch:


2.5. Expand the Navigator in increments

More indicators in the Navigator keep the tree compact. Click the indicator to open that branch of the tree. You can specify how many items to expand at one time. When clicking Expand on a Navigator branch of more than, by default, 25 child items, you are prompted to enter the number to expand at one time.


Procedure

  1. Set the number of items to expand:

    1. If the Expand child items window is not open, right-click the Navigator item whose child items you want to expand incrementally and click Expand.
    2. Enter the number to expand and click OK to open that number of child items.
    3. Click More when you want to open the next group of child items.

  2. Expand child items. You can expand all the child items of a Navigator item. The entire branch does not expand, just the children of the selected item. If the Expand child items window is not open, right-click the Navigator item whose child items you want to expand and click Expand Child Items.


Example

In large managed environments the expand feature helps you control the Navigator display and its performance. In this example, the expansion limit of 4 was chosen for the Windows Server child items:

This example illustrates the result of selecting Expand Child Items at the platform level of the Navigator. The site is monitoring 500 Windows-based systems. The user can quickly see which systems have situation events and at what severity.


Logical and custom Navigator views

A custom Navigator view can be designed to show the same managed system more than once. If you have a managed system repeated somewhere else in the Navigator view, when you use the expand feature on one Navigator item for that managed system, any other items for that managed system will expand at the same time.


2.6. Collapsing and expanding the Navigator

To provide more space for workspace views, you can hide the Navigator, then restore it when you want to see it. You can also can save the workspace with the Navigator minimized.


Procedure


2.7. Find Navigator items

The Navigator shows all the managed systems that run on an operating system and this list can get very long. Use the Find tool to locate Navigator items based on properties such as IP address or associated situations. Take these steps to find a Navigator item:


Procedure

  1. Click Find in the Navigator toolbar.

  2. If the item you want to search for is in a different Navigator view, select it from the For Navigator list.

  3. Enter the values of the properties to search by:

    Properties Value
    IP Address (Distributed systems only) If you know the IP address, you can enter it here. Example: SCAN == 9.55.1* finds computers that start with 9.55.1, such as 9.55.105.180 and 9.55.110.180
    Hostname (Distributed systems only) Specify all or part of the host name here. Example: SCAN == MYHOST?? finds computers that start with MYHOST and have two trailing characters, such as MYHOSTEL and MYHOST33 but not MYHOSTA or myhostess.
    SMFID Name (z/OS-based systems only) Find the item by the session ID value.
    Sysplex Name (z/OS-based systems only) Specify the item by system complex name.
    Product Code Select the product name from the list to specify the managed system type to find.
    Managed System Name The managed system name is often the same as the host name. Example: SCAN == *UAGENT0? finds Universal Agents Navigator items such as onionASFSdp:UAGENT00 and garlicASFSdp:UAGENT05.
    Associated Situation Name Enter a situation name to find the Navigator items that the situation is associated with. (For an alert indicator to display in the Navigator for a situation that has become true, the situation must be associated with a Navigator item.)

  4. If you want to show the found Navigator items at the agent level (and subagent if applicable) but to exclude the child Navigator items (attribute level), select the Include only managed system items check box.

  5. If you want to control the number of Navigator items to list per page in the find results, click Advanced and specify the page size. The default is 100 rows per page. By reducing the number, you can have the results displayed more quickly and in smaller, more manageable pages; then move through the pages with Page down and Page up. By increasing the number, you increase the processing time but you can see all the results on one table page.

  6. Click Find. The Find results area is appended to the window with a list of Navigator items that meet the criteria.

  7. Click a Navigator item in the Find results area and click Switch to after selecting any or none of these check boxes:

    Open workspace in new window

    Keep the current workspace open and open the workspace at the selected Navigator item in a new window (or separate tab if you are in browser mode and your browser is configured for tabbed windows).

    Close after switching to workspace

    Close the Find window after opening the workspace for the selected Navigator item.

The default workspace for the selected Navigator item is opened.


Example

In this example, the find criteria looks on the MySystem computers for Navigator items with associated situations that have "CPU" in the situation name.

Find criteria

Properties Value
IP Address
Hostname 'MySystem?'
SMFID Name
Sysplex Name
Product Code
Managed System Name
Associated Situation Name '*CPU*'

Find results

Item View Item path
Process Physical WindowsOS/MySystem1/Windows Systems/Enterprise
Processor Physical WindowsOS/MySystem1/Windows Systems/Enterprise
Process Physical WindowsOS/MySystem2/Windows Systems/Enterprise
Processor Physical WindowsOS/MySystem2/Windows Systems/Enterprise

You can keep the window open to switch between one found Navigator item and another or to change the criteria and find other Navigator items.


2.8. Open a Navigator view

The initial monitoring portal workplace has a Navigator Physical view and a Logical view and any other views that were predefined for your product. You can switch between Navigator views to see the items and workspaces of another Navigator. Depending on whether the Navigator is displayed or hidden, take either of these steps to open a different Navigator view:


Procedure

If you do not see the Navigator view you are looking for, it is possible your user ID does not have the authority to access this Navigator view. Ask your PureApplication System Monitoring Server administrator.

If there are many Navigator views in the list, you can have them reordered through the Navigator Views tab of the Administer Users window.


2.9. Refresh the Navigator

The Navigator refreshes automatically whenever the status of agents changes between offline and online. The Navigator does not update automatically when an agent is removed from or a new agent is added to the managed network. When the tool is enabled, click Apply pending updates to manually refresh the Navigator. If an agent name is dimmed (grayed out), the agent has stopped or is not responding. It might also indicate that Tivoli Enterprise Portal has timed out before detecting the availability of the agent.

For custom Navigator views, Apply pending updates is enabled in the Navigator toolbar whenever you have edited the view in the Navigator editor (added, removed, or renamed items). The tool is not enabled in the Navigator view when an agent has been removed from the PureApplication System Monitoring Server. In these cases, the agent appears to be offline. To remove this agent from the Navigator display, delete the Navigator item through the Navigator editor. A count of changes to the Navigator view is kept as agents are removed from, disabled, or added to the monitoring server. The counter shows as a superscripted number next to the tool (such as 9 for nine updates) and in the Navigator view status bar. You must refresh the Navigator to show these changes. Take one of the following steps:


Procedure

The agent status is updated in the Navigator. (You might not see any change if the branch containing the agent is collapsed.) The tool is disabled until the another status change is detected, at which time the counter starts again. If the workspace has automatic refresh turned on, the Navigator is updated at the end of the refresh interval.


2.10. Responding to an application support event

Use the Show new or updated application support tool to see a count of the version mismatch messages, to view a list of application support version mismatches between the monitoring portal client and server, and to see instructions for correcting the discrepancy. The number that is displayed after the tool, such as 8 for eight mismatch events, is a count of the events that have accumulated.


Procedure

  1. When the Application support event tool is enabled in the Navigator toolbar, click it. The dialog box shows the list of mismatched applications and their support versions. Each event shows a Warning or Informational indicator followed by the name of the monitoring agent, the version of application support applied at the portal client, and the version applied at the portal server. No portal client version information is available when a new monitoring application is initially installed.

  2. Complete the instructions that are displayed after the mismatch event list:

    Browser client and Java WebStart client

    If you are running the browser client or Java WebStart, any required application support updates are downloaded automatically after you log on to the portal server.

    An application support version mismatch has been detected. Click Help for more information on possible causes and actions. Warning events indicate that the mismatch was found at client startup.

    New or updated application support is available. Restart the monitoring portal client to update your application support. If application support updates become available while you are logged on, an Informational event occurs to show that application support is waiting to be applied. Log out and restart the client to have application support updates applied.

    Desktop client

    Application support updates to the desktop client must be made by running the installer on the Tivoli Monitoring Agent installation media.

    An application support version mismatch has been detected. Use the Tivoli Monitoring installer to add the associated application support to the portal desktop client. Warning events indicate that the mismatch was found at client startup.

    New or updated application support is available. Use the Tivoli Monitoring installer to add the associated application support to the portal desktop client. Informational events indicate that the mismatch was found after logon to the portal server.

After logging off and logging onto the monitoring portal, the Application support event tool is disabled. If it is not, contact your network administrator or IBM Support.

The first time the Show new or updated application support tool is enabled and after a new event arrives, a "New" indicator is displayed on the tool: . After you open and then close the dialog box, the indicator is no longer shown: . The indicator provides a convenient visual cue when new events arrive that you have not yet seen.


Usage note

If the client application support version is greater than the portal server's application support version, there is no need to recycle the client. The new support will work with the earlier support that is present on the portal server. Recycling the client does not collect the earlier version of support from the portal server unless the Java cache has been cleared to remove the newer version of application support. To clear the Java cache complete the following steps:

  1. If monitoring portal is running, exit by closing the browser window.
  2. Start the Java Control Panel. Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel, then double-click the Java Control Panel icon.
  3. In the Java Control Panel window, on the General tab delete the temporary internet files. When the JAR cache is cleared, click OK.
  4. Restart the monitoring portal client.


2.11. Remove an event item

When you open an event results workspace, a new item is displayed in the Navigator. If you use event acknowledgement, other icons overlay the situation icon. If you close the event, all overlay icons are removed, but the Navigator item itself is not removed until you end your monitoring portal session. If you do not want to have the event item in the Navigator, you can remove it. This does not affect the event or operation of the situation, only its appearance in the Navigator.


Procedure

To remove an event item, in the Navigator right-click the situation name and click Remove. The event item is removed from the Navigator. To see it again, you need open its workspace by selecting the true situation from the event flyover list.


Example

Here are some examples of event icons that you might see in the Navigator:

A critical event.
A warning event.
A warning event that has been acknowledged.
A warning event whose acknowledgement has expired.
A warning event whose acknowledgement was removed while the event was still open.
A true situation whose event has been closed.
An agent whose status is unknown. The monitoring server detects that the agent is offline. It might have been taken offline intentionally, there might be a communication problem, or the agent or the system it is running on might have stopped or be failing.


2.12. Remove an offline managed system Navigator item

Use the Managed System Status workspace to clear offline managed systems from the Navigator view. When a monitoring agent goes offline or its host name gets changed, its branch is dimmed in the Navigator, as in the following example, and its status is shown as *OFFLINE in any table view that uses the Current Managed Systems status query.

The Enterprise Navigator item has a Managed System Status workspace that you can use to check for any offline managed systems and remove them from the Navigator view. When the monitoring agent comes online again, it will reappear. Use these steps to clear an offline entry:


Procedure

  1. Click the Enterprise Navigator item. The default workspace opens.
  2. Click Workspace gallery, scroll to Managed System Status, and click the workspace.
  3. Right-click an *OFFLINE row, then click Clear offline entry.

The offline entry is now cleared from the Navigator and will not appear again until the managed system comes online.

If this is a custom Navigator view with only one managed system, it is possible for the item to continue to appear in the view. This is possible when the item was added using drag-and-drop in the Navigator editor. Use the Navigator editor to manually remove the item If the managed system comes online again, it does not appear in the custom Navigator view. If you want it to appear there, assign the managed system in the Navigator item properties


Use workspaces

The workspace is the working area of the Tivoli Enterprise Portal window, divided into panes to show different types of views. You can start monitoring activity and system status immediately with the predefined workspaces. You can tailor your own workspaces to give you summary overviews or to look at specific conditions.


3.1. Workspace characteristics

Every Navigator item has at least one predefined workspace that you can open. Every workspace characteristics such as editable properties and views.


Views

A view is a windowpane, or frame, in the workspace containing a chart or table showing data from one or more monitoring agents. Other types of views such as the topology view and graphic view can give a broader overview of the network. Specialized view such as the browser view and terminal view are also available. You can increase the number of views in a workspace by splitting a view into two separate views.

The data for a table, chart, or relational table-based topology view is chosen by the query it uses. Collectively, they are called query-based views. The query specifies the attributes to include in the view. Although each view uses one query, you can add more views to the workspace, and each can use a different query. The queries can be for different monitoring agents, including those for the PureApplication System Monitoring Server for showing information that is common to your monitored environment (such as all the managed systems and all the situation events). You can also include queries of JDBC or ODBC data sources by writing custom SQL queries.


Properties

Every workspace has a set of properties associated with it: general properties that apply to the entire workspace, and properties for each view in the workspace. Use the Properties editor to customize the workspace characteristics and to change the style and content of each view.

You can also keep the original workspace intact and create another workspace for the same item in the Navigator, customizing it for the types of views you want and the information reported in charts and tables.

Changes you make to a workspace are available only to your user ID. System administrators can work in Administration mode to create and edit workspaces that will be available to all users on the managed network.


Links

The link feature enables you to define a link from one workspace to another. Then you can quickly jump to a related or more detailed workspace to investigate system conditions.

The simplest type of a link originates from the Navigator item: When you right-click that Navigator item, the pop-up menu shows the defined links for the item. Select one to open the linked workspace.

A more specific link originates from a table or from a chart data point to another workspace. Information from one of the attributes in the selected row, bar, pie segment, or plot point is used to determine the content of the target workspace.

You can also define more complex links and use the predefined links that come with your PureApplication System Monitoring Server product.


Navigator level

The monitoring agents available for reporting in a workspace are those assigned to that branch of the Navigator. If you are not sure which monitoring agents are included, do one of the following:

This same principle applies to attribute groups. The lowest level of the Navigator Physical view, for example, is the attribute level. The views you can show for the workspaces at that level can draw only from the attribute groups represented by that level. If you were to build a workspace for the Disk Navigator item, for example, you could create a chart with data from the Logical Disk attributes and another with data from the Physical Disk attributes.


3.2. Open a workspace

Use the Navigator to open the default workspace for the selected item, then the Workspace Gallery to see and select from a thumbnail display of available workspaces. As well as a convenient way to open workspaces, you can also move the workspaces around the gallery to change their order. The changes you make are saved with the workspace definition for the Navigator item. If you are in workspace administration mode when you reorder the thumbnail graphics, the reorganization will be reflected in the workspace gallery of all monitoring portal clients connected to this monitoring portal server. Every item in the Navigator has a workspace associated with it, called the default workspace. Some items have multiple workspaces that you can open, although only one workspace can be open in the monitoring portal window at one time. Some workspaces are only accessible by linking to them from another workspace.


Procedure


3.3. Open a new window

Have multiple workspaces open on your desktop at the same time by opening multiple monitoring portal windows. You can add more dashboard views to your desktop by opening more monitoring portal windows. Any changes you make these window are saved with the application.


Procedure

The new window is opened as a duplicate of the original; any changes you make to the new window are independent of the original.

Any previously visited workspaces are retained from the parent window; use and to revisit them. Further navigation to other workspaces in either window, however, is independent of the other window.

You can close duplicate windows (click File > Close) or the original; the work session remains active as long as one window is open.


3.4. Tabbed workspaces

Use the tabbed pages capability of your browser to open workspaces, linked workspaces, and Navigator views in new tabs.

Browser client and browser settings

When your browser supports tabbed web pages, the Tivoli Enterprise Portal browser client uses the browser's tab settings to determine how to open a workspace: When tabs are enabled, the workspace is opened in a new tab. You can set the properties of a workspace or the target of a workspace link to always open in a new tab, or you can open a workspace in a new tab by holding down the Ctrl + Shift keys while selecting the workspace with a mouse click. Then use the Ctrl + Tab keys to switch focus to the next tabbed workspace.

The desktop client and Java Web Start client use these same features to open a workspace, but it is always opened in a new window.

Workspace properties

Every monitoring portal workspace has properties that control the access and method of display when it is opened. The workspace will open in a new tab on browsers that are set to use tabbed pages when Always open workspace in new window is enabled.

Link target

The link wizard Target Workspace page has an option to Always open target workspace in new window. It shows in the link wizard Parameters page as openTargetInNewWindow. When enabled, this option opens the targeted workspace in a new tab if you are logged on from a tab-enabled browser.

Navigator item find

Find in the Navigator toolbar enables you to locate any Navigator item using simple or advanced search criteria. The Find window has an option to Open workspace in new window that will open the default workspace for the found Navigator item in a new tab if you are logged on from a tab-enabled browser.

On demand

You can open a workspace in a new tab from any context:

Open a workspace

  • Ctrl + Shift + click a Navigator item to open its default workspace.
  • Click Workspace gallery and Ctrl + Shift + click the workspace.
  • Right-click the active Navigator item, point to Workspace, and Ctrl + Shift + click the workspace to open.
  • View > Workspace > Ctrl + Shift + click the workspace to open.

Link to a workspace

  • Ctrl + Shift + click the link anchor. If there are multiple choices, click the one you want.
  • Right-click the source of a defined link (Navigator item, table view row, pie chart slice, bar chart bar, plot chart point, area chart point), point to Link to, and Ctrl + Shift + click the link name.

Open a found Navigator item at its default workspace

  1. In the Navigator view toolbar, click Find, enter the find criteria and click Find.
  2. From the list of Navigator items that is displayed in the Find results area, point to a row and Ctrl + Shift + click to open the default workspace for that Navigator item in a new tab.

Open a Navigator view at its default workspace

  • In the Navigator view toolbar, click the View list box and Ctrl + Shift + click the Navigator view.
  • View > Navigator View > Ctrl + Shift + click the Navigator view.
  • Ctrl + Shift + click a Navigator tab.

Troubleshoot

If the workspace or Navigator view opens in a new window rather than a new tab, review the tab options in your browser to ensure that the tab feature is enabled. If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, be aware that tabbed workspaces are treated as pop-ups: In the Tabbed Browsing Settings window (Tools > Internet Options > General > Tabs > Settings), Always open pop-ups in a new tab must be selected.


3.5. Refresh a workspace

You can refresh the data that is displayed in the workspace on demand or at a set interval. The monitoring portal client receives monitoring data from monitoring agents whenever you open a workspace that includes query-based views. The default setting for most predefined workspaces is On Demand, which means retrieved data remains static until you refresh manually.


Procedure

Note: In order for your refresh settings to persist, you must save the workspace and optionally select "Assign as default for this Navigator item" in the Save Workspace As dialog. If the workspace includes any plot charts or area charts, you can refresh those views independent of the rest of the workspace by editing the Style properties of the plotted area to specify a refresh rate.

Be aware that the more frequent the automatic refresh, the more network traffic you create. These requests travel from the portal client to the portal server and to the hub monitoring server before reaching the monitoring agent. They might also pass through a remote monitoring server to reach the monitoring agent. The information is returned by the same route.


3.6. Suspend and stop refresh

If the workspace is set to refresh automatically at timed intervals or it includes event status views, you can suspend refreshes to keep the data from changing while you investigate a problem. When you open a workspace that includes table or chart views, the monitoring portal receives the most recently sampled monitoring data from the agents. Take one of these steps to suspend data refreshes or to stop receiving the data that populates the workspace.


Procedure


3.7. Link to a workspace

Use these steps to link to a workspace that has been targeted from the current Navigator item or view.

Many monitoring agent products have workspace links available through their predefined workspaces. You can also create and use links to workspaces that follow a logical progression of investigation into performance and operation issues.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace from where you will launch the link. This is the source workspace.

  2. Do one of the following, depending on where the link originates:

    • Right-click the current (highlighted) Navigator item.
    • Click the link indicator on a table row or the graphic view, then skip to step 4. (A dimmed link indicator means the link is not available from that row.)
    • Right-click a pie chart slice, bar chart bar, plot chart point, table row, graphic view icon, or TMS Infrastructure object.

  3. Click Link To and click the target workspace in the list. The target filter or link expression is used to select the information displayed in the views of the target workspace. If, instead of the workspace opening, you get a "Target not found" message, the definition of the target workspace could not be resolved.

  4. If there is more than one workspace you can link to, the Select Target window opens: Select the Navigator item for the workspace and click OK.

  5. If a message asks you to select a leaf node, click OK, then select an item deeper in the tree hierarchy.

The target workspace is displayed. If the link was defined to open the workspace in a new window, it is opened in its own window. If you are using the browser client and your browser supports tabs, the workspace is in a new tab next to the source workspace.

Note: Navigation using and to visited workspaces retains the link context. As an example, consider a link to a workspace from a table row. The row from which you linked is remembered when you revisit the target workspace.


3.8. View title bar and toolbar

Every workspace view and the Navigator view has a title bar with some or all of these controls.

Opens the Properties editor to the properties for the view.
Shows or hides the view toolbar. This button does not display if the view has no toolbar.
Splits the Navigator horizontally to create a new workspace view.
Maximizes a view for a closer look. Click Restore to return to the original size. You can save the workspace with the view maximized.
Removes a view. There is no undo for this action except to open a different workspace and answer No when a message asks to save the workspace; -OR- Select File > Save As to keep the original workspace with the view intact and create a new workspace without this view.
Most view types have a toolbar for performing specific actions in the view. A common tool is Find, which is available for finding values in the browser view, notepad view, table view, message log view, and the event console views. Another tool, Time span, is for specifying the time period to be displayed in a query-based view when historical data is being collected for it.


3.9. Set a time span to display

You can have the Tivoli Enterprise Portal log data samplings into history files or a database for display in a table or chart. These historical data enabled views have a tool for setting a range of previous data samples to be reported. Historical data collection must be configured and distributed to the managed systems that you are querying data from. Otherwise, Time Span is not displayed in the toolbar of the query-based view.

Some attributes groups, such as Situation Status and the Windows Event Log, are historical in nature and show all their entries without you having to specify a time span. For these types of attribute groups, you do not need to configure history collection unless you want to roll off to a data warehouse for long-term storage or limit the amount of data displayed. Thus, the time span feature, rather than showing more data, limits the data reported to the time period indicated.

Even if data collection has been started, you cannot use the time span feature if the query for the chart or table includes any column functions. If this is the case, you can select or create another query to enable Time Span.

Take these steps to broaden the time range of data beyond the current data samplings.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace containing the chart, table, or relational table-based topology view where you want to see historical data.

  2. Click Time Span in the view's toolbar.

  3. Select a time frame: Real time plus Last _ Hours (enabled for bar, plot, and area charts only), Last _ Hours (or Days, Weeks, or Months, if the data is warehoused), or Custom.

  4. If you selected Last or Custom, specify the range of data:
    • Detailed data is all the data collected for the agent.
    • Summarized data is data that is aggregated across the specified time frame. Set the time frame interval, work shift, and the days. This option is disabled if no data warehouse and summarization schedule were configured for this attribute group.
    • To set a custom time frame, click inside the Start Time and End Time fields to open the date editor. Use the spin boxes to adjust the time, year, or month; and click the calendar day. HH:MM:SS AM/PM is initially set to the current time.
    • To apply the time span to all views that use the same query as this view, select Apply to all views associated with this view's query. When this option is enabled, the query is modified to include the time span set here, so any other views using this query report the same time range.
    • The Timestamp column that is added to the historical view can show either the global timestamp (the default) or local. Select Use Hub time to reflect the time at the Hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server rather than at the monitoring portal server or portal client.

After you click OK, the view shows data from the time span you specified. If the view is a table, a timestamp is displayed as the first column and is accurate to the nearest minute; seconds are displayed as 00.

If you see null as the value of a table cell or chart point, it means that no value was stored in the Tivoli Data Warehouse. This happens when values that were identified as invalid are reported from a monitoring agent for a given summarization period.

The sort function is incompatible with the historical reporting feature. If you are using Time Span to retrieve historical data, the chart or table is not sorted even if you have specified a sort order in the query. You can still sort a table by clicking a column heading.

After support for an updated product has been applied to the portal server, it is possible to get a request error message about a missing or unknown column name in the view's status bar after you set a time span with Use summarized data selected. Wait until after the next scheduled summarization and pruning procedure has taken place before viewing the summarized data. If need be, you can reschedule summarization and pruning to run sooner.


3.10. Move a view

Move a view to a different position in the workspace to take best advantage of the available space. Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function.

You can easily rearrange the views in a workspace to take advantage of the greater width available below the Navigator view and the narrow area to the right.


Procedure

  1. Move the mouse pointer over the title bar of the view you want to relocate.
  2. Click and drag the view over the space you want it to occupy. While dragging the title bar, you should see a semi-transparent copy of the view.
  3. Release the mouse button to swap the views.


3.11. Reorder columns and rows

Change how a table view is sorted temporarily to focus on specific column details or in a more permanent way if it should always appear sorted in this manner. You can also reposition columns for a more logical organization or to emphasize columns of interest. You can set the sort order in three ways. Take one of the following steps


Procedure


3.12. Zoom a chart view

Zoom in on part of a bar chart, plot chart, or area chart to see a subset of the data in greater detail. Zooming expands the chart along the category axis; for example, you can zoom a bar chart to show just a few bars, or zoom a plot or area chart to show a shorter span of time. While displaying the chart, complete the following steps to zoom:


Procedure

  1. Select an area of the chart by clicking and dragging the mouse pointer. The selected area immediately expands to fill the available view space. Each time you click and drag, the chart zooms to show more detail.
  2. Press Esc for each zoom step to undo. The plot area returns to the previous size.


3.13. Export a query-based view

Save some or all of the data that was retrieved by the query for a view in a text (.txt) file or comma separated value (.csv) file for further manipulation in another software application. When you open or refresh a workspace, the queries assigned to the table and chart views are sent to the PureApplication System Monitoring Server, which returns the requested data from the managed systems. Any filters applied to views reduce what displays, such as only the relevant four columns of a seven-column table or only the processes that are using the most memory.

When you export a query-based view, you can save everything returned by the query before any filters are applied. This includes every column queried or only those you select; every row returned or, if there are multiple pages, only the rows from the displayed page. Also, if you save the data to an existing file, you can choose to append the data or to overwrite the previous version. Take these steps to save the data you select from the view to a .txt or .csv file:


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace with the query-based view whose results you want to save.

  2. Because the current data display is exported, click Refresh if you want the latest results.

  3. If this is a table, pie chart or bar chart view with multiple pages and you want to save a particular page rather than all rows, click or at the ends of the vertical scroll bar (or type the number in the Page text box) until it displays. A page is 100 rows by default. You can change the view's page size by clicking and changing the View-level Page Size value in the Query tab.

  4. Right-click inside the query-based view and click Export.

  5. In the Export to Disk window, select the location for the exported data, select a file type, and type a file name.

  6. To export the rows that are visible in the view space and all the columns shown in the Assigned list, click OK; or, to specify otherwise, do any of the following:
    • For the all pages returned by the query, click All rows.
    • To exclude a column from those being exported, select from the Assigned list and click ; to include a column, select it from the Available Columns list and click . Use Ctrl+click to select multiple columns or Shift+click to select all columns from the first one selected to this one.
    • To change the order, select a column and click or .

    If this is a new, unsaved table or chart view, Visible rows is selected for you.

  7. If the file you are saving already exists, you can choose to overwrite the file with the current data selection, append the data to the file, or cancel.


3.14. Find text in a browser view or notepad view

Use the find function to locate text in the selected notepad view or browser view. Take these steps to find specific text or values in a notepad view or browser view.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace that contains the notepad view to search.

  2. Click Find in the toolbar of the view you want to search. (If the tool is hidden, click Show toolbar in the view's title bar.)

  3. In the Find window that opens, type the beginning or all of the text to find.

  4. Select or clear any of the following check box options, then click Find.
    • Case Sensitive to find only spellings that match the letter casing as typed. When the check box is disabled, all variations of the letter casing can be found.
    • Backwards to search from the cursor point backwards. When the check box is disabled, the default, the search will be from this point forward.
    • Wrap Search, instead of stopping the search when the end of the document is reached, continues to search from the beginning and stops when it reaches the point where the search began. Clear the check box if you want the search to stop at the end of the document (or the beginning of the document if the search is backwards).

  5. Click Find Again to search for the next instance.

You can click Close when you are done or leave the Find window open for this view while you continue working with the workspace.


3.15. Find table data

Use the find function to locate a text or numeric value in the selected table view, message log, or event console view.

Take these steps to use the Find tool for quickly locating values.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace that contains the view you want to search.

  2. Click Find in the table view toolbar. If the tool is hidden, click Show toolbar in the view's title bar. The Find window opens with the first two column headings (attributes) completed and fields for entering up to five values.

  3. Click an arrow and select the column to search within. To clear a column name, select the first entry (which is empty) from the list.

  4. Click inside the corresponding Value field and enter the value to find.
    • The default function is Value of expression (Compare Date and Time for time attributes); the default operator is . To change the function or operator, click the or button and select from the list.

    • You can enter a partial value to find all occurrences of the text or number that begin with those characters. For example, 500 will find 500 and 5000; and West will find West, West006, and Western. You can also use an * asterisk wildcard for any number of characters beginning at that position; use a ? question mark wildcard for a single character at that position. You can also use wildcards with the Scan for string within a string and Return a subset of the string functions.

      When using the ? question mark wildcard with the Value of expression function, append the text with an * asterisk. For example, enter Sa?e* to find Safe and Sale.

    • Most special characters are processed correctly. If you attempt to find text that includes a special character and it is not found, but you know it exists in your environment, precede it with the \ backslash escape character.
      These are some of the special characters that require the \ escape character prefix: # pound sign; $ dollar sign; ^ circumflex; \ backslash; ( open and ) close parentheses; + plus sign; [ open square bracket; { open and } close curly braces. For example, \#my_situation to find #my_situation in the Message Log view.
      These special characters do not need the ampersand; = equal sign; < open and > close pointed bracket; _ underscore; - hyphen; ] close square bracket; / slash; : colon; and ; semicolon.

  5. Select or clear any of the check boxes and click Find.
    • Case Sensitive to find only spellings that match the letter casing as typed. When the check box is disabled, all variations of the letter casing can be found.

    • Backwards to search from the cursor point backwards. When the check box is disabled, the default, the search will be from this point forward.

    • Wrap Search, instead of stopping the search when the end of the document is reached, continues to search from the beginning and stops when it reaches the point where the search began. Clear the check box if you want the search to stop at the end of the document (or the beginning of the document if the search is backwards).

  6. Click Find Again to search for the next instance or enter another search term.

You can click Close when you are done or leave the Find window open for this view while the workspace is open.


3.16. Print a view or workspace

You can print the workspace or an individual view and display a preview beforehand. Do any of the following to see a print preview or print the workspace or selected view:


Procedure

When you print a table that has more columns than will fit the width of the page, they will wrap to the next page. If there are more rows than will fit on the page, they are displayed on subsequent pages.

The printing mechanism used by Tivoli Enterprise Portal is provided by Java., and has some limitations. When you print a notepad view, the text prints as an image. If you want a better quality, try selecting and copying the text (Ctrl+C), then pasting into your favorite text editor for formatting and printing. When you print a workspace or chart, try sizing the application window or view pane smaller to improve the clarity of the printed copy. You can also use the Print Screen key.

As an alternative to printing in monitoring portal, you can export the view to a comma separated value (.csv) file or text (.txt) file, then import it into the program of your choice, and print there.


Responding to events

Event indicators such as or appear on Navigator items when an event is opened for a true situation.

A situation is a test for certain conditions on managed systems that, when met, change the situation status to true. The situation can include a take action command (reflex automation) that will be carried out when the situation is true.


4.1. Understand situation events

The products that run in the Tivoli Monitoring environment come with their own set of situations. These predefined situations serve as models for defining custom situations for your environment.

Situation formula

Situations formulas are constructed of one or more expressions. For example, a situation that checks for free disk space below 20% on a Windows system has an expression that uses the Logical Disk attribute "Free Megabytes" and reads as Free Megabytes < 20.The situation will read data samples taken at the managed system at set intervals, such as once a day for the disk space situation in our example.

Other situations might be more elaborate, such as the predefined Windows OS situation, Bottleneck Memory. It embeds two situations: one that tests for excessive memory paging activity (>100 pages per second), and one that tests for processor time over 70%. If both of these situations are true at the same time, the Bottleneck Memory situation becomes true and opens an event.

Situation event indicators

When a situation is associated with a managed system, it also has a state setting that determines which .light, is displayed on the Navigator item when the situation becomes true. From highest severity to lowest, they are Fatal, Critical, Minor, Warning, Harmless, Informational, and Unknown. As you move up the Navigator hierarchy, multiple events are consolidated to show only the indicator of the highest severity. Go to the lowest level of the hierarchy in the Navigator and you see the event indicator over the attribute category for which it was written. The situation event console and graphic view also show situation event indicators and enable you to respond to events. The Enterprise Status workspace includes the situation event console view.

Enterprise Status workspace

The initial default workspace is the Enterprise Status workspace. The views in this workspace give an excellent overview of situation events in your monitored environment and their status. One of the views, Situation Event Console, lists the open events and their severities.

Event flyover list

In the Navigator view or a graphic view, you can hover the mouse over an event indicator to open a flyover listing of open situation events with this information:
  • Event state

  • Situation name

  • Name of the system on which the event occurred

  • Two-letter code for the monitoring agent
  • Event timestamp

  • Display item, if one was specified

  • Situation status icon if: the event has been acknowledged; the acknowledgement has expired; the acknowledgement was removed before it had expired and the situation is still true; the situation is not functioning properly and you will not be able to open its event results workspace; or the situation has been stopped and you will not be able to open its event results workspace.

  • The link is to the event results workspace for the situation.

The pop-up menu for the event items has options for working with the situation and event:

  • Edit the situation
  • Start the situation
  • Stop the situation

  • Quick acknowledge the event

  • Acknowledge the event
  • Close the event (pure events only)

Event results workspace

The event results workspace shows the values of the attributes when the situation fired and their current values. It shows any expert advice the situation author might have written and any hypertext links to go to for more information. The take action view enables you to select or define a command to be invoked at the managed system. The table views showing the initial situation values and their current values also have pop-up menus that include the option to launch an application. If you have a favorite diagnostic tool, you can start it from here.

Event acknowledgement

When multiple users are monitoring the network for events, one of them can acknowledge an event to indicate it has been seen and the problem is being worked on. Acknowledging an event changes its event status from Open to Acknowledged until the acknowledgement expires or until the situation is no longer true. You can add notes to an acknowledgement and attach files that are pertinent to the event.

Automated responses

Automated responses to events can improve the efficiency of systems management by reducing user workload and errors and allowing quicker responses to problems. monitoring portal provides two levels of automation: reflex and advanced.

  • Reflex automation provides simple automated system actions. It allows you to monitor a condition on a particular system and to specify a command to execute there. The command can be a single action or a script of commands. monitoring portal receives no feedback after it sends the command or notifies the user.

    Reflex automation is implemented by adding an action command to a situation definition that runs when an event is opened.

  • Advanced automation allows you to implement more complex workflow strategies than you can create through simple reflex automation. Policies are used to perform actions, schedule work, and automate manual tasks. A policy comprises a series of automated steps called activities, which are connected and can branch to create a workflow. After an activity is completed, a return code is received with feedback and the next activity prescribed by the feedback is carried out.

    With policies you can monitor multiple conditions simultaneously on any number of systems and have selected activities take place when specific conditions occur. Many monitoring agents come with predefined policies that you can use as is or modify for your environment.

You can also create your own policies. The Workflows editor is provided for designing and managing policies.


4.2. Open the situation event results workspace

When the conditions of a situation have been met, event indicators appear in the Navigator and in the graphic view. You can investigate the event by opening its workspace.


Procedure

A new Navigator item is displayed below the one associated with the event and the event results workspace opens. The event results workspace contains four views to help you investigate the condition and determine what action to take next:

Initial Situation Values

The values are from the data sample that triggered the event. Move the mouse pointer over a highlighted value to see the situation formula. The value shows as "Unknown" and the formula does not display if the situation expression uses a group function: CHANGE, PCTCHANGE, AVG, COUNT, MIN, MAX or SUM.

Current Situation Values

The values are from a new data sample that was taken after you selected the event results workspace. If the situation is still true, you will see the same cell highlighting as is shown in the Initial Situation Values view. If this is a pure event, you will see no data. This is because pure events are unsolicited notifications. Situations for pure events have no sampling interval, thus there is no constant metric that can be monitored for current values.

If the expression that is responsible for a situation event uses a group function, the situation event results workspace shows neither the attribute value threshold color nor the expression that should display when you hover over an initial situation value.

Command View

Use the command view to send a take action command to an application started on the managed system of your choosing.

Expert Advice

If the situation author wrote any expert advice, it is displayed here. This view opens to a web page if the advice is a URL reference.

Compare the current situation values with the initial situation values that caused the event and read the advice for any explanation and possible solutions.

You can right-click the situation workspace Navigator item to open the pop-up menu. The menu includes functions for responding to the event:

Edit Situation

Opens the Situation editor so you can see and edit the situation definition, distribution, expert advice, take action command, or until modifier.

Acknowledge

Opens the Acknowledgement window so you can acknowledge that you are taking care of the event.

Close Situation Event

If this is a pure event, you will see this option to close the event and remove the event indicator. If the condition goes from true to false and back to true again the next time the situation is evaluated, the indicator will reappear. If the condition remains true, the indicator is not displayed; you must restart the situation to see the indicator.
If you close an event manually, you cannot acknowledge it.

Remove Event Item

Removes the event item from the Navigator. To see it again, you must select the true situation from the event flyover list.
User ID permissions for Events are Acknowledge and Close; and those for Situations include Start or Stop, View, and Modify. If any of these fails to appear in the pop-up menu, your user ID does not have permission for the function.

If you have workspace author mode permission, you can also edit the workspace to add any views that are helpful for diagnosing an event for this particular situation. For example, if historical data is collected for an attribute group, you might want to create a plot chart and add a historical baseline to help to get a broader view of past and current values for trend analysis.


4.3. Enterprise Status workspace

At the highest level of the Navigator Physical view is the Enterprise item. The default workspace for the Enterprise is called Enterprise Status.

The Enterprise Status workspace contains four views:


Situation Event Console

The situation event console inserts a row when the status of a situation changes: Open (including expired and reopened events), Problem, and Acknowledged. The Owner column shows who acknowledged the event, and you can acknowledge an event from the pop-up menu. Link indicators in this view and in the My Acknowledged Events view open the Event Details workspace or you can right-click a link indicator and select another of the linked workspaces.


My Acknowledged Events

The My Acknowledged Events table view displays the events assigned to the current user. This view shows both open and closed events. Closed events are displayed to enable you to access the notes and actions taken against them.

For each event record listed, you can click the link indicator at the beginning of the event row to open the Event Details workspace with similar events based on the situation name; or you can right-click the link indicator to see the other Event Details workspaces. The Event Details workspace shows any notes and attachments for the acknowledged event, along with other related events and a link to the IBM Tivoli Open Process Automation Library where you can find analytical tools for situations.

If the event is from an incident management agent (such as IBM Information Management), you will also see a Reference ID column and, when you open the pop-up menu to select a linked workspace, a link to the Incident Details workspace.


Message Log

The message log view displays a row for every situation in the monitored network whose status changes to any of the following: Open, Closed, Stopped, Problem, Acknowledged, Expired, or Reopened.


Open Situations Counts - Last 24 Hours

The Open Situations Counts - Last 24 Hours is a chart view which displays a bar for every situation in the monitored network that has become true in the past 24 hours. The bar size indicates the number of times a situation event has been opened during this time.


More predefined workspaces

More predefined workspaces for the Enterprise Navigator item are accessible through the Workspace Gallery. In addition, your monitoring product might have workspaces at the Enterprise level. Consult your product help for more information.


4.4. Acknowledge an event

When an event is opened for a true situation, you can acknowledge it. This notifies other users that you have taken ownership of the problem related to the event and are working on it. The acknowledgement window records the time of the acknowledgement and the ID of the user. Your user ID must have Acknowledge permission for Events to use this function. Acknowledgements enable users who are monitoring events to communicate their working status. Follow these steps to acknowledge an open event or one whose acknowledgement has expired or been canceled before the event has been closed.


Procedure

  1. Do one of the following:
    • Move the mouse over an event indicator (such as , , or in the Navigator to open the flyover list of open events, then right-click the event you want to acknowledge.

    • If you have opened the event results workspace, right-click the event item in the Navigator.

    • In the event console view, right-click a row.

  2. Point to Acknowledge Event and click either Quick Acknowledge, to acknowledge the event with the default settings, or Acknowledge to open the Acknowledge window. A quick acknowledgement creates an acknowledgement with no expiration and inserts a time stamp, your user ID, and the statement, .Event quick acknowledged, ownership assigned. in the Notes field.

  3. If you selected Acknowledge in the previous step, do any of the following:
    • Adjust the Expiration settings for the time when the acknowledgement should expire. If you select Expire at a specific time, click the list box, adjust the year, month, or time, then click the expiration date to close the calendar. Select Use Server time to use the time zone of the PureApplication System Monitoring Server to which the monitoring agent is connected.

    • Write notes about the event in the Add Notes text box. After you click Apply or OK, the text will be moved to the Notes area and preceded with a time stamp, your user ID, and the statement, .Event quick acknowledged, ownership assigned..

    • Attach a file that is applicable to the event by clicking Add an attachment and selecting the file.

    • If your environment includes an incident management agent, such as IBM Information Management, and the event corresponds to an incident, enter the incident identifier in the Reference ID field, up to 32 characters.

  4. When you are finished, save your notes and settings by clicking Apply to keep the Acknowledgement window open or OK to close the window.

Any notes just written and attachments added are displayed in the Notes area, including the date and time each note was added, the user ID of the author, and hypertext links to the attachments.

The acknowledged status of the event is indicated by the Acknowledgement icon in the event flyover list. The message log, situation event console, and common event console views also show "Acknowledged" in the Status column. When the event is closed, the acknowledgement is removed. If you want to review the acknowledgement after it has been closed, you can access it through the view of the Enterprise Status workspace. If the acknowledgement expires before the event has been closed, the event status changes to Reopened.


4.4.1. acknowledgment status

After you acknowledge an event, its status changes to Acknowledged and is displayed in several places.

The Acknowledged status changes to Closed when the situation is no longer true.

If the situation is still true when the acknowledgment expires, the status will change to Expired. If the situation is still true and you cancel your ownership (remove acknowledgment) the status will change to Reopened.

Although you can acknowledge a pure event, the acknowledgment does not stop the arrival of more pure events.


4.4.2. Review the acknowledgement and adding notes

The Acknowledgement feature includes a window for adding notes about the event and for attaching files. You can review all the notes that have been written during the lifetime of an open event, including notes that were added before the acknowledgement expired and those that are added automatically when an acknowledgement is removed. And you can append notes and attachments at any time.


Procedure

  1. Do one of the following:
    • Move the mouse pointer over an event indicator (such as or ) in the Navigator view to open the flyover list of open events, then right-click the acknowledged event.
    • If you have opened the event results workspace, right-click the event item in the Navigator.
    • In the situation event console view, right-click a row where the Status shows as Acknowledged.
    • In the Enterprise Status workspace, right-click a row in the My Acknowledged Events view.

  2. Click Event Notes

The Event Notes window opens for you to review and add notes for this event. You can also attach files.

You can open the window to review the notes and open attachments for the event at any time, event after the event has been closed.


4.4.3. Add notes to an acknowledged event

You can add notes when you acknowledge an event or after an acknowledgement has been created (but not to events that are in the Open or Closed state) by you or another user. Notes enable you to communicate what steps you have taken thus far to resolve the event or to provide details on the steps you believe must be taken.


Procedure

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Move the mouse pointer over an event indicator (such as or ) in the Navigator view to open the flyover list of open events, then right-click the acknowledged event.
    • If you have opened the event results workspace, right-click the event item in the Navigator.
    • In the situation event console view, right-click a row where the Status shows as Acknowledged.
    • In the Enterprise Status workspace, right-click a row in the My Acknowledged Events view.

  2. Click Event Notes. The Event Notes window opens for you to review and add notes for this event. You can also attach files.

You can continue to open the window to review the notes and open attachments for the event at any time, event after the event has been closed. This is done through the pop-up menu of the view.


4.4.4. Remove an acknowledgment

If you acknowledged a situation event and must release your ownership before the acknowledgment has expired or the event has closed, you can remove the acknowledgment from the event.


Procedure

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Move the mouse over an event indicator (such as or ) in the Navigator view to open the flyover list of open events, then right-click the acknowledged event.
    • If you have opened the event results workspace, right-click the acknowledged event item in the Navigator.
    • In the situation event console view, right-click a row where the status is Acknowledged.
    • In the Enterprise Status workspace, right-click a row in the My Acknowledged Events view.

  2. Click Acknowledge Event > Remove acknowledgment. Removing the acknowledgment changes the event status to Reopened and removes the user ID from the Owner column.

    A time stamp and user information is attached to the event as a note, along with an audit note signifying that the acknowledgment was removed.


4.5. Close a situation event

When the condition of a situation is met, the situation becomes true and an event indicator is displayed over the system name and all related items in the Navigator. For pure events, you can turn off the indicator by closing the event. The situation continues to run but the indicator disappears until another pure event takes place.

In closing an event, you also have the opportunity to add notes and attachments to explain what action you took to resolve it. This can be helpful should a similar event occur in the future. If the event was not previously assigned to an owner, the user who closes it is assigned as the owner. To use this function, your user ID must have Close permission for Events. Pure events are indicated in the Type column of the message log view and situation event console view. As well as closing pure events, you can also close events of sampled attributes if the situation has been stopped or deleted. Close an event from any of the following locations:


Procedure

The indicator disappears until another pure event arrives.

Here are some notes about what you can and cannot do after an event has been closed:


4.6. Turning off the sound

When an event is opened for a situation that has a WAV file assigned, the sound plays while the event is open.


Procedure

Use your Windows Sound and Audio Devices or Multimedia utility, accessible from the Control Panel, to adjust the volume of event sounds.


4.7. Event reporting

For situations that are associated with Navigator items, alert indicators are displayed whenever an event is opened. Several workspace views are also available for displaying situation and event status.

Event views present alternatives to event indicators in the Navigator. Message log and situation event console views update automatically to show new events as they arrive and changes in event status as they occur. Graphic views give you a pictorial alternative to the Navigator for indicating alerts.


Customize workspaces

Your monitoring portal product comes with a set of predefined workspaces for every item in the Navigator Physical view. You can use these as a starting point for creating and customizing new workspaces to suit your environment.


5.1. Custom workspace options and guidelines

The monitoring portal has over a dozen types of views that you can populate a workspace with. Over half of the views are query-based and have a number of embellishments that you can use to observe potential and existing threshold conditions and other metrics.


Workspace changes

You can make these types of changes to a workspace:

Any changes you make to a workspace are available only to you; no one else will see your changes. The exception is with workspaces that were updated by an administrator while in workspace administration mode, where the changes to that workspace are shared with all users who log on to the same portal server.

Predefined workspaces are protected from editing. You must use File > Save As to create your own copy for customization.


Design guidelines

These are the changes you can make to a workspace that are saved with it:

Here are some guidelines to help you plan workspaces:


Tips


Workspace Author Mode permission

Your user ID requires Workspace Author Mode permission to create and maintain workspaces, including links. If the main toolbar is disabled (except Refresh, Back, Forward and Stop), as well as the split and remove buttons on the view title bar, you do not have this permission.


5.2. Tutorial: Defining a workspace

Use the tutorial to get hands on practice and experience defining a workspace. In the following exercises you will add new views to an undefined workspace, tailor them with the Properties editor, save the workspace, and, finally, edit the workspace properties.

If the split view and view tools are disabled (dimmed), your user ID does not have Workspace Author Mode permission and you will not be able to complete this lesson.


Split a view

  1. Open an undefined workspace.

    An undefined workspace is one that has not been provided with your monitored application or defined by you or an administrator. You can find undefined workspaces initially at the system level (computer or image name is displayed) of the Navigator Physical view, and, if you have custom Navigator views, wherever you have created child Navigator items. A workspace that has not been defined yet will have a browser view with links to this lesson and other relevant topics, and it will have a notepad view.

  2. In the notepad view, click Split Vertically to split it into two separate views.

    The notepad view splits in half vertically, with a duplicate copy in the new view space. Notice that every view in the workspace, including the Navigator, has and tools, as well as (except the Navigator) to delete the view and expand the adjoining view to fill the space.


Change the view type

Change the new view to a table view:

  1. Click Table.
  2. Click inside the notepad view.

    As you move inside the workspace the mouse pointer changes to the table view icon (Linux shows a hand icon). After you click, the new table view replaces the notepad view. Because a query has never been associated with this view, no data is displayed in the table. You will need to select a query from the Properties editor.

  3. When a message asks you to assign the query now, click No.

Now add a message log view to the original notepad view:

  1. Click Message Log.
  2. Click inside the notepad view.

    The message log replaces the notepad view.


If you select the wrong view or change your mind about the view you chose, press Escape or click somewhere in the toolbar.


Swap views

You can easily move a view to a new position by dragging it by its title bar to the view space it should occupy. When you release the mouse button, the views swap position.

  1. Point to the message log view's title bar.
  2. Click and drag it to the table view.

    As you drag the view, it appears semi-transparent.


Edit view properties

Edit the properties for the table view to select what data should display.

  1. In the table view title bar, click Properties.
  2. In the Query tab, Click here to assign a query.

    Queries determine from which attribute group to draw data. The Select Query window opens.

  3. In the Query tree, expand the PureApplication System Monitoring Server branch, then Managed System.
  4. Select Current Managed Systems Status and click OK.

    Back in the Query tab, you can see a preview of the table.

  5. Click the Filters tab and clear the boxes for these columns (attributes): HostAddress, Affinities, Host Info.

    Filters is where you specify the attributes to include in the table and, if you like, show only those values that fall within a range.

  6. Click Test to see a preview of your changes.
  7. Click the Thresholds tab to specify a threshold.
  8. In row 1, click the colored column and select Informational.

    This will be the background color of the cell when the threshold expression becomes true.

  9. In row 1, click the Status cell, then the arrow, and select OFFLINE from the list.

    Any managed systems that are offline will have this background color.

  10. Click the Style tab to change the appearance of the table.
  11. In the Header, type the following title in the Title text box: PureApplication System Monitoring Agent Status.
  12. Click OK.


Save a new workspace

A new workspace can be saved by following the procedure below:

  1. Select Save Workspace As from the File menu.

    If you are running monitoring portal in browser mode, be sure to select its File menu and not browser's File menu.

  2. Type My Workspace in the Name field.
  3. Select Assign as default for this Navigator Item.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Take note of which Navigator item My Workspaceis associated with.
  6. Now test your workspace by opening another workspace, then clicking this Navigator item again.


Edit workspace properties

The workspace properties can be edited by completing the following procedure:

  1. With My Workspace open, click Properties.

    When you open the Properties editor for a workspace from the toolbar as opposed to the pop-up menu, the properties for the workspace display.

  2. Clear Assign as default for this Navigator Item.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Test the new setting by opening another workspace, then clicking this Navigator item again.

    My Workspace does not display. Instead, you see the original undefined workspace, which is the default workspace for this Navigator item.

  6. To open My Workspace, right-click the Navigator item, click Workspace, and select .My Workspace. from the list.


Opening a new window

Open a new window.

  1. In desktop mode, click new windowNew Window.

    The new window is a duplicate of the original. Any previously visited workspaces are retained from the parent window; use Go back and Go forward to revisit them. Further navigation to other workspaces in either window, however, is independent of the other window.

Note that you can close duplicate windows (click File > Close) or the original; the work session remains active as long as one window is open.

Note: To view two workspaces at the same time, create a new window. Any changes you make in this or the other window (or windows, if you open more) are saved with the application.


You can set the properties of a workspace to open in a new window automatically whenever it is selected. If you are running the Tivoli Enterprise Portal in browser mode from a browser that is enabled for tabs, the workspace opens in a new tabbed page.


Conclusion

In this lesson you learned some of the techniques used to define and customize workspaces:


5.3. Start workspace administration mode

Typically, workspaces you create are saved with your user ID and no other users can see them. You can turn on administration mode so that all workspaces you edit and save while in this mode are shared with all users who log on to the same monitoring portal server. In workspace administration mode, the changes you make to link definitions, launch application definitions, and terminal emulator scripts are also shared with other users. If users edit a shared workspace, the edited workspace becomes their personal copy. Any changes made to that workspace in administrator mode will no longer be received by the user. All other users, including the administrator, continue to use the shared (global) version.

To use this function, your user ID must be SYSADMIN or created from that administrator ID and have View and Administration Mode Eligible permissions for User Administration.


Procedure

  1. Click Administer Users to open the profiles for all users and user groups.
  2. In the Users list, click your user ID.
  3. In the Permissions tab, scroll down the Authorities tree and click Workspace Administration.
  4. Enable Workspace Administration Mode. (Clearing the check box turns off workspace administration mode.)
  5. To save your changes, click Apply to keep the window open or OK to close it.

The title bar and status bar display *ADMIN MODE* after the user name to indicate that your user ID is in workspace administration mode. Any changes that you make to workspaces (including the workspace gallery), link definitions, launch application definitions, and terminal emulator scripts while in workspace administration mode will be shared with other users connected to the same portal server as soon as you save your changes. Likewise, these changes cannot be removed except from within workspace administration mode.

In workspace administration mode, you can access all workspace definitions associated with a particular Navigator item including those that are marked as Only selectable as the target of a Workspace Link. This enables you to modify the target workspaces directly without having to first traverse the link. If a target workspace is dependent on information from the source workspace, you will get display errors when you open the workspace through the Workspace gallery rather than the Link To list.

Private workspaces that were created by a user outside of workspace administration mode cannot be seen while in administration mode, even if you are that user. For example, if you created private workspace "My charts", you will not see "My charts" in the list of available workspaces while you have workspace administration mode turned on.

When editing a workspace in administration mode, select Do not allow modifications in the workspace properties. Otherwise, if a user edits that workspace, you no longer control the workspace and cannot override their changes with any changes you make.

When you are finished configuring workspaces for all users, turn off workspace administration mode by repeating these steps and clearing the Workspace Administration Mode check box.


5.4. Workspace properties

Every workspace has a name and general characteristics defined in the workspace properties.

When you save a new workspace with File . Save Workspace As, click Properties, or, if the Properties editor is already open, click the top item in the tree to see the workspace properties.

Workspace Identity

Name

The title of the workspace. The workspace name is displayed in the title bar or browser mode banner, in the View . Workspace list, or in the Link To list menu, depending on how you have set the workspace options (see below). Do not use an & ampersand or # pound sign in the title.

Description

Optional. The description can be a full text description of the workspace.

Workspace Options

Assign as default for this Navigator Item

Makes this workspace the default for the Navigator item (the one that opens when you click the Navigator item).

Assign as Home Workspace

Specifies this as the workspace that opens whenever you start monitoring portal, much like your browser home page.

Do not allow modifications

Protects the workspace from permanent changes and must be selected when you are editing in Workspace administration mode. Users who have access to this workspace can change it temporarily, but if they attempt to save, the Save Workspace As window opens so that it is saved as a new workspace with a different name. Also, when this item is enabled you cannot delete the workspace.

Only selectable as the target of a Workspace Link

Marks the workspace as hidden except when it is a possible Link To destination. The workspace does not display in the list of available workspaces for a Navigator item.

Always open workspace in new window

When enabled, this option causes the workspace to open in a new window, or in a new tab if your browser supports tabbed pages.

5.5. Create a new workspace

You can create a new workspace from any existing workspace. The new workspace is associated with the same Navigator item as the original workspace. You cannot save a new workspace if your user ID does not have Workspace Author Mode permission. To create a new workspace:


Procedure

  1. Open a workspace at the Navigator level for which you want the new workspace to be available.

  2. Click Save Workspace As in the File menu.

  3. Type a name for the new workspace. The workspace is saved with the new name and the original left unchanged.

  4. Do any of the following to customize the workspace:

    • Add a new view by splitting an existing view into two separate views.
    • Change the dimensions of the views by dragging the borders between them.
    • Change a view to a different type, such as from a notepad view to a browser view.
    • Rearrange views by clicking a view's title bar and dragging it another view space. When you release the mouse button, the views switch position.
    • Edit the general Properties of the workspace, such as making it the default workspace.
    • Edit the Properties of the individual views to control what data to display and the styling.
    • Build a link to another workspace so that you can link to the other workspace from this one at any time.

  5. When you are finished editing a workspace, click Save. The saved workspace is associated with your monitoring portal user ID. Users with a different ID will not see your changes.

    The workspace is available to all systems with items of the same affinity. For example, if you create a new workspace for your Windows agent then all systems with that monitoring agent will be able to open the new workspace.


5.6. Save a workspace

You must save a workspace to maintain the changes you make to the workspace properties; otherwise, the changes you have made are lost. Your user ID requires Workspace Author Mode permission to create and maintain workspaces, including links. If the main toolbar is disabled (except Refresh, Back, Forward and Stop), as well as the split and remove buttons on the view title bar, you do not have this permission. Whatever changes you make to the workspace properties, such as adding a view or defining a link, are only temporary. They will be lost when you open another workspace or exit Tivoli Enterprise Portal unless you save the workspace.

The saved workspace is associated with your monitoring portal user ID. Users with a different ID will not see your changes unless you were in workspace administration mode when you authored them.


Procedure


5.7. Edit a workspace

Use the Properties editor to change the general characteristics of a workspace and to edit the style and content of any of its views. You can delete or restore the original version of an edited workspace through the File menu. To edit a workspace, your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission. To edit a workspace:


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace to edit, then click Properties. The Properties editor opens. The tree on the left shows the workspace name selected, with the workspace properties on the right.

  2. Make any changes to the Workspace Identity and Workspace Options. You can always return to the general workspace properties by clicking the name of the workspace at the top of the Properties tree.

  3. If you want to edit the properties for a particular view, select the view from the Properties tree.

  4. When you are finished editing the workspace or view, do one of the following:

    • Click Apply to save your changes, then select another view to edit from the Properties tree.
    • Click OK to save your changes and close the Properties editor.

  5. If you want to keep the changes you made for future work sessions, do one of the following:

    • Click Save to update the workspace properties with the changes you just made.
    • Click File > Save Workspace As to save this as a new workspace and leave the original workspace unchanged.

Changes you make to a workspace are available only to your user ID; no other users will see your changes. The exception is when you are in workspace administration mode, where any workspace customization you do will be available to all users.


5.8. Rename a workspace

You can rename a workspace to better suit your environment. Use the following steps to rename a workspace:


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace whose name you want to change.
  2. Click Properties. You can also open the Workspace properties from within the Properties editor by selecting the first item in the tree, which is the Navigator item to which the workspace belongs.
  3. Edit the title in the Name text box.


5.9. Delete or restoring a workspace

You can delete a workspace of your creation and restore the original version of a predefined workspace or one created by the administrator. To delete or restore a workspace, your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission. monitoring portal features enable you to create and edit your own workspaces. You can also edit predefined workspaces and those created by the system administrator (unless they are protected).


Delete a workspace

About this task

Use the following steps to delete a workspace:

Procedure

  1. Open the workspace you want to delete. You cannot delete predefined workspaces. As well, you cannot delete workspaces that were created in workspace administration mode unless you are currently in workspace administration mode.

  2. Click File > Delete Workspace. This item is disabled if the workspace is predefined, was created in administration mode and your user ID is not currently in workspace administration mode, or if the workspace properties item Do Not Allow Modifications is selected.

    Note: When you delete a workspace, all link definitions that reference it will be deleted also.

  3. When a confirmation message is displayed, click Yes to delete the current workspace or No if you change your mind. The default workspace for that Navigator item displays.


Restoring the original workspace

About this task

If you have edited a predefined workspace or one created in administration mode, you can always restore the original version. To restore the original workspace, complete the following procedure:

Procedure

  1. Open the predefined or administration-mode-created workspace you want to restore. If you want to retain the original and edited versions as two separate workspaces, select Save As from the File menu and give the workspace a new name, then repeat this step.
  2. Click File > Restore Original Workspace. This item is disabled if the original predefined or administrator-created workspace is already displaying or if this is a workspace created with your user ID.
  3. When a confirmation message is displayed, click Yes to restore the original workspace or No if you change your mind. The workspace reverts to its original state.


5.10. Define links between workspaces

The monitoring portal enables you to define a link from one workspace to another. Then you can quickly jump to a related workspace or a sequence of workspaces that you like to frequently review.

You can define a link from a Navigator item, or from a table, chart, graphic view within a workspace. A link from a workspace or graphic view provides a shortcut from one workspace to another, as does a link from a table row (or chart data series). Links from a table row are different in that they can use data from one or more values in the row to locate and filter the target workspace.

Your user ID requires Workspace Author Mode permission to create and maintain workspaces, including links. If the view tools are disabled, you do not have this permission.

5.10.1. Create a new link

Use the link wizard to define a link from a Navigator item, graphic view, or query-based view that opens the targeted workspace in the same or new windows. The workspace link feature in the monitoring portal enables you to create simple links or advanced links. A simple link can originate from a Navigator item or from a data series in a chart or table. Context information is passed from the source workspace to determine which target workspace to open. Complete these steps to create a new workspace link.


Procedure

  1. Create a new link:

    1. Open the source workspace.
    2. Right-click one of the following possible link source locations:
      The highlighted Navigator item for this workspace
      An icon in a graphic view
      An object in a Tivoli Management Services Infrastructure view
      A row in a table view or situation event console view
      A data point in a chart view
    3. Click Link To > Link Wizard.
    4. Select Create a new link and click Next>.
    5. Type a Name and Description to identify the link, then click Next.

  2. Select the link type and target:

    1. Select one of the following link types and click Next to open the Workspace Link Wizard - Target Workspace window.

      Dynamic

      The dynamic link method offers flexibility in your choice of workspace targets. A dynamic link is similar to a relative link and, with some link definitions, behaves in the same way. What is different is that the path to the target workspace uses a system identifier passed by the source query-based view. The identifier can be managed system name, IP address, host name, Systems Management Facilities ID, or Product Code.

      Absolute

      An absolute link stores the managed system name of the chosen target, and goes only there. For example, if you target the Databases Information workspace on the MS SQL Server branch for the Paris computer, that is the workspace that will open. The Database Information workspace for the Geneva computer is not considered.

      Relative

      A relative link stores the type of source workspace and target workspace. The resulting link is available from any workspace that is of the same type. If more than one workspace fits the definition of the target, you are presented with a list of workspaces to choose from. For example, a link built from the Paris computer's Windows OS workspace to its Memory workspace will also be available from the Geneva computer's Windows OS workspace and link to its Memory workspace. If you are linking between Navigator views, relative linking is not recommended. Instead, use the absolute or dynamic method for links to the Navigator Logical view and other custom Navigator views.

    2. If you are targeting a workspace in a different Navigator view, select the view from the Navigator View list.

    3. In the Navigator tree, expand the branches and select the Navigator item for the workspace you want to target. The Navigator view is presented in the left frame. As you open branches and select Navigator items, the right frame show their workspaces. With an absolute link, the path you select to the target is interpreted as an exact match, whereas, with a relative or dynamic link the path is interpreted as the pattern to follow from the link source to the target workspace.

    4. In the Workspace pane, select the workspace to target; or, if this is a dynamic link and you want to more generally classify the link, select This link does not target a specific workspace.

    5. If you would like the workspace to open in a new window instead of replacing the current workspace, select Always open target workspace in new window. If you are running the browser client and your browser supports tabbed pages, the workspace will open in a new tab.

    6. Click Next or, if this is an absolute or relative link and you are finished defining the link target, click Next twice to see the the summary.

  3. If this is an absolute or relative link and you want to refine the link definition, click Next and add the expressions.

  4. If this is a dynamic link, the Target Filters window is displayed for you to select the type of identifier for the target and specify the value to use:

    1. Click the identifier to use: Managed system name, Hostname (distributed systems only), IP address (distributed systems only), or SMFID (z/OS-based systems only) If you are not sure which one to choose, click Managed System name.
    2. Click Modify Expression to open the Expression Editor, then click Symbol. The list is a reverse hierarchy of available symbols starting from the source context and the current Navigator item and ending at the root Navigator item.
    3. Select a symbol that provides the value for the system identifier. For example, Server Name will provide the value needed for Managed system name when the link is launched. You might need to open different branches to locate a symbol for the type of target filter chosen.
      Selected Row
      Attributes
      % Usage
      Current Size
      Server Name
    4. Click OK add the detailed name for the attribute to the Expression Editor. $kfw.TableRow:ATTRIBUTE.NTLOGINFO.ORIGINNODE$
    5. Click Evaluate to verify that the variable resolves correctly. The Value shown must be valid for the identifier type you specified. For example, for a computer named TIVOLIUSER, Primary:TIVOLIUSER:NT is a valid Windows OS managed system name and TIVOLIUSER is a valid host name.
    6. If no value is displayed or you get a syntax error or a value that does not identify the system, click Clear and select a different symbol or try another identifier.
    7. In addition to Symbol, you can click Operator and Function to find and select other elements to complete the expression. When you are finished with the expression, click OK to insert the expression in the current target filter row. Note that expressions can evaluate to patterns using the asterisk (*) and question mark (?) wildcard characters. This allows for pattern matching filters.
    8. If the target workspace was updated or is new for the latest version of your monitoring product and your environment has a mix of versions, you can disable Allow this link to target any version of the target workspace or leave it enabled:
      Enabled is the default setting. The target workspace can be chosen for any version of the monitoring agent. If the query for a view specifies attributes that are available only in the newer version and the target workspace is for an older version of the monitoring agent, no values will be returned for those attributes. Disable the option if you want the link not to be offered for target workspaces on earlier versions of the monitoring agent.
    9. Click Next and refine the link definition; or click Next twice and review the summary.

  5. In the Workspace Link Wizard - Summary page, review the summary, then click Finish to save the link definition, Back to return to a previous window to make additional changes, or Cancel to close the Link Wizard without saving your changes.

If the target workspace is dependent on information that is passed from the source workspace (users will get an error message if they attempt to open the workspace from the list of available workspace), then edit the workspace properties to hide the workspace unless it is targeted by a link definition.


5.10.2. Testing the link

You can test the link you have created to ensure that it works correctly. To test a link you have created:


Procedure

  1. In the source workspace, right-click the location where you created the link.

  2. Click Link To and select the link from the list. The value of the symbols specified in the link definition are used to select the target workspace and filter its content. An example is a link from a row in a view that includes the Process Name, and the value of Process Name is passed to the target workspace. The view whose symbol was targeted will show information about that particular process.

  3. If the target workspace does not display what you expected or a Target not found message is displayed, edit the link.

    If you were prompted to select the target workspace but wanted the link definition to be specific so you would not have to choose from a list, do one of two things: If you had chosen Relative as the link type, define a new link and select a link type of Absolute; or make it Dynamic and supply the expression in the target filter to target the specific workspace.


5.10.3. Edit a link definition

You can edit a link definition after it has been created.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where the link originates (source workspace).

  2. Right-click the link origination point, which can be one of the following:

    • The highlighted Navigator item for this workspace
    • An icon in the graphic view
    • A row in the table view
    • A row in the situation event console view
    • A bar in the bar chart view
    • A slice in the pie chart view
    • A point in the plot chart view

  3. Click Link To > Link Wizard.

  4. In the Workspace Link Wizard - Welcome page, select Modify an existing link and click Next>.

  5. In the Workspace Link Wizard - Link to Modify page, select the name of the link to edit, then click Next>. Before clicking Next, you can clear the Hide links that are not available for the select view check box to see all the links for this workspace.

  6. Edit the name or description, then click Next> to open the Link editor.

  7. Edit the link.

  8. Click Next until you reach the summary page, then click Finish.


5.10.4. Delete a link definition

You can delete a link definition when it is no longer useful. Follow these steps to permanently remove a link definition.


Procedure

  1. Open the source workspace.

  2. Right-click the link origination point, which can be one of the following:

    • The highlighted Navigator item for this workspace
    • An icon in a graphic view
    • An object in a TMS Infrastructure view
    • A row in a table view or situation event console view
    • A bar in a bar chart view
    • A slice in a pie chart view
    • A point in a plot chart view

  3. Click Link To > Link Wizard.

  4. Select Delete one or more existing links and click Next.

  5. Select the name of the link to delete. You can select additional links with Ctrl+Click or select all links from the first selection to this one with Shift+Click.

  6. Click Next until you reach the summary page, then click Finish

    Note: When you delete a workspace, all link definitions that originate from it will be deleted also. This is also true for any absolute links that target this workspace.


5.10.5. Add or editing a link anchor

You can add or edit a link anchor by using the Link Anchor Properties editor to hide the link indicator, disable it for table rows that do not meet the link criteria, and to assign a different default link or no default link. When you have a link that originates from a table row or a graphic view icon, a link indicator is displayed: Click to open the default link or to see and select from a list of possible links.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where the link originates (source workspace).
  2. Right-click a table row or the graphic view icon where you originated the link.
  3. Click Link Anchor.
  4. In the Link Anchor Properties editor, select a default link from the list or select (No Default). When you select the option to show the link indicator (next step), you can click the indicator to go directly to the default linked workspace or, if no default link was assigned, to see and select from the list of available links.
  5. Clear Show Link Indicator if you want no link indicator in the first column of the table or overlaying the graphic view icon. If you disable the indicator, users can still link to the target workspace by right-clicking a table row or the linked graphic view icon.
  6. Clear Link Indicator Always Enabled only if this is an advanced link from a table, with filtering, and you want to enable the indicator only for rows where the link is available. An example would be a link that is not available for the Idle process. The link indicator in this row would be dimmed to show that it was disabled.
  7. Click OK to close the window, then click Save to save your changes to the workspace.


5.10.6. Link examples

Review these link examples for ideas on how to use the Link Wizard to build links between workspaces.

The graphic shows where you can start the Link Wizard to define a link, and from where you can then launch the link to the workspace that was targeted by the link definition. The mouse icons show how the link is launched: click a link anchor; or right-click a Navigator item or chart view data item. A link that originates from a Navigator item or graphic view is often a simple link to the target workspace, whereas a link from a table row or chart point might be to a workspace with more details about that row. Notice that the link anchors showing in the table view and graphic view appear automatically when you define a link from these views.


Dynamic linking

The dynamic link type has you specify an identifier for the target workspace. When the source is a table row or chart point, you can often select a symbol for an attribute that identifies the managed system.

Target Filter:

Managed system name

Expression:

$EventConsoleRow:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.ORIGINNODE$

Symbol:

Values
Link
Selected Row
Attributes
Age
Display Item
Global Timestamp
Impact
Node
Origin Node
Severity
Status
Id
Name
Type
Situation Event Console
Query
Workspace
Node
System
Root
Global Symbols
When you cannot find a symbol for the managed system, consider using another identifier. In the example here, the link source is a Navigator item and the target filter chosen is either the Hostname or IP address.

Target Filter:

Hostname

Expression:

$NODE:-1022$

Symbol:

Values

Link

Tree - Physical
Id
Name
Type

Query

Workspace

Tree - Physical

Query

Workspace

Node
Id
Name
Network Address
Type

System

Root

Global Systems

Target Filter:

IP address

Expression:

$NODE:-1022$

Symbol:

Values

Link

Tree - Physical
Id
Name
Type

Query

Workspace

Tree - Physical

Query

Workspace

Node
Id
Name
Network Address
Type

System

Root

Global Systems


Relative link from a Navigator item

You can link from a workspace at the system level of the Navigator to a workspace at the platform level. Because it is relative, the link is available from any system level Navigator item (NODE1, NODE2, NODE3) to the parent Windows Systems workspace. In an environment with many Windows systems being monitored, this link enables a quick jump from the expanded branch to the parent workspace.

Enterprise
Windows Systems
NODE1
NODE2
NODE3

Source point:

Any of the NODE Navigator items

Link Type:

Relative

Target Workspace:

Windows Systems > Windows Systems

Parameters:

The expression is built automatically from the source context and the workspace that was selected as the target.

  • contextIsAvailable:
  • $kfw.TreeAdapter:-1021A$ == $kfw.LinkSymbolsGroup:PBASED.SOURCE_CONTEXT.0.-1021A$ && $kfw.Context:-5000$ &&
  • $kfw.TreeAdapter:-1021A$ == $kfw.LinkSymbolsGroup:PBASED.SOURCE_CONTEXT.3.-1021A$ && $kfw.Context:-5000$
  • linkIsEnabled: true


linkIsEnabled usage example

Follow along with these steps to see how a link to the System workspace was created using the linkIsEnabled symbol. This example tests the value of the Product cell in the selected row to determine whether or not to offer the link on that row.

