Working with Network News Links


Overview

Tasks

Included with

Tivoli Service Desk

Overview

Diagnostic Aids for TPM NSM Gateway There are several Diagnostic Aids which a Tivoli Problem Management analyst can use to diagnose network problems:

As the TPM NSM Gateway administrator, you set up these Diagnostic Aids. The following sections provide details on how to do this.

For More Information: This topic assumes that you know how the Hot News Diagnostic Aid works in Tivoli Problem Management. If you need more information on the general use and set up of Hot News, see Using the Hot News Diagnostic Aid.

How TPM NSM Gateway uses Hot News records Hot News is the primary Diagnostic Aid that Tivoli Problem Management analysts use to diagnose problems in the NSM platform. When a network error occurs, TPM NSM Gateway automatically opens a call record, a session record, and a problem record simultaneously in Tivoli Problem Management's database. Callers also report network problems.

When a Tivoli Problem Management analyst registers a call for network problems, the analyst specifies the SCIM. Using the date and time of the call, plus either the SCIM or the caller's location, Tivoli Problem Management matches the call with Hot News records. The Work with Hot News dialog box contains all the matching Hot News records. The analyst selects the correct solution and closes the call.

About the activation of a Hot News record for a node As the TPM NSM Gateway administrator, you can link a Hot News record with a node record. In this way, when a network node fails, TPM NSM Gateway automatically makes the linked Hot News record active.

Only active Hot News records appear to Tivoli Problem Management analysts during the call registration process. A Hot News record becomes active based on this formula:

Event Start Time and Date < Current Time < Event Stop Time and Date

In Tivoli Problem Management, a help desk analyst can manually update the boxes in the Edit Hot News dialog box.

TPM NSM Gateway can automatically activate Hot News records for a network event by using the links defined in the Work with Network News Links dialog box. TPM NSM Gateway then updates the Event Start Date and Event Start Time boxes for those Hot News records with the current date and time and clears the End Time and End Date box values. Thereafter, when a new call is opened for an end user with matching System, Component, and Item information, the Work With Hot News dialog box is displayed.

About the deactivation of a Hot News record for a node In Tivoli Problem Management, a Hot News record remains active until it is manually deactivated. To deactivate it, either a Tivoli Problem Management analyst or system administrator must fill in the End Date and End Time boxes in the Work with Hot News dialog box.

However, in TPM NSM Gateway, network-related Hot News records are automatically deactivated when the associated node returns to normal operation.

About the creation of Network News links A Network News link is a relationship between a network fault opened by TPM NSM Gateway and a Hot News record in Tivoli Problem Management.

Hot News provides instant information to Tivoli Problem Management users as soon as they complete the Call Registration dialog box. However, for Hot News to assist Tivoli Problem Management users with network faults, those Hot News records must be linked to specific network nodes that TPM NSM Gateway monitors. For example, if the Hot News record is "Print Server is down," you would need to link this record to the printer node.

Setting up Hot News records for Network News links You must perform the following steps for Tivoli Problem Management to properly display a Hot News record for a network event:
  1. Create a Hot News record for a typical network fault.
  2. Use the Work with Network News Links dialog box to link the Hot News record with all the nodes that could possibly experience the type of problem described in the Hot News record.

You can perform both of these tasks in TPM NSM Gateway. Only the TPM NSM Gateway administrator can link Tivoli Problem Management Hot News records to network events logged by TPM NSM Gateway.

Tip: You do not have to create all possible Hot News records for network problems. As the Tivoli Problem Management analysts experience network problems, they also create new Hot News records. As the TPM NSM Gateway administrator, you could focus primarily on creating Network News links for existing Hot News records and secondarily on creating your own original Hot News records. However, to get started, you should create several Hot News records and Network News links for common network problems.

The Work with Network News Links dialog box The Work with Network News Links dialog box enables you to set up links between network nodes and specific Hot News records. The Work with Network News Links dialog box lists every Network News link record in TPM NSM Gateway.

The top half of the dialog box contains boxes that show the nodes and the available Hot News records. The lower part of the dialog box shows the linked nodes with their corresponding Hot News record.

Tip: A single node can be linked to multiple Hot News records. Likewise, a single Hot News record can be linked to multiple nodes.

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

From the Help menu, choose Your System Profile and follow the instructions under Network News Links.

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 alphanumerically 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
IS NOT NULL n/a Searches for records with any value

Tasks

Adding Hot News records for network nodes When you create new Hot News records in the Work with Hot News dialog box, you are updating the Tivoli Problem Management database. To add Hot News records, use the Work with Network News Links dialog box.

Tip: You can also use Tivoli Problem Management to add Hot News records.

To add a Hot News record for a node in the Gateway Module:

  1. In the Work with Network News Links dialog box, choose Work With.
    Result: The Work with Hot News dialog box appears and displays the existing Hot News records.
  2. Choose Add.
    Result: The Add Hot News dialog box appears.
  3. Enter values in the Add Hot News dialog box. Here are some guidelines for creating a Hot News record for a node-related event:
    • Complete the boxes in a way that callers might use to describe the problem.
    • Although complete SCIM data is not required, consider creating multiple Hot News records with different SCIMs to cover all potential problem descriptions that can result from a particular node failure.
    • In general, you must supply the same information that you would supply for any new Hot News record. However, there are a few differences for node-related Hot News records. Do not specify any values for these boxes:
      • Begin Time
      • Begin Date
      • End Date
      • End Time
  4. Choose OK.
    Result: The Work with Hot News dialog box appears.
  5. Choose OK.
    Result: In the Work with Network Links dialog box, the new Hot News record appears in the Hot News Title column. The Hot News record is now ready to link to a node.
Creating Network News links The Work with Network News Links dialog box enables a user to create Network News links to Hot News records.

