Configuring Node Problems


Overview

Tasks

Included with

Tivoli Service Desk

Overview

The Problem Configuration dialog box

TPM NSM Gateway offers you a number of configuration options to allow for a variety of node monitoring needs. For instance, each network object managed by TPM NSM Gateway has its own Problem Configuration dialog box.

Note: If you configure a node using the Problem Configuration dialog box, the information in that configuration takes precedence over the information in the Network Management Configuration dialog box. When using TPM NSM Gateway, you do not have to configure problem information for any node, because the information in the Network Management Configuration dialog box is the default information for every node.

The Problem Configuration dialog box enables you to define node-specific information in problems opened for the node. You can also use it to establish any node specific notifications or callback functions.

If you define node-specific information and then decide you want to return to the default information, choose Restore Defualts. The Restore Defaults button restores problem configuration information back to the original system defaults found in the Network Management Configuration dialog box. The title bar of the Problem Configuration dialog box indicates whether the information is node-specific or if it is system default information.

The Problem Configuration dialog box has these tabs:

  • General contains settings that TPM NSM Gateway requires to work properly
  • Open determines how TPM NSM Gateway opens a problem in Tivoli Problem Management when a network node fault occurs in the NSM platform.
  • Close determines how problems opened by TPM NSM Gateway are closed in Tivoli Problem Management.
  • Callbacks enables the TPM NSM Gateway to communicate with your NSM platform when a problem's status changes in Tivoli Problem Management.

To configure TPM NSM Gateway, you must complete all information on the General, Open, and Close tabs.

You can complete the information on the Callbacks tab as needed, because this information is optional. You can work with the tabs in any order.

Opening the Problem Configuration Dialog box

The Problem Configuration dialog box is not directly accessible from a menu. You must navigate through dialog boxes to get to it.
  1. Using the Tivoli Network Management Administrator profile, from the Edit menu, choose Work with Network Nodes.
    Result: The Work with Network Nodes dialog box appears.
  2. In the network nodes list, select a node that you want to configure, then choose Edit.
    Result: The Network Node dialog box appears.
  3. In the Network Node dialog box, choose Problem Configuration.
    Result: The Problem Configuration dialog box appears.
Deleting problem configuration information The Delete button deletes all information on the Problem Configuration dialog box and then closes the entire dialog box. The information in the dialog box reverts to the default problem information contained in the Network Management Configuration dialog box. The Delete button is unavailable if no problem configuration record currently exists for the selected node.

Tasks

Configuring general information

To configure general information:
  1. In the Problem Configuration dialog box, choose the General tab.
  2. From the User ID for logging problems list, select the user ID defined in Tivoli Problem Management for TPM NSM Gateway.
    The user ID that you select is assigned to any network-related problems that the Gateway Module opens in Tivoli Problem Management.
  3. In the Host to query for Managed Object status box, type the name of the host machine on which your NSM platform runs. If you are unsure of the host name, contact your network or system administrator.
  4. In the Problem compression interval box, type a set number of minutes.
    A positive value for a problem compression interval causes TPM NSM Gateway to reopen a problem for a node when identical or similar device failure events are received.
    The compressed node failures are all added to a single problem in Tivoli Problem Management.
  5. If you are finished with the Problem Configuration dialog box, choose OK to save your settings and to close the dialog box. Otherwise, review the other tabs and make any necessary changes.

Configuring how TPM NSM Gateway opens problems

To configure how TPM NSM Gateway opens problems:
  1. In the Problem Configuration dialog box, choose the Open tab.
  2. From the Caller for Network System Management Gateway Problems list, select the name to assign as the caller for all problems opened by the TPM NSM Gateway.
  3. From the Problem Type list, select the problem type to assign to all problems opened by the TPM NSM Gateway.
  4. From the Call Code list, select the Tivoli Problem Management call code to assign to all problems opened by TPM NSM Gateway. Select a distinct call code, such as Automatic.
  5. From the Default Severity list, select the Tivoli Problem Management severity code to assign to problems opened by the TPM NSM Gateway.
    The default severity code is assigned to the problem when a node becomes managed by the TPM NSM Gateway.
  6. If you want to specify a system, do the following:
    • Select the check box next to the System box.
    • From the System list, select the Tivoli Problem Management system for problems opened by the TPM NSM Gateway.
  7. If you want to specify a component, do the following:
    • Select the check box next to the Component box.
      You must select a system in order to select a component.
    • From the Component list, select the Tivoli Problem Management component for problems opened by the TPM NSM Gateway.
  8. If you want to specify an item, do the following:
    • Select the check box next to the Item box.
      You must select a component in order to specify an item.
    • From the Item list, select the Tivoli Problem Management item for problems opened by the TPM NSM Gateway.
  9. If you are finished with the Problem Configuration dialog box, choose OK to save your settings and to close the dialog box. Otherwise, review the other tabs and make any necessary changes.