  1. Open the Managed System Status workspace in the Navigator Physical view: Click Enterprise to open the default workspace; right-click Enterprise and click Workspace > Managed System Status.
  2. Right-click a row in the Managed System Status table and click Link To > Link Wizard.
  3. Create a new link, name it System Details, select a link type of Relative, and target the Windows Systems workspace.
  4. Click Next to go to the Workspace Link Wizard - Parameters.
  5. Click thelinkIsEnabled row. The Expression box reads true.
  6. Click Modify Expression.
  7. In the Expression Editor, click Clear, and then click Symbol.
  8. In the Symbols list, select Product and click OK. The expression is displayed as $kfw.INODESTS:ATTRIBUTE.INODESTS.PRODUCT$.
  9. Click Operator, select Equal and click OK to see the == operator.
  10. Type "NT" at the end of the expression, which should then read, $kfw.INODESTS:ATTRIBUTE.INODESTS.PRODUCT$ == "NT".
  11. Click Evaluate. If the row from where you started the Link Wizard has NT in the Product column, the test will betrue; otherwise, it will be false.
  12. Click Finish.

Click the link indicator in one of the NT rows to open the Services workspace for that monitoring agent. Note that you can disable the link indicator for invalid rows by clearing Link Indicator Always Enabled.


Text in link expressions

You can add text and spaces to the link expression by enclosing them in " double quotation marks and joining to any other functions with a + plus sign. Here are some examples.

Link expression Resolves to
$kfw.LinkSymbolsGroup:PBASED.SOURCE_CONTEXT.2.-1022$ Windows Systems
"My" +$kfw.LinkSymbolsGroup:PBASED.SOURCE_CONTEXT.2.-1022$ My Windows Systems
"My "+$kfw.LinkSymbolsGroup:PBASED.SOURCE_CONTEXT.2.-1022$ + "Now" My Windows Systems Now
$kfw.LinkSymbolsGroup:PBASED.SOURCE_CONTEXT.2.-1022$ +" in the Navigator "+$kfw.TreeAdapter:-1022$ +" view" Windows Systems in the Navigator Physical view


Symbols in text

You can reference a variable (symbol) in a table or chart view header or footer, or in a notepad view, and have it resolve to a value when you link to the workspace. The symbol value is defined in the link wizard customization page.


Customize workspace views

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal workspaces can be customized to show different views.

The monitoring portal workspaces can be composed of more than a dozen different views. There are query-based views for displaying the attribute values gathered by monitoring agents, event views for displaying events and their status, and a number of special purpose views.


6.1. Create a new view

Create a new view to customize a workspace to show the reports and other information that give you a comprehensive view of your environment or particular aspects of it. You can add as many views to a workspace as you can easily see within the confines of the window. Creating a new view is a matter of dividing one view into two and editing one of them. Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want the view.

  2. If you want the view to occupy a new space, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in an existing view. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.

    If you want to replace a view with a different type of view, skip this step.

  3. Click the tool for the type of view you want: .
    The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon on Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the toolbar.

  4. Click inside the space to adopt the new view. If this is a table or chart view and no query has been chosen, or the query is inappropriate for the type of chart, no data is displayed. You might be prompted to assign a query.

  5. Some views require more information:

    • If the Select Attribute window opens, you replaced a table view with a chart view, which can show only numeric attributes. Select an attribute (use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select more), then click OK.
    • If you are adding a terminal view, enter the host name and port number in the Terminal Emulator Configuration window.

  6. Select Edit properties to open the Properties editor to change the content or format. The tabs displayed depend on the type of view. The Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer and the take action view have no associated properties.

  7. As you edit the properties, click Test to see your changes in the Preview area at the top of the window, Apply to save your changes and keep the window open for selecting another view to edit, or OK to save your changes and close the window.

  8. If you want to keep the view in this workspace for future work sessions, do one of the following:

    • Click Save to update the workspace properties with the new view.
    • Select Save Workspace As from the File menu to save this as a new workspace and leave the original workspace as it was.

    Note: If no information appears in a table or chart, it might be because no data samplings meet the query or filter criteria. Regardless of the managed systems assigned to a query, a gauge chart (circular or linear) can show data from only one managed system. If you are using the query in a workspace where multiple systems are applicable (at the platform level of the Navigator physical view), the data shown will be from the first managed system in the Assigned list of the Query Results Source tab.


6.2. Edit a view

You can change the style or other aspects of a view through the Properties editor. The Properties editor is associated with the current workspace. Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function.


Procedure

  1. In the view title bar, click Edit properties. The Properties editor for the workspace opens and displays the properties of the selected view.

  2. Edit the view properties using the following tabs:

    Option Description
    Query Specifies what data must go in the chart or table or table-based topology view.
    Filters Refines the query-based view by filtering out unwanted data from the chart or table.
    Thresholds Establishes threshold values and color indicators for the table view.
    Configuration Specifies the script to run or the connection to make whenever you open the terminal view.
    Style Changes the appearance of the view.

    View type Available Properties tabs
    Table Query, Filters, Thresholds, Style
    Charts: Pie, Bar, Plot, Area, Circular gauge, Linear gauge Query, Filters, Style
    Notepad Style
    Message log Filters, Thresholds, Style
    Universal message console Filters, Thresholds, Style
    Graphic Style
    Terminal Query, Configuration, Style
    Browser Style
    Topology Style
    Situation event console Filters, Thresholds, Style
    Common Event Console Filters, Thresholds, Style
    While editing the properties, click Test to see your changes in the Preview area at the top of the window.

    In the Filters and Thresholds tabs, if you need to add or remove rows or clear cell contents, right-click and select one of the pop-up menu options.

  3. When you are finished editing the view, click Apply to save your changes, then select another view to edit from the Properties tree; -OR- click OK to save your changes and close the window.

  4. To keep your changes, do one of the following:

    • Click Save to update the workspace properties with the changes you just made.
    • Select Save Workspace As from the File menu to save this as a new workspace and leave the original workspace unchanged.

You can also resize a view by dragging the borders, and swap locations with another view by dragging it by its title bar to the new position. You cannot move views that are part of a workspace that is protected from editing, which applies to predefined workspaces.


6.3. Query-based views

Query-based views are the table view, chart views, and relational table-based topology view. They are distinguished from other workspace views by their ability to show monitoring data from agents and from external JDBC or ODBC data sources for which you have written SQL statements. Use these views for on-demand reporting of current and past (historical) data samplings.

Predefined workspaces for your product include chart and table views. These views are the first step to getting something meaningful from the data being collected. When you understand what values and states are causing problems, you can refine your views to show what is important. Additionally, the topology view can express the relationships between attributes as connected objects when the topology source is relational table-based.

Table

A table shows a column for each attribute and one or more rows of data. You can also get table views to show data samplings over a period of time. The attribute group queried by the view must be either a historical attribute group or have been configured for historical data collection, in which case you will see a Time Span tool in the view toolbar for setting the time period.

Chart

A pie chart has a slice for every data point in a single data series (row). Pie charts best show the proportional value of related attributes to a whole, such as the percentage attributes that show how memory is being used.

A bar chart displays a bar for each data point. Bar charts are best suited for comparing values among related attributes. The stacking bar chart best shows multiple values for the same attribute.

A plot chart shows changes over a period of time by drawing a continuous line from one data point to the next, one data point for each data sampling and one line for each attribute selected. The plot chart best shows trends over time and among related attributes.

An area chart is almost identical to a plot chart except that the area between the axis and each plot line is filled with color or a pattern.

A circular gauge chart shows the proportional amount of a data series, one gauge for each attribute chosen. This type of chart is well suited for showing individual elements that change frequently, such as percentage user time.

A linear gauge chart shows the collective value of every item in a single data series, one gauge for each attribute chosen. This type of chart is well suited for showing cumulative values.

Topology

A Topology view shows the arrangement of monitored components associated with its Navigator item. It is considered a query-based view when it has been created as a relational table-based topology view, which is appropriate for attributes that can show the relationship to other attributes in their group as connected objects.


6.3.1. Select a query for a view

Query-based views . chart, table or relational table-based topology . must have a query assigned to specify the data to retrieve. If you do not see the Queries tool, your user ID does not have View or Modify Query permissions. If you can see the tool but it is disabled, your user ID does not have Workspace Author Mode permission. If a newly created chart, table or relational table-based topology view has no query assigned to it, you must select one. If the view shows data, but you want to show different attributes, change the query.


Procedure

  1. In the view title bar, click Edit properties. The Properties editor for the workspace opens and displays the properties of the selected view.

  2. In the Query tab, click Click here to assign a query to open the Query editor. The Query editor shows a tree on the left organized by Tivoli monitoring product and then by attribute group.

  3. Click to expand the Monitor agents and attribute group folders to see the queries.

  4. Select a Query title to see its description. The query description, edit date, and specification are displayed in the right frame. The selected options indicate which attributes from the group are included in the query. The cells in the numbered rows show any filter criteria for the query.

  5. Optional for Tivoli monitoring product queries: To apply the query to specific managed systems rather than all managed systems of this type, do the following:

    1. Click the Query Results Source tab.
    2. Select Let user assign explicitly.
    3. Remove from the Assigned list those systems you do not want in the view.

  6. Click OK to select the query and return to the Properties editor.

The Description and Formula areas of the Query tab show the name, description, and formula of the query that you selected; the Preview area shows how the rendered view will look when the query is applied.

Make any other adjustments to the view properties. After you click Apply or OK in the Properties editor, the query is applied to the view and the results shown in the workspace.

If you chose a custom SQL query and it includes a variable in the statement, you are prompted to enter a value after you click Apply or OK. The value filters the data that is displayed in the view, but is temporary and cannot be saved with the workspace.

Regardless of the managed systems assigned to a Navigator item, a gauge chart can show data from only one managed system. If you are using the query in a workspace where multiple managed systems are applicable (at the platform level of the Navigator Physical view), the data shown is from the first managed system in the Assigned list.


6.3.2. Filter a query-based view

You can filter the information displayed on the view to show specific attributes and rows of data. Use the Filters tab to control the display to show only those attributes and rows of data that are of interest to you. Using this method, you can easily see and compare the relevant information in a small viewing area.

If you are filtering a view that returns so many rows that response time is compromised, consider using a query to apply a pre-filter that reduces the amount of data to retrieve.


Procedure

  1. If the Properties editor is not open, right-click the table view and select Properties from the pop-up menu.

  2. Click the Filters tab.

  3. Select a check box beneath a column heading to include the attribute in the view; clear a check box to exclude it. If you clear a check box, you can still add a filter expression for that attribute (next step).

  4. If the attributes report multiple rows of data and you want to limit what displays, enter a filter expression:

    • Click a cell under a column to activate the editor and formula bar. Then click inside one of the fields to:

      change the function from the default Value of expression (or Compare date/time for time attributes) to another function.

      change the relational operator from the default Equal to Not equal, Greater than, Greater than or equal, Less than, or Less than or equal.

      enter the value to be compared with the values arriving from the managed system. Enumerated attribute values, such as online or offline, will have a list of possible choices.

  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 if the filter criteria involves multiple columns or multiple rows:

    • Expressions entered in the same row have an AND relationship. In the example below, a row will be written when the Process Name includes java -AND- user time exceeds 5%. (Scan for string within a string equals java for Process Name AND % User Time < 5.)

      Process Name % User Time
      1
      2 == 'java' >5
      3

    • Expressions in different rows have an OR relationship. In the example below, a row will be written when the value of Process Name is either System or Services.

      Process Name % User Time
      1
      2 == 'System'
      3 == 'Services'

  6. Do one of the following:

    • Add icons or background colors to a table view when thresholds have been reached.
    • Change the title of the view or apply other styling.
    • Apply advanced filtering to show only the first (highest value) or last (lowest value) data rows, such as the first 25 rows.
    • To edit the properties of another view in this workspace, click Apply to save your changes, then select the next view from the Properties tree.
    • To apply your changes and close the Properties editor, click OK.


6.3.3. Properties editor

Use the properties editor to change the general properties of the workspace and to customize the appearance and behavior of the views in that workspace. Every workspace has general properties and an additional set of properties for each view it contains.

Clicking Properties in the main toolbar or Edit properties in the view's title bar opens the Properties editor. The Properties tree shows the name of the workspace at the top of the hierarchy, followed by a Views folder, then folders for every type of view in the workspace. Appearing to the right of the tree are the workspace properties or view properties, depending on which is selected in the tree.


6.3.3.2. View properties

Edit the properties of a workspace view to control its appearance and behavior. The view properties are displayed when you click Edit properties in the view's title bar or when you click the view in the Properties tree in the left pane of the Properties editor. The view properties open in the right frame with one or more of these tabs, depending on the view type, such as the Thresholds tab for the table view.

Preview is a mirror of the view before you selected it in the Properties editor. It gives you a preview of how the view will look when you save (with Apply or OK) your changes. Preview is typically used with query-based views whenever you select a different query or edit the query, define a filter or threshold, or modify the style. The editor has buttons to Test your changes in the Preview area to see how they will look, Apply your changes to the view to save them now, and exit with (OK) or without (Cancel) saving your changes. If you plan to edit more than one view while in the Properties editor, click Apply to save your changes to the first view before editing the next.


6.4. Table view

The table view is a query-based workspace view of data samples collected for an attribute group, or from an ODBC or JDBC data source when a custom SQL query has been written.

The table view shows a column for each attribute and either a single row of data (for single-row attribute groups) or multiple rows (for multiple-row attribute groups or historical reporting). For example, the NT Process attribute group displays a row for every process, and NT Memory displays a single row of memory statistics for the agent's host.

If historical data collection is configured and started for the attributes used by the query that retrieves data for the view, you can also view historical data by setting the time span for data to be viewed using the Time span tool.


6.4.1. Add a table view

Use the table view to display data in the workspace. Data samplings from the attributes specified in the query are used to populate the view. Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function. Take these steps to add a table view to a workspace:


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want to add the view.

  2. If you want the view to occupy a new space, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views.

  3. Click Table. The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon on Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the toolbar.

  4. Click inside the view where you want the table. If no data fills the table, you must choose a query for it.

  5. If a message asks you to select a query now, click Yes to open the Properties editor. Specify the data to include and the formatting of the table view:

    Option Description
    Query Select a query for the data to retrieve into the view.
    Filters Specify the attributes whose values you want to exclude or include in the table and, if you like, show only those values that fall within a range.
    Thresholds Highlight cells that fall outside a threshold value.
    Style Change and enhance the appearance of the table.

The query collects data samplings from the managed systems that are assigned to the Navigator item and populates the view with them.

To see the assigned managed systems, right-click the current Navigator item and click Properties.

If the attribute group specified in the query has historical data collection enabled, you can specify a time period to show.

To keep the table view in this workspace for future work sessions, either click Save to update the workspace with the new view or click File > Save Workspace As to save this as a new workspace and leave the original workspace unchanged.


6.4.2. Table view features

The table view has features for refining the display to suit your needs. The table view features allow you to refine the display of your data. These features also apply to the message log and event console views.

Column descriptions

Descriptions of the attributes for which data is reported are displayed as hover help when you move the mouse pointer over a column heading.

Column adjustments

You can make the following adjustments to columns:


Adjust column width by dragging a border left or right.


Lock a column by right-clicking in the column heading and selecting Lock this Column. The column and any columns to left are fixed in place as you scroll the table left or right. To unlock, right-click a column heading and select Unlock Table Columns.


Change column order by dragging a column heading and dropping to insert it between two columns.


Column sort by clicking a column heading to sort the table by that column in ascending order, clicking again for descending, and again to go back to the original arrangement. You can also build a query that specifies a sort order, which is necessary for multiple-page tables if you want all the rows sorted and not just those in the current page.

Find

The Find function enables you to enter search criteria for the columns shown in the table.

Threshold indicators

Threshold cells have either a severity icon or a colored background to indicate values that meet the threshold criteria. A threshold column heading has an indicator, such as Minor, that you can click to sort the column by the threshold value. If the column has multiple thresholds assigned, the highest level indicator is displayed. When threshold cells do not show in the viewable area, the scroll button is colored or has a severity icon to show where to click to see them.

Link indicators

Link indicators appear to the left of a row if the table has a link filtered by one or more row values. Click the indicator to open the default linked workspace or, if no default link has been assigned, a list of available links. You can also right-click the indicator to get a list of available links or to open the link wizard to define a link.

Multiple pages

Multiple pages, a page being 100 rows, are indicated by and buttons on the scroll bar. A text box is displayed at the top of the table with .Page 1 of .. You can type another number to go to that page. Replace 1 with a high number such as 99 and press Enter to go to the last page and adjust the total number of pages displayed to the correct number.

Click Edit Properties in the view title bar to open the Properties editor, and change the Page size in the Query tab. A smaller page size speeds up data retrieval because only one page is retrieved at one time rather than the entire row set.

Historical reporting

As well as seeing real-time data in the table view, you can have monitoring portal log the data into history files so you can examine data over longer periods of time. The table view has a Time Span tool for setting a time period to report. The table retains data from previous refreshes and appends newly arrived data to the view.


6.4.3. Add column thresholds

You can decorate a cell in the table view (including event console, message log, and universal message views) with a background color, severity icon, or custom icon when the value exceeds a given threshold. You can decorate a cell with a background color, severity icon, or custom icon by writing formula expressions that specify the threshold criteria and the indicators to use, such as or .

  1. If the Properties editor is not open, click Edit Properties in the table view title bar.
  2. Click the Thresholds tab.
  3. If you want to place a severity icon in a threshold cell instead of a background color, select the Use Icons check box.
  4. Click inside a cell in the Threshold column (second column) to see and select from the list of severities.

    The seven predefined severities, from Fatal to Unknown, display in the list. If you are selecting an icon, also shown are any custom severity icons that were added to the portal server. The icons are ordered by their severity, from highest to lowest.

  5. In the same row as the selected highlight, click in a column cell and write the threshold expression for that attribute. This activates the editor and formula bar:

    Click to change the function from the default Value of expression (or Compare date/time for time attributes) to another function.

    Click if you want to change the relational operator from Equal to Not equal or to any other operator in the list.

    Click inside the text box to enter the threshold value. Enumerated attribute values, such as online or offline, have a list of possible choices.

  6. Click Test to evaluate the threshold expression and to see in the Preview area how the results will be displayed.
  7. Repeat steps 3 to 5 to add more threshold expressions to this or another column:

    The threshold expressions entered in the same row have an AND relationship. When a retrieved value satisfies all the expressions in a row, the cell will be highlighted.

    The threshold expressions in each row are independent; they have an OR relationship. If a retrieved value satisfies the conditions in more than one row, the cell will be highlighted with the highest severity.

  8. When the threshold formula is complete, save your changes by clicking Apply if you want to leave the Properties editor open or OK to close the editor.

Note:

  1. Values in the table that meet the threshold criteria are indicated by the severity background color or severity icon. You will notice a severity icon in the column heading of threshold cells. This is the highest threshold severity established for the column; click the icon to sort the view by severity.
  2. The scroll buttons indicate threshold cells that are outside the visible area. For example, guides you to scroll right to see more informational threshold cells. Move the mouse pointer over a threshold cell to see the threshold criteria.
  3. In the event that multiple threshold expressions written for the same column become true at the same time, the severity with the highest value will be applied. If the same severity was applied (which is possible only if the icon was selected for one expression and its background color counterpart for the other), then the first row expression will determine the appearance. For example, if the icon was specified in row 2 of the formula editor and the background color in row 3, then the icon will be used.


6.4.4. Guidelines for threshold icons

There are already seven predefined severity icons that can be assigned to threshold cells, and you can add your own severity threshold icons to the portal server.

When adding your own severity threshold icons to the portal server, observe these requirements and guidelines:


6.5. Chart views

Add one of the seven available chart views to a workspace to present data for managed systems in real time. When a query is assigned to a chart for an attribute group that has historical data collected, you can also display historical data.

Each type of chart is best suited to displaying a certain type of data:

Chart type Best for... Multiple attributes Multiple rows Multiple managed systems Time span
Pie Showing proportional value to the whole One slice per attribute One pie for each row One pie for each managed system Yes
Bar1 Comparing values among related attributes One bar per attribute. Stacking bars show one segment per attribute One set of bars for each row. Stacking bars show one bar per row One set of bars for each managed system Yes
Plot1 Showing trends over time and among related attributes One line per attribute; one data point for each data sampling Yes Yes Yes
Area1 Showing trends over time and among related attributes One line per attribute; one data point for each data sampling Yes Yes Yes
Circular gauge Showing individual elements that change frequently One gauge per attribute No No No
Linear gauge Showing cumulative values One gauge per attribute No No No
1 This chart can also be used perform to baselining for predictive analysis.


6.5.1. Create a new chart

Add a chart view to a workspace to better see trends and data spikes in sampled data. The chart types available are Pie, Bar, Plot, Area, Circular gauge, and Linear gauge. Consider the type of data that you are creating a chart for and select the chart type that best illustrates the data. For example, you might want a gauge chart to show individual attribute values that fluctuate frequently, or you might want a pie chart to show proportional values.

Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function. Take these steps to create a chart view:


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want the view.

  2. If you want the view to occupy a new space, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in an existing view. If you do not see the or tools, the Split Pane Toolbar has been disabled. Select it from the View menu to enable it. You can also right-click inside a view and select Split Vertically or Split Horizontally. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.

  3. Click the tool for the type of chart you want:

    Option Description
    Select the pie chart to show proportional values to the whole, one slice per attribute, one pie for each row returned, and one pie for each managed system if the Navigator item has multiple managed systems assigned.
    Select the bar chart for comparing values among related attributes, one bar per attribute or per segment if this is a stacking bar chart, one set of bars for each row, and one set of bars for each managed system if the Navigator item has multiple managed systems assigned.
    You can apply a monitored baseline of a situation's threshold criteria to a bar chart to see how effective the situation is.
    Select the plot chart for showing trends over time and among related attributes, one line per attribute and one data point for each data sampling, with multiple rows and managed systems supported within a single chart.
    This chart can be used to perform any or all of the three baselining functions for analysis.
    Select the area chart for showing trends over time and among related attributes, one line per attribute and one data point for each data sampling, with multiple rows and managed systems supported within a single chart.
    You can apply a monitored baseline of a situation's threshold criteria to a bar chart to see how effective the situation is, or apply statistical functions to a plotted attribute.
    Select the circular gauge chart for showing individual elements that change frequently, with one gauge per attribute displayed. Neither multiple rows nor multiple managed systems are supported for a single circular gauge.
    Select the linear gauge chart for showing cumulative values. Neither multiple rows nor multiple managed systems are supported for a single linear gauge.
    The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon on Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the toolbar.

  4. Click inside the space to adopt the new chart. Either the Select Attribute window opens or a message asks to assign a query.

  5. If the Select Attribute window opens, select an attribute (use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select more), then click OK. This happens when the original view already has a query assigned. If this is not the query that you want for the chart, select one of the numeric attributes to complete the operation, then continue to the next step.

  6. If you are prompted to assign the query now, click Yes, then choose a query and select the attributes to include:

    1. In the Query tab, click Click here to assign a query to open the Query editor. The Query editor shows a tree on the left organized by Tivoli monitoring product and then by attribute group.
    2. Click to expand the Monitor agents and attribute group folders to see the queries.
    3. Select a Query title to see its description. The query description, edit date, and specification are displayed in the right frame. The selected options indicate which attributes from the group are included in the query. The cells in the numbered rows show any filter criteria for the query.
    4. Click OK to select the query and return to the Properties editor. The Description and Formula areas of the Query tab show the name, description, and formula of the query that you selected; the Preview area shows how the chart will look when the query is applied.
    5. Click the Filters tab, select the check box under a column heading to include its value in the chart. Charts can show only numeric values (no text or timestamp attributes); a disabled check box means that the attribute cannot be plotted.

    As you edit the properties, click Test to see your changes in the Preview area at the top of the window.

  7. Click Apply to save your changes and keep the Properties editor open, or OK to save your changes and close the editor.

  8. If you want to keep the view in this workspace for future work sessions, save the workspace or keep the original intact and create a new workspace:
    • Click Save to update the workspace properties with the new view.
    • Click File > Save Workspace As to save this as a new workspace and leave the original workspace unchanged since the last time it was saved.

Data samples from the attributes specified in the query and the Filters tab are plotted on the chart. If no information appears in a table or chart, it might be because no data samplings meet the query or filter criteria.

If you created a gauge chart, it can show data from only one managed system regardless of the managed systems assigned to the Navigator item. If you are using the query in a workspace where multiple managed systems are applicable (at the platform level of the Navigator Physical view), the data shown is from the first managed system in the Assigned list.

See the topic for the chart type you have chosen for a description of the chart's unique aspects and options, with links to styling options that are shared with other chart types.

If you have historical collection configured for the queried attribute group, you can also display data from previous refreshes using Time Span in the view toolbar. (Not available for gauge charts)

If you want to use the same query for two charts, create the first view, then split the view to adopt the same query in the other chart, then apply a different chart type to the new view.


6.5.2. Pie chart

Add a pie chart to a workspace to show the proportional value of each attribute to the whole. Use the chart styling options that are available in the Properties editor to refine the appearance and to add options such as chart overlays.

A pie chart has a slice for every data point in a single data series (row). If you specify attributes from a group that returns multiple rows, a pie is drawn for each row. Similarly, when the query is assigned to multiple managed systems, you get a pie for each managed system.

You can tilt a pie chart by holding down the Alt key while dragging the mouse pointer up or down anywhere on its surface; adjust the height of the pie by holding down the Shift key while dragging the mouse pointer.

After adding the chart, use the styling options in the Properties editor to refine the appearance. If the Properties editor is not open, click Edit properties in the view's title bar. The Style tab shows a thumbnail graphic of the chart with areas that you click to edit the corresponding options.


Header Label

Select the Header Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a title to the view, which shows in the view title bar. You can also apply the title as a view header, add a border, and change the text style. The default name is Pie Chart.


Plot Area

Select the pie in the thumbnail graphic to open the Pie Chart tab with these options:

Effect

The pie chart has a three-dimensional appearance by default, and you can flatten the appearance by switching to 2D.
2D to render a two-dimensional chart.
3D to render a three-dimensional chart.

Pie Slice Offsets

You can specify that certain pie slices should be offset from the rest of the chart and labeled for emphasis.

  • In the Offset Value field, specify the offset distance in pixels.
  • Specify the pie slices you want to offset by selecting the appropriate check boxes.
  • Click the icon beside the name of a pie slice to open the Chart Label options window, from which you can control options affecting how the offset slices are labeled.


Legend Label

Select the Legend Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to control the display of the chart legend and its appearance, including the coloring of the data series: pie slices, bars, plot lines, and plot areas.


Category Label

Select the Category Label area of the thumbnail graphic to determine whether to display a label for the data series, one for each pie in the chart, and the attribute to use for the label.

Text

The Text area determines the font to use, its size and whether any styling is applied. Select any changes from the list for Font, Size, or Style.

Attribute

You can either accept the Default Category Label for the chart type or select an attribute from the list.


Footer Label

Select the Footer Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a label at the bottom of the view.


6.5.3. Bar chart

Add a bar chart to a workspace to compare values among related attributes. The stacking bar chart best shows multiple values for the same attribute. Use the chart styling options that are available in the Properties editor to refine the appearance and to add options such as chart overlays.

In the bar chart, the attributes are listed vertically with each attribute given its own bar, and values drawn horizontally. If you specify multiple-row attributes, a bar grouping is added for every row.

You can rotate a 3D bar chart by holding down the Alt key while dragging the mouse pointer anywhere on the chart; adjust the thickness of a bar by holding down the Shift key while dragging the mouse.

If the bar chart has limited space for showing category labels, you see labels for every other bar, every third bar, or whatever is required to fit the space. Try maximizing the view to see all the labels and then restore when you are done.

After adding the chart, use the styling options in the Properties editor to refine the appearance. If the Properties editor is not open, click Edit properties in the view's title bar. The Style tab shows a thumbnail graphic of the chart with areas that you click to edit the corresponding options.


Header Label

Select the Header Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a title to the view, which shows in the view title bar. You can also apply the title as a view header, add a border, and change the text style. The default name is Pie Chart.


Plot Area

Click the bars in the thumbnail graphic to open the plot area tabs: Bar Chart, Chart Thresholds, and Chart Markers.


Legend Label

Select the Legend Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to control the display of the chart legend and its appearance, including the coloring of the data series: pie slices, bars, plot lines, and plot areas.


Value and Category Axes

Edit the axis style properties to switch between vertical and horizontal orientation, and to add labels and styling options.


Footer Label

Select the Footer Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a label at the bottom of the view.


6.5.4. Plot chart

Add a plot chart to a workspace to show trends over time among related attributes. Use the chart styling options that are available in the Properties editor to refine the appearance and to add options such as chart overlays.

A plot chart shows changes over a period of time by drawing a continuous line from one data point to the next, one data point for each data sampling and one line for each attribute selected. This type of chart is useful for showing trends over time and among related attributes.

Each time you open the workspace or edit its properties, the plot chart starts anew. The first set of data points is plotted, the next set is plotted after the refresh interval, and a line is drawn from each previous plot point to the current one. If historical data is being collected and a time span has been specified, the plot chart is populated with the historical data (unless data collection was started only recently and historical data has not been gathered yet for the period specified).

The redistribution and restarting of data collection can result in some gaps in the data if the collection interval is frequent, because collection is aligned with time boundaries. Time gaps in your data might affect your plotted points. In some cases lines might not be drawn to connect plotted points.

After adding the chart, use the styling options in the Properties editor to refine the appearance. If the Properties editor is not open, click Edit properties in the view's title bar. The Style tab shows a thumbnail graphic of the chart with areas that you click to edit the corresponding options.


Header Label

Select the Header Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a title to the view, which shows in the view title bar. You can also apply the title as a view header, add a border, and change the text style. The default name is Pie Chart.


Plot Area

Click the plot area in the thumbnail graphic to open these tabs: Plot Chart, Chart Thresholds, and Chart Markers.


Legend Label

Select the Legend Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to control the display of the chart legend and its appearance, including the coloring of the data series: pie slices, bars, plot lines, and plot areas.


Value and Category Axes

Edit the axis style properties to switch between vertical and horizontal orientation, and to add labels and styling options.


Footer Label

Select the Footer Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a label at the bottom of the view.


6.5.5. Area chart

Use the area chart for showing trends over time among related attributes. The area chart is like the plot chart except that the area below the plotted line is filled in with color to indicate volume.

When multiple attributes are included, the first attribute is plotted as a line with color fill followed by the second attribute, and so on. A higher values obscures a lower value if the lower value was plotted first. If this happens, you can rearrange the attributes by dragging the column headings in the Filters tab to arrange them in descending order of value. You can also switch to a stacked area.

After adding the chart, use the styling options in the Properties editor to refine the appearance. If the Properties editor is not open, click Edit properties in the view's title bar. The Style tab shows a thumbnail graphic of the chart with areas that you click to edit the corresponding options.


Header Label

Select the Header Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a title to the view, which shows in the view title bar. You can also apply the title as a view header, add a border, and change the text style. The default name is Pie Chart.


Plot Area

Click the plot area in the thumbnail graphic to open these tabs: Area Chart, Chart Thresholds, and Chart Markers.

The following screen captures are the same area chart showing % Processor Time, % Privileged Time, and % User Time. is the initial rendering. The % Privileged Time value is almost completely obscured by the higher % User Time value. is the chart after moving the % Privileged Time column heading after % User Time in the Properties editor Filters tab so that the highest value is plotted first, followed by the next highest value, and then the lowest value. Now all the values are revealed. is the chart after changing Type to "Stacking Area Chart", whereby the values are stacked one upon the other.


Legend Label

Select the Legend Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to control the display of the chart legend and its appearance, including the coloring of the data series: pie slices, bars, plot lines, and plot areas.


Value and Category Axes

Edit the axis style properties to switch between vertical and horizontal orientation, and to add labels and styling options.


Footer Label

Select the Footer Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a label at the bottom of the view.


6.5.6. Circular gauge chart

Add a circular gauge chart to a workspace to show individual elements that change frequently. Use the chart styling options that are available in the Properties editor to refine the appearance and to add options.

The circular gauge chart shows the proportional amount of a data series, one gauge for each attribute chosen. This type of chart is well suited for showing individual elements that change frequently, such as percentage user time.

If the attribute displayed is from a multiple-row attribute group, only the value from the first row is charted. The circular gauge chart can show data from only one managed system.

After adding the chart, use the styling options in the Properties editor to refine the appearance. If the Properties editor is not open, click Edit properties in the view's title bar. The Style tab shows a thumbnail graphic of the chart with areas that you click to edit the corresponding options.


Header Label

Select the Header Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a title to the view, which shows in the view title bar. You can also apply the title as a view header, add a border, and change the text style. The default name is Pie Chart.


Plot Area

Click the circular gauge in the thumbnail graphic to open these tabs: Scale, Center, Needle, Tick, and Range.

The Scale tab has these gauge types:


Legend Label

Use this tab to specify the colors and text associated with the data points and data series in the chart.

Legends

Lists the attributes that are being plotted. Select an attribute from the list to see and change the legend text or the plot point (or series) color.

Text

The legend label text. By default, this is the attribute name.


Value Label

Select the Value Label area of the gauge chart thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to show or hide the attribute's value at the bottom of the view or to edit the font.

Show

Select the check box to display the value of the attribute at the bottom of the view.

Text style

Select a different Font name or font Size from the list. Bold is used to boldface the value. Italic is used to italicize the value.


Footer Label

Select the Footer Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a label at the bottom of the view.


6.5.7. Linear gauge chart

Add a linear gauge chart to a workspace to show individual elements that change frequently. Use the chart styling options that are available in the Properties editor to refine the appearance and to add options.

The linear gauge chart shows the collective value of every item in a single data series, one gauge for each attribute chosen.

If the attribute displayed is from a multiple-row attribute group, only the value from the first row is charted. The linear gauge chart can show data from only one managed system.

After adding the chart, use the styling options in the Properties editor to refine the appearance. If the Properties editor is not open, click Edit properties in the view's title bar. The Style tab shows a thumbnail graphic of the chart with areas that you click to edit the corresponding options.


Header Label

Select the Header Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a title to the view, which shows in the view title bar. You can also apply the title as a view header, add a border, and change the text style. The default name is Pie Chart.


Plot Area

Click the linear gauge in the thumbnail graphic to open these tabs: Scale, Needle, Tick, and Range.


Legend Label

Use this tab to specify the colors and text associated with the data points and data series in the chart.

Legends

Lists the attributes that are being plotted. Select an attribute from the list to see and change the legend text or the plot point (or series) color.

Text

The legend label text. By default, this is the attribute name.


Value Label

Select the Value Label area of the gauge chart thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to show or hide the attribute's value at the bottom of the view or to edit the font.

Show

Select the check box to display the value of the attribute at the bottom of the view.

Text style

Select a different Font name or font Size from the list. Bold is used to boldface the value. Italic is used to italicize the value.


Footer Label

Select the Footer Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a label at the bottom of the view.


6.5.8. Chart style

The Style tab in the Properties editor to refine the appearance of the chart. For the bar, plot, and area charts, this is also where you can specify a line chart overlay and threshold indicators.


6.5.8.1. Header Label

Select the Header Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a title to the view, which shows in the view title bar. You can also apply the title as a view header, add a border, and change the text style.

Show

Select the check box to display the title as a header.

Show Border

Select the check box to display a border around the header label.

Text

This text you enter here becomes the view title and is displayed in the title bar and, if you selected Show, in the header.

Text style

Select a different Font name or font Size from the list. Bold makes the header text boldface. Italic makes the header text italicized. When Use CSS values is selected, this area is disabled.

Use CSS values

This is set to use the values of the workspace presentation cascading style sheet (ws_pres.css) for the label text (header, footer, and chart legend) . This option is useful for text in double-byte character set (DBCS) languages that are more legible with a different font styling than the defaults. The monitoring portal administrator can edit the ws_pres.css style sheet in the Install_dir\cnb (Windows); cw (Linux)\classes\candle\fw\styles directory on the computer where the monitoring portal server is installed, to establish a specific font style that will be used for all label text and that will not be overwritten whenever your installation is upgraded to a new release.

Clear the check box to use the font styling that is specified in the Text style area.


6.5.8.2. Plot Area

The chart data is rendered in the plot area. The plot area has such styling options as stacking the data series and adding threshold indicators.

The tabs that are displayed depend on the chart type: <Chart type> Chart for pie charts, bar charts, plot charts and area charts; Chart Thresholds and Chart Markers for bar charts, plot charts, and area charts; and Scale, Center, Needle, Tick, and Range for gauge charts.


<Chart type> Chart

Pie charts, bar charts, plot charts and area charts have this tab for effects that are unique to the chart.

Type

For bar charts and area charts, you can change the chart to a stacked chart, which shows cumulative values. The Stacking Bar Chart is useful for showing multiple values for the same (multi-row) attribute.

Effect

For bar charts and pie charts, the appearance is three-dimensional by default and you can flatten the appearance by switching to 2D:

2D to render a two-dimensional chart.

3D to render a three-dimensional chart.

Select Plot Points

For plot charts, select Attributes in first row if you are plotting a single-row attribute group with the current data samples; or Attributes across multiple rows if this is a multiple-row attribute group or you are plotting historical data.

Plot Duration

For plot charts and area charts, the chart duration is set to one hour initially. After that, as new data samples arrive, the oldest plot points are removed to make room for the new. To change the duration from as little as five minutes to as much as 24 hours, either drag the slider bar or enter the time in the Hours and Minutes text boxes.

Included in axis bounds, when selected, takes into account the elapsed time when calculating the axis end time. The effect is that the chart rendering stops where the last data sample was plotted rather than stretch across the entire plot area. After the chart duration has been exceeded both types of charts look the same. The Chart Duration area is disabled if this is a historical chart.

Refresh Rate

For plot charts and area charts, the refresh rate determines how often a data sample is taken at the agent and plotted on the chart. Use Refresh Rate from Workspace is the default selection. The refresh rate that is set for the workspace (View . Refresh Every) is applied to this chart as well. Select Refresh Area Chart Every to specify a refresh rate for the chart that is independent of the workspace refresh rate. You can choose a value from 10 seconds to 60 minutes.

Overlay

For bar charts, plot charts, and area charts, you can click Add Overlay to open a window for overlaying the chart with a line chart. Here you can add other attributes from the view's query that are applied as plot points and connecting lines.

Here is an example of a bar chart with overlay. The chart shows the current size and maximum size of three monitored logs: Application, Security, and System. The percentage of the log used is plotted over the bars. The animation shows the effect of moving the mouse pointer over the middle plot point: hover help shows that the Security log is at 13%. The Application log and System log are both at 100% usage.


Chart Thresholds

Bar charts, plot charts, and area charts have a Chart Thresholds tab that you can use to define a highlighted region representing a range of values on the chart.

Defined

The list shows the threshold names that are currently defined for the chart. To create a new threshold, click Create New and specify the name for the new threshold when prompted. You can then define the properties of the threshold in the Threshold and Fill Style fields. You can also rename or delete a threshold from the list.

Threshold

The fields in the Threshold area of the Chart Thresholds tab define value highlighted by the selected marker, as well as the style of highlighting to use:

Show Threshold

The check box is selected to display the threshold on the chart. You can hide a defined threshold by deselecting the check box.

Associated with

Select an available axis to use for thresholding from the list.

Start value

Accept the lowest value on the chart, -MAX Use default, or deselect the check box and enter the lower boundary of the threshold.

End value

Accept the highest value on the chart, MAX Use default, or deselect the check box and enter the upper boundary of the threshold.

Fill Style

Select the Pattern and Color to use to highlight the threshold. Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.

Advanced Options

Click this button to open the Chart Thresholds - Advanced options window, where you can configure additional options for how the threshold is displayed:

Select Visible in legend to include a color indicator and the threshold definition name in the legend.

Select Included in data bounds to confine the threshold display within the data boundary. This field might not change the chart display if the threshold is obscured by data points.

In the Boundary Lines area, you can specify to draw lines on the chart marking the start and end values of the threshold, and configure the Pattern, Width, and Color of the boundary lines.


Chart Markers

A marker is a colored or patterned line drawn across the chart at a defined value along the value or category axis. You can use a marker to highlight a particular value for emphasis. Chart markers are available for the bar chart, plot chart, and area chart views.

Defined

The list shows the markers that are currently defined for the chart. To create a new marker, click Create New and specify the name for the new marker when prompted. You can then define the properties of the marker. You can also rename or delete a marker from the list.

Marker

The fields in the Marker area of the Chart Markers tab define value highlighted by the selected marker, as well as the style of highlighting to use:

  • Click Show Marker to display the marker on the chart. You can hide a defined marker by deselecting this check box.
  • In the Associated with field, select either the value axis or the category axis.
  • In the Value fields, specify the value highlighted by the marker, or select Use default. The default value is the lowest value on the chart.
  • In the Line Style area, select the pattern, width, and color to use for the marker. Click Custom Color to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.

Advanced Options

Click Advanced Options to open the Chart Markers - Advanced options window, where you can configure additional options for how the marker is displayed:

  • Select Visible in legend to identify the marker by name in the legend for the chart.
  • Select Included in data bounds to scale the chart so the marker is shown, even if it is not within the charted data values.
  • Select Drawn before data to draw the marker first, so it is displayed behind the charted data. (By default, the marker is displayed in front of the data.)
  • In the Chart label area, you can specify a textual label for the marker that is displayed within the chart.


Scale

These options are available for circular gauge and linear gauge charts.

Type and Orientation

Change the Type of a circular gauge chart to determine whether the gauge be rendered as a quarter, half, or full circle, and which direction the gauge will be oriented in. Change the Orientation of a linear gauge chart to determine whether the gauge will be rendered horizontally or vertically.

Color

Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.


Center

These options are available for circular gauge charts.

Show Center

Click Show Center to display the center of the gauge. You can hide the center by deselecting this check box.

Color

Select the color to use for the center. Click Custom Color to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.


Needle

These options are available for circular gauge and linear gauge charts.

Style

Change the Style of the needle to determine the shape of the needle on the rendered gauge. The available options are arrow, pointer, rectangle, tailed arrow, tailed pointer, and triangle. The default type is line.

Length

Change the Length of the needle to determine its span across the rendered gauge. This is displayed as a sliding scale.

Width

Change the Width of the needle to determine its width on the rendered gauge. This is displayed as a sliding scale.

Color

Select the color to use for the needle. Click Custom Color to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.


Tick

These options are available for circular gauge and linear gauge charts.

Type

Change the Type of the tick marks to determine their shape on the rendered gauge. The available options are circle, line, rectangle, reverse triangle, and triangle. The default type is line.

Tick Mark Color

Select the color to use for the tick marks. Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.

Label

You can click Show Tick Labels to turn off the range number that is displayed next to the tick mark. You can also select the color to use for the labels. Click Custom Color to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.


Range

These options are available for circular gauge and linear gauge charts.

Attribute

Select the attribute to which the specified range applies. If you chose multiple attributes for the view, you can select another attribute from the list.

Range Values (Minimum Value and Maximum Value)

Minimum Value shows the default lowest possible value for the selected attribute. You can edit the values to reflect a more realistic range, if needed. Select Use Default to return to the original values. Maximum Value shows the default highest possible value for the selected attribute. Specify a more realistic range, to decrease the data points in the gauge. Select Use Default to return to the original values.

Edit Subranges

You can add subranges for the range specified by clicking Edit Subranges... and defining a subrange by following the same procedure used to define the range.

Apply to all views that use this attribute

Apply to all views that use this attribute lets you apply this range, if appropriate, to this attribute on all other managed systems. The range is used only for gauge views of this attribute.


6.5.8.3. Legend Label

Select the Legend Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to control the display of the chart legend and its appearance, including the coloring of the data series: pie slices, bars, plot lines, and plot areas.


Show Legend - General

Use this tab to specify whether or not to display a legend for the chart, its placement, and its appearance. This tab is not available for gauge charts.

Show Legend

Displays the legend with the chart.

Show Border

Draws a border line around the legend box.

Position

The placement of the chart legend in the view. The default position is the Right side of the view. You can select a different position from the list.

Place Legend in collapsible panel

When selected, creates a separate bordered pane for the legend inside the view that you can scroll, collapse, or drag to adjust the width.

Trim Legend Labels

When selected, trims the legend labels to the boundaries of the legend box or panel in the manner specified in the Trim Style list.

Text

The Text area determines the font to use, its size and whether any styling is applied. Select any changes from the list for Font, Size, or Style. When Use CSS values is selected, this area is disabled.

Use CSS values

This is set to use the values of the workspace presentation cascading style sheet (ws_pres.css) for the label text (header, footer, and chart legend) . This option is useful for text in double-byte character set (DBCS) languages that are more legible with a different font styling than the defaults. The monitoring portal administrator can edit the ws_pres.css style sheet in the Install_dir\cnb (Windows); cw (Linux)\classes\candle\fw\styles directory on the computer where the monitoring portal server is installed, to establish a specific font style that will be used for all label text and that will not be overwritten whenever your installation is upgraded to a new release.

Clear the check box to use the font styling that is specified in the Text style area.


Legend Label

Use this tab to specify the colors and text associated with the data points and data series in the chart.

Legends

Lists the attributes that are being plotted. Select an attribute from the list to see and change the legend text or the plot point (or series) color.

Text

The legend label text. By default, this is the attribute name.

Fill Style

For pie charts, bar charts, and area charts, you can select a Fill Pattern or Color from the list for the data point and its associated legend item. If you want more color choices, click Custom Colors and select from a broader range of colors or create a new color.

Line Style

For plot charts, you can select a line pattern and width for each attribute's line on the chart. You can also select the color to use for the lines. Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own.

Symbol Style

For plot charts, you can select a symbol and size for each data point on an attribute's line. You can also select the color to use for the symbols. Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own. See Custom Color.


6.5.8.4. Value and Category Axes

Edit the axis style properties to switch between vertical and horizontal orientation, and to add labels and styling options.

The value axis is arranged vertically and the category axis is arranged horizontally with tick marks and numbers at regular intervals to represent the full range of attribute values being plotted. Click the Value Axis or Category Axis of the bar chart, plot chart, or area chart thumbnail graphic to see the General, Axis Label and Value Axis tabs:


General

Value Axis - General tab and Category Axis - General tab:

Show Grid

The axis already draws a line for the unit measurement, and you can cross these lines with grid lines to aid the reader in following the axis tick mark values.

Invert Category Axis and Value Axis

Switches the position of the value axis with the category axis so the values are written horizontally along the bottom of the chart and the category (refresh interval times) axis is vertical.


Label

Axis Label tab:

Label

Show Text displays a label for the category axis or value axis (such as "Bytes per second""). Type the label in the Text field. Select any formatting changes from the list for Font, Size, or Style.

Orientation

The label can be written horizontally or vertically. Choose the orientation that fits best in the space.


Axis

Value Axis tab and Category Axis tab:

Text

The Text area determines the font to use, its size and whether any styling is applied. Select any changes from the list for Font, Size, or Style.

Orientation

The text for the axis tick marks can be written horizontally, diagonally, or vertically. You can select each radio button and see in the chart Preview area how the labels are displayed with that orientation. You also have the slider bar for adjusting the rotation angle from 0° to 180°.


6.5.8.5. Footer Label

Select the Footer Label area of the thumbnail graphic in the Properties editor Style tab to add a label at the bottom of the view.

Show

Select the check box to display the contents of the Text field at the bottom of the view.

Text

This is the text to display as the footer if you selected Show.

Text style

Select a different Font name or font Size from the list. Bold makes the footer text boldface. Italic makes the footer text italicized. If Use CSS values is selected, this area is disabled.

Use CSS values

This is set to use the values of the workspace presentation cascading style sheet (ws_pres.css) for the label text (header, footer, and chart legend) . This option is useful for text in double-byte character set (DBCS) languages that are more legible with a different font styling than the defaults. The monitoring portal administrator can edit the ws_pres.css style sheet in the Install_dir\cnb (Windows); cw (Linux)\classes\candle\fw\styles directory on the computer where the monitoring portal server is installed, to establish a specific font style that will be used for all label text and that will not be overwritten whenever your installation is upgraded to a new release.

Clear the check box to use the font styling that is specified in the Text style area.


6.5.9. Chart baselines

Use the values from the current bar chart, plot chart, or area chart to perform predictive and trend analysis of threshold conditions. You can then anticipate problems or predict future values by comparing current values with past results, or overlay the chart with situation comparison criteria.


6.5.9.1. Add monitored baselines to a chart

Apply a monitored baseline of a situation's threshold criteria to a bar chart, plot chart, or area chart to see how effective the situation is in this environment. You can visually compare the current values in the chart with the situation and adjust the thresholds as needed.

Monitored baselining works by comparing the values in the chart with the comparison criteria of a situation. You must have a situation defined with at least one of the attributes in the chart and the situation distributed to the managed system (or managed systems) assigned to the workspace.

The situation is ineligible for monitored baselines if the formula has embedded or correlated situations or uses a group function (such as count or sum), in which case the Add Monitored Baseline window does not open when you click Add Monitored Baseline. The monitored baseline tool does not show in the view toolbar if the numeric values in the chart are the result of a calculation. An example is the Open Situation Counts - Last 24 Hours chart in the Enterprise Status workspace. Take these steps to add a monitored baseline to the chart.


Procedure

  1. Click Add Monitored Baseline in a bar chart, plot chart, or area chart. The Add Monitored Baseline window opens with a list of eligible situations to select from.
  2. Click the situation to apply baselines from. Use Ctrl + click to select multiple situations, Ctrl + click a selected situation to deselect it, and Shift + click to select all situations between the one previously selected and this one.
  3. If the situation has expression overrides ( icon in the Overrides Exist column) and you want to see which threshold (the original or the override) is used at the sampling time, select the Show effective thresholds only check box.
  4. To apply the selected baseline or baselines to the chart, click Apply to keep the dialog open or OK to close it.

The comparison criteria of the situation is displayed as a line or a pattern behind the plotted values. Any situation override thresholds are indicated by broken lines during the scheduled time when they apply.

You can perform any of these activities in the monitored baseline chart:


6.5.9.1.1. Monitored baselines chart examples

These are examples of charts with monitored baselines applied.

Plot chart with baselines applied from two situations

This chart shows Disk Writes Per Second over the past 12 hours. The red baseline is from a situation with a threshold of 150 disk writes per second; the blue baseline is from a situation with a threshold of 60 disk writes per second. If these situations were started for this managed system, the "red" situation would have been true twice in the past 12 hours and the "blue" situation would have been true 5 times.

Plot chart with a baseline from one situation and its expression override

This charts shows the Interrupts Per Second. The monitored baseline is from a situation with a threshold of 1000 interrupts per second or higher. The situation has an expression override of 1200 interrupts per second that is scheduled to run from 07:30 to 16:30 daily.

This is the same chart after Show effective thresholds only was selected. During the times when the expression override is applied, only that baseline is drawn. Connector lines are solid to indicate that the threshold changes to the situation expression or broken to indicate that the threshold changes to the override expression.

The baselines tell us that events are almost constantly opened for the situation except when the override is applied. The spike of 1600 interrupts per second is not noticed among all the other events.

The situation and the override were edited so that events occur only when the interrupts per second are higher than 1500 during off-peak hours and higher than 1250 during peak hours (between 08:00 and 20:00):

Rather than creating a custom schedule for peak hours, it might be more convenient to use the PrimeShift schedule, which runs from 08:00 to 17:00.


6.5.9.2. Add statistical baselines to a chart

Use the statistical baseline function on a plot chart or area chart to apply any of these statistical functions to the selected attribute: Range between minimum and maximum, average, minimum, maximum, percentile, and mode. The baseline function does not appear in the chart view toolbar if the chart values are derived (result of a calculation, such as the Enterprise Status workspace view, Open Situation Counts - Last 24 hours), if this is a plot chart with Attribute(s) across multiple rows selected, or if historical data collection has not configured for the attribute group and started on the managed system assigned to the Navigator item. (You should see Time Span in the chart toolbar.)

For historical data beyond the past 24 hours, you must have a Tivoli Data Warehouse configured and the warehouse proxy agent that transfers data to it. Take these steps to add a statistical baseline to the chart.


Procedure

  1. While displaying a plot chart or area chart, select Add Statistical Baseline in the view toolbar.

  2. Select a check box to enable the function.

    Function Action
    RANGE - MIN/MAX For the selected attribute, calculate the minimum and maximum values within the time period, and then shade that area on the chart.
    AVG For the selected attribute, calculate the average value from the samples taken during the time period, and add or subtract the standard deviation that was entered in the Arguments field (valid values are -6 to 6).
    MIN For the selected attribute, find the lowest sampled value within the time period, and increase or decrease that value by the percentage that was entered in the Arguments field (valid values are -100 to 100).
    MAX For the selected attribute, find the highest sampled value within the time period and increase or decrease that value by the percentage that was entered in the Arguments field (valid values are -100 to 100).
    PERCENTILE For the selected attribute, find the value below which NUM percent of the data points fall; where NUM is the value from the Arguments field (valid values are 1 to 100).
    MODE For the selected attribute, find the most frequently observed value within the time period. No argument is entered for a MODE calculation.

  3. Enter an Argument, if applicable, and click Apply to see the baseline in the Result cell and in the chart.

  4. Try out different calculates by selecting other functions, selecting another attribute from the list, or selecting a different time span.

  5. Click OK to close the dialog box, and perform any of these actions:
    • Move the mouse pointer over a baseline to highlight it; move the mouse pointer over a plot point to see the value, name, and time stamp.
    • Click and drag a smaller time range to zoom in, then press Esc to zoom out, once for each time you zoomed.
    • Right-click a data value that falls outside normal statistical baseline and click Model Situation to open the Model Situation chart and populate the attributes table with the values from the data point. After performing additional analysis with the modeling tool, you can create a new situation with the calculated values and edit them as needed.


Example

Assume you have a chart of Disk Writes Per Second, but you want to see range over the past 2 hours. In the Add Statistical Baseline window, you select the Last 2 hours for the Time Span, and then select the PERCENTILE function with an argument of 95 to get a baseline of 95% over the past 2 hours. After you click OK, a baseline is drawn, below which 95% of the data points fall. You can easily see the frequency of spikes (7 in the example) within the time frame.

After you have adjusted the baseline calculations and the time span to best illustrate the metric you are watching, you can save the workspace, and then open it whenever you want to observe the same baselines with current and recent data samples.


6.5.9.3. Add historical baselines to a chart

Use the values from the current plot chart to identify daily trends in threshold conditions. You can then better anticipate problems by comparing current values with expected future values or with past values, and overlaying the chart with situation comparison criteria, one plotted line for each day specified.

The Add Historical Baseline tool does not appear in the plot chart tool bar if any of these conditions exists:

For historical data beyond the past 24 hours, you must have a Tivoli Data Warehouse configured and the warehouse proxy agent that transfers data to it.


Procedure

  1. Click Add Historical Baseline in a plot chart. The tool does not display if historical data collection has not be configured for the attribute group (indicated by the presence of the Time Span view tool).

  2. To plot data samples taken yesterday, the same day last week, or a particular day or past days, select the check box for that time range.

    Show yesterday's data

    Draws a plot line of data samples from the previous 24 hours. For example, if it is May 30 at 8:45 AM, the samplings will be from May 29, starting at 8:45 AM. The legend indicates the line color for each plotted attribute value from Yesterday. As new samples are added, the oldest are removed from the chart.

    Show last week's data

    Draws a plot line of data samples from the same day last week. The legend shows the line color for each plotted attribute value from Last Week. For example, if this is Wednesday, the samples will be from last Wednesday.

    Show this day's data

    Draws a plot line of data samples that have been taken on the day shown. If you would like to see a different day, click the date button to open a calendar. Select a month and day prior to today. For example, you had selected the check box to show yesterday's data, you could select the day before yesterday in the calendar to show the past two days.

    Show data for last __

    Draws a plot line for each of the last number of weekdays or calendar days you specified. For example, if today is Saturday and you select the last 7 calendar days, today and all days through last Sunday are plotted. The last 7 weekdays would be Monday through Friday of this past week plus the Thursday and Friday of the week before.

    Time Column

    The time stamp type displayed will be shown along the X-axis. If the attribute group has other time stamp attributes, you can select one from the list. Not all time stamps will be displayed along the axis because of space limitations.

  3. Click Apply to render the chart with a baseline for each chosen time range. The time ranges chosen are listed in the legend along with the color of the plot line, one line for each day.

  4. Click OK to close the dialog box, and perform any of these actions:
    • Move the mouse pointer over a baseline to highlight it; move the mouse pointer over a plot point to see the value, name, and time stamp.
    • Click and drag a smaller time range to zoom in, then press Esc to zoom out, once for each time you zoomed.
    • Right-click a data value that falls outside normal statistical baseline and click Model Situation to open the Model Situation chart and populate the attributes table with the values from the data point. After performing additional analysis with the modeling tool, you can create a new situation with the calculated values and edit them as needed.


Example

The chart plots Disk Writes Per Second over a 12-hour period. We want to compare today's data, Monday, May 22, with the same period from the last two weekdays, Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19. In the Add Historical Baseline dialog box, select Show this day's data and Show data for last 2 weekdays. After you click OK, the two additional days are plotted. You can move the mouse pointer over a plot point to see the value and the date and time the sample was taken.

After you have adjusted the baseline calculations and the time span to best illustrate the metric you are watching, you can save the workspace, and then open it whenever you want to observe the same baselines with current and recent data samples.


6.6. Topology view

The topology view shows the arrangement of monitored components associated with its Navigator item. For attributes that can show their relationship to other attributes in the same group as connected objects, there is also the relational table based topology view.

As with the table view and chart view, you can use the topology view to display data from a query of your monitoring agents or from a custom ODBC query of a data source. The topology view provides a set of styling tools that enable you stress hierarchical relationships among related objects.

When you create a topology view that is based on a query (relational table based), each row of data returned becomes an object in the topology view. As with other query-based views, you can use the Properties editor to apply filters and thresholds to the view but with some differences:


6.6.1. Create a topology view

A topology view can be added to a workspace to show the arrangement of monitored components associated with its Navigator item. Do the following to create a topology view.


Procedure

  1. Select the workspace where you want to create the view. The context of the Navigator item and the queries available determine the type of information that can be displayed. For example, when adding a topology view to an Enterprise Navigator item workspace, you can choose Tivoli Management Services Infrastructure as the topology source or Relational Table Based. At no other level of the Navigator do you get the TMS Infrastructure source.

  2. If you want the view to occupy a new space, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in an existing view. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty. If you do not see the or tools, the Split Pane Toolbar has been disabled. Select it from the View menu to enable it. You can also right-click inside a view and select Split Vertically or Split Horizontally from the pop-up menu.

  3. Click Topology, then click inside the space to adopt the new view.

  4. Select a source type from the Select Topology Source window that opens. Relational Table Based is available at every level of the Navigator. Any product-specific topology sources will be unavailable from workspaces that are not associated with the product.

  5. If the Properties editor opens, select Click here to assign a query and follow these steps:

    1. Click to expand a monitoring agent and attribute group branch.
    2. Select a Query name to see its description and the specified attributes. The selected check boxes indicate which attributes are included in the query. The cells in the numbered rows show any filter criteria for the query.
    3. Click OK to assign the selected query to the view.

    The Preview window at the top of the Properties editor should show node icons and names. If not, select a column from the query for the topology object in the Column Mapping area of the Style tab.

  6. If the Properties editor is not open, click Edit Properties in the view title bar. A view for which you have selected a query will be empty unless a column (attribute) from the query has been mapped to a topology object, which is done in the Style tab.

  7. To limit the information in the object hover help, click the Filters tab and clear any column check boxes whose values you do not want displayed. If you want to limit the number of objects in the view, you can also write a filter formula to include only the rows that satisfy the comparison.

  8. To have a severity indicator applied to a topology object when a certain threshold has been exceeded, click the Thresholds tab, select an icon, and write a threshold expression for every severity to be represented.

  9. To configure and format the view, click the Style tab and adjust the settings. The topology view has many styling options, so start with the essential ones when you first create the view:

    1. General to add the view title. This is also where you can limit the depth of the hierarchy if too much data is displayed.
    2. Mapping to specify the attribute to use for the nodes (Node ID and Name) and the attribute for the related nodes to point to or from (To or From Connection). Select the check box to create implied nodes and observe the change in the Preview pane to see if the view is improved by the selection.
    3. Layout to change the topology layout to the one that best suits the type of data relationships being presented.

  10. When you are done configuring and formatting the view, save your changes with Apply to keep the Properties editor open or OK to close the editor.

6.6.2. What the topology view shows

A topology view added to a workspace maps the context of the Navigator item to a logical diagrammatic form. The objects shown are elements (attributes) of the product that is represented by the Navigator item. The elements of the monitored product are arranged to show their relationships to one another.


Manipulating the topology view

The view has tools for navigating the topology and arranging the objects to reveal areas of interest.

Toolbar

In addition to the tools described here, the topology view toolbar for your product might have additional tools, such as an Apply Pending Updates button or Status Filtering button.

Backward returns to the previous display of the topology. Click the list button to see and select from a history. The view displays the selected content.

Note that the tool does not show in the toolbar if the topology is small enough to fit within the view space.

If you went back to a previous topology display, click Forward to return to the most recently navigated version of the view. Click the list button to see and select from a history. The view refreshes with the most recent status of the management elements.

To zoom the display in and out, move the zoom slider switch right and left or press Num Pad + and -. As the zoom level decreases, the level of detail displayed is reduced. For example, the labels are automatically hidden.

Fit to view resizes the objects to fit into the current view space.

Overview opens a small window with the entire topology view in miniature. A blue frame indicates the visible area of the view space. As you scroll through the topology, the frame within the overview window adjust to show your location.

Within the overview window, click to move the viewpoint to that location, point inside and drag the blue frame to move the viewpoint, and drag a handle of the blue frame to resize the view area.

and

View as Table switches the topology to table representation, one row for each object. Right-click the Node bar under Resource Type to open the pop-up menu.

Note that if you are running the Thai language pack for Tivoli Monitoring, the topology table view is not translated but remains in English.

Click View as Topology to return to the topological display.

Enter search text to locate the objects that match. As you type, the matches are automatically selected and zoomed.

When multiple matches are found, the Find Next and Find Previous buttons are enabled to allow you to navigate between the matches one object at a time.

If your search text cannot be found, the background color will change to yellow.

You can use * asterisk or ? question mark wildcard characters, such as sys* to find system and sys_01, or system? to find system1 and systemZ.

Mouse and keyboard actions

Click

Select the object. Use Ctrl + Click to select multiple objects. Click a corner of the area you want to select, drag to the opposite corner, then release the mouse button to select all the objects within or partially inside the boundary. Click outside the selection to cancel.

Drag

Click an object, then drag to reposition it and the connectors to other objects.

Double-click

Perform the default action for your product on the object.

Right-click

Open the pop-up menu.

Hover

Move the mouse pointer over an object to see its identifiers and status.

Alt + Click

(Not available on all UNIX platforms or configurations.) Move around the view with a virtual magnifying glass. Once the magnifier is displayed, you can release the Alt key.

Alt + L

Hide or display link labels.

Alt + N

Hide or display object labels.

Home

Resize the objects to fit into the current view space.

Num Pad + and -.

Zoom in and out.

Popup menu options

Right-click a topology element to see the actions that can be applied to the selected object.

Right-click the topology view background to see the actions for the view as a whole.


6.6.3. Topology view style properties

The Style tab of the Properties editor has icons that you click to see and select the options for that aspect of the topology view: General, Node, View as Topology, Connection, Mapping, and Layout. The topology view for your product might have fewer options than these. For example, the Mapping and Layout options are not applicable to the TMS Infrastructure view, thus they are not included in the Style properties for that view.

General

Title

The text entered here is displayed in the view's title bar.

Scalability

The topology view has an alternative table view display that can be selected from the view toolbar. You can also set a threshold number of objects that can be displayed in the topology before it switches automatically to a table.

Depth


Root Node enables you to identify a node to use as the root of the topology graph. When this field is empty, any node that does not have a connection TO it is treated as a root node. When a value is specified, the topology is displayed with the specified node at the beginning of the graph. Any objects that connect TO the specified node will not be displayed; only connections FROM the root node are visible. The value can be represented by a variable that is resolved through a workspace link. A variable is formed by enclosing the intended variable name in % percent symbols, such as %ROOT%.


Levels enables you to specify all levels of the topology graph or a specific number of levels, such as 1 to show only the root level.

Status

Select the check box if you have created thresholds for the view and would like the node label to be highlighted to match the color of the severity indicator.

Mapping

This is where you identify the attribute to display as nodes and the attribute the nodes points to (or from).

Mapping

Node ID Column is the attribute that identifies the topology node.


Node Name Column is the attribute to use as the label for the topology object, usually the same attribute as the node ID.


To Connection Column, when chosen, becomes the object that the data nodes point to.


From Connection Column, when chosen, becomes the object that points to the data nodes.

Create implied nodes, when selected, creates an object for an otherwise undefined connection in the topology. For some types of data, this item effectively unifies the topology.

Type


Node Type is used to define the object type for a topology node: Default (kfw.TopoNode) type for all topology nodes, Row type (<table>) for the associated table row (value is is retrieved from the table definition and enclosed in parentheses), or Column to define the object type, which allows you to select a different attribute for each topology object.


To Connection Type is used to define the object type for the connection to another topology node: Default (kfw.TopoConnection) for all to connections, or Column to define the object type, which allows the attribute to be different for each to connection.


From Connection Type is used to define the object type for the connection from another topology node: Default (kfw.TopoConnection) for all from connections, or Column to define the object type, which allows the attribute to be different for each from connection.

Connection

Show connection arrow, when enabled, displays an arrowhead at the end of a connector.

Layout

The standard topology layout is Tree, or you can select one of several possible style structures.

  • When the layout is set to Tree, you can adjust the flow direction, the positioning between objects (Mode), and how the connector lines are drawn.
  • When the layout is Hierarchical, you can change the flow direction starting from the root object and the link style between objects at different hierarchical levels.
  • When the layout is a Grid, use the options to set the maximum number of objects to display in each topology row or column.
  • Select Uniform Length Links to have all connector lines the same length.
  • Select Spring Embedder to vary the connector line lengths.

View as Topology

General

Disable direct object manipulations, when selected, keep the objects in a fixed position that cannot be manipulated by the user. Normally you can move objects around the view, but the new position cannot be saved.

The Change Color button enables you to change the text (foreground) and highlight (background) color for a selected object.

Background

The Change Color button enables you to change the background color of the entire view.

Node

Text style fields enable you to adjust the label text style and color: Select another Font name from the list to change the font; select another point Size to increase or decrease the size of the font. Select the Bold check box to bold the label text; select the Italic check box to italicize the text. Click Foreground Color to change the color of the object label when it is selected.


Layout fields enable you to control the spacing and alignment of the label text line: Wrapping Mode is turned off by default. Select None for a single line of text; Word to wrap the text within the set line width; Truncate to truncate any text that extends beyond the set line width; or All to wrap text within the set line width and to truncate text that goes beyond the set line height. Alignment is Left, or can be changed to Center or Right. Width and Height define the label boundaries when text wrapping is set to Word or Truncate, as well as the point where Right alignment begins. The default value is 100 pixels.

Connection

Text style fields enable you to adjust the text style and color for the connection label. Click Foreground Color to change the color of the connector label when it is selected.


Layout fields enable you to control the spacing and alignment of the connection label line: Wrapping Mode is turned off by default. Select None for a single line of text; Word to wrap the text within the set line width; Truncate to truncate any text that extends beyond the set line width; or All to wrap text within the set line width and to truncate text that goes beyond the set line height. Alignment is Left, or can be changed to Center or Right. Width and Height define the label boundaries when text wrapping is set to Word or Truncate, as well as the point where Right alignment begins.


6.6.4. TMS Infrastructure view

The Enterprise Navigator item has a predefined workspace that includes a topology view of your Tivoli managed network called TMS Infrastructure. This view shows the relationships and linking of the Tivoli Management Services components.


6.7. Event views

Besides relying on event indicators, you can use any of the event views to get more granular information for analysis and action.

Event views present alternatives to event indicators in the Navigator. Message log and situation event console views update automatically to show new events as they arrive and changes in event status as they occur. Graphic views give you a pictorial alternative to the Navigator for indicating alerts.


6.7.1. Add a message log view

The message log gives you an overview of changes in situation status on your monitored network. You can add the view to any workspace. To create a new view and edit its properties, your user ID requires Workspace Author Mode permission. For the message log view, your user ID also requires View permission for Events.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want to add the message log view.
  2. If you want the view to occupy a new pane, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.
  3. Click Message Log. The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon in Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the main toolbar.
  4. Click inside the view where you want the message log.

For each change of situation status in your monitored network, new rows are added to the top of the view. Beyond the limit of 500 rows (apply quick settings to lower the limit), old rows are deleted as new rows arrive.


6.7.1.1. What the view shows

The message log view displays a row of data for each situation status change. The status column includes indicators such as Stopped and Deleted. As new rows arrive, they appear in descending order with the oldest rows at the bottom. After the maximum number of rows has been reached, the oldest are removed to make room for new rows.

Status

The status for the situation:

Acknowledged: The event has been acknowledged.

Deleted: The situation has been deleted.

Problem: The situation is in a problem state. Perhaps the managed system to which it is distributed is offline or is at an old, unsupported version level.

Expired: The acknowledgement of the event has expired while the event remains open.

Opened: The situation is running and is now true, which opens an event.

Closed: The situation is running, was true and is now false.

Reopened: The acknowledgement was removed before it had expired and the event is still open (reopened).

Started: The situation is being started.

Stopped: The situation has been stopped.

Situation Name

This is the situation display name and ID information. The message log view can be used to determine the display name associated with a Situation ID.

Display Item

If the situation was defined with a display item, it appears here. Otherwise, this field is empty.

Origin Node

The name of the agent and system where the situation is running.

Global Timestamp

The time the event was recorded by the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server.

Local Timestamp

The time the event occurred or the condition was observed by the originating managed system. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS, as in 07/23/11 14:45:35 for July 23,2011 at 2:45:35 PM.

Node

The name of the monitoring server from where the situation is monitored.

Type

The type of event. The possible values are:

  • Sampled for events that happen when a situation becomes true. Situations sample data at regular intervals. When the situation is true, it causes an event, which gets closed automatically when the situation goes back to false (or you can close the event manually).
  • Pure for events that are unsolicited notifications. Examples of pure events are an out-of-paper condition on a printer and an occurrence that adds an entry to a log. Some monitoring agents have attributes that report pure events, such as the Windows Event Log and Windows File Change attribute groups. A situation using one of these attributes can monitor for pure events. Because of the nature of pure events, they are not closed automatically like sampled events; you must close the event manually. Alternatively, you can author the situation with an UNTIL clause.


6.7.1.2. Apply quick settings

Use the quick settings feature of the message log view to set a row limit, filter out unwanted rows, and highlight specific cell values.


Procedure


6.7.1.3. Edit the message log view properties

The properties for the message log view have Filters, Thresholds and Style tabs. You can set a filter so only certain status types or systems are reported, set thresholds to highlight values outside the limits, and define the appearance of this view. With the message log view displaying, follow these steps to edit the properties.


Procedure

  1. In the view title bar, click Edit properties. The Properties editor for the workspace opens and displays the properties of the selected view.
  2. Set Filters to report only the values or value ranges you specify. For example, you might want to add a message log view to the Windows Systems workspace that shows situation activity on the most critical systems. You could add filters to include only those systems. If you set a quick filter, it will appear here and the row will be marked with theQuick flag icon. You can make it a permanent filter by right-clicking the row number and selecting Remove Quick Flag.
  3. Set Thresholds to highlight areas of interest. If you set a quick threshold, it will appear here and the row will be marked with the Quick flag icon. You can make it a permanent threshold by right-clicking the row number and selecting Remove Quick Threshold.
  4. When you are finished editing the message log properties, save your changes by clicking Apply to keep the Properties editor open, or OK to close the editor.


