You can use the Health Center API to write your own code
for manipulating Health Center data.
Before you begin
The API is provided in two versions:
A plug-in version, which you can use in Eclipse. You must have
an instance of Eclipse Version 3.4, or later.
An ordinary .jar file, which you can use
with an existing Java application.
You must have IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition, Version
6 or later.
About this task
Typically, you use the Health Center client GUI to view
and analyze the data from a monitored application. However, you might
want to see only a small subset of the data, or you might want to
manipulate the data in a way that you cannot currently do with the
GUI. By using the Health Center API, you can write a Java application that manipulates the Health
Center data according to your requirements.
When you use the
Health Center API in an application, an instance of the Health Center
client is embedded in your application; your application then uses
this instance to connect to the Health Center agent.
Procedure
Optional:
To use the plug-in version of the
API, install Health Center into Eclipse: Follow the instructions in the Eclipse documentation
for installing new software, using the following URL for the software
site:
http://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/websphere/runtimes/tools/healthcenter/
Step 1 - Create a Java application
in Eclipse. Use the Eclipse documentation if you need further
information for this step.
Optional:
To use the API with an existing Java application, complete the following
steps: Obtain the monitoringapi.jar package from Health Center.
Specify the
monitoringapi.jar file
in the command that you use to run the application.
Step 2 -Add Health Center code to your applicationCreate a
ConnectionProperties object,
optionally specifying the host name and port number.
This
object stores the information that is required to connect the Health
Center client within your application to the Health Center agent.
Pass the
ConnectionProperties object
into the
HealthCenterFactory.connect(ConnectionProperties
props, boolean autoScan) method, to return a
HealthCenter object. This object represents the connection to the monitored application.
Use the
HealthCenter object to retrieve
data from the application. You can also use the
HealthCenter object
to limit the amount of data that is returned from a running application.
For more information about the data that you can retrieve, and the
associated methods and classes, see the API documentation.
For example:
...
// Create the connection object:
ConnectionProperties conn1 = new ConnectionProperties("localhost", 1973);
// Connect to the Health Center agent, using the previous connection settings:
HealthCenter hcObject = HealthCenterFactory.connect(conn1, true);
// Get garbage collection data and print:
GCData gcData = hcObject.getGCData();
System.out.println("GC Mode is " + gcData.getGCMode().toString());
...
You can also connect to a saved file,
instead of a running application, by using the
HealthCenterFactory.connect(java.io.File
filename) method.
The HealthCenter class HealthCenter can be used to give access to the data stored by Health Center.
You can set time thresholds, preferences and get access to each type of data from this class.