vistamart user guide

7/17/2019 VistaMart User Guide

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VistaMart® 4.0

User Guide



2

VistaMart® 4.0

User Guide

Part Number: 40_300_000_40

Copyright 1996-2007 InfoVista S.A.

All rights reserved.

InfoVista®, VistaView®, VistaBridge®, VistaMart®, VistaDiscovery®, VistaPortal®,

VistaFoundation™, VistaInsight®, VistaLink®, Vista Plug-In®, VistaProvisioner®,

Vista Troubleshooter®, VistaCockpit®, and Vista Watch® are trademarks or

registered trademarks of InfoVista S.A. in the United States and/or other countries.

The information contained in this document is the property of InfoVista S.A. No part of

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storage on any medium) or by any means or used to make any derivative work (suchas translation, transformation or adaptation) without the express written permission of

InfoVista S.A.

The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice and

does not carry any contractual obligation for InfoVista. InfoVista reserves the right to

make changes to any products or services described in this document at any time

without notice. InfoVista shall not be held responsible for the direct or indirect

consequences of the use of the information contained in this document.

Brand and product names mentioned in this publication may be registered trademarksor trademarks of their respective holders.

web : www.infovista.com

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VistaMart® 4.0 User Guide Contents

Contents

1 Getting started with VistaMart®

VistaMart in a nutshell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How does VistaMart work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

VistaMart’s role within the VistaFoundation® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Coming from earlier VistaMart versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Introducing the VistaMart Application Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

What’s new between version 2.2 SP2 and 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Connecting to VistaMart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Getting acquainted with the Inventory Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Configuring VistaMart for your VistaInsight solution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Checking initialization settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Installing libraries (VistaViews®) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Configuring Zonesets and Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Configuring the reporting scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Provisioning the VistaMart database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Synchronizing VistaMart with InfoVista Servers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Modifying miscellaneous settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Registering user services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Setting preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Receiving traps from InfoVista Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Setting VistaMart data lifetime and aggregation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Adding data sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2 Provisioning VistaMart

Understanding centralized provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Using the Inventory Manager for provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Importing topologies for provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Selecting Zones and Zonesets to provision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Understanding Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Understanding Zonesets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33About change management and provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Recognizing Instance modifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Moving proxy Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Managing groups Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Understanding synchronization levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Exercising object ownership and priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Applying provisioning modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Selecting topology files for provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Using VistaDiscovery for provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Using external topology files for provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Choosing a file format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45



4


Provisioning with XML topology files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Provisioning with CSV topology files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Generating automatically a configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Following-up your provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Managing topology objects manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Searching inventory objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Deleting inventory Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Command-line provisioning options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

3 Managing InfoVista Servers

Overview of InfoVista Server management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

InfoVista Servers in the production context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Assigning zones to Groups of InfoVista Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Understanding Zone assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Assigning Instances to an InfoVista Server group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Examples of Zone/InfoVista Server Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Declaring a New InfoVista Server Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Declaring a new InfoVista Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Checking InfoVista Server properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Synchronizing InfoVista Server groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Getting InfoVista Server feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Handling ‘unstable’ servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Managing InfoVista Server loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Redistributing Instances between InfoVista Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

4 Understanding the Vistamart Forwarding ServiceBasic principles in data forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Benefits of forwarding data instead of collecting data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Forwarding data from InfoVista Servers to VistaMart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Forwarding service implementations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Forwarding concepts and terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Connecting to the forwarding service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Recovering missing data (VistaMart) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Requesting a recovery (VistaMart) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Requesting a recovery (InfoVista Server) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Ensuring data availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

How VistaMart manages data flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Avoiding a saturated situation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92



5


5 Aggregating and calculating data

Understanding aggregation and display rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Defining aggregation settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Using ‘timeout’ to handle missing data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Setting aggregation attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Selecting the aggregation Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Using the ‘current aggregation’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Selecting an alternative value for aggregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Setting the Indicator’s aggregation attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Calculating group Indicator values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Setting the group Indicator attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

