Working with Network Nodes


Overview

Tasks

Included with

Tivoli Service Desk

Overview

The Work with Network Nodes dialog box After you configure TPM NSM Gateway with the Network Management Configuration dialog box, you can configure the individual nodes that TPM NSM Gateway monitors in your NSM platform.

The Work with Network Nodes dialog box is the starting point for all activities pertaining to node maintenance: adding, modifying, and deleting network nodes. The Work with Network Nodes dialog box lists every node record in the TPM NSM Gateway system.

Opening the Work with Network Nodes dialog box If you are using the Tivoli Network Management Administrator profile, from the Edit menu, choose Work with Network Nodes.

From the Help menu, choose Your System Profile and follow the instructions under Work with Network Nodes.

Node records To open a problem for a node in the Tivoli Problem Management database, a record for that node must exist. If an event is detected for a node that does not have a record, TPM NSM Gateway automatically adds a record for it. Because TPM NSM Gateway is designed for maximum automation, you rarely have to manually add node records.
Automatic addition of node records When you install TPM NSM Gateway, a process runs that automatically adds node records for all nodes that meet the required criteria.

If a new node is added to the network after this process occurs, the NSM platform automatically detects it and notifies TPM NSM Gateway. TPM NSM Gateway responds appropriately and adds the record for the node if the node meets the required criteria.

Logical operators for searches Choose one of the following logical operators for your search:

Logical operator

Case-sensitive?

Description

= no

Searches for node records that match the value that you specify

> no

Searches for node records with values that alphanumerically follow the value you specify

< no Searches for node records with values that alphanumerically precede the value you specify
>= no Searches for node records with values that alphanumerically match or follow the value you specify
<= no Searches for node records with values that alpha-numerically match or precede the value you specify
<> no Searches for node records that do not match the value you specify
= = yes A case-sensitive version of =
>> yes A case-sensitive version of >
<< yes A case-sensitive version of <
>>= yes A case-sensitive version of >=
<<= yes A case-sensitive version of <=
<<>> yes A case-sensitive version of <>
IS NULL n/a Searches for records with no value in the box
IS NOT NULL n/a Searches for records with any value in the box

Tasks

Adding a node record manually This information can also be useful if you want to modify an existing node record.

To manually add a node record in TPM NSM Gateway:

  1. In the Work with Network Nodes dialog box, choose Add.
    Result: The Network Node dialog box appears.
  2. In the Node Name box, type the name of the node.
    This name must be unique and should be a valid name on the domain name server.
    Caution: Once you add a node record and choose OK, you cannot change its name.
  3. In the Node Contact list, choose the name of the person who receives the notification if there is any trap specified in the nsmnodes.conf file for the node.
  4. In the Node Location box, type the location identifier.
    This identifies the physical location of the node. This is not the Tivoli Problem Management location. This information is not validated; it is used for information purposes only.
  5. If appropriate, select the Update from SNMP check box.
    If you select this check box, the Node Contact and Node Location boxes can be updated by information discovered by the NSM platform through SNMP.
  6. If appropriate, select the Notify on Failure check box.
    If you select this box, notification is sent to the node contact when a problem is opened for the node in Tivoli Problem Management.
  7. If appropriate, select the Notify on Restore check box.
    If you select this box, notification is sent to the node contact in Tivoli Problem Management when the node is restored to service.
  8. In the Fault Severity list, select the Tivoli Problem Management Severity code to assign to all problems related to this node.
    Note: If you do not select a default severity code, the severity code defined in the System Configuration dialog box Open tab is used.
  9. In the Fault Impact box, type any information that would be useful to Tivoli Problem Management analysts if the node goes down.
    When a node managed by the TPM NSM Gateway is in a fault condition, the network fault record for the node is displayed in the Work with Network Faults dialog box in Tivoli Problem Management and on the Gateway Module. In a network fault record, the Fault Impact box describes the consequences of a particular node's failure.
  10. Choose OK.
    Result: The Work with Network Nodes dialog box reappears.

Note: The Problem Configuration button is inactive when you add a node. You must first add a node record and then edit it to set up problem configuration for the node. See Configuring Node Problems for further details.

Editing a node record You can edit any of the node settings, except the node name, at any time.

You may occasionally need to edit an existing node record if you do not allow the NSM platform to update system contact information (that is, who gets notified when a problem is opened in Tivoli Problem Management).