6.7.2. Add a Universal Message Console view

Create a Universal Message Console view to see the messages produced at the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server. Situation and policy activities generate universal messages, such as when a situation has been created or deleted or a policy has been activated. The universal message console displays messages as they are received, one row per message. Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want the view to appear.
  2. If you want the view to occupy a new pane, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views.
  3. Click Universal Message Console.
  4. Click inside the view where you want the universal message console.

After you click, the old view is replaced by the universal message console. The view is updated as messages are received by the hub monitoring server from the managed systems assigned to this Navigator item. Universal messages that are produced at other locations, such as a remote monitoring server or an agent, are not displayed.


Example

In this example, notice that the most recent entry shows a generated value rather than the situation name. In most cases the situation ID will reflect its display name, but when the name contains non-English text or special characters such as * asterisk and \ backslash, the situation ID will be a generated value.

Time Stamp Message Severity Category
10/06/11 10:37:32 Enterprise situation Z00000008000000C8AA5E7D5119420F: HUB_MYSERVER is true 0 K041041
10/06/11 07:10:00 Enterprise situation Blue_alert_at_Rome:HUB_MYSERVER is true 0 K041041
10/06/11 3:50:56 User guest logged off server SRVR01 0 KDSMA009
10/06/11 3:50:45 Monitor for enterprise situation NT_System_File_Warning started. 0 KO41046
10/06/11 3:50:44 Enterprise situation NT_Process_CPU_Critical: Primary:TIVOLIUSER:NT<Rvscan> is true 0 KO41041
10/06/11 3:46:11 Logon successful to server SRVR01 user guest:ip.pipe:#10.255.105.53(6015) 0 KDSMA011

To match up a situation name with its ID, you can create a workspace with these two views: Universal Message Console; Message Log. The message log view will show the situation name with no restriction; the universal message console view will show the situation ID as needed. You can also specify generation of universal messages when creating a situation (Situation editor Action tab) or policy (Workflows editor Take action or Write message activity).


6.7.3. Add a graphic view

The graphic view provides a canvas for you to cover with icons that represent the Navigator items and that overlay the icons with alert indicators when events are opened. You might create, for example, a graphic view showing your company's floor plan or organization chart. Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want to add the graphic view.
  2. If you want the view to occupy a new pane, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.
  3. Click Graphic View The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon in Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the main toolbar.
  4. Click inside the view where you want the graphic.

The old view is replaced by the graphic view with the default background and overlaid with icons representing the items within the current Navigator item branch.


6.7.3.1. Graphic view toolbar

Use the graphic view toolbar to adjust the icons and the view's appearance.

Reload Stylesheets

Resets the view and refreshes the icon style. It is useful if you are working with a view and the icons change state or move around unexpectedly.

Actual Size

Displays graphics at 100%. Suitable for raster images such as .gif, .jpeg and .png files. Not applicable to map files and is disabled when a map background displays.

If you clicked Fit to Contents, Actual Size returns the background graphic and icons to their original size.

Fit to Contents

Scales the view so that all icons are visible. This is useful when you have added or removed icons. Click Actual Size to go back to original size.

Zoom in

Zooms in on the view to see an enlarged version.

Zoom out

Zooms the view out to a smaller size.

Zoom Box

Expands or contracts the view to fit a selected area.

Pan

Pans the image including background and icons.

Overview

Opens the overview window. The Overview window has a box, which you can grab to pan the image.

Select

Selection mode. This is a toggle tool: click it again to turn off selection. Use the Select tool to drag an icon into position or to select it for removal. You can click and drag from one point to the opposite corner to select a group of icons, or use Shift+click to select multiple icons.

Clear

Removes the icons that are highlighted with the Select tool.

Grid

Shows or hides the grid. This is a toggle tool: click it again to turn off the grid. It is especially useful as a guide for positioning icons on an even plane.

Undo

Voids the last action.

Redo

Repeats the last voided action.

Snapshot

Takes a snapshot photo of the viewable area. You can save the snapshot as a PNG (Portable Network Graphic) file by clicking Export in the lower-right corner of the snapshot window.

Print

Prints the active view.


6.7.3.2. Graphic view style properties

Use the Style tab or the Properties editor to change the appearance of the view background and the icons.

To edit the properties

  1. Click in the graphic view title bar.

  2. Click the plot area of the thumbnail graphic. On this tab you can select the background for the graphic view and specify a stylesheet for any text displayed.


    • Background

      Map to identify the background as a geo-referenced map.

      Image to specify a background image of type PNG, JPG or GIF. Click Browse to open a list of images from which to choose or select <blank background> for no background image.

      Fit to view, when selected, automatically resizes the image to fit in the view space. If you adjust the borders of the workspace or graphic view, the image shrinks or expands to fit. This option is selected and disabled when Map is selected; cleared and enabled when Image is selected. If you leave it cleared, your image will retain its original sizing no matter what the size of the view.


      Browse looks for maps on the Tivoli Enterprise Portal server computer under:

      <itm_installdir>/cnb (cw for Linux)/classes/candle/fw/resources/maps/users

      If you are using a map for the background and do not want it resized as you adjust the borders of the view or workspace, create a snapshot image:

      1. Create the graphic view with the desired map and adjust the view and workspace borders until the map is the size you want and no white space shows.

      2. ClickSelect and click and drag to select all the icons, then delete them with Delete.

      3. Click Snapshot, then click Export in the lower-right corner of the snapshot window to save the snapshot as a .PNG file.

      4. Create a custom background and apply the image to the view.

    • Style

      The style sheet determines which icons to display for Navigator items and the format and positioning of their text labels. To change from the default, click Browse and select from a list of the available style sheets.

    The icon used for the large and small icon style matches the icon of the Navigator item (such as , , , , and ).

    If the preview does not refresh as you edit, click Test to see how the view will look with your style changes. If the graphic view is showing behind the window, you can click Apply to see your changes in the full graphic view.

  3. When you are finished editing the graphic view properties, save them by clicking Apply to keep the window open or OK to close the window.


6.7.3.3. Create a custom background image

Create and apply your own non-georeferenced images for the graphic view background. Acceptable formats are PNG, JPG and GIF. Complete these steps to apply an image of your choosing to the graphic view background.

Note: This release of Tivoli Enterprise Portal does not support the addition of geo-referenced maps.


Procedure

  1. Create the image to use as a background in a graphical editor and save as a .png, .jpg, or .gif file, using a one-word name (underscores are acceptable), and all lowercase if the monitoring portal server is on Linux or operating systems such as UNIX.
  2. Copy the image to: Install_dir\cnb (Windows); cw (Linux)\classes\candle\fw\resources\backgrounds\user.
  3. After adding the graphic view to a workspace, click Properties.
  4. Click the middle (plot area) of the thumbnail graphic.
  5. In the Background area, click Image.
  6. If you want the image to shrink or expand to fit the full view space, select Fit to view If you leave this option cleared, the image will retain its original size; if it is larger than the view space, scroll bars are displayed; if it is smaller than the view space, it will be placed at the top left corner with white space fill-in.
  7. Click Browse, and select the image that you created from the list of images under background/users.
  8. Click Apply if you can see the graphic view is showing behind the window and want to see how your image will look in the view space.


6.7.3.4. Create custom icons

Graphical icons are applied to the background image of the graphic view to represent the Navigator items. Customize the graphic view by applying icon graphics of your choosing rather than those from the Navigator view. For example, you might want to use your company logo instead of the to represent the Enterprise. The procedure has you create the icon images, copy one of the monitoring portal style sheets, edit it to reference your images, then update the graphic view style properties to use the new style sheet. The new style sheet and icons must be saved on the computer where the monitoring portal server is installed.

Create icons as close to 32 x 32 pixels (large_icon_) or 20 x 20 pixels (small_icon_) as possible. An image greater or smaller will be resized to those dimensions automatically and might look distorted. Also, the image will retain proper proportions only if it is the same height and width. For example, if your original icon is 76 x 54, resize it to fit 32 x 32 if you will be using one of the large icon style sheets. Small icons are used in conjunction with the "small" stylesheets. The graphic itself should be no taller than 16 x 16 pixels with a 2-pixel top and bottom margin, for a total of 20 x 20 pixels. The 2-pixel margins ensure that the icon does not "touch" the one above or below it.


Procedure

  1. Create the images:

    1. Create a one-word (all lowercase if the portal server is on Linux or UNIX) .gif or .jpg image file for every Navigator item icon you want to change in the graphic view. Use only ASCII characters in the filename. Names that use characters outside the ASCII code range will not be displayed in the list of available files when the user browses to select one. A set of large and small icons that you can use are located in the icons\user folder:
    2. On the computer where the portal server is installed, copy the images:
      Install_dir\cnb\classes\candle\fw\resources\icons\user
      Install_dir/cw/classes/candle/fw/resources/icons/user

  2. Create a style sheet:

    1. Change to the Navigator view whose graphic view icons you plan to change. Having the Navigator open while you type the item names in the style sheet ensures their correct spelling and letter casing.

    2. Identify the Tivoli style sheet most like the one you want. It must be one of the large_icon_ or small_icon_ style sheets (not shape_ or parent_). The style sheet controls the color, size and position of the text labels (Navigator item names), as well as any icons you do not replace with custom icons.

    3. Make a copy of the style sheet from the following directory, giving it a one-word name that identifies it as one that you customized, and place it in the child directory (user):
      Install_dir\cnb\classes\candle\fw\resources\styles
      Install_dir/cw/classes/candle/fw/resources/styles

    4. Open your new style sheet in a text editor.

    5. Edit the @import lines at the top of the file to insert ../ in front of the $. Example:

      @import .../$base.css.; @import .../$baseLargeIcon.ss.; 
      @import .../$baseNodeLabelBottom.css.;
      

    6. Copy and paste the following entry at the end of the file, one line for each Navigator item whose graphic view icon you want to change.

      node[name = .My Item Name.]{iconImage: url(../../icons/user/iconname.gif);}
      

    7. Replace Your Item Name Here with the exact name of the Navigator item; and replace iconname.gif with the exact name of the icon graphic file. Be careful to follow the syntax exactly. Any errors, such as missing or extra parentheses, quotation marks, or misspellings will give unpredictable results. The symptom might be that your style sheet change did not affect the graphic view or the view contents disappear.

    8. Save the text file.

  3. Apply the new style sheet:

    1. Open the workspace that contains the graphic view or add a graphic view to the current workspace.
    2. In the graphic view title bar, clickProperties.
    3. In the Style tab, click the plot area of the thumbnail graphic.
    4. Adjust the Background settings as needed.
    5. In the Style area, click Browse, select the custom style sheet from the Select Name list, and click OK. Your style sheets are displayed as user/style at the end of the list. If you do not see your style sheet in the list, check that you saved it in the right directory and that you did not start the name with $. If you are in browser mode, make sure you added a style entry to $_index.txt and that you spelled it correctly. You can drag the border between Preview and Style to make the preview image larger.
    6. When you are finished editing the graphic view properties, save your changes with Apply to keep the window open, or OK to close the Properties editor.

  1. When you erase the background image name (no image selected) or use a non-map background, you usually need to save the workspace, switch to another workspace, then return to it to see the correct icon sizes. This is required whenever the image sizes do not scale as you expect.
  2. After you have created a user style sheet and associated it with a graphic view, you can make further changes with a text editor and see the effect without reopening the Properties editor. To do so, save the changed file, click Reload Stylesheet to refresh the style sheet and see the new icons.
  3. If you want your new style sheet to be applied automatically to all new graphic views you create, you can make it the default.


6.7.3.5. Change the default graphics

When you drop a new graphic view onto the workspace, the background that displays is the default image, as are the icons overlaying the graphic. You can change the graphic and the styling through the Properties editor Style tab. If you prefer another background graphic or icons for the default images, you can use your own. Take these steps on the computer where the Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server is installed.


Procedure


6.7.4. Add a situation event console view

You can add a situation event console view to list each alert for situations associated with the current Navigator item and those it subsumes. This feature requires your user ID to have Workspace Author Mode permission. The situation event console view adds a row for every event status change for situations associated with this branch of the Navigator, up to 100 rows. The console has a toolbar for filtering the view to show only the events to see and a pop-up menu with items for managing events. Take these steps to add a situation event console view to a workspace:


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want to add the situation event console view.
  2. If you want the view to occupy a new pane, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.
  3. Click Situation Event Console. The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon in Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the main toolbar.
  4. Click inside the view where you want the event console. After you click, the old view is replaced by the event console.
  5. Use any of the filtering tools to limit or expand the rows to show the events you are most interested in.

The view refreshes automatically, adding a row for every status change of the situations associated with this Navigator item and any items below it on the same branch. If you see no rows it means no events have be opened for any situations associated with this Navigator item.


6.7.4.1. What the situation event console shows

The Navigator alerts you when a situation becomes true by overlaying the Navigator item with an event indicator. Multiple alerts for the same Navigator item are consolidated under one event indicator, so you might not be aware of newly arrived alerts just by looking at the indicator. The situation event console view shows you the event activity for situations associated with the current Navigator item and any items within the branch.

You can navigate from an individual event to detailed information by clicking the link icon next to each event or by right-clicking the event and clicking Situation Event Results.


Toolbar

A row is inserted in the event console for every event action associated with the current Navigator item, one row per event. The event severity filters show a count of the events of that type next to the tool. For example, 5 Filter Minor is a count of five minor events. Use the filter tools to display only events of a certain state or status.

Filter Fatal Show only Fatal events.
Filter Fatal Show only Critical events.
Filter Minor Show only Minor events.
Filter Warning Show only Warning events
Filter Harmless Show only Harmless events
Filter Informational Show only Informational events.
Filter Unknown Show only Unknown events.
Filter Open Show Open events only, including any that were reopened (acknowledgement removed) or whose acknowledgment expired.
Filter Acknowledged Show Acknowledged events only.
Filter Stopped Show Stopped situations only.
Filter Problem Show Problem situations only. These are situations that are in error for some reason. Use this filter to locate situations that are not functioning properly so you can diagnose the problem.
Filter Expired Show the events that were acknowledged, the acknowledgement expired, and the condition is still true.
Find Open the Find dialog box for finding events of a particular severity, status, or some other criteria.
(Active) -or- (Paused) The event console gets updated as status changes occur. Use this tool to pause automatic refresh, and click again to resume.
Total Events: 31 -or- Filtered Events: 7 of 31 This is the current row count of events in the console and any events waiting to be added.
If a filter has been applied, the count of events included in the filtered view is shown. For example, if you click the Fatal and Critical filters to show only the 2 Fatal events and 3 Critical events out of a total of 31 events, the display is Filtered Events: 5 of 31.
Item Filter: Item_name The item filter is the name of the Navigator item by which the events are filtered.


Event list

The event console displays event information in the view.

If you begin to scroll the view or expand pure events, automatic refresh turns off and this indicator is displayed at the top left corner of the list. Click Console Resume when you want to resume automatic refresh.

Pure Event in the first column indicates the event is a pure event. Consecutive pure events are consolidated: Expand the list to show a row for each pure event; Link to event details about the pure event; Collapse the list back to one row. If the list does not expand, it means there is only one pure event.

You can remove old pure events from the list by closing the pure event.

The link button enables you to navigate to the Event Details workspace for an individual event.
Severity The severity of the event: Critical, Warning, Informational, and so on.
Status The status of the event:

Open

The situation is true and the event indicator turned on. The icon and threshold color indicate the severity of the alert.

overlays the state icon if the acknowledgement for the event has Expired while the event is still open.

overlays the state icon if the acknowledgement has been removed while the event is still open (Reopened).

Acknowledged

The event has been acknowledged.

Stopped

A user stopped the situation. It will not begin running again until someone starts it or edits it in the Situation editor.

Deleted

The situation was deleted through the Situation editor.

Problem

The situation is not functioning properly. One reason might be that the agent to which it is distributed is offline or is at an old, unsupported version level.
Owner The user who acknowledged or took ownership of the event.
Situation Name The name of the situation or policy.
Display Item If the situation was defined with a display item, it is displayed here. Otherwise, this field is empty.
Source The name of the agent and system identifying where the event occurred.
Impact The name of the Navigator item where the event indicator originated; when you click , the entire branch opens.
Opened This is the local time at the agent location when the event was last opened.
Age This is the time interval that has passed since the event was opened. If you apply a Filter or Threshold to this column, enter the number of minutes. After you click outside the cell, you will see the value converted to days, hours and minutes. For example, an entry of 1450 becomes 1 Day, 10 Minutes.
Local Timestamp The time at the PureApplication System Monitoring Server (the one to which the agent connects) when the situation status changed.
Type Additional information about the event, usually the event type.

Sampled

Sampled events happen when a situation becomes true. Situations sample data at regular intervals. When the situation is true, it causes an event, which gets closed automatically when the situation goes back to false (or you can close it manually).

Pure

Pure events are unsolicited notifications. Examples of pure events are an out-of-paper condition on a printer and an occurrence that adds an entry to the Windows System Log. Some Tivoli monitoring agents have attributes that report pure events, such as the NT Event Log and NT File Change attribute groups. A situation using one of these attributes can monitor for pure events. Because of the nature of pure events, they are not closed automatically like sampled events; you must close the event manually. Alternatively, you can author the situation with an UNTIL clause.
Situation ID The situation identifier.


Table view features

The features available to the table view, such as column locking, can also be used in the situation event console view.


Pop-up menu

You can open the Situation Event Results workspace and perform other event related tasks from the pop-up menu: Edit Situation, Start Situation, Stop Situation, Acknowledge Event, and Event Notes. You can also launch an application on your system, link to another workspace, or send a command to the managed system where the event occurred.


6.7.4.2. Apply filters and thresholds

You can apply filters and thresholds to adjust the event list and the number of rows that are displayed from the console. You can adjust the event list to show only those of a certain severity or status, owner, attribute or attribute value, or associated with another Navigator item. You can also limit or expand the maximum number of rows that can show on the console, and you can apply thresholds to cells. Tools are provided for the most common filters, state and status, so you can quickly toggle a filter on or off.

Severity

All severities are shown in the event list. You can filter the list to show one or two states instead of all:

  • Click , , , , , or to filter the view to show only events with that severity.

  • Click a tool again to remove that particular filter.

Status

All status types are shown in the event list. You can filter the list to show only a certain status:

  • Click Open, Acknowledged, Stopped, or Problem to filter on one or more of these statuses.
  • Click a tool again to remove that particular filter.

Column

The toolbar enables you to filter the list by Severity, Status, or Owner. Through the popup menu, you can filter on any column and even multiple columns.

  1. Right-click the cell on whose value you want to filter the incoming data.
  2. Click Set Quick Filter, then select the attribute (attribute name == value).

If you want to remove the quick filter, right-click a cell in the same column, point to Set Quick Filter, and click either Remove Quick Filter to remove the last filter applied or Remove Quick Filter Predicate and select the filter to remove.

Navigator item

Initially, the event console shows events for the situations associated with the current Navigator item. You can change the view to show the event list for a different Navigator item:

  1. Select the Navigator item whose events you want to see.

  2. Hold down the Ctrl key while dragging the Navigator item into the view.

  3. When the mouse is over one of the rows, release the mouse button.

Number of rows

Tivoli Enterprise Portal enters a row in the table at the time a change to the event status takes place. As new rows arrive, they appear in descending order with the oldest rows at the bottom. After the maximum (100 is the default) is reached, the oldest row is removed as each new row arrives. The view refreshes every time a new event arrives, so the more rows you have in the view, the more time the refresh takes. To change the maximum:

  1. Right-click anywhere in the event console view.
  2. Click Set Max Rows, then select 50, 100 or 500 from the list.

Quick threshold

Use the quick settings to highlight cell values that fall outside the threshold:

  1. Right-click the cell on whose value you want to apply a threshold indicator.

  2. Click Set Quick Threshold, then select the severity to apply to that attribute value (attribute name == value).

If you want to remove the quick thresholds applied to the view, right-click a cell in the same column, point to Set Quick Threshold, and click either Remove Quick Thresholds to remove the last threshold applied, or Remove Quick Thresholds Predicate and select the threshold to remove.

If you edit the properties for this view, you can make the quick filter or quick threshold permanent by right-clicking the row number and clicking Remove Quick Flag in the Filters or Thresholds tab.


6.7.4.3. Edit the situation event console view properties

The properties for the situation event console view have Filters, Thresholds and Style tabs. You can set a filter so only certain status types or systems are reported, set thresholds to highlight values outside the limits in red or yellow, and define the appearance of this view. With the situation event console view displaying, follow these steps to edit the properties:


Procedure

  1. In the view title bar, click Edit properties. The Properties editor for the workspace opens and displays the properties of the selected view.
  2. Set Filters to report only the values or value ranges you specify. If you set a quick filter, it will appear here and the row will be marked with theQuick flag icon. You can make it a permanent filter by right-clicking the row number and selecting Remove Quick Flag.
  3. Set Thresholds, as described in Adding column thresholds, to highlight areas of interest. If you set a quick threshold, it will appear here and the row will be marked with the Quick flag icon. You can make it a permanent threshold by right-clicking the row number and selecting Remove Quick Threshold.
  4. When you are finished editing the situation event console properties, save your changes by clicking Apply to keep the Properties editor open, or OK to close the editor.


6.7.5. Add a common event console view

Add the common event console view to a workspace to get a single, integrated display of events from multiple event repositories, including Tivoli Monitoring, Tivoli Enterprise Console, and Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus. To add a common event console view:


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want the common event console view. A common event console view is not associated with any particular Navigator item. Therefore, it always shows all available events from the configured connectors, subject to any filtering options you select for the view.
  2. If you want the view to occupy a new pane, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.
  3. Click Common Event Console. The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (or the hand icon on Linux systems). If you accidentally click the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Esc or click somewhere in the toolbar.
  4. Click inside the view where you want the common event console. After you click, the old view is replaced by the common event console. If any of the configured common event connectors are experiencing problems retrieving event data, a window might appear to notify you of the problem. You can use the Common Event Connector Status window to see the status of all configured connectors.
  5. Use any of the filtering tools to show the events that you are most interested in.

You can adjust the event console to show only events of a certain severity, status, owner, or other attribute value. You can also apply thresholds to cells.


6.7.5.1. What the common event console view shows

A row is inserted in the common event console for each event retrieved from a connected event repository: PureApplication System Monitoring Server, Tivoli Enterprise Console event server, and Netcool/OMNIbus ObjectServer. Use the tools to display only events of a certain severity or status, to find specific events, and to control how the display is updated.


Toolbar

When severity or status filters are applied, the event console shows the events that match any of the selected filters. If you filter on both severity and status, the console shows only the events that match both sets of filters. The exceptions are as follows:

Filter Fatal Show only Fatal events.
Filter Critical Show only Critical events.
Filter Minor Show only Minor events.
Filter Warning Show only Warning events
Filter Harmless Show only Harmless events
Filter Informational Show only Informational events.
Filter Unknown Show only Unknown events.
Filter Open Show Open events only, including any that were reopened (acknowledgement removed) or whose acknowledgment expired.
Filter Acknowledged Show Acknowledged events only.
Filter Stopped Show Stopped situations only.
Filter Problem Show Problem situations only. These are situations that are in error for some reason. Use this filter to locate situations that are not functioning properly so you can diagnose the problem.
Filter Expired Show the events that were acknowledged, the acknowledgement expired, and the condition is still true.
Find Open the Find dialog box for finding events of a particular severity, status, or some other criteria.
(Active) -or- (Paused) The event console gets updated as status changes occur. Use this tool to pause automatic refresh, and click again to resume.
Total Events: 31 -or- Filtered Events: 5 of 31 This is the current row count of events in the console and any events waiting to be added.
If a filter has been applied, the count of events included in the filtered view is shown. For example, if you click the Fatal and Critical filters to show only the 2 Fatal events and 3 Critical events out of a total of 31 events, the display is Filtered Events: 5 of 31.
Item Filter: Item_name The item filter is the name of the Navigator item by which the events are filtered.


Event list

By default, the common event console shows the following information for each event:

Severity The severity of the event. The possible values for a specific event vary depending on its originating event repository, and how the connectors map those severity values to those used by the console. Severity values include:

  • Fatal

  • Critical

  • Minor

  • Warning

  • Harmless

  • Informational

  • Unknown

Status The status of the event. The possible status values for a specific event vary depending on its originating event repository. Status values include:

  • Open

  • Reopened

  • Problem

  • Acknowledged

  • Closed

  • Deleted

  • Started

  • Stopped

  • Unknown

  • Response

If the originating event repository does not supply a status value, this cell in the table is blank.

Note: Changes to event status might not be immediately reflected in the common event console. This is because the console retrieves some status data by periodically polling the originating repositories; changes to the status of an event are reflected the next time the console polls the repository. The polling interval is specified in the common event console configuration; the default interval is 1 minute.

Repository The type of event repository from which the event originated. Currently, the supported values include the following:

  • ITM (IBM Tivoli Monitoring)

  • TEC (Tivoli Enterprise Console)

  • OMNIbus (Netcool/OMNIbus)

Name The name of the event. The name is taken from one of the following values:

  • Situation name (Tivoli Monitoring events)
  • Event class name (Tivoli Enterprise Console events)
  • AlertGroup field (Netcool/OMNIbus events)

Display item The display item for a Tivoli Monitoring situation event. This field is not used for events from other repositories.
Source The host name or IP address of the monitored system from which the event originated.
Time created The date and time when the event was generated.
Type The Tivoli Monitoring event type (Pure or Sampled). For events from other repositories other than Tivoli Monitoring, this value will always be Pure.

In addition, the following fields are available but not shown by default (you can show them by modifying the properties of the view):

Connector name The name of the common event connector that retrieved the event, as specified in the connector configuration.
Time Modified The date and time when the event was most recently modified.
Owner The owner of an acknowledged event, taken from one of the following values:

  • administrator attribute (Tivoli Enterprise Console events)
  • The user ID of the user who acknowledged the event (Tivoli Monitoring events)

If the event has not been acknowledged, this field is empty. This field is not used for Netcool/OMNIbus events.

Message The message associated with the event. The message is taken from one of the following values:

  • msg attribute (Tivoli Enterprise Console events)
  • Summary field (Netcool/OMNIbus events)

This field is not used for Tivoli Monitoring events.

Incident ID This field is not currently used.
Extra Column 1 These fields are provided for mapping additional event data. If these fields are being used to display user-defined columns, the field names might appear different from those shown here.
Extra Column 2
Extra Column 3
Extra Column 4
Extra Column 5
Short Name

The features that are available to the table view, such as column locking, can be used in the common event console view.


6.7.5.2. Filter events by column value

You can use the popup menu to filter the displayed events based on any displayed attribute value, or a combination of attribute values. To apply a quick filter using the popup menu:


Procedure

  1. Right-click in a table cell that contains the value you want to use to filter the displayed events. For example, to see only events originating from a particular monitored system, right-click a cell in the Source column that contains the name of the system you are interested in.
  2. Click Set Quick Filter.
  3. Select the filter you want to apply. The initial filter is specified using the format attribute EQ value. For example, the filter Owner EQ SYSADMIN matches events whose owner is SYSADMIN.
  4. To apply an additional filter, repeat the same steps using a different table cell. An additional filter is specified as a logical AND clause (for example, AND Situation EQ NT_Log_Space_Low).


6.7.5.3. Remove a quick filter from an event console

You can use the pop-up menu in any table cell to remove a quick filter, or to remove all quick filters. To remove a quick filter:


Procedure

  1. Right-click in any table cell.

  2. Select Set Quick Filter.

  3. Select one of the following:

    • To remove a single filter condition, select Remove Quick Filter Predicate and then select the filter predicate you want to remove.
    • To remove all quick filters, select Remove Quick Filter.

    Note: Removing filters using the pop-up menu does not affect any filtering applied using the toolbar icons.


6.7.5.4. Remove a quick threshold from an event console

You can use the pop-up menu in any table cell to remove a quick threshold or to remove all quick thresholds. To remove a quick threshold:


Procedure

  1. Right-click in any table cell.

  2. Select Set Quick Threshold.

  3. Select one of the following:

    • To remove a single threshold condition, select Remove Quick Threshold Predicate and then select the threshold predicate you want to remove.
    • To remove all quick thresholds, select Remove All Quick Thresholds.


6.7.5.5. Set the view properties for an event console

The properties of an event console include filters, thresholds, and style settings. You can set a filter so only certain events or columns are displayed, set thresholds to highlight cells containing specified values, and configure the appearance of the view. To configure the view properties:


Procedure

Note: To keep the changes you have made, click Save to save the workspace.


6.7.5.6. View common event connector status

You can use the toolbar to view the status of the configured common event connectors. Common event connectors retrieve event data from event repositories and format it for display by the common event console. Each configured connector retrieves event data from a specific event repository.

The status and operational capability of an event connector can be affected by various conditions such as network outages or problems on the event repository server.

You can determine connector status in two ways:


Procedure


6.7.6. Add a Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer

If your environment includes the Tivoli Enterprise Console, you can add it to any workspace to integrate alarms and events from network management operating systems and correlate them with other events. Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want the Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer. The view will show events from the managed systems assigned to this branch of the Navigator. For example, if you add it to a workspace for the Linux Systems Navigator item, all the Linux-based managed systems on this branch of the Navigator will be included in the event reporting.
  2. If you want the view to occupy a new space, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views.
  3. Click Tivoli Enterprise Console. The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon on Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the toolbar.
  4. Click inside the view where you want the Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer. After you click, the old view is replaced by the Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer and a login or configuration window might display.
  5. If the Tivoli Enterprise Console Login window opens, complete the fields to specify the Tivoli Enterprise Console managed host and your user ID.

After you click OK, a dynamic or event group query is issued and events are retrieved from the event server as they occur. The managed systems that are reporting events to this view are those assigned to the current Navigator item.

Additional windows for viewing event details and running PureApplication System Monitoring Server tasks can be launched off this view.

When you return to this view during future work sessions, you can log on automatically. If you are logged onto the portal server from your browser, be sure to exit and then restart the browser before attempting to log in again. Otherwise, any Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewers you add to workspaces will not receive events.


6.7.6.1. Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer and console toolbars

The Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer has tools for working with events and filtering them. It also has a pop-up menu for actions to take on the selected row. When a dialog box is displayed you can click Help to access the Tivoli Enterprise Console help system.

Preferences

This tool opens the Preferences window. The changes you make are for your user ID and affect this and all new Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewers. General preferences set the refresh rate for displaying new events, the age of closed events to display, and the number of events to display. The Working Queue/All Events preferences determine the column sort order in the Working Queue and All Events queue. Severity Colors preferences determine whether or not hover and column highlighting are activated, and what colors to use for event severity.

New Task with Selected Event

This tool opens a window for configuring automated tasks, which run when a particular event is received by the event console. For example, you can configure an automated task to send an email message to an administrator when an event matching the criteria you defined ahead of time is received by the event console.

When an automated task completes, it issues information about its success or failure and any results created by the task. An icon is displayed in the Task Completion column of the Event Viewer when an automated task completes. You can double-click this icon to view the task results. This icon also is displayed for rule-based tasks that have completed.

Automated task results are written to a text file, which is configured in the Console Properties editor for each console.

Reload Events

This tool is used to clear the view and reload the events. A query is sent to the event database and the results are displayed in the view.

Open Automated Task

Use this tool to open the Automated Task window for viewing, editing, creating, and deleting automated tasks.

Hide Severity

These tools show the number of events for each severity and enable you to filter out Unknown, Harmless, Warning, Minor, Critical, or Fatal events or any combination thereof. The example here shows that Harmless events have been excluded and the number received is 0. These are toggle tools: click again to resume display of that event severity.

Hide Status

These tools filter events by their status: Open, Response, Acknowledged, and Closed. These are toggle tools: click again to resume display of events of that status.

Hide Operators' Events

These tools hide the events for your user ID or those of all other operators signed on to the event server. These are toggle tools: click again to resume display of the events for your user ID or other operators.

Task Completion

An automated task is configured to run when certain types of events have been received by the event console. When an automated task completes, it issues information about its success or failure, and any results created by the task. The task-completion icon is displayed in the first column of the Event Viewer after an automated task or rule-based task has completed. Double-click this icon to view the task results.


Event view rows

Each event received by the Tivoli Enterprise Console adds a row to the view showing summary information. When you select an event (or multiple events with Ctrl+click or Shift+click), you can right-click to get a pop-up menu of options. The buttons are also enabled.


Buttons

Select an event row to enable the buttons to Acknowledge the event, Close the event, open a tabbed window with event Details, or display Information about the event. The Refresh button shows the event server icon. The button is disabled when no events have arrived since the last refresh of the view; and enabled when new events have arrived.


6.7.6.2. What to do if the view is disabled

Tivoli Enterprise Console relies on the Tivoli Management Framework for common services, including communications. If you are running monitoring portal in browser mode and log out of the portal server, either intentionally or unintentionally, contact between Tivoli Enterprise Console and the Tivoli Management Framework is lost.

No new events will be added to the view even if you log out and log in again. You must recycle (close the application, then start it again) the browser before logging in again to the portal server before the Tivoli Enterprise Console event viewer can resume event reporting.

Note: When a situation has been stopped that has an open event that was forwarded to the Tivoli Enterprise Console, the effect is that all open Tivoli Enterprise Console events whose cms_hostname and situation_name (as specified in the event synchronization rules) is the same as that of the stopped situation will be closed. This is done to maintain event status synchronization between the monitoring server and the event server.


6.8. Create a browser view

The browser view invokes the browser that comes with Tivoli Enterprise Portal so that you can open web pages and web applications in the workspace. When saved with the workspace, the browser view opens with the workspace at the URL used when it was saved. This feature requires your user ID to have Workspace Author Mode permission. The monitoring portal integrated browser uses little memory and provides basic browser functionality. It does not have many of the extended features that come with some external browsers. To add a browser view to the current workspace:


Procedure

  1. If you want the view to occupy a new pane, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.
  2. Click Browser. The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon on Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the toolbar.
  3. Click inside the view where you want the browser. After you click, the old view is replaced by the browser.
  4. In the Location text box, type the URL of the web page to open.


6.8.1. Browser view toolbar

The browser view contains a toolbar and a text box for entering specific URLs, which you can use to navigate through pages.


6.8.2. URL to files on the portal server

Tivoli Enterprise Portal provides a relative URL reference for HTML files you would like to share. You can place HTML files on the monitoring portal server computer in the Install_dir\cnb (/cw on Linux) folder so that they can be referenced in the browser view and saved with the workspace. Then any user who opens that workspace will see the HTML page in the browser view.

This feature is useful in environments where browser mode users pass through a firewall to log on to monitoring portal.

Copy the files you want to reference to the Install_dir\cnb (/cw on Linux) folder or subfolder on the computer where the monitoring portal server and browser client framework are installed.

In the browser view, enter the file name in the Location address field and any path information if it is in a subfolder. For example, the entry would be information.htm if the file is in the cnb or cw folder, or my_files/information.htm if the files are in the my_files subfolder under cnb or cw.

After you press Enter to open the HTML page, the address is prefixed with (where localhost is the fully qualified name of the computer where the portal server is installed) http://localhost:1920///cnp/kdh/lib/ and the page is opened.


6.8.3. Link symbols in the URL address

You can include symbols in the location URLs that can be substituted with link symbol values stored in the workspace's property context pool.

The symbol for substitution must be of the following format:

$symbol_name$
Before the browser view sends the URL request, it replaces all the symbol names with the associated values from the context pool.


6.8.4. Link to external browser

You can launch an external browser from within a hyperlink in the browser view. This is the mechanism used to view attachments to events.

If you want a link to launch an external browser, use the following attributes in the hyperlink:

TEP_TARGET=external

If this attribute is found on the <a> link tag, the URL is launched in default external browser.

TEP_LOCATION=relative

If this attribute is found on the <a> link tag, the "href=" value is treated as a relative URL and the path is appended to the web server's based resources.


6.9. Add a notepad view

The notepad view gives you a text editor for writing about the workspace. Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want the view.
  2. If you want the view to occupy a new pane, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.
  3. Click Notepad. The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon on Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the toolbar.
  4. Click inside the view where you want the notepad. After you click, the old view is replaced by the notepad and a cursor is displayed.

Type any text in the view. The standard text editing and cursor movement keys on your keyboard can be used with the notepad view.

Backspace

Delete the character to the left of the cursor.

Delete

Delete the character to the right of the cursor.

Arrows

Move the cursor left or right one space, or up or down one line.

Home

Move the cursor to the beginning of the line.

End

Move the cursor to the end of the line.
When you are finished, save (or File > Save As) the workspace to keep the notepad view and the text you entered.


6.10. Create a take action view

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal enables you to interact directly with your applications and operating system through its take action feature. You can use the take action view to enter a system command or to stop or start a process at the system. Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want the view
  2. If you want the view to occupy a new pane, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.
  3. Click Take Action. The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon on Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the toolbar.
  4. Click inside the view where you want the take action view. After you click, the old view is replaced by the take action view.

If you want to keep the take action view in this workspace for future work sessions, either click Save to update the workspace properties with the new view, or click File > Save Workspace As to save this as a new workspace and leave the original unchanged.


6.11. Terminal view

Use the terminal view to connect to a TN3270, TN5250, or VT100 host system with TCP/IP. For a 3270 or 5250 terminal view, you also have scripting capability with record, playback, and authoring of entire scripts.

By associating a terminal view with a connection script and a query that returns appropriate values, you can configure a view that opens to a specific panel of a 3270 application. This feature, called dynamic terminal integration support, is useful for creating contextual workspace links for investigating issues.

Your user ID must have Workspace Author Mode permission to use this function.


6.11.1. Add a terminal view to the workspace

You can add a terminal view to your workspace, connect to a TN3270, TN5250, or VT100 host system with TCP/IP, and save the connection settings with the workspace.


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace where you want the view.

  2. If you want the view to occupy a new pane, click Split Vertically or Split Horizontally in one of the views. The pane divides and a duplicate is created. If you split the Navigator, the new view is empty.

  3. Click Terminal. The mouse pointer changes to the view icon (hand icon on Linux). If you get the wrong icon or decide not to add the view, press Escape or click somewhere in the toolbar.

  4. Click inside the view where you want the terminal emulator. When you click inside a view, the Terminal Emulator Configuration window opens.

  5. Specify the connection information for the view, or specify to retrieve the connection information from a query.

    • If you want to specify the connection information in the configuration, select Use the values from this dialog, and fill out the appropriate fields:

      Host

      Type the host name or IP address of the system to which you want to connect.

      Port

      Type the IP port number to which you want to connect. The default of 23 is valid for most installations.

      Terminal type

      Select a terminal type from the Terminal Type list or accept the default.
    • If you want to retrieve connection information from a query, select Fetch values from a query. You will then need to specify the appropriate query in the view properties.

      Note: To support obtaining connection information from a query, the monitoring agent for the target application must provide a suitable query to use. For more information, refer to the agent documentation.

  6. Click OK to accept the configuration and add the view.

  7. If you specified Fetch values from a query, open the view properties and specify the query that will provide the connection information. To determine which query to use, refer to the agent documentation.

  8. If you want to keep the terminal view in this workspace for future work sessions, do one of the following:

    • Click Save to update the workspace properties with the new view.
    • Click Save Workspace As in the File menu to save this as a new workspace and leave the original workspace as it was.

This configuration information will be used each time the workspace is opened and will establish a connection to the specified host. By default the terminal connection remains active until you disconnect manually or until you end this monitoring portal work session. This means you can open other workspaces and return to this one without breaking the connection.

If you want to use dynamic terminal integration support to link to a specific application panel, you must also configure a connection script. Without a connection script, users will need to manually navigate to the appropriate application panel.


6.11.2. What the terminal view shows

The terminal view displays a toolbar, main terminal window, keyboard mapping, and status bar. The terminal view has four parts:


6.11.3. Terminal view properties

The terminal view has Configuration, Style, and Query properties that can be edited to suit your environment.

Click Edit properties in the terminal view title bar or right-click the view and click Properties to see these tabs:


Configuration

The Configuration tab has sub-tabs for customizing the terminal view and its display: Connection and Scripts and Zoom. Whenever you open the workspace, the script you specify will run automatically and the host you specify will be connected automatically.

Connection

Connection

This is the same Terminal Emulator Configuration window you get when adding a terminal view to the workspace. The values are those you supplied when you added the terminal view. You can change them here:

Fetch values from a query indicates to retrieve connection information from a query. You must specify the appropriate query on the Query tab.

Use the values from this dialog indicates to use the connection information specified in these fields: Host is the host name or IP address of the system to which you want to connect; and Port is the IP port number used by the host software. The default of 23 is valid for most installations.

Terminal Type is the name and dimensions of the terminal to emulate. Accept the default or select one from the list.

Connect when entering workspace will connect to the host when you open the workspace. If you disable it, you must click Connection to start the session.

Disconnect options

Do not disconnect when leaving workspace keeps the session open as long as you are logged on to Tivoli Enterprise Portal, so you can return to this workspace and the session where you left it last.

Disconnect after this many minutes: will disconnect the works session the number of minutes entered here after you close the workspace.

Scripts

This is the same as the Manage Scripts window, which opens when you click Manage Scripts in the terminal view.


Style

The Style tab lets you specify the font and font size used for the session and several terminal display options.

Text style


Font name for the session display is Monospaced by default or you can select another from the list.


Size is 12 by default or you can select another point size from the list.

Terminal display options

Show keypad selects KeyPad automatically for the view whenever you open the workspace, so the function key mappings will display at the bottom of the view.

Show block cursor displays the cursor as a block instead of as the underscore character.

Show ruler draws a line along the vertical axis of the cursor and along the horizontal axis so you can easily locate the cursor on the display.


Query

Use the Query tab to specify the query to use for the Terminal view. The values returned by the query can be used in two ways:

If you are using a query to provide connection information, the query you select must return a single row of data that includes certain fields. These are the minimum required fields for Terminal view query:

Attribute Description
Origin_Node Origin node
HOSTIPADDR Host name or numeric IP address to connect to
TN3270PORT TCP/IP port to connect to
LUGROUP LU group
EMU_TRMTY One of the following terminal types:
  • IBM VT100 (24x80)
  • IBM 3270 (24x80)
  • IBM 3270 (32x80)
  • IBM 3270 (43x80)
  • IBM 3270 (27x132)
  • IBM 5250 (24x80)
  • IBM 5250 (27x132)

This field is optional; the default terminal type is 3270 (24x80).

In addition to the minimum required fields, the query can also return additional fields to supply application-specific data. The connection script can access these fields using the getProperty function.


6.11.4. Run a script

After you have scripts saved for a terminal view, and the terminal view saved with a workspace, you can run the scripts at any time. You must be connected to a 3270 or 5250 session before you can run a script. To run a script:


Procedure

  1. While in the terminal view, click Connection and complete the Terminal Emulator Configuration window. You can specify the connection information in the window, or select Fetch values from a query to use the connection information returned by the query specify in the view properties. Click OK to accept the configuration and establish the connection.
  2. Click Manage Scripts to open a list of available scripts.
  3. Select a script from the list or type a name in the Script Names field.
  4. Click Run to start executing the selected script.
  5. If you want to stop the script before its completion, click Stop.


6.11.5. Recording a script

The recorder allows you to capture and play back host 3270 or 5250 sessions. As you interact with the terminal session, the session is recorded as a set of script commands that can be saved and played back at a later time. This allows for the automation of navigation to specific screens. To record a script:


Procedure

  1. While in the terminal view, click Record New Script.
  2. Type a new name in the Script Name field and click OK. From this point on, all terminal activity will be captured in the script.
  3. Perform all the actions to be recorded in the script.
  4. When you are finished, click Stop. The script is now available in the workspace for editing or execution through Manage Scripts.
  5. If you want the script to start automatically upon connection, click Manage Scripts and select the script from the Startup Script list.
  6. Click Save to permanently save the script. Session scripts are saved with your user ID, so no other users will be able to see and run the same scripts unless you have Workspace administration mode turned on when you create them. The saved script is available from any workspace to which you add a terminal view.


6.11.6. Manage scripts

Use the Manage Scripts function to edit existing scripts and to specify a script to run whenever you start a 3270 or 5250 terminal session. To manage scripts:


Procedure

  1. While in the terminal view, click Manage Scripts to see the list of available scripts. There are two types of scripts:

    • Global scripts are stored as part of the Tivoli Enterprise Portal configuration and are available in any workspace. In the Manage Scripts window, global scripts appear in normal text.

    • Local scripts are stored as part of the workspace configuration and are associated with a particular agent. In the Manage Scripts window, local scripts are indented and appear in italic text.

  2. Select a script from the list, or type a name in the Script Names field, then click one of the following:

    • Run to start executing the selected script. Note that you must be connected to a session before you can run a script.

    • Stop to discontinue running the script. This is useful to stop a script before it has completed or if an unrecoverable error has occurred.

    • Record to start recording a new script. The Record New Script window appears, prompting you for details about the new script.

      Note: Select the Local script check box to specify that the new script should be saved as local rather than global. Saving scripts as local is recommended because local scripts can be exported and restored as part of the workspace configuration. (For more information, refer to the PureApplication System Monitoring Server: Administrator's Guide.)

    • Stop Recording to stop the recorder.

    • Open to edit the selected script. The Script editor opens with basic editing functions such as Copy and Paste. It has menu items to create a New script, Save the script, Save As another script, and Exit the Script editor.

    • Delete to remove the selected script from the list of available scripts.

    Note: Some scripts are read-only and cannot be deleted or modified. If you edit a read-only script, you can save the modified version as a new script by clicking the Save As menu choice.

  3. If you want to designate a script to start automatically upon connection, select if from the Startup Script list. Connection to a host system is established whenever you open a workspace that contains a terminal view, and when you reconnect to a session with Connection or by running a script. Instead of using hard-coded values, the connection script can use the getPropery function to retrieve values specified by a workspace link or by the query specified in the view properties. These values can include connection information as well as application-specific data used to navigate to a specific application panel for investigating issues.

  4. Click Save if you designated a startup script.


6.11.7. Terminal Emulator Scripting Language

Automate terminal view session navigation with scripts written with our proprietary Terminal Emulator Scripting Language and saved for use in your monitored environment.

The scripting engine is an interpreter/execution engine based on a C-like language. It has a defined format and syntax, and a set of built-in functions. It also allows you to create your own functions. Because it is intended to address a specific environment.that of manipulating terminal session navigation.it does not provide a full range of programming functionality.


6.11.7.1. Script syntax

Create new 3270 or 5250 session scripts using the Manage Scripts feature that is available from the terminal view.

A script is a program made up of function definitions, variable definitions, and executable program statements. The terminal emulator scripting language is similar to Java. or C. The scripting language has these general conventions:

The general layout is:


Return-type FUNCTION function-name (optional parameters) {optional local variables; statements...}

Reserved words

Reserved words are character strings that have special meanings. They cannot be used except for their intended meaning. The reserved words are of three types:

Language keywords

Language keywords are used as commands within a script. They are interpreted to provide some action or considered as part of a statement. You can use these keywords only for their predefined purpose:

AND ; (semicolon) If
OR Break Int
EQ Continue Real
NE Else Return
GE Exit String
GT For While
LE Function LT

Declarations and function names

Each script program begins with global data declarations, stating the global variables and user-defined functions you will be using. Declarations build an association between a function and its attributes or values. You do not need to declare any of the built-in functions, because the interpreter already recognizes these function names.

Identifiers

Identifiers are the names that you create to denote constants, variables, and functions. Identifiers have the following characteristics:

  • an identifier can be any length
  • the first character must be alphabetic (a-z, A-Z), numeric (0-9), or an underscore (_)
  • the remaining characters can be alphabetic (a-z, A-Z), numeric (0-9), or underscores (_)
  • each identifier must be unique. Identifiers cannot be one of the reserved words.

Punctuation

The following punctuation rules apply to a section

  • Statements end with a semi-colon . ;
  • Parameter lists are enclosed in parenthesis . ()
  • Parameters are separated by commas . ,
  • Statement blocks are enclosed in braces . {}

Embedded quoted strings

String literals are enclosed in double quotation marks or single quotation marks. You can insert double quotation marks as part of a string literal by preceding the quotation marks with the escape character /". Alternatively, you can begin and end the string literal with the single quotation mark character '. To imbed a single quotation mark use the /' escape sequence or enclose the string literal within double quotation marks. Example:

// Both statements yield embedded quotation marks quotedStr1 = 
"The job /"TSOA/" is running"; quotedStr2 = 'The job "TSOA" is running';

White space

The script language ignores white space (spaces, tabs, new-lines) except within a quoted string.

Comments

Comments are supported as a way to add explanatory text to your script program or to exclude certain parts of the code.

  • comments can be single line or multi-line comment blocks
  • the script interpreter ignores comments
  • comment blocks are enclosed within the /* */ pairs. Comment blocks can span multiple lines.
  • comments can also start with the // character string. The interpreter ignores everything to the right of the double slash up to the end of the line (new-line character).
  • comments can start anywhere in the script

Example:

// This is a single line comment a = 3; 
// this is a comment /* This section defines multiple line 
comment block */ a = 3; /* imbedded comment block */ b=4;


6.11.7.2. Constants and variables

A constant is a named data item with a predefined value, while a variable is a named data item whose value can change during the course of program execution. Variables can be either global or local.

All data is represented as one of three basic data types:

Int

Integer data type ( + - followed by 1 or more digits 0.9).

Real

Floating point (+- followed by zero or more digits 0.9). Decimal point followed by 1 or more digits 0.9. Note that all numbers are stored internally as Float.

String

Any valid Unicode string enclosed within quotation marks.

Constants

A constant is a named data item with a predefined value. You cannot change the value assigned to a predefined constant. Predefined constants are:

NULL

An empty reference. Similar to an empty pointer. Note that this is not the same as a null string "".

TRUE

Equivalent to the number 1.

FALSE

Equivalent to the number 0.

Variable definitions

A variable is a named data item whose value can change during the course of program execution. A variable name must follow the naming convention of an Identifier (alphabetic character, numeric character, and the underscore.) When more than one variable is defined on a single declaration, the name must be separated by commas. Each variable declaration must be terminated with a semi-colon. Variable names cannot be the same as a reserved word.

Note: Identifiers and Names in the script language are case-insensitive. Thus, abc is the same as ABC.

Global and local variables

Variables can be either global or local. A variable is global unless it is declared within a function definition. Global variables are visible and available to all statements in a script. Local variables are only visible and available within the function where they were defined. Although variable names and identifiers must be unique, it is valid to declare a local variable that has the same name as global, or the same name as a local variable defined in another function. Parameter names in a function definition are considered to be local variables. Data passed to a function is by value. A global variable passed to a function will not be changed by the function.


6.11.7.3. Operators and expressions

Expressions perform specific actions, based on an operator, with one or two operands. An operand can be a constant, a variable or a function result. Operators are arithmetic, logical, and relational. As with C, some operators vary in functionality according to the data type of the operands specified in the expression.

Arithmetic operators ( +, -, *, /, **, % )

Arithmetic operators perform mathematical operations such as addition and subtraction with operands. There are two types of mathematical operators: unary and binary. Unary operators perform an action with a single operand. Binary operators perform actions with two operands. In a complex expression, (two or more operands) the order of evaluation depends on precedence rules.

Unary arithmetic operators

Unary operators are arithmetic operators that perform an action on a single operand. The script language recognizes the unary operator negative (-).

The negative unary operator reverses the sign of an expression from positive to negative or vice-versa. The net effect is that of multiplying the number by -1. Example:

a = -10;

The Prefix operators increment or decrement the variable prior to dereferencing the object, while the Postfix operators increment or decrement the variable after referencing it. Example:

A=1; 
B = a++; // b will equal 1, a will equal 2; 
A = 1; 
B = ++a; // b will equal 2, a will equal 2; 
A= 1; 
B = a--; // b will equal 1, a will equal 0;

Binary arithmetic operators

Insert a space before and after an arithmetic operator. The binary arithmetic operators that are supported are listed below.

Binary Arithmetic Operators

Symbol Operation Example Description
+ Addition a + b Add the two operands
- Subtraction a - b Subtract the second operand from the first operand
* Multiplication a * b Multiply the two operands
/ Division a / b Divide the first operand by the second operand
** Power a ** b Raise the first operand by the power of the second operand
%

Modulo

a % b

Divide the first operand by the second operand and yield the remainder portion

Operator precedence

Expressions are normally evaluated left to right. Complex expressions are evaluated one at a time. The order in which the expressions are evaluated is determined by the precedence of the operators used. The standard C ordering is followed.

  1. negation (-) unary
  2. power
  3. multiplication, division and modulo
  4. addition and subtraction

If an expression contains two or more operators with the same precedence, the operator to the left is evaluated first. For example, 10 / 2 * 5 will be evaluated as (10 / 2) and the result multiplied by 5.

When a lower precedence operation should be processed first, it should be enclosed within parentheses. For example, 30 / 2 + 8. This is normally evaluated as 30 divided by 2 then 8 added to the result. If you want to divide by 2 + 8, it should be written as 30 / (2 + 8).

Parentheses can be nested within expressions. Innermost parenthetical expressions are evaluated first.

Assignment Operator (= )

Use the assignment operator (=) to copy a constant, literal, variable expression result, or function result to a variable. The script language does not support multiple assignments in a single statement (such as a=b=c=0). String lengths are defined based on the size of the string assigned to the variable and can change dynamically at runtime.

Logical Operators (AND, OR)

Logical operators allow the combining of more than one relational test in one comparison. Logical operators return a TRUE (1) or FALSE (0) value. Logical operators have a lower precedence than arithmetic operators.

Logical Operators

Symbol Operation Example Description
AND &&

AND

Expr1 $$ expr2

True if both expr1 and expr2 are true.

OR ||

OR

Expr1 OR expr2

True if either expr1 or expr2 are true.

Relational Operators

Relational operators are as follows:

Relational Operators

Symbol Operation Example Description
< Less than a < b True if a is less than b.
> Greater than a GT b True if a is greater than b.
== Equal a == b True if a is equal to b.
!= Not equal a NE b True if a is not equal to b.
<= Less than or equal a <= b True if a is less than or equal to b.
>= Greater than or equal a GE b True if a is greater than or equal to b.

Comparisons must be made on like data types.string to string, numbers to numbers. If the data types are different, a run time error will be raised.

String comparisons

Two strings are considered equal if they match character for character and are of the same length. Strings are compared character by character, left to right until all characters have been matched or one of the strings has been exhausted. If the end of one string is encountered before the end of the corresponding string, the strings are considered to be of unequal length and result in an unequal condition.

If any character in a string does not match the corresponding character in the other string, the comparison stops and the strings are considered not equal. Strings are case-sensitive. Examples:

Str1 = "abcdefg"; 
Str2 = "abcdefg"; 
Str3 = "abcdef"; 
Str4 = "ABCDEFG"; 
If (str1 == str2)... results in an equal/true conditions 
If (str1 == str3).... Results in a not equal condition 
because str3 is shorter than str1 
If (str1 == str4) ... Results in a not equal condition 
because the strings are of different case;

String Concatenation Operator (+)

The Plus(+) operator, when applied to strings, results in the concatenation of the two strings. Example:

Str1 = "abc"; 
Str2 = "def"; 
Str3 = str1 + str2; results in "abcdef"

6.11.7.4. Flow control statements

The script interpreter processes statements sequentially starting with the first statement of the program block. This sequential flow can be controlled with conditional statements that perform branching and iteration. Branching is controlled with an IF statement that directs execution along a given path. Iteration is controlled with loop statements that execute one or more statements repeatedly. Recursion is the process of a function calling itself either directly or indirectly through a second function.

Control statements are


IF/THEN/ELSE, WHILE/BREAK/CONTINUE, RETURN

IF statement

The IF statement allows conditional execution based on the evaluation of an expression. IF statements can be nested.

The syntax of the IF statement is:


IF (condition) true-statements [ ELSE false-statements] ;

If Statement

Part Description
IF The keyword to begin the control structure.
Condition A numeric or string expression that evaluates true (one) or false (zero).
True-statements Statement(s) performed when the condition is true.
ELSE (Optional) Keyword to begin the False control flow.
False-statements Statement(s) performed if the condition is false.

Multiple statements are permitted as part of the true-statements or false-statements. If multiple statements are to be executed, they must appear within a statement block embedded within braces { }. Example:

If (userid != "") setField(userid,1,5); 
If (userid != "") setField (userid,1,5) 
else 
errMsg("Userid must be specified"); 
If ( op == 5 ) 
{ setField(userid,1,5);   
sendKey("Enter"); 
} 
else  
if (op == 3)  
setField(pswd,2,5); 
else 
msgBox("unknown operation:); 
if (prompt("enter Name") == "") errMsg("Name must be specified");

For statement

The For statement allows iterative execution based on the evaluation of an expression. An initializer statement can be executed to establish initial conditions. A conditional expression is used to control the number of times the loop is executed. An update statement is issued each iteration through the loop.

The syntax of the For statement is :


FOR (initial-statement ; condition ; update-statement ) loop-statements ;

For Statement

Part Description
For The keyword to begin the loop control structure.
Initial-statement A statement to be executed prior to the loop.
Condition A numeric or string expression that evaluates true (one) or false (zero). A function that returns an integer result. The loop continues to execute while this condition is true.
Update-statement A statement that will be executed at the end of each iteration.
Loop-statements Statement(s) performed when the condition is true.

Multiple statements are permitted as part of the loop-statements. If multiple statements are to be executed, they must appear within a statement block embedded in braces { }. Example:

For ( i=0; i<3; i=I+1) waitforscreen(1000); 
For ( i=0; i<3; i=i+1) 
{    
sendString(userid);    
if (waitforstring ("Logon complete") > 0)    
{    
success = true;    
break;;    
} 
}

Return statement

Use the Return statement to return from a function or to end the main program block. Program execution resumes at the statement following the point at which a function was called, or exits the script if it is in the main program block. An optional value can be associated with the return statement.

A RETURN statement that is not within a function definition terminates the script.

Syntax:


RETURN [return-value];

Return Statement

Part Description
RETURN The keyword to pass control to the calling statements.
return-value An optional value to be returned to the caller. This can be a constant value, literal, or expression.

Example:

..... 
return 0;

While statement

The While statement executes a series of statements in a loop for as long as a condition is true.

Syntax:


WHILE (expression) statements;

While Statement

Part Description
While The keyword to begin the control structure.
Condition A numeric or string expression that evaluates true (one) or false (zero).
statements Statement(s) performed while the condition true.

Example:

cnt = 1;   
WHILE (cnt < 3)  
{   
a = a+1;  
cnt = cnt + 1; 
} 
// this will execute the loop 3 times 

Break statement

The Break statement causes control to exit a While loop regardless of the condition controlling the loop.

Syntax:


BREAK;

Example:

cnt= 1; 
WHILE (cnt < 3)  
{   
userid = prompt("Enter Userid");   
if (logon(userid) == 1) break;   
cnt = cnt + 1; 
}

Continue statement

The Continue statement causes the execution of the While loop to resume at the top, without executing the rest of the statements in the block.

Syntax:


Continue;

Example:

cnt= 1;      
WHILE (cnt < 3)       
{        
userid = prompt("Enter Userid");        
if (logon(prompt("Enter Userid")) != 1)        
{        
msgBox("Invalid Logon id");        
continue;        
};        
// do other logic....        
}


6.11.7.5. User-defined functions

User-defined functions make it possible to create structured scripts. User- defined functions must be declared at the beginning of a script. The FUNCTION keyword identifies the block of statements as a user-defined function.

The function declarations must follow a specific format:


return-type FUNCTION function-name (optional parameters) { optional local variables; statements...}

Part Description
Return-type The data-type of the return value of the function.
FUNCTION The keyword that identifies this as a user-defined function.
Function-name A unique name that identifies this function. Must follow the naming convention of Identifiers.
Optional parameters The named parameters (if any) that will be passed to this function. Enclosed in parentheses.
Optional local variables The declaration of any local variables that this function will use.
statements The Statement(s) that will be performed when the function is called.

The rules described in the "Constants and variables" topic apply to the parameters and local variables used in a function. Any optional parameter names are assumed to be local to a function. Other local variables that are unique to a function can be declared. The control flow of the statements in a function follow the same rules that apply to normal program statement blocks. A RETURN statement returns control to the point in the program where a function was called. A return value might be passed back as part of the return statement. Example:

int FUNCTION signonPanel(string arg1) 
{   
if ((findString(arg1) > 0) AND   
(findString("Sign On Panel") > 0) AND   
(findString("Userid") > 0) AND   
(findString("Password") > 0) )   
return 0;  
else  
return 1; 
}


6.11.7.6. Function calls

A function is a uniquely named set of statements that perform a certain task. A function can take a set of arguments to operate on and return a value as a result of the task it performed. Use a function's value in assignment statements, condition statements or as a program statement.

All functions, whether user-defined or built-in, are called in the same manner: enter the function name followed by the parameters to be passed to the function. Example:

signonPanel("OMEGAVIEW");
A function's value can be used in assignment statements, condition statements or as a program statement. Examples:

Result = signonPanel // an assignment   
("OMEGAVIEW");                                                      
If (signonPanel("OMEGAVIEW") == // in a conditional statement;  
1)  
SignonPanel("OMEGAVIEW"); // as a program statement


6.11.7.7. Built-in functions

The terminal script language has a set of built-in functions that can be used to manipulate data as well as to control the navigation through a terminal session. Because these functions are already defined internally, they do not have to be declared before using them. Simply type the name of the function.

The following sections describe the built-in functions and their parameters and return values.

Upper

Upper converts a string to upper case.

Parms

String to be converted

Return

Returns a new string, converted to uppercase. Follows the rules of the language in use.

Example:

Str = "abc"; 
Str2 = upper(str); // str2 will contain "ABC"

Lower

Lower converts a string to lower case.

Parms

String to be converted

Return

Returns a new string, converted to lowercase. Follows the rules of the language in use.

Example:

Str = "ABC"; 
Str2 = lower(str); // str2 will contain "abc"

Index

Index returns the position (index relative to one) of a substring within a String.

Parms

Target string - string to be searched

Return

Returns the position of the search string or zero if not found

Example:

Str = "abcdef"; 
Val = index(str,"def"); // val will contain 4

Length

Length returns the length of the string.

Parms

String to be inspected

Return

Returns a numeric value of the length of the string (in characters), or 0 if null string

Example:

Str = "abc"; 
Val = length(str); // val will be 3

Substring

Substring returns the portion of the string as specified by the offset and length. It can be abbreviated as Substr.

Parms

Target string - string to be searched

Starting offset - offset within the string to start the selection Length - length of the data desired

Return

Returns the string that represents the selection

Note: The length parameter is optional, and if not specified will assume the length up to the end of the target string. If the length exceeds the length of the target string, an error is raised.

Example:

Str = "abcdef"; 
Str2 = substring(str,3,3); // str2 will contain "def"  
Str3 = substr(str,1); // str3 will contain "bcdef"

Min

Min compares two numbers and returns the value equal to the lesser of the two numbers.

Parms

Number 1 - the first value to compare

Number 2 - the second value to compare

Return

Returns either Number 1 or Number 2 depending upon which is less

Example: Val1 = 10; Val2 = 20; Val3 = min(val1,val2); // val3 will contain 10;

Max

Max compares two numbers and returns the value equal to the greater of the two numbers.

Parms

Number 1 - the first value to compare

Number 2 - the second value to compare

Return

Returns either Number 1 or Number 2 depending upon which is greater

Example:

Val1 = 10; 
Val2 = 20; 
Val3 = max(val1,val2); // val3 will contain 20;

Prompt

Prompt allows the script to gather data from a user interactively by asking a user to enter data. This presents a window with message text and an edit field. It prompts you to enter data. You can either enter data and click OK or click Cancel to ignore the prompt.

Parms

MsgText - text of the message to be displayed in the window

PSWD - optional second parm. The keyword PSWD indicates that this is a password type field. The data entered by you does not display, but is represented by a series of asterisks(*) for each character typed.

Return

Returns the string value of the data entered. If you click Cancel, a null value will be returned. This is different from a null string.

Example:

Userid = prompt("Enter your userid") 
Pswd = prompt("Enter password","PSWD");

If you enter a value, it is placed in the variable userid. If you do not enter any data, and click OK, a null (zero length) string is returned.

If you click Cancel, a null pointer value is returned.

MsgBox

MsgBox displays a text message on the screen. A message severity type can be associated with the message. This causes the system-defined messageType icons to be displayed. You can control the type of buttons to appear with the OptionType parameter.

Parms

arg 1 = message string

arg 2 = msg type - a numeric value indicating the type of ICON to display

        0 = ERROR_MESSAGE;
        1 = INFORMATION_MESSAGE;
        2 = WARNING_MESSAGE;
        3 = QUESTION_MESSAGE;
       -1 = PLAIN_MESSAGE (Default)

arg 3 = optionType - a numeric value indicating the types of buttons

        0 = YES_NO buttons;
        1 = YES_NO_CANCEL buttons;
        2 = OK_CANCEL buttons;
       -1 = DEFAULT ok /cancel button(default);

@return = a numeric value representing the button that was pressed to dismiss the window

        0 = YES button or OK button;
        1 = NO button;
        2 = CANCEL button;
       -1 = CLOSED. The dialog was dismissed by closing
            the dialog window - no button was pressed.
       -2 = The message box was not responded to and the             timeout value was exceeded

Example:

msgBox("The system is running"); // this will display a plain message, 
with OK cancel button 
Val = msgBox("Invalid signon. Retry?",0,1); // this will present an 
Error type message, with the YES,NO,CANCEL buttons;

Note: Because the msgBox is waiting for user input, it could take a long time before the user responds. If it is running unattended, the user will never respond, and the script will stall. For this reason, there is a timeout value associated with this function. If the user does not respond within 10 minutes, the dialog is automatically dismissed and a value of -2 returned.

Sleep

Sleep suspends the execution for the time interval specified

Parms

Time interval1 - the number of milliseconds to wait

Return

Returns zero if successful; minus one if an error

Example:

Sleep(1000); // sleep for 1 second; 
Sleep(1000*60); // sleep for 1 minute

Note: The maximum amount of time permitted is 15 minutes (1000 * 60 * 15). If it is necessary to wait longer, multiple sleep() functions can be issued.

Note: The sleep is an Active wait. The actual internal value is a 1 second wait. The implementation uses a loop counter to issue the 1 second sleep. This prevents a stall condition and allows the script to be stopped.


6.11.7.8. Emulator functions

The emulator built-in functions perform actions related to the navigation and display of data in the terminal session. The session must be connected to a host in order for these functions to execute. If the session is not connected, the function will return with a default value of zero for numeric return values or a null string for string values. If the function fails, a negative one (-1) will be returned.

Locations on the screen are referenced by Row/Column or by buffer offset (relative 0). Thus, the top left position would be Row 1, Column 1 or Location 0. Functions that take a screen position accept either form. Screen locations (buffer offsets) yield different Row/Column values depending on the screen size. For example, if the terminal has 24 rows and 80 bytes, location 80 will be row 2, col 1. However, if it is a model 5, location 80 will be row 1, col 81.

Disconnect

Disconnects the current session from the host. The script terminates when the session disconnects.

Parms

None

Return

Returns 0 if success; -1 if an error

Example:

disconnect a ( ); // disconnects the current session 

FindString

Use FindSring to find the string specified anywhere on the screen.

Parms

Arg1 - string to search for

Return

Returns the location of the string, or -1 if the string was not found or the session gets disconnected

Example:

user = findString("Userid"); // find the string "Userid" and return its 
location if ((findString("OMEGAVIEW") > 0) // is this the correct screen?

GetCursor

GetCursor returns the current location of the cursor. This is the buffer offset.

Parms

None

Return

Returns the relative location of the cursor, or -1 if an error occurs or the terminal gets disconnected

Example:

Pos = getCursor(); // returns the cursor position

GetCursorCol

GetCursorCol returns the current column number of the cursor.

Parms

None

Return

Returns the integer value of the cursor column number, or -1 if an error occurs or the terminal is disconnected

Example:

Col = getCursorCol(); // get cursor column number 

GetCursorRow

GetCursorRow returns the current row number of the cursor.

Parms

None

Return

Returns the integer value of the cursor row number, or -1 if an error occurs or the terminal is disconnected

Example:

Row = getCursorRow(); // get cursor row number 

GetDefaultTimeout

GetDefaultTimeout returns the value of the WaitForScreen default Timeout.

Parms

None

Return

Returns the value of the WaitForScreen default Timeout in milliseconds

Example:

TimeoutValue = getDefaultTimeout(); 
// returns the cursor wait for screen timeout value 

GetField

GetField retrieves the string from the field pointed to by location. The number of characters is determined by the length of the field.

Parms

Position - the position of the field on the screen. This can be a ROW,COL or the relative location on the screen.

Return

Returns the string of characters from the field, or a null string if it is an invalid field position

Example:

Applid = getField(5,1); // get the data in the field at Row 5, column 1 
Applid = getField(80); // get the data from the field at 
location 80 - offset 80 (row 2 col 1 on a model 2)

Note: The location can be any valid location on the screen. The field containing that address is referenced. Protected or unprotected data can be retrieved. If the location is invalid, an error is generated and a null string is returned.

GetFontSize

GetFontSize gets the current Emulator screen font size.

Parms

None

Return

Returns an integer value of the Font point size

Example:

FontSize = getFontSize();// return the current Font size (in points)

GetProperty

GetProperty retrieves the value of a System Property.

Parms

PropertyName - the name of the system property to retrieve, enclosed in quotation marks

Return

Returns the value of the property, or null if not found

Example:

Applid = getProperty("APPLID") // get the data from the APPLID variable

GetString

GetString retrieves the string from the location on the screen. The number of characters is determined by the length parm.

Parms

Position - the position on the screen. This can be a ROW,COL or the relative location on the screen.

Length - number of characters to retrieve

Return

Returns the string of characters from the location

Example:

Applid = getString(5,1,16); // get 16 characters from screen 
location Row 5, column 1  Applid = getString(80,15); 
// get 15 characters from location 80 - offset 80 (row 2 col 1 on a model 2)

Note: The location can be any valid location on the screen, protected or unprotected. If the location is invalid, an error is generated and a null string is returned.

Hide

Hides the terminal screen. This sets the terminal frame to not visible. It is used when it is not desirable to show the actual screens that are being navigated. When the script ends, or the session is disconnected, the screen will be shown.

Parms

None

Return

Returns 0 if successful, or -1 if there is an error or the terminal gets disconnected

Example:

Hide(); // set the terminal window to not visible

Screencols

Screencols returns the number of columns on the screen. For a 3270 model 2 this would be 80.

Parms

None

Return

Returns the number of columns on the screen, or -1 if there is an error or the terminal gets disconnected

Example:

Cols = screenCols(); // returns the number of columns

Screenrows

Screenrows returns the number of rows on the screen. For a 3270 model 2 this would be 24.

Parms

None

Return

Returns the number of rows on the screen, or -1 if there is an error or the terminal gets disconnected

Example:

Rows = ScreenRows(); // returns the number of rows

SendKey

SendKey simulates pressing the corresponding AID key.

Parms

String representation of the key to send

Return

Returns 0 if successful, or -1 if there is an error or the terminal gets disconnected

Example:

SendKey ("Enter"); // sends the Enter key. Any modified 
data on the screen will be sent as part of the data stream.

The following values can be specified:

ENTER

Enter key. Sends the modified data, cursor location and the AID key.

RESET

Resets and unlocks the keyboard. No data is sent to the host.

CLEAR

Sends the CLEAR Aid key. Only the Aid key is sent.

SYS_REQ

Sends the System Request Aid.

ERASE_EOF

Clears the Unprotected fields from the current cursor location to the end of screen. No data is transmitted to the host.The fields are set to nulls.

ERASE_INPUT

Clears the current field to nulls.

FIELD_MARK

Transmits the FieldMark aid key.

HOME

Puts the cursor at the first unprotected field on the screen.

TAB

Places the cursor at the next unprotected field.

