IBM Tivoli Monitoring > Version 6.3 Fix Pack 2 > Administrator's Guide > Agent-based services > Centralized Configuration

IBM Tivoli Monitoring, Version 6.3 Fix Pack 2

Centralized Configuration sample setup

This sample setup illustrates planning considerations and the steps required to prepare the Tivoli Monitoring environment and files for Centralized Configuration.

Create a directory structure

Decide what kind of files you want to serve and create a directory structure on the computer that allows the keywords that can be used in the configuration load list to enable each client agent to collect the correct files.

The default home directory where files are served from on the agent used as a central configuration server is install_dir/localconfig on all platforms. You can relocate the directory using the IRA_SERVICE_INTERFACE_CONFIG_HOME environment variable in the agent's environment file.

For our sample setup, we relocate the central configuration server home directory to

  • install_dir/configserver

and create these subdirectories:

  • install_dir/configserver/common contains files that are the same on all agents

  • install_dir/configserver/nt contains files used by the Windows OS agents, which are located using the @PRODUCT@ keyword

  • install_dir/configserver/lz contains files used by the Linux OS agents, which are located using the @PRODUCT@ keyword

  • install_dir/configserver/ux contains files used by the UNIX OS agents, which are located using the @PRODUCT@ keyword

  • install_dir/configserver/myfiles contains other files that you might want to distribute

Keywords @OSTYPE@ and @OSVERSION@ are useful to serve different files to different groups of systems. For example, on UNIX systems use @OSTYPE@ to separate AIX situations from Solaris situations. See Configuration load list keyword substitution.

Obtain the root password for the central configuration server

For our sample setup, store the password in the configuration load list that the central configuration server uses to load its AAGP file every time the agent starts.

Encrypt the password using the itmpwdsnmp utility that is available on any agent at V6.2.2 or later.

  • C:\ibm\ITM\TMAITM6\itmpwdsnmp.bat

  • /opt/IBM/ITM/bin/itmpwdsnmp

Here is an example of the display at the Linux command line: 

    itmpwdsnmp

Enter the password to be encrypted:
Confirm string:
{AES256:keyfile:a}qNf3u5TzYsiNXRacS4/sXQ==

Select the ID that agents use to access the central configuration server

For our sample setup, it is itmuser. The password is stored in the configuration load list that is used by agents to connect to the central configuration server.

Encrypt the password for the itmuser ID using the itmpwdsnmp utility. (Define this ID on each agent. The ID is added to the agent's AAGP.)

  • C:\ibm\ITM\TMAITM6\itmpwdsnmp.bat

  • /opt/IBM/ITM/bin/itmpwdsnmp

Create the AAGP.xml file that adds the Administrative ID to the AD group

The Administrative ID used to access the central configuration server is added to the predefined AD authorization group.

For our sample setup, we save the AAGP.xml file saved on the central configuration server in the install_dir/configserver/common directory. 

    <AAGP>
 <AAUSER>
  <ID>itmuser</ID>
  <ASSIGN>AD</ASSIGN>
 </AAUSER>
</AAGP>

This AAGP.xml file sets the AAGP on the central configuration server. For our sample setup, the central configuration server will serve that same file to agents that connect to it. This simplifies our sample setup. Nonetheless, you can have different sets of agents collect unique AAGP files with different sets of IDs and groups so that a different set of permissions is in place for working with the Agent Service Interface on those agents. The AAGP they download is used when connecting to their Agent Service Interface. The agents use the IDs defined in the AAGP that the agent collected to connect to the central configuration server.

Create the configuration load list for the central configuration server

For our sample setup, we use a Linux OS agent as the central configuration server, so we create install_dir/localconfig/lz_cnfglist.xml, which is the default location for the agent's configuration load list. (Having the load list file in the localconfig directory is one reasons we moved the default central configuration repository location with IRA_SERVICE_INTERFACE_CONFIG_HOME. The agent could use the same localconfig files that it serves to other agents, but it might be more convenient to keep the files separate that the central configuration server distributes.) The cnfglist.xml allows the central configuration server to load the AAGP to itself: 

    <ConfigurationArtifact>
 <ConfigServer Name="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  URL="http://linuxhost:1920///linuxhost_lz/linuxhost_lz/"
  User="root"
  Password="{AES256:keyfile:a}qNf3u5TzYsiNXRacS4/sXQ==" />
 <ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="AAGP.xml"
  Path="common"
  Disp="AAGP" />
</ConfigurationArtifact>

Create a generic bootstrap configuration load list

Create a generic bootstrap configuration load list that agents will use to find the specific load list that provides the complete list of files they should collect. This step is not required, but it lets you change how you organize files on the central configuration server. There are many ways to do this.