6 Accessing Data

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Displaying Slot data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Displaying Report data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

7 Customizing the InfoVista model for your reporting solution

Overview of the InfoVista Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Defining the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Browsing the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

About Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Searching the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Customizing the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

New Object Wizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Creating a Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Creating a VistaMart Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Creating Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Modifying VistaMart Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Modifying Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Deleting VistaMart Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Creating an Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Creating a Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Creating a Global Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Creating patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Managing Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Importing InfoVista Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Exporting InfoVista Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Deleting InfoVista Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Importing VistaMart Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Exporting VistaMart Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Deleting VistaMart Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128



6


8 Working with Modules and Rules

About Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Setting conditions and actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Executing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Making Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Managing Properties using Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Determining Rule priority for execution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Creating a new Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Editing a Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Examining conditions in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Getting into actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Building a string to set values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Setting actions to trigger data acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Setting actions for multivalued Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Working with Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Applying or Reapplying Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Enabling/disabling and removing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Using ‘resource activation’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Putting Rules inside Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Working with Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

9 Handling events in VistaMart

Purpose of generating events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Handling the event and trap flow in the VistaFoundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Viewing events in VistaPortal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Defining events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178Distinguishing events from traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Determining how wrong and for how long (why) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Establishing event duration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Classifying events by type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Applying a severity level to an event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Identifying an event with a unique key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Developing formulas to generate events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Applying specific conditions to send events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Defining event syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Using event operators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

List of event operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Examples of event formulas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Purging events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205



7


10 Writing formulas using the formula editor

Developing a formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Distinguishing type of values in an expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Making references to objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Using the formula editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Working with the formula editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Creating expressions to send traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

List of operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Conditional operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Basic arithmetic operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Advanced arithmetic operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Reduction operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Miscellaneous operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Temporal operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

A Rule user cases

Duplicate Property from Basic to Proxies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Feed Groups with Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Start Reports according to Agent Vendor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

B XML Topology files examples

Example #1 - Topology file defining Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Example #2 - Topology file defining groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Example #3 - Defining proxies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Example #4 - Defining group contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Example #5 - Instance defined with several Vistas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

C Glossary of terms

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Remarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265



8

1 Getting started with VistaMart®

At the heart of the VistaFoundat ion, VistaMart acts as the pivota l point that

provisions, forwards, and computes data to transform it from its raw state to

processed values displayed in VistaPortal for your reporting solution.

"VistaMart in a nutshell" on page 9

"Coming from earlier VistaMart versions" on page 11

"Connecting to VistaMart" on page 13

"Configuring VistaMart for your VistaInsight solution" on page 15

"Modifying miscellaneous settings" on page 23



VistaMart® 4.0 VistaMart in a nutshell 9

User Guide - Chapter 1 Getting started with VistaMart®

VistaMart in a nutshell

VistaMart is a global data mart that performs two primary functions: data inventory

and data computation.

At the heart of the VistaFoundation, VistaMart gathers data from various sources and

computes it to generate reports on your monitored resources.

These reports are ultimately available for viewing in VistaPortal. They generally

display the results according to the VistaInsight® reporting solutions, which are a

series of Web pages containing real time, dynamic, and customized monitoring for

specific types of IT infrastructures.

How does VistaMart work?VistaMart stores and provides provisioning topology information on monitored

resources and applications to the InfoVista Servers, which in turn poll the required

data and then push it to VistaMart using the forwarding service.

> Once it receives the data, VistaMart’s computation service performs aggregation

and calculations on it and writes the results in the Oracle database.

> VistaPortal retrieves and displays the data results on the VistaInsight solution

pages.

VistaMart is based on a classic n-tier architecture as illustrated in the diagram below.

NOTE The reporting layer comprises VistaPortal, which is the presentation component

in the VistaFoundation.