PA1, PA2, PA3

F1 through F24

The following special keys position the cursor:

HOME

Puts the cursor at the first unprotected field on the screen.

TAB

Places the cursor at the next unprotected field.

Note: The behavior and data that gets transmitted to the host are dependent on the actual key being sent. The Enter and the Function keys send any modified data fields, as well as the cursor location and the AID key. The other AID keys send only the AID key.

Sendstring

Sendstring sets the string at the current cursor location and sends the data with the Enter key.

Parms

String to be sent

Return

Returns 0 if successful, or -1 if there is an error or the terminal gets disconnected

Example:

Sendstring ("ctsoa"); // enters the string ctsoa at the 
current cursor location and sends the data with the Enter key

Setcursor

Setcursor positions the cursor on the terminal.

Parms

Screen position can be either of the following:

ROW,COL - the Row and Column to position the cursor Location - the relative location on the screen

Return

Returns the relative location of the cursor, or -1 if there is an error or the terminal gets disconnected

Example:

SetCursor(1,1); // sets the cursor to the top left position of the screen 
SetCursor(80); // sets the cursor to offset 80 (This would be row 2, 
col 1 on a 24x80 terminal)

SetDefaultTimeout

SetDefaultTimeout sets the default timeout.

Parms

New wait time, in milliseconds. For example, 1000 is a one second wait.

Return

Returns the previous value of the WaitForScreen Timeout valued

Example:

oldTimeoutValue = setDefaultTimeout(10000); 
// override the timeout to 10 seconds 

SetField

SetField places a string in the field containing the designated location The number of characters is determined by the length of the string.

Parms

String value - the string to be placed in the field

Position - a position on the screen that is part of a field.The position must be in an Unprotected field.This can be a ROW,COL or relative location on the screen.

Return

Returns 0 if successful, or -1 if there is an error.

Example:

SetField(applid,5,1); // put the string pointed to by applid 
at the field containing row 5,col 1 
SetField("ctsoa",80); // put the string ctsoa at the field 
containing offset 80 (row 2 col 1 on a model 2)

Note: If the location on the screen is not an Unprotected field, or if the length exceeds the size of the field, an error will be generated; no data will be placed.

SetFontSize

Sets a new font size.

Parms

The new font size, in points

Return

Returns the previous value of the font size

Example:

oldFontSize = setFontSize(16); // set the new Font size to 16 pt

Setstring

Setstring places a string at the designated location on the screen. The number of characters is determined by the length of the string.

Parms

String value - the string to be placed on the screen:

Position - the position on the screen. This can be a ROW,COL or relative location on the screen.

Return

Returns 0 if successful, or -1 if there is an error

Example:

SetString(applid,5,1); // put the string pointed to 
by the variable applid at row 5,col 1
SetString("ctsoa",80); // put the string ctsoa at 
offset 80 (row 2 col 1 on a model 2)

Note: If the location on the screen is not an Unprotected field, or if the length exceeds the size of the field, an error will be generated and no data will be placed.

Show

Shows the terminal screen. This sets the terminal frame to visible.

Parms

None

Return

Returns the relative location of the cursor, or -1 if there is an error or the terminal gets disconnected

Example:

Show(); // set the terminal window to visible

WaitforScreen

WaitForScreen waits for a screen of data to be received from the host.

Parms

arg 1 = Timeout value. This is the length of time to wait, in milliseconds.

If no data is received by this time, processing continues If no value is specified, a default of 15 minutes is assume

Return

Returns a numeric value specifying the result of the function:

0 = data was received

-1 = timeout. No data was received within the time specified

Example:

waitforscreen(); // wait until a screen is received 
(or 15 minutes has elapsed)
waitforscreen(15*1000) // wait for up to 15 seconds 

Note: Because the WaitforScreen is waiting for input, it could take a long time before a screen is received. If a stall has occurred and the system is not responding, the script will stall. For this reason, there is a timeout value associated with this function. If no data is received for 10 minutes, the wait is cancelled automatically and a value of -1 is returned.

WaitForString

WaitForString waits for a screen containing the specified data at the specified location to be received.

Parms

arg 1 = The string to wait for

arg2 = The row,column position of the data

arg3 = Timeout value. This is the length of time to wait, in milliseconds.

If no data is received by this time, processing will continue.

If no value is specified, a default of 15 minutes is assumed

Return

Returns a numeric value specifying the result of the function:

0 = data was received

-1 = timeout. No data was received within the time specified

Example:

Waitforstring("Userid",5,1); // wait until a screen is received 
that has the string "Userid" at row 5 col 1
Waitforstring ("Userid",5,1 1000*15) // wait for up to 15 seconds 

Note: Because the waitforstring is waiting for input, it could take a long time before a screen is received. If a stall has occurred and the system is not responding, the script will stall. For this reason, there is a timeout value associated with this function. If no data is received within 10 minutes, the wait will be cancelled automatically and a value of -1 will be returned.


6.11.7.9. Sample script

The following example shows a sample script for an Omegaview Zoom. It demonstrates the constructs of the scripting language through user-defined functions, local variables, flow control and built-in emulator functions.

/*
 Omegaview Zoom Emulator Script
  Copyright(c) !IBM Corporation 2002, 2005
*/
// ---------------------------------------
// Check for Signon Panel
// 0 = not found // 1 = found // ---------------------------------------
int FUNCTION signonPanel()
{
  if ((findString("OMEGAVIEW") > 0) AND
   (findString("Sign On Panel") > 0) AND
   (findString("Userid") > 0) AND
   (findString("Password") > 0) )
  return TRUE;
  else
  return FALSE;
}
 
// ---------------------------------------
// Check for Signon Error
//  return 0 if no error //            1 if the SignonError pop-up found // ---------------------------------------
int FUNCTION signonErrorpop-up()
{
  if ((findString("OMEGAVIEW") > 0) AND
       (findString("User access denied") > 0) )
  return TRUE;
 
  return FALSE;
}
 
// ---------------------------------------
// Goto Command Panel
// 0 = not found // 1 = found // ---------------------------------------
int FUNCTION gotoCommandPanel()
{
  rc = TRUE; // be optimistic
 
  if (findString(CMD_PANEL_ID) < 0)
  {
     sendkey(DEFHOTKEY_CODE);
     waitforScreen();
     if (findString(CMD_PANEL_ID) < 0)
         rc = FALSE; // not found  
  }
 
  return rc;
}
 
void FUNCTION displayError(int errCode)
{
  if (errCode == 4)
     msgBox("Application not available");
  else if(errCode == 8)
     msgBox("Application not available - no signon Panel");
  else if (errCode == 16)
     msgBox("Invalid Signon request");
  else if (errCode == 24)
     msgBox ("Internal Error - command Panel not found");
  else
     msgBox ("Unknown Error. rc = " + errCode);
}
// ---------------------------------------
// LOGON
//  @param - user userid
//  @param - pswd password //
//  @returns 0, success
//            4, no logo screen
//            8, no signon Panel
//          16, signon error //          24, no command Panel
 
 
int FUNCTION logon(string user,string pswd)
{
 rc = 0;
 if (user == null || user == "")
  return 1;
 
 sendkey("HOME");
 sendkey("TAB");sendkey("TAB");sendkey("TAB");
 sendstring("VGMVH"); // applid
 waitforscreen();
 waitforscreen(); // OV sends two screens (unlock)
 
 while (1)
 {
   if( findString("Press Enter to begin") < 0)
   {
     rc = 4;
     break;
   }
    // We have the Logo screen
   setCursor(1,1);
    sendkey("ENTER");
   waitforScreen();
 
   // Did we get the Signon Panel?
    if (signonPanel() == FALSE)
      {
       rc = 8; // no Logo
        break;
      }
 
    // do we have the F11 screen?
   if (findString("F11=CMW") < 0) // not found    {
   // go the 4th field and do the magic
   sendKey("HOME");sendKey("TAB");sendKey("TAB");sendKey("TAB");
   setString("MVPM");
   sendKey("TAB");
   setString("MVPM");
 
    }
    else
   {
     sendKey("F11");
     waitforScreen();
     setstring("MVPM");
     sendKey("F24");
     WaitForScreen();
   }
   // now continue the logon
   sendKey("HOME");
   setString(user);
   sendKey("TAB");
   setString(pswd);
   sendKey("ENTER");
   waitforScreen();
 
   // if an error...
   if (signonErrorpop-up() == TRUE)
   {
     sendkey("F12"); // clear the pop-up
     waitForScreen();
     sendkey("F3"); // end the session      waitForScreen();
     ;rc= 16; // signon error      break;
   }
   rc = gotoCommandPanel();
   if (rc != 1)
     {
       rc = 24;
       break;
     }
   rc=0;
   break;
 }
 
 
 // success
 return rc;
}
 
// Main Program starts here
 
CMD_PANEL_ID = "KMVPMMAI";
DEFHOTKEY_CODE = "PA2";
EDITKEY_TAG = "=Cancel";
DEF_EDITKEY_TAG= "F12";
 
// prompt for the userid and password // (can get this from system vars...)
userid = prompt("Enter UserID");
pswd = prompt("Enter Password","PSWD");
 
hide(); // don't show them the screen flicker
 
// perform the Logon
logon_complete = logon(userid,pswd);
 
if (logon_complete != 0)
{
  displayError(logon_complete);
  return;
}
 
// Logon was successful. So Zoom to the Omegamon
// (we're hard wire to IMS Workload // until system parm passing is supported)
//
Setstring("KMVPMZM1");
sendkey("TAB");
setString("imsdc.wrt");
sendKey("ENTER");
waitforScreen();
 
show(); // show the results (should be the Omegamon screen)
 
// we don't want to show the Omegaview Command Screen
// so when they dismiss the Omegamon zoom, we will disconnect
while (1)
{
  waitforScreen(20000);
  if (findString(CMD_PANEL_ID) >= 0)
   {
     sendKey(DEF_EDITKEY_TAG);
     waitforScreen();
     break;
   }
 }


Custom queries

In views that display monitored data, attribute values from managed systems are retrieved by queries to the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server. You can edit the queries used in the predefined workspaces for your monitoring products, or create new queries to populate new views. In addition, you can retrieve data from any JDBC- or ODBC-compliant database to display in a chart or table by writing an SQL SELECT statement.


7.1. Understand queries

Queries are made to the PureApplication System Monitoring Server to retrieve sampled attribute values from managed systems for display in workspace chart views, the table view and relational table-based topology views. There are benefits and limitations that you must be aware of when creating custom queries to the monitoring server or SQL queries to a JDBC- or ODBC-compliant data source.

Queries to the monitoring server

For queries written to the monitoring server, the Queries editor enables you to add a pre-filter, composed in the same way as a filter for a table or chart view in the Properties editor. Additionally, you can add a column function to average, count, total, or find the minimum or maximum value of a column grouping. The example below shows the PureApplication System Monitoring Server query Open Events Count - Managed System.

Local Timestamp Status Origin Node Situation Name Type
1
2 == Open == $NODE$
3 == 14,000
4 == 14,999

For most predefined queries, the specification shows == $NODE$ in the column that identifies the system (such as Server Name or Origin Node). The $NODE$ is a symbol that is replaced by the node name of the agent or agents associated with the Navigator item where the query is applied. This filter criteria is required to limit the retrieved data to only those agents associated with the Navigator item rather than all agents of that type.

You can clear the box below the column heading for any attribute you want to write a filter against, but which you do not want to retrieve. The example above has a filter written on the Status attribute to show only true situations (== Opened), although the attribute itself will not display in the view.

The query in the above example also shows the COUNT column function in the Type column. Although not shown in the query editor, the Situation Name was specified as the GROUP BY column (click Advanced). monitoring portal will keep count of the number of times an event is opened and show the total in the Type column.

Here is an example of the queries for Managed System attributes. If you apply the Current Managed Systems Status query to it, all attributes are retrieved; if you apply the Windows Systems Online or Windows Systems Offline query, only 4 attributes are retrieved. With either query you can use the Filters tab in the Properties editor to display fewer attributes.

Managed System Manage System Status Origin Node Name Product Version
Current Managed Systems Status == $AGENT$
Windows Systems Online =='*ONLINE' =='NT'
Windows Systems Offline =='*OFFLINE' =='NT'

To determine which queries to use, consider that every attribute you retrieve adds to the processing time and network traffic, as does every query. If possible, use the same query for more than one view in a workspace and create queries that eliminate unwanted attributes or values.

Your PureApplication System Monitoring Server predefined workspaces use queries to the monitoring server to retrieve attributes from agents. You can also create your own queries with only the attributes you want to see in the view. The attributes can be from one group only; you cannot mix attributes from different groups in the same query.

Queries to JDBC and ODBC data sources

The Query editor has a text editor where you can compose free-form SQL queries to any JDBC- or ODBC-compliant databases located on the system where the monitoring portal server is installed. This gives you the ability to integrate systems management data from monitoring agents with data from other sources, such as a third-party database, in one workspace.

Pre-filters compared with post-filters

Your monitoring product has queries for its attribute groups that send a request to the PureApplication System Monitoring Server for data from managed systems. With the Query editor, you can create your own queries to the monitoring server and add a pre-filter that is composed in the same way as a post-filter for a table, chart, or relational table based topology view. Additionally, you can add a column function to average, count, total, or find the minimum or maximum value of a column and group the results accordingly.

Advanced options

The Query editor has advanced options for sorting the view results, the attribute to group the rows by when a column function is used, and the number of rows to display from the beginning or end of the list of returned values (such as the top ten processes).


7.2. Queries to the monitoring server

Queries are made to the PureApplication System Monitoring Server to retrieve sampled attribute values from managed systems for display in workspace chart views, the table view and relational table-based topology views.


7.2.1. Create a query to the monitoring server

You can create a new query to the monitoring server. Use this method to create a query only if you know what symbols the are required by the query.

Although you can follow this method to add a new query to the monitoring server, use Create Another Query to ensure the query has the required symbol expression to reference the managed systems to include. Otherwise, no data is retrieved. Exception: When your product is upgraded to a new release with new attributes or attribute groups, the new attributes are not shown in the queries for that attribute group. And no new queries are shown for new attribute groups. If this exception applies, use this procedure to create a new query.

Your user ID must have permission for Modify Query and for Workspace Author Mode. If you do not see the Queries tool, your user ID does not have View or Modify Query permissions. If you can see the tool but it is disabled, your user ID does not have Workspace Author Mode permission. If you can open the Query editor but the tools are disabled, your user ID does not have Modify Query permission.


Procedure

  1. Complete one of the following steps to open the Query editor:

    • Click Queries.
    • In the title bar of the table or chart view where you would like to apply a new query, click Properties > Click here to assign a query.

  2. Click Create New Query.

  3. In the Name field, type a name of up to 32 letters, numbers, underscores ( _ ), and spaces; in the Description field, type a description to help users identify what the query does or what it is for, up to 256 characters and spaces. The Select attribute window opens.

  4. Select the Tivoli product name from the Category list, and click OK.

  5. Select the attribute group from the Group list, select the attributes to include from the Item list, and click OK. After selecting one attribute, you can use Ctrl+click to select multiple attributes or Shift+click to select all attributes from the first selection to this one, or click Select All.

  6. Add the same symbol expressions to the specification as those used in the predefined query for this attribute group. Usually, this symbol is the $NODE$ symbol in the column that identifies the computer: System Name, Server Name, Originnode or something similar. If you are not sure what the expressions are, click Apply, open a predefined query for the attribute group that includes a symbol expression. Make note of the column name and any symbol expressions used in the specification, return to your new query, and add the symbol expression to the appropriate column.
  7. Edit the specification for any changes you want to make:
    • Add an attribute to the query by clicking Add Attributes and selecting the attributes you want to include. The attributes available are from the group used in the original query.
    • Remove an attribute by right-clicking the column heading and clicking Delete. (You can also right-click a row and delete it.)
    • Include an attribute in the filter, but do not retrieve it by clearing that column.
    • Clear the filter criteria by right-clicking the cell, column, or row, and clicking Clear Contents.
    • Insert a row by right-clicking the row and clicking Insert.
    • Cut, copy, or paste by right-clicking the cell or row and clicking Cut, Copy, or Paste. When you paste, the contents of the clipboard overwrites the cell or row.
    • Add filter criteria by clicking in a cell and writing the expression.
    • Add a column function by clicking in the column heading and selecting a function from the list; then click Advanced and select the column to Group By.
    • Specify a sort order by clicking Advanced, and selecting the column to Sort By. Note that if you selected a Group By column, you cannot also specify a sort order.
    • Adjust column order by dragging a column heading and dropping at the insertion point.
    • Restrict the rows (data series) that show in the table view or bar chart to a specific number. Restrict the first rows retrieved from the monitoring agent or the most recent (last rows) by clicking Advanced, selecting First or Last, and specifying the the number or rows to retrieve.

  8. Optional. If you opened the Query editor from the view properties, you can change the list of managed systems the query will extract data from.

    1. Click the Query Results Source tab.
    2. Select Let user assign explicitly, then remove managed systems from the Assigned list and add them from the Available list.

    Regardless of the managed systems assigned to a query, a gauge chart can show data from only one managed system. If you are using the query in a workspace where multiple systems are applicable, such as at the Enterprise- or Platform level of the Navigator Physical view, the data shown is from the first managed system in the Assigned list.

  9. When you are finished, click Apply to save the query and keep the window open or click OK to save the query and close the window. If you opened the Query editor from the Properties window, clicking OK also selects the query for the current view.

Be aware of these limitations:

  1. The attributes in a query can be from one group only; you cannot mix attributes from different groups in the same query.
  2. Even if data collection has been started, you cannot use the time span feature if the query for the chart or table includes any column functions. If this is the case, you can select or create another query to enable Time Span.
  3. The Sort by advanced query function is incompatible with the historical reporting feature. The view will not be sorted even if you have specified a sort order in the query. Nonetheless, while a table view that specifies a time span is displayed in a workspace, you can still sort it by clicking a column heading.

    Similarly, the Sort by and Group by advanced query functions are unavailable for views that specify a time span within the last 24 hours, that is, views that draw from short-term history. (The first 24-hour retrieval from short-term history can be reduced or eliminated by adjusting the KFW_REPORT_TERM_BREAK_POINT value in the Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server environment file.)


7.2.2. Create another query to the monitoring server

Use this method to create PureApplication System Monitoring Server queries and to create queries similar to existing ones.

Your user ID must have permission for Modify Query and for Workspace Author Mode. If you do not see the Queries tool, your user ID does not have View or Modify Query permissions. If you can see the tool but it is disabled, your user ID does not have Workspace Author Mode permission. If you can open the Query editor but the tools are disabled, your user ID does not have Modify Query permission.

If your product has been upgraded to a new release, with new attributes or attribute groups added, and you see no new attributes in the query or queries for that attribute group or you see no query for a new attribute group, do not use these steps. Instead, use the procedure for creating a new query.


Procedure

  1. Complete one of the following steps to open the Query editor:

    • Click Queries.
    • In the title bar of the table or chart view where you would like to apply the new query, click Properties > Click here to assign a query.

  2. Click to expand the Monitor agents and attribute group folders to see the queries.

  3. Find a query similar to the one you want, select the query and click Create Another Query.

  4. In the Name field, type a name of up to 32 letters, numbers, underscores (_) and spaces, then click OK. A duplicate of the original query is displayed with the name you entered.

  5. In the Description field, type a new description.

  6. Edit the specification for any changes you want to make:
    • Add an attribute to the query by clicking Add Attributes and selecting the attributes you want to include. The attributes available are from the group used in the original query.
    • Remove an attribute by right-clicking the column heading and clicking Delete. (You can also right-click a row and delete it.)
    • Include an attribute in the filter, but do not retrieve it by clearing that column.
    • Clear the filter criteria by right-clicking the cell, column, or row, and clicking Clear Contents.
    • Insert a row by right-clicking the row and clicking Insert.
    • Cut, copy, or paste by right-clicking the cell or row and clicking Cut, Copy, or Paste. When you paste, the contents of the clipboard overwrites the cell or row.
    • Add filter criteria by clicking in a cell and writing the expression.
    • Add a column function by clicking in the column heading and selecting a function from the list; then click Advanced and select the column to Group By.
    • Specify a sort order by clicking Advanced, and selecting the column to Sort By. Note that if you selected a Group By column, you cannot also specify a sort order.
    • Adjust column order by dragging a column heading and dropping at the insertion point.
    • Restrict the rows (data series) that show in the table view or bar chart to a specific number. Restrict the first rows retrieved from the monitoring agent or the most recent (last rows) by clicking Advanced, selecting First or Last, and specifying the the number or rows to retrieve.

  7. Optional. If you opened the Query editor from the view properties, you can change the list of managed systems the query will extract data from.

    1. Click the Query Results Source tab.
    2. Select Let user assign explicitly, then remove managed systems from the Assigned list and add them from the Available list.

    Regardless of the managed systems assigned to a query, a gauge chart can show data from only one managed system. If you are using the query in a workspace where multiple systems are applicable, such as at the Enterprise- or Platform level of the Navigator Physical view, the data shown is from the first managed system in the Assigned list.

  8. When you are finished, click Apply to save the query and keep the window open or click OK to save the query and close the window. If you opened the Query editor from the Properties window, clicking OK also selects the query for the current view.


7.2.3. Add symbols in queries to the monitoring server

Most predefined queries include a == $NODE$ (or similar) variable expression that identifies the managed systems. The $NODE$ symbol resolves to the node name of each agent associated with the Navigator item and serves to limit the retrieved data to those agents rather than all agents of that type in your enterprise. You can also add your own symbols (variables) to a query to provide more customization options in the Link Wizard. To check for or to add a symbol to a query, complete the following steps:


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace to which you plan to link (the target, or link to, workspace).

  2. Right-click the table or chart. This view has a key field you want to reference in the link definition. Typically, it is the view that will show details for an attribute from the row where you launched the link.

  3. Click Properties > Click here to assign a query.

  4. In the Query editor, review the query specification to see that it has a symbol defined for the attribute on which you want to build the custom link. Symbols are surrounded by dollar signs ($) .

  5. If the attribute has no symbol, create your own by typing $mysymbol$ in the first cell in that column, where mysymbol is a one-word name. If the query already has a symbol (or symbols) defined, such as $WTPROCESS.IDPROCESS$, be sure to add your symbol to the same row of the specification to create an AND expression.

    You can create a symbol for any column whose value can be used to restrict the number of rows returned. If the symbol resolves to a non-null value, a restricting where clause is added; if not, it is skipped.

  6. Click OK to save your changes to the query and close the window.

  7. Repeat these steps for any other views whose query you want to check.

When you are finished, you can open the source workspace for the link and start the Link Wizard from the chart or table row. The symbol you added is displayed in the list of symbols available for the query.


7.3. Queries to a database

The Query editor has a text editor where you can compose free-form SQL queries to any JDBC- or ODBC-compliant databases located on the system where the monitoring portal server is installed.


7.3.1. Create a query to a JDBC or ODBC database

The Query editor has a text editor for composing free-form SQL statements to any JDBC- or ODBC-compliant database located on the computer where the monitoring portal server is installed. Your user ID must have Modify Query permission for this function. If you do not see the Queries tool, your user ID does not have View or Modify Query permissions; if you can open the Query editor but the tools are disabled, your user ID does not have Modify Query permission. Use this task to create a new query of JDBC or ODBC attributes, thus enabling you to integrate systems management data from monitoring agents with data from other sources in one workspace.


Procedure

  1. Do either of the following actions to open the Query editor:

    • Click Query editor in the main toolbar.
    • In the title bar of the view where you want to apply the new query, click Properties > Click here to assign a query.

  2. Click Create New Query.

  3. In the Name field, type a name of up to 32 letters, numbers, underscores (_) and spaces and, optionally, in the Description field, type a description of up to 256 characters and spaces.

  4. From the Category list, select the folder where you want the new query to appear in the Queries tree.

  5. Select a JDBC or ODBC database in the Data Sources list. Custom SQL is selected for you. If you do not see the database for which you want to create the query, it must be added through Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services.

  6. Click OK. The new query is displayed in the Queries tree under Folder (where Folder is the Category you selected) in the Custom_SQL folder. The Specification tab opens with a Custom SQL text box for you to enter SQL commands.

  7. Write an SQL SELECT statement in the text box using the correct syntax. You must be familiar with SQL commands and syntax to write a valid SQL query.

  8. When you are finished writing the SQL statement, click Apply to save the query and keep the window open; or click OK to save the query and close the window.

If the view remains empty after you assign the query, the query has not been entered correctly. Review the notes for JDBC or ODBC database queries and return to the Query editor to edit the SELECT statement as needed.


7.3.2. Notes on queries to a JDBC or ODBC database

Consult these notes about SQL statements written to a JDBC or ODBC database to ensure data is returned successfully.

Date and time format varies among databases

You must know the format and write the appropriate SQL code against it when selecting by date. Otherwise, the statement might be not be valid for the database to which the request is directed.

Database user IDs

Anyone with permission to create custom queries has access to all the JDBC and ODBC DSNs (Data Source Names) that were created on the same computer as the monitoring portal server. Add database user IDs (to be used in the DSN) to your database software to restrict user access to only those tables, columns, and so on, allowed by your organization's security policies.

Symbolic variables

If you included a symbol in the statement, you are prompted to enter a value for the symbol when you apply the query to a table or chart view. The value you enter filters the data that is displayed in the view, but is temporary and cannot be saved with the workspace.

Column functions in a statement that has a JOIN

When a custom SQL statement contains a JOIN command, the monitoring portal does not set the table name property in the request sent to the monitoring portal server. Normally, the portal server determines the table name from the result set returned from the database. However, when a column function (such as COUNT, MAX, or MIN) is used on one of the columns in the request, the result set meta data does not provide a table name for that column. With no table name, the portal client treats the column as a text attribute, which means that it cannot be rendered in a chart view.

To ensure that the column data type is set correctly, provide an alias for any column in the SELECT statement that uses a column function. The alias must be in the form table.column. The table and column values can be arbitrary strings, and do not need to match the actual table or column name in the database. The value supplied for column is the column heading. In the attribute selection dialog, the value for table is the attribute group, and the value for column is the attribute item.

In the Before sample, the data returned from the statement renders properly in a table view but cannot be selected in the Properties editor Filters tab for any chart views because the returned values are read as text attributes. The After sample shows how the statement was edited to create an alias to explicitly state the table name for TYPE and COUNT.

Before

SELECT COUNT(column1) item_count 
FROM table1 
LEFT OUTER JOIN table2 ON table1.column1 = table2.column1

After

SELECT COUNT(column1) "my_group.item_count" 
FROM table1 
LEFT OUTER JOIN table2 ON table1.column1 = table2.column1


7.3.3. Create another query to a JDBC or ODBC database

If you want to create a query that is similar to an existing one, you can copy the original and edit the new query. To create another query to an ODBC database:


Procedure

  1. Do one of the following to open Query editor:

    • Click Queries.
    • In the title bar of the table or chart view where you would like to apply the new query, click Properties > Click here to assign a query.

  2. Click to expand the PureApplication System Monitoring Agents and attribute group folders to see the queries.

  3. Find a query similar to the one you want, select the query and click Create Another Query.

  4. In the Name field, type a name of up to 32 letters, numbers, underscores (_) and spaces, then click OK. A duplicate of the original query is displayed with the name you entered.

  5. In the Description field, type a new description.

  6. Edit the specification for any changes you want to make to the SELECT statement.

  7. When you are done, click Apply to save the query and keep the window open; -OR- click OK to save the query and close the window.


7.3.4. Symbols in creating queries to JDBC or ODBC data sources

You can use symbols (variables) in custom SQL queries to JDBC- or ODBC-compliant data sources. The reason you would add a symbol to a custom SQL query is to build a filtered link (using the Link Wizard) to the workspace with a table or chart that uses this query. For example, if you are building a link based on the data source attribute for system name, the symbol might be $myhostname$.

When you apply the query to a table or chart, you will be prompted to enter a value for the variable as soon as you click Apply or OK. The value filters the data that will show in the view, but is temporary and cannot be saved with the workspace.


7.3.5. Add a database to the Data Source list

The Data Source area of the Create Query window lists the databases available for a query. The databases that are shown are read from the database server on the system where the Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server was installed. If you do not see the database for which you want to write a query in the list, you must add it through Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services. You can also use the tacmd configurePortalServer to complete this task. See the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Command Reference for more information.

Restriction: The ODBC interface is not supported on Linux and UNIX. Because of this limitation, the CONNECTION_TYPE=DB2 is used.

To add a database to the Data Source list on Windows:


Procedure

  1. On the computer where the monitoring portal server is installed, click Start > Programs > PureApplication System Monitoring Server > Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services.

  2. Right-click the monitoring portal server name and click Advanced > Edit ENV File.

  3. Find the section entitled KFW_ODBC_*.

  4. Delete the # remark symbol at the beginning of the DSUSER1 entry.

  5. Edit the DSUSER1 entry for your data set name, username and password:

    DSUSER1=.DSN=myODBC;UID=mUsername;PWD=myPassword.
    
    where

    • DSN is the ODBC data source name as it is displayed in the database server.
    • UID is the user ID for accessing the database.
    • PWD, if used, is the password for the user ID.

    Each property is a key=value pair and is separated by a semi-colon (;).
    Other key=value pairs can be added such as: CONNECTION_TYPE, CONNECTION_LIMIT, KFWJDBCDRIVER, and KFWDSURL.
    The information provided for the entry creates your datasource connection string.

  6. Continue to add new lines for other data sources, from DSUSER2 up to DSUSER9.

  7. Close the text editor and answer Yes to the prompt to recycle the portal server.

    Note: The database you want to reference must be in the ODBC Data Source registry on the Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server. If it is not, consult your Windows system administrator.

  8. Recycle the portal server.


7.4. Edit a query

You can edit any of the queries you have created for the monitoring server or for an ODBC-compliant database. You might want to modify a query to add a filter that keeps unnecessary data from cluttering the view and slowing the return of data, for example.

Your user ID must have permission for Modify Query and for Workspace Author Mode. If you do not see the Queries tool, your user ID does not have View or Modify Query permissions. If you can see the tool but it is disabled, your user ID does not have Workspace Author Mode permission. If you can open the Query editor but the tools are disabled, your user ID does not have Modify Query permission.


Procedure

  1. Complete one of the following steps to open the Query editor:

    • Click Query Editor.
    • In the view whose query you want to edit, click Edit Properties.
    • Click Properties and select the view from the Properties tree.

  2. Expand the PureApplication System Monitoring Agents and attribute group folders to see the queries.

  3. Select the Query to edit. The query specification is displayed in the right frame.

  4. Edit the specification for any changes you want to make.
    • For monitoring server queries:

      Add an attribute to the query

      Click Add Attributes and select the attributes to include. The attributes available are from the group used in the original query.

      Remove an attribute

      Right-click the column heading and click Delete. You can also right-click a row and delete it.

      Include an attribute in the filter but not retrieve the value

      Clear the check box for that column.

      Delete the filter criteria

      Right-click the cell, column, or row and click Clear Contents.

      Insert a row

      Right-click a row and click Insert.

      Cut, copy, or paste

      Right-click the cell or row and click Cut, Copy, or Paste. When you paste, the contents of the clipboard overwrites the cell or row.

      Add filter criteria

      Click in a cell and write the expression.

      Reorder the columns

      Drag a column heading and drop it at the insertion point. Views that use this query are displayed with this column order. Users can drag columns in the workspace view to rearrange them and, if the workspace is saved the new order becomes permanent until another query is applied to the view or the columns reordered and the workspace is saved again.

      Specify a sort order

      Click Advanced and select the Sort By column from the list. Note that if you selected a Group By column, you cannot also specify a sort order.

      If your environment has multiple monitoring servers, the sorting is done independently at each monitoring server and then returned to the portal without resorting the merged values. You can sort the rows returned after they are displayed in the view.

      Specify the first or last n rows to return

      Click Advanced, select First or Last, then use the spin control to adjust the number of rows to retrieve or type the number directly into the text box.

      This is the number of rows to retrieve from each PureApplication System Monitoring Server in your monitored environment. For example, if your environment has a hub monitoring server with one remote monitoring server and you select the last 5 rows, the view shows 10 rows of data: 5 from the hub and 5 from the remote. The data is sorted for each server individually. In table views, you can click a column heading to sort the results from all servers.

      Apply a group function

      Click Formula in the column heading and select from the list of available group functions. The icon in the column heading changes to the icon for the chosen function:

      Minimum in group
      Maximum in group
      Count of group members
      Sum of group
      Average of group
      Click Advanced and select the Group By column from the list.

    • For ODBC queries, edit the SELECT statement.

  5. Optional. If you opened the Query editor from the view properties, you can change the list of managed systems the query will extract data from.

    1. Click the Query Results Source tab.
    2. Select Let user assign explicitly, then remove managed systems from the Assigned list and add them from the Available list.

    Regardless of the managed systems assigned to a query, a gauge chart can show data from only one managed system. If you are using the query in a workspace where multiple systems are applicable, such as at the Enterprise- or Platform level of the Navigator Physical view, the data shown is from the first managed system in the Assigned list.

  6. When you are finished, click Apply to save the query and keep the window open or click OK to save the query and close the window. If you opened the Query editor from the Properties window, clicking OK also selects the query for the current view.


7.5. Delete a query

When you no longer need a query for any purpose, you can clean up the Query editor tree by deleting it. If you do not see the Queries tool, your user ID does not have View or Modify Query permissions. If you can open the Query editor but the tools are disabled, your user ID does not have Modify Query permission.


Procedure

  1. Do one of the following to open the Query editor:

    • Click Query Editor.
    • In the view whose query you want to delete, click Properties.
    • Click Properties and select the view from the Properties tree.

  2. Select the Query name in the tree. The query specification is displayed in the right frame.

  3. Click Delete Query. If the Delete Query tool is disabled, your user ID does not have Modify Query permission.

    If a Navigator item is associated with a query, you will not be able to delete the query.

    Note: If you delete a query that is being used by a view, the view is no longer associated with a query and contains no data when you next open its workspace.

  4. Click OK to confirm.


7.6. PureApplication System Monitoring Server predefined queries

PureApplication System Monitoring Server is shipped with a set of predefined queries that you can apply to a table or chart view. This topic describes the queries delivered as part of the Tivoli Management Services infrastructure. The PureApplication System Monitoring Server queries are available for every item in the Navigator.

Expand the Monitor Server branch of the Queries tree to see these query groups:

Agent Operations Log

This log and the EIB Change Log are good diagnostic tools to use when problems arise such as a true situation that is not raising an alert as expected. They also provide information that can help in planning optimization strategies.

Agent Operations Log provides information about situation and connectivity messages that occur on the managed system associated with the Navigator physical view item or the link source. It is useful for diagnostic research with IBM Support.

Catalog Check

The Catalog Check queries compare the application catalogs of the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server with those of the remote monitoring servers and report any discrepancies. These queries are used in the Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers workspaces:

Compare Enterprise Catalogs

Compare TEMS Catalogs

Custom SQL

The custom SQL (Structured Query Language) queries provide information that the portal server (TEPS) database gathers from the hub Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server. These queries are for the Situation Event Results workspace and the Self-Monitoring Topology workspace.

EIB Change Log

The Enterprise Information Base log, like the Agent Operations log, is stored on the hub monitoring server.

EIB Change Log provides information about changes to Enterprise Information Base objects such as situations. It is useful mainly for diagnostic research with IBM Support. This is an ODBC query of the EIB Change Log attributes.

ITM Audit Log

The ITM Audit Log query is stored on the hub monitoring server.

ITM Audit Log provides information on critical state-changing events in the monitoring environment.

Managed System

The Managed Systems queries are used to check vital heartbeat information from the monitoring server and monitoring agents.

Current Managed Systems Status, when applied to a table view, displays all the Managed Systems attributes. It displays such information as the agent product code and the host name and IP address of the managed system. The Enterprise Navigator item has a Managed System Status workspace that uses this query. A threshold was applied to the Status column that highlights any offline managed systems.

ITV Managed System Count is a count of the managed systems reporting to each monitoring server.

Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Servers

Windows Systems Online lists the Windows OS managed systems that are online. Other OS agents have similar queries.

Windows Systems Offline lists the Windows OS managed systems that are unavailable. Other OS agents have similar queries.

Situation Definition

Situation Definition uses the Situation Definition attributes to retrieve information that describe every aspect of the situations defined to this hub monitoring server.

Situation State Events

The Situation State Events queries collect status information on situation events.

Events by Owner Using ID

Selected Event Using ID

Similar Events by Situation Name lists all the events for the same situation. Such events would occur when the situation is true on more than one managed system or the situation is true on the same managed system more than once (a display item was defined in the Advanced Situation options window). You can see table views that use this query: From the Enterprise Status workspace, right-click the link anchor for an acknowledgement in the My Acknowledged Events view, and click Event Details - Similar by Situation Name.

Similar Events by Source lists all the events from the same managed system as the event you are viewing. You can see table views that use this query: From the Enterprise Status workspace, right-click the link anchor for an acknowledgement in the My Acknowledged Events view, and click Event Details - Similar by Source.

Similar Events by Resource lists all the events for situations that were defined with the same attribute group as the one used for this situation. You can see table views that use this query: From the Enterprise Status workspace, right-click the link anchor for an acknowledgement in the My Acknowledged Events view, and click Event Details - Similar by Resource.

Events by Owner Using Name returns all the events by owner.

Selected Event Using Name returns all events by their short name.

Similar Events by Situation Display Name return all events by their full name.

Similar Events by Source using Situation Display Name

Similar Events by Resource using Situation Display Name

Situation Status

Situation Status Detail

Situation Status Summary

Situation Status Current

These queries use the Active Situation Status attributes to display status information on situations and policies that are running.

Alternate Current Situation Status is an alternate query for message log initialization.

Current Active Situation Status Using ID

Pure Event Occurrences Using ID displays the situations with pure events opened when applied to a table view.

Current Active Situation Status Using Name

Pure Event Occurrences Using Name displays the situations with pure events opened when applied to a table view.

Situation Status Log

These queries use the Situation Status attributes to display status information on started situations and policies.

Open Events Count Using ID - Enterprise shows the every open event on the Enterprise and the number of intervals the situation has been true since it was started.

Open Events Count Using ID - Managed System shows the every open event on the managed system and the number of intervals the situation has been true since it was started.

Situation Status Log shows the status of the situations on this managed system. It is similar to the message log view.

Open Events Count Using Name - Enterprise shows the every open event on the Enterprise and the number of intervals the situation has been true since it was started.

Open Events Count Using Name - Managed System shows the every open event on the managed system and the number of intervals the situation has been true since it was started.


Historical reporting

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal provides historical data collection and reporting capabilities. If historical data collection has been configured and started for an attribute group on the managed systems specified, you can set a time span for retrieving historical data into a query-based view.


8.1. Overview of historical data collection and reporting

Use historical data collection and reporting to gather useful metrics about your managed network. You can also use historical data with the chart baselining tools for predictive analysis and in situation modeling for key performance indicators.

How historical data collection and reporting works

After historical data collection has been configured and started, data samples are collected and saved in history files at either the monitoring agent or the monitoring server for the short term. The data is stored in tables, one for each attribute group for which data is being collected. If the Tivoli data warehousing facility has been set up, you can move the data to a relational database for longer term storage.

The History Collection Configuration window enables you to configure historical data collection for individual attribute groups and specify from which managed systems to collect, how frequently to collect the data, where to store it for the short-term, and whether to save data long-term to a data warehouse. You can create multiple historical collections for an attribute group, each with different collection settings and managed system distributions, and you can write filtering formulas to collect only the data samples that meet the filter criteria.

The Object Group editor enables you to combine historical data collections into groups and assign managed systems. With historical collection groups you can easily turn on and turn off historical data collection at specific managed systems or groups of managed systems by changing the distribution.

View historical data

After data collection has been configured and started for an attribute group, historical data for that group can be retrieved and displayed in query-based views (chart views, table view, and the topology view).

You know that historical data collection has been enabled for the attributes in a view when you can see Time Span in the view's toolbar. The view shows current data samplings unless you use this tool to specify a broader time period. The first 24 hours of collected data is retrieved from the short-term history files; beyond 24 hours, the data is pulled from the data warehouse.

Historical data is valuable for use in chart baselining and situation modeling. Applying historical data to chart baselines and situation modeling enables you to perform predictive analysis and fine tune situations.

Requests that return large amounts of data can negatively affect the performance of monitoring servers, monitoring agents, and your network. For attributes or views that return considerable amounts of data, try to limit the time span to as short a period as will provide the required information.

Be aware that if this is a newly configured historical data collection, you will see the historical data samples that have been collected and no more. For example, if you created a historical collection and assigned it to a historical collection group an hour ago, you will see only the last 1 hour in the chart or table view even if you selected, say, the last 8 hours.

Historical navigation mode

The Set historical navigation mode tool at the end of the main toolbar is for a different purpose: It enables you to set a time span that is synchronized so that you can see the same time range in workspaces as you move among them, and compare those values.


8.3. Discontinuing historical reporting

For views that have a time span set to show data samplings over a range of time, you can remove the time span and display real-time data only.

To change the view to show current data samplings, perform the following steps:


Procedure

  1. Open the workspace with the view from which you want to remove historical reporting.
  2. Click Time Span in the view's toolbar.
  3. Select Real time.
  4. Click OK.

If this is a table view, the leftmost time stamp column is no longer displayed. The view now shows data from the current sampling only. The exception is views of attribute groups that are normally historical, such as the Situation Status and the Event Log: When Real time is selected, attribute groups show all data they have collected, up to 2000 of the most recent entries.


8.4. Turn on historical navigation mode

Use historical navigation mode to synchronize workspaces and retain the same time period as you switch from one workspace to another. Whenever you open a workspace, the latest values are retrieved to the query-based views. Open or link to another workspace and the data is retrieved at a different time. For performance analysis, you can specify a time span to use for the workspaces that get opened. Historical navigation mode is easily started and stopped, and you can adjust the time span. Follow these steps to start historical navigation mode.


Procedure

  1. Do either of the following:
    • Click Set historical navigation mode at the end of the main toolbar.
    • Click Select time span in the view toolbar. The time span tool shows for views of attribute groups that historical data collection has been configured for and started or that are historical in nature.

  2. Set the time span.

  3. Select Lock time span for Historical Navigation.

  4. If you want to base the time span on the Hub monitoring server's clock and time zone, select Use Hub time.

  5. Click OK. From now on, workspaces that are opened will display data according to the time span settings, as indicated by the appearance of the Reset historical navigation mode tool. The status bar also shows an indicator of the time span.

  6. When you are ready to deactivate historical navigation mode, click Reset historical navigation mode, then clear Lock time span for Historical Navigation.

Not all workspace views are able to display a time span or the range that you have specified. In this case, no values are displayed and a message in the view's status bar says that the query assigned to the view does not support a historical time range. It is likely that historical data collection has not been configured for the attribute group shown in the view or there is no historical data to report. Exit historical navigation mode to remove this message. To see historical data in this view, you must first configure historical data collection for the attribute group referenced by the query, then start collection and wait a sufficient period of time for historical data to be gathered before displaying the view again.


8.5. Historical collection configuration

To make historical data available for reporting in workspace views, you must configure and start historical data collection for the appropriate products and attribute groups. This is done through the History Collection Configuration window.


8.5.1. Understand historical configuration

It is necessary to configure historical data collection for attribute groups and distribute to managed systems before users can see historical data in the monitoring portal. Read this topic to understand the configuration settings and their implications.

Configure historical data collection first

Customization of the monitoring portal is best begun with configuring historical data collection. Until then, no historical data is available for the predefined historical workspaces that your product might offer, for situation modeling, or for chart baselining, all of which enable you to perform in-depth analysis and health assessments of your managed environment.

Distribute to Managed System (Agent) or Managing System (TEMS)

In a historical collection, the first decision made regarding distribution is the method:

Managed System (Agent) is the default method and requires that any managed system in the distribution connect to a Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server Version 6.2.2 or later. The distribution goes to a subset of managed systems: the managed systems of that agent type that are assigned individually or as part of a managed system group. Alternatively, you can choose to assign managed systems for distribution to a historical configuration group that the collection belongs to.

Historical configuration groups provide a way to group historical collections that have the same distribution requirements. The managed system distribution list can be assigned for the group rather than to each collection individually.

Manage System (TEMS) is the method that was used for distribution in PureApplication System Monitoring Server Version 6.2.1 and earlier; it is the required method for distribution if the managed system connects to a V6.2.1 or earlier monitoring server. The distribution is to managed systems of that agent type that are connected to the PureApplication System Monitoring Server. If the Managing System (TEMS) method has been chosen for a collection definition, that collection becomes ineligible for membership in a historical configuration group.

Upgraded historical configuration from an earlier version

If you have upgraded to Tivoli Management Services Version 6.2.2 (or later) from a release prior to Version 6.2.2, you get a historical collection definition for each attribute group that was configured and the distribution method is unchanged: Managing System (TEMS). If you would like to use the distribution techniques that are available when distribution is by managed system, change the distribution method for each collection definition to Managed System (Agent). (See the link to "Changing the distribution method" at the end of this topic.)

Managed System distribution through the historical collection or through the historical configuration group

You can assign a managed system (or managed system group or both) to the individual historical collection definition, a historical configuration group or to a managed system group that is assigned to the collection or historical group.

As a best practice, develop a way to organize managed system distribution for historical data collection. It is possible for a managed system to be referenced more than once for the same historical collection definition. For example, the managed system might be have been assigned in the Distribution tab for the collection definition and the collection is a member of a historical configuration group that also has that managed system assigned. You need not be concerned with data being collected multiple times on that managed system for this collection definition, but be aware that if you intend to stop data collection on that managed system by removing it (or a managed system group it belongs to) from the distribution, data collection will continue to occur. This will go on until the managed system is removed from all group distributions that the collection is a member of.

Distributing a historical collection to a new managed system

After a new managed system is added to your managed environment, data collection begins immediately if the new managed system is assigned to a managed system group that a collection definition is distributed to or if the data collection method is to Managing System (TEMS) and the new managed system connects to the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server that was specified.

For example, a new Linux managed system is automatically assigned to the *LZ_SYSTEM predefined managed system group. If the historical collection is distributed to *LZ_SYSTEM, then historical data collection begins on the new managed system. Otherwise, you must add the new managed system to the historical collection distribution directly, to a managed system group that the collection is distributed to, or to the distribution of a historical configuration group that the historical collection is a member of.

Effect of editing a managed system group on the historical collection

When a managed system group gets updated, which is typically when a constituent managed system is removed or a managed system is added, any historical collection that includes that group is redistributed to all managed systems in the group and collection is restarted.

The redistribution and restarting of data collection can result in some gaps in the data if the collection interval is frequent, because collection is aligned with time boundaries. For example, if the collection interval is 15 minutes and collection was started at 3:16, the first sampling is at 3:30; or if the last collection was at 4:15 and an update to the managed system group causes the 4:30 collection to be missed, the next data collection takes place at 4:45.

Multiple collection definitions for the same attribute group

You can create another copy of a collection definition for an attribute group, then configure the copy for different values for any of these criteria: collection interval, warehouse interval, managed system distribution, or attribute filtering. What remains the same for every historical collection defined for an attribute group, however, is the Collection Location (TEMA or TEMS) and the settings for Summarization and Pruning.

To illustrate some of the possibilities, here is an example of three collection definitions for the Process attribute group:

  • Process transaction servers has a 1-minute collection interval, a 1-hour warehousing interval, and is distributed to a few critical servers.

  • Process database servers has a 15-minute collection interval, data warehousing every 12 hours, and is distributed to database servers.

  • Process staff systems has a 1-hour collection interval, data warehousing every 24 hours, and is distributed to a general use group of managed systems.

The original and the two copied collection definitions have their short-term history files saved at the same place (TEMA or TEMS) and follow the same summarization and pruning schedule.

As stated earlier, it is important for you to develop a way to organize how managed systems are assigned to historical distributions. When you Create another collection, the managed system distribution from the original collection definition is not copied from the original collection. This is to help ensure that you do not assign the same managed systems to other collection definitions for the attribute group. If you do, historical data samples will be taken for each collection definition, a symptom of which is the occurrence of duplicate rows in a table view. Group functions, such as averages, will have skewed results also. If this happens, use the CLI tacmd histListCollections to list the historical collection distributions, then remove the managed system reference from all but one of the collections for the attribute group.

Historical attribute groups

Some attributes groups, such as Situation Status and Windows Event Log, are historical in nature and show all their entries without your having to specify a time span. You do not need to configure history collection for these attribute groups unless you want to roll off to a data warehouse or limit the data reported.

Configurable elements of collections for an attribute group and their dependencies

Summarization and pruning is configured by attribute group; not by the collection definitions, and can be configured independently of collection definitions.

Collection interval, the frequency that data samples are taken at the managed system and saved to the short-term history file, can be different for each collection definition.

Collection location for the short-term history file can be at the managed system or the monitoring server it connects to. There is one short-term history file for an attribute group per managed system; whatever was set for the first collection is used by all collection definitions for that attribute group.

Warehouse interval, for controlling how often historical data is copied from the short-term history file to the data warehouse, can be set differently for each collection definition.

Distribute to Managed System (Agent) or Manage System (TEMS) can be set differently for each collection definition.

When this is set to Managing System, distribution is to all managed systems connected to the monitoring server; the ability to selectively distribute the collection on managed systems is disabled.

When this is set to Managed System, you have the option of assigning managed systems to the individual collection definition in the Distribution tab or to a historical configuration group that the collection is a member of or both. And managed systems can be assigned individually or as a managed system group.

Filter criteria for preventing the collection of unwanted data is configurable for each collection definition. Applying filters to historical data collection can help reduce network traffic and wasted disk space and can improve summarization and pruning performance.
Be aware that filtered data collection can affect the results of trending calculations that are performed with chart baselining and situation modeling For example, a filter to collect only rows where the process uses 80% or more CPU means that a calculation of average values will be only of values 80% and higher, rather than of all values.


8.5.2. Create a historical collection

A historical data collection specifies the attribute group to collect data from, where to store the historical data, and other information such as the collection frequency and distribution. Create a historical collection definition for every attribute group to collect historical data for. You can then retrieve the historical data into query-based views. Your user ID must have Configure History permission to open the History Collection Configuration window. If you do not have this permission, you will not see the menu item or tool for historical configuration.

The CCC Logs apply to all managed systems: Agent Operations Log, ITM Audit, and Universal Messages. The Policy_Status and System_Status attributes do not record historical data. Typical environments do not use the EIB Change Log and Situation Status Log attribute groups. Complete these steps for each attribute group that you want to collect historical data from on specified managed systems or managed system groups or on all the managed systems that connect to a Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server:


Procedure

  1. Click History Configuration to open the History Collection Configuration window.

  2. Click Create a new collection. If you first click a Monitored Application (or right-click and click ), Monitored Application will be selected for you.

  3. Enter a Name of up to 256 bytes. A short name is also given to the collection and is shown in the middle section of the status bar.

  4. Optional: Enter a Description for the collection, up to 64 bytes.

  5. Select a Monitored Application from the list.

  6. Select an Attribute Group from the list. Not all the product attribute groups necessarily display: only those that are appropriate for historical collection and reporting.

  7. Click OK to open the configuration tabs for the collection. The branch of the monitored applications expands to show the new collection. At this point, it has not been distributed to the managed systems.
  8. Complete the fields in the Basic tab:

    1. Collection Interval is the frequency of data transmission to the short-term history file on the computer where the data is saved (PureApplication System Monitoring Agent or PureApplication System Monitoring Server). The options are every 1, 5, 15, or 30 minutes, every hour, or once per day. The default interval is 15 minutes.
      The shorter the interval, the faster and larger the history file grows. This can overload the database, warehouse proxy, and summarization and pruning agent. For example, if you set a 1-minute collection interval for Process data, expect the summarization and pruning for that attribute group to take a long time. Such a short interval should be enabled for an attribute group only if it is critical in your work.
    2. Collection Location is where the short-term historical data file resides: at the TEMA (Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Agent) or the TEMS (PureApplication System Monitoring Server). The default location is TEMA, which minimizes the performance impact on the monitoring server from historical data management.
      If you are filtering the historical collection (step 9), collection at the TEMA also gives you more space for composing the filter. The formula example at the end of this topic takes up 63% of the formula storage when collection is set to TEMS; and 31% when collection is set to TEMA..
      Note, however, that TEMS might be a better choice for certain environments. Also, the OMEGAMON XE on z/OS product requires that the data be stored at the monitoring server.
    3. Warehouse Interval determines whether the collected data is warehoused and how often. The options are 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 12 hours, 1 day, or Off.
      A more frequent warehousing interval enables quicker availability of warehoused data for retrieval. Shorter intervals cause some additional processing to check for and transmit newly collected data; and there are more frequent elevated levels of transmission activity, but for shorter durations. Regardless of the warehouse interval, the most recent 24 hours are always available in the short-term history files. If you use Tivoli Common Reporting, note that queries are to the data warehouse only.

  9. If you want to restrict the collection of samples to only those that meet certain conditions, click the Filter tab and compose the formula:

    1. Click Add Attributes.
    2. Select the attribute to filter on and click OK. You can use Ctrl + click to select multiple attributes, Shift + click to select all entries between the attribute previously selected and this one, or Select All to select every attribute.
    3. For each attribute selected, click inside the cell under the column heading and compose an expression consisting of a function, a relational operator and a test value:
      To change the function, click Value (or Compare date and time for a time attribute) and select one from the list. See Formula Functions for the syntax, description, and an example of each function.
      To change the relational operator, click equal and select another operator from the list.
      Click inside the text box and enter or select the value.
    4. Keep multiple expressions in the same row if they must all be met (Boolean AND logic) and on separate rows if any of them might be met (Boolean OR logic) for the sample to be saved in the short-term history file.
    5. Select the same attribute twice to collect a range, such as > 1 AND < 90. Use Add Attributes to select the attribute again. (See the second example at the end of this topic.)
    6. Confirm that the Formula capacity counter is below 100%. Setting the Collection Location (step 8) to TEMA gives the most space.

  10. Click Apply to save the collection.

The collection name appears in the monitored application branch of the tree with an icon to indicate that it is not distributed to managed systems: .


Example

This is a historical collection called "ProcessInformation". The settings in the Basic tab use the defaults: Collection Interval of 5 minutes; Collection Location at the TEMA; and Warehouse Interval of 15 minutes. The Filter tab has a formula written to collect the sample if one of these two conditions is met: the process name is VirusScan; OR the process name is java and is taking more than 50% of the processor time on the North012 Windows system, the South007 Windows system, or both.

Process Name % Processor Time Server Name
1 ==VirusScan
2 ==java >50 ('Primary:North012:NT', 'Primary:South007:NT')
The IN operator was selected for entering the server list, as you can see when viewing the formula in :

(Process Name==VirusScan) OR (Process Name==java AND %Processor Time >50
AND Server Name *IN ('Primary:North012:NT','Primary:South007:NT'))
The following example shows a filter formula with a repeating attribute:

% Processor Time % Processor Time
1 >40 <60

After creating a new collection definition, you must distribute it to the managed systems where you want to take data samples. You can assign the managed systems to distribute the collection to in the Distribution tab or assign the collection to a historical configuration group that has a distribution. If you are not ready to distribute the collection, you can do so at a later time.

If you added a filter to restrict the collection data samples to samples that meet the criteria, test the formula to make sure that the intended data is being collected. It is possible to enter an incorrect value, which might result in no data being collected. To test the filter formula, wait until enough historical data has been collected to show in a historical table view of the attributes. Then set a time span for the table view. If no rows are retrieved to the table view, review the filter formula for typographical or value errors.


8.5.3. Distributing a historical collection

Distribute a historical collection definition to the managed systems to save data samples from. Data collection begins as soon as you save the distribution. Edit the distribution list whenever you want to start or stop historical sampling on certain managed systems or managed system groups. After you create a new historical collection definition or create another, the next step is to select the distribution method (Managed System or Managing System) and assign managed systems to the distribution list. Take these steps to create or edit the managed system distribution for a historical collection definition:


Procedure

  1. If the History Collection Configuration window is not open, click History Configuration, click the Monitored Application, then click the historical collection definition to distribute.

  2. Click the Distribution tab and select the distribution method:
    • Managed System (Agent) to select managed systems and managed system groups individually. You can also add the collection definition to a historical configuration group to adopt the group's distribution.
    • Manage System (TEMS) to select all the agents that connect to this monitoring server. This method makes the collection ineligible for inclusion in a historical configuration group.

    In the following example, if you chose distribution by managed system (agent), you could select any of the agents to distribute the collection to; if you chose distribution by managing system (TEMS), selecting the East PureApplication System Monitoring Server distributes the collection to the 1, 2, and 4 agents and you cannot remove any of them or add agents from the West monitoring server.


    Available Systems shows the monitoring agents or monitoring servers for assignment and Available Managed System Groups shows the available managed system groups. You can click Edit Managed System Groups to open the Object Group editor for creating and editing managed system groups.

  3. If you selected Manage System (TEMS), select the monitoring server whose managed systems you want to start collecting data for, andmove to the Start collection on list.

  4. If you selected Managed System (Agent), distribute to the managed systems where you want to start data collection:
    • Assign managed systems to the collection: Select from the Available Systems or Available Managed System Groups list, then move to the Start collection on list. Distribution to an individual historical collection is useful when the managed system assignments vary for each collection definition.
    • Assign managed systems to a historical configuration group for the collection definition. Distribution to a historical group is useful when the distribution is the same for multiple collection definitions.

      1. Click Group.
      2. Click Create a new object group; or click Update an existing object group if a historical group has already been created that this collection can become a member of.
      3. In the Members tab, select a historical collection from the list of Available Members and move it to the Assigned Members list.
      4. In the Distributions tab, select the managed systems and managed system groups to assign to the historical configuration group. Select a managed system group to see its constituent objects in the Selected Assigned Object Members or Selected Available Object Members list.
      5. Click OK to save the historical group and return to the Historical Collection Configuration window.

      The distribution from the historical configuration group (or groups) that the collection belongs to is shown in the Start collection on list; the entries are dimmed to indicate that they were assigned through a historical configuration group and cannot be changed from here. You can right-click a dimmed entry and click Show Groups to see the historical groups it belongs to.

  5. Click Apply to save the collection definition and start data collection on the managed systems.

The collection shows in the tree as distributed to indicate that data collection is taking place on the assigned managed systems.

Click the monitored application name in the tree and, in the right frame, find the attribute group for the collection that you just configured. The attribute group is prefixed with a Data collection started icon.

If the collection definition has a warehouse interval, you need to configure summarization and pruning for the attribute group if you have not already done so.

After historical data samples have been saved to the short-term history files, you can create query-based views and select a time span of historical data to display. After data collection has begun, the Distribution method radio buttons are disabled. If you want to enable them to change the distribution method, you must first remove the current distributions as described in the topic, "Changing the Distribution Method".


8.5.4. Configure summarization and pruning for attribute groups

Configure summarization and pruning for the Tivoli Data Warehouse to aggregate data and keep the database size at a manageable level. The summarization and pruning agent must be installed, configured, and started as described in the Installation and Setup Guide.

Your user ID must have Configure History permission to open the History Collection Configuration window. If you do not have this permission, you will not see the menu item or tool for historical configuration. Although summarization and pruning is not mandatory for warehoused data, it keeps the database from growing to an unwieldy size and minimizes the amount of data that gets retrieved to the monitoring portal. Even if data collection for an attribute group has not been configured, you can set up summarization and pruning. If no collections have been created and distributed for an attribute group, no data goes to the warehouse, and summarization and pruning does not take place.


Procedure

  1. If the History Collection Configuration window is not open, click History Configuration.
  2. Select a Monitored Application from the tree.
  3. Review the attribute groups in the table. If summarization and pruning has already been configured for an attribute group, the values will be shown in the summarization and pruning cells. Collapse the tree, drag the borders, or scroll the table right to see all the cells.
  4. Select one or more attribute groups to configure. You can select multiple groups with Ctrl+click, or Shift+click to select all groups from the first one selected to this point. The settings of the first group selected continue to display, regardless of the settings in any of the other selected groups. This enables you to adjust the configuration controls once and apply the same settings to all selected attribute groups. Use the Clear all button to clear all the fields and start over.
  5. In the Summarization area, select the check box for every time period to be aggregated: Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly, Daily, and Hourly.
  6. In the Pruning area, select the check box for every time period to be pruned: Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly, Daily, and Hourly. If you also want to keep the original data samples, select the Detailed data check box. In the corresponding fields, specify the number of days, months, or years to keep the data.
  7. Click Apply to save the configuration for the attribute groups that were selected. The summarization and pruning cells for the attribute group are updated to reflect the new settings.

The next time summarization and pruning takes place, the summarization and pruning agent applies the configuration to the long-term data stored in the data warehouse. Wait for the next scheduled time period to elapse before expecting to see any summarized data.


8.5.5. Create another historical collection

After historical collection definitions have been created, use the History Collection Configuration window to create duplicates that you can customize for different collection intervals, warehousing intervals, and distribution. Your user ID must have Configure History permission to open the History Collection Configuration window. If you do not have this permission, you will not see the menu item or tool for historical configuration. Take these steps to copy a historical data collection:


Procedure

  1. Click History Configuration to open the History Collection Configuration window.
  2. Click the managed application, then the collection to copy.
  3. Click Create another collection.
  4. Enter a new name for the collection and, optionally, a description. The Monitored Application and Attribute Group fields are disabled.
  5. Click OK to open the configuration tabs for the collection, make any changes to the intervals, and assign the managed systems to distribute the collection to.

Other than the Collection Location, which uses what was specified for the original collection definition, configure the data collection just as you would a new collection. You can change the collection and warehouse intervals, and you must specify the distribution.


8.5.6. Create a historical configuration group

Organize the historical collections that you have defined into named groups that can be managed collectively. Historical configuration groups are made up of historical data collections that were defined in the History Collection Configuration window. Create the historical collections that you intend to include in the historical group before opening the Object Group editor.

This feature is available when the monitoring portal server and PureApplication System Monitoring Server are at Version 6.2.2 or later and the historical data collection to add to the group is configured for Managed System (Agent) as the distribution method. Take these steps to create a historical configuration group:


Procedure

  1. Open the Object group editor from either of these locations:
    • Click Object group editor, then click Historical configurations.
    • If the History Collection Configuration window, is not open, click History Configuration. Click a monitored application, click an undistributed or distributed historical collection definition, then click Group.

  2. Click Create a new object group.

  3. Type a name for the historical group and, optionally, a description, then click OK. The new historical configuration group is displayed in the Historical configurations branch.

  4. In the Members tab, select a historical collection from the list of Available Members and move it to the Assigned Members list.
    You can select multiple collection definitions for an attribute group by holding down Ctrl while clicking; or use Shift+click to select all entries between this and the first selection. Historical collections that are configured for "Managing System (TEMS)" distribution are not displayed in the list.

  5. If you have historical configuration groups available and want to assign a group to this one, click the Member of tab, then select a group and move it to the Assigned Members Of list.

  6. In the Distributions tab, select the managed systems and managed system groups to assign to the historical configuration group. Select a managed system group to see its constituent objects in the Selected Assigned Object Members or Selected Available Object Members list.

  7. Save your changes and either keep the editor open with Apply or exit with OK.

The historical configuration group is now available to all users who log on to the same portal server. Historical data samples are collected to the short-term history files for the managed systems in the distribution.

When you next view the historical data collection in the History Collection Configuration window, the Distribution tab shows the historical configuration group in the Start collection on list. The group name is disabled (dimmed); you cannot remove it from the distribution. To do that, you would return to the Object group editor and remove the historical collection from the historical group.


8.5.7. Stopping data collection

Stop data collection on one or more managed systems for a historical collection definition when you are no longer interested in gathering data on the managed system or would like to temporarily disable data collection. Your user ID must have Configure History permission to open the History Collection Configuration window. If you do not have this permission, you will not see the tool for historical configuration. The historical collections for an attribute group can be edited to stop data collection on some or all of the managed systems in the distribution list. The managed systems that remain in the distribution continue to collect historical data. Take these steps to stop data collection on a managed system or managed system group:


Procedure

  1. Click History Configuration to open the History Collection Configuration window.
  2. Click the monitored application (agent type).

  3. Click the collection that the managed system is assigned to.

  4. For managed systems that are assigned to the historical collection:

    1. Click the Distribution tab to see the managed systems, managed system groups, and historical object groups that collection is occurring on.
    2. In the Start collection on list, click the managed systems or managed systems groups (or both) to stop collection on and move them back to the Available list. You can also use Ctrl+click to select multiple items and Shift+click to select all items between the item last selected and this one.
    3. If this is a historical object group, the name is disabled as are any managed systems and managed system groups that are assigned to the distribution through the historical group. Right-click a name and click Show Groups to see the historical configuration group it was distributed to, then complete the next step.

  5. For managed systems that are assigned to a historical configuration group:

    1. Click Group.
    2. Click the historical group in the Historical configurations branch.
    3. Click the Distributions tab.
    4. In the Assigned managed systems list, click the systems or groups (or both) to stop collection on andmove them back to the Available list.

  6. To save your changes, click Apply to keep the window open or OK to close it.

Historical data collection no longer occurs on the managed systems that you moved out of the Start collection on list for the historical collection definition or that you moved out of the Assigned managed systems list for the historical configuration group. If data collection was stopped on all managed systems that were assigned to the historical collection, its icon changes to indicate that it is not distributed. Likewise, if data collection was stopped on all managed systems for an attribute group, the icon that indicates data collection is started in the summarization and pruning table no longer displays.

If you want to verify that you removed a managed system or managed system group from all historical collection definitions, you can use the tacmd histlistcollections command to list all the collections that are started for a managed system or managed system group.

For example, histListCollections -m Primary:BRAZIL:NT shows all historical collections that are started on the managed system called Primary:BRAZIL:NT. See the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Command Reference for more information.

If your intention is to stop data collection on all managed systems for this collection permanently, delete the historical collection definition; if your intention is to stop data collection for the entire attribute group, delete all the collection definitions that were created for it.


8.5.8. Start data collection

You can start collection of historical data for attribute groups on selected managed systems and whenever you have managed systems to add. Your user ID must have Configure History permission to open the History Collection Configuration window. If you do not have this permission, you will not see the menu item or tool for historical configuration. After you distribute the collection definitions to managed systems, data collection begins automatically. If data collection has been stopped for any of the managed systems in the distribution, complete these steps to resume collection. Complete these steps also if you want add new managed systems to the distribution.


Procedure

  1. Click History Configuration to open the History Collection Configuration window.
  2. Click the monitored application (agent type).
  3. In the expanded branch, click the undistributed or distributed historical collection to start on managed systems.
  4. Assign managed systems to the collection or add the collection to a historical configuration group to use its distribution.
  5. To save the revised distribution and begin data collection on the managed systems that you added, click Apply to keep the window open or OK to close it.


8.5.9. Change the distribution method

Change the distribution method from Managing System (TEMS) to Managed System (Agent) to enable the historical collection definition to be added to a historical object group. If you have upgraded to Tivoli Management Services Version 6.2.2 from a previous version, you will see a historical collection for each attribute group that was configured, and the distribution method will be as it was before: Managing System (TEMS). Complete these steps to change the distribution method for each historical collection to Managed System (Agent).

If, instead, you want to change the distribution method from Managed System to Managing System, the procedure is the same except that it can be more involved if an entry in the Start collection on list is disabled. A disabled entry means that it was added to the distribution as part of a historical configuration object group. If any of the collection belongs to one or more historical groups, you must remove it from any historical group that it belongs to that has a distribution before you can remove it from the Start collection on list. The topic on "Stopping data collection" has instructions for removing managed systems from the distribution of a historical object group.


Procedure

  1. If the History Collection Configuration window is not open, click History Configuration, click the Monitored Application, then click the historical collection name to open the definition.
  2. Click the Distribution tab.
  3. Select all entries in the Start collection on list, and move them to the Available list. After clicking the first entry, you can Shift+click the last entry to select all of them.
  4. Click Apply.

You can now assign managed systems to the distribution here or add the historical definition to a historical object group to use the distribution of the group.


8.5.10. Remove a historical data collection

Use the History Collection Configuration window to remove any unnecessary historical data collection definitions. Your user ID must have Configure History permission to open the History Collection Configuration window. If you do not have this permission, you will not see the menu item or tool for historical configuration. Take these steps to remove a historical collection definition and thereby no longer collect data for the attribute group on the assigned managed systems. Be aware that if there are multiple collection definitions for the same attribute group, you must delete all of them before data collection will be discontinued for the attribute group.


Procedure

  1. Click History Configuration to open the History Collection Configuration window.
  2. Click the monitored application (agent type).
  3. In the expanded branch, select the historical collection to unconfigure. You can use Ctrl + click to select multiple collections or Shift + click to select all between the one previously selected and this one.
  4. Click Delete collection.
  5. Confirm the deletion of the historical collection definition to permanently remove it.

Data collection stops for the historical collection definition on all managed systems it was distributed to. The historical data collected up to this point continues to remain in the short-term history files and data warehouse.


Navigator views for logical organization

Create custom Navigator views to organize your monitored environment into logical hierarchical groupings. You can also create Navigator views and build workspaces that are targeted for specific points of view, such as executive, operator, or subject matter expert for an application domain.

The Navigator editor enables you to create new Navigator views and build a hierarchical structure by creating new child items as branches in the tree and sharing items from a source Navigator view with the new (target) view. You can assign managed system groups to dynamically update Navigator items whenever the group is edited.


9.1. Custom Navigator view characteristics

Custom Navigator views and the Navigator Physical view have characteristics that distinguish them from one another. Understanding these distinctions and the customization options can help you design the most effective Navigator views.

Navigator Physical view

The Navigator Physical view is the default Navigator view. It shows your monitored enterprise as a physical mapping of managed systems by their node names and operating systems. The Navigator Physical view is a discovered view: as managed systems are added to the monitored environment, the monitoring portal server discovers them and displays them in the Navigator view.

As well as showing the physical hierarchy of your environment, the Navigator gives you visual indication of situation events that occur on managed systems associated with a Navigator item and organizes your workspaces.

You can create situations and associate them with the Navigator items where you want to see alert indicators and you can create workspaces and report data from the managed systems assigned to that branch of the tree. But you cannot edit the Navigator Physical view itself.

Custom Navigator views

You can create Navigator views for logical hierarchies, such as by location or business application. With custom Navigator views, you can create Navigator items and determine their managed system assignments. You can add Navigator items either by dragging and dropping them from a source Navigator view to the target view or by creating them manually.

The drag and drop method shares the item in the source and target Navigator views. When you share an item, all managed system assignments, workspaces, and situations associated with the source item are applied. Future changes to one item are applied to the other. A shared icon is displayed over the source and target Navigator item icons. It provides a visual reminder of the relationship so that you do not unintentionally change or delete an item from one Navigator view that might affect another view. You cannot change the managed system assignments of Navigator items that were shared using the drag and drop method.

For Navigator items added with Create child item, you control the management system assignments:

  • Navigator items with no managed systems assigned cannot have situations associated with them, thus no alert indicators are displayed on the item except as part of the roll-up display of events. This might be what you want for a container (parent) Navigator item.
  • Navigator items can have managed system assigned statically. When creating the item, you assign managed systems or managed system groups (or both) through the Monitored Resources tab of the Navigator item properties. Initially, static items are not shared with other items nor are situations associated with them.
  • Navigator items can have managed systems assigned dynamically. When creating the item, you assign a managed system group (or groups) through the Dynamic Items tab. The Navigator item is then populated by all the managed systems that belong to that group. For example, you might have a Navigator item named "Far West" with "Arizona" and "California" managed system groups assigned as dynamic items. Any managed systems added or removed from those groups are reflected in the "Far West" branch. The items at the agent and attribute level are shared from the Navigator Physical view.
    Support
    Far West
    Arizona
    California
    JOSE95101
    LEANDRO94579
    MARINO91108
    UNIX OS
    Disk Usage
    File Information
    Network
    ...
    Options for dynamic members enable you to hide any or all of these items: group level, node level, or attribute level. For example, the Support branch looks like this when all options are disabled:
    Support
    Far West
    UNIX OS
  • You can assign managed systems and managed system groups to a new Navigator item, including the assignment of managed system groups as dynamic members.