Configuring how TPM NSM Gateway closes problems

Your help desk and Tivoli Problem Management system administrator should make a policy decision about how to close network problems that the TPM NSM Gateway opens in the Tivoli Problem Management database.
Your help desk can follow one of two strategies for closing problems opened by the TPM NSM Gateway:
  • Supervised problem closing provides human oversight of network problems, but requires human effort. In this strategy, the help desk defines an intermediate problem code such as RESOLVED or AUTO_CLOSED that the TPM NSM Gateway assigns to problems associated with nodes that have returned to service. Then a help desk analyst or network specialist periodically reviews those problems, manually changes the problem code to CLOSED, and fills in the resolution, if known, but only if those problems are, in fact, solved.
  • Unsupervised problem closing requires no human oversight of network problems, and thus requires no human effort. In the unsupervised problem closing strategy, the help desk decides to have the TPM NSM Gateway automatically assign the CLOSED problem code to network problems reported as resolved. The help desk does not review those problems before the TPM NSM Gateway assigns the CLOSED problem code.

If your help desk decides to choose a supervised problem closing strategy, then the Tivoli Problem Management Administrator must log on to Tivoli Problem Management and define a problem code specifically for the TPM NSM Gateway to use.

To configure how TPM NSM Gateway closes problems:

  1. In the Problem Configuration dialog box, choose the Close tab.
  2. From the Node Restore Code list, select the Tivoli Problem Management problem code.
  3. If you are finished with the Problem Configuration dialog box, choose OK to save your settings and to close the dialog box. Otherwise, review the other tabs and make any necessary changes.

Configuring callbacks

The Callbacks tab is an optional tab, meaning none of this information is required for network management configuration. The Callbacks tab enables you to notify a user of a change in a node problem's status.

In the OPEN, CLOSE, and UPDATE Callback Command boxes, you can type the name of a remote command or a custom TSD Script subroutine to execute. The Gateway Module executes the remote command or TSD Script subroutine after it opens, closes, or updates a problem for a managed object in the Tivoli Problem Management database.

For more information, see Callback command syntax.

To configure callbacks:

  1. In the Problem Configuration dialog box, choose the Callbacks tab.
  2. In the Problem OPEN Callback Command box, type the name of a remote command or a custom TSD Script subroutine to execute.
    Otherwise, go to the next step.
  3. In the OPEN Callback Host Name box, type the name of the machine that you want the Gateway Module to contact when the problem OPEN callback command is a remote command.
    Otherwise, go to the next step.
  4. In the Problem CLOSE Callback Command box, type the name of a remote command or a custom TSD Script subroutine to execute.
    Otherwise, go to the next step.
  5. In the CLOSE Callback Host Name box, type the name of the machine that you want the Gateway Module to contact when the problem CLOSE callback command is a remote command.
    Otherwise, go to the next step.
  6. In the Problem UPDATE Callback Command box, type the name of a remote command or a custom TSD Script subroutine to execute.
    Otherwise, go to the next step.
  7. In the UPDATE Callback Host Name box, type the name of the machine that you want the Gateway Module to contact when the problem UPDATE callback command is a remote command.
    Otherwise, go to the next step.
  8. In the Check for Callbacks every n minutes box, type a number that represents how often the Gateway Module should check for callbacks for a node. If you type a negative number or 0, the Gateway Module does not check for callbacks.
    Otherwise, go to the next step.
  9. If you are finished with the Problem Configuration dialog box, choose OK to save your settings and to close the dialog box. Otherwise, review the other tabs and make any necessary changes.
Callback command syntax Callback commands can take one of two forms in the TPM NSM Gateway. The first form is a remote command that is parsed for variable substitution and then sent to a remote system for execution. The second form is a TSD Script subroutine name.

For remote commands, you can type a text string in the Callback Command boxes. The callback facility provides for variable substitution in remote command strings. The variable substitution substitutes the actual values of certain problem fields. The "expanded" command string is then sent to the remote system for execution.

Variables to be expanded by the callback facility are preceded by a dollar sign ($). The following is a list of problem fields that can be expanded in a remote string:

PROBLEM_ID SOLUTION_ID
SEVERITY CLOSE_DATE
USER_ID CLOSE_TIME
GROUP_ID TIME_SPENT
ACTIVE_WITH FIRST_CONTACT_ID
PROBLEM_CODE FIRST_LOCATION_ID
PROBLEM_RESULT FIRST_SESSION_ID
PROBLEM_TYPE FIRST_CALL_ID
SYSTEM MODIFY_DATETIME
COMPONENT NODE_NAME
ITEM EXT_PROB_ID
MODULE TRAP_NAME
DIAG_NODE n/a

For example, suppose that the following string is typed in a Callback Command box:

TivoliCloseTicket.sh $ext_prob_id CLOSE

Then, when the callback is executed, the value of the problem's EXT_PROB_ID field is substituted for $ext_prob_id.

The second type of callback command that can be typed in the Callback Command boxes is a TSD Script subroutine (that is, procedure or function) name. The format of this type of callback command is:

KBNAME:FUNCTIONNAME ( )

When a callback is executed for a TSD Script subroutine name, the callback facility attempts to call the identified TSD Script subroutine name.