To create a Network News link:

  1. In the Work with Network News Links dialog box, select the name of the node that you want to link to a Hot News record.
  2. In the Hot News Title column, select the name of the Hot News record that you want to link to the node.
  3. Choose Link.
    Result: The Network News list displays the Network News link. The link record contains the name of the node you selected, the associated Hot News title, and the description text from the Hot News record.
Finding the sources of a Network News link The values in the Work with Network News Links dialog box are obtained from two tables in the Tivoli Problem Management database.

As you work with the dialog box, you may have items selected in numerous boxes. You sometimes may find it difficult to see whether the node and Hot News record that appear selected together in one place are actually linked together in another. Therefore, the following steps describe how to find the sources of a Network News link.

To find the sources of a Network News link:

  1. In the Work with Network News Links dialog box, select the link from the Network News list whose sources you want to find.
  2. Choose Sources.
    Result: In the Network News box, the name of the node is selected. In the Hot News Title column, the title of the linked Hot News record is selected.
Deleting a Network News link You can delete a Network News link at any time. However, if the Hot News record is active, a message asks you to confirm the deletion.

Deleting the link does not in any way affect any open calls for the node. Deleting a link also does not affect any other nodes linked with the Hot News record or any other Hot News records associated with the node.
If the link is deleted, TPM NSM Gateway does not activate and deactivate the Hot News record.

Note: If the Hot News record associated with the Network News link is active when the link is deleted, the Hot News record remains active. To deactivate the Hot News record, see Deactivating a Hot News record.

Also, deleting a Network News link does not remove the Hot News solution from the Tivoli Problem Management database. You can link that Hot News solution with any other node subsequently.

To delete a Network News link:

  1. In the Work with Network News Links dialog box, select the Network News link that you want to delete.
  2. Choose Delete.
    Result: If the Hot News record is active, a warning message appears, asking that you confirm the delete.
  3. Choose Yes.
    Result: The Network News link is deleted.
Deactivating a Hot News record using TPM NSM Gateway If you delete a Network News link to an active Hot News record, you must manually deactivate that Hot News record, as described in the following steps.

To deactivate a Hot News record:

  1. In the Work with Network News Links dialog box, choose Work With.
    Result: The Work with Hot News dialog box appears.
  2. Select the Hot News record that you want to deactivate.
  3. Choose Edit.
    Result: The Edit Hot News dialog box appears.
  4. In the End Date box, type a previous calendar date.
  5. (Optional) In the End Time box, type a time earlier than the present time.
    By specifying a previous date and/or time, you deactivate the Hot News record.
  6. Choose OK.
    Result: The Work with Hot News dialog box appears.
  7. Choose Exit.
    Result: The Work with Network News Links dialog box re-appears.
Deleting a Hot News record You can delete a Hot News record from within Tivoli Problem Management or from the TPM NSM Gateway. This procedure describes how to do it from the TPM NSM Gateway.

Caution: If you delete a Hot News record for a node, the Network News link is automatically deleted.

To delete a Hot News record:

  1. In the Work with Network News Links dialog box, choose Work With.
    Result: The Work with Hot News dialog box appears.
  2. Select the Hot News record you want to delete.
  3. Choose Delete.
    Result: A warning message asks you to confirm the deletion of the record.
  4. Choose Yes.
    Result: The Hot News record is deleted from the Tivoli Problem Management database.
  5. Choose Exit.
    Result: The Work with Network News Links dialog box re-appears.
Performing an inquiry on the list of Network News Links The Work with Network News Links dialog box may contain many records. You can use the Inquiry function to search for Network News links associated with specific network nodes or Hot News records.

The following steps describe how to use the Inquiry function in the Work with Network News Links dialog box. Performing an inquiry on the list of Network News links does not alter those records in any way. The Inquiry function is merely a technique for viewing a selective list of Network News links.

To perform an inquiry on the list of Network News links:

  1. In the Work with Network News Links dialog box, choose Inquiry.
    Result: The Network News Links Inquiry dialog box appears. The Network News Links Inquiry dialog box enables you to specify what records you want to display in the Work with Network News Links dialog box.
  2. In 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 enter any alphanumeric characters for the value. 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 Hot News Title list, select the logical operator you want to use for your search. The Hot News Title list contains the same logical operators that the Node Name list does.
  5. In the Hot News Title box, type the title of the Hot News record for which you want to search. The rules for the Node Name box also apply to the Hot News Title box.
    Tip: To successfully use the Network News Links Inquiry box, you only need to specify one search criterion. However, by specifying multiple search criteria, you narrow the list of records that the Work with Network News Links dialog box displays.
  6. Click OK.
    Result: The Work with Network News Links dialog box displays all Network News link records that meet the inquiry criteria.
    If no records met your inquiry criteria, then the Work with Network News Links dialog box does not display any records.