9.2. Create a new Navigator view

The Navigator Physical view is organized by managed systems. Create custom Navigator views to organize your enterprise differently, such as by geography or user role. Your user ID must have Modify permission enabled for the Custom Navigator Views feature.


Procedure

  1. In the Navigator toolbar, click Edit Navigator View. The Edit Navigator View window opens with the Navigator Physical view as the Source View on the right and the Logical view or most recently opened Navigator view as the Target View for editing.

  2. Click Create New Navigator View. A window opens for you to enter the Navigator view identity.

  3. Type a name for the Navigator and, optionally, a description, then click OK.
    After you click OK, the Navigator view name is displayed as the enterprise item. If, instead, you get a message that the name already exists, enter a different name. Because Navigator views are assigned to user IDs, you might not be able to see Navigator views that other users have created and it is therefore possible to enter duplicate names.
  4. Take any of the following steps to populate the target Navigator view:
    • To create a new Navigator item, select or right-click the parent item and click Create Child Item.
    • To share a Navigator item, drag it from the source view on the right to the target on the left and drop it on the item it should follow. (After selecting the first item, use Ctrl+click to select other items or Shift+click to select all items between the first selection and this one.) If you want to share Navigator items from a different source view than the one displaying, select the view to use from the Source View list.
    • To assign managed systems to a Navigator item, right-click the item and click Properties. The managed system assignments make the item eligible for situation association and are referenced in query-based views.

      • Use the Monitored resources tab for assignments to this item.
      • Use the Dynamic items tab for dynamic child assignments to this item.

      A best practice is to assign managed systems to a Navigator item from the Monitored resources tab or Dynamic items, but not both.

    • To find out if the Navigator item is assigned to other Navigator views or assigned multiple times to this or other Navigator views, right-click the item and click Show Navigator List. A number in parentheses after the view name indicates that there are multiple instances of this Navigator item in the Navigator view. You can also switch to another Navigator view in the list.
    • To rename an item, right-click it and click Properties; to rename the view, click Properties. Edit the name and description as needed.
    • To delete a Navigator item, select it and click Delete Item.

  5. Click Apply to save your changes to the Navigator view and keep the editor open; or click OK to save your changes and close the window.

The new Navigator view is displayed in the Navigator view list. Shared Navigator items and dynamic Navigator items show alert indicators for any open events for associated situations. Shared Navigator items also share the workspaces from the source item; all other Navigator items have undefined workspaces.

Note: In the Navigator Physical view, monitoring portal indicates an agent has gone offline by dimming the agent branch for that system. This indication occurs in custom Navigator views as well. However, if you share an attribute-level item from the Navigator Physical view with a custom view without sharing its parent agent-level item, you receive no indication when the agent is offline: The attribute item appears normal but when you open its workspace, any chart or table views show no information.


9.3. Add a child item

Use Create Child Item in the Navigator editor to add a Navigator item within the selected branch of the custom Navigator view. Use the following steps to add a child item to a custom Navigator view:


Procedure

  1. If the Navigator editor is not open, click Edit Navigator View in the Navigator toolbar.

  2. If the Navigator view to work with is not displayed, select it from the Target View list.

  3. Select the parent item in the target view. The item has a border around it when it is selected.

  4. Click Create Child Item.

  5. In the Create New Navigator Item window, type a name and description for the item. The name is displayed in the Navigator view; the description is displayed only in this window.

  6. Make static or dynamic managed system assignments: Select the managed systems or managed system groups whose situations you want to associate with the Navigator item, and click to move them to the Assigned list. Queries for workspace views are applied to the assigned managed systems by default. Alert indicators are displayed for events that are opened for situations associated with the Navigator item.
    • For assignments to this Navigator item, click the Monitored resources tab, select the managed systems or managed system groups whose situations you want to associate with the Navigator item, and move them to the Assigned list.
    • For dynamic child assignments to this Navigator item, click the Dynamic items tab, select the managed system groups to assign to the Navigator item, and move them to the Assigned Members list. Click Options to change how branch dynamic items are displayed
    • If you are assigning managed system groups to the Navigator item, you can click Edit Managed System Groups to open the Object Group editor: select a managed system group to see and edit the membership; select a managed system type (select All Managed Systems if you want to assign managed systems from different managed system types) and click Create New Group or Create Another Group to add a new managed system group

    A best practice is to assign managed systems to a Navigator item from the Monitored resources tab or Dynamic items, but not both.

  7. Click OK.

If the child item is in the wrong branch, you can drag it to the desired location to create a duplicate item there, then delete the original item.


9.4. Edit a Navigator view

Use the Navigator editor to edit the Navigator view and the managed systems or dynamic members assigned to the items.


Procedure

  1. Select the Navigator view you want to edit from the list in the Navigator toolbar. You cannot edit the Navigator Physical view.

  2. Click Edit Navigator View.

  3. If the Navigator view you want to edit is not displayed as the target, select it from the Target View list. Likewise, you can select a different source from the Source View list.

  4. Take any of the following steps to populate the target Navigator view:
    • To create a new Navigator item, select or right-click the parent item and click Create Child Item.
    • To share a Navigator item, drag it from the source view on the right to the target on the left and drop it on the item it should follow. (After selecting the first item, use Ctrl+click to select other items or Shift+click to select all items between the first selection and this one.) If you want to share Navigator items from a different source view than the one displaying, select the view to use from the Source View list.
    • To assign managed systems to a Navigator item, right-click the item and click Properties. The managed system assignments make the item eligible for situation association and are referenced in query-based views.

      • Use the Monitored resources tab for assignments to this item.
      • Use the Dynamic items tab for dynamic child assignments to this item.

      A best practice is to assign managed systems to a Navigator item from the Monitored resources tab or Dynamic items, but not both.

    • To find out if the Navigator item is assigned to other Navigator views or assigned multiple times to this or other Navigator views, right-click the item and click Show Navigator List. A number in parentheses after the view name indicates that there are multiple instances of this Navigator item in the Navigator view. You can also switch to another Navigator view in the list.
    • To rename an item, right-click it and click Properties; to rename the view, click Properties. Edit the name and description as needed.
    • To delete a Navigator item, select it and click Delete Item.

  5. Click Apply to save your changes to the Navigator view and keep the editor open; or click OK to save your changes and close the window.

Click the activated Navigator updates pending tool in the Navigator toolbar to refresh the Navigator view.


9.5. Edit Navigator item properties

Open the Navigator item properties to see and edit the name, description, and managed system assignments. You can open the Navigator item properties in the Navigator view or in the Navigator editor. When the item properties are opened from the Navigator view, managed system assignments cannot be edited unless the Navigator item is not shared. (A shared item is indicated by a shared icon over the Navigator item.)

You cannot edit the Navigator Physical view managed system assignments.


Procedure

  1. Open the Navigator item properties from one of the following places:
    • Right-click the Navigator item and click Properties.

    • In the Navigator toolbar, click Edit Navigator View. Right-click the Navigator item and click Properties.

  2. Edit the name and description as needed. The name is shown in the Navigator view and the description displays when you move the mouse pointer over the name in the tabbed list at the bottom of the view.

  3. Edit the managed system assignments as needed. The Assigned list has no effect on the availability of queries for the workspace, only the event indicators for situations. If you have no managed systems assigned to this Navigator item, no events are displayed for it unless they are part of a roll-up display of events, and the Situation editor will not be available from the pop-up menu.
    • Monitored resources shows the managed systems that were assigned through this tab or by shared Navigator items. If the Assigned list is populated but unavailable (dimmed), the assignments were created by sharing items from the Source Navigator view with the Target view.
    • Dynamic items shows the managed system groups that were assigned through this tab. Use the tab to assign managed system groups to the Navigator item as dynamic members (child items) so that the Navigator item and the items it contains are updated automatically when managed systems are added to or removed from the managed system groups. Select a member and click Options to change the dynamic Navigator item levels that are displayed in the branch.

Click the activated Navigator updates pending tool in the Navigator toolbar to refresh the Navigator view.


9.6. Rename a Navigator view or item

Use the Navigator editor to rename a Navigator view or any of its Navigator items or to edit the description.


Procedure

  1. In the Navigator toolbar, click Edit Navigator View.
  2. If the Navigator view whose item you want to rename is not displaying, select it from the Target View list.
  3. To rename the Navigator view, click Properties in the Target View toolbar. Type the new name in the Name field, add or change the description in the Description field, and click OK.
  4. To rename a Navigator item, right-click the item and click Properties. Type the new name in the Name field, add or change the description in the Description field, and click OK.

The Navigator view description is displayed in a flyover message box when you move the mouse pointer over its tab; the Navigator item description is displayed only in this Properties window.


9.7. Delete a Navigator view or item

Use the Navigator editor to delete a Navigator view or any of its Navigator items. Be careful when deleting Navigator items. A shared icon is displayed over the source and target Navigator item icons to indicate a relationship with another item. This indicator serves as a reminder of the dependency so that you do not unintentionally change or delete an item from one Navigator view that might affect another view. To see the Navigator views this item is assigned to, right-click the item and click Show Navigator List. Complete the following steps to delete a Navigator view or item:


Procedure

  1. In the Navigator toolbar, click Edit Navigator View.

  2. If the Navigator view you want to delete or whose item you want to delete is not displayed, select it from the Target View list.

  3. Take one of the following actions:
    • To delete the Navigator view, click Delete Navigator View. When a message asks if you are sure, click Yes or click No to cancel.
    • To delete an item, select it and click Delete Item. When a message asks if you are sure, click Yes or click No to cancel.


9.8. Navigator editor and properties

The Navigator editor is used to create and edit custom Navigator views and has other dialogs to support customization. Two of these dialogs, Navigator item properties and Navigator List are available from two places: the current Navigator view and the Navigator editor.


9.8.1. Edit Navigator view

Click Edit Navigator View in the Navigator toolbar to open the Navigator editor for creating and maintaining custom Navigator views.

The window has two frames:

Target View

The Target View shows the name of the Navigator view you are editing in the left frame. When multiple Navigator views are available, you can select a different target from the list.

Refresh now

This refreshes the display of the target Navigator levels.

Properties

This opens the Properties window of the target Navigator view for you to see and edit the Navigator name and description.

You can also right-click a Navigator item and click Properties to see and edit the monitored resources or the dynamic items.

Create New Navigator View

This opens the Create New Navigator View window for adding a new Navigator view. After you have created the view, you can create new child items and assign managed systems (statically or dynamically) or drag items to include in the view from the source Navigator view and rename them as needed.

Delete Navigator View

This deletes the current target Navigator view.

Create Child Item

Creates a new Navigator item below the one selected in the target view.

Delete Item

Deletes the selected Navigator item. Before deleting an item, right-click and click Show Navigator List to see if the item is repeated in this Navigator or is in other Navigator views.

Expand

Expand a Navigator item to see the child items. A dimmed <Dynamic members> child item indicates that managed systems are assigned dynamically.

A shared icon is displayed over the Navigator items that have been shared. This indicator serves as a reminder so that you do not unintentionally change or delete an item from one Navigator view that might affect another view.

Right frame

Source View shows the name of the original Navigator view in the right frame. Use this view to copy Navigator items to the target view. If you are editing the target view and not copying any items from this view, you can ignore what is in the right frame. When multiple Navigator views are available, you can select a different source from the list.

Refresh now

Refreshes the display of the source Navigator levels.

Properties

Opens the Properties window of the originating Navigator view for you to see and edit the name and description. You cannot change the properties of the Navigator Physical view.


9.8.2. Navigator View properties

After you create a new Navigator view or click Properties in the Navigator editor, a window opens for you to enter or edit the identity and protect the Navigator view from changes by other users.


Navigator View Identity


9.8.3. Navigator item properties

When you create a child item in the Navigator editor, this window opens for you to enter the identity and assign managed systems. You can also open the Navigator Item properties in the Navigator editor or Navigator view by right-clicking a Navigator item and clicking Properties.

The item Name is displayed in the Navigator view. Enter a Description to provide more detailed information about the item and its usage. See and change the managed system assignments in the Monitored resources and Dynamic items tabs:

Monitored resources

Monitored resources tab shows the managed systems and managed system groups that were assigned to the Navigator item and any that are available for assignment. When the items are not selectable (dimmed), it means that the managed system assignments were shared with the Navigator Physical view.

Assigned

Shows the managed systems and managed system groups that are assigned to this Navigator item. To unassign a managed system or managed system group from the Navigator item, select it and move it to the Available Managed Systems or Available Managed System Groups list.

Available Managed Systems

Shows the managed systems that can be assigned to the Navigator item. To add a managed system to the Navigator item, click the name and move it to the Available Managed Systems list. After selecting a managed system, you can select multiples by holding down the Ctrl key while selecting others individually or by holding down the Shift key to select everything between.

Available Managed System Groups

Named groups of managed systems. To assign a managed system group to the Navigator item, click the name and move it to the Available Managed Systems list.

Click Edit Managed System Group to open the Object group editor for creating and modifying managed system groups.

Example

After assigning managed systems to the "Eastern Region" item in the Monitored resources tab, this is how the tree looks in the Navigator editor and in the monitoring portal window after closing the editor:
Shipping
Eastern Region

Dynamic items

The Dynamic items tab is available for custom Navigator view items; it does not show for Navigator Physical view items. Use this tab to assign managed system groups to the Navigator item as Dynamic members (child items) and to control how the branch is displayed.

Assigned Members

Shows the managed system groups that are assigned as dynamic members (child items) of this Navigator item. Select a member and click

Selected Assigned Objects Members

Shows the managed systems and managed system groups that comprise a managed system group. Expand the list to see the component managed systems and managed system groups of the group selected in the Assigned Members list.

Available Members

Shows the managed system groups that can be assigned as dynamic members (child items) of the Navigator item. To add a managed system group, click the name and move it to the Assigned Members list. After selecting a group, you can select multiples by holding down the Ctrl key while selecting others individually, or using the Shift key to select everything between.

Selected Available Objects Members

Shows the managed systems and managed system groups that comprise a managed system group. Expand the list to see the component managed systems and managed system groups of the group selected in the Available Members list.

Examples

Navigator editor Target View after assigning "Vermont" as a dynamic member to the "Eastern Region" Navigator item:
Shipping
Eastern Region
<Dynamic members>

After no further changes were made in the Navigator editor, the Navigator view looks like this:
Shipping
Eastern Region
Vermont
BOB123
PAT123
SUE123
Windows OS
Disk
Enterprise
Memory
...

The view above reflects the default settings for Assigned member options. You can deselect any of the options to reduce the number of dynamic items in the Navigator view. For example, with only Include host-level items associated with managed systems selected, the view looks like this:
Shipping
Eastern Region
BOB123
Windows OS
PAT123
Windows OS
SUE123
Windows OS


9.8.4. Assigned member options

Click Options in the Assigned Members area of the custom Navigator item properties to determine how the branch is populated.

All options are enabled by default.

Add branch-level items using managed system group names

Add the branch items directly below the current item using the managed system group name as the branch item label.

In example 1, Georgia group is the managed system group name, which is absent when this option is disabled in example 2.

Include attribute-level items of managed systems

Show the attribute-level child items of this Navigator item. These items are shared with the items found in the Navigator Physical view at the Attribute level.

In example 2, Disk, Memory, and the other attribute level items are present. These items are absent when this option is disabled, as shown in example 3.

Include host-level items associated with managed systems

Include directly below the current item the unique System-level items (computer or node) that are associated with the managed systems being attached to the custom Navigator view.

In example 3, ATL-INTEL-X86-1 (Atlanta Intel X86 computer) is a node-level Navigator item, which is absent in example 4 when this option is disabled.
Examples:

1. All options selected

Add branch-level items using managed system group names
Include attribute-level items of managed systems
Include host-level items associated with managed systems

Shipping
Eastern Region
Georgia group
ATL-INTEL-X86-1
Windows OS
Disk
Memory
...

2. Managed system group names excluded

Add branch-level items using managed system group names
Include attribute-level items of managed systems
Include host-level items associated with managed systems

Removes group-level items:

Shipping
Eastern Region
ATL-INTEL-X86-1
Windows OS
Disk
Memory
...

3. Managed system group names and managed system child items excluded

Add branch-level items using managed system group names
Include attribute-level items of managed systems
Include host-level items associated with managed systems

Removes group-level items, as well as the child items of the Windows OS managed system:

Shipping
Eastern Region
ATL-INTEL-X86-1
Windows OS

4. No options selected

Add branch-level items using managed system group names
Include attribute-level items of managed systems
Include host-level items associated with managed systems

Removes group-level items, as well as both the child items and host items of the Windows OS managed system:

Shipping
Eastern Region
Windows OS


9.8.5. Navigator List

After you right-click an item in the Navigator view or in the Navigator editor and click Show Navigator List, this dialog box opens with a list of the Navigator views that the Navigator item belongs to.

The Navigator views shown include the current Navigator item. A number in parentheses after the view name indicates that there are multiple instances of this Navigator item in the Navigator view. For example, Logical (2) means the Navigator view has two instances of this item.

To open another Navigator view, select it and click Switch to.


10. Situations for event monitoring

Situations are definitions of conditions to test, such as slow transaction rates or invalid logon attempts. Use situations to raise alerts of certain conditions and to trigger single action commands or automated workflows.

Your user ID must have Modify Situation permission to open the Situation editor for creating and maintaining situations.


10.1. Overview

You can create monitoring specifications called situations to detect when specific conditions or events in your environment occur, thus raising an alert. Each situation is assigned to one or more managed systems that is to be monitored for specific conditions.

Predefined situations

Every monitoring agent comes with a set of predefined situations so that you can begin monitoring as soon as you begin using the monitoring portal. Most of the predefined situations require you to enable them before they can monitor for events. This involves setting them to Run at startup if you want them turned on automatically with the agent. You can edit the thresholds of these situations to match your environment, as well as create your own situations.

Situations for pure events or sampled events

The event that opens for a situation can be pure or sampled. When the determination of the event is based on observations made at specific intervals, it is known as a sampled event. When the event is based on a spontaneous occurrence, it is known as a pure event. Therefore, situations for sampled events have an interval associated with them, while those for pure events have no interval. Another characteristic of sampled events is that the condition that caused the event can change, thus causing it to be no longer true. This is not the case with pure events: Pure events cannot change. Therefore, alerts raised for sampled events can transition from true to not true, while a pure event stays true when it occurs.

An example of a sampled situation is disk free space < 10%. The sample situation becomes true when the available disk space falls below 10% and later becomes false again after unneeded files are deleted and the disk space goes to 11% or higher. A situation that monitors for an invalid user logon attempt is a pure event: the event occurs when an invalid logon attempt is detected, and does not become a False event.

Situation editor

Open the Situation editor to see the definition of situations, edit them, or to create new situations. The Situation editor has tabs for:
  • Composing the condition that will trigger the situation to fire, along with the interval between tests and the severity of the alert indicator (such as critical or harmless). When you open or create a situation, the column names that show in the formula editor are the names of the attributes being tested by the situation.
  • Selecting the systems to test with the situation
  • Writing expert advice to appear in the event results workspace
  • Entering a take action command to be run on the system when the situation fires
  • Specifying the severity and destination of events that are forwarded to an Event Integration Facility receiver. (Available only when the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server has been configured to forward events to an event server.
  • Add an Until modifier to control when an open event closes: after a period of time or when another situation is true

Situation editor opened from the toolbar (Ctrl+E) or from a Navigator item

You can open the Situation editor from the toolbar or from the Navigator item pop-up menu and there is a difference. The Situation editor is exactly the same for every aspect of the situation definition except for the fields for alert indicators in the Formula tab: Sound and State This behavior is intentional. The Situation editor opened with Ctrl+E shows all the situations in your environment, not filtered by application, and there is no context. Some administrators want to create many situations at one time and associate them with Navigators later, if at all. For example, you might want a situation running in the background that produces no visible alert on the Navigator but that might be embedded in another situation, might be used to activate a policy workflow, or to perform reflex automation. For an alert indicator to show in the Navigator, the Situation editor must be opened from the item where you want the alert.

Single-row and multiple-row attribute groups

You can build a situation with attributes from different groups belonging to the same monitoring agent so long as the attributes are from single-row attribute groups; one multi-row attribute group can be included.

Who can see situations

Situation definitions, both predefined and custom, are stored on the PureApplication System Monitoring Server. This means that any changes to situations made by any user are shared with all users on the same managed network if their user permissions include the ability to view situations and to access the managed application that is referenced in the situation.

Start situations manually or automatically

By default, situations are set to start monitoring as soon as the situation is saved and, subsequently, to start automatically when a monitoring agent that the situation is distributed to starts again after going offline. If you disable the Run at startup capability, you must start the situation manually.

Even if a situation is set to Run at startup, you can stop and start the situation manually with Start Situation and Stop Situation if your user permissions include the ability to start and stop situations.

Even if a situation has been started manually, it can still be started automatically on other managed systems that connect to the same monitoring server. For example, if the managed system is added to the distribution after the situation was started manually, the situation starts running on the newly added managed system. This addition to the distribution might be caused by any of the following conditions:

  • The monitoring agent came online after the situation was started.
  • The managed system was added to a managed system group in the situation distribution.
  • The managed system was added to a situation object group that the situation is a member of.

Command-line Interface

If you are using the Tivoli Monitoring command line tacmd createSit function for situation creation, you also can use the Situation editor to validate the specified attributes.

Private situations

See the Administrators Guide for details.

Situation limitations

See the ITM Situation Limits technote.


10.2. Open the Situation editor

There are several places from which you can open the Situation editor, with different capabilities related to the context. When the Situation editor is opened from the toolbar, for example, you can create situations for any agent type but you cannot associate them with Navigator items or set the event state or sound. Open the Situation editor from one of these locations:


Procedure


10.3. Filter the situations tree

When you open the Situation editor from anywhere except the toolbar, only the situations associated with the current Navigator item are displayed in the Situation tree. You can filter the tree to show situations that are not associated or to see all the situations that have been defined for the monitored application. You must open the Situation editor from a Navigator item for the Set Situation filter criteria tool to be available. The tree lists the situations that are associated with the Navigator item (or all situations in your monitoring environment if you opened the Situation editor from the toolbar). For example, if you opened the Situation editor from the Enterprise Navigator item, you would see all the situations that are distributed and associated with the PureApplication System Monitoring Server; if you right-clicked a system item, you would see all situations that were distributed to that managed system. If you open the Situation editor from a custom Navigator view, the situations are those associated with the managed systems that were assigned to the Navigator item.

Take these steps to control which situations appear in the tree:


Procedure

  1. Click Situation Filter.

  2. Select any combination of these options:

    Option Description
    Associated with Monitored Application Show all situations that were written for this type of agent, regardless of where they are distributed or if they are distributed. Select this box to see situations that have not been distributed to managed systems.
    Eligible for Association Show all situations that have been distributed to the managed system (or systems) assigned to this Navigator item and that have not been associated with it. If you are planning to associate situations with this Navigator item, select this box to see those situations that have not yet been associated.
    Associated with this object Show all situations associated with this Navigator item. If you are planning to associate situations with this Navigator item, clear this check box and select Eligible for Association to see only those situations that have not yet been associated.

After you click OK, the tree shows the situations specified by the filter. If the results are not what you expected or need, return to the Show Situations window and try another setting.


10.4. Situation editor

Situations notify you when an event occurs on a managed system. Your monitoring product provides a set of predefined situations for your immediate use. You can view and edit these situations and create others.

The left frame of the Situation editor is a tree of the situations associated with the current Navigator item or the situations of all installed monitoring products if you opened the editor from the toolbar; the right frame shows this user assistance until you create or select a situation.

In the situation tree, click:

or Situation name to open the definition for viewing and editing. ( indicates the situation is not distributed.)
Set Situation filter criteria to identify a broader range of situations to show in the tree.
Create new Situation to create a new standard situation or correlated situation.
Create another Situation to copy the selected situation, with a new name and description.
Delete Situation to permanently remove the selected situation.

After selecting or creating a situation, click:

Formula to see, add attributes to, and edit the formula.
Distribution to see and assign the managed systems where the situation is running.
Expert Advice to create links to URLs or to write instructions to be read in the event results workspace.
Action to send a command or a universal message as an automatic, reflexive response when the situation becomes true.
EIF to forward situation events to an Event Integration Facility receiver. (Available when the PureApplication System Monitoring Server has been configured to forward events.)
Until to specify that the event be closed after a certain period of time or when another situation is true.

In the situation tree pop-up menu, click:

Create New situation to create a new standard situation or correlated situation.
Create Another situation to copy the selected situation, with a new name and description.
Start or Stop the situation. Be careful when stopping a situation, because it stops on all managed systems where it is running.
Delete the situation. The situation stops running on all managed systems where it was distributed, and then is deleted.
Associate the situation with the current Navigator item to enable an alert indicator of the selected state to be applied to the Navigator item when the situation is true; or Dissociate the situation from the current Navigator item.
Enable or Disable the situation overrides that have been created for this situation, or Remove All Overrides.
Show the situation groups that this situation is a member of.
The Situation editor buttons enable you to Apply your changes by saving and starting the situation, and exit with (OK) or without (Cancel) saving your changes. If you plan to edit multiple situations while in the Situation editor, click Apply to save your changes before selecting the next situation to edit or creating a new one.

Note: Open the editor from a Navigator item to edit or assign a state or sound to a situation, or to associate a situation with a Navigator item.

If you are using the command line tacmd createSit function for situation creation, you can use the Situation editor to validate the specified attributes.


10.5. Predefined situations

Tivoli Monitoring products have situations that are ready to use as soon as you start the portal client. Also provided are situations that can be applied to any managed system and situations for the monitoring server.

Some predefined situations are already distributed and set to start automatically when the monitoring server is started. And some of those situations might not be associated with a Navigator item, which means an event is opened when the situation becomes true and an entry is written in the message log, but no event indicator appears in the Navigator. Other predefined situations might not be distributed or might not be set to run at startup.

When setting up event monitoring, review the predefined situations and determine which ones you would like to have run automatically and whether any threshold values need to be changed. If the situation is not associated with a Navigator item and you want an event indicator to display there when an event is opened, set the alert state and, optionally, the sound to play.


10.5.1. All Managed Systems situations

No matter where you open the Situation editor from, the All Managed Systems situations are available. Except for the MS_Offline situation, which uses the Managed Systems attributes, these predefined situations use the Local Time attributes.

The default setting for these situations is to not Run at startup.

MS_Offline

The managed system offline situation opens an event if one of the managed systems gets disconnected or goes offline for some reason. It runs at one-minute intervals. When this situation is associated with the Enterprise item, any managed system in the network that goes offline will cause an event to open. The situation as it appears in Show Formula:

( Status == *OFFLINE AND Reason != 'FA')
If an event is opened for this situation, it means the agent is not connected to its monitoring server, has stopped running, or is in error. If all the agents connected to the same monitoring server are offline, it is likely that the server is offline and not the agent.

NonPrimeShift

NonPrimeShift checks for times after 5 PM and before 8 AM from Mondays to Fridays. This situation is useful for embedding in a situation or policy that you want an event opened for only outside the prime shift hours. The situation as it appears in Show Formula:

(Day Of Week >= Monday AND Day Of Week <= Friday AND Hours < 08) OR 
(Day Of Week >= Monday AND Day Of Week <= Friday AND Hours >= 17)

PrimeShift

This situation is useful for embedding in a situation or policy that you want an event opened for only outside the prime shift hours. The situation as it appears in Show Formula:

( Status == *OFFLINE AND Reason != 'FA')

QOMEGAMON_ONLINE

The situation as it appears in Show Formula:

( Status == *OFFLINE AND Reason != 'FA')

Weekday

This situation is useful for embedding in a situation or policy that you want an event opened for only outside the prime shift hours. The situation as it appears in Show Formula:

( Status == *OFFLINE AND Reason != 'FA')

Weekend

This situation is useful for embedding in a situation or policy that you want an event opened for only outside the prime shift hours. The situation as it appears in Show Formula:

( Status == *OFFLINE AND Reason != 'FA')


10.5.2. PureApplication System Monitoring Server situations

The Enterprise Navigator item has a set of predefined situations. They appear within the PureApplication System Monitoring Server entry of the Situation editor.

Deploy_Failed

This situation becomes true and an event is opened when one or more agent deployments has failed. Default: Do not Run at startup. Show Formula:

( Status == Failed)

Deploy_Retrying

This situation becomes true and an event is opened when one or more agent deployments is in the FailedRetry state, which means it has failed an attempt to deploy and is making another attempt. Default: Do not Run at startup. Show Formula:

( Status == 'Failed Retrying')

Hub_Catalog_Critical

This situation becomes true and an event is opened when an application catalog that is installed at a remote monitoring server is not installed at the hub monitoring server. This can happen when application support has not been selected for the hub during installation. Default: Do not Run at startup. Show Formula:

( Status == Missing At Hub) AND (Catalog != 'PDSSTATS')

Hub_Catalog_Warning

This situation becomes true and an event is opened when an application catalog that is installed at a remote monitoring server is newer than what is installed at the hub monitoring server. This is a warning that the application support for the component is out of date. This might not be a problem if the hub has not been upgraded yet. Default: Do not Run at startup. Show Formula:

( Status == RTEMS Newer)

Remote_Catalog_Warning

This situation becomes true and an event is opened when an application catalog that is installed at the hub monitoring server is not also installed at a remote monitoring server; or an application catalog that is installed at the hub is newer than what is installed at a remote monitoring server.

This might not be a problem if the remote monitoring server has not been upgraded yet. Also, the remote system might be intentionally not supporting the subject application, or might only be supporting an older version of the application. Default: Do not Run at startup. Show Formula:

((Status == Missing At Hub) AND (Catalog != 'PDSSTATS')) OR 
(Status == Hub_Newer)

TEMS_Busy

This situation becomes true and an event is opened when the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server is continually busy. Default: Do not Run at startup. Show Formula:

( Product == 'EM' AND Reason == 'H')


10.6. Create a situation

You can create a situation to alert you of certain conditions and to trigger single action commands or complex automated workflows. Take these steps to create a situation:


Procedure

  1. If the Situation editor is not open, open it using one of the methods described in Opening the Situation editor.
  2. In the Situation editor, click Create new Situation.
  3. Type a name for the situation in the Name field and, optionally, a description in the Description field. The name and description can contain any UTF-8 characters: up to 256 bytes for the name and up to 64 bytes for the description. The maximum varies depending on the characters used because some UTF-8 characters require more than one byte. If you use any special characters such as pound sign (#) or ampersand (&) in the name, a unique short name is generated and displayed in the Situation editor status bar and in the results of the CLI tacmd viewSit.
  4. If this will be a standard situation, select the type of monitoring agent from the Monitored Application list and click OK.
  5. If this will be a correlated situation, select Correlated Situation from the Type list, click OK, and continue to step 5 of Correlating situations.


10.6.1. Define the condition

Define the condition to test for in the Situation editor Formula tab. This procedure assumes that you are creating a situation (Creating a situation) and the Select Condition dialog box is open. If you are editing a situation, this dialog box is opened after you click Add Conditions in the Formula tab. Take these steps to compose the situation formula.


Procedure

  1. In the Select Condition dialog box, select the type of condition to define:
    • Attribute Comparison, then select an attribute group and one or more attributes. Any attributes that are inappropriate for use in situations do not appear in the list. For example, you might see an attribute in a table view that you cannot see when creating a situation with the same attribute group.
    • Situation Comparison, then select the situation to embed.
    • Use Ctrl+click to select additional items from the list or Shift+click to select all items between and including the first selection and this one. Attributes or situations that have already been chosen are colored blue. You can add additional attributes or situations later using the Add conditions... button on the Formula tab.

    After you select the attributes or situations to add to the formula and click OK, they appear as column headings in the formula editor.

  2. For each attribute selected, click inside the cell under the column heading and compose an expression , which consists of a function, a relational operator, and the value to test for:
    • To change the function, click Value (or Compare date/time for a time attribute) and select one from the list.
    • To change the relational operator, click equal and select one from the list.
    • Click inside the text box and enter or select the value.

    Keep multiple expressions in the same row if they must all be met (Boolean AND logic) and on separate rows if any of them can be met (Boolean OR logic) to make the situation true.

  3. To add another attribute to the situation or to embed another situation, click Add Conditions and select the condition type and attributes or situations to add.
  4. To add situation persistence or a display item to the situation, click Advanced:

    • Situation Persistence Specify how long a true situation must persist (the number of consecutive samples evaluating to true) before an event is opened. Persistence is useful for determining whether a condition is solid or intermittent. You can use it with the take action feature to start a command if the condition persists for the designated time (persistence x interval). You can also use this feature to control when an event indicator appears on the associated Navigator item or, in a situation that is referenced in a policy, to control workflow.

    • Display Item Normally, when a situation encounters a value in a row that meets the condition, an event is opened and remains open across sampling intervals until the situation is no longer true. No more events for the situation on this managed system can be opened until the event has been closed. However, if you set a display item for a multiple-row attribute group, the situation continues to look at the other rows in the sampling and opens more events if other rows qualify. This optional addition to a situation also enables you to quickly distinguish events in the message log and event console views. Only certain attributes can be designated as display items. Any valid display items are displayed in the list.

  5. To specify how often the condition should be tested, accept the default of 15 minutes in the Sampling interval field or adjust the value. This field is disabled if the situation monitors for pure events. (Pure event occurs automatically, such as when a paper out condition occurs on the printer or when a new log entry is written. Situations written to notify you of pure events wait until an event occurs rather than sampling at specific intervals and remain true until they are manually closed or automatically closed by an UNTIL clause.)
    • Click inside the day, hour, minute, or second cell and type the number or click the up and down arrows.
    • You can change it to as seldom as once in 999 days or as often as 30 seconds, although more frequent samplings consume more resources.

  6. To start the situation manually rather than automatically, clear the Run at startup check box. By default, situations are set to start monitoring as soon as the situation is saved and, subsequently, to start automatically when a monitoring agent that the situation is distributed to starts again after going offline. See Start situations manually or automatically for more information.

  7. If you opened the Situation editor from a Navigator item, you can also assign a severity indicator or a sound to play when an event opens:

    • Assign a different severity by selecting an alert indicator from the State list.
    • Select a sound to play by checking Enable filename in the Sound area. Click Edit to change the sound file or its properties. Click Play to listen to the sound.

  8. Select other tabs in the Situation editor as needed to complete the situation definition:

    • Distribute the situation to the managed systems on which you want it to run. See Distributing the situation.
    • Add expert advice to the situation. See Writing expert advice.
    • Specify an action to take or a message to send to the Universal Message Console when the situation is true. See Specifying an action
    • Forward events that open for this situation to an Event Integration Facility receiver such as the Netcool/OMNIbus Probe for Tivoli EIF. See Forwarding the event to an EIF receiver.
    • Specify how long a situation shall remain true. See Adding an Until modifier.

  9. When you are finished composing the situation, save your changes and start the situation by clicking Apply to keep the editor open; or by clicking OK to close the Situation editor.
    • The Situation editor performs syntax checking on each expression you enter. If you entered an improper value for an attribute, such as .abc. for Disk Size, the cell turns red and the situation will not be saved until you correct the error.
    • If you opened the Situation editor from the toolbar, the situation you just created is not associated with any Navigator items and no event indicator is displayed when the situation becomes true. You must associate a situation with a Navigator item or change its state and click Apply.
    • Situations are stored at the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server. In the unlikely event that two users attempt to save a situation with the same name simultaneously, an error occurs to ensure that one situation does not overwrite another.

  10. If the Distribution Change window is displayed, click OK to add the managed systems shown in the Required Managed Systems list to the distribution for this situation.

10.6.1.1. Playing sounds when an event is opened

Every situation has a state assigned to its associated Navigator item. You can also assign a sound file that plays whenever the situation becomes true for this Navigator item, and you can use different sounds for different Navigator items associated with the same situation. Take the following steps to assign a sound to a situation.


Procedure

  1. Right-click the Navigator item to which the situation is associated and select Situations. The Situation editor opens with the list of situations that have been associated with this Navigator item.

  2. Select the situation to which you want to assign a sound. If you do not see the situation in the list, click Situation Filter, then select Eligible for Association, and click OK.

    The right frame displays the Formula tab for the selected situation. In the Sound area, the name of the default sound file for the state assigned to the Navigator item.

  3. To use the default sound, select Enable The default sound for the state assigned to the Navigator item will play when this situation becomes true and opens or reopens an event.

  4. Click Play to hear the currently selected sound; click Edit... to select another sound file or to edit the sound properties. Clicking Edit... opens the Sound window. The text field in the File area shows the name of the currently selected file (the default file for the state assigned to the Navigator item if no other has been selected).

    • Click Browse to select an alternative file. Default sounds are stored in the sound or user subdirectory on the system on which the monitoring portal is installed.
    • Apply any of the following options to the selected file:

      Protect from Global Default overrides

      If selected, this option keeps the sound file you have assigned to this situation, even if you have selected a global option. If this option is not selected, any applicable global sound option you have set overrides the sound file shown here.

      Enable Sound

      If selected, this option use the sound shown in the File field. If this option is not selected, no sound plays when the situation becomes true. (You can also enable the selected file in the Sound area of the Formula tab.)

      Global Options

      This button opens the Sound - Global Options window where you can specify options for applying the sound to all situations of the same state or type as this one.
    • Click OK to save the selections and return to the Formula tab.

  5. Click Apply to save your changes without closing the Situation editor, or click OK to save the changes and close the editor.


10.6.1.2. Customize sounds with your audio files

You can add your own WAVeform audio format files to your monitoring portal installation to customize the sound for a situation or situation type. Waveform audio is a format for storing sound in files, developed jointly by Microsoft and IBM. On the computer where the monitoring portal server is installed, copy your custom WAV files to the user subdirectory of the sound directory:

Use the Edit... button in the Sound area and then the Browse button on the situation_name - Sound window. to select your own WAV file.


10.6.2. Distributing the situation

The distribution of a situation determines where it will run.

The situation tree displays when a situation is distributed, and when a situation is not distributed.

Note: If you are running multiple versions of a monitoring agent, you will be able to distribute a situation only to the managed systems that the version supports.

Take the following steps to distribute a situation:

  1. In the Situation editor, select the Distribution tab.

    If it is not already, open the Situation editor and select the situation whose distribution you want to specify.

  2. To add to the Assigned list, select from the Available Managed Systems or Available Managed System Groups, or both, and click .


    Available Managed Systems shows the monitoring agents to which the situation can be distributed.

    Available Managed System Groups Each monitoring agent product comes with one managed system group named for the product, such as *MS_SQL_SERVER for PureApplication System Monitoring Server for MS SQL Server managed systems, and you can have custom lists that were created in the Object group editor.

  3. If you want to override the situation formula for any of the assigned managed systems, select one or more managed systems or managed system lists from the Assigned list, and then click Override Formula.

    Note: Not all situations can be overridden. If you are editing a situation that cannot be overridden, the Override Formula button is not available.

  4. Select other tabs in the Situation editor to:

    • Add expert advice to the situation. See Writing expert advice.
    • Specify an action to take or a message to send to the Universal Message Console when the situation is true. See Specifying an action
    • Forward events that open for this situation to an Event Integration Facility receiver such as the Netcool/OMNIbus Probe for Tivoli EIF. See Forwarding the event to an EIF receiver.
    • Specify how long a situation shall remain true. See Adding an Until modifier.

  5. When you are finished composing the situation, save your changes and start the situation by clicking Apply to keep the editor open; or by clicking OK to close the Situation editor.

    The Situation editor performs syntax checking on each expression you enter. If you entered an improper value for an attribute, such as .abc. for Disk Size, the cell turns red and the situation will not be saved until you correct the error.

    If you opened the Situation editor from the toolbar, the situation you just created will not be associated with any Navigator items and no event indicator is displayed when the situation becomes true. You must associate a situation with a Navigator item or change its state and click Apply.

    Situations are stored at the hub monitoring server. In the unlikely event that two users attempt to save a situation with the same name simultaneously, an error will occur, ensuring that one situation does not overwrite another.

  6. If the Distribution Change window is displayed, click OK to add the managed systems shown in the Required Managed Systems list to the distribution for this situation.


10.6.3. Writing expert advice

Use the Expert Advice tab to add comments or instructions, up to 500 characters, for the user to see in the event results workspace. Or create a link to an existing page on the web which contains relevant information.

  1. In the Situation editor, select the Expert Advice tab.

    If it is not already open, open the Situation editor and select the situation to write expert advice for.

  2. In the HTML editor, do one of the following :

    • Enter comments or instructions.

      The text is converted to an HTML document to be viewed from the event results workspace. You can format the text, such as to bold or italicize a word, using the correct HTML code. For example,

      <b>bold</b> and <i>italics</i>
      
      You can also add links, using HTML tagging, as in

      <a href "http://www.ibm.com">IBM</a>
      
      Click Preview to check that your coding is correct.

      You can also include conditional expressions in the Expert Advice. The syntax is very specific, so it is best to gather the attribute reference or to compose the expression in the Link Wizard and copy it to the expert advice. An expression can be a combination of literal values, references to values available from the source context, operators, and functions applied to values. Click Preview to check that your coding does what is intended.

    • Open a web page.

      If you would like to automatically open a web page in the Expert Advice view, enter just the URL without any other text in the HTML editor. For example, if the only entry in the editor ishttp://www.ibm.com, the view opens to that website. Click Preview to test the URL.

  3. Select other tabs in the Situation editor to:

    • Distribute the situation to the managed systems on which you want it to run. See Distributing the situation.
    • Specify an action to take or a message to send to the Universal Message Console when the situation is true. See Specifying an action
    • Forward events that open for this situation to an Event Integration Facility receiver such as the Netcool/OMNIbus Probe for Tivoli EIF. See Forwarding the event to an EIF receiver.
    • Specify how long a situation shall remain true. See Adding an Until modifier.

  4. When you are finished composing the situation, save your changes and start the situation by clicking Apply to keep the editor open; or by clicking OK to close the Situation editor.

    The Situation editor performs syntax checking on each expression you enter. If you entered an improper value for an attribute, such as .abc. for Disk Size, the cell turns red and the situation will not be saved until you correct the error.

    If you opened the Situation editor from the toolbar, the situation you just created will not be associated with any Navigator items and no event indicator is displayed when the situation becomes true. You must associate a situation with a Navigator item or change its state and click Apply.

    Situations are stored at the hub monitoring server. In the unlikely event that two users attempt to save a situation with the same name simultaneously, an error will occur, ensuring that one situation does not overwrite another.

  5. If the Distribution Change window is displayed, click OK to add the managed systems shown in the Required Managed Systems list to the distribution for this situation.


Example

An expression can be a combination of literal values, references to values available from the source context, operators, and functions applied to values. Click Preview to check that your coding does what is intended.

Search variable

The code creates the variable .search. from what the user enters when prompted, .What do you want to look for?., and enters that value as part of the URL for the searchenginesite.com search engine. The META 'refresh' tag is used to switch to the website automatically after one second. The INPUT function is available in the Link Wizard.

search = INPUT(.What do you want to look for?., .enter.);.
  <BODY BGCOLOR='#e6e6fa'>Searching database for <b>.+search+"</b>... 
  <META HTTP-EQUIV='refresh' CONTENT='1; URL=http://searchenginesite.com
  /search?q=.+search+.'>.

Search variable with situation information included

The code in this example inserts the name of the situation and the name of the managed system in the text. It then provides a link to searchenginesite.com, which searches for the situation name and displays the results automatically.

name = $EVENT:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.SITNAME$;
  node = $NODE$; 
  "<BODY BGCOLOR='#FFFF80'><div align=center>
  <h3><i>This is expert advice for </i> </h3>
  <h2>"+name+"</h2> on "+node+ "<p>Please notify your system 
  administrator that <b>"+name+"</b> fired. <p>To learn more, click here:
  <a href=http://www.searchenginesite.com/search?q="+name+"> 
  Tivoli Advice </a>"

As well as the situation name given in the previous example above, you can reference any other event attribute in the code:

situation name

$EVENT:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.SITNAME$

monitoring server name

$EVENT:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.NODE$

managed system name

$EVENT:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.ORIGINNODE$

display item

$EVENT:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.ATOMIZE$

global timestamp

$EVENT:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.GBLTMSTMP$

local timestamp

$EVENT:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.LCLTMSTMP$

status

$EVENT:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.DELTASTAT$


10.6.4. Specifying an action

Use the Situation editor Action tab to send a command to a system or a message to the universal message console when the situation becomes true. You might want to log information, trigger an audible beep, or stop a job that is overusing resources. A take action command can be a single action or a script of many commands. The monitoring portal server receives no feedback after it sends the command or notifies the user. To issue a command, the user ID must be authorized on the relevant system for the requested command. For example, to issue a TSO command, your user ID must be a valid TSO ID. The user ID must also be defined as a valid logon ID for the monitoring portal server. If an application prefix is used (such as MQ:), then the portal server logon ID will be used. However, for system level commands, the authorization of the monitoring agent will be used.

Note: The action will not be invoked if the situation is used in a policy.


Procedure

  1. In the Situation editor, click the Action tab. If it is not already, open the situation editor and select the situation to which you want to specify reflex automation.

  2. Select the type of action you want to take: System Command or Universal Message.

  3. Specify the command or message.

    • For a system command, write the command exactly as you would enter it manually for the application and operating platform on which it is running.
    • For a universal message, write the category, severity and the text to display in the Universal message console view.

      • Category of messages to see (for example, critical, warning, information), up to 16 characters.
      • Severity of the message, one word of up to 8 characters, such as 1 or high.
      • Message text when the situation occurs, up to 256 characters.


    Attribute Substitution opens a window for choosing an attribute. The attribute name is replaced by the actual value during execution of the action command. Example:

    echo System: &NT_Logical_Disk.Server_Name, Disk: &NT_Logical_Disk.Disk_Name,
      Space Available: &NT_Logical_Disk.%_Free%|mail userID.
    
    which sends an email to the user ID indicated that reads, "System: MyServer, Disk: D:, Space Available: 15%."

  4. If the condition is true for more than one monitored item, indicate when the action should be taken:

    • Select Only take action on first item to issue the command on only the first row that meets the condition.
    • Select Take action on each item to issue the command once for each row of data returned that meets the condition.

    For example, if the situation fires when any process uses over 80% of the CPU, you can issue a command to terminate just the first process that meets this criteria, or you can issue a command to terminate all processes that meet the criteria.

    Note: If the situation has a Display Item set and the "Only take action on first item" option is selected, the action is taken once for each unique display item in the rows of data. For example, if there were 100 total rows that qualified and there were 6 unique display items, the situation would fire 6 times. See Formula for more information on display items.

  5. Specify where the action should be executed (performed):

    • Select Execute the Action at the Managed System to perform the action on the system where the monitoring agent resides.
    • Select Execute the Action at the Managing System (TEMS) to perform the action on the monitoring server to which the agent is connected

    If you are sending a Universal Message, the action takes place at the monitoring server.

  6. Specify what to do if the condition stays true over multiple intervals:

    • Select Don't take action twice in a row to execute the command or universal message once, and not every time incoming data matches the condition.
    • Select Take action in each interval to invoke the command or issue the universal message when the situation is true in an interval, regardless of its state in the previous interval.

  7. Select other tabs in the Situation editor to:

    • Distribute the situation to the managed systems on which you want it to run. See Distributing the situation.
    • Add expert advice to the situation. See Writing expert advice.
    • Forward events that open for this situation to an Event Integration Facility receiver such as the Netcool/OMNIbus Probe for Tivoli EIF. See Forwarding the event to an EIF receiver.
    • Specify how long a situation shall remain true. See Adding an Until modifier.

  8. When you are finished composing the situation, save your changes and start the situation by clicking Apply to keep the editor open; or by clicking OK to close the Situation editor. The Situation editor performs syntax checking on each expression you enter. If you entered an improper value for an attribute, such as .abc. for Disk Size, the cell turns red and the situation will not be saved until you correct the error.

    If you opened the Situation editor from the toolbar, the situation you just created will not be associated with any Navigator items and no event indicator is displayed when the situation becomes true. You must associate a situation with a Navigator item or change its state and click Apply.

    Situations are stored at the hub monitoring server. In the unlikely event that two users attempt to save a situation with the same name simultaneously, an error will occur, ensuring that one situation does not overwrite another.

  9. If the Distribution Change window is displayed, click OK to add the managed systems shown in the Required Managed Systems list to the distribution for this situation.


10.6.5. Add an Until modifier

Add an Until modifier to control when a true situation closes: after a period of time or when another situation is true or, if you select both, whichever occurs first. When the Until modifier is for a sampled situation, the event is closed and will not reopen until the monitored condition turns false and turns true again. However, using a persistent count of 2 or more causes the event to close. But if the condition remains true for the number of intervals equal to the persistent count, the event will reopen for the same condition for which it originally fired. (See step 4 in the procedure for defining the condition to read about persistence and how to set it.) This procedure assumes that you are creating or editing a situation in the Situation editor (see Opening the Situation editor. Take these steps to add an Until modifier to the situation.


Procedure

  1. Click the Until tab.

    If it is not open already, open the Situation editor and select the situation to which you want to specify the Until modifier.

  2. Specify when you want the situation to close:

    • Check Another Situation is TRUE to close the event when the situation is true and select a situation from the list.

      The situations available are for the same type of monitoring agent that this situation uses or that use the PureApplication System Monitoring Server common attributes.

    • Check Reset Interval Expires to close the event after the specified interval, 15 minutes by default.

      To change the interval, click inside dd (day), hh (hour), mm (minute) or ss (second) and click the arrows to adjust up or down, or type the number.

    See Until for more information on choosing an option.

  3. Select other tabs in the Situation editor to:

    • Distribute the situation to the managed systems on which you want it to run. See Distributing the situation.
    • Add expert advice to the situation.
    • Specify an action to take or a message to send to the Universal Message Console when the situation is true.
    • Forward events that open for this situation to an Event Integration Facility receiver such as the Netcool/OMNIbus Probe for Tivoli EIF.

  4. When you are finished composing the situation, save your changes and start the situation by clicking Apply to keep the editor open; or by clicking OK to close the Situation editor.

    The Situation editor performs syntax checking on each expression you enter. If you entered an improper value for an attribute, such as .abc. for Disk Size, the cell turns red and the situation will not be saved until you correct the error.

    If you opened the Situation editor from the toolbar, the situation you just created will not be associated with any Navigator items and no event indicator is displayed when the situation becomes true. You must associate a situation with a Navigator item or change its state and click Apply.

    Situations are stored at the hub monitoring server. In the unlikely event that two users attempt to save a situation with the same name simultaneously, an error will occur, ensuring that one situation does not overwrite another.

  5. If the Distribution Change window is displayed, click OK to add the managed systems shown in the Required Managed Systems list to the distribution for this situation.


10.6.6. Forwarding the event to an EIF receiver

When situation event forwarding has been configured in your monitoring environment, a default Event Integration Facility receiver is assigned and the severity of forwarded events matches the state specified for the situation. The EIF tab of the Situation editor enables you to specify the severity and the EIF receiver or receivers the event shall be forwarded to, or to disable event forwarding for a situation.

Note: The EIF tab shows in the Situation editor only if the hub monitoring server has been configured to forward events.


Procedure

  1. In the Situation editor, click the EIF tab.

  2. Select Forward Events to an EIF Receiver to send an EIF event for every event that opens for this situation or clear the check box if you prefer not to forward events that open for this situation.

  3. Select the EIF Severity of forwarded events. <Default EIF Severity> causes the event severity that is set for the situation at this Navigator item to be applied to the EIF event when Forward Events to an EIF Receiver is selected.

    If the situation event being forwarded has the Informational severity, it will be seen as Harmless at the Tivoli Enterprise Console.

  4. Specify the EIF destinations for forwarded events:

    • To add a destination, select it from the Available EIF Receivers list and then click the left-arrow.
    • To remove a destination from the list, select it in the Assigned EIF Receivers list and click the right-arrow.

    EIF destinations are defined in the Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services application; or with the tacmd createEventDest command.

  5. If you want to customize how situation events are mapped to EIF events, click EIF Slot Customization. Using the EIF Slot Customization editor is only supported for events that are sent directly to an external EIF receiver.

  6. Select other tabs in the Situation editor to:

    • Distribute the situation to the managed systems on which you want it to run.
    • Add expert advice to the situation.
    • Specify an action to take or a message to send to the Universal Message Console when the situation is true.
    • Specify how long a situation shall remain true.

  7. When you are finished composing the situation, save your changes and start the situation by clicking Apply to keep the editor open; or by clicking OK to close the Situation editor. The Situation editor performs syntax checking on each expression you enter. If you entered an improper value for an attribute, such as .abc. for Disk Size, the cell turns red and the situation will not be saved until you correct the error.

    If you opened the Situation editor from the toolbar, the situation you just created will not be associated with any Navigator items and no event indicator is displayed when the situation becomes true. You must associate a situation with a Navigator item or change its state and click Apply.

    Situations are stored at the hub monitoring server. In the unlikely event that two users attempt to save a situation with the same name simultaneously, an error will occur, ensuring that one situation does not overwrite another.

  8. If the Distribution Change window is displayed, click OK to add the managed systems shown in the Required Managed Systems list to the distribution for this situation.


10.7. Start or stopping a situation

You can start or stop one or more situations as you find necessary for your environment.

You can start or stop one or more situations from several places: situation event flyover list; situation event console view; situation editor; or Manage Situations at Managed System. No matter which method you choose, the effect is the same: the situation starts or stops on all the managed systems to which it is distributed.

Note:

To use this feature, your user ID must have Modify permission for Situations.


Procedure

  1. Depending on your location, do one of the following:

    Origination point Action
    Situation event flyover list Point to an event indicator in the Navigator to open the event flyover list, then right-click the situation name.
    Manage Situations at Managed System In the Navigator Physical view, right-click the enterprise item or an agent item and click Manage Situations. Then, in the Manage Situations at Managed System window, select the situation to start or stop.
    Situation event console view Open or create a workspace with the Situation Event Console view, then right-click the row of the situation you want to start or stop.
    Situation editor Do one of the following to open the Situation editor:

    • Right-click a Navigator item and click Situations. (See Note if you do not see this option.)
    • Click Situations in the toolbar.
    • Right-click a situation in the event flyover list and click Edit Situation.
    • Right-click an event item in the Navigator and click Edit Situation.
    • Right-click an open event in the situation event console view and click Edit Situation.
    • Right-click the enterprise item or an agent item in the Navigator Physical view and click Manage Situations. Select a situation and click Edit Situation.

    Then, right-click the name in the Situation tree on the left. (If you do not see the situation, click Situation Filter and select all the options.)

  2. If you want to select multiple situations to stop, use Ctrl+click to select additional situations or Shift+click to select all situations between and including the first selection and this one.

  3. Click one of the following:

    Start the situation

    This has no effect if the situation is already started. If a progress bar is displayed, you can click Stop to pause, then Resume when you are ready to continue, or Cancel to stop the operation.

    Stop the situation running

    The situation will remain stopped until you start it again manually or, if it is set to Run at startup, when you next start the PureApplication System Monitoring Server to which an agent connects or edit the situation.


10.8. Situation association with Navigator items

A situation must be associated with a Navigator item before you can see alerts when an event has opened.

When you create a situation, these elements of the situation definition and Navigator item properties must be set before event indicators for true situations can show on the Navigator:

Situation distribution

The situation must be distributed to the managed systems on which it is to run. This is done in the Distribution tab of the Situation editor.

Assignment

Situations that were created in the Situation editor after it was opened from a Navigator item, are automatically associated with the Navigator item. This is possible because the Navigator item and the managed systems assigned to it are known. Situations that were created in the Situation editor after it was opened from the main toolbar are not associated with a Navigator item initially: the situation might be distributed to one or more managed systems, but the Navigator item is not known at this point.

For custom Navigator views, you must relate, or assign, managed systems to the Navigator items where you want to see alerts.

Association

You must associate a situation with the Navigator items where you want to see event indicators for the situation. Association with a Navigator item is done automatically when you open the Situation editor from the Navigator, then create or edit a situation and click Apply or OK. Association with a Navigator item is done manually for situations created in the Situation editor when it was opened from the toolbar.

When you associate a situation with a Navigator item, the situation state and sound are also associated with the item. The same situation can be associated with a different Navigator item to apply a different state or sound. This is especially useful for custom Navigator views where one situation might be critical in an operator's Navigator view, but considered informational in a view designed for an executive.


10.8.1. Associate a situation

If you access the Situation editor through the toolbar to create situations, no alert will be visible in the Navigator when the situation becomes true until you associate the situations with a Navigator item.

For each Navigator item you want to associate a situation with, do the following:


Procedure

  1. Right-click the Navigator item to which you want to associate a situation. If this is a correlated situation, right-click the Enterprise Navigator item.

  2. Click Situations. Situations is displayed in the pop-up menu for all Navigator items in the Physical view except for those at the operating platform level (such as Linux Systems). The Enterprise item is limited to Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server situations distributed to *HUB_ or *ALL_CMS managed systems. A Navigator item in a custom Navigator view must have at least one managed system assigned to it, or you will not see Situations in the pop-up menu.

    The Situation editor opens with the list of situations that have been associated with this Navigator item.

  3. Click Situation Filter to open the Show Situations window.

  4. Select Eligible for Association and clear Associated with this Object. If you are associating a situation with the Enterprise item in the Navigator Physical view, also select Associated with Monitored Application.

  5. If you want to apply a different event state to the situation than the default critical state (or the one it was created with) or you want to apply an event sound, select the situation from the tree, then do one or both of the following.

    • In the State area, select a different state.
    • In the "Sound" area, select Enable. If you want to change the sound, click Edit.

      This ability to change the event state and sound enables you to qualify the severity of a situation for different Navigator items.

  6. Right-click the situation to associate with the Navigator item and click Associate.

  7. When you are finished, check your work by clicking Situation Filter, clearing Eligible for Association, and selecting Associated with this Object. The situations you associated with this Navigator item are displayed in the list.

  8. To save your changes, click Apply to keep the Situation editor open; -OR- click OK to close it.

If you have multiple situations to associate, you can use Ctrl+click to select additional situations to associate or Shift+click to select all situations between and including the first selection and this one. Be aware that the Critical state and no sound will be applied to this Navigator item.


10.8.2. Dissociating a situation

If you no longer want to have event indicators originate for this situation from the Navigator item, dissociate it. For example, you might have a situation that is only embedded in other situations and never runs on its own. To dissociate a situation:


Procedure

  1. Right-click the Navigator item from which you want to dissociate a situation.

  2. Click Situations. The Situations option is available from all Navigator items except those at the operating platform level (such as Linux Systems). The Enterprise item is limited to Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server situations distributed to *HUB_ or *ALL_CMS managed systems. A Navigator item in a custom Navigator view must have at least one managed system assigned to it; otherwise, you will not see Situations in the pop-up menu.

    The Situation editor opens with the list of situations that have been associated with this Navigator item.

  3. Right-click the situation you want to dissociate from the Navigator item and click Dissociate. If you want to remove all associations, click Dissociate All. If you have multiple situations to dissociate, you can use Ctrl+click to select more situations or Shift+click to select all situations between and including the first selection and this one. Then right-click one of the situations and select Dissociate.

  4. To save your changes, click Apply to keep the Situation editor open; -OR- click OK to close it.


10.9. Modeling conditions for situations

Use situation modeling to perform threshold analysis on selected data samples or a situation and use the results to create or edit a situation.


10.9.1. Understand situation modeling

Situation modeling can be done with selected attributes from the current query-based view or with the conditions of the current situation.

Modeling from a query-based view

Query-based views and historical data are valuable for exploring your monitored environment and researching conditions to build situations against. The situation modeling feature enables you to capture data from a query-based view and use it to model possible threshold scenarios or to test the effectiveness of a situation. The Model Situation window has options for calculating different values, comparing attributes, and transferring the results to the Situation editor to create a new situation or to fine tune the conditions in an existing situation.

If the attribute group data has been collected historically, then you can run statistical algorithms against it and provide values on the same chart. The model situation chart shows the difference between the original and calculated values. For example, you might be viewing data samples over a month-long period and see that a metric peaks during Monday mornings from 8:00 to 10:00. You can use the modeling tools to help you make decisions about whether that maximum value is repeatable or an anomaly, and whether it correlates with other conditions.

You can open the Model Situation window from the selected data row or point in a chart view or table view.

Modeling from the Manage Situations at Managed Systems window

The Manage Situations at Managed System window displays all the situations that are associated with the Navigator item for the agent. You can use situation modeling to refine the thresholds of an existing situation so that events are opened appropriately: not too often, but not so seldom that important issues are missed.

Open the Model Situation window for a selected situation to see the formula with the current attribute values plotted in the model situation chart. Use the expression editor and statistical functions to model other possible thresholds. Then copy the results into the Situation editor for editing the situation values or to create another situation.

The tool is disabled if a situation is ineligible for modeling. Situation definitions that have any these characteristics cannot be used for modeling:

  • Embedded situations, which also includes correlated situations
  • Situations with more than ten attributes in the formula
  • Situations with no numeric attributes in the formula
  • Situations with an attribute repeated in the formula (such as MyAttribute > 0 AND MyAttribute < 50)
  • Situations with Boolean OR logic
  • Situations with group functions: count, sum, average, minimum, maximum


10.9.2. Modeling a situation with view data

Use the values from the current chart or table to model threshold conditions and then use the results in a new situation. Historical views are particularly valuable for researching thresholds. Your user ID must have View permissions for Situations for this feature to be enabled. To create or edit Situations, your user ID must have Modify permission. The attribute values used for modeling are especially valuable for comparing with historical data samples. Take these steps to work with the situation modeling feature and, if you choose to, create a situation. Text attributes cannot be modeled. Only display item, which has a checked box


Procedure

  1. Right-click a table row or chart point containing numeric attributes to monitor and click Model Situation. The Select attribute window is opened with the attribute group preselected. If you opened the pop-up menu from a chart, attributes are preselected.

  2. In the Select attribute window, select the attributes to model:
    • Click an attribute to select it. You can also use Ctrl+click to select multiple items and Shift+click to select all items between the item last selected and this one. You can select up to 10 attributes.
    • Select numeric attributes of interest.

    After you click OK, the Model Situation window is opened with a chart displaying the selected numeric attributes and their values (from the selected row).

    • If historical data samples are available, the last 24 hours are displayed in a plot chart. If no historical data has been collected, the current data samples are displayed in a bar chart.
    • Any non-numeric attribute values are shown but are non-selectable. The exception is a display item, which is a key attribute in some multiple row attribute groups and shows in the Model Situation window. In situation modeling, it can be used to select different data rows. In a situation definition, a display item can be selected as an Advanced option that enables the situation to open multiple events: once for each row that meets the condition.
    • A message informs you if no modeling chart is displayed. This happens if the situation override is for a multiple-row attribute group that has no display item.

  3. Use the modeling tools to apply different threshold scenarios; click Recalculate to render the chart with the modified argument set.

  4. To create a situation populated with values from the Condition column, click Create Situation. Enter the situation name and optional description.


10.9.3. Modeling with an existing situation

Use situation modeling to calculate new threshold values for an existing situation or to create another situation with the modeling results, replacing the original situation thresholds. This enables you to fine tune the situation so that it does not open events unnecessarily or, conversely, miss important issues. To get the most benefit from situation modeling, use historical data samples for comparison. If no historical data is being collected for the attribute in the situation, you can still model thresholds but without the benefit of historical data and statistical functions.

Some situation constructs make them ineligible for modeling: embedded situations, and that includes correlated situations; more than ten attributes in the formula; no numeric attributes in the formula; attributes repeated in the formula; and Boolean OR logic.

Your user ID must have Modify permissions for Situations for this feature to be enabled. Take these steps to model threshold conditions for a situation, then apply the results to the situation or to a new situation.


Procedure

  1. Right-click a Navigator item that has situations associated with it: either Enterprise or Agent.
  2. Click Manage Situations.
  3. Click the row of the situation to model and click Model Situation. The Model situation window opens with the formula in the Attributes expression editor and the current values plotted in a chart. If historical data samples are available, the last 24 hours are plotted. Any non-numeric attribute values are shown but are non-selectable.
  4. Use the modeling tools to try out different threshold scenarios; click Recalculate to render the chart with the modified argument set.
  5. To create a situation populated with values from the Condition column, click Create Situation; or to edit a situation, click Edit Situation.


10.9.4. Model Situation

You can select Model Situation from a query-based view or Manage Situations at Managed System window to display selected attribute values in a chart, try out different thresholding scenarios, and use the results to create or edit a situation.

If the attribute group used by the query-based view or situation has historical data collection enabled, the Model Situation window shows a plot chart in the top half of the window (up to the last 24 hours) and Attributes, Time Span, and Functions areas in the lower half. You can switch the display to a bar chart or area chart. If historical collection has not been configured, the Model Situation window shows a bar chart in the top half of the window and an Attributes area in the bottom half.


Model situation chart

If you started from a query-based view, your selections from the Select Attribute window are displayed in a chart with values from the current row or data point. If you started from a situation, the formula is displayed in the Attributes expression editor and the current attribute values are plotted in a chart. As you modify attribute conditions (such as to change the value), the chart is adjusted and the difference indicated.

For attributes with historical data samples, the last 24 hours of data samples are plotted by default unless you have a time span set, in which case that time span is plotted. Although all the data points are plotted, the window has only limited space for time stamp labels. Use any of these methods to see values and adjust the display:


Attributes

This area has a row for each selected attribute or situation attribute. Click inside a cell to see only that attribute plotted on the chart.

Name

This is the name of the attribute chosen from the Select attribute dialog.

If you see a check box in the first column, it means the attribute is a display item, a key attribute in a multiple-row attribute group. You can enter another valid value in the Condition cell to plot the values for that display item attribute.

Condition

This is the value of the attribute from the chart view data series or table view row, or from the situation if you are modeling with an existing situation.

Click inside a cell to change the function or operator, or to edit the value. A solid marker line is drawn across the chart to represent the current comparison value. A shaded region appears above or below this marker line if the relational operator represents a range of trigger values (>, >=, <, <=). The difference between the original and calculated value is the threshold area and is highlighted.

Value modifier

This is initially set to < none selected >. Click inside the cell to calculate a threshold by raising or lowering the original value by a specified percentage.

In the + PERCENT or - PERCENT window that opens, enter the percentage to raise or lower the value by, click Draw to apply the threshold to the chart. After you click OK, the difference between the original and percentage raised or lowered is used to set a new threshold value.

Chart options

Modify the appearance of the threshold: Visible in legend to add Threshold to the legend, Show chart label to add a threshold label, and Fill Style to change the threshold pattern or color. Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own (see Custom Color).


Functions

This area is displayed when the attribute group used in the view or situation has historically collected values. Click a row in the Attributes area. In the Functions area, select the check box for the statistical function you want to use. After setting an Argument, click Recalculate to see the adjusted threshold in the Result cell and plot it on the chart as a colored line.

AVG

For the selected attribute, calculate the average value from the samples taken during the time period, and add or subtract the standard deviation that was entered in the Argument field. Valid values are -6 to 6.

MIN

For the selected attribute, find the lowest sampled value within the time period, and increase or decrease that value by the percentage that was entered in the Argument field. Valid values are -100 to 100.

MAX

For the selected attribute, find the highest sampled value within the time period and increase or decrease that value by the percentage that was entered in the Argument field. Valid values are -100 to 100.

PERCENTILE

For the selected attribute, find the value below which NUM percent of the data points fall; where NUM is the value from the Argument field. Valid values are 1 to 100.

MODE

For the selected attribute, find the most frequently observed value within the time period. No argument is entered for a MODE calculation.

Copy

Add the value from the Result cell to the selected cell in the Attributes area.

Chart options

Modify the appearance of the threshold: Visible in legend to add Threshold to the legend, Show chart label to add a threshold label, and Fill Style to change the threshold pattern or color. Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own (see Custom Color).


Time Span

This area is displayed when the attribute group used in the view or situation has historically collected values. The Last 24 Hours is shown by default.

Last

You can change from the default 24 hours to a different value or unit of time (Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, Quarters, Years).

The Time Column field shows the attribute for the time stamp, such as Recording Time.

Custom

Use the Custom tab to plot a specific date range or to select a different time attribute.

Click inside the Start Time and End Time fields to select a date and time.

The Time Column field shows the attribute for the time stamp, such as Recording Time.

Daily

Use the Daily tab to plot a specific time range.

Click inside the Start Time and End Time fields to select a date and time.

Select the Show data for last check box and specify the number of days to plot.

Select calendar day to include any weekend days that fall within the date range; or weekdays to exclude weekend days. For example, if today is Monday and you select the last 2 weekdays, Thursday and Friday of the past week are plotted.

Select the Show this day's data check box to select a specific date to plot within the time range.


Buttons

Recalculate

Click Recalculate after you have entered an argument for a statistical function to see the result in the Result column and plotted on the chart. Use this button also to refresh the chart with any changes you make to the time span selection or override key conditions.

OK

Click OK to use the values shown in the Attributes area.

Create Situation

This button opens the Create Situation window for you to create a new situation. The situation is created immediately after you type a name and click OK. The Situation editor opens with the modeling attributes and conditions in the formula editor. Continue to refine the formula and complete the situation definition.

Reset

After you click inside an attribute cell, the chart is redrawn to plot only that attribute. If you also select a statistical function and click Recalculate, the statistical result is also plotted. Click Reset to redraw the chart with all attributes.

These are all the reset actions taken:

  • Cancel any attribute selection in the table
  • Clear any shaded threshold area in the chart
  • Show all chart series if any were not visible
  • Remove all statistical markers from the chart
  • Clear the Function fields, including function results
  • Cancel any zooms in progress
  • Disable the create schedule action

Cancel

Click Cancel to exit the dialog without saving your changes.


Example

This example of situation modeling was started from the Total % Privileged Time and % User Time stacked bar in the Process Time Distribution chart from the Windows OS Processor workspace.

Initial chart display

We right-click a bar in the chart and select Model Situation. The current data sample is 8% privileged time and 4% user time. Looking at the historical samples, we see that values over 70% and 40% are rare.

Change % Privileged Time threshold

We adjust the % Privileged Time threshold by clicking in the Condition column and changing from > 8 to > 70, which is reflected in the chart as the gray patterned area.

Change % User Time threshold

Next, we adjust the % User Time threshold by clicking in the Condition column and changing from > 4 to > 40, which is reflected in the chart as the gray patterned area.

The thresholds give a visual indicator of how often a situation created with these values would become true.

Create Situation

After we click Create Situation, the thresholds are inserted as expressions in the Situation editor. With the situation formula as it is now, an event will be opened when privileged time is over 70% and, at the same time, user time is over 40%.

% Privileged Time % User Time
1 > 70 > 40

Edit the situation formula

We moved the % User Time value to a new row so that the situation becomes true when either the privileged time is over 70% or the user time is over 40%. Be aware that now that the situation has Boolean OR logic, it is not eligible for situation modeling; thus, when the situation is selected in the Manage Situations at Managed System window, Model Situation will be disabled.

% Privileged Time % User Time
1 > 70
2 > 40


10.10. Edit a situation

Situation maintenance is done in the Situation editor. You might want to fine tune a situation so it fires when the condition is truly at a warning or critical level and not too early or too late. Or you might want to delete situations you no longer need.

Note: If you plan to modify a predefined situation, copy the situation with Create Another and edit the copy. This ensures that you can start again with the original should you need to.

Your user ID must have Modify Situation permissions to open the Situation editor for creating and maintaining situations.

Follow these steps to edit a situation:

  1. Open the Situation editor using one of the access points described in Opening the Situation editor.

    The Situation tree lists the situations for the level chosen: at the system level, you will see all situations applied to that system; at the agent level, you will see all situations written with attributes from that agent; and at the attribute level, you will see all situations written with attributes from the associated group or groups.