To edit a node record:

  1. In the Work with Network Nodes dialog box, select the node that you want to edit.
  2. Choose Edit.
    Result: The Network Node dialog box appears.
  3. Make the appropriate changes (see Adding a node record manually).
  4. Choose OK.
    Result: The Work with Network Nodes dialog box reappears.
Viewing a node record The View button on the Work with Network Nodes dialog box opens the same type of Network Node dialog box that the Add and Edit buttons opened. The difference is that when you view the Node Information dialog box, all of its boxes are read-only.

This feature is useful when you are granting security rights to users. You can effectively assign certain users read-only permission by allowing them to use only the View button.

Deleting a node record Node records are stored in the Tivoli Problem Management database. To delete them, you can either access the database directly or delete them from within TPM NSM Gateway.

In the Gateway Module, you can delete a node record at any time. When you delete a node from the NSM platform, its node record is not automatically removed from the Tivoli Problem Management database. You can either retain or delete this information. If there is no problem open for the node in Tivoli Problem Management, there is no impact to either Tivoli Problem Management or the TPM NSM Gateway when you delete the node record.

Caution: If Tivoli Problem Management has an open problem for a node, you can delete the node record in the TPM NSM Gateway. However, Tivoli Problem Management does not automatically close the problem. Instead, you must manually close the problem in Tivoli Problem Management.

Note that if a problem configuration record exists for a node that is deleted, the problem configuration record is automatically deleted as well.

To delete a node record:

  1. In the Work with Network Nodes dialog box, select the node that you want to delete.
  2. Choose Delete.
    Result: A message appears, asking you to confirm the deletion of the node record.
  3. Choose Yes.
    Result: The name of the node is removed from the list.
Performing an inquiry on the list of node records The Work with Network Nodes dialog box may contain thousands of node records. You can use the Inquiry function to display only node records with specific characteristics.

To successfully use the Network Node Inquiry dialog box, you only need to enter search criteria for one box. However, by entering search criteria for multiple boxes, you can narrow the list of nodes that the Work with Network Nodes dialog box contains.

To perform an Inquiry on the list of nodes:

  1. In the Work with Network Nodes dialog box, choose Inquiry.
    Result: The Network Node Inquiry dialog box appears.
  2. From the Node Name list, select the logical operator you want to use for your search. Select from these logical operators.
  3. In the Node Name box, type the name of the node for which you want to search.
    You can type any alphanumeric characters for the value. However, for best search results, specify as much of a complete value as possible.

    Also, if you select the = logical operator, you can use wildcard characters to perform a more general search:

    • ? is a wildcard character that substitutes for a single character. For example, M?KE matches MIKE but not MOOSE.
    • * is a wildcard character that substitutes for a single character or a string of consecutive characters. For example, M*E matches both MIKE and MOOSE.
  4. From the Node Contact list, choose the logical operator you want to use for your search. The Node Contact list contains the same logical operators that the Node Name list does.
  5. In the Node Contact box, type the name of the node contact for which you want to search. The rules for the Node Name box also apply to the Node Contact box.
  6. From the Node Location list, choose the logical operator you want to use for your search. The Node Location list contains the same logical operators that the Node Name list does.
  7. In the Node Location box, type the node location for which you want to search. The rules for the Node Name box also apply to the Node Location box.
  8. From the Fault Severity list, choose the logical operator you want to use for your search. The Fault Severity list contains the same logical operators that the Node Name list does. However, you cannot select case-sensitive versions of the operators for fault severity.
  9. In the Fault Severity box, choose the fault severity for which you want to search from the list. The rules for the Node Name box also apply to the Fault Severity box.
  10. From the Update from SNMP list, select one of the following:
    • The blank space above the TRUE operator clears the Update from SNMP box.
    • TRUE searches for node records that are configured to automatically receive updated data about the node contact and node location from SNMP.
    • FALSE searches for node records that are not configured to automatically receive updated data about the node contact and node location from SNMP.
  11. From the Notify on failure list, select which action you want taken, if any. The list is the same as the Update from SNMP list.
  12. From the Notify on restore list, select which action you want taken, if any. The list is the same as the Update from SNMP list.
  13. From the Record Creation Time and Date list, select the logical operator you want to use for your search. The Record Creation Time and Date list contains the same logical operators that the Node Name list does.
  14. In the Time box, specify the time of node record creation.
    To clear the Time box, close both the Network Node Inquiry dialog box and the Work with Network Nodes dialog box.
  15. In the Date box, specify the date of node record creation.
    To clear the Date box, close both the Network Node Inquiry dialog box and the Work with Network Nodes dialog box.
  16. Choose OK.
    Result: The Work with Network Nodes dialog box appears and displays all nodes that meet the inquiry criteria.
    If no node records met your inquiry criteria, then the Work with Network Nodes dialog box does not display any node records.