VistaMart® 4.0 VistaMart in a nutshell 10


VistaMart’s role within the VistaFoundation®The VistaFoundation is an ensemble of InfoVista products working together to provide

real-time reporting on IT infrastructures:

ADMINISTRATION (1) VistaCockpit provides a centralized view of the distributed

system and thus helps to maintain a coherent configuration over the life time of the

project. From the VistaCockpit console, an administrator can configure components ina homogeneous fashion, debug the system, and automate the administrator's tasks

(such as network discovery, data collection, InfoVista Server backup, etc.)

INVENTORY AND CONSOLIDATION (2, 3) The consolidation layer consists of just one

product, VistaMart, which provides InfoVista Servers with reporting requirements,

calculates and stores data values that subsequently goes to the presentation layer.

The inventory provisioning comes from VistaDiscovery, which automatically discovers

the network devices and correlates them with the appropriate reporting.

DATA COLLECTION (4) There are various ways to poll data. InfoVista Server uses

standard protocols (mainly SNMP and Ping) to obtain data from resources. Other

data, such as user log files or data in proprietary formats, go through other products

such as VistaBridge (non-SNMP data), Vista Watch (transaction data), and VistaLink.

As soon as data points become avai lable, the InfoVista Servers push them in bulks to

VistaMart using the forwarding service.

PRESENTATION (5) Collected data is presented to users in VistaPortal in pages that

form together a management dashboard for any chosen solution (SLM, CapacityPlanning, Server Monitoring, etc.). Alerts show up directly in VistaPortal, and you can

obtain real-time data by drilling-down from higher-level summary reports.

Numerous test points in the chains of task execution enable the administrator to

pinpoint quickly errors encountered during the development phase of a project.

Once the production phase begins, you can automate the inventory management and

data consolidation using VistaCockpit. The result is a finely tuned reporting solution

that requires minimum administrator intervention.



VistaMart® 4.0 Coming from earlier VistaMart versions 11


Coming from earlier VistaMart versions

If you upgraded from previous versions of VistaMart, you undoubtedly noticed the

absence of the Gateway component and VistaNotifier from the VistaMart architecture.

> The Gateway’s data collection function gives way to the forwarding service, which

InfoVista Servers use to push polled data to VistaMart.

> VistaNotifier takes its retirement from trap sending and receiving functions. The

new event management feature provides an advanced filtering system to identify,

locate, and prioritize detected problems in order to take appropriate remedial

action.

Introducing the VistaMart Application ServicesThe VistaMart Application Services, formerly the ‘VistaMart Server’ is the main

component that processes polled data and transforms the results into meaningful

values for users to analyze in VistaPortal.

The Application Services component includes the provisioning, forwarding and

computation services:

PROVISIONING The provisioning service oversees VistaMart’s inventory which

includes:

> topology information gathered from resources on the network

> the type of measurements (Indicators) to compute. These measurements use

Indicators that are defined in a set of Libraries (called ‘VistaViews’).

VistaMart keeps these Libraries in its repository and downloads them to InfoVista

Servers. This means that all InfoVista Servers refer to the same set of Indicatorsto ensure consistency in data calculations.

> the type of reports to start and what kind of data to poll depending on your chosen

reporting solution

DATA FORWARDING VistaMart’s forwarding service is in charge of commuting data from

InfoVista Servers as well as external sources.

InfoVista Servers become an active component that push newly polled data or

computed points to VistaMart in bulks, as they become available.VistaMart also receives and processes other non-SNMP such as VistaBridge or

external data from topology files.

DATA COMPUTING As the database gets regularly populated with da ta samples from the

forwarding service, the VistaMart computation service permanently executes the

aggregation and calculation on this data for all specified Instances (individual and

group) according to the reporting solution’s requirements.