  2. Click a situation to open it.

    If you do not see the situation in the tree and you opened the editor from the Navigator menu, click Situation Filter and select Eligible for Association.

  3. Click a tab to modify that part of the definition:

    • Formula tab to edit the condition definition, sampling interval, or status.

      To add or remove rows or clear cell contents, right-click and select one of the pop-up menu options.

    • Distribution tab to see and assign the systems to monitor
    • Expert Advice tab to enter text viewable from the event results workspace
    • Action tab to enter a command to be invoked when the situation fires
    • Until tab to have the event close after a period of time or when another situation is true

  4. When you are finished editing the situation, click Apply to save your changes and start the situation; -OR- OK to save your changes, start the situation, and exit the Situation editor.

    The Situation editor performs syntax checking on each expression you enter. If you enter an improper value for an attribute, such as .30000. for % User Time, the cell turns red and the situation will not be saved until you correct the error.

    When the formula or other aspects of a situation definition are changed, the situation is first stopped and then re-started. An event indicator for the situation will appear in the Navigator for a brief period and the event flyover will show the situation stop indicator.


10.11. Delete a situation

Use the Situation editor to delete situations. Keep in mind that deleting a situation removes it from every managed system to which it was distributed. To delete a situation:


Procedure

Do one of the following to open the Situation editor:

  1. Right-click the situation name in the tree on the left.

    If you do not see the situation, click Situation Filter and select all of the options.

    You can use Ctrl+click to select additional situations or Shift+click to select all situations between and including the first selection and this one.

  2. Click Delete to permanently remove the situation selection.

    If a progress bar is displayed, you can click Stop to pause, then Resume when you are ready to continue, or Cancel to stop the operation.

  3. If this situation is referenced (embedded) in another situation or in a policy, a Referential Integrity window opens with a list of the affected objects and you must do the following before you can delete the situation:

    1. Click Copy to save the list to the Windows clipboard.
    2. Click Cancel.

      You can now paste the list into a text editor or a notepad view in a workspace.

    3. Edit each situation or policy in the list to delete the reference to this situation. (With the situation open in the Formula editor, right-click the column heading for the embedded situation, and click Delete. With the policy open in the Workflow editor, select the activity references this situation, and click Clear.)

Note: Situations is only in the pop-up menu of Navigator items that have managed systems assigned. In the Navigator Physical view, managed systems are preassigned to every item except those at the operating platform level (such as Linux Systems) and cannot be changed. In the Navigator Logical and custom views, you can assign managed systems when creating a Navigator item or editing its properties.

Note: If you are forwarding events to an event integration facility such as the Tivoli Enterprise Console Server, when an active situation is deleted, the Stop and Delete events that are sent to the event server use the situation short name and not the long name. This is also true for any associated messages that are sent to the message log view.


10.12. Situation overrides for dynamic thresholding

Use situation overrides for dynamic thresholding at selected managed systems, under specific conditions, and at scheduled times.

Overriding a situation formula is useful if you need to adjust the comparison values based on local conditions or a specific time. The values used in a situation override can be either fixed or calculated from runtime data. Examples include the following:


10.12.1. Create a situation override

Use the situation expression override function to change the formula thresholds for one or more of the managed systems that the situation is distributed to. The override can remain in effect indefinitely, at a set schedule, or until you remove it.

When you define an override, apply it immediately or at a scheduled time. The schedule for an override can run on specific days (calendar schedule) or every day at a certain time (hourly schedule). Calendar schedules can be saved and selected at any time. An hourly schedule can be assigned to the schedule, but is deleted after you close the Override editor if you turn off the assignment. If you plan to schedule the override, decide whether you want a calendar schedule or hourly.

Make sure the situation is eligible for overriding, and that it is currently distributed to one or more managed systems either directly or as part of managed system groups. If a situation is not eligible, Override Formula remains disabled even after you select a managed system or managed system group. The Expression Override editor is available through the Distribution tab of the Situation editor.


Procedure

  1. Identify the managed system or managed systems where the override should take place and click Override Formula from either of these windows:
    • On the Situation editor Distribution tab, select one or more managed systems or managed system groups from the Assigned list. The Override Formula button is disabled until you select an entry from the Assigned list.
    • In the Manage Situations at Managed System window, select the situation to override and click Override Formula.

    The Add Expression Overrides window opens.

  2. If the Expressions tab has no expressions, click Add Expression to add the reference formula.
  3. Edit the expression value (or more if there are multiple expressions in the formula) for the overrides to apply. These values will be used instead of those in the reference formula when the override definition is applied.
    • Click inside a cell and enter a new value. After you press Enter or click outside the cell, the new value appears with a blue background to indicate that the original reference value has changed.
    • Click Model Expression if you want to use expression modeling to establish threshold values based on historical data and statistical analysis. See Model Expression.
    • The use of wildcards (* or ?) cannot be used in the key value.

    Examples of eligible repeated attribute expressions (situations involving these patterns are eligible for override because the operators are unique):
    %_Processor_Time >= 30 and %_Processor_Time <= 50 p_name == "Websphere"

  4. To view or change the override details, click the Details tab. The details include the description, distribution, and override priority (1 is the highest priority; 200 is the lowest).

  5. If you want to apply the override immediately and without defining a schedule (unless you defined one in the Model Expression editor), click OK and skip to step 7. Otherwise, continue to the next step.

  6. Specify a schedule for the override:

    1. Select Click here to assign an override schedule.
    2. In the Select Override Expression Schedule dialog, either select one of the defined schedules entries and continue to step 7 or click Create New Schedule. Any schedules created from the command line with tacmd addCalendarEntry are displayed in the list.
    3. Select Create a new calendar schedule to create a schedule for particular days or sequence of days, or Create a new hourly schedule to create a daily schedule that runs at specified times.
    4. In the Schedule editor that opens, define the schedule: Calendar or Hourly

    After you click OK, the undefined schedule icon changes to indicate that a calendar schedule or an hourly schedule has been applied.

  7. Click Apply to validate the override definition and save your changes. The situation override is validated when you save it. If any problems are found, a message describes the error. Select the check box next to the Calendar error and click Remove Expression.

  8. If you want to add another override, click Add Expression and repeat these steps starting at step 3 A copy of the reference formula is added to the formula overrides. You can have one formula that has no schedule; any others must have a schedule applied.

If the situation override entry has no schedule, it begins running after you click Apply or OK. Any overrides with a schedule are activated at the designated time.

You can use the monitored baselines feature to see the override expressions charted. See Adding monitored baselines to a chart.

Outside of the portal, you can use the CLI tacmd setOverride, tacmd addCalendarEntry, tacmd suggestBaseline, and tacmd acceptBaseline commands to create override expressions based on calculated baseline values rather than fixed values. (described in the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Command Reference) or using a local thresholds.xml configuration file (described in the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Administrator's Guide Situation override XML specification).

If the Calendars list shows only <No schedule> or only the calendar entries that you have defined and no predefined calendars, it indicates that the hub monitoring server was upgraded from an earlier version but application support was not added. Application support is added by running the CLI itmcmd support command. See the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Installation and Setup Guide for instructions.


10.12.2. Disable and enabling situation overrides

A situation override starts as soon as you define it or when you have it scheduled. You can also manually enable and disable situation overrides. This procedure applies to any override definition for a situation, scheduled or not. This procedure enables or disables all the overrides for the situation. If you have any overrides that you no longer need to keep, you can selectively remove them beforehand.


Procedure

  1. Click Situation Editor or right-click the Navigator item that the situation is associated with and click Situations.

  2. In the Situations tree, right-click the situation. Situations with override definitions show an override indicator at the right end of the status bar.

  3. Click one of the following options:
    • Enable Situation Overrides to activate the override (or overrides) for the situation. Any unscheduled and scheduled overrides for this situation are now enabled. Unscheduled overrides begin running immediately; scheduled overrides are activated at their designated time.
    • Disable Situation Overrides to deactivate the override (or overrides) for the situation. Any expression overrides for this situation that are running are stopped and disabled; the original situation definition is now in effect. Any scheduled overrides do not resume until you have enabled them again manually or edit the schedule.


10.12.3. Remove override definitions

When you no longer want to keep a situation override, remove the definition. You can remove a specific override definition or all the override definitions that have been written for a situation. This procedure permanently deletes the selected override definition (or definitions). If you think you might want to use the override definition again at a later time, you can disable it rather than remove it. Take one of these steps to remove the selected override definition or to remove all the override definition for a situation.


Procedure

If you are in the Situation editor and want to edit the definition, you first must refresh the situation. To do this, click another situation in the tree, then click this situation again. After the situation has been refreshed, you no longer see in the status bar.


10.12.4. Expression override and scheduling windows

Use the Expression override editor to create overrides for dynamic thresholding and use the override schedule dialogs to determine when they should run.


10.12.4.1. Add Expression Overrides

You can use the Add Expression Overrides window to define a situation override to be distributed to one or more managed systems.

A situation override is a set of expressions that can conditionally substitute comparison values that are different from those in the situation formula, and applied to one or more of the managed systems that the situation is distributed to.

The Add Expression Overrides window supports creating expression overrides using specified comparison values. You can also use expression modeling to create the override expression from a calculated baseline value.

Navigation tree

The navigation tree on the left side of the window shows the situation you are currently editing and the assigned managed systems and managed system groups for the situation, with the currently selected entries highlighted. You can click items in this list to change which systems are included in the override.

Reference formula

The Reference formula area shows the original situation formula. This is the formula you are overriding. You can view the reference formula as a table or graphic by clicking the respective Table View or Graphic View tab.

Formula overrides

The Expressions tab is divided into two panes: on the left are attributes that can be applied to the override, but which cannot be used for expression modeling; on the right are attributes whose override values can be modified with expression modeling. Specify the override values to apply to the selected managed systems.

  • To model override values, click Model Expression (see Model Expression). This feature is most effective for attributes that have historical data collected.
  • To edit an expression, click in a table cell and edit the values.

    • To define a schedule when the override should run, select Click here to assign an override schedule. Select a defined schedule from the list or create a new schedule (see Select Override Expression Schedule).
    • The columns in the right-hand section define the comparison values for the expression. These are the values that will be substituted for those in the reference formula if the override condition is met, or if no override condition is set. Click in the appropriate table cells to edit the comparison values used for the override expression.

  • To add an expression, click Add Expression.
  • To remove an expression, select the check box next to the expression to remove and click Remove Expression.

The Details tab shows information for the situation override:

Assigned to

The managed systems or managed system groups to which this situation override is currently distributed.

Priority

This field is a display-only field showing the relative priority of this situation override. If multiple overrides are distributed to the same managed system, the priority determines which override takes precedence. This can happen if an override is distributed to an individual managed system, and another override is distributed to a managed system group that includes the same system.

Situation overrides that are distributed to managed systems have a higher priority than overrides distributed to managed systems groups: 1 is the highest priority; 200 is the lowest.

Description

Enter an optional description of the situation override.

Add Expression

Click this button to add a new formula row.

Remove Expression

Select the check box next to the expression you want to delete and click Remove Expression.

Model Expression

Click this button to open the Model Expression dialog.

Restriction:


10.12.4.2. Select Override Expression Schedule

Use the Select Override Expression Schedule dialog to select a calendar entry that specifies when the expression override should be applied. You can define a new schedule in this dialog and edit or delete existing schedules.

From the Add Expression Overrides dialog, click Calendar to establish a schedule, Calendar to edit a calendar schedule, or Calendar to edit an hourly schedule.

Schedules is a list of schedules that are available for this situation. Click a schedule to see its description in the Description field. Predefined schedules are NonPrimeShift, PrimeShift, Weekday, and Weekend. Use the following tools to create, edit, or delete a schedule:

Create New Schedule

Define a new schedule including name, description, and timing.

Create Another Schedule

Copy the selected schedule and give it a new name. This is a good choice to base the new schedule on, or in contrast to, what was defined for the source schedule.

Modify Schedule

Edit a schedule to change the time or frequency that it runs.

Delete Schedule

Delete a schedule that you no longer need for this situation.
If you want to keep a schedule definition but disable it, click Remove. The schedule is deselected and <No schedule> is enabled.


10.12.4.3. Schedule Options

Use the Schedule Options to select whether to create a new calendar schedule or hourly schedule. The new schedule options are displayed from the Select Override Expression Schedule window after you click Create New Schedule.

Create a new calendar schedule

Choose this option to create a schedule for a particular day and time or to repeat at a set frequency. A calendar schedule is useful if you want the override to run only once and starting at a particular time or if you want it to repeat at set intervals.

Create a new hourly schedule

Choose this option to create a daily schedule that runs at specified times. An hourly schedule is desirable when you want the override to run every day, starting and stopping at a particular time from 00:00 to 23:45.


10.12.4.4. Schedule editor

Use the Schedule editor to create or modify a schedule to control when the situation override is applied. The editor is opened from the Select Override Expression Schedule dialog after you click Create New Schedule and select the schedule type (Calendar or Hourly) or after you click Modify Schedule. The Schedule editor has some different options for Calendar and Hourly schedules.


Calendar

You can have the override run only once or repeat on the specified days.

Schedule identity

The Name and Description fields are used to identify the schedule. The name entered here is shown in the list of schedules in the Select Override Expression Schedule dialog. The description is shown only here and can be used to enter information such as the purpose of the schedule.

Schedule definition

Select from the list whether to apply the schedule once or at intervals. Your choice changes the options in the rest of the definition area:

Frequency

once

Select the month from the On month list and any value from 1 to 28, 30, or 31 from the On day list.

daily

Select a value from 1 to 30 from the Every (number of days) list.

weekly

Select the check box for the day to apply the schedule. On days of the week: All days or a specific day or selection of days: Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

monthly by day

Select the frequency of months from the Every (number of months) list. Select the corresponding check box for the day or days to apply the schedule.

monthly by date

Select the frequency of months from the Every (number of months) list. Select the corresponding check box for the day or days of the month to apply the schedule.

Run at time

Runs the override once at the selected time for every selected day. Select a time in 15-minute increments from 00:00 to 23:45 or click inside the field and type the time (such as 23:10).

Run all day

Runs the override every minute of every hour starting at 00:00 of the day specified, with the last sampling at 23:59. This option is disabled if the schedule is set to run once.

Run every hours

Runs once on the hour and repeats at the selected hourly interval. For example, Run every 4 hours runs the override at 00:00, 04:00, 08:00, 12:00, 16:00, and 20:00. This option is disabled if the schedule is set to run once.

Run during these ranges

Runs every minute from the starting hour to one minute before the stopping hour. This option is disabled if the schedule is set to run once.

Select the radio button to enable the From and Through fields. Then click inside a field to select the start and stop times from 00:00 to 23:59.

Click Add Range to add another range row for specifying multiple time ranges. Select a check box and click Remove Range to delete the range.

The following example shows a schedule that applies the expression override from 06:00 to 07:59 and from 20:00 to 21:59.

Because the check box for range 2 is selected, we can click Remove Range to delete range 2.

Note:

The command line interface tacmd addCalendarEntry enables you to create more granular schedules than in the monitoring portal using the cron format. If you create a schedule from the CLI with a syntax that is not editable in the Schedule editor, such as -c 5 20-21 * * * to run every 5 minutes from 20:00 to 22:00, an error message is displayed and you must use the CLI to modify the schedule.

Schedule preview

This is a calendar of the days that the situation override takes place with a yellow highlight and the days that are skipped with a blue highlight. In the following example, the days of the month that have already passed have no highlight. The override is scheduled to occur every three days.


Hourly

With an hourly schedule, the override takes place every day starting and stopping at the time indicated. Hourly schedules are temporary: After creating an hourly schedule, if you do not assign it to the override, it is removed from the Schedules list after you close the Select Override Expression Schedule dialog box.

Schedule identity

The Name and Description fields are disabled because they are filled in for you from the start and stop times that you enter in the definition. For example, after selecting 16:00 and 21:00 for the start and end times, you get 16:00-21:00 as the name and Daily schedule between 16:00 and 21:00 as the description.

Schedule definition

Click the Start time field and select a time (in quarter-hour increments) from the list or type the start time yourself following the hh:mm format shown. Repeat for the Stop time field.

Schedule preview

This is a calendar of the days that the situation override takes place highlighted with yellow. The days of the month that have already passed have no highlight.

After you click OK to save the schedule, the schedule name is displayed in the Schedules list of the Select Override Expression Schedule dialog.


10.12.4.5. Model Expression

Select the Model Expression button in the Add Expression Overrides dialog to use visual baselining for testing threshold scenarios and use the results to create an expression override for the situation.

Use any of these methods to see values and adjust the display:


Expressions

This area shows the values of the current expression override, one row for each expression. Initially, these are the same values used in the reference formula (the original situation formula).

If you want to delete an expression, select the check box and click Remove Expression. If you delete all the expressions, click Add Expression to add the reference formula.

You can specify a schedule condition for an expression in two ways:

  • Select Click here to assign an override schedule. Select a defined schedule from the list or create a new schedule (see Select Override Expression Schedule).
  • Click the Select an area in the chart to create a schedule for in the toolbar. Drag the mouse from left to right or from right to left to highlight the time range when the schedule should run. After you release the mouse button, a new expression row is added with a daily schedule defined for that time period, which is expressed on the chart as a shaded area. (See example.)

A defined schedule is indicated by for a schedule that runs on specific days or for a schedule that runs daily within the specified time period.

Column headings

These are the names of the attributes referenced in the situation. Any attributes on the left side of the divider are designated as display items for the situation and can be used as an override condition. The override expression is applied only when the comparisons you specify are true. The attribute on the right side of the divider are the comparison values for the expression being modeled. These values are used instead of those in the reference formula when the override condition is true, or if no override condition is set.

Click inside a comparison value cell on the right side of the divider to see only that attribute plotted on the chart and to edit the value.

After you edit a value and press Enter, the cell has a blue background to indicate it has changed from the original value. A line is drawn across the chart to represent the current comparison value. A shaded region appears above or below this marker line if the relational operator represents a range of trigger values (>, >=, <, <=).

If you click inside a blue cell and change the value, it is plotted in the chart automatically. This enables you to fine tune a threshold value and observe the affected values in the chart.

If you click another object (such as a Time Span or Function field) while an attribute cell is active, the cell is highlighted in yellow. If you click a point in the chart area, the value where you clicked is inserted in the cell.


Functions

This area is displayed when the attribute group used in the situation has historically collected values. Click a cell in the Expressions area to enable the Functions area, and select the check box for the statistical function to use. Optionally enter a value in the Argument field and click Recalculate to see the adjusted threshold in the Result field and plot it on the chart as a colored line.

AVG

For the selected attribute, calculate the average value from the samples taken during the time period, and add or subtract the standard deviation that was entered in the Argument field. Valid values are -6 to 6.

MIN

For the selected attribute, find the lowest sampled value within the time period, and increase or decrease that value by the percentage that was entered in the Argument field. Valid values are -100 to 100.

MAX

For the selected attribute, find the highest sampled value within the time period and increase or decrease that value by the percentage that was entered in the Argument field. Valid values are -100 to 100.

PERCENTILE

For the selected attribute, find the value below which NUM percent of the data points fall; where NUM is the value from the Argument field. Valid values are 1 to 100.

MODE

For the selected attribute, find the most frequently observed value within the time period. No argument is entered for a MODE calculation.

Copy

Add the value from the Result cell to the selected cell in the Attributes area.

Chart options

Modify the appearance of the threshold: Visible in legend to add Threshold to the legend, Show chart label to add a threshold label, and Fill Style to change the threshold pattern or color. Click Custom Colors to choose from a wider selection of colors or to create your own (see Custom Color).


Time Span

This area is displayed when the attribute group used in the situation has historically collected values. The Last 24 Hours is shown by default.

Last

You can change from the default 24 hours to a different value or unit of time (Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, Quarters, Years).

The Time Column field shows the attribute for the time stamp, such as Recording Time.

Custom

Use the Custom tab to plot a specific date range or to select a different time attribute.

Click inside the Start Time and End Time fields to select a date and time.

The Time Column field shows the attribute for the time stamp, such as Recording Time.

Daily

Use the Daily tab to plot a specific time range.

Click inside the Start Time and End Time fields to select a date and time.

Select the Show data for last check box and specify the number of days to plot.

Select calendar day to include any weekend days that fall within the date range; or weekdays to exclude weekend days. For example, if today is Monday and you select the last 2 weekdays, Thursday and Friday of the past week are plotted.

Select the Show this day's data check box to select a specific date to plot within the time range.


Buttons

Recalculate

Click Recalculate after you have entered an argument for a statistical function to see the result in the Result column and plotted on the chart. Use this button also to refresh the chart with any changes you make to the time span selection or override key conditions.

OK

Click OK to close the dialog and use the values from the Expressions area for the expression override.

Reset

After you click inside an attribute cell, the chart is redrawn to plot only that attribute. If you also select a statistical function and click Recalculate, the statistical result is also plotted. Click Reset to redraw the chart with all attributes.

These are all the reset actions taken:

  • Cancel any attribute selection in the table
  • Clear any shaded threshold area in the chart
  • Show all chart series if any were not visible
  • Remove all statistical markers from the chart
  • Clear the Function fields, including function results
  • Cancel any zooms in progress
  • Disable the create schedule action

Cancel

Click Cancel to exit the dialog without saving your changes.


Example

This example shows a daily schedule over three days that applies the override >= 75 from 01:00 to 06:00.


10.13. Embedding a situation

Reference a situation in another situation by embedding it. Embedding situations enables you to monitor several conditions with the same situation and mix and match them to create new situations, rather than having to manually enter different combinations of expressions. To use this feature, your user ID must have Modify permission for Situations You embed a situation by selecting Situation Comparison for Condition Type in the Select Condition window. The Select Condition window appears after you click OK on the Create Situation window, or after you select Add Condition... on the Formula tab. Take these steps to embed a situation:


Procedure

  1. In the Select Condition, for the Condition Type, select Situation Comparison.
  2. Select the situation to embed. You can then use Ctrl+click to select additional situations from the list or Shift+click to select all situations between and including the first selection and this one. Situations that have already been chosen are colored blue.
  3. Click OK to see the situations in the formula editor.
  4. Click in a cell below each new column to add == True and complete the expression. If two conditions must be satisfied, this is an AND comparison and their expressions must be entered on the same row of the editor; if either condition can be satisfied for the situation to be true, then this is an OR comparison and the expressions are entered on different rows.
  5. A situation that embeds another requires at least two conditions. If you have more conditions to add, click Add Conditions, and repeat steps 1 through 4 until you are finished with the formula. The other condition can be a formula function or another embedded situation.
  6. When you are finished composing or editing the situation, save your changes and start the situation by clicking Apply to keep the editor open; or by clicking OK to close the Situation editor.

The Situation editor performs syntax checking on each expression you enter. If you entered an improper value for an attribute, such as .abc. for Disk Size, the cell turns red and the situation will not be saved until you correct the error.

The properties of the embedding situation, such as the monitoring interval, override the properties of the embedded situation. In the unlikely event that two users attempt to save a situation with the same name simultaneously, an error will occur ensuring that one situation does not overwrite another.

If you opened the Situation editor from the toolbar, the situation you just created will not be associated with any Navigator items and no event indicator is displayed when the situation becomes true. You must associate a situation with a Navigator item or change its state and click Apply.

You must distribute each embedded situation to the same managed systems as the embedding situation. Otherwise, the embedding situation does not run.

If you change an embedded situation, you must restart each situation that embeds it.

When you stop a situation that embeds other situations, only the embedding situation is stopped; the embedded situations continue to run.

A situation cannot be embedded in the situation if it has a display item assigned. You can create another situation and remove the display item assignment from the new situation to enable it for embedding.

Situations are stored at the hub monitoring server. It is possible that while you were building the situation that any of the embedded situations could have be deleted. Should this happen, a message will tell you that the embedded situation is missing when you attempt to save your changes. You will need to remove the embedded situation from this one before you can save it. You can always create a new situation to be embedded or find another one that is the equivalent and embed that one.


10.14. Correlating situations

Create a correlated situation, which is made up entirely of other situations, to target a set of conditions on a subset of the original distribution. For example, you might have two situations that signify a critical breakdown when they both become true on a particular managed system. You can create a correlated situation of these two situations and distribute it to the managed system in question. To use this feature, your user ID must have Modify permission for Situations and have the Enterprise Monitoring Server as an Allowed Application. The behavior of situations embedded in a correlated situation can each be targeted to monitor a subset of their original distribution.

Suppose you have a Disk_Usage_Warning situation that has been distributed to 100 managed systems. The correlated situation in this examples alerts you when Disk Space Warning is true on the most critical managed systems:

Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN1:NT Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN2:NT Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN3:NT
1 == True == True == True
This correlated situation can be edited so that it becomes true when the Disk_Usage_Warning situation opens an event on any two of these three managed systems:

Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN1:NT Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN2:NT Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN3:NT
1 == True == True
2 == True == True
3 == True == True
Take these steps to create a correlated situation:


Procedure

  1. Do one of the following to open the Situation editor:
    • Click if, for the time being, you do not want to see an event indicator when this situation becomes true. (You can associate the situation at a later time.)
    • Right-click the Enterprise Navigator item and click Situations.

    Correlated situations are run at the Hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server, so they can be associated only with the Enterprise Navigator item. If this is a custom Navigator view, the association can be to any Navigator item where the hub (HUB_HOSTNAME) is assigned.

  2. Click New Situation to open the Create Situation window.

  3. Type a name for the situation in the Name field and, optionally, a description in the Description field. The situation name can contain any UTF-8 characters and can be up to 256 bytes long. The description can be up to 64 characters long. The description is displayed in the Situation editor, in the Manage Situations window, and when you select the situation for embedding in or correlating with another situation.

  4. Select Correlated Situation from the Type list and click OK. After you select Correlated Situation, the Monitored Application field is set to All Managed Systems and disabled. Correlated situations are distributed to the hub monitoring server automatically.

  5. In the Correlated Situation Selection window, select a situation from the Available Situations list, select the managed system (or managed systems) to correlate from the Available Managed Systems list, then click OK to add the situation to the editor. A column is inserted for each managed system that was selected.

  6. Click in a cell below each new column to add == True and complete the expression. If the comparison must be satisfied on both managed systems, this is an AND comparison and their expressions must be entered on the same row; if the comparison can be satisfied on either managed system, this is an OR comparison and the expressions must be entered on different rows.

  7. A correlated situation is not complete until it has at least two conditions. If you have more situations to add, click Add Conditions, select the next situation and managed system (or managed systems), click OK, and select inside a cell of each column added. If a managed system name is colored blue instead of black, it means the situation for this managed system was already added to the correlation formula.

  8. Adjust any other settings in the Formula tab to complete the formula:
    • To add event persistence, click Advanced.
    • To change the sampling interval, click inside the dd (day), hh (hour), mm (minute) or ss (second) field and click the up and down arrows.
    • To start the situation manually rather than automatically, clear .
    • To choose a different State, select one from the list. (Not available if you opened the Situation editor from the main toolbar.)
    • To play a sound when an event opens, select in the Sound area. Click Edit to change the sound file or its properties. (Not available if you opened the Situation editor from the main toolbar.)

  9. Specify options on the other tabs as needed.

  10. When you are finished composing or editing the situation, save your changes and start the situation by clicking Apply to keep the editor open; or by clicking OK to close the Situation editor.

The properties of the embedding situation, such as the monitoring interval, override the properties of the embedded situation.

If you enter a system command in the Action tab, the Attribute Substitution button is disabled because a correlated situation references one or more situations and not attribute groups.

When you stop a situation that embeds other situations, only the embedding situation is stopped; the embedded situations continue to run.

If you change an embedded situation, you must restart each situation that embeds it.

If you opened the Situation editor from the toolbar or from any Navigator item other than the one to which the hub monitoring server is assigned, the situation you just created will not be associated with any Navigator items and no event indicator is displayed when the situation becomes true. If this is the case, right-click the Enterprise Navigator item and click Situations. In the Situation editor, click Situation Filter and select Eligible for Association. In the Situation tree, right-click the correlated situation and click Associate, thenApply or OK.

A situation cannot be referenced in the correlated situation if it has a display item assigned. You can create another situation and remove the display item assignment from the new situation to enable it for inclusion in a correlated situation.


10.15. Situation examples

Review the situation definition examples to better understand the different types of situations you can create.


Display item examples

Some multiple-row attribute groups have attributes that can be designated as display items in situations. When you add a display item to the situation, it behaves a little differently. Like any other situation, it opens an event when its condition is true. But unlike other situations, it can become true again for another row in the data sampling if the condition is true.

Processes situation

To illustrate, consider a situation that looks for any Windows process that is consuming over 5% of processor time and with Process Name designated as the display item. As it is displayed in the Formula tab of the Situation editor:

< tr>
% Processor Time
1 > %5
and in Show Formula

(% Processor Time > 5) Display Item:NT_Process.Process_Name
After starting the situation on MYSYSTEM, we learn that three processes are consuming more than 5%. The situation becomes true for BIG, BIGGER, and BIGGEST, and three events are opened. If this situation had no display item, it would have become true for BIG, but never would have found BIGGER or BIGGEST until the first process went below 6% and the event closed.

If you were to look at the events in the message log view, they would look like this:

Status Situation Name Display Item Origin Node Global Timestamp
Opened Process Time GT 5 percent Biggest Primary:SYSTEM:NT 12/15/09 11:10:05
Opened Process Time GT 5 percent Bigger Primary:SYSTEM:NT 12/15/09 11:09:27
Opened Process Time GT 5 percent Big Primary:SYSTEM:NT 12/15/09 11:09:05

Event log situation

In this example, the log space low situation checks the Windows logs for any that are over 95% capacity, and has the event log name as its display item.

% Usage
1 >= 95
and in Show Formula:

(% Usage >= 95) Display Item:NT_Monitored_Logs_Report.Log_Name
After starting the situation on MYSYSTEM, we learn that two log files are almost full, Application and System, so two events are opened. If this situation had no display item, it would have become true for System, but never would have found Application until the System log file size had been reduced to less than 95% capacity.

If you were to look at the events in the message log view, they would look like this:

Status Situation Name Display Item Origin Node Global Timestamp
Opened NT Log Space Low Application Primary:SYSTEM:NT 12/15/09 11:10:05
Opened NT Log Space Low System Primary:SYSTEM:NT 12/15/09 11:09:27


Embedded situation examples

Conditions that can be combined in many different situation scenarios make useful embedded situations. The following situation can be embedded in any situation that you do not want to run on Sundays when the computer is being serviced.

Not_Sunday situation:

Day of Week
1 >'Sunday'

NT_Services_AutoStart_NoSunday

Start Type Current State Not_Sunday
1 =='Automatic' == 'Stopped' == True

The Not_Sunday situation is distributed to, but not associated with the managed system so you do not see an event indicator in the Navigator when it becomes true, which would otherwise happen every day except Sunday. The sampling interval for this situation was set to 1 day. This enables the situations in which it is embedded, like NT_Services_AutoStart_NoSunday, to continue running but not cause alerts on Sunday when the computer is unavailable.


Correlated situation examples

Suppose you have a Disk_Usage_Warning situation that has been distributed to 100 managed systems. You create a correlated situation that alerts you when Disk Space Warning is true on the most critical managed systems.

Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN1:NT Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN2:NT Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN3:NT
1 == True == True == True
This correlated situation can be edited so that it becomes true when the Disk_Usage_Warning situation opens an event on any two of these three managed systems:

Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN1:NT Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN2:NT Disk_Usage_Warning @Primary:MAIN3:NT
1 == True == True == True
2 == True == True
3 == True == True


Expert advice HTML examples

node=$EVENT:ATTRIBUTE.ISITSTSH.NODE$;
"BODY BGCOLOR='#FFF80'><div align=center><h3><i>Advice on situation </i></h3><h2>"+name+"</h1><p><img src=http://localhost:1920///cnp/kdh/lib/wws_globe.gif> The number of concurrent connections associated with the Tracker server on <b>"+node+"</b> is high.<p> Click here for more information: <a href=http://localhost:1920///cnp/kdh/lib/classes/candle/fw/resources/help/wkspace_overview.htm>Operations Runbook</a></div>"


10.16. Situation troubleshooting

Use troubleshooting situations to resolve some problems in the environment.

As well as following these diagnostic steps, you can use a set of Web Services tools for Tivoli Monitoring that help you perform audits of the environment and correct common issues. See the IBM Integrated Service Management Library for more information.

You can also use the ITMSUPER Tools to learn about the health of your managed systems, situations, and environment configuration. The ITMSUPER Tools are included in the IBM Support Assistant (ISA), a free local software serviceability workbench that helps you resolve questions and problems with IBM software products. To install the ISA software, go to IBM Support Assistant.


Automating actions and responses

The monitoring portal has functionality that enables you to design your own Take Action commands, Launch Application definitions, and Policy definitions, then store them for use by other users. A policy, rather than being run by the user, runs automatically when a referenced situation event is opened.


11.1. Automation with policies

A policy is a logical expression that describes a series, or workflow, of automated steps, called activities, whose order of execution you control. You can create policies that implement fully automated workflow strategies and policies that require user intervention.

Policy workflow

A policy begins by waiting for a situation to become true, then starts a series of actions. The simplest policy will simply wait until a situation is true and then take some action. For example, the predefined Windows OS policy named NT Disk Busy is activated when the NT Percent Disk Time situation becomes true (disk busy more than 95%). Then NT Missing Process situation is evaluated. If the situation is true , a script is run at 1 A.M.; if the situation is false , the net start command is run to start that service; if it is in error , a script is run at 1 A.M.

Workflow activities

A policy consists of activities that can automate responses to events or routine operator tasks. An activity can be an activity program, a situation, or another policy. The workflow elements, activities and connectors, are represented in the Grapher view in the Workflow window much as they would be in a flow chart: Some activities flow directly to the next activity, while others branch off depending on the result of the previous activity.

Policies can have these types of activities:

  • Predecessor activities, which directly precede other activities; successor activities, which directly follow other activities. They act on the basis of the endcode of their predecessor.
  • Parallel activities that run at the same time.
  • Sequential activities that run one at a time in succession.

Workflow endcodes

When an activity ends, it returns an endcode. Endcodes control the flow of activities in a policy.

Policy distribution

Policies are distributed to the managed systems that you want to monitor and send commands to and controlled by the PureApplication System Monitoring Server that the monitoring agents connect to.

A policy starts after you save it if Auto start is enabled (the default setting). A policy also starts after you select it and click Start Policy in the Workflows editor or Manage Policies at Managed Systems window.

If the policy distribution is changed manually or dynamically, the policy is restarted. Dynamic updates happen after a new agent comes online or after an agent connection switches from one monitoring server to another.

Predefined policies

Some monitoring agents provide predefined policies that you can use as is or modify for your environment. See the user's guide for your product for a description of any predefined policies.


11.1.1. View policy details

The Policy Details area of the Workflows window is a listing of all the policies on your managed network and their settings. If the Workflows tool is disabled, your user ID does not have View Policy permission or Workspace Author Mode permission or both. Take one of these actions to see a list of the policies that are available on your managed network or on a particular managed system.


Procedure


11.1.2. Create a policy

Use policies to perform actions, schedule work, and automate manual tasks on one or more managed systems in your enterprise. Your user ID must have Modify Policy permission. Otherwise, the Workflows tool is disabled. The first step to building a policy for automation is to create a new policy and enter important details such as where it is distributed to and whether it is auto started. Take these steps to begin building a new policy.


Procedure

  1. Click Workflow Editor.

  2. Click New Policy (or Alt+ to keep the full Policies Details area open). New_Policy is added to the Policy Details list and a blank Grapher view opens in the Workflow editor for you to add and connect activities. To enlarge the grapher view, click Collapse, which collapses the Policy Details area and expands the Workflow Editor area to full window; click Expand to restore the Policies Details area. You can also drag the border up or down.

  3. In the newly added row of the Policy Details area, edit the name and description, distribute the policy, and adjust the settings as needed. (See Policy list.)

  4. In the Workflow editor, add a Wait until a situation is True activity:Wait until a situation is True in the General activities tab of the Workflow components frame. The policy must begin with this activity type unless it is uncorrelated, in which case you can start with any activity.

    1. Click the Wait until a situation is True activity.
    2. Click inside the Grapher view to place the activity icon. The Select a Situation window opens for you to select a situation that, when true or in error, triggers the next activity in the workflow.
    3. Select the situation and click OK. (If you do not see the situation in the list, click Cancel, and create the situation you need, then repeat these steps.) The activity icon displays with the name of the situation.

  5. Add other activities to the policy (see Components). Double-click an activity tool to keep it on. You can add activities to start or to stop other policies or situations, to suspend execution for a given period of time, to evaluate a situation, and to invoke specific actions You can have several activity programs running either sequentially or in parallel.

  6. Draw connecting lines to direct the workflow:

    1. Click Connector, then click inside one activity and again inside the one that follows. The Select a link condition window opens with a list of possible conditions that will run the next activity. When you join activities with the Connect tool, you assign an endcode to each connection. An endcode indicates the result of activity processing and control the flow of activities in a policy.

    2. Select the result that will trigger the next activity, then click OK. The completion of one activity starts the execution of the next activity based on the link condition chosen here. If, for example, you connect a Wait until a situation is True activity to a Take action or Write message activity, and choose Situation is true as the condition, the Take action or Write message activity begins executing when the situation becomes true. Every activity type except Suspend execution gives you multiple conditions from which to choose. You can create an activity for each one of these conditions and connect to each of them from the source activity.

    3. Connect the remaining activities.

      • You can double-click Connect to keep it on until you select another activity or click Select. After drawing a connector line, a thin black line is displayed between the two activities. The line disappears when you draw the next connector line or turn off the tool.
      • While Connect is active, every mouse movement in the Grapher view draws the connector line. Right-click to stop drawing temporarily. As soon as you click an activity in the Grapher view again, the tool will be reactivated and you can continue to draw. Also, you can click Undo to cancel the last change you made (or changes, if you continue to click).

  7. When you have finished adding activities and connecting them, click Validate to check the logic flow. If you get an error message, you must fix the problem before you can save the policy.

  8. If you have not yet distributed the policy to the managed systems where it will run, select Distributed, select the managed systems or managed system groups to which you want to distribute the policy.

  9. When you are finished creating the policy, click Apply. Policies are stored at and controlled by the monitoring server to which the managed system is connected, either a remote or the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server. The policy is saved and started automatically on the managed systems to which it is distributed unless you cleared the Auto start check box.

  10. If the policy is not set to Auto start, start the policy manually by clicking Start Policy.

  11. If you are prompted to specify the TEMS to start the policy on, select the monitoring server (or servers) and click Start.

The policy is stored at and controlled by the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server to which the agent is connected, either a remote or the hub monitoring server. If the policy distribution is changed manually or dynamically, the policy is restarted. Dynamic updates happen after a new agent comes online or after an agent connection switches from one monitoring server to another.

The first activity in the policy is Wait until a situation is True, which might give the impression that the policy is not running because it is an activity that waits and does nothing until the situation is true. But after that happens, the workflow progresses and continues until all activities have been completed or until the policy is manually stopped with Stop Policy. If you enabled Restart and the situation is still true, the policy begins again. If there are invalid activities in the logical workflow, visual feedback is provided showing you which activities are valid and which are not valid. The label of all valid activities changes to blue following validation. If an activity is not valid, the appearance changes in the following ways:


11.1.3. Edit a policy

Use the Policy Details area of the Workflows window for changing policy settings and the Workflow editor area for editing policy workflows. Your user ID must have Modify Policy permission to use this function.

To edit a policy:


Procedure

  1. If the Workflows window is not open, click Workflow Editor.

  2. In Policy Details, click the row whose policy you want to change, then edit the cells as needed. As soon as you make a change, Undo is enabled. Click it to undo the changes made so far to the policy settings.

    After a policy has been saved, you cannot change its name. Instead, copy the policy and edit the name of the copy.

  3. Click Edit Workflow to open the policy in the Workflow editor, then edit the activities as needed:

    • To edit an activity, double-click it.
    • To delete an activity or connector, select it and click Delete. You can also use Shift+click to select multiple activities or use click and drag to select a rectangular area.
    • To copy an activity, select it, click Copy. Click where you want it to go in this or another policy open in the work area, and click Paste. You can also use Shift+click to select multiple activities or use click and drag to select a rectangular area.
    • To move an activity, select it, click Cut, then click to where you want to move it in this or another policy open in the work area, and click Paste. You can also use Shift+click to select multiple activities or use click and drag to select a rectangular area.
    • To add an activity, click its icon in the Workflow components frame, then click inside the Grapher view.
    • To connect an activity, click Connect, then drag from the source activity to the target and click.
    • To restore the Policy Details area, click Expand; to collapse it, click Collapse.

  4. When you have finished editing, if Validate is enabled, click it to check the logic flow. If there are errors, fix them as indicated in the message, and click Validate again.

  5. Click Apply to save your changes and continue working with policies; -OR- click OK to save your changes and close the window. If the policy is set to Auto start, it will start running automatically; if not, you will need to click Start Policy.


11.1.4. Copying a policy

Copy a policy when you want to use part or all of an existing workflow in a new policy that you can edit for different activities or settings. Also, use this method when you want to rename a policy. Your user ID must have Modify Policy permission to use this function.

To copy a policy:


Procedure

  1. If the Workflows window is not open, click Workflow Editor.

  2. In Policy Details, click the row of the policy you want to copy.

  3. Click Copy. A new row is added to the list and the policy titled, Copy_of_name, where nameis the name of the original policy. The details of the original policy, such as the distribution, are replicated to the new policy.

  4. Click inside the Policy name field and change the name. After the policy is saved, you will not be able to rename it.

  5. Change any other settings for the new policy in the Policy Details area.

  6. In the Workflow editor, modify the activities as needed:

    • To open an activity for editing, double-click it.
    • To delete an activity or connector, select it and click Delete. You can also use Shift+click to select multiple activities or use click and drag to select a rectangular area.
    • To copy an activity, select it, click Copy, then click where you want to copy it in this or another policy open in the work area, and click Paste. You can also use Shift+click to select multiple activities or use click and drag to select a rectangular area.
    • To move an activity, select it, click Cut, then click where you want to move it in this or another policy open in the work area, and click Paste. You can also use Shift+click to select multiple activities or use click and drag to select a rectangular area.
    • To add an activity, click its icon in the Workflow components frame, then click inside the Grapher view.
    • To connect an activity, click Connector, then drag from the source activity to the target and click.

  7. To save your changes, click Apply to keep the window open or OK to close it.

If you used these steps to rename a policy, Deletethe original policy.


11.1.5. Delete a policy

You can delete a policy that is no longer needed. Your user ID must have Modify Policy permission to use this function. Complete these steps to delete a policy.


Procedure

  1. If the Workflows editor is not open, click Workflow Editor.
  2. Select the row that lists the policy you want to delete. You can also select multiple policies with Ctrl+click, or Shift+click to select all applications between the first selection and this one.
  3. Click Delete Policy.

After you click OK in response to the confirmation message, the policy is deleted from the list. If it was running at the time, it stops; if it was in the middle of executing an activity, that activity will complete.


11.1.6. Start and stop policies

You can start or stop a policy as you find necessary. When you create or edit a policy that is set to start automatically, it starts running as soon as you click Apply or OK in the Workflow editor. If it is not set to Auto start, you can manually start it. You can also stop the policy and restart it manually. For you to stop or start a policy, your user ID must have Start/Stop Policy permission. A workflow can involve many activities and can be in various states for different monitoring agents. Stopping or restarting a policy causes those states to be lost.

You can choose to start or stop a policy on all monitoring agents to which it is distributed or, if your configuration includes remote PureApplication System Monitoring Servers, on all agents that report to a particular monitoring server. With this added control, you can configure your enterprise in such a way that automation can be stopped for agents that, say, are monitoring subsystems that are undergoing maintenance.


Procedure

  1. Open the policy list:
    • In the Navigator Physical view, right-click the Enterprise Navigator item or an Agent Navigator item and click Manage Policies from the popup menu. With this method, you can see and select from all the policies that are distributed to the selected managed system.
    • Click Workflow Editor. With this method, you can see and select all policies, distributed or not distributed.

  2. Select the policy to start or stop. You can use Ctrl+click to select additional policies or Shift+click to select all policies between and including the first selection and this one. In the Manage Policies at Managed System window, you can also click Select All for all the policies in the list.

  3. Click Start Policy or Stop Policy.

  4. When a message asks you to specify the TEMS list on which to start or stop the policy, select the monitoring server (or servers) and click Start or Stop.

  5. If you are in the Manage Policies at Managed System window, click Refresh to refresh the view and see your changes.

When you start a policy, it starts on the managed systems to which it is distributed on the selected monitoring server (or servers). All the situations within the policy are also started or restarted.

When you stop a policy, if it was in the middle of executing an activity, that activity will complete. Policies are stored at and controlled by the monitoring server to which the managed system connects. The policy will remain stopped until you start it again manually or, if it is set to Auto Start, until you next edit the policy or restart the monitoring server.

If the policy distribution is changed manually or dynamically, the policy is restarted. Dynamic updates happen after a new agent comes online or after an agent connection switches from one monitoring server to another.


11.1.7. Policy distribution

When you create a new policy, it is not initially distributed to any managed systems. This window opens after you select Distribution for a policy in the Policy Details list, so you can select the managed systems where you want the policy to run.

If the system is selected and has multiple agents of this type, then distribution will be to all of them. For example, a WebSphere MQ message queue policy written for a system with three WebSphere MQ message queues would be distributed to the three agents of this type on the system.

Assigned

Shows the agents to which the policy is assigned.

Available Managed Systems

Shows the agents of the same type to which the policy can be distributed, such as all UNIX agents for a UNIX situation. To add a managed system to the distribution, click the name, then to move it to the Assigned list.

Available Managed System Groups

Your product comes with one managed system group named for the product, such as *MS_SQL_SERVER for all MS SQL Server managed systems. To add a managed system group to the distribution, click the name, then to move it to the Assigned list.

Note: If Correlate by is set to Business Application, no individual managed systems are shown; only managed system groups.


11.1.8. Workflows

The Workflows window opens when you click Workflow Editor. Use this window to see all the policies in your managed environment and to create and edit policy workflows.

The Workflows window has two parts: Policy Details and Workflow Editor.


11.1.8.1. Policy Details

Review the Policy Details area of the Workflows window to see the entire list of policies in your monitored environment and information about each policy, such as whether it is distributed or auto started.


Toolbar

The Policy Details lists the policies that are stored on the Hub Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server and any remote monitoring servers. It has tools for creating and maintaining policies and an area that shows the current version of each Workflow software component.If none of the tools is available, your user ID does not have Modify Policy permission; if, after you select a policy, the Start and Stop tools both remain dimmed, your user ID does not have Start/Stop Policy permission.

Start Policy

Starts the selected policy (or policies) on the managed systems to which it is distributed.

Stop Policy

Stops running the selected policy (or policies). If the workflow activities are currently executing, processing stops after the current activity is completed.

New Policy

Adds a new row to the Policy list, partially collapses the Policy Details area to show only the new policy, and expands the Workflow Editor area so you can build the workflow. You can restore the policy list with and collapse it with , or drag the border up or down. Initially, the policy is named and described as New_Policy. Click inside the field to change the name. Use the Delete or Backspace key to erase to the right or left of the cursor.

If you prefer to keep the Policies Details area open when you create a new policy, use Alt+ .

Copy Policy

Copies the selected policy. A new row is added to the list, the Policy Details area collapses, and the Workflow Editor area expands to the full window so you can build the workflow. You can manually restore the policy list with and collapse it with . Initially, the policy is given the same name as the original, but prefixed with .Copy_of_.. In the Policy Details area, click inside the Name field to change the name; use Delete or Backspace to erase to the right or left of the cursor.

To keep the Policies Details area open when you copy the policy, use Alt+ .

Delete Policy

Deletes the selected policy.

Refresh List

If any policies have been added, edited, or deleted by other users in your Tivoli managed network, you can refresh the Policies list to show the changes.


Policy list

The policy list is a table containing the names and properties of policies on the hub monitoring server and any remote monitoring servers. The first two columns of the table allow you to edit a policy workflow or to undo any changes you have made to the policy during the current session. The other columns contain the names of the policies and properties that you can specify or edit. These columns include the following:

Undo

Voids your changes to the policy in this row.

Edit Workflow

Opens the policy in the Workflow editor for viewing and editing the workflow components. When you do, the Policies Details area partially collapses to show only the policy you selected and the Workflow Editor area expands. If you prefer to keep the Policies Details area open, use Alt+ when you open the Workflow editor.

Note that you can manually restore the policy list with Expand and collapse it with Collapse, or by dragging the border up or down.

Policy name

The name of the policy, up to 32 letters and numbers, with no spaces or special characters other than the underscore character (_). Click inside this field and edit the text as needed, using the Backspace and Delete keys to erase text to the left or right.

You cannot rename the policy after it has been saved with Apply or OK. Instead, copy the policy and change the name and any other settings for the new policy in the Policy Details area.

Distributed

Specifies where the policy is to be distributed and run. When you select this option, the Change Policy Distribution window opens with a list of the available managed systems to which you can assign the policy.

If Correlate by is set to Logical Application Group, no individual managed systems are shown; only managed system groups. You must select one from the Available managed system groups list and click .

Auto start

When selected, starts the policy automatically when it is saved and when the monitoring server is started. Clear this option to start the policy manually.

Save Results

When selected, saves the results data internally. You can save results data only to policies that contain a user choice activity.

Correlate by

Host Name

the default mode, maintains separate paths of execution for each host where one or more different managed systems are running. If the host name for two different managed systems is the same, both managed systems take the same path through the policy. For each distinct path, the policy waits for data from, or runs programs on, the same host that started that path of execution.

Host Address

works identically to Host Name except it identifies the managed systems by their host address instead of host name. It is typically used only if the policy cannot run when it references the host name.

Logical Application Group

identifies the managed systems for processing by their managed system list name. This mode is used to combine disparate agent types. The policy maintains separate paths of execution for each managed system list to which the policy is distributed.

Uncorrelated

which is not normally used, takes one path through the policy for all managed systems to which the policy is distributed. No attempt is made to correlate data from different managed systems as one activity terminates and subsequent activities are started.

Limit restarts

Left cleared, specifies no limitation on the number of times the policy can begin running again. When selected, stops the policy after it has run five times in a 24-hour period.

Restart

Starts the policy again after the last activity finishes executing. When cleared, stops the policy after the last activity finishes executing until it is started again manually or, if you have Auto start enabled, the next time the policy is saved or when the monitoring server on which it is running is recycled.

Description

Shows the description for the policy. Click inside this field and edit the text as needed, using the Backspace and Delete keys to erase text to the left or right.

Version

The version of the hub monitoring server.

Modified by

Shows the user ID of the person who most recently edited the policy.

Modified date

Shows the time and date the policy was last edited.


Compatibility levels

This area of the window shows , which you can click to list the minimum version of the Workflow Editor software components that are compatible:


11.1.8.2. Workflow Editor

Use the Workflow editor portion of the Workflows window to create and edit policy workflows by selecting, configuring, arranging, and connecting activities, and to test their validity.

When you select a policy from the Policy Details list and click Edit Workflow, a Grapher view pane opens in the Workflow editor so you can see and edit the policy activities. You can open multiple policies in the Workflow editor, each in its own pane. This area of the Workflows window has the following components:

Click (between the Workflow Editor and Policy Details) to expand the Workflow Editor area to the top of the window or to restore the policy list and return the editor to its former size.

Click Expand (between the Workflow components and the work Grapher view) to expand the work area to the width of the window or Restore to restore the Workflow components and return the work area to its previous width.

By right-clicking a situation activity in the Grapher view, you can choose to edit the situation specified in the activity. The situation opens in the Situation editor.

Toolbar

Validate

Test the workflow to ensure it is composed logically. The text turns blue for activities that validate successfully.

Any errors are reported in a Workflow Definition Error message. The message supplies the activity ID in brackets, which is displayed in a flyover description when you move the mouse pointer over an activity; followed by the name and the error message. You cannot save the policy until you fix any problems and the workflow passes validation.

Cut

Removes the selected activity or activities and place on the clipboard.

Copy

Copies the selected activity.

Paste

Pastes the contents of the clipboard into the editor

Clear

Removes the selected activities from the workflow.

Undo

Voids the last action (or actions if you continue to click).

Redo

Repeats the last action.

Select

Selection mode. This is a toggle tool. Click it again to turn off selection. Use the Select tool to drag an activity into position or to select it for removal. You can click and drag from one point to the opposite corner to select a group of activities, or use Shift+click to select multiple activities individually.

Perform node layout

Rearranges, as needed, the activities and their connectors to best fit in the view.

Actual size

Returns the view to normal size. Used after zooming.

Fit to Contents

Scales the view so all activities are visible. This is useful when you have added or removed activities.

Zoom in

Zooms in on the view to see an enlarged version.

Zoom out

Zooms the view out to reduce the size and see more in the work area.

Zoom Box

Expands or contracts the view to fit a selected area.

Pan

Pans the view, which selects the entire policy and enables you to move it around the Grapher view.


11.1.8.3. Grapher View

The grapher view is displayed when you create a workflow or have chosen a workflow to edit. Use it to add, edit, and connect activities.

After a workflow activity has been added to the grapher view, you can move the mouse pointer over the activity to see its identifier. If the Workflow was created in the Workflow Editor, the ID will be the activity name followed by a sequence number, such as "WaitOnSituation1" or "SystemCommand3". Otherwise, the ID will look something like "NT285". The activity identifier is referenced in two places:


11.1.8.4. General activities

The General activities tab in the Workflow Editor displays the default activities and product-provided predefined activities.

Wait until a situation is True

Opens a list of the situations distributed on your managed network. When you select the situation and click OK, the icon with the name of the situation is displayed in the grapher view. When the policy encounters this object in the workflow, it suspends execution until the situation is true. You then must add an activity to perform when the situation fires.

All policies except those that are uncorrelated must begin with this activity.

End code choices for starting the next activity: Situation is true; Error.

Evaluate a situation now

Examine the status of an existing situation. Select a situation from the scroll box that is displayed after you drop the activity into the Graphic view. Click OK to confirm your selection. Note that the evaluation interval is based on the monitoring interval of the selected situation. There are some special considerations related to the evaluate situation activity described in Using IBM Tivoli Monitoring.

End code choices for starting the next activity: Situation is true; Situation is false; Error.

Take action or Write message

Enables you to issue a system command from a policy or generate a universal message that can be seen in the Universal Message console view.

When issuing a system command, keep in mind that there is a timeout period of 50 seconds. If the command does not complete within that time, an error is issued. As well, the command must be valid on the operating platform on which it will execute.

You can send Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) requests. See the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Administrator's Guide for details. If the action command is a SOAP request, the policy must be distributed to the hub_ hostname managed system (or *HUB managed system group).

End code choices for starting the next activity: Error; Action succeeded.

Make a choice

Not editable

This option is displayed when any of the policies in the list was created in the Candle Management Workstation (predecessor user interface to the Tivoli Enterprise. Portal) and includes a Make a choice activity. However, it is not available for adding to policies.

Suspend execution

Specifies a unit of time, expressed in seconds, that you want a policy to wait prior to running. This is a useful feature if, for example, you issued a command, and you want to give the system administrator time to resolve the problem prior to continuing to run the policy.

Start/Stop a policy

Use this activity in a policy to stop another policy from running while the current policy is executing. You can also use to start another policy while the current policy is executing.

End code choices for starting the next activity: Policy started; Error.

Start/Stop a situation

Stops a situation from running while the current policy is executing. You can also use this option to start another situation while the current policy is executing.

End code choices for starting the next activity: Situation started; Error.

Connector

Adds connecting lines from one activity to the next to control the workflow of the policy.

You can have a single connector from an activity, and you can have multiple connectors from an activity so long as each connector links to a separate activity. Multiple connectors from an activity are processed using AND logic.

When you join activities using the Connector tool, you assign an end code to each connection. As you click and drag from one activity to the next one in succession, a window opens from which you select a link condition. The possible conditions (end codes) resulting from the source activity that will invoke the target activity are listed in the window. For example, if you are connecting a Wait until a situation is True activity and choose Situation is true as the link condition, the target activity will begin executing when the situation becomes true.

Available end codes include the following:

Action succeeded

The action completed without errors.

Error

The activity failed to complete successfully. The reason might be that a referenced object does not exist or a command returned an error status from the operating system.

Resume

The Suspend execution activity waits a specified period of time, then resumes executing the policy.

Situation is false

The Evaluate situation now and Wait until a situation is False activities return this end code if the situation is not currently true.

Situation is true

The Wait until a situation is True and Evaluate situation now activities return this end code if the situation is currently true.

Choice

The Make a choice activity uses this end code to indicate that the linked activity is a potential choice offered to the user when a work item is opened.

Timeout

The Make a choice activity uses this end code to indicate the next activity is to run if the user choice times out before a user selects an option.

Action Succeeded

The Take action or Write message activity uses this endcode to indicate the action completed without errors.


11.1.8.4.1. Action Settings

In the Workflow editor, clicking Take action or Write message opens the Action Settings window. Use this function to send a command or universal message to the system. For example, you might want to log information, trigger an audible beep, or stop a job that is using too many resources.

Action Selection

Universal Message, when selected, opens this area:
  • Category of the message you are defining. Type one of the following: critical, warning, or informational.
  • Severity that you want assigned to the message. Type a severity number (1, 2, and so forth).
  • Message that is displayed. Type the message text you want to be displayed at the system specified (see Where should the action be run, below).

Universal messages are shown in the Universal Message Console view.

System Command, when selected, opens a text box for entering the command to issue at the system. The command language is that of the application and operating platform you are running (such as a UNIX shell command to run at a UNIX system).
  • Example: Windows has a command for sending a message to a system: net send computer_name message, as in net send MYPC Disk is 85% full. Delete some files.
  • Example: UNIX has the mail command for directing messages: mail node userID text.

Attribute

A window is opened for choosing an attribute to include in the universal message or system command. In the Select Attribute window, specify an attribute group and item, then click OK.

The attribute you selected is displayed in the Message field or the System Command field. The attribute name is replaced by the actual value during execution of the action. The attributes available for you to select are based on the situations you have added to the policy preceding the action. If there are no situations in the policy, the Attribute button is disabled.

In the example that follows, the command sends an email that reads, "System: MyServer, Disk: D:, Space Available: 15%":

echo System: &NT_Logical_Disk.Server_Name;, Disk: 
&NT_Logical_Disk.Disk_Name;, Space Available: 
&NT_Logical_Disk.;%_Free%|mail userID.

More Options

If multiple data items are returned

These options determine what action to take if more than one monitored item of data is returned by the situation evaluation:

Only take action on first item issues the universal message or the system command on only the first item of data that meets the situation criteria.

Take action on each item from activity issues the universal message or system command on all items of data generated by the situation specified in the activity selected from the list. The ID for an activity is shown in the Grapher View when you move the mouse pointer over the activity graphic.

The results data returned from each of these individual situation-based activities might originate from the same attribute group on an agent or from attribute groups on different agents. For example, the workflow might be triggered by an OMEGAMON XE for CICS on z/OS situation that monitors for delayed transactions on an CICS monitoring agent, (activity ID WaitOnSituation1) and might then evaluate the state of a situation that monitors threads on an OMEGAMON XE for DB2 monitoring agent, (activity ID EvaluateSituation2).

Some situations can return a single row and others can return multiple rows for each sample. You can control the number of universal messages or system commands to issue when there are multiple situation rows: a message or a command can be sent for the first row only or for every row. As mentioned earlier, though, there can be multiple sets of situation data originating from different activities. Select this radio button to control which set of results data to use.

Referring to the earlier example, send one command for every row returned by the CICS situation by selecting WaitOnSituation1; or send one command for every row returned by the DB2 situation by selecting EvaluateSituation2.

Continue processing rows on failure, when selected, keeps track of both the rows for which the command failed and those for which it succeeded. A policy can be constructed so that one path is taken for the rows that succeeded and another for the rows that failed.

This is a useful feature when, for example, you want to run a script to filter results. In this case, a failed condition does not mean that the activity itself encountered a problem but that a particular row did not satisfy some criteria. When this option is cleared, a system command that returns a non-zero result while processing a series of situation result rows stops further processing of any remaining rows and the activity is terminated with Error, even though some of the commands might have succeeded.

Note: If the situation has a Display Item set and the "Only take action on first item" option is selected, the action is taken once for each unique display item in the rows of data. For example, if there were 100 total rows that qualified and there were 6 unique display items, the situation would fire 6 times. See Formula for more information on display items.

Where should the action be executed

Determines where to perform the action: on the system where the agent resides, the monitoring server to which it is connected, or the system selected from the list.

Execute the action at the agent that returned data for activity issues the universal message or system command on the agent that returned data for the situation in the specified activity (selected from the list). The ID for an activity is shown in the Grapher View when you move the mouse pointer over the activity graphic. Referring to the Take action on each item from activity example, if the action must be executed at the DB2 agent, you would specify EvaluateSituation2 because this is the ID of the activity that evaluates the state of the DB2 situation on the DB2 agent.

Execute the action at the Server issues the universal message or system command at the monitoring server that the agent connects to.

Execute the action at is used to select a specific managed system from the list.


11.1.8.4.2. Attribute selection

The Attribute Selection window lists the available attributes for the group, with those selected listed on the left. This window opens automatically when you select Attributes from one of the other panes in the Workflow editor.

Selected Attributes

Displays the attributes selected for this activity. To remove an attribute from this list, select the attribute you want to remove and click Remove. After selecting the first attribute, you can use Ctrl+click to select others or Shift+click to select all attributes between the first selection and this one.

Remove All selects and moves all the attributes back to the Available Attributes list.

Available Attributes

Shows the selected attribute group, followed by the attributes available for that group. Click to see and select from the available attribute groups. The common attributes for Local Time are always available. The other attribute groups are those associated with the emitter type.

Select the attribute you want from the list and click Add. After selecting the first attribute, you can use Ctrl+click to select others or Shift+click to select all attributes between the first selection and this one.

Add All selects all the attributes in the list and moves them to the Selected Attributes list.

Description

Displays a short description of a selected attribute.


11.1.8.5. Emitter activities

The Emitter activities in the Workflow Editor displays activities associated with alert emitters.

When your managed network includes an IBM Tivoli Alert Adapter or IBM Tivoli Alert Manager, this tab shows the emitter activities available for your products. Emitter activities are used to forward situation events to Tivoli management products and to third-party party management products.

For more information on the parameters for the emitter activity, click Help in the Emitter Settings window and refer to the documentation of the target management product. The SNMP Event activity is available to all users; many of the other activities are available only if your environment has policies that were created with one of the other alert manager products.

NetView Event

IBM Tivoli Alert Adapter for TME 10 Netview.

SNMP Event

This activity is available with the Universal Agent. It enables you to send an SNMP trap with information about any situation event to an SNMP manager.

Connector

Use the Connector tool to add connecting lines between the activity icons to control the workflow of the policy.

You can have a single connector from an activity, and you can have multiple connectors from an activity so long as each connector links to a separate activity. Multiple connectors from an activity are processed using AND logic.

When joining activities with the Connector tool, you assign an end code to each connection. Emitter activities can generate the following end codes:

  • Error means that the emitter activity failed to complete successfully. The reason might be that a referenced object does not exist or a command returned an error status from the operating system.

  • Data emitted means that the data generated by the activity was emitted successfully to the application.


11.1.8.5.1. Emitter settings

The Emitter activities tab of the Workflow editor contains the available emitter activities for your installed products. After you drop an emitter activity into the grapher view, this window is displayed for you to configure the activity.

Emitter Type

Shows the name of the emitter activity.

Parameters

Lists the parameters required for this emitter. Select a parameter to see its current value on the right.

Emitter target identifies the emitter that transfers the request (such as a command or log entry) to the third-party software. The host name is followed by the emitter name, separated by a colon (:), such as myhost:TME_Emit.

Attributes opens the Attribute Selection window, which shows the attributes currently selected to be included in the communication. After viewing and adjusting the list as needed, click OK to close the window and see the selected attributes in this area.

Any other required parameters for your PureApplication System Monitoring Server product will display here. See your product documentation for details.

Current value

Shows and enables you to change the value or values of the selected parameter.

Operation Mode

Determines how the communication is transferred to the emitter.

Invoke emitter once for each data row, the default, repeats the emitter activity for every row in the data sample that renders the situation true.

Bundle data rows and invoke emitter once assembles the emitter communication for every row returned in the true situation and sends them as one emitter activity.

For example, consider a situation that fires when the disk space is below 20%. Of the four rows in the data sampling, one for each disk, three meet the condition. The emitter activity sends a message to the third-party event console, depending on the operation mode, once for each of the three disks below 20% or once for all three disks.


11.1.8.6. Extensions

The Extensions tab displays the Wait until a situation is False activity, On Demand Report activity, Send an email activity, and activities associated with Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager (TADDM) integration.

Wait until a situation is False

Waits for the state of a specified situation to change from true back to false, which causes the open event to close. The event closes automatically when the agent is next sampled (determined by the situation sampling interval) and the condition is no longer true.


Wait until a situation is False is useful for policies you want to repeat but only when the state returns to false. An example would be a repeating policy that uses an emitter activity to generate a trouble ticket when CPU activity is high. If this condition continues beyond the 30-minute sampling interval, a new trouble ticket would be generated every 30 minutes. To prevent this from happening the user adds a Wait until a situation is False activity to the end of the workflow, so the policy will not restart until the situation has gone to false, then true again.

End code choices for starting the next activity: Situation is false; Error.

Note: This activity does not apply to manual event closures.

Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration

This activity is the first step in establishing communication with a TADDM server. There must be one Configuration Tivoli Application Dependency Manager Integration activity for each TADDM server you want to update.

End code choices: Success; Error.

See Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration.

Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update

Sends information in response to a triggered situation to a TADDM server (previously specified in a Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity). Use this activity to notify TADDM of resource changes in your monitoring environment. The requests sent can include returned situation data or information from On Demand Report activities.

End code choices: Success; Error.

See Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update.

On Demand report

Sends an on-demand request to retrieve attribute data for a specified monitoring agent report. You can specify filters to be used in the request, limiting data to the situation that triggered the workflow.

End code choices: Success; Error.

See On Demand Report.

Send an email

Sends an email to a single recipient in response to a triggered situation event or activity in your workflow.

End code choices: Success; Error.

See Send an email.

Connector

Adds connecting lines from one activity to the next to control the workflow of the policy.

You can have a single connector from an activity, and you can have multiple connectors from an activity so long as each connector links to a separate activity. Multiple connectors to an activity are processed using AND logic.

When you join activities using the Connector tool, you assign an end code to each connection. As you click and drag from one activity to the next one in succession, a window opens from which you select a link condition. The possible conditions (end codes) resulting from the source activity that will invoke the target activity are listed in the window. For example, if you are connecting a Wait until a situation is True activity and choose Situation is true as the link condition, the target activity will begin executing when the situation becomes true.


11.1.8.6.1. Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration

Selecting the Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity opens a dialog box for entering the information required to send updates to the TADDM server.

Define how Tivoli Monitoring communicates with TADDM and prepares TADDM to accept subsequent update requests from your Tivoli Monitoring environment.

If you have multiple TADDM servers, you must provide information for each server using separate Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activities. Include this configuration activity in the workflow of a policy defined with Auto start selected, Correlated by set to Uncorrelated, and Restart not selected.

If you change any fields at a later date, the new values become effective immediately (assuming the containing policy has been defined to Auto start); the next update sent by any policy to this TADDM server uses the new values.

Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Server Alias

The server alias represents a TADDM server. The server alias specified here must be used by all activities that intend to send updates to this TADDM server.

For example, the server alias specified for the associated Send Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update activities must match the server alias specified here.

The server alias can be an arbitrary name such as, Prod1, Test2, or Austin3.

Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Server Type

Select the corresponding server type of the TADDM server you are sending updates to. The server type depends on how the TADDM server is configured. Select one of the following options: Enterprise or Domain. Note: The selection of Enterprise corresponds to the TADDM synchronization server. The selection of Domain corresponds to the TADDM domain/storage server.

Management Software System Hostname

This hostname must match the hostname provided by the Discovery Library Adapter (DLA) discovery process. This value is used to construct the MSSName used in subsequent TADDM update activities. The MSSName is used by the TADDM server to correlate update notifications with information provided through the discovery process.

Typically, the value should specify the hostname of the portal server found in the DLA XML output file. For example, if the DLA XML output file includes <cdm:Hostname>aix1.lab.raleigh.ibm.com</cdm:Hostname>, then aix1.lab.raleigh.ibm.com would be the hostname you specify.

For more information on the DLA process see Use the Tivoli Management Services Discovery Library Adapter.

Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Server URL

Enter the information for the TADDM server. The protocol options are http (default port 9430) or https (default port 9431). You can also specify your own valid port number.

Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager User Credentials

Required user name and password for the TADDM server.

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal Server URL

Enter the information for the monitoring portal server. This URL is stored in the TADDM server and used to perform any launch-in-context activity. The protocol options are http (default port 1920) or https (default port 3660). You can also specify your own valid port number. Specify the same hostname and port number that your portal server is configured to use.

Request Parameters

The Request Parameters section is used to define the format of the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) update request that PureApplication System Monitoring Server sends to the TADDM server. These three fields are included: Key, Value Type, and Value.

This section is predefined and typically does not require modification.

If needed, make a copy of the TADDM_Initialization policy and use the request parameters included in the Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity.

Insert Variable Data

Because the Request Parameters section is typically predefined, you do not need to use substitution options.

Request timeout

Select the amount of time in seconds you want to allow before a timeout occurs. A timeout occurs when PureApplication System Monitoring Server doesn't receive a response from the TADDM server. Options (in seconds): 5, 10, 15, 30 (default), 45, 60, 90, 120.


11.1.8.6.2. Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update

Selecting the Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update activity opens a dialog box for entering information required to forward changes in your monitoring environment, discovered through situation events, to a TADDM server.

Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Alias

The server alias represents a TADDM server. Use the same server alias that you specified in the associated Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity. The server alias can be an arbitrary name such as Prod1, Test2, or Austin3.

Operation Type

The operation type determines what type of update is sent to the TADDM server. Select one of the following types appropriate to the situation that triggered the workflow: Create, Update, Move, or Delete.

Request Parameters

The Request Parameters section is used to define a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) update request that PureApplication System Monitoring Server sends to the TADDM server. These three fields are included: Key, Value Type, and Value. Monitoring agents that exploit this activity provide policies that include predefined request parameters.

The Key contains a list of common predefined keys. Other valid key values can be entered, but they must be part of the Tivoli Common Data Model (defined in the IBM Multilingual Terminology database).

The Value Type is a fixed list of selectable values.

The Value can be a predefined selected value or a user-defined value. The most common options are displayed.

See Request Parameters for more information.

Insert Variable Data

Specify Situation Attribute or Other value to substitute data from a preceding situation or On Demand activity.

The Situation Attribute button becomes active if the policy contains a "Wait until a situation is true" activity and you select a row cell under Value.

The Other value button becomes active if the user selects a row cell under Value. Selecting this button opens a dialog box that facilitates the substitution of data returned by a preceding On Demand activity, as well as diagnostic information regarding TADDM activities and On Demand activities.

Request timeout

Select the amount of time in seconds you want to allow before a timeout occurs. A timeout occurs when PureApplication System Monitoring Server doesn't receive a response from the TADDM server. Options (in seconds): 5, 10, 15 (default), 30, 45, 60, 90, 120.

If multiple data items are returned

Your selection here controls how this activity behaves if the triggering situation returns multiple rows of data. The selection should be predefined based on the supported monitoring agent.

If an update request should be sent only for the first situation row, select Execute request once. Otherwise, select Execute request for each row from activity and select either the situation that triggered the workflow or the On Demand activity. Ensure the Continue processing rows on failure option is selected.


11.1.8.6.3. On Demand Report

Use the On Demand Report activity to request real-time data from any monitoring agent. This activity is generally used to retrieve additional information related to the situation that triggered a workflow.

