IBM Tivoli Monitoring > Version 6.3 Fix Pack 2 > Installation Guides > Agent Installation Guides > Linux Agent Installation Guide
IBM Tivoli Monitoring, Version 6.3 Fix Pack 2
Overview of the agent
The Monitoring Agent for Linux OS provides you with the capability to monitor and perform basic actions on Linux-based operating systems. IBM Tivoli Monitoring is the base software for the Monitoring Agent for Linux OS.
IBM Tivoli Monitoring overview
IBM Tivoli Monitoring provides a way to monitor the availability and performance of all the systems in the enterprise from one or several designated workstations. It also provides useful historical data that you can use to track trends and to troubleshoot system problems.
You can use IBM Tivoli Monitoring to achieve the following tasks:
- Monitor for alerts on the systems that you are managing by using predefined situations or custom situations.
- Establish your own performance thresholds.
- Trace the causes leading to an alert.
- Gather comprehensive data about system conditions.
- Use policies to perform actions, schedule work, and automate manual tasks.
The Tivoli Enterprise Portal is the interface for IBM Tivoli Monitoring products. You can use the consolidated view of your environment as seen in the Tivoli Enterprise Portal to monitor and resolve performance issues throughout the enterprise.
Features of the Monitoring Agent for Linux OS
The Monitoring Agent for Linux OS offers a central point of management for your UNIX server environment. This monitoring agent provides a way to monitor the availability and performance of all the systems in the enterprise from one or several designated workstations. This agent also provides historical data for tracking trends and troubleshooting system problems. Information is standardized across all systems.
The Monitoring Agent for Linux OS lets you collect and analyze server-specific information:
- Operating system and CPU performance
- Linux disk information and performance analysis
- Process status analysis
- Network performance
The Monitoring Agent for Linux OS provides the following benefits:
- Simplifies application and system management by managing applications, platforms, and resources across your system.
- Increases profits by providing you with real-time access to reliable, up-to-the-minute data that allows you to make faster, better informed operating decisions.
- Scales and ports to a wide variety of Linux platforms.
- Enhances system performance because you can integrate, monitor, and manage your environment, networks, console, and mission-critical applications. For example, the Monitoring Agent for Linux OS can alert you when a condition in your environment meet or exceed the thresholds you set. These alerts notify your system administrator to limit and control system traffic. You can view data gathered by the Monitoring Agent for Linux OS in reports and charts that inform you of the status of your managed Linux systems.
- Enhances efficiency by monitoring diverse platforms and networks. Depending on the configuration of this monitoring agent, you can collect and monitor data across platforms. The Monitoring Agent for Linux OS gathers and filters status information at the managed system rather than at the Hub, eliminating unnecessary data transmission and sending only data that is relevant to changes in status conditions.
- New in this release
For version 6.3 Fix Pack 2 of the monitoring agent, enhancements include:
- Components of the monitoring agent
After you install and set up the Monitoring Agent for Linux OS (product code: klz or lz), you have an environment with a client, server, and monitoring agent implementation for IBM Tivoli Monitoring.
- Agent Management Services
Two watchdog monitors run as part of the Monitoring Agent for Linux. One monitor runs as part of the OS Monitoring Agent process, which is referred to as the Agent Watchdog. The other watchdog monitor runs as a separate process named 'kcawd'. The kcawd process is also called the Agent Management Services Watchdog. This watchdog watches the OS Agent, so as long as its Availability Status is showing 'Running' in the Agents' Runtime Status view of the Agent Management Services workspace. No setup or configuration is required.
- User interface options
Installation of the base IBM Tivoli Monitoring software and other integrated applications provides a variety of interfaces that you can use to work with your resources and data.