VistaMart® 4.0 Coming from earlier VistaMart versions 12


What’s new between version 2.2 SP2 and 4.0NEW FORWARDING PROCESS The Forwarding Service is a process which allows InfoVista

Servers (pollers) to send or ‘forward’ data and traps to VistaMart as they arrive usingone or several forwarding services comprised within the VistaMart Applications

Services. See "Understanding the Vistamart Forwarding Service" on page 84.

EVENT MANAGEMENT From a reporting solution’s point of view, an event signals an

abnormal occurrence in the normal working process and assists users in locating and

remedying the problem as necessary. The new event management system uses an

advanced filtering method and provides formulas using specific operators to generate

events. See "Handling events in VistaMart" on page 175.

FORMULA EDITOR AND NEW OPERATORS The VistaMart formula editor facilitates the

creation of custom to compute data values using a range of operators from simple

mathematical operators to the more complex trend and property management

operators. See "Writing formulas using the formula editor" on page 206.

PROXY MOVE ‘Proxy move’ is a VistaMart feature to manage customer inventory that

allows the redirecting of a proxy Instance from one basic Instance to another basic

Instance. For example, it is possible to move a customer interface from router A to

router B without losing VistaMart data. See "Moving proxy Instances" on page 36.

CSV WIZARD VistaMart accepts custom topology files in CSV format.

Each CSV file that you submit must have an associated XML ‘configuration file’ to

map its contents to InfoVista objects (such as Vistas, Instances, and Properties).

During the import, the Inventory Manager uses the configuration file to ‘convert’ the

CSV file into an equivalent XML file.

Rather than manually writing a configuration file in XML, you can generate it

automatically using the ‘CSV Wizard’. See "Generating automatically a configuration

file" on page 49.

MONITORING VISTAMART VistaMart 4.0 provides a set of KPIs aimed at monitoring the

performance and activity of the entire VistaMart environment, including the Oracle

instance, the database, the services and the synchronized servers. You consult a set

of VistaPortal pages to access the VistaMart Tuning reports. See the VistaMart 4.0

Administ ration Guide, chapter Adminis ter ing VistaMart , section Monitoring Vis taMart.



VistaMart® 4.0 Connecting to VistaMart 13


Connecting to VistaMart

To begin working with VistaMart, it is essential to have the software installed and

running on a machine with a valid connection to a database.

If necessary, refer to the VistaMart Installation Guide, and specifically the Database

Manager and the Configuration Manager context-sensitive online help systems for

precise instructions.

Once you establish a connection with VistaMart, the Inventory Manager displays. This

is VistaMart’s graphic user interface.

Start the Inventory Manager

1 From the Start menu, select InfoVista/VistaMart Inventory Manager. A connection

box appears.

2 From the ‘Service’ drop-down list box, select a service (this list is defined at

installation time).

3 Enter the user name and password and click OK.

Getting acquainted with the Inventory Manager Using the Inventory Manager, you can:

> Create, delete, update and query InfoVista objects (Libraries, Vistas, Properties

Reports, Slots, Instances etc.).

> Manage topologies to provision your inventory according to your reporting needs.

> Launch the discovery tool to update topology information and incorporate any

change since the previous discovery (e.g. new or modified Instances, Slots andReports).

> Create and edit Rules. Rules are an association of conditions and actions

(example ‘For all Juniper routers, start daily reports’). They allow you to define

specific groups of Instances on multiple resources and customize your reporting

accordingly by setting owner priorities, Report Template filters, etc.).

> Manage Libraries. VistaViews (or Libraries) get added or updated automatically to

drive the polling functions for InfoVista Servers.



VistaMart® 4.0 Connecting to VistaMart 14


The Inventory Manager is set up as follows:

The tree pane comprises three tabbed views which you select from the tree pane:

> Browser

> Model

> Config

BROWSER VIEW The view allows you to:

> Browse through InfoVista topology objects (Reports, Instances, Slots etc.).

> Search for specific Instances

> Modify, delete, and manipulate