ITM SOAP Server URL

The default value is Localhost. Protocol options are HTTP (default) or HTTPS. Select Localhost or Other. When selecting Other, enter the specific hub monitoring server where the targeted SOAP server is running and to which the On Demand Report will be sent. You must also specify the valid port number used by the SOAP server.

Application

Select the application. For example, Windows OS.

Attribute Group

Select the attribute group. Your options depend on the application you previously selected.

Data source

For Automatic, the On Demand Report request is sent to the monitoring agent that triggered the workflow. For Other, you can specify a valid managed system name to which the On Demand Report request is sent.

ITM SOAP Server User Credentials

Enter the user name and password to access the ITM SOAP server. Credentials are required if authentication is enabled at the hub monitoring server where the targeted SOAP server is running.

Attributes

Select the attributes you want to be returned in the report. You must select as least one attribute.

Filter

Add optional filters to the report. The report returns only rows that meet the filter criteria.

The Attribute element is a list of attributes based on the selected Attribute Group.

The supported operator values are Equal to, Not equal to, Less than, Less than or equal to, Greater than or equal to, Greater than, and Like. For the Like operator, the '*' character matches one or more characters. Only supported for text attributes.

The Value element can be a hard-coded literal or the substitution of an attribute or value returned by a preceding Wait On Situation or On Demand activity.

Multiple filters are supported as conjuncts, for example, using AND to join together.

Insert Variable Data

Specify Situation Attribute or Other value to substitute data from a preceding situation or On Demand activity.

The Situation Attribute button becomes active if the policy contains a "Wait until a situation is true" activity and you select a row cell under Value.

The Other value button becomes active if the user selects a row cell under Value. Selecting this button opens a dialog box that facilitates the substitution of data returned by a preceding On Demand activity, as well as diagnostic information regarding TADDM activities and On Demand activities.

Request timeout

Select the amount of time in seconds you want to allow before a timeout occurs. A timeout occurs when PureApplication System Monitoring Server doesn't receive a response from the SOAP server. Options (in seconds): 5, 10, 15 (default), 30, 45, 60, 90, 120.

If multiple data items are returned

Your selection here controls how this activity behaves if the triggering situation returns multiple rows of data. The selection should be predefined based on the supported monitoring agent.

If an update request should be sent only for the first situation row, select Execute request once. Otherwise, select Execute request for each row from activity and select either the situation that triggered the workflow or the On Demand activity. Ensure the Continue processing rows on failure option is selected.


11.1.8.6.4. Value Substitution

When you are using Other value data substitution, the following options are available.

The default substitution values are for an On Demand activity.

Substitution type

Your selection here dynamically changes the window options.

Value: Use this type to substitute data returned by an On Demand activity.

Diagnosis: Use this type to substitute diagnosis data.

Other: Use this type to substitute other values from the active policy.

Web Services Activity

Displays when Value and Diagnosis are selected as the substitution type. Select the appropriate activity from the drop-down list.

Value Type

Displays only when Value is selected as the substitution type. Your selection here dynamically changes the window options.

On Demand attribute: Use this type to substitute an attribute from an On Demand activity. In the Attribute name field, specify the name of the attribute returned by the On Demand activity.

  • Note: Leave out any non-alphanumeric characters and replace all spaces with underscores (_). If an attribute name begins with a non-alphanumeric character followed by a space, omit both. For example, % User Time is entered as User_Time and Avg % Processor Time is entered as Avg__Processor_Time.

XML element: Use this type to substitute XML data. Fill out the now visible Element substitution section providing the appropriate attribute and XML data. Typically this is not used.

Diagnosis type

Displays when Diagnosis is selected as the substitution type. Select one of the following options:

Request: Use when you want the content of the request sent by the specified Web Services Activity.

Response: Use when you want the response returned by the request. No response is available for the Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity or the Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update activity; N/A is returned if these activities are selected as the web service.

Status: Use when you want the HTTP status of the request.

Other values

Displays only when Other is selected as the substitution type. Select the appropriate value from the drop-down list.


11.1.8.6.5. Send an email

Use the Send an email window to send notification of a situation event or activity in your workflow to a single recipient. This activity does not support multiple email recipients. This activity is not supported on a z/OS monitoring server.

However, if the hub monitoring server is not running on z/OS, a policy running on a z/OS remote monitoring server can be configured to send emails through the hub.s SOAP server.

ITM Web Server URL

The default value is Localhost. Protocol options: HTTP (default) or HTTPS. Only HTTP and HTTPS are supported. Select Localhost or Other. When selecting Other, enter the specific hub monitoring server where the targeted SOAP server is running and to which the email request will be sent. You must also specify the valid port number used by the SOAP server.

SMTP Server

Your email server. For example, smpt.us.ibm.com.

Sender

The email address that is sending the notification.

To

The email address of a single recipient. Separate a list of recipients with commas.

Subject

Specify the subject heading of the email. This field is optional.

Text

Specify any text to be included in the email. This field is optional.

Insert Variable Data

Specify Situation Attribute or Other value to substitute data from a preceding situation or On Demand activity.

The Situation Attribute button becomes active if the policy contains a "Wait until a situation is true" activity and you select a row cell under Value.

The Other value button becomes active if the user selects a field. Selecting this button displays a dialogue that facilitates the substitution of data returned by a preceding On Demand activity, and diagnostic information regarding TADDM and On Demand activities.

If multiple data items are returned

Your selection here controls how this activity behaves if the triggering situation returns multiple rows of data.

If an update request should be sent only for the first situation row, select Execute request once. Otherwise, select Execute request for each row from activity, then select the situation that triggered the workflow or the On Demand activity. Ensure the Continue processing rows on failure option is selected.


11.1.9. Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager policies

You can create policies that interact with your Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager (TADDM) environment. These policies can forward updates such as, new, changed, or destroyed resources to your TADDM server.

Two types of policies are associated with TADDM:

Initialization

Initialization policies establish communication with a TADDM server and only contain the Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity. For every TADDM server you want to update, you must have a matching Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity.

PureApplication System Monitoring Server provides the TADDM_Initialization policy as a template. This policy includes one Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity.

To set up your TADDM integration, complete the following steps:

  1. Click Workflow Editor.
  2. Select the TADDM_Initialization policy, and click Copy Policy. Give the new policy a meaningful name, such as TADDM_Init_Austin3.
  3. In the workflow for your new policy, double-click the Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity and enter your specific server information. Fill out any required fields (indicated by ???).
  4. Ensure the policy is configured as follows:

    Policy name Distributed Auto start Save results Correlate by Limit restarts Restart
    TADDM_Init_Austin3 Uncorrelated
    When selecting Distributed, make sure to assign all monitoring servers (select the *ALL_CMS managed system group).

  5. To save your changes, click Apply or OK.

Make a copy of the original TADDM_Initialization policy template ensures that any future updates to this policy template do not overwrite your customization.

Since initialization policies are uncorrelated and not triggered by a situation, they start with the monitoring server and establish a connection to the TADDM server before the update policies start.

If your environment includes multiple TADDM servers, you can group multiple Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activities in one initialization policy. These activities do not need to be connected to each other. Choosing to group your Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activities might be a good idea for administrative maintenance.

The Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity defines values that are later used by Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update activities.

Update

Update policies forward changes in your monitoring environment to a TADDM server in response to a triggered situation. Update policies contain the Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update activity, and might contain other activities such as On Demand Report and Send an email.

Monitoring agents that support TADDM integration provide predefined update policies. Information for the activities within predefined policies might need to be customized for your environment.

You can have multiple update policies. Each policy might perform a different update operation (for example: Create, Update, Move, or Delete).

Complete the following steps to modify any of the policies:

  1. Select the policy, and click Edit Workflow.
  2. Double-click any activity in the Grapher View to edit the parameters.

TADDM integration activities are located on the Extensions tab in the Workflow Editor.


Usage Notes:


11.1.9.1. Request Parameters

The Request Parameters table is used to define a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) update request that identifies PureApplication System Monitoring Server to the Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager (TADDM) server or that defines the updated resource information that PureApplication System Monitoring Server sends to the TADDM server.

Monitoring agents that support TADDM integration will provide predefined policies containing TADDM activities that include predefined request parameters.

There are three fields: Key, Value Type, and Value. An update request must begin with a start array and end with an end array. An array can contain one or more objects. Each object is started with a start object and ended with an end object. Within an object every value type has a key.


Examples


Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration:
The predefined TADDM_Initialization policy includes the following JSON request for the Configure Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Integration activity:

Key Value Type Value
Array Start
Object Start
_cdmclass String com.collation.platform.model.topology.process.ManagementSoftwareSystem
_jsonid String _jsonid_0
mssname String &{=(*TADDM_=Alias+_MSSNAME)}
hostname String &{=MSSHostname}
manufacturename String IBM
productname String PureApplication System Monitoring Server Services
label String PureApplication System Monitoring Server
Object End
Object Start
_cdmclass String com.collation.platform.model.topology.process.MSSAccessInfo
_jsonid String _jsonid_1
accessString String &{=SourceContactInfo}
accessType String default
parent String _jsonid_0
Object End
Array End


Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update with Operation Type: Create
The VMware VI monitoring agent provides a policy to update TADDM when new resources are created. The following JSON update request is predefined for the Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update activity:

Key Value Type Value
Array Start
Object Start
_cdmclass String com.collation.platform.model.topology.sys.vmware.VmwareUnitaryComputerSystem
_jsonid String _jsonid_1
uuid String &WaitOnSituation1:KVM_TOPOLOGICAL_EVENTS.Host_UUID
childsystem String _jsonid_2
Object End
Object Start
_cdmclass String com.collation.platform.model.topology.sys.UnitaryComputerSystem
_jsonid String _jsonid_2
virtual Boolean true
name String &{CT_Get2:/VM_Name}
label String &{CT_Get2:/VM_Name}
vmid String &{CT_Get2:/MORef}
uuid String &WaitOnSituation1:KVM_TOPOLOGICAL_EVENTS.VM_UUID
memorysharesvalue String &{CT_Get2:/Memory_Shares}
numcpus String &{CT_Get2:/Num_CPUS)
cpusharesvalue String &{CPU_Shares)
hostsystem String _jsonid_1
Object End
Array End


Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update with Operation Type: Delete
The VMware VI monitoring agent provides a policy to update TADDM when resources are deleted. The following JSON update request is predefined for the Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update activity:

Key Value Type Value
Array Start
Object Start
_cdmclass String com.collation.platform.model.topology.sys.windows.WindowsComputerSystem
_jsonid String _jsonid_2
uuid String &WaitOnSituation1:KVM_TOPOLOGICAL_EVENTS.VM_UUID
Object End
Array End


Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update with Operation Type: Move
The VMware VI monitoring agent provides a policy to update TADDM when resources are moved. The following JSON update request is predefined for the Send a Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager Update activity:

Key Value Type Value
Array Start
Object Start
_cdmclass String com.collation.platform.model.topology.sys.vmware.VmwareUnitaryComputerSystem
_jsonid String _jsonid_1
uuid String &WaitOnSituation1:KVM_TOPOLOGICAL_EVENTS.Host_UUID
childsystem String _jsonid_2
Object End
Object Start
_cdmclass String com.collation.platform.model.topology.sys.windows.WindowsComputerSystem
_jsonid String _jsonid_2
virtual Boolean true
uuid String &WaitOnSituation1:KVM_TOPOLOGICAL_EVENTS.VM_UUID
hostsystem String _jsonid_1
Object End
Array End


11.2. Take action commands

The take action feature enables you to invoke a predefined command or enter a command on a selected managed system. Action commands can also be added to situations to implement simple (reflex) automation when an event is opened.

Some monitored applications provide predefined take action commands. You can customize those commands and create command definitions of your own, then invoke them on the system you choose.

If you want to send a command to another monitored network, use the PureApplication System Monitoring Web Services to send Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) requests to another environment. See the Administrator's Guide.

11.2.1. Create a take action command

You can create take action definitions and save them, then invoke them at will through the pop-up menu for Navigator item or query-based view, or automatically when a situation event is opened. Your user ID must have Modify permission for the Action feature.

Note: The action command is issued with the authorization of the user ID on the monitoring agent or server computer to which it is sent. If your hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server is set to Security: Validate User, the default, then your ID must be authorized on the relevant system receiving the command. For example, to issue a TSO command, your user ID and password must be a valid TSO ID and it must also be defined as a valid logon ID on the portal server and on the domain or operating system where the hub monitoring server resides.

You can employ PureApplication System Monitoring Web Services to send Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) requests to other Tivoli Management Services environments. See the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Administrator's Guide for details. Take action commands can be issued either by typing a command into a text box or by selecting a predefined command from a list. Take action commands can also be added to situations to implement simple (reflex) automation. Some applications provide predefined commands. You can customize those commands or create predefined commands of your own and invoke them as needed on the system you choose. To create or edit a custom Take Action command:


Procedure

  1. Select the Navigator item associated with the application on which you want to run the command (for example, Windows OS or z/OS operating system).

  2. Right-click one of the following:

    • The selected Navigator item
    • Row in a table view or event console view
    • Data point in a chart
    • Object of a topology view

  3. Click Take Action . Create or Edit. The Edit Action and Select Action dialogs open.

  4. Select <Create new Action> and click OK.

  5. In the Create New Action window, type a name and description for the command.

  6. If there is a choice of Monitored Application, select one from the list.

  7. Select the type of command. System Command is for issuing a command on the operating system associated with this Navigator item. For example, if you selected a Navigator item on the UNIX Systems branch, you can enter a UNIX shell command.

    The other types of commands that appear are for the monitoring agents associated with this Navigator item. For example, at the Enterprise level, you will see all agent types on your managed network, whereas at the system level, you will see those for the types of agents running on that system.

  8. In the text box, type the command just as you would from the command line. The character limit is 512 bytes, including any attribute substitution you specify in the next step.

  9. If you want to insert an attribute variable, which will be replaced by its value at run time, click Insert Attribute, then select one from the Select Attribute window. Example: This command sends an email that reads, "System: MyServer, Disk: D:, Space Available: 15"

    echo System: &NT_Logical_Disk.Server_Name, Disk: &NT_Logical_Disk.Disk_Name, 
    Space Available: &NT_Logical_Disk.%_Free%|mail userID. 
    
    The attribute variables will be resolved if the action is launched from a table row or plot point (such as a bar in a bar chart) that can provide the values. If an attribute (or any other string preceded by an & ampersand) is put into a take action definition, it will be resolved unless no value is found, in which case you are prompted to enter a value. If none is provided, it will be excluded from the generated output.

  10. When you are finished creating the action, click OK to save it. Your user-defined action is now selectable from the list of actions available for this agent. The action will be available to all users whose IDs have View Action permission and the application the command was written for as one of their Allowed Applications.

  11. Select a name from the list and click OK.

  12. In the Edit Action window, edit the command name, description, type, or text.

  13. If you want to insert an attribute name as a variable that will be replaced by the attribute's current value when the command is invoked, click Insert Attribute and select from the list.

  14. When you are finished editing the command, click OK to save your changes.


11.2.2. Edit a take action command

You can open the Edit Action window to see the list of saved take action commands and then select the one that you would like to modify. Your user ID must have Modify permission for the Action feature. Complete these steps to modify an existing take action command definition.


Procedure

  1. Select a Navigator item associated with the application or system on which the command can be run.
  2. Right-click the Navigator item or a data point, row, or object in a query-based view.
  3. Click Take Action > Create or Edit. The Edit Action and Select Action windows open.
  4. Select a name from the list and click OK.
  5. In the Edit Action window, edit the command name, description, type, or text.
  6. If you want to insert an attribute name as a variable that will be replaced by the attribute's current value when the command is invoked, click Insert Attribute and select from the list.
  7. When you are finished editing the command, click OK to save your changes.


11.2.3. Sending a take action command

You can use the take action feature to initiate a command on a managed system in your monitored enterprise. For example, you can restart a process that is not functioning properly or you can send a message. Your user ID must have View permission for the Action feature.

Your user ID must be identifiable and authorized on the computer where the action will take place. To send a take action command, complete these steps:


Procedure

  1. Take one of the following actions:
    • Select the Navigator item associated with type of command you want to run or the managed system on which you want to run the command.
    • Open the workspace containing the view from which you want to launch the application.

  2. Right-click one of the following:
    • Navigator item.
    • Row in a table or event console view.
    • Data point in a chart (such as a pie chart slice)
    • Topology view object.

  3. Click Take Action > Select.

  4. Select a predefined action or enter a command using the Command field.

    To select a predefined action:

    1. In the Name field click the List button to see and select an action name.

      The command is displayed in the field below. Some actions do not require you to add a value. Those that do open the Edit Argument Values window automatically. Other actions might display a suggested value, which you can change by clicking Arguments and entering a different value.

    2. If the Edit Argument Values window opens, enter a value to identify the item on which the action must take place.
    3. If the action command enters the value automatically and you want to change it, click Arguments and enter the value that identifies what to act on.

      A two-column window opens with the attribute in the Name column and a place to enter the value of the attribute in the Value column. For example, if you chose the action that starts a process, you must identify the process by entering its name as the value. If no argument is required for the action command, this function will be disabled.

    4. Click an application host in the Destination System list.

      If you want to send the command to multiple systems, use Ctrl+click to select more or Shift+click to select all systems between.

    To enter a command:

    1. In the Command text box, type a command. For example:

      Net send mars The server is running out of memory. 
      Close some applications 

      The user at the system named mars sees the message, "The server is running out of memory. Close some applications."

    2. Click an application host in the Destination System list.

      If you want to send the command to multiple systems, use Ctrl+click to select more or Shift+click to select all systems between. After you click OK, the command is run on the selected system or systems. If a message is returned, it will be from the application on which the command was run.


11.2.5. Rules and guidelines for take action commands

Follow these rules when specifying arguments and commands for a take action definition.


11.3. Launch application

Use the launch application feature to write and save definitions that start applications on your computer. For example, using single sign-on in the browser client or Java Web Start client, you can launch into another participating Tivoli web application.

A launch definition can include arguments that are passed to the application when it is started. The definition can be an operating system command or URL, and can include arguments. A simple example is opening a specific text file in a text editor. And another example is opening your browser to access the RMF. Monitor III Portal.

You can launch an application by creating a definition right when you need it or by selecting from a list of existing definitions. Some monitoring products provide predefined launch definitions. You can customize those definitions or use the launch application feature to build a set of command definitions for yourself or for all users in your monitored environment.

The monitoring portal single sign-on (SSO) feature enables you to launch out of the portal into other Tivoli web-based or web-enabled applications without having to re-enter your user credentials. From the portal browser client or Java Web Start client, you can launch into another participating Tivoli web application.

11.3.1. Create a launch definition

Create a custom launch definition from the Navigator item or query-based view (including event console views) where you want to enter the command. When launched from a query-based view, the command can include attribute values from the launch point, such as IP address or process name. If your monitored application has predefined launch application definitions or you would like to include attribute names in the argument as symbols to be replaced by the attribute values at launch time, see the product user's guide for the settings.

Your user ID must have View and Modify permission for the Launch Application feature. If you want the new launch definition to be available to other users, you must be in Workspace administration mode when you create it. Take these steps to create a launch definition:


Procedure

  1. Select the Navigator item to launch from.

  2. If the launch definition will originate from a table, chart, event console view, or relational-based topology view, open the workspace containing the view. If the workspace is not the default, use the Workspace Gallery to select it. You can add an argument that includes attribute names in the definition that are resolved at launch time with the current attribute values.

  3. Right-click one of the following:
    • Navigator item.
    • Row in a table or event console view.
    • Data point in a chart (such as a plot chart point).
    • Topology view object.

  4. Click Launch and, in the Create or Edit Launch Definitions window, click Create New.

  5. In the Name text box, type a descriptive name.
  6. In the Target text box, click Browse to locate and select the application to launch. If you leave the field empty, the default behavior is to open Windows Internet Explorer as the launch application. This is desirable when a URL is included in the definition and it will be launched from different computers. If you want a different browser used, the kjr.browser.default client parameter can be changed through Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services, as described in the PureApplication System Monitoring Server: Administrator's Guide.

  7. In the Arguments text box, type any arguments to be added to start the application:

    • To launch a web page, enter the URL, such as http://ibm.com.
    • To add a file name, click Browse, select Filename, then locate and select the file.

      If any of the argument contains spaces, surround it with double quotation marks, as in .C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\db_notes.doc.. If you have multiple files to specify, separate each entry with a space and enclose in double quotation marks, as in .C:temp\my_log.txt. .C:temp\your_log.txt..

    • To add an attribute or other symbolic reference that is known at this location, click Browse, select Substitutable Items, then select an attribute from the Selected Context list or a symbol from the Extended Context list. The value will be retrieved at launch time. For example, User Id (As Typed) shows as &-12002 in the argument and evaluates to sysadmin; Process Name shows as &NT_Process.Process_Name in the argument and evaluates to BigProcess.
    • To prompt for a value, type a ^ caret mark then the prompt, as in ^Name, followed by a single space or a comma. If you would like to supply a default value, but also enable the user to change it, append the prompt with an = equal sign and the value. For example, ^Name=Fred, where Name is the prompt and Fredis the default value.
    • To prompt for a hidden value, such as a password, type two ^^ caret marks then the prompt (no spaces are allowed), as in ^^Password.
    • To add data or an attribute to look up in context, precede the data with an & ampersand.
    • To include an & ampersand or ^ caret in the filename or value, precede it with a / forward slash. For example john&jane.lwp would be entered as john/&jane.lwp.

  8. If you added arguments, you can give the user the option to change the values at launch time by selecting Edit arguments before execution.

  9. To specify the Start in location, click Browse to locate and select the folder for the program or other required files.

  10. If the definition originates from a Navigator item and you want to restrict its availability to this item only or to others of the same type, click Advanced to open the Advanced Options for Launch Definition window and select one of the options.

  11. Click Evaluate to see how the arguments will resolve when the application launches.

  12. When you are finished with the launch definition, click Apply to save your changes and keep the window open; or click OK to save your changes and close the window.


11.3.2. Copying or editing a launch definition

You can use an existing launch definition as a template for creating another definition and edit the copy. Predefined definitions for your product can offer a good starting point. Your user ID must have View and Modify permission for the Launch Application feature.

Take these steps to copy or edit a launch definition:


Procedure

  1. Select the Navigator item where the launch definition originates.

  2. If the launch definition was created from a table, chart or event console view, open the workspace containing the view. Use the Workspace Gallery to see thumbnail graphics of the workspaces for a Navigator item, and select one to open.

  3. Right-click one of the following:
    • Navigator item.
    • Row in a table or event console view.
    • Data point in a chart (such as a pie slice or bar).
    • Topology view object

  4. Click Launch and select the definition you want to copy or edit.

  5. If you want to create a copy of the definition, click Create Another.

  6. Start at the step for selecting the application to launch in the Target text box, continue with the remaining steps for "Creating a launch definition".


11.3.3. Delete a launch definition

When you no longer need to keep a launch definition, remove it from the list. Your user ID must have View and Modify permission for the Launch Application feature. Take these steps to delete a launch definition:


Procedure

  1. Select the Navigator item where the launch definition originates.

  2. If the launch definition was created from a table, chart or event console view, open the workspace containing the view.

  3. Right-click one of the following:
    • Navigator item.
    • Row in a table or event console view.
    • Point in a chart (such as a pie slice or anywhere in a gauge)
    • Topology view object

  4. Click Launch.

  5. Select the definition from the list and click Delete.

  6. Click Apply to save your changes and keep the window open, or click OK to save your changes and close the window.


11.3.4. Launch application examples

These examples illustrate some of the uses for launch application and give the definition syntax.

Launching a batch file

To launch a batch file, you must specify the command prompt as the target and the batch file as the argument. This example starts myscript.bat.
  • Target: c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe
  • Arguments: /c start c:\scripts\myscript.bat
  • Start in: c:\windows\system32

Launching a website with search text

In this example the user typed everything in the Arguments text box except for &NT_Logical_Disk;:Disk_Name, which was added when DiskName was selected from the list of Substitutable items. The attribute is replaced by the current value when the application is launched.
  • Target: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
  • Arguments: http://www.ibm.com/search?q=+&NT_Logical_Disk.Disk_Name

Launching a website with no target browser specified

This example specifies a URL for the argument, much like the previous example. Notice, however, that there is no specified target. When the Target field is left blank, the Microsoft Internet Explorer is assumed (unless another browser was specified with the kjr.browser.default client parameter).
  • Arguments: http://www.ibm.com

Launching another monitoring portal browser client on a different portal server

This example is similar to the previous one. You can start a new browser client in another Tivoli managed network. If the browser supports multiple tabbed windows, a new tab is started for the launched portal workspace.
  • Target: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
  • Arguments: http://floor3west.usca.ibm.com:1920///cnp/kdh/lib/cnp.html?hostname=floor3west*

Launching a Telnet session

To launch a Telnet session, you must specify the command prompt as the target and the Telnet session as the argument.
  • Target: c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe
  • Arguments: /c start telnet.exe computer, , where computer is the location where the Telnet executable is found.
  • Start in: c:\windows\system32


User administration

Every portal work session begins with a successful logon and connection to the monitoring portal. The logon user IDs and user groups are created and profiled through the Administer Users window.

Administer Users is a multi-tabbed two-paned window. The top frame has two tabs: Users and User Groups, that list the user IDs, distinguished names if the portal server is configured for authentication to an LDAP repository, and the user groups that are stored on the portal server. The profile of the selected user or user group is reflected in the bottom frame:

The User Administration function enables you to maintain user IDs and user groups on the portal server, and provides varying degrees of access to the features and views of your monitored environment to accommodate any combination of job roles, such as operators who respond to alerts and direct them to the appropriate person for handling and administrators who plan, design, customize, and manage the monitoring environment.

In some managed enterprises one person might assume all of these roles. In larger enterprises, the roles are often divided. You can choose to assign roles by individual user or by user type or both.


12.1. Manage user IDs

Manage user IDs begins with planning the authorities to grant to users and whether they will belong to user groups.

The Administer Users window provides the tools for creating and maintaining user IDs, and adjusting permissions. This is also where user IDs are mapped to their unique identifier in the LDAP repository if user authentication through the portal server has been configured.


12.1.1. View and editing a user ID

After a user has been added to the Users list in the Administer Users window, you can check and edit the profile settings at any time. To use this function, your user ID must have Modify permission for User Administration. Use the following steps to edit a user ID:


Procedure

  1. Click Administer Users.

  2. Do one of the following in the Users list:

    • Click inside the Name or Description field to edit either of them.
    • Double-click anywhere in a row to open the Modify User window for editing any of the fields.
    • Right-click the user profile you want to edit and click Modify User.

  3. Edit the User Name, Distinguished Name or User Description, then click OK. Distinguished Name is required if user authentication is through the portal server to an LDAP repository. You cannot change the one-word User ID other than to change the letter casing. To edit the one-word User ID, delete the user profile and create a new one.
    • If you have not yet added the DN, click Find to locate the name that matches the user ID.
      If your monitored environment was previously configured for authentication through the PureApplication System Monitoring Server and then reconfigured to authenticate through the monitoring portal server, you might see two entries for the name. Select the one where o=defaultWIMFileBasedRealm and not O=DEFAULTWIMITMBASEDREALM.

  4. To change the Permissions, select a function from the Authorities tree and select or clear each option as appropriate for all functions with permissions to change. You can change your own user permissions except Create and Modify for User Administration

  5. To assign access privileges to applications (managed system types), click the Applications tab, select any applications you want to remove from the Allowed Applications list and move them to the Available Applications list; select the applications you want to add from the Available Applications list (or select <All Applications>), and move them to the Allowed Applications list.

    After selecting the first application, you can use Ctrl+click to select other applications or Shift+click to select all applications between the first selection and this one.

  6. To change any Navigator view assignments, click the Navigator Views tab, then add or remove Navigator views from the Assigned Views list, and select and move the one to be the default to the top of the list. For each Navigator view, change the Assigned Root as needed.

  7. When you are finished editing the user profile, save your changes with Apply to keep the Administer Users window open, or OK to close it.

The next time the user logs on, the permission changes will be in effect.


12.1.2. Add a user ID

Create a user ID for all users that should be able to log onto the monitoring portal server. You can use the default user profile or copy the profile of an existing user. To use this function, your user ID must have Modify permission for User Administration.


Procedure

  1. Click Administer Users.

  2. Create a new user ID or create one from another:

    • To create a new user ID with the default user profile, click Create New User.
    • To create a new user ID from an existing one, select the profile to use from the Users list and click Create Another User.

  3. In the Create New User window, enter the user information:

    • User ID: The logon name. The name must use ASCII characters, can be up to 10 characters, and can contain no spaces. The name is limited to eight characters if user authentication is at the hub monitoring server and uses RACF (resource access control facility) security for z/OS.
    • User Name: The name of the user or job classification or both. This name can include spaces and be up to 32 characters. The user name is displayed in Users list.

    • Distinguished Name:

      The unique identifier in the LDAP repository for the name given in the User ID field. Click Find to locate and insert the distinguished name, such as UID=FRIDA,O=DEFAULTWIMITMBASEDREALM

    • User Description: Optional description for the user. The text can include spaces and punctuation.

  4. Click OK to close the window and see the new user ID arranged alphabetically in the Users list.

  5. To change the Permissions, select a function from the Authorities tree and select or clear each option as appropriate for all functions with permissions to change.

  6. To assign access privileges to applications (managed system types), click the Applications tab, then select <All Applications> or the individual applications the user should see, and click to move them to the Allowed Applications list. After selecting the first application, you can use Ctrl+click to select other applications or Shift+click to select all applications between the first selection and this one.

  7. To assign Navigator views, click the Navigator Views tab:

    1. Select a Navigator view (or more with Ctrl + click and Shift + click) from the Available Views and click to move it to the Assigned Views.
    2. Use to place the view to be the default at the top of the list; use and to arrange the other Navigator views in the order that they should appear in the Navigator toolbar View list.
    3. For the selected Navigator view, change the Assigned Root as needed.

  8. When you are finished creating the user profile, save your changes with Apply to keep the Administer Users window open, or OK to close it.

The Logon window has a field for entering a password. If you want the user ID to include a password, you must define the same user ID, including a password, to your network domain user accounts or to the operating system where the hub monitoring server is installed. Also, the monitoring server must be configured to validate users, which is the default on the Windows-based hub monitoring server. (In Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services, right-click Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server and click Reconfigure.)


12.1.3. Remove a user ID

You can remove a user ID as needed. To use this function, your user ID must have Modify permission for User Administration.

Use the following steps to remove a user ID:


Procedure

  1. Click Administer Users.

  2. Select the user ID to delete. You can select additional user IDs with Ctrl+click, or with Shift+click to select all user IDs between the first selection and this one.

  3. Click Remove Users to delete the selected user ID and profile from the list.

  4. When a message asks you to confirm the user ID removal, click Yes. The user is permanently removed from the user ID list. If the user is currently signed on, this does not affect their work session, but they will not be able to log on again.

    Note: You cannot remove your user ID (the one you logged on with) or the <Default User> ID.


12.1.4. Default user

The first user ID in the Users list is <Default User>.

To use this function, your user ID must have Modify permission for User Administration.

The Default User ID is used as the template ID for users created with Create New User. Edit this user ID to change any of the default settings. The initial defaults enable all the functions listed under monitoring portal Authorities except User Administration Create and Modify. Any changes you make to the <Default User> ID apply to users created from this point on; they do not affect any existing user ID settings.


12.2. Manage user groups

User groups enable the administrator to authorize the same set of functional permissions, applications, and Navigator views to multiple users at one time. Management of user authorization can be done by groups as well as individually.

A user can be associated with one or more user groups. If a permission is granted to a user directly through their user ID, they maintain that permission even if a user group they belong to does not grant that permission. The reverse is also true, so that if an individual user ID is not granted a permission but the group ID is, the user will have the permission through their membership in the user group. Thus, the user's permission set is collected from what is given to the individual user ID and to any and all user groups that they belong to.

Authorization will also be by global authority and by association with managed system and managed system groups. This security is not dependent on external authorization.

When the active top tab is Users, the last tab on the bottom set of tabs reads Member Of. When the active top tab is User Groups, you will also have a Members tab. Assignment of users to groups can be done in either of these lower tabs.

Click the group in the details view at the top, then go to the Members tab to see the list of users that belong to this group. likewise, to see the groups a user belongs to.


12.2.1. View user group memberships

You can view both the groups a user ID belongs to, and the list of user IDs belonging to a user group. To use this function, your user ID must have Modify permission for User Administration.


Procedure

  1. Click Administer Users. The Administer Users window is divided into two, with Users and User Groups tabs at the top, and Permissions, Applications, Navigator Views, and Member Of below.
  2. To see the groups a user belongs to, select a name from the Users list, then click the Member Of tab. The groups the user belongs to are listed in the Assigned Members Of list.
  3. To see the user IDs assigned to a group, select a name from the User Groups list, then click the Members tab. The users belonging to the group are in the Assigned Members list.


12.2.2. Add a user group

You can create a new user group from the beginning or you can copy a group with similar permissions and user assignments to what you want, then modify the copy. To use this function, your user ID must have Modify permission for User Administration.

Complete these steps to add a user group:


Procedure

  1. Click Administer Users to open the Administer Users window.

  2. Click the User Groups tab.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • To create a new user group, click Create New Group.
    • To copy an existing user group, select the group name from the list and click Create Another Group.

  4. In the Create New Group or Create Another Group window, enter the following user information:

    1. Group ID:

      The group identifier. This name can be up to 10 characters and can contain no spaces. The name is limited to eight characters if the hub monitoring server uses RACF (resource access control facility) security for z/OS.

    2. Group Name: The name or job classification for the user group. This name can include spaces..

    3. Group Description: The text to describe the user group, such as their responsibilities. The description can include spaces and punctuation.

  5. Click OK to close the window and see the new user group arranged alphabetically in the User Group list.

  6. Add members to the group in the Members tab by selecting one or more user IDs in the Available Members list and clicking to move to the Assigned Members list.

  7. To change the Permissions for the group, select a function from the Authorities tree and select or clear each option check box for all functions.

  8. To assign access privileges to applications (managed system types) for the group, click the Applications tab, then select <All Applications> or the individual applications the user should see, and click to move them to the Allowed Applications list. After selecting the first application, you can use Ctrl+click to select other applications or Shift+click to select all applications between the first selection and this one.

  9. To assign Navigator views to the group, click the Navigator Views tab, then add or remove Navigator views from the Assigned Views list, and use to place the default view at the top of the list. For each Navigator view, change the Assigned Root as needed.

  10. When you are finished creating the user group, save your changes with Apply to keep the Administer Users window open, or OK to close it.


12.2.3. Review and editing a user group

After a user group has been added to the User Groups list in the Administer Users window, you can check and edit the profile settings at any time. To use this function, your user ID must have Modify permission for User Administration.

Use the following steps to edit a user ID:


Procedure

  1. Click Administer Users to open the Administer Users window.

  2. Click the User Groups tab.

  3. Right-click the user group to edit and click .

  4. Edit the Group Name and Group Description, then click OK. You cannot change the one-word group ID. You must, instead, create another user group from this one and give it a new name, then delete this one.

  5. To change the Permissions, select a function from the Authorities tree and select or clear each option as appropriate for all functions with permissions that should change.

  6. To change the group access privileges to applications (managed system types), click the Applications tab, select any applications you want to remove from the Allowed Applications list and click ; select the applications you want to add from the Available Applications list (or select <All Applications>), and click . After selecting the first application, you can use Ctrl+click to select other applications or Shift+click to select all applications between the first selection and this one.

  7. To change any Navigator view assignments for the group, click the Navigator Views tab, then add or remove Navigator views from the Assigned Views list, and use to place the one you want to be the default at the top of the list. For each Navigator view, change the Assigned Root as needed.

  8. When you are finished editing the user group, save your changes with Apply to keep the Administer Users window open, or OK to close it. The user group changes are effective the next time each group member logs on.

    Note: You can change the permissions, except Create and Modify for User Administration, of any groups you are a member of.


12.2.4. Remove a user group

You can remove a user group. To use this function, your user ID must have Modify permission for User Administration.

Use the following steps to remove a user ID:


Procedure

  1. Click Administer Users to open the Administer Users window.
  2. Click the User Groups tab.
  3. Select the user group to delete from the list and click Remove Selected Group. You can select additional user IDs with Ctrl+click, or with Shift+click to select all user groups between the first selection and this one.
  4. When a message asks you to confirm the user group removal, click Yes. The group is permanently removed from the user group list. Any members of this user group who receive permissions from the group will not be affected until they next log on to the portal server.


12.3. Administer Users

Your user ID and the user groups you are a member of are profiled with a set of permissions that determines which monitoring portal features you are authorized to see and use, a list of monitored applications you are authorized to see, and a list of Navigator views (and the highest level within a view) you can access.

Clicking Administer Users opens the Administer Users window. This is a two-paned window with Users and User Groups tabs in the top frame, and several tabs in the bottom frame. This arrangement enables the administrator to manage user profiles by individual user, by user groups, or a combination of the two. You might create a user profile, then copy the profile for each additional user and change settings as needed (such as, for the Action feature, granting View permission to one user and granting Modify permission to a different user). Or you might create a user group with a particular profile and add users to the group. Then you can modify the permissions once for a group and apply to all members automatically.


12.3.1. Users and User Groups

The Users and User Groups tabs list the user IDs and the user groups that are stored on the portal server.

After you select a user or user group from one of the lists, you can click any of the tabs in the lower half of the window to see the what permissions have been granted and what has been assigned. User groups enable the administrator to authorize the same set of functional permissions, applications, and Navigator views to multiple users at one time. Management of user authorization can be done by groups as well as individually. A user can be associated with one or more user groups; authorization by group will be by inclusion and not exclusion (nested groups are supported). Authorization will also be by global authority and by association with managed system and managed system lists. This security is not dependent on external authorization.


12.3.2. Permissions

You can authorize the same set of functional permissions multiple users, user group or each user ID at one time.

The following features are enabled or disabled individually for each user ID or user group.

Action

View allows the user to see and run a take action command from the available list of commands in the Take Action view and in the pop-up menu for the Navigator item.

Modify allows the user to create and save Take Action commands. When enabled, Edit Action appears in the Navigator pop-up menu.

When issuing a take action command, you must be authorized on the relevant system for the requested command. For example, to issue a TSO command, your user ID must be both a valid TSO ID and a valid user ID on the portal server. The user ID must be typed with the same letter casing exactly as typed when logging on to the portal server (with the same letter casing).

Agent Management

Manage allows the user to perform agent deployment throughout the managed network. This includes installing a monitored product, keeping the software revisions up-to-date, and removing an agent from the managed network. This permission also requires Action - Modify to be enabled.

Start/Stop allows the user to start a monitoring agent or to stop it running.

Custom Navigator Views

Modify allows the user to create new Navigator views, edit and delete them. With Modify cleared, the user will not see Edit Navigator View in the Navigator toolbar.

Event

Attach allows the user to attach a file (such as detailed notes) to the situation event. This permission requires that the user also have the Acknowledge and View permissions.

Close lets you close a pure event or an event that was open before a situation was stopped manually. When it is enabled, Close Situation Event appears in the pop-up menu of the situation event flyover list, event Navigator item, and situation event console view when the selected event is a pure event or the situation has been stopped.

View enables you to see situation event indicators in the Navigator when situations become true.

Acknowledge allows you to acknowledge a situation event. When this permission is enabled, Acknowledge Event appears in the pop-up menu of the situation event flyover list, event Navigator item, and situation event console view.

Feature

Enable is dimmed because you cannot change it. The access to this feature is determined by your organization's PureApplication System Monitoring Server license.

History

Configure allows the user to open the History Collection Configuration window, configure history files and data rolloff, and start and stop data collection for the different attribute groups. When this permission is enabled, History Configuration appears in the main toolbar.

Launch Application

Launch allows the user to invoke any of the launch definitions available for the Navigator item, table view, chart view, or situation event console view. When this permission is enabled, History Configuration appears in the main toolbar.

View allows the user to see the composition of the selected launch definition.

Modify allows the user to create, edit and delete launch definitions.

Managed System Group

View allows the user to access the Object group editor for viewing managed system groups. The user also needs Modify permission for the Object group editor tools to be available.

Modify allows the user to open the Object group editor to create, edit, and delete managed system groups.

Policy

View allows the user to open the Workflows window to see the policies and their definitions. With View permission, the Workflow Editor is available in the main toolbar and Manage Policies is available in the Navigator pop-up menu at the agent level.

Start/Stop lets you start and stop policies. With this permission enabled, Start Policy and Stop Policy are available when you select a policy.

Modify allows the user to open the Workflow editor to create and edit policies. With the Modify permission enabled, New Policy is available after the user selects a policy, as are the other editing tools: Edit Workflow, Copy Policy, and Delete Policy.

Query

View allows the user to access the Query editor through the Properties editor and select a query for the selected table or chart. With the View permission enabled, the user can assign a query through the Query tab of the Properties editor.

Modify allows the user to create, edit and delete queries in the Query editor. With the Modify permission enabled, Query Editor is available from the main toolbar, as are the query editing tools.

Situation

View allows the user to see situations in the Situation editor, including any expression overrides, and in the Manage Situations at Managed System window. With the View permission enabled, Situation Editor is available in the main toolbar and in the Navigator item (except at the platform level) pop-up menu.

Modify lets you create new situations and manage them. When the Modify permission has been granted, the situation editing tools and pop-up menu options are available in the Situation editor, as well as the Override Formula button in the Distribution tab for qualifying situations.

Start/Stop lets you start or stop a situation and enable or disable a situation override. When this permission is enabled, Start Situation and Stop Situation are available in the situation event flyover list, situation event console view, Situation editor pop-up menu, and the Manage Situations at Managed System window; and Enable Situation Overrides and Disable Situation Overrides are available in the Situation editor pop-up menu.

Terminal Script

View allows the user to run or stop running a terminal emulator script and to see scripts, but not to edit them. If View is disabled the user will be able only to run or stop a script.

Modify allows the user to create or record new terminal emulator scripts, edit, and delete them.

User Administration

If you are viewing your own user ID, you will see that View and Modify are disabled; you cannot change your User Administration permissions.

Logon Permitted enables log on to the portal server with this user ID. The administrator can clear the check box to deny a user access to the portal. This option works in conjunction with the KFW_AUTHORIZATION_MAX_INVALID_LOGIN (the default is 0, unlimited attempts are allowed) parameter in the monitoring portal server Environment Configuration file, kfwenv. When the value has been set and the invalid attempts have been exceeded, the check box is cleared automatically and the administrator must select the check box to reset the logon attempt count. See the Administrator's Guide for details. Modify allows the editing of user IDs and removing them. When this permission is enabled, Administer Users is available in the main toolbar and the tools are available in the Administer Users window.

Author Mode Eligible allows the user to enable or disable their Author Mode permission under Workspace Administration (see next authority), but not for any other user IDs.

View allows the user to open the Administer Users window and see their user profile.

Administration Mode Eligible allows the user to enable or disable their Administration Mode permission under Workspace Administration (see next authority), but not for any other user IDs.

Workspace Administration

Workspace Author Mode allows the user to create and edit workspaces, links, and terminal emulator scripts. If Workspace Author Mode is disabled, the user cannot make any of these changes but can continue monitoring and responding to alerts; the tools can still be seen, but they are disabled.

Workspace Administration Mode is available only for the SYSADMIN user ID and new IDs made from it in the Create Another User window. When administration mode is enabled, changes you make to workspaces affect all users who log on to the same portal server . When it is disabled, workspace changes you make are not shared with other users. Be sure to select Do not allow modifications in the Workspace Properties whenever you create or edit a workspace in administration mode. Otherwise, if a user edits that workspace, you no longer own the workspace and cannot override their changes.

WebSphere MQ Configuration Authorities

IBM Tivoli OMEGAMON XE for Messaging: WebSphere MQ Configuration installations will see this folder.

View allows the user to see, but not change, your organization's WebSphere MQ configuration in the Navigator Configuration view.

Modify allows the user to change your organization's WebSphere MQ configuration or to schedule updates in the Configuration view.

Storage Subsystem Authorities

IBM Tivoli OMEGAMON XE for Storage installations will see this folder. Select View to allow the user to see, but not change data. Select Modify to allow the user to change data.


Data Collection Configuration allows the user to view or modify the collection control interval for the DFSMSrmm Status workspace and Dataset Attributes System Summary workspace.


Dataset Groups Collection Interval allows the user to view or modify the control interval for the Dataset Group Summary workspace.


Define/Update Dataset Groups allows the user to view or modify the group definitions for the Dataset Group Summary workspace.


12.3.3. Applications

Your user ID is set so you can see some or all the application types being monitored. For example, one user might be able to see only mainframe applications, while another can see only middleware, and another sees all applications.

Allowed Applications

Shows the applications that you can access from Tivoli Enterprise Portal.

Available Applications

Shows the applications available for assignment to the selected user. If <All Applications> is on the Allowed Applications list, then no other entries can be added. You must move it back to Available Applications before you can select a subset of applications to assign.

Select the applications you want to add, or select <All Applications>, and move them to the Allowed Applications list. After selecting the first application, you can use Ctrl+click to select other applications or Shift+click to select all applications between the first selection and this one.


12.3.4. Navigator views

When a Navigator view is created, only the author is able to see the view, but it is available for the administrator to assign to users. An assigned Navigator view means the user can open it. For each assigned view, the user can be restricted to see only a certain branch rather than the entire hierarchy.

Assigned Views

Shows the Navigator views the user is able to see and access. The first Navigator view in this list is the default for the user; it displays automatically whenever the user logs on. You can select any views to which you do not want the user to have access, and click right arrow to move them to the Available Views list. Select the appropriate entries and click left arrow to move them to the Assigned Views. You can move a Navigator view to the top of the list to make it the default by clicking the up arrow.

Available Views

Shows the Navigator views not assigned to the user and available for assignment. Select the Navigator views you want to add and move them to the Assigned Views list by using the left arrow. After selecting the first view, you can use Ctrl+click to select other views or Shift+click to select all views between the first selection and this one.

Assigned Root

Shows the Navigator view chosen in Assigned Views, with the user's assigned Navigator root highlighted. The root is the top-most level of this Navigator view that the user can access. The user can access this item and all items below it, but no items parallel to or above it in the Navigator.

For example, you can assign UNIX Systems as the assigned root. The user sees the UNIX Systems workspaces and those below, but is not able to see the Enterprise workspaces or anything under Windows Systems.


12.3.5. Member Of and Members

When you select a user or user group from the list, the last tab on the bottom set of tabs reads either Member Of or Members (reflecting the selection of a User or User Group). Assignment of users to groups can be done in either tab.


12.4. Notes on user administration

Read these notes to understand the user ID contribution to monitoring portal functions and modes.


Workspace administration mode

Any changes you make to workspaces, links, and terminal host session scripts in the monitoring portal are available only to your user ID. The exception is while Workspace Administration Mode is enabled.

Workspace administration mode enables you to customize and add workspaces, links, and terminal emulator scripts that are shared with all users connected to the same monitoring portal server. See Starting workspace administration mode.


SYSADMIN logon ID

The monitoring portal requires your logon ID whenever you start a work session. Every ID must first have been registered on the portal server. You can log onto the portal server with SYSADMIN and register other user IDs through the Administer Users window. The initial user ID, SYSADMIN, has full access and complete administrator authority. The system administrator registers additional users and sets their access privileges and authority.


User ID and groups

Each user ID is stored at the Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server and contains:

Each user group is also stored at the portal server and has the same contents as for individual user IDs. But, instead of a list of user groups, it has a list of the user IDs assigned to the group.


Default user

The first user ID in the list is <Default User> and is used as the template ID for users created with Create New User. Edit this user ID to change any of the default settings. The initial defaults enable all the functions listed under monitoring portal Authorities, except the Modify permission for User Administration. Any changes you make to <Default User> ID apply to users created from this point on; they will not affect any existing user ID settings.


Granting access to a user

You set the authority privileges for each user when you create their user IDs. Giving users access to operational areas and customization options takes planning. Consider the job responsibilities of each user and the company security requirements when specifying authority privileges.


Anyone with permission to create custom queries obtains access to all of the ODBC data source names (DSNs) created at the monitoring portal server. Add database user IDs, to be used in the DSN, to your database software, making sure to restrict user access to only those tables, columns, and so on, allowed by your organization's security policies.


Validating user access

The monitoring portal server verifies user IDs whenever users log on. If a job description changes and the user requires different access to the portal server, you must review and perhaps change the user's permissions.

The user ID for logging on to the portal server might include a password. You do not establish passwords in the portal. Instead, you must define a matching user ID with password to the network domain user accounts or to the operating system where the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server resides:

As well, the monitoring server must be configured to Validate User. When users log on to the portal server, the hub monitoring server makes a request to the domain or the operating system to validate the user ID and password.

If the monitoring server has been installed on a distributed system, you can check if it has been configured to Validate User:

  1. Start the Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services program:
    • Start . Programs .PureApplication System Monitoring Server . Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services.
    • Change to the Install_dir/bin directory and run the following command: ./itmcmd manage [-h Install_dir] where Install_dir is the installation directory (default is opt/IBM/ITM).

  2. Right-click the PureApplication System Monitoring Server row for TEMS1 (hub) and select Reconfigure.
  3. In the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Configuration window, observe the setting of the Security: Validate User check box.

    When this option is selected, the password is required whenever a user logs on to the portal server; when it is cleared, the user name is required to log on but no password is required.

Note: Be aware that passwords must follow the security requirements for your organization. If this includes periodic password changes, you might get a Logon password has expired message while attempting to log on to the portal server. Should this happen, you must change your system password before you can log on. For example, on Windows this means changing the password through the Administrative Tools User Accounts.


Launching into the portal from other applications

In addition to any security requirements for launching into the Tivoli Enterprise Portal (such as single sign-on requirements), the Tivoli Enterprise Portal user ID that receives control after a launch from an external application must be pre-authorized to access the target managed system and workspaces. The user ID also must be authorized to issue any required take action commands.


User ID for Take Action commands

When the monitoring portal sends a Take Action command to a managed system, the user ID might or might not be checked for authority to perform the action. In the simplest case, the command is sent to the managed system and executed using the user ID under which the agent is running. The monitoring portal user ID is sent along with the action command in these contexts:

However, the ID is ignored by the managed system unless told otherwise by a command prefix. These are command handlers implemented in the Tivoli Monitoring products to control whether the monitoring portal user ID should be validated before passing the command to the agent for execution.

Command prefix

When a command prefix is present in the Take Action, the agent passes the command to the application handler rather than executing the command. The syntax of the prefix and take action command is productcode:CNPuserID:command and the agent routes it to the application for execution. The application is free to execute the command with whatever user ID is appropriate. In the case of OMEGAMON XE for WebSphere MQ on z/OS, the monitoring portal user ID is used.

If the special prefix is missing, the agent executes the command with the user ID under which the agent is running.

Most monitoring products do not employ a command prefix. Tivoli Monitoring for WebSphere MQ does and, in fact, adds a prefix to any on-demand Take Action commands with a hidden MQ:CNPuserID: prefix, although you cannot see it.

UNIX setuid command

In addition to the command prefix and security exit, UNIX offers another option: a setuid command, which causes the process to dynamically change its userid. Thus, the agent could be changed to set the ID to the value passed as a parameter, issue the command, then change the user ID back again after the command is issued.


12.5. Troubleshoot logon error messages

Logon prompts and progress messages are displayed in the Logon window status bar. If a user cannot log on, a message is displayed.

If a user cannot log on, one of the following messages is displayed:

Failed connection to monitoring portal server

  1. On the system where the monitoring portal server is installed, click Start -> Programs -> IBM Tivoli Monitoring -> Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services.
  2. Optional: Right-click the monitoring portal server entry and click Change Startup. In the window that opens, select System Account and Allow Service to Interact with Desktop and click OK.

    This opens a command line window when the monitoring portal server is started and displays the internal commands.

  3. Ensure that the monitoring portal server is started:

    - If it is started, recycle it.

    - If it is stopped, start it.

  4. If you are still unable to connect, review the following information. If it does not apply to your situation, contact IBM Software Support.

If you are running in browser mode and going across networks to reach the monitoring portal server, it is possible the host name cannot be resolved by the network system. If this is the case, doing the following should resolve the problem:

  1. On the system where the monitoring portal server is installed, click Start -> Programs -> PureApplication System Monitoring Server -> Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services.
  2. Right-click the monitoring portal Browser service and click Reconfigure.
  3. Change the host name to the IP address in two places:

    In the Launch URL field, change hostname in http://hostname:1920///cnp/client to the IP address of the monitoring portal server. For example, http://10.21.2.166:1920///cnp/client.

    In the Host field, change the host name to the IP address of the monitoring portal server.

  4. Click OK.
  5. Start monitoring portal browser mode using the IP address instead of the host name.
  6. If you are still unable to connect, contact IBM Software Support.

Logon password has expired

If the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server is set to Validate Users, then passwords are required. Passwords must follow the security requirements of your organization. If this includes periodic password changes, you might get this message while attempting to log on to the portal server. Should this happen, you must change your system password before you can log on. For example, on Windows this means changing the password through the Administrative Tools User Accounts.

User authorization has failed -OR- Unable to process logon request

PureApplication System Monitoring Portal uses the TEPS database to locally validate users. If your hub monitoring server is set for user validation (Windows default), the user ID is also validated at the monitoring server to verify the password.

The portal server did not validate the user credentials as entered. For the .Unable to process logon request. message, the portal server was able to validate the user credentials but did not complete the logon request. In either case, have the user try logging on again. If the message is displayed again, do the following:

  1. On the system where the monitoring server is installed, ensure that the server is running in Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services.
  2. If the monitoring server is running, ensure that the user ID has been defined in monitoring portal: Click Administer Users, then find the ID in the Users list.
  3. If the user has been defined, check if host level security was turned on for the hub monitoring server and that the user ID has been authorized to the host environment:

    In Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services, right-click Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server, and click Reconfigure. If host level security has been configured, the Security: Validate User box is selected.

    If the monitoring server has been configured to Validate User, the user ID for monitoring portal must also be added to the network domain user accounts or to the operating system where the monitoring server is installed, including a password.

    If non-ASCII characters were included in the user ID, they are not saved with the user ID.

  4. Try logging on to monitoring portal with the user ID in question.
  5. If you cannot log on to monitoring portal and the monitoring server is running properly, the problem might be with the Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server. Try recycling the portal server. If the user is still unable to log on, contact IBM Software Support.

This message is also displayed after a retry period of several minutes (the default is 10 minutes and can be changed through Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services) where the status bar shows Validating user credentials continuously. This can be a symptom that the monitoring server is stopped.


Manage the environment

Manage your Tivoli monitored environment involves monitoring and managing the availability of the components of the Tivoli Management Services infrastructure and the agents that use its services. It also involves organizing managed systems and situations into logical groupings that can be applied to situations and policy distributions with a single action.

These topics describe the tools and functions you can use to monitor the status of managed systems and manage components and agents on distributed systems. See Administering PureApplication System Monitoring Server Products for detailed information on day-to-day administrative tasks.


13.1. Grouping objects

Use the Object group editor to organize situations, managed systems, and historical configurations into named collections that can be applied with a single action.

Situations in groups can be started or stopped, and they can be distributed to managed systems. Managed systems can be assigned as a group to custom Navigator view items, to situation distribution lists, to policy distribution lists, and to historical collection configurations. Similarly, historical collections in groups can be distributed to managed systems as if they were a single collection.


13.1.1. Object group editor

Use the Object group editor to organize Tivoli Monitoring objects (historical configurations, managed systems, and situations) into named groups that you can reference in distribution lists.

The navigation tree shows the types of object groups that are available and any groups that have been created. Click to expand the list of groups for the object type. Some object types have categories that expand to show their groups. To replace this user assistance with an object group definition, do either of the following:

The object definition has tabs that show the objects that are assigned to the group and those that are available. When a member of a group is an object group itself, you can select it to see its constituents. You can assign individual objects to a group and you can assign a group to another group, thus creating nested groups.

Historical configurations

Use historical configuration groups to combine related historical collections into groups. You can then control collection for the group rather than having to select collection definitions individually.

Members

The text boxes show the historical configuration members of a group, as well as any groups that are contained in (members of) other object groups, and any that are available for inclusion in a group. Individual members represent historical collection definitions for an attribute group.

Member of

This tab shows any groups that the selected historical configuration group belongs to and any that are available.

Distributions

The distributions are the managed systems and managed system groups that the historical configuration group is distributed to, as well as any available managed systems and groups. Select a managed system group to see its constituent objects in the Selected Assigned Object Members or Selected Available Object Members list.

Managed system

Any set of managed systems that have a relationship, such as by geography or business function, can be organized into a managed system group for assigning to custom Navigator views, historical collection distributions, situation distributions, or policy distributions. The navigation tree lists all the managed system types that are available, including All Managed Systems for creating managed system groups that combine multiple managed system types.

Members

The text boxes show the managed system members and groups that have been assigned to the group and any members that are available for assignment. Any members that are object groups themselves can be selected from the Members... list to see the objects that belong to it in the Selected... list below.

Assigned to

Any groups that the managed system group is assigned to are shown here. If, for example, a situation or situation group has been distributed to this managed system group, that distribution will be listed here.

Situation

If you frequently distribute a particular set of situations, create a situation object group for them. You can then distribute the group in the same way as for a single situation, thus saving time and ensuring consistency in applying your best practices.

Members

The text boxes show the situation members and groups that have been assigned to the group and any that are available for assignment. If a member is an object group, you can select it from the Members list. The objects that belong to it are displayed in the corresponding Selected list below.

Member of

Shown here are any groups the situation group belongs to and any that are available.

Distributions

The distributions are the managed systems and managed system groups that the situation group is distributed to, as well as the available managed systems and groups. You can select a managed system group to see its constituent objects in the Selected Assigned Object Members or Selected Available Object Members list.


13.1.2. Managed system groups

A managed system group is a named collection of managed systems. When distributing a situation, policy, or historical collection configuration to managed systems, or when assigning managed systems to a custom Navigator view, you can specify a managed system group (or groups).

If the main toolbar has no Object group editor, your user ID does not have View permission for managed system groups. If you can open the editor, but the tools not enabled after you select one of the managed system groups, your user ID does not have Modify permission for managed system groups.


13.1.2.1. Create a managed system group

Organize managed systems into named groups that can be assigned to the distribution of situations, policies, historical collections, queries, and dynamic Navigator items in custom Navigator views. Take these steps to create a managed system group:


Procedure

  1. Click Object group editor.

  2. If Managed system is collapsed, expand it.

  3. Click one of the available managed system types, then click Create new group. One of the managed system types is All Managed Systems. Select it to combine multiple agent types (such as Windows OS and Oracle) in one managed system group.

  4. Type a descriptive name for the managed system group and click OK. The new managed system group is displayed in the managed system folder.

  5. Select a managed system from the Available Managed Systems list and move it to the Assigned list. You can select multiple managed systems by holding down Ctrl while clicking each managed system. You can also, after selecting a managed system, use Shift+click to select all managed systems between this and the first selection.

  6. Save your changes and either keep the editor open with Apply or exit with OK. The managed system group is now available to all users who are signed on to the portal server that connects to this hub monitoring server.

    Note: Be sure that the managed systems added to the managed system group are at a supported version level. Otherwise, it is possible that after you distribute a situation to the managed system group and then attempt to start the situation, its status will show as Problem in the situation event console and message log views.

You can now assign the managed system group to any object that has managed system assignments. Each of these locations has a Edit Managed System Groups button for convenient access to the Object group editor for managed system groups:


13.1.2.2. Copying a managed system group

You can create a copy of a managed system group as needed. Use the following steps to create a copy of a managed system list:


Procedure

  1. Click Object group editor.
  2. Click to expand a managed system folder.
  3. Select the managed system group you want to copy.
  4. Click Create another group.
  5. Type a descriptive name for the managed system group and click OK. The new managed system group is displayed in the managed system folder.
  6. Remove a managed system from the Assigned list by selecting it and clicking . Add a managed system to the list by selecting it in the Available Managed Systems list and clicking . You can select multiple managed systems by holding down Ctrl while clicking each managed system. You can also, after selecting a managed system, use Shift+click to select all managed systems between this and the first selection.
  7. Save your changes and either keep the editor open with Apply or exit with OK. The managed system group is now available to users whose monitoring portal server connects to the same hub monitoring server.


13.1.4. Create a situation group

Organize situations that you have defined into named groups that can be managed collectively. The situation group can include a distribution of managed systems. Your use ID must have Modify permission for Situations to use this function. You can start from the Situation editor or from the Object group editor. Take these steps to create a situation group:


Procedure

  1. Create a situation group from either the Situation editor or Object Group editor:
    • Start from the Situation editor:

      1. Open or create a situation to add to the new situation group.
      2. While the situation is open in the Situation editor, click Group, then Create a new object group.
      3. Enter a name for the new situation group and, optionally, a description. The name can be up to 128 characters.

      After you click OK, the Object group editor opens the new situation group with the situation listed in Assigned Members.

    • Start from the Object group editor:

      1. Click Object group editor.
      2. Click Situation, then Create a new object group.
      3. Enter a name for the new situation group and, optionally, a description. The name can be up to 128 characters.

      The new situation group is displayed in the Situation branch of the tree.

  2. In the Members tab, select a situation from Available Members and move it to the Assigned Members list. You can select multiple situations by holding down Ctrl while clicking; or use Shift+click to select all entries between this and the first selection.

  3. If you have situation groups available and want to assign a group to this one, select a group and move it to the Assigned Members list. You can also assign situation groups from the Member of tab.

  4. In the Distributions tab, select the managed systems and managed system groups to assign and move them to Assigned managed systems. You can select a managed system group to see its constituent objects in the Selected Assigned Object Members or Selected Available Object Members list.

  5. Save your changes and either keep the editor open with Apply or exit with OK.

The situations that belong to this group are distributed to the managed systems that were assigned.

When you view the distribution of a member situation in the Situation editor, any managed systems that were assigned to the group distribution will be disabled (dimmed). You can right-click a disabled item in the Assigned list and click Show Groups to see the situation groups that the managed system or managed system group is a member of.

Whenever you create a situation to add to the situation group, click Group, then Update an existing object group to add it.


13.2. Managed system status

The Tivoli Enterprise Portal dynamically builds the Navigator Physical view to show all the managed systems connected to the hub monitoring server and any remote monitoring servers, and their availability. Workspaces and situations at the Enterprise level keep you apprised of managed system status.

You can always see the availability of an agent in the Navigator. Offline monitoring agents are dimmed, such as the Universal Database shown here:

You can also see the status of managed systems in the Managed System Status workspace, or in a Managed System Status table view added to any workspace.


13.2.1. Managed System Status workspace

The Managed System Status workspace is one of the predefined workspaces for the Enterprise Navigator item, and offers a high level overview of your managed network. The workspace has a single view: Managed System Status table view.


Access the workspace

To open the Managed System Status workspace, take the following steps:

  1. Click the Enterprise Navigator item to open its default workspace.
  2. Click Workspace gallery, then click the thumbnail graphic for Managed System Status.


What the workspace shows

The Managed System Status table view is a list of monitoring agents in your managed network. The Status column reports the ONLINE or OFFLINE status of the agent, with offline agents shown first.

An agent that has actually been removed from the monitored environment might appear to be offline. You can remove the display of the offline agent from the view and from the Navigator by right-clicking the table row and clicking Clear offline entry.

The CQ agent might be displayed in the table results. The CQ agent is a monitoring agent for the monitoring portal server and is not the actual monitoring portal server component. The status of this agent does not correlate to the status of the actual portal server. If this agent displays an offline status, there might have been a problem starting the agent or the monitoring server might not have completed refreshing.

Links to Agent Operations Log workspace and Audit Log workspace

Right-click the link at the beginning of a row to select what log workspace you want to view. The log workspace is filtered to show only the messages that have been logged for the selected managed system.

If you click the link (instead of a right-click), the agent operations log is displayed by default. You must right-click in order to see the Audit Log option.

Here is an example of a link from the hub monitoring server row:

Managed System Status
Status Name Product Version Manage System Timestamp
*ONLINE HUB_IBM-WIN1 EM 06.23.00 HUB_IBM-WIN1 01/31/11 17:00:01

The targeted Agent Operations Log displays the following information:

Agent Operations Log
Global Timestamp Message Number Message Text
01/31/11 17:08:29 KDSPA004 Logon validation failed. User SYSADMIN ip.pipe:#9.99.9...

The targeted Audit Log displays the following information:

Audit Log
Timestamp Origin Message Result User ID Authorization ID
01/31/11 03:42:32 HUB_IBM-WIN1 ITM Audit services started. 0 SYSTEM SYSTEM
01/31/11 19:46:46 HUB_IBM-WIN1 Self-describing Agent Feature enabled at the local TEMS. 0 SYSTEM


Audit Log workspace

The Audit Log workspace displays audit events for self-describing agent related events, Warehouse Proxy Agent events, Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager integration events, stop events, and start events. Audit records are stored in two formats. Audit records are stored as pure events in the ITM Audit attribute group and also in an XML formatted audit.log.

The Audit Log workspace displays the audit records stored in the ITM Audit attribute table. You can collect data from this table historically in the PureApplication System Monitoring Server warehouse. You may also define situations to monitor the data in this table.

To quickly assess errors, look under the Result column for row entries with non-zero values (0 indicates a success, so any other value indicates an error). Then look at the information in the other columns to further research the error.

The audit data is normalized and based on the IBM W7 language and collected in the Audit Log table and stored in an XML format on distributed systems and in the SMF facility on z/OS. Each audit data event record answers the following questions:

Questions Key attributes
Who: The user, application, or process that initiated the event Authorization ID, Entity, RunAs, System Name, User ID
What: The type of action the event represents See the Operation attributes
When: The time the event occurred Timestamp
On What: The database, application, file, or permission that was manipulated See the Object attributes
Where: The machine that the event occurred See the Origin attributes
Where from: The system that is the source of the event See the Source attributes
Where to: The targeted system of the event See the Target attributes
Results: The event status and associated message Resource Bundle Key, Result, Message

By default, the Audit log workspace shows audit records generated since the component was last started. In order to view audit events that occurred before the component was last restarted, you must configure the ITM Audit attribute group to collect historical data. To configure historical collection for the ITM Audit attribute complete the following steps:

  1. Click History Configuration, then select CCC Logs under Monitored Applications.
  2. Configure how long to keep Detailed data for the ITM Audit attribute group available locally.

    1. In the Select Attribute Group section, select ITM Audit.
    2. In the Configuration Controls section under Pruning select Detailed data and specify how long to keep the data.
    3. Click Apply.

  3. Create a History Collection setting for the ITM Audit attribute group.

    1. Right-click CCC Logs under Monitored Applications and select Create new collection settings.
    2. Supply a Name, Description and select the ITM Audit Attribute group.
    3. If you plan to historically collect monitoring server Audit records, on the Basic tab you must specify Collection Location: TEMS.
    4. On the Distribution tab, Distribute to Managed System (Agent) and then select the Managed System Group or systems to start collection on.
    5. Click OK.


13.2.2. EIB Change Log workspace

The Enterprise Information Base (EIB) is a database used by the PureApplication System Monitoring Server to store situation, policy, user definitions and configuration information. The EIB Change Log view is a log with details of changes made to information in the database.


Access the workspace

This workspace is a secondary workspace associated with the Enterprise Navigator item.

Do the following to open the EIB Change Log workspace.

  1. Click the Enterprise Navigator item to open its default workspace.
  2. Click Workspace gallery, then click the thumbnail graphic for the EIB Change Log workspace. If the list is long, you might need to scroll to locate the workspace.


What the workspace shows

The EIB Change Log workspace consists of one table view (in addition to the Navigator view): EIB Change Log. The values in the log are the results of a query designed using the EIB change log attributes. The log shows, for example, the data and time at which a change was made, the ID of the user who made the last change, the name of the object (situation, policy, or other entity) that was changed, and the type of operation that took place.


13.2.3. Self-Monitoring Topology workspace

The Self-Monitoring Topology workspace provides a high level overview of your managed infrastructure and its health and introduces you to the monitoring portal self-monitoring capabilities.


Access the workspace

The Self-Monitoring Topology workspace is a secondary workspace associated with the Enterprise Navigator item.

Do the following to open this workspace.

  1. Click the Enterprise Navigator item to open its default workspace.
  2. Click Workspace gallery, then click the thumbnail graphic for Self-Monitoring Topology. If the list is long, you might need to scroll to locate the workspace.


What the workspace shows

The workspace contains three views:

TMS Infrastructure - Base

TMS Infrastructure - Base is a topological display of the Tivoli Management Services (TMS) components and their availability status. The monitoring portal server connects to the hub Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server, as does the Tivoli Data Warehouse, the Summarization and Pruning agent, and any remote monitoring servers. See TMS Infrastructure view for a description of the view features and tools for manipulating the topology.

Users Logged on to TEPS

Users Logged on to TEPS is a table view of the users logged on to the portal server, with the IP address of the client computer and logon time stamp.

Managed Systems count per Managing System

This view is a bar chart showing a count of managed systems grouped by managing system. Also called through node, this is the parent system that collects data from the agent or subagent. If the agent is directly connected to the hub Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server, the hub monitoring server is the managing system; if the agent is connected to a remote monitoring server, then that is the managing system. An agent with subagents is the managing system for each subagent.


13.3. PureApplication System Monitoring Server status

For self-monitoring, the PureApplication System Monitoring Server has attributes that are on display in workspaces and used in situations that are available through the Enterprise Navigator item.


13.3.1. Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers workspaces

Use the Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers workspaces and situations to gather information for diagnosing and correcting typical monitoring server configuration issues.

The Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers workspace is available with the other workspaces from the Enterprise Navigator item. Open the workspace as a quick health check whenever you have updated any components. While an Enterprise-level workspace is open, click Workspace Gallery, then scroll to and click the Manage Servers workspace.

The Server Topology view shows the hub monitoring server and all remote monitoring servers that connect to it in the enterprise, with a status indicator overlaying the monitoring server icon. Move the mouse pointer over the icon to see an information box with identifying data for the monitoring server, such as the host address and the status. Right-click a monitoring server icon to see and select a workspace to open with more information about that monitoring server.

The Monitoring Servers view lists each PureApplication System Monitoring Server and whether it is online or offline. The hub is distinguished by an icon after the name. This view persists in all the Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers workspaces and in the same position.

Click a link to open one of the detailed workspaces with data from the monitoring server:

Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers - Enterprise Catalogs

This workspace is displayed after you select the Installed Catalogs - Enterprise View link from the hub monitoring server. The link to this workspace is available only for a hub monitoring server.

The application catalogs that are installed on every remote monitoring server in the enterprise are compared with those on the hub monitoring server and any discrepancies are highlighted in the Status column. The timestamp was taken when the configuration file was last edited.
  • OK indicates that the timestamps and column counts of the hub and remote monitoring servers match.
  • Timestamp Mismatch indicates that the time the remote monitoring server was last updated does not match the time the hub was last updated.
  • Hub Newer indicates that the hub monitoring server was updated more recently than a remote monitoring server.
  • Missing At RTEMS indicates that the catalog ID that is present at the hub monitoring server is missing at a remote monitoring server.
  • Count Mismatch indicates that the column count at the remote monitoring server does not match the column count at the hub monitoring server.
  • RTEMS Newer indicates that a remote monitoring server was updated more recently than the hub monitoring server.
  • Missing At Hub indicates that the catalog ID that is present on a remote monitoring server is missing at the hub monitoring server.

Typically, the hub and remote monitoring servers have similar or an identical set of catalogs. If any of the following catalogs are missing at the hub, it is most likely not a problem (especially if this is a distributed hub): PDSSTATS, OMSMS, KSD, and MV.

Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers - Installed Catalogs

This workspace is displayed after you select the Installed Catalogs link from a remote monitoring server. The Remote Server shows a comparison of the application catalogs that are installed on the selected Remote PureApplication System Monitoring Server with those on the hub monitoring server. Here you can get a report of catalog out-of-sync conditions. The "Status" column has the same values as those shown in the Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers - Enterprise Catalogs workspace.