For our sample setup, we create install_dir/configserver/common/bootstrap_cnfglist.xml with the following settings: 

    <ConfigurationArtifact>
 <ConfigServer Name="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  URL="http://linuxhost:1920///linuxhost_lz/linuxhost_lz/"
  User="itmuser"
  Password="{AES256:keyfile:a}2fhfCvELPHKm94/OkbOjyw==" />
 <ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="cnfglist.xml"
  Path="@PRODUCT@"
  Disp="CNFGLIST"
  Activate="YES" />
</ConfigurationArtifact>

There is no need to include the AAGP for the agent in the bootstrap CNFGLIST. The agent uses this file to locate the unique configlist that the agent should use. This CNFGLIST is only in effect for a few seconds. In our sample, the agent looks in the directory identified by the @PRODUCT@ keyword for a file called cnfglist.xml. It is best practice to look for the bootstrap CNFGLIST in the config server to allow agents to identify their CNFGLIST by changing this file directly on the config server (rather than changing the mechanism on each agent for beginning central config operations).

Create a CNFGLIST that all windows OS agents will use

For our sample, create the configuration load list in install_dir\configserver\nt\confglist.xml: 

    <ConfigurationArtifact>
 <ConfigServer Name="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  URL="http://linuxhost:1920///linuxhost_lz/linuxhost_lz/"
  User="root"
  Password="{AES256:keyfile:a}qNf3u5TzYsiNXRacS4/sXQ==" />
 <ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="AAGP.xml"
  Path="common"
  Disp="AAGP" />
 <ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="cnfglist.xml"
  Path="@PRODUCT@"
  Disp="CNFGLIST"
  Activate="YES" />
<ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="@PRODUCT@_situations.xml"
  Path="@PRODUCT@"
  Disp="PVTSIT"
  Activate="YES" />
<ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="@PRODUCT@_trapcnfg.xml"
  Path="@PRODUCT@"
  Disp="TRAPCNFG"
  Activate="RESTART" />
</ConfigurationArtifact>

Create a CNFGLIST that all Linux OS agents will use

For our sample, create the configuration load list in install_dir/configserver/lz/cnfglist.xml. These are the agents that we want to collect all of the files in install_dir/configserver/myfiles. 

    <ConfigurationArtifact>
 <ConfigServer Name="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  URL="http://linuxhost:1920///linuxhost_lz/linuxhost_lz/"
  User="itmuser"
  Password="{AES256:keyfile:a}2fhfCvELPHKm94/OkbOjyw==" />
 <ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="AAGP.xml"
  Path="common"
  Disp="AAGP" />
 <ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="cnfglist.xml"
  Path="@PRODUCT@"
  Disp="CNFGLIST"
  Activate="YES" />
<ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="myfile1.sh"
  Path="myfiles"
  LocalPath="@ITMHOME@/tmp" />
<ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="myfile2.sh"
  Path="myfiles"
  LocalPath="@ITMHOME@/tmp" />
</ConfigurationArtifact>

Create the other files that you want to distribute

Create configuration load lists for the other agent product codes and other files to deploy and place them on the central configuration server.

Enable the monitoring agents to start using Centralized Configuration

Centralized Configuration startup describes several ways to start using Centralized Configuration.

For our sample setup, you can set these environment variables in the client agent's environment file: 

    IRA_CONFIG_SERVER_URL=http://linuxhost:1920///linuxhost_lz/linuxhost_lz
IRA_CONFIG_SERVER_USERID=itmuser
IRA_CONFIG_SERVER_PASSWORD={AES256:keyfile:a}2fhfCvELPHKm94/OkbOjyw==
IRA_CONFIG_SERVER_FILE_PATH=common
IRA_CONFIG_SERVER_FILE_NAME=bootstrap_cnfglist.xml

Or you can create this install_dir/localconfig/pc/pc_confglist.xml file: 

    <ConfigurationArtifact>
 <ConfigServer Name="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  URL="http://linuxhost:1920///linuxhost_lz/linuxhost_lz/"
  User="itmuser"
  Password="{AES256:keyfile:a}2fhfCvELPHKm94/OkbOjyw==" />
 <ConfigFile Server="CENTRAL-CONFIG-SERVER"
  Name="bootstrap_cnfglist.xml"
  Path="common"
  Disp="CNFGLIST"
  Activate="YES" />
</ConfigurationArtifact>


Parent topic:

Centralized Configuration

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