The link to this workspace is available to all remote monitoring servers, but not the hub.

Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers - Protocols

This workspace is displayed after you select the Protocols link. The workspace shows the Local and Global Communications Protocol (location broker) entries for the monitoring server. These are the definitions that were created during installation for connection between components, such as the protocol, IP address, and port number. The global communications protocol entries are available only for the hub monitoring server. This workspace is available only for monitoring servers that are at Version 6.2.2 or later.

Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers - Situation Status

This workspace is displayed after you select the Situation Status link. The workspace reports the situations that are started on the monitoring server and has summarized and detailed views of the situations that count the number of times the status type has persisted on the monitoring server.

Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers - System Information

This workspace is displayed after you select the System Information link. The workspace supplies detailed information about the monitoring server process and system configuration. It is available for monitoring servers from Version 6.2.2 onward. The Server Configuration view shows the parameters that have been configured for the monitoring server.
These subordinate workspaces are available only through their parent Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers workspace. (The exception is when you are in workspace administration mode, although no data is returned if you access the workspaces directly.)


13.3.2. Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Server situations

The Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Server predefined situations are used to monitor the status of the monitoring server catalogs.

These situations monitor the status of the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server catalogs:

Hub_Catalog_Critical

This situation becomes true and an event is opened when an application catalog that is installed at a remote monitoring server is not installed at the hub monitoring server. This can happen when application support has not been selected for the hub during installation. Default: Do not Run at startup. Show Formula:

( Status == Missing At Hub) AND (Catalog != 'PDSSTATS')

Hub_Catalog_Warning

This situation becomes true and an event is opened when an application catalog that is installed at a remote monitoring server is newer than what is installed at the hub monitoring server. This is a warning that the application support for the component is out of date. This might not be a problem if the hub has not been upgraded yet. Default: Do not Run at startup. Show Formula:

( Status == RTEMS Newer)

Remote_Catalog_Warning

This situation becomes true and an event is opened when an application catalog that is installed at the hub monitoring server is not also installed at a remote monitoring server; or an application catalog that is installed at the hub is newer than what is installed at a remote monitoring server.

This might not be a problem if the remote monitoring server has not been upgraded yet. Also, the remote system might be intentionally not supporting the subject application, or might only be supporting an older version of the application. Default: Do not Run at startup. Show Formula:

((Status == Missing At Hub) AND (Catalog != 'PDSSTATS')) OR 
(Status == Hub_Newer)


13.4. Manage monitoring agents

With the monitoring portal you can deploy and maintain distributed PureApplication System Monitoring Agents, such as the Sybase Server monitoring agent, and connect to a distributed Hub Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server.

Before you can remotely install and configure distributed monitoring agents on a computer, the computer must have an OS enterprise monitoring agent installed for the operating system the monitoring product will run under. When the OS agents have been installed, the Navigator Physical view adds an item for each online managed system. Monitoring agents that do not support the remote agent deployment feature will not display the Add Managed System, Configure, and Remove options in the Navigator pop-up menu. The types of managed systems that you can add to a computer depend on what agent bundles are in the depot on the monitoring server to which the OS agent is connected. See the Installation and Setup Guide for more information.


13.4.1. Agent deployment workspaces

Use the agent deployment workspaces to see your package list, the results of a deployment prerequisite check, and the progress of the agent deployment process.


13.4.1.1. Deployment Status Summary by Transaction workspace

The Deployment Status Summary by Transaction workspace shows summary status information about pending and completed asynchronous remote agent deployments, sorted by transaction. This is one of the predefined workspaces available from the Enterprise Navigator item.


Access the workspace

  1. Click the Enterprise item in the Navigator Physical view.
  2. Click Workspace gallery.
  3. Scroll to Deployment Status Summary by Transaction, then click the thumbnail graphic to open the workspace.


What the workspace shows

The workspace contains four views:

Deployment Status Summary by Transaction

Deployment Status Summary by Transaction is a table view showing total counts of the pending asynchronous agent deployment transactions. For each target managed system, the table shows the number of deployment transactions in each status (succeeded, failed, retrying, queued, and in progress).

Status Summary of Complete Deployments by Transaction

Status Summary of Complete Deployments by Transaction is a stacked bar chart showing the asynchronous agent deployment transactions that have finished processing. For each target managed system, the chart shows how many succeeded and how many failed.

Status Summary of Incomplete Deployments by Transaction

Status Summary of Incomplete Deployments by Transaction is a stacked bar chart showing the asynchronous agent deployment transactions that have not yet finished processing. For each target managed system, the chart shows the transactions that are queued, in progress, or retrying.

Deployment Status Detail

Deployment Status Detail is a table view showing detailed information about all asynchronous agent deployments. The table shows the status, product ID, target managed system, and other details about each deployment request. Click on a row to link to a more detailed workspace for the selected deploy group or product. See Deployment Status by Deploy Group workspace and Deployment Status by Product workspace for details.

The timestamps for a transaction are generated by the monitoring server that is processing the deployment. The hub monitoring server inserts the transaction first. You might have a start time that is earlier than the latest timestamp because the remote monitoring server is behind the hub monitoring server. To avoid this confusion, you might want to sync the time on the hub monitoring server and remote monitoring server.


Deployment notes

Asynchronous remote agent deployment

Agents can be remotely deployed asynchronously as well as synchronously. With asynchronous deployment, you can request that a second remote agent be deployed, even if the previously deployed agent has not initialized fully. You can also group agents for bulk remote deployment.

CLI commands for agent deployment

The tacmd getdeploystatus command reports the deployment status from the command line.

The tacmd clearDeployStatus command can be used to clear all or a filtered list of entries in the status table.

The tacmd checkprereq command checks for prerequisites on the target system before you begin deploying a monitoring agent there. You can review the results in the Deployment Status Summary workspace or with the tacmd getDeployStatus command.

The tacmd restartFailedDeploy command restarts failed deployments. You can restart all the failed entries in the status table or filter the table entries

13.4.2. Stopping a monitoring agent

You can stop running any of the distributed monitoring agents other than the OS agents, which are used for agent deployment and configuration. To stop a monitoring agent:

Your user ID must have Agent Management Start/Stop permission to use this feature.


Procedure

  1. In the Navigator physical view, right-click the agent-level Navigator item.
  2. Click Stop. The agent goes offline and the Navigator item is dimmed. The agent will not come online again until it has been restarted on the monitoring server to which it is assigned.


13.4.3. Recycling a monitoring agent

You can recycle a monitoring agent. To recycle a monitoring agent:

Your user ID must have Agent Management Start/Stop permission to use this feature.


Procedure

  1. In the Navigator physical view, right-click the agent-level Navigator item.
  2. Click Restart to stop, then start the monitoring agent.


13.4.4. Start an offline monitoring agent

An offline monitoring agent can be started. To start an offline monitoring agent:

Your user ID must have Agent Management Start/Stop permission to use this feature.


Procedure

  1. In the Navigator physical view, right-click the offline agent-level Navigator item.
  2. Click Start. The request to start the monitoring agent is sent to the monitoring server to which it is connected. Depending on your monitoring configuration, it might take a few moments before the agent starts running and you see the Navigator item enabled.

Note: If the monitoring agent does not start and you get an error message, the computer might be unavailable.


13.4.5. Add a managed system through the monitoring portal

You can install and configure managed systems where OS monitoring agents are installed and running. To use this feature, your user ID must have Manage permission for Agent Management.


Procedure

  1. In the Navigator physical view, right-click the system-level Navigator item for the computer where you want to install the monitoring agent. In this example, the computers named ORANGE, PEAR, CABBAGE, and ONION are available.
    • Enterprise
    • Linux Systems
    • ORANGE
    • PEAR
    • Windows Systems
    • CABBAGE
    • ONION

  2. Click Add Managed System to open the Select a Monitoring Agent window. The agents shown in this list are those available for the operating system on which this computer runs. The two-digit version number is followed by a two-digit release number and a modification number of up to five digits.

  3. Highlight the type of the monitoring agent to install and click OK. For some agent types, the new managed system operation is queued and the transaction ID is displayed. For other agent types, a wizard is provided for you to configure the agent on this system.

  4. Complete the fields to configure the agent, clicking Next and Back to move among the pages.

  5. On the Agent page, establish the operating system user ID under which the agent will run on the managed system. Windows: Either accept the default to start the managed system with your user ID (you can also select the check box to Allow service to interact with desktop to enable remote control) or select Use this account and enter the user name and password under which the agent will run.

    Non-Windows: Enter the Username under which the agent will run and the Group name.

  6. Click Finish to complete the managed system configuration. If any of the information provided is invalid, you will receive an error message and be returned to the configuration window. Check your entries and edit as appropriate to configure correctly. Installation and setup begins and might take several minutes to complete depending on your Tivoli monitoring configuration, the location of the managed system, and the type of monitoring agent.

  7. After the managed system has been added to the enterprise, click Apply Pending Updates in the Navigator view toolbar. The new managed system (such as Universal Database) is displayed below the system Navigator item.


13.4.6. Configure a managed system

After adding a managed system to your enterprise, you can open the Configure Managed System window whenever you want to adjust the configuration settings. To use this feature, your user ID must have Manage permission for Agent Management.


Procedure

  1. Right-click the Navigator item for the agent to configure or upgrade.

  2. Click Configure to open the Configure Managed System window.

  3. Edit the fields to configure the agent, clicking Next and Back to move among the pages. Any pages besides Agent are specific to the agent type.

  4. On the Agent page, establish the user ID that will be used to maintain the agent:

    Windows:

    Accept the default Use local system account to use your monitoring portal user ID. You can also select Allow service to interact with desktop to enable remote control. Or select Use this account and enter the user name and password under which the agent will be controlled.

    Non-Windows:

    Enter the Username under which the agent will run and the Group name.

  5. Click Finish to complete the managed system configuration. If any of the information provided is invalid, you will receive an error message and be returned to the configuration window. Check your entries and edit as appropriate to configure correctly.


13.4.7. Update a monitoring agent

When a new version of a distributed monitoring agent is released, you can apply the new version locally or remotely to one managed system at a time, or to many simultaneously. Use the Configure Managed System window to apply the update.

Note: Agent updates are automatic and this procedure is not required if your monitoring agent is at Version 6.2.3 or higher unless the self-describing capability is disabled.

A patch is for a specific version of the agent. The prereq field of the depot entry contains an agent of the same type as the agent itself. For example, if 6.1 UD (DB2 monitoring) is the selected agent, the prereq field in the depot entry must contain a deployment bundle notation such as ud:061000000.

You cannot upgrade an agent to a new version with this procedure, but rather with the tacmd upgradeAgent command. Do not try to change the configuration of a managed system at this time because your changes will be lost when the installation of the updates begins. To use this feature, your user ID must have Manage permission for Agent Management. Complete these steps to apply a patch for a monitoring agent:


Procedure

  1. Right-click the Navigator item for the agent to upgrade.
  2. Click Configure to open the Configure Managed System window.
  3. Click the Agent tab.
  4. Compare the installed version of the monitoring agent with any available product updates, then highlight the row of the agent to update and click Install Updates.

Installation of the updates begins and might take several minutes to complete. The list that displays reflects the contents of the deployment depot. If Install Updates is disabled, one or more of the following conditions exist:


13.4.8. Remove a managed system and monitoring agent

Use Remove to stop a managed system and permanently remove it from the Navigator Physical view. (You can add it back in at a later time using Add Managed System.) To use this feature, your user ID must have Manage permission for Agent Management. After you have removed all managed systems, you can choose to completely uninstall the monitoring agent. If you plan to reinstall the monitoring agent in future, it is best to leave it installed.


Procedure

  1. Right-click the agent Navigator item.
  2. Click Remove.
  3. Click Yes when a message asks you to confirm the removal of the managed system; or No to cancel.
  4. If another message asks you to confirm to uninstall the monitoring agent, click Yes to permanently uninstall the monitoring agent from the computer; or No to cancel.

The agent item no longer appears in the Navigator.


13.5. Optimizing PureApplication System Monitoring Server resources

Here are some tips for making the most of your monitoring resources:


13.6. Organization of predefined workspaces

The Enterprise Navigator item has workspaces that query the PureApplication System Monitoring Server. Use these predefined workspaces to get status information about the monitoring server and monitoring agents and about situations and policies.

Use the Workspace Gallery to see what is available for the Navigator item. These are the Enterprise Navigator item workspaces and the workspaces they link to:

Enterprise Status

The default workspace is Enterprise Status, which gives an overview of the situation event status throughout your enterprise.
Event Details - Similar by Situation Name
Event Details - Similar by Source
Event Details - Similar by Resource

Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers

The Manage PureApplication System Monitoring Servers workspaces provide a visual health check of the monitoring servers in your enterprise and the application support that has been applied.
Installed Catalogs - Enterprise View
Installed Catalogs - Remote Server
Protocols
Situation Status
System Information

Managed System Status

The Managed System Status is a list of monitoring agents in your managed network and their ONLINE or OFFLINE status.
Audit Log
Agent Operations Log

EIB Change Log

This workspaces displays entries in the Enterprise Information Base (EIB) log. The EIB is a database used by the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server to store situation, policy, user definitions, and configuration information.

Self-Monitoring Topology

The Self-Monitoring Topology workspace provides a high level overview of your managed infrastructure and its health.

Deploy Depot Package List

The Deploy Depot Package List workspace shows the installation packages that are available in the agent depot.

Deployment Status Summary

The Deployment Status Summary workspace shows summary status information about remote agent deployments.
Deployment Status by Deploy Group
Deployment Status by Product

Deployment Status Summary by Transaction

The Deployment Status Summary by Transaction workspace shows summary status information about remote agent deployments, sorted by transaction.


Formula functions

Use the functions provided in these editors to write formulas: Situation, Query, Properties Filters tab, and Properties Thresholds tab.


14.1. Formula function types

With over a dozen cell and group functions available, you can build sophisticated filters for reporting only what matters to you, thus saving time and network resources. Likewise, you can build thresholds in table views and conditions in situations that trigger alerts to keep you informed of important changes in your managed network.

The functions that are available depend on the type of attribute (numeric, text, or time) and in which editor you are working: Query, Situation, Properties (Filters and Thresholds tabs), or History Collection Configuration (Filter tab).

Cell functions

This table maps the numeric, text, and timestamp attribute types to the cell and group formula functions and to the editors where they are available.

Formula functions and the editors they are available in

Cell function Query specification View properties: Filters; Thresholds Situation: Formula History Collection Configuration: Filter
BETWEEN (Thresholds only) Replicate the See if a value is within a range functionality by repeating the attribute in the same row and using the > or >= and < or <= operators.
CHANGE
(Formula editor row 1 only)
DATE
ISNULL
MISSING
(Formula editor row 1 only)
PCTCHANGE
(Formula editor row 1 only)
REGEX
SCAN
STR
TIME
TIMESPAN
VALUE
VALUE IN
(IN is a relational operator for the Value function)
Where you see the notation, "Formula editor row 1 only", the function must be used in the first-row cell of the formula editor; subsequent rows will be disabled. Additionally, a formula with this function cannot include any other functions that have this restriction or be combined with any group functions.

Group functions

Use the group functions in the Query editor or Situation editor for attribute groups that return multiple rows of data or a single-row attribute group that has been configured for historical data collection.

With the exception of COUNT, which can be used by all attribute types, group functions are available only for numeric attributes.

Table and chart views require that a time range be set to show a span of data samplings.

Group function Query Specification Situation Formula
AVG
COUNT
MAX
MIN
SUM

Note:

  1. Time Span selection is not available for a table or chart view if it uses a query that includes a group function.
  2. When entering a hexadecimal value in a cell, prefix the number with zero and the letter .x., as in 0x456c for hex value 456c.
  3. If the expression that is responsible for a situation event uses a group function, the situation event results workspace shows neither the attribute value threshold color nor the expression that should display when you hover over an initial situation value.

Examples

After you open a workspace that has query-based views with filters applied or after you start a situation, the sampled value of each referenced attribute is compared with the expression. A true comparison causes the value to be filtered into the view or to open an event.

For example, the following expression uses the VALUE formula function and can be read as, .When the VALUE of Day of Week is greater than or equal to 2 (Monday) and the VALUE of Day of Week is less than or equal to 6 (Friday), the comparison is true..

Day of Week Day of Week
1 >= 2 <= 6

Here is another example using the MIN formula function, which is a group function. This formula finds the process with the lowest priority base. If this process also uses 20% or more privileged time, the comparison is true.

Priority Base % Privileged Time
1 == *TRUE >= 20


14.2. Attribute and attribute group characteristics

Formula functions treat attributes as numeric, text or timestamp. Attributes also have other characteristics that further categorize them and inform your choice of formula function or query-based view..

Numeric

Numeric attributes can represent a percentage, seconds, bytes or some other unit of measurement.

When entering a hexadecimal value in a cell, prefix the number with zero and the letter .x., as in 0x123ab for hex value 123ab. In z/OS applications, for example, DASD volume serial numbers are hexadecimal.

Text

Single quotation marks are required around multiple-word text values. The timestamp and, usually, enumerated attributes are treated as text attributes.

Words with apostrophes, such as that's or agent's, cannot be used. Instead, consider using a wildcard or, if appropriate, use Return a subset of the string or or Scan for string within a string and specify the letters preceding the apostrophe.

You can use an * asterisk wildcard to begin or end the attribute value in a Value of expression (Equal operator only), Check for Missing Items, Scan for string within a string, or Return a subset of the string function.

You can also use the ? question mark wildcard for a single character at that position. When using the ? question mark wildcard with the Value of expression function, append the text with an * asterisk. For example, enter Sa?e* to find Safe and Sale.

Timestamp

The Timestamp attribute is treated like a text attribute formatted as mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss. Some timestamp attributes have different names, such as Start Date & Time and Recording Time.

Some timestamp functions enable you to add and subtract values from the second attribute by using the + and - symbols. The value can be one or two digits followed by D for Day, H for Hour, M for Minute, or S for Second.

Enumerated

Enumerated attributes have a predefined set of values and the tabular editor supplies a list to choose from. These values are usually treated as text.

Some enumerated values are actually numeric, with text representing some or all of the numbers, and you can type the numeric value instead of choosing a text equivalent from a list. For example, the WebSphere MQ attribute, Action to Take has values of n/a, delete, create, and discover. But you can also enter 5 or 6, which represent other actions. See the help topic of the attribute in question for a list of possible entries.

Single-row or multiple-row

Depending on the type of attribute group, data samplings return either a single row of data or multiple rows. For example, the Windows Memory attribute group returns one row of a data for a managed system, whereas the Windows Process attribute group returns multiple rows, one for each process running.

A single-row attribute group will return multiple rows if it has been configured for historical data collection.

Attributes from different attribute groups can be combined in the same situation if they are from single-row attribute groups. Local Time and Universal Time are the exception.they can be combined with any group.

When you create a query for an attribute group that returns multiple rows, consider adding a formula as a pre-filter to limit the rows returned to those of interest, which also reduces network traffic overhead.

Pure or sampled

Attributes behave differently in situations depending on whether they are able to be sampled at intervals. Attributes that cannot be sampled are those that have no value until something happens, such as those for the Windows OS File Change attribute group. These unsolicited notifications are called pure events Examples of pure events are an out-of-paper condition on a printer and an occurrence that adds an entry to the Windows System Log.

Events from sampled situations are closed automatically when the situation is no longer true (goes back to false). Because of the nature of pure events, they are not closed automatically like sampled events but must be closed manually unless an Until clause is included in the situation definition.


14.3. Boolean AND and OR

The tabular editors work with Boolean AND and OR logic.


Multiple expressions

Enter multiple expressions in the same row if they must all be met (Boolean AND logic) and on separate rows if any of them can be met (Boolean OR logic) to set the situation to true. For example, if you want a situation to fire when either disk time OR disk space is at least 90% on myserver, the condition would look like the one shown here.

% Disk Time % Used Server Name
1 >= 90 == myserver
2
>= 90 == myserver


Branching OR expressions

If you are building a situation or setting a filter or threshold where you want an OR expression to branch at a specific AND expression, repeat the AND expression in a new row with the OR expression.

In the situation example below, the comparisons are true if the notepad process exceeds 50 seconds AND the virtual bytes exceed one million OR the notepad process on myserver exceeds 50 seconds AND the page faults exceed 100,000 per second.

Process Name Elapsed Time Virtual Bytes Page Faults/sec
1 == notepad > 500000 > 1000000
2 == notepad > 500000 > 100000


Repeating attributes in AND expressions

Some situation formulas require you to repeat the same attribute in an AND expression for a certain outcome.

If you are constructing a situation that requires repeating an attribute, each instance of the attribute must appear in its own column. To repeat an attribute in a new column of the Situation editor:

Examples:


14.4. Formula editor menu

The formula editor pop-up menu has functions for editing the expressions, inserting rows, and deleting rows and columns. Right-click a column heading, row number, or an unselected cell to see and select from a menu of actions.

Note: Although you can enter both ASCII and non-ASCII characters (such as those in double-byte character set languages) in the formula editor, you can paste only ASCII characters. If you want to repeat non-ASCII characters in a cell, you must type the characters in the cell.

Action Description Filters
Thresholds
Query Formula
Clear contents Clear the contents of the... cell, column, or row cell, column, or row cell, column, or row
Copy Copy to the clipboard the contents of the... cell or row cell or row cell or row
Cut Move to the clipboard the contents of the.. cell or row cell or row cell or row
Delete Remove the entire... row row row
Edit Open the embedded situation for editing the... cell
Insert Insert a new row above this... row row row
Paste Paste the clipboard contents into the... cell or row cell or row cell or row


14.5. Cell functions

Use the cell formula functions to add filters to queries and query-based views, and to set thresholds for situations and query-based views. The functions that are available depend on the type of attribute (numeric, text, or time) and in which editor you are working: Query, Situation, or Properties (Filters and Thresholds tabs).

Numeric attributes


Text attributes

Time attributes
Value of expression Value of expression Return a subset of the string
See if value is within a range Return a subset of the string Scan for string within a string
Change in value Scan for string within a string Compare date/time
Percent change in value Check for Missing Items Compare to time +/- delta
See if Null (no value) has been detected See if Null (no value) has been detected See if a time is within a range
Scan for a string based on Regular Expression pattern Scan for a string based on Regular Expression pattern


14.5.1. BETWEEN: See if value is within a range

Use the BETWEEN function in the Properties editor and Query editor to filter or add a threshold indicator when a value falls within a range.

See if value is within a range

Compares all values between two numbers. When you select the function, the Range Parameters window opens. Enter the first and last numbers in the value range. The relational operators available are == Equal and != Not Equal.

Exclude range start/end from evaluation, when left unchecked, includes the values entered in the range. The expression ends with 0 if this is left unchecked; 1 if it is checked (see example).

Example

The comparison is true if Copy Read Hits is between 50% and 60%.

BETWEEN (Copy Read Hits %) == 50,60,1

Hexadecimal numbers

When entering a hexadecimal value in a cell, prefix the number with zero and the letter .x., as in 0x123ab for hex value 123ab.


14.5.2. CHANGE: Change in value

Use the CHANGE formula function in a situation to compare the change between the value of the current data sample and the previous sample.

Change in value

The CHANGE function takes the amount of change between the sampled value of the attribute and the previous value, then compares it with the value you enter here. If the result meets the comparison, the situation is true. Valid values are numeric integers.

Example

In the following example, the situation becomes true if the Virtual Bytes have increased by at least 100 bytes since the last data sampling. During the first monitor iteration the value of Virtual Bytes is 200 and during the second iteration the value is 500, which is an increase of 300 between samples, thus the situation is true.

CHANGE (Virtual Bytes) >= 100

Restrictions

You can have only one CHANGE function in a situation.

The CHANGE function must be written on row 1 of the formula editor; all subsequent rows are disabled.

You cannot combine the CHANGE function with a PCTCHANGE, MISSING or group function in a situation.

A formula with the CHANGE function can use values from one attribute group only.

The function list shows CHANGE for monitoring agents that are of the correct version; older versions will not display CHANGE in the list.

If the expression that is responsible for a situation event uses this function, the event results workspace will show neither the attribute value nor the expression that should display when you hover over an initial situation value.

Hexadecimal numbers

When entering a hexadecimal value in a cell, prefix the number with zero and the letter .x., as in 0x123ab for hex value 123ab.


14.5.3. DATE: Compare Date and Time

Use the DATE formula function in a situation, query, query-based view filter, or table view threshold formula to compare the time stamp from the data sample with the value specified.

Compare date/time

This is the default function for time attributes. It compares the Timestamp value from the data sampling with the value entered here.

After you select the DATE function and click inside the value cell, the Select the Time Comparison dialog opens for selecting the exact date and time to compare. The format is the date as seen in the date columns (mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss) or as defined for your locale.

Example

This formula checks the Timestamp attribute value. When it matches the date set here, the comparison is true.

DATE(Timestamp)
== 09/30/03 23:59:00


14.5.4. ISNULL: See if Null has been detected

Use the ISNULL formula function in a query-based view filter or a table view threshold to find cells that have receive no value and insert "null".

See if Null (no value) has been detected

Inserts null into a cell that has received no value from the numeric or text attribute for the view. In the Formula editor, the value shows as True and the operators available are == Equal and != Not Equal.

Example

In the Filters tab, any row that has no value in the Contents field will be excluded from the view. If, instead, this formula is written in the Thresholds tab, all cells that have a valid value in this column will be displayed with the threshold color or theshold icon.

ISNULL(Contents) != True


14.5.5. MISSING: Check for missing items

Use the MISSING function in a situation to compare the data sample with a list of text entries. If no match is found, a situation event is opened.

Check for Missing Items

Compares the value of the specified text attribute with a list of values you supply. The condition is true when the value does not match any in the list. This function is useful when you want notification that something is not present in your system.

Examples

An event opens when the anti-virus scanning program is not available.

MISSING (ProcessName) == (VirusGone.exe)
This example builds on the last one. Two names were added to the Missing List and a system name specified with a wildcard. An event will open if any of these processes is missing on any system whose name starts with SERVER (such as SERVER_BLDG100 or SERVERSOUTH). If you wanted to be notified when this is the case, you could add a notification action to be executed when the situation becomes true.

(MISSING (ProcessName)== (VirusGone.exe,DBServer.exe,iexplore.exe))AND 
ServerName == SERVER*

Restrictions

You can have only one MISSING function in a situation.

The MISSING function must be written on row 1 of the formula editor; all subsequent rows are disabled.

You cannot combine the MISSING function with any grouping functions like MAX or COUNT but you can combine it with value-type functions like VALUE, SCAN, DATE, etc.

Wildcards

You can use an * asterisk wildcard to begin or end the attribute value. You can also use the ? question mark wildcard for a single character at that position.

Tip

If the formula is for a multiple-row attribute group, add a display item (in the Condition tab, click Advanced) if you want the situation to continue testing for missing items after opening an event for the first one.


14.5.6. PCTCHANGE: Percent change in value

Use the PCTCHANGE formula function in a situation to compare the percent change between the value of the current data sample and the previous sample.

Percent change in value

The PCTCHANGE function takes the percentage change between the sampled value of the attribute and the previous value, then compares it with what you enter here. If the result meets the comparison, the situation is true. Valid values are numeric integers.

Example

This situation is true when the memory usage of a process increases by 50% or more between sampling intervals.

PCTCHANGE (% Processor Time) >= 50

Restrictions

You can have only one PCTCHANGE function in a situation.

The PCTCHANGE function must be written on row 1 of the formula editor; all subsequent rows are disabled.

You cannot combine the PCTCHANGE function with a CHANGE, MISSING or group function in a situation.

A formula with the PCTCHANGE function can use values from one attribute group only.

The function list shows PCTCHANGE for monitoring agents that are of the correct version; older versions do not display PCTCHANGE in the list.

If the expression that is responsible for a situation event uses this function, the event results workspace shows neither the attribute value threshold color nor the expression that should display when you hover over an initial situation value.

Hexadecimal numbers

When entering a hexadecimal value in a cell, prefix the number with zero and the letter .x., as in 0x123ab for hex value 123ab.


14.5.7. REGEX: Scan for a string based on Regular Expression pattern

Use the REGEX formula function in a query-based view filter or a table view threshold for the text or timestamp that matches a pattern. The pattern is based on a regular expression.

Scan for a string based on Regular Expression pattern
The REGEX function looks for a pattern match to the expression. The operators available are specific to the regular expression syntax. Search for "regex" or "regular expression" in your browser to find links to more information (such as this topic in the developerWorks technical library).

Text example

This formula for the Windows event log table view threshold highlights a cell if the event type is at least three letters long but no longer than nine. Thus, the event types Error and Warning are highlighted but not Information.

REGEX(Type)
== '[A-Za-z]{3,9}'

Time example

This formula begins looking at the seventh character, the year, to find 10, so a timestamp of 06/12/10 09:29:05 would meet the criteria, but 01/20/09 11:07:05 would not.

REGEX(Timestamp)
== 7,10

Operators

The regular expression capability in the Filters and Thresholds tabs of the Properties editor enables you to perform very specific searches through many rows of data based on a pattern. This table has a list of commonly used operators in regular expressions.

Operator Description
. period Match any single character
^ caret Match the empty string that occurs at the beginning of a line or string
$ dollar sign Match the empty string that occurs at the end of a line
A Match an uppercase letter A
a Match a lowercase letter a
\d Match any single digit
\D Match any single nondigit character
\w Match any single alphanumeric character; a synonym is [:alnum:]
[A-E] Match uppercase A, B, C, D, or E
[^A-E] Match any characters except uppercase A, B, C, D, or E
X? Match none or one capital letter X
X* Match any number of capital Xes
X+ Match one or more capital Xes
X{n} Match exactly n capital Xes
X{n,m} Match at least n and no more than m capital Xes; if you omit m, the expression tries to match at least n Xes
(abc|def)+ Match a sequence of at least one abc and def; abc and def would match


14.5.8. SCAN: Scan for string within a string

Use the SCAN formula function in a situation, query, view filter or table view threshold to scan the data sample for the specified text or time stamp.

Scan for string within a string

Searches for the value or partial value occurring anywhere in the text or time stamp returned by the attribute. The == Equal relational operator is valid; all other operators return invalid or unwanted results.

Text examples

This formula scans the value of Owner for CD anywhere in the text. For example, an owner named ABCDEF would meet the comparison.

SCAN(Owner) == CD

This formula scans the value of ProcessName for ho, so svchost and shopper would meet the comparison.

SCAN(ProcessName) == ho

Time example

This formula scans the timestamp for a value of 07/08. A date of 07/08/10 would meet the comparison as would 12/07/08.

SCAN(Timestamp) == 07/08

Wildcards

You can use an * asterisk wildcard to begin or end the attribute value. You can also use the ? question mark wildcard for a single character at that position.


14.5.9. STR: Return a subset of the string

Use the STR formula function in a situation, query, view filter or table view threshold to start searching for the value in the text or time stamp at a specific character position.

Return a subset of the string

Searches for a value occurring at a specific location in the data returned by the attribute. When you select STR, a Substring Comparison Information window opens for you to enter the starting position, such as 4 for the fourth character from the left to begin looking for the value.

Text example

This formula looks for ar starting with the second character in returned values for Handle of the User, so aardvark, parrot and sardine meet the comparison, but not artist, star or SARDINE (case-sensitive).

STR(Handle of the User) == 2,ar

Time example

This formula begins looking at the seventh character, the year, to find 10, so a timestamp of 07/12/10 09:29:05 would meet the criteria but 10/11/09 11:07:05 would not.

STR(Timestamp) == 7,10

Wildcards

You can use an * asterisk wildcard to begin or end the attribute value. You can also use the ? question mark wildcard for a single character at that position.


14.5.10. TIME: Compare to a time +/- delta

Use the TIME formula function in a situation, query-based view filter, or table view threshold formula to compare the time stamp attribute (such a recording time) with the specified difference in number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds.

Compare to time +/- delta

Compares the time difference you enter with the timestamp returned by an attribute. After you select the TIME function and click inside the value cell, the Select Time Comparison Criteria window opens. Select a timestamp attribute from the list. Specify the delta by combining + or - with the number of days (D), hours (H), minutes (M), or seconds (S). The sampled timestamps are compared to the delta.

Example

This formula compares the time the event was logged (Entry Time) with the timestamp from the data sampling. If the event occurred seven days earlier, the comparison is true. If the == were changed to <=, the comparison would be true after eight days, nine days, and so on.

TIME(Entry Time) == #NT_Event_Log.Timestamp - 7D


14.5.11. TIMESPAN: See if a time is within a range

Use the TIMESPAN formula function to filter a query-based view or to add threshold indicators to a table view. The data sample time stamp is compared with the specified time span.

See if a time is within a range

The TIMESPAN function selects rows based on the comparison of the Timestamp value to the time span indicated. When you select this function and click inside the value cell, the Select Time Span dialog opens for you to choose a time span. Note that only the == and != relational operators are available for this function.

Example

This formula selects all rows with timestamps within the last two hours.

TIMESPAN(Timestamp)
== ,,7200


14.5.12. VALUE: Value of expression

Use the VALUE formula function in a situation, query, view filter or table view threshold to look for the partial or complete number or text in the data sample.

Value of expression

Takes the sampled value of the attribute. When used with other functions, VALUE is evaluated before the others, acting as a filter to the other functions.

Numeric example

This formula looks through all CPU Utilization values. If one is over 50% the comparison is true.

VALUE(CPU Utilization)> 50

Text examples

The comparison is true if the system name is redwood.

VALUE(System Name) == redwood

This formula uses a wildcard to find log files that start with uppercase S, such as System and Security.

VALUE(Log Name) == S*

Wildcards

For text attributes only, you can use wildcards to enter partial values that will find everything that includes those characters provided that you append the text with an * asterisk. Use an * asterisk wildcard for any number of characters beginning at that position. Use a ? question mark wildcard for a single character at that position. The last character of the text must be an * asterisk. For example, enter Sa?e* to find Safe and Sale; and enter *System* to find AIX_System and UNIX_Systems. Be aware that only the == Equal operator is valid; all other operators will return invalid or unwanted results. For another example, db2*.exe* will find db2fmp.exe and db2systray.exe; and db2???.* will find db2fmp.exe but not db2systray.exe.

Hexadecimal numbers

When entering a hexadecimal value in a cell, prefix the number with zero and the letter .x., as in 0x123ab for hex value 123ab.

Tip

For situations on multiple-row attribute groups, you can add a display item (in the Condition tab, click Advanced) to open an event for each row that meets the condition and not just the first one.


14.5.12.1. IN: Value of expression IN

Use the IN relational operator with the Value of expression function in a situation or a query-based view filter or threshold to compare the data sample with a list of text values. The condition is met when a match is found.

Value of expression IN

Compares the value of the specified text attribute with a list of values that you supply. The condition is true when a match is found in the list. Using the IN relational operator with the Value of expression function is useful for highlighting specific names or text values that are present in the data samplings, such as certain process names.

Examples

This is a filter used to display only those rows that have a user name of Anne, Jane or John in the table.

(User Name *IN ('Anne','John','Jane'))

This is a threshold formula for a view of situations used to apply the Minor severity threshold color to any cell that contains one of these names.

((--- Minor ---) Name *IN ('NT_Percent_Processor_Time',
  'NT_Memory_Pages_Sec_Low','NT_Percent_Disk_Time_Low'))

Situation tip

If the formula is for a multiple-row attribute group, add a display item (in the Condition tab, click Advanced) if you want the situation to continue testing for missing items after opening an event for the first one.


14.6. Group functions

Use the group functions in the Query editor or Situation editor for attribute groups that return multiple rows of data or a single-row attribute group that has been configured for historical data collection. With the exception of COUNT, which can be used by all attribute types, group functions are available only for numeric attributes.

Note:

  1. Time Span selection is not available for a table or chart view if it uses a query that includes a group function.
  2. When entering a hexadecimal value in a cell, prefix the number with zero and the letter .x., as in 0x456c for hex value 456c.
  3. If the expression that is responsible for a situation event uses a group function, the situation event results workspace shows neither the attribute value threshold color nor the expression that should display when you hover over an initial situation value.


14.6.1. AVG: Average of group

Use the Average of group function in a query or situation to calculate the average from a range of values.

Average of group

The AVG function totals the attribute values specified and calculates the average.

Query example

This function averages all returned values of % User Time. GROUP BY is Server Name, so the view will show the average user time, one row for each managed system.

AVG(% User Time)

Situation example

This formula averages all returned values of % User Time. If the average exceeds 20%, the comparison is true.

AVG (% User Time)> 20


14.6.2. COUNT: Count of group members

Use the Count of group members formula function in a query or situation to count the number of returned rows, which can be filtered by an AND expression.

COUNT in a query to the monitoring server works differently than it does in a situation: It counts the column specified within the group referenced (Advanced button, Group By tab), and displays the result in the count column.

Note: When using COUNT in an AND expression, it must be the last function in the expression.

Query example

This function counts the number of processes. GROUP BY is Server Name, and the number of processes counted for each system appears in the ID Process column. Example as it would be written in an SQL statement:

COUNT(ID_Process) 

Situation examples

Examples as they appear in Show Formula:

  • The comparison is true when more than 10 rows have been counted.

    COUNT(Timestamp) > 10
    
  • This formula first filters the rows for those with the notepad process, then counts the returned rows by referencing the Timestamp attribute. The attribute used for the count does not matter, because the COUNT function is simply counting the number of rows where this attribute appears. When the count exceeds four, the comparison is true.

    (Process Name) == notepad AND COUNT(Timestamp) > 4
    
  • The next formula counts the processes that have been running for more than an hour. When at least five processes have been counted, the comparison is true.

    (Elapsed Time (Seconds) >= 3600)) AND COUNT(Timestamp) >= 5
    


14.6.3. MAX: Maximum in group

Use the Maximum in group function in a query or situation to compare the attributes returned and select the one with the highest value.

Maximum in group

For attributes that return multiple rows, the MAX function finds the highest returned value (or values).

Query example

This function finds the process with the highest thread count. GROUP BY is Server Name, so the view shows the process with the highest thread count on each system.

MAX(Thread Count)

Situation example

The relational operator is set to == and the value to TRUE. The MAX function is meaningful when combined with another expression. This formula finds the process with the highest thread count. If the process also has more than 150 million virtual bytes, the comparison is true.

MAX(Thread Count)== *TRUE AND Virtual Bytes >= 150,000,000


14.6.4. MIN: Minimum in group

Use the Minimum in group function in a query or situation to compare the attributes returned and select the one with the lowest value.

Minimum in group

For attributes that return multiple rows, the MIN function finds the lowest returned value (or values).

Query example

This function finds the process with the lowest priority base. GROUP BY is Server Name, so the view will show the process with the lowest priority base on each system.

MIN(Priority Base)

Situation example

The relational operator is set to == and the value to TRUE. The MIN function is meaningful when combined with another expression. This formula finds the process with the lowest priority base. If it also has more than 20% privileged time, the comparison is true.

MIN(Priority Base)== *TRUE AND % Privileged Time >= 20


14.6.5. SUM: Sum of group

Use the Sum of group function in a query or situation to calculate the total from a range of values.

Sum of group

Takes the attribute values returned that meet the criteria and totals them.

Query example

This formula totals all CPU Utilization values in the data sampling. GROUP BY is Server Name, so the view will show the total for each managed system.

SUM(CPU Utilization)

Situation example

This formula totals all CPU Utilization values in the data sampling from the system named redwood. If the sum of these values exceeds 50%, the comparison is true.

SUM(CPU Utilization)> 50 AND System Name == redwood


PureApplication System Monitoring Server and global attributes

The PureApplication System Monitoring Server has attributes for monitoring enterprise logs and status. Global attributes are also available for use alone or combined with other attribute groups in situations.

Every monitoring agent connects to a PureApplication System Monitoring Server, which acts as a collection and control point for alerts received from the agents, and gathers performance and availability data from them. The main, or hub, monitoring server correlates the monitoring data collected by agents and remote servers and passes it to the monitoring portal server for presentation in the monitoring portal.

Monitoring agents are made up of attributes, which represent the properties of systems or networks, such as the amount of CPU usage or the message ID. Attributes are organized into attribute groups. The attributes in a group can be displayed in a query-based view (table, chart or relational topology) or used to specify a condition for testing in a situation. When you open the view or start the situation, data samples are taken of the selected attributes.

The PureApplication System Monitoring Server has attribute groups that you can use for reporting the status of enterprise activities, monitoring agents, and situations:

The PureApplication System Monitoring Server also has several global attribute groups for using alone or combining with a product attribute group to create situations:

You can also work with attributes of other applications by creating SQL queries to retrieve them from ODBC-compliant databases.


15.1. Agent Operations Log attributes

The Agent Operations Log collects the messages that occur on managed systems in your enterprise. This log provides a list of message-related information about the monitoring agent.

Note: The i5/OS and z/OS monitoring agents do not list information in the Agent Operations Log. As well, because this log is specific to the individual agent, it reports data only at the agent and attribute levels of the Navigator Physical view.


Global Timestamp The date and time at the monitoring server when the operation took place. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


Help Text The text description of the operation.


Managed System Type The type of managed system.


Message Number The message ID that corresponds to the text.


Message Severity A numeric indicator of the severity of the operation.


Message Text The operation that took place at the agent, such as execution of a take action command or connection to the monitoring server.


Server Name The name of the monitoring server where the operation took place.


15.2. Catalog Check attributes

The Catalog Check attributes compare the application catalogs of the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server with remote monitoring servers and report any discrepancies. These are the predefined queries for Catalog Check attributes: Compare Enterprise Catalogs and Compare PureApplication System Monitoring Server Catalogs.


Application Name The identifier of an application catalog that is installed at the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server. Some of the catalog IDs are identified in the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Messages Guide.


Hub Column Count The total number of table columns for this application at the Hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server. The catalog contains all the agent table definition, with multiple tables of multiple columns.


Hub Timestamp The timestamp of the application catalog at the Hub Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


Server Column Count The total number of table columns for this application. If the total is different from the hub column count, it might signify that the version installed is different from the version of application support installed on the hub monitoring server.


Server Name The name of the PureApplication System Monitoring Server.


Server Timestamp The timestamp of the application catalog at the PureApplication System Monitoring Server. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


Status The result of the comparison between an application catalog at the Hub Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server and the corresponding application catalog at a Remote PureApplication System Monitoring Server.

Enumeration Description
0 OK indicates that the timestamps and column counts of the hub and remote monitoring servers match.
1 Hub Newer indicates that the hub monitoring server was updated more recently than a remote monitoring server.
2 RTEMS Newer indicates that a remote monitoring server was updated more recently than the hub monitoring server.
3 Missing At Hub indicates that the catalog ID that is present on a remote monitoring server is missing at the hub monitoring server.
4 Missing At RTEMS indicates that the catalog ID that is present at the hub monitoring server is missing at a remote monitoring server.
5 Count Mismatch indicates that the column count at the remote monitoring server does not match the column count at the hub monitoring server.
6 Timestamp Mismatch indicates that the time the remote monitoring server was last updated does not match the time the hub was last updated.


Timestamp The time at the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server location when the data was sampled. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


15.3. Deploy Status attributes

The Deploy Status attributes give information on the status of the agent deployment; each row displays a completed command.


Bundle group The collection of agents, another bundle group, or collection of bundle groups that are being added to the computer.


Command The command being used for the agent deployment process, such as updateAgent.

Command Description
addSystem The command to deploy a monitoring agent to a computer in the PureApplication System Monitoring Server environment. This command deploys an agent and other required components if they are not already installed on the node.
createNode The command to create the node directory on the target computer. This is the directory where the OS agent is installed and where any non-OS agents are deployed.
setConfig The command to edit configuration options of an existing agent. The agent is restarted so that the new configuration parameters can take effect. Specify the configuration data through the parameter pair section.name=value.
startAgent The command to start the monitoring agent.
stopAgent The command to stop the monitoring agent.
updateAgent The command used to install an agent update on a specified managed system. Updating agents involves stopping any that are running, applying the changes, and restarting them. If a version is not specified, the agent is updated to the latest version.


Count Counts to keep track of number of requests from the group.


Deploy group The collection of host names of different computers or other deploy groups that the agents are deployed to. The deploy group will have a deploy name.


Deploy group name The name of the group containing the collection of host names of different computers or other deploy groups that the agents are deployed to.


Deploy TEMS The through node or the remote PureApplication System Monitoring Server that the agent is being deployed from.


GlobalTimeStamp The most recent update at the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server to the deployment status for the transaction time. The GlobalTimeStamp attribute indicates the last time any information was updated for the deploy command, which is used for EIB probe completion.


Group Transaction ID The identifying number that is assigned to a group transaction. This value allows you to see the transactions involved in the same command. It is the amef value.


lstdate timestamp The last time the record for the deploy command (row in the table) was changed. The lstdate timestamp attribute displays the last time any information update made. The files have been installed and the agent is configured; the row in the table is inserted once the command is complete.


NodeId The agent name and platform (separated by a colon). The nodeId and the target managed system name are similar.


Platform Version The operating platform of the target computer for the agent install. For example, WinNt.


Processing State The state of the deploy command, from pre-deployment to post-installation. The state is indicated with an integer.


Product ID The product code of the agent.


Product Version The version of the agent.


Reserved1 Reserved for future use.


Reserved2 Reserved for future use.


RetryCount The number of times the agent is retried. 0 is displayed if it is fine and no retries occur.


Return code The code that is generated upon completion of the task: 0 for success; 3 for failure.


Return Message The information message or error message regarding the agent deployment. For example, fail is displayed when agent has been deployed and couldn't connect.


StartTime The time of the most recent attempt to initiate the deployment transaction. With every retry, this value is reset. No value is displayed if no retry occurs.


Status The status of the agent deployment. Valid values are Success, Failed, In progress, and Failed retry (default setting for number of attempts to retry is 5 times with 90 second intervals between each retry).


System The host address of the deploy target computer. It is the fully qualified host name or IP address of the target computer.


Target managed system name The managed system name of the OS agent that is processing the deployment transaction.


Transaction ID The identifying number assigned to the transaction; this identifier is unique to each transaction. It is generated through a random string of numbers.


15.4. Deploy Summary attributes

The deploy summary attributes provide a summary of all the deploy commands that have been issued.


Bundle group The collection of agents, another bundle group, or collection of bundle groups that are being added to the computer.


Command The commands used for agent deployment, maintenance, and system configuration.

Command Description
addSystem The command to deploy a monitoring agent to a computer in the PureApplication System Monitoring Server environment. This command deploys an agent and other required components if they are not already installed on the node.
createNode The command to create the node directory on the target computer. This is the directory where the OS agent is installed and where any non-OS agents are deployed.
setConfig The command to edit configuration options of an existing agent. The agent is restarted so that the new configuration parameters can take effect. Specify the configuration data through the parameter pair section.name=value.
startAgent The command to start the monitoring agent.
stopAgent The command to stop the monitoring agent.
updateAgent The command used to install an agent update on a specified managed system. Updating agents involves stopping any that are running, applying the changes, and restarting them. If a version is not specified, the agent is updated to the latest version.


Deploy group

The collection of host names of different computers or other deploy groups that the agents are deployed to. The deploy group will have a deploy name.


Deploy TEMS

The through node or the remote Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server that the agent is being deployed from.


Failed

The number of deploy commands that have failed.


Group Transaction ID The identifying number that is assigned to a group transaction. This value allows you to see the transactions involved in the same command.


In Progress

The number of deploy commands that are in progress.


Product ID

The agent product code.


Queued

The number of deploy commands that are queued.


Retrying

The number of deploy commands that are retrying.


Succeeded

The number of deploy commands that have succeeded.


Summarize On

The selection that distinguishes how the table is ordered.


15.5. Depot Inventory attributes

The depot inventory attributes give information on agent bundles in the depot.


Config descriptor version

The version of the configuration descriptor.


Description

The description of the agent bundle.


Friendly Version

The more user friendly version of the agent bundle.


Host type

The operating platform of the bundle can be installed on.


Host versions

The specific version associated with the operating platform the bundle can be installed on.


Prerequisites

The prerequisites required for this bundle to be installed properly.


Product ID

The two character code of the agent.


Refresh Depot

The value describing whether the depot information needs to be refreshed.


Version

The version of the agent.


15.6. EIB Change Log attributes

The Enterprise Information Change (EIB) log records the details of changes made by users to deploy situations and policies.


Global Timestamp

The date and time at the monitoring server when the change took place. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


Last User

The user ID of the person who made the change, up to 10 letters and numbers.


Object Name

The name of the situation, policy, or other entity that was changed.


Operation

The type of operation that took place. This is an enumerated attribute where a single word conveys the full meaning of the operation:

Add A managed system or managed system group was added to the situation or policy distribution.
Change The situation was distributed and is running.
Delete A situation or policy was deleted from the monitoring server.
Erase A managed system or managed system group was removed from the situation or policy distribution.
Insert A new situation or policy was added (inserted into the internal database.
Update A situation or policy was updated.


Path Name

The location of the file that was changed, up to 96 characters.


Server Name

The name of the monitoring server where the change took place.


Table Name

The name of the database table on the monitoring server where the change was generated. The enumerated values are the class IDs for the objects.

5535 IDDefAccessList The distribution list for the policy or situation has changed.
5529 IDDefNodeList managed system group
5130 IDDefPolicy The policy definition.
5535 IDDefSituation The situation definition
5625 IDRestartCommand The situation has been restarted.


15.7. ITM Audit attributes

The ITM Audit attributes give information on critical state-changing events in the monitoring environment. This attribute group includes information such as which user, application, or process initiated the event; what type of action the event represents; when did the event happen; what database, application, or permission was manipulated; on which computer did this event happen; which system is the source of the event; and which system is the target of the event. You can create Enterprise level queries and situations with this attribute group.

Note: Some attributes might return blank data because they are reserved for future use.

Situations created using this attribute group are displayed under All Managed Systems, not under the node that you created the situation from. Pure events are generated for situations created with this attribute group.


Application Code

The product code for the application. Character limit: 16.


Application Component

The specific component within the product that generated the event. Character limit: 16.


Application Version

The version of the application. Character limit: 24.


Assumable Authorization ID

The authorization ID granted to the user or entity. Character limit: 128.


Audit Record Version

The version of the audit information. Character limit: 4.


Authorization ID

The role, group, or user the User ID or Entity is authorized under. Character limit: 128.


Authorization Plugin Type

The type of authorization plug-in in use at the time the audit event occurred. Reserved for future use. Character limit: 4.

Enumeration Description
-1 Not_Applicable
0 LOCAL
1 SSO
2 LDAP
4 TSPM
16 RBAC
32 DIS
128 TIM
256 WAS
512 OTHER
1024 TAM


Correlator A unique number to correlate all the audit records related to a single event. Reserved for future use. Character limit: 8.

Enumeration Description
-1 Not_Available


Domain

The multi-tenant domain identifier. A custom identifier to identify unique namespaces within the product namespace. Typically used for separating customers logically within a common infrastructure (ISP Model). This is set by providing a value for the ITM_DOMAIN environment parameter. Character limit: 128.


Entity Identifies a non-user entity that initiated the audit event. Character limit: 128.


Entity Type Describes the type of entity that initiated the Audit Event. Character limit: 128.


Extra Attributes A string that contains a semi-colon delimited list of name="value" pairs for which no dedicated column exists in the ITM Audit table. The event's message parameters are stored in the Extra Attributes field as ParamN=n;PARM1="VALUE";PARM2="VALUE"...;PARMn="VALUE". In the name="value" pairs, the value is always enclosed in quotation marks (" ") and embedded quotation marks are escaped by doubling them. The separator between name="value" pairs is a semicolon (;). No whitespace is allowed around the equal sign (=) or semicolon. Note:

The column can hold only 512 bytes, so the string is truncated at 512 characters if longer than that. There will be fewer than 512 characters if multi-byte characters are used.


Grantee

The grantee ID for which a privilege or authority was granted, revoked or checked for authorization. Reserved for future use. Character limit: 128.


Grantee Type

The Common Data Model type of the grantee. Reserved for future use. Character limit: 128.


Message

The audit event descriptive message text. Character limit: 512.


Object Name

The descriptive name of the object. Character limit: 256.


Object Path

The detailed path to the object. Character limit: 256.


Object Type

The Common Data Model class of the object. Public CDM classes are defined in CDM v2.10.21 or greater. Private CDM classes are prefixed with ibm-prod-tivoli-itm: private namespace designation. Character limit: 128.


Object Version

The version of the object. Character limit: 24.


Operation Object Type

The Common Data Model class of the operation. Public CDM classes are defined in CDM v2.10.21 or greater. Private CDM classes are prefixed with ibm-prod-tivoli-itm: private namespace designation. Character limit: 128.


Operation Type

The Common Data Model action of the operation. The action type should be compatible with the type of object involved. Public CDM Actions are defined in CDM v2.10.21 or greater. Character limit: 128.


Operation Name

The descriptive name of the operation. Character limit: 128.


Origin

The network name of the managed system that emitted the audit event. Character limit: 128.


Origin Address

The address of the node that emitted the audit event. Character limit: 64.


Origin Hostname

The hostname of the node that emitted the audit event. Character limit: 128.


Origin Name

The descriptive name of the node that emitted the audit event. Character limit: 128.


Origin Port

The communication port used by the origin node. Character limit: 4.

Enumeration Description
-1 Not_Available


Origin Protocol

The communication protocol used by the origin node. Character limit: 16.


Origin Type

The descriptive classification of the node that emitted the audit event. Character limit: 4.

Enumeration Description
-1 Not_Available
1 GUI
2 CLIENT
3 SERVER
4 ENDPOINT
5 AGENT
6 CLI
7 OTHER


Privilege

The access type for which a security label is granted. The set of values possible here are specified as the set of actions appropriate to the type of object specified in the object parameters. Reserved for future use. Character limit: 128.


Privilege Type Indicates the type of privilege or authority granted or revoked. Reserved for future use. Character limit: 128.


Record Type Indicates the set of attributes expected in the audit event. Character limit: 4.

Enumeration Description
32 Permission_Checking
33 Object_Maintenance
34 Security_Maintenance
35 System_Administration
36 Contextual_Event
37 Authentication_Validation


Resource Bundle Key

The message ID number. Character limit: 64.


Result

The application specific return code. This allows for easier filtering and situation creation. Character limit: 4.


RunAs

The role, group, or user the user ID is authorized under. Character limit: 128.


Security Policy Name

The identifier for the security policy authorizing this action. Reserved for future use. Character limit: 128.


Sequence Number

The audit event count of this particular audit event since the component was started. The audit event count is reset to zero when the component is reset. Character limit: 8.

Enumeration Description
-1 Not_Available


Service Point

The origin's service point. Refer to "Using the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Service Console" in the PureApplication System Monitoring Server Information Center. Character limit: 128.


Source

The Managed System Name of the node that initiated the operation reported by the audit event. Character limit: 128.


Source Address

The address of the node that initiated the operation reported by the audit event. Character limit: 64.


Source Hostname

The hostname of the node that initiated the operation reported by the audit event. Character limit: 128.


Source Name

The descriptive name of the node that initiated the operation reported by the audit event. Character limit: 128.


Source Port

The communication port used by the source node. Character limit: 4.

Enumeration Description
-1 Not_Available


Source Protocol

The communication protocol used by the Ssource node. Character limit: 16.


Source Type

The descriptive classification of the node that initiated the operation reported by the audit event. Character limit: 4.

Enumeration Description
-1 Not_Available
1 GUI
2 CLIENT
3 SERVER
4 ENDPOINT
5 AGENT
6 CLI
7 OTHER


System Name

The Managed System Name of the node that emitted the audit event. Character limit: 32.


Target

The Managed System Name of the node where the operation is targeted. Character limit: 128.


Target Address

The address of the node where the operation is targeted. Character limit: 64.


Target Hostname

The hostname of the node where the operation is targeted. Character limit: 128.


Target Name

The descriptive name of the node where the operation is targeted. Character limit: 128.


Target Port

The communication port used by the target node. Character limit: 4.

Enumeration Description
-1 Not_Available


Target Protocol

The communication protocol used by the target node. Character limit: 16.


Target Type

The descriptive classification of the node where the operation is targeted. Character limit: 4.

Enumeration Description
-1 Not_Available
1 GUI
2 CLIENT
3 SERVER
4 ENDPOINT
5 AGENT
6 CLI
7 OTHER


Timestamp This is the time the log event was generated. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS. Character limit: 16


Timestamp (MS)

The UTC Timestamp in milliseconds from the epoch. (Number of seconds elapsed since midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) of January 1, 1970, not counting leap seconds. Also known as POSIX time or UNIX time.) Character limit: 8.


Trace Level

The minimum AUDIT_TRACE level required to generate this message. Character limit: 4.

Enumeration Description
4000 Detail
5000 Basic
6000 Minimum


User ID

The user ID that initiated the operation. Character limit: 128.


15.8. Local Time attributes

The Local Time attributes show the time and date where the agent is located. For example, if you are running the monitoring portal in London and monitoring a system in Cairo, the local Cairo time and date will be returned. These attributes are useful for action situations triggered by time.

Note:

  1. The Local Time attribute group can be combined with any attribute group to create a situation condition.
  2. The Local Time attributes are not available for use in Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server queries.
  3. Seconds, Minutes, Hours, and Day Of Month are treated as two-character text attributes. For example, 02 Hours is correct, but 2 Hours will never be true.


Day Of Month The day in the month that the PureApplication System Monitoring Server samples the data at the agent location, from 00 to 31. For example, 01 is the first of the month.


Day Of Week The day in the week that the PureApplication System Monitoring Server samples the data at the agent location, from Sunday to Saturday. Select the day from the list.


Hours The hour in the day that the PureApplication System Monitoring Server samples the data at the agent location, from 00 to 23, starting at 00 for 12 am.


Minutes The minutes into the hour that the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server samples the data at the agent location, from 00 to 59, such as 05 for five minutes past the hour.


Month Of Year The month in the year that the PureApplication System Monitoring Server samples the data at the agent location. Select the month from the list.


Seconds The second in the minute that the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server samples the data at the agent location. It can be from 00 to 59, such as 08 for the eighth second.


Time

The time of the data sampling, corrected for local time zone and daylight saving time, formatted as HHMMSS. For example, 170700 is 5:07 PM.


Timestamp The date and time when the PureApplication System Monitoring Server samples the data at the agent location. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


15.9. Managed Systems attributes

The Managed Systems attributes are used to check vital heartbeat information from the PureApplication System Monitoring Server and monitoring agents. You can apply the Managed System query to a view (in the Query editor under...

For the Navigator Physical view Enterprise item and for custom Navigator view items that have the *HUB_ or *ALL_CMS managed system group assigned, you can also create situations with these monitoring server attributes.


Affinities The code identifier of the product component.


Expiry Time

The time when the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server stops waiting for the heartbeat and considers the agent offline. This attribute is available for queries, but not for situations. The format is CYYMMDDHHMMSSmmm (as in 1090415074501000 for April 15, 2009 at 07:45:01) where:


Host Address The IP address and port number of the monitoring agent. Other address types can be IP pipe and SNA.


Host Info The name and version of the operation platform and any applied Service Packs. This attribute is available for queries, but not for situations.


Manage System Also called through node, this is the parent system that collects data from the agent or subagent. If the agent is directly connected to the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server, the hub monitoring server is the managing system; if the agent is connected to a remote monitoring server, then that is the managing system. An agent with subagents is the managing system for each subagent.


Name The host name of the agent.


Origin Node The network name of the source for this information. Valid entries are up to 32 characters. This attribute is available for queries, but not for situations.


Product The two-letter code of the monitoring agent.


Reason

The two-character reason code, if any, for the status. For example, FA means that the agent generated its own offline message, and 00 means that the heartbeat is successful. Reasons are related to the communications layer.


Status Indicates whether the monitoring agent is ONLINE (Y) or OFFLINE (N). If the agent is offline, you can remove it from the Navigator and from a table view of managed system attributes: Right-click the table row and select Clear offline entry from the pop-up menu; or select the offline Agent Navigator item from the Navigator and click Remove.


Timestamp The date and time at the PureApplication System Monitoring Server when the agent heartbeat occurred. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


Type Indicates whether the node is a monitoring agent (Virtual) or PureApplication System Monitoring Server (blank).


Version The version number of the monitoring agent. The number is formatted as 01.50.00, where 01 is the major version number, 05 is the secondary version number, and 00 the tertiary.


15.10. Situation Definition attributes

The Situation Definition attributes supply you with the complete definition of situations. You can apply the predefined query for this group (in the Query editor under Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server . Situation Definition) to charts and tables; you cannot use these attributes in situations.


Advice The expert advice for a situation that appears in the event workspace.


Affinities The internal identification number for the agent and attribute group referenced in the situation.


Alert List Whether or not events for this situation belong to an alert list.


Auto SOPT The auto SOPT.


Auto Start Whether the situation is set to autostart, *YES, or to be started manually, *NO.


Command The type of command specified in the Action tab.


Description The description written for the situation.


Destination Node The managed system to which the situation is distributed.


Event Attribute A single digit to describe the type of event.


HUB The name of the hub monitoring server that controls the situation.


Interval Days A two-digit number to express the interval between data samplings.


Interval Seconds A six-digit number that expresses the time between data samplings.


Last CCSID Internal identifiers of the situation expressions.


Last Date The date of the last revision to the situation. The format is CYYMMDDHHMMSSmmm (as in 1050415074501000 for April 15, 2005 at 07:45:01) where:


Last Release The last release to associate with the situation.


Last user The user ID of the last person to update the situation.


Location Flag The location flag identifier.


NOCOL Whether this is a no column attribute.


Notify Arguments Any notification arguments.


Notify Options Any notification options.


Object Lock The object lock.


Predicate The formula, including the detailed names of the attribute group and attributes. .


QIBCLASSID The query information base class ID.


QIBSCOPE The scope of the query information base.


Reflex OK Whether an action command has been set.


Send Message Q The universal message that will be sent when the situation is true.


Sit Info Any other information about the situation.


Situation Name The unique identifier given to the situation or policy.


Full Name The name given to the situation or policy. The name can be up to 256 bytes long.


Source The situation source.


15.11. Situation State Event attributes

The Situation Event attributes collect status information on situation events. Views that display this information include My Acknowledged Events, Selected Event, and Similar Events and comprise some of the predefined workspaces for the Enterprise Navigator item.


Affinities

The affinity identifier.


Close Indicator

The close indicator for conveying how the event was closed, such as closed by a user or by a process and whether the event record contains notes.


Close Time Not in use. The time at the hub monitoring server when the event was closed.


Display Item For multiple-row attribute groups, enables the situation to continue sampling rows with a different display item than the one that caused the situation to become true.


Expiration Interval

The length of time assigned to keep an acknowledgment open before it expires automatically. Valid values are four digits.


Expiration Time

The time that the acknowledgment is scheduled to expire. Valid values follow the MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS format, as in 12/30/08 23:59:59.


Full Name

The name given to the situation.


Group ID

The identifier for the group that the situation belongs to.


HUBCMS

The hub monitoring server that the portal server connects to.


Impact

The name of the Navigator item where the event originated.


Last Update Time

The time of the last event activity, either the last user action or a significant system-generated action.


Local Timestamp The time the event occurred or the condition was observed by the originating managed system. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS, as in 10/14/08 13:45:35 for October 14, 2008 at 1:45:35 PM.


LocFlag Not in use. The location flag.


Misc Not in use. Miscellaneous event data.


MOBJ

The Navigator item the situation is associated with (where the event indicator originates).


Node

The name of the monitoring server where the situation is running.


Opened

The time at the managed system when the situation status changed.


Owner

The user ID of the person who owns this event.


Pathname Not in use. The path to any attachments and saved notes.


Reference ID An identifying attribute to further qualify the event, such as a situation override.


Severity

The severity value of the situation event. Valid values:

Severity level Enumerated value
Fatal 100
Critical 90
Minor 40
Warning 30
Harmless 27
Informational 25
Unknown 15


Situation Name

The name given to the situation or policy.


Source

The system host name or other name derived from the monitoring agent that identifies the source of the event.


Status

The event status, such as Closed or Acknowledged. Valid values:

Event status Enumerated value
Open Y
Closed N
Stopped P
Started S
Deleted D
Acknowledged A
Reopened E
Expired F
Problem X


TEC Severity

The severity value of the event from the Tivoli Enterprise Console.


Transfer Owner

The ID of the user who is to receive ownership of the event.


Type Sampled (the situation samples at intervals), pure (unsolicited notification; the situation has no sampling interval), or hub (situation that runs at the hub monitoring server): 0, 1, 2.


UID

The event record identifier, consisting of the current record count. After the counter reaches 9999, it starts at 0001 again.


UUID A unique identifier assigned to the event.


15.12. Situation Status Current attributes

The Active Situation Status attributes collect status information on situations and policies that are running. The situation event console and message log views display these attributes. You can apply one of the predefined queries for this group (in the Query editor under PureApplication System Monitoring Server . Situation Status Current) to charts and tables; you cannot use these attributes in situations.


Display Item Attribute to further qualify the situation. With a display item set for a multiple-row attribute group, the situation continues to look at the other rows in the sampling and opens more events if other rows qualify. This optional addition to a situation also enables you to quickly distinguish events in the message log and event console views. The display item is designated in the Situation editor (Formula tab, click Advanced).


Full Name The name given to the situation or policy.


Global Timestamp The time the event was recorded by the hub Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


Local Timestamp The time the event occurred or the condition was observed by the originating managed system. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS, as in 07/23/09 04:45:35 for July 23,2009 at 4:45:35 AM.


Name The unique identifier given to the situation or policy.


Node The name of the monitoring server where the situation is running.


Origin Node The name of the managed system where the situation is being monitored.


Owner The user ID of the person who acknowledged the event.


Sound File The name of the sound file associated with the Navigator item for this situation.


Status The status of the situation. The possible values are as follows:

Acknowledged A The situation event has been acknowledged.
Deleted D The situation has been deleted.
Problem X The situation is in a problem state.
Expired F The acknowledgement has expired and the situation is still true.
Open Y The situation is running and is true.
Closed N The situation is running, has been true, and is now false.
Reopened E The acknowledgement was removed before it had expired and the situation is still true.
Started S The situation is being started.
Stopped P The situation has been stopped.


Type The event is either pure (unsolicited notification; the situation has no sampling interval) or sampled (the situation is sampled at intervals).

Sampled

Sampled events happen when a situation becomes true. Situations sample data at regular intervals. When the situation is true, it causes an event, which is closed automatically when the situation goes back to false (or you can close it manually if you stop the situation).

Pure

Pure events are unsolicited notifications. Examples of pure events are an out-of-paper condition on a printer and an occurrence that adds an entry to the Windows System Log. Some monitoring agents have attributes that report pure events, such as the Windows Event Log and Windows File Change attribute groups. A situation using one of these attributes can monitor for pure events. Because of the nature of pure events and the fact that a situation created with pure event attributes does not have a sampling interval, they are not closed automatically like sampled events; you must close the event manually or through an UNTIL clause.


Note: If you create a query and apply a column function to the Type attribute, pure events will not be included in the AVG, COUNT, MAX, MIN or SUM calculation.


15.13. Situation Status Log attributes

The Situation Status attributes collect status information on started situations and policies. You can apply any of the predefined queries for this group (in the Query editor under PureApplication System Monitoring Server . Situation Status Log) to charts and tables; you cannot use these attributes in situations.


Display Item Attribute to further qualify the situation. With a display item set for a multiple-row attribute group, the situation continues to look at the other rows in the sampling and opens more events if other rows qualify. This optional addition to a situation also enables you to quickly distinguish events in the message log and event console views. The display item is designated in the Situation editor (Formula tab, click Advanced).


Full Name The name given to the situation or policy.


Global Timestamp The time the event was recorded by the hub PureApplication System Monitoring Server. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


Local Timestamp The time the event occurred or the condition was observed by the originating managed system. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS, as in 07/23/09 04:45:35 for July 23,2009 at 4:45:35 AM.


Name The unique identifier given to the situation or policy.


Node The name of the monitoring server where the situation is running.


Origin Node The name of the managed system where the situation is being monitored.


Owner The user ID of the person who acknowledged the event.


Sound File The name of the sound file associated with the Navigator item for this situation.


Status The status of the situation. The possible values are as follows:

Acknowledged A The situation event has been acknowledged.
Deleted D The situation has been deleted.
Problem X The situation is in a problem state.
Expired F The acknowledgement has expired and the situation is still true.
Open Y The situation is running and is true.
Closed N The situation is running, has been true, and is now false.
Reopened E The acknowledgement was removed before it had expired and the situation is still true.
Started L The situation is being started.
Stopped P The situation has been stopped.
Not Available <null> The status for the situation is not being returned. To investigate, set this client trace: error (unit:Managed detail)

To determine why the status is set as it is, the following client trace will help: error (unit:Managed detail).


Type The event is either pure (unsolicited notification; the situation has no sampling interval) or sampled (the situation is sampled at intervals).

Sampled

Sampled events happen when a situation becomes true. Situations sample data at regular intervals. When the situation is true, it causes an event, which gets closed automatically when the situation goes back to false (or you can close it manually if you stop the situation).

Pure

Pure events are unsolicited notifications. Examples of pure events are an out-of-paper condition on a printer and an occurrence that adds an entry to the Windows System Log. Some monitoring agents have attributes that report pure events, such as the Windows Event Log and Windows File Change attribute groups. A situation using one of these attributes can monitor for pure events. Because of the nature of pure events and the fact that a situation created with pure event attributes does not have a sampling interval, they are not closed automatically like sampled events; you must close the event manually or through an UNTIL clause.


Note: If you create a query and apply a column function to the Type attribute, pure events will not be included in the AVG, COUNT, MAX, MIN or SUM calculation.


15.14. Universal Messages attributes

Universal Messages attributes keep track of the messages that have been generated through a situation or policy action command. The Universal Message Console view uses these attributes, and they can be used to create situations.


Category The category name that was given for the message, such as 'Information' or 'SiteCritical'.


Message Severity The severity name that was given for the message to indicate its importance, such as 'Low' or '5'.


Message Text The content of the message, up to 256 characters. You can use the SCAN function to find a value anywhere in the message, and it can include an asterisk (*) as a wildcard, such as inciden* to find messages containing incidence, incident, or incidental. You can also use the STRing function to look for matching text at a specific location in the message.


Originnode The network name of the managed system where the situation triggering the Universal Message became true. Valid entries are up to 32 characters.


Situation Name The name of the situation generating the Universal Message.


Timestamp The date and time at the PureApplication System Monitoring Server when the universal message was sent. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.


15.15. Universal Time attributes

The Universal Time attributes show the time and date at the monitoring agent expressed in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) format. For example, if the UTC time is 19:15.00 for an agent in New York, the local time is 2:15 PM Standard Time. These attributes are useful for action situations triggered by time.

Note:

  1. When building situations, you will see that the Universal Time attribute group can be combined with any attribute group to create a condition.
  2. The attributes are not available in PureApplication System Monitoring Server queries.
  3. Seconds, Minutes, Hours, and Day Of Month are treated as two-character text attributes. For example, == 05 Minutes is correct, but == 5 Minutes will never be true.


Day Of Month The day in the month at the agent location when the data was sampled, from 01 to 31. The first day of the month is 01.


Day Of Week The numeric representation for the day in the week at the agent location when the data was sampled, from Sunday to Saturday. Select the day from the list.


Hours The hour in the day at the agent location when the data was sampled, from 00 to 23, such as 01 for 1 am.


Minutes The minute in the hour at the agent location when the data was sampled, from 00 to 59, such as 05 for the fifth minute.


Month Of Year The numeric representation of the month in the year at the agent location when the data was sampled. Select the month from the list.


Seconds The seconds into the minute at the agent location when the data was sampled, from 00 to 59, such as 05 for the fifth second.


Time

The time at the agent location when the data was sampled, formatted as HHMMSS. For example, 153000 is 3:30 PM


Timestamp The time stamp at the agent location when the data was sampled. The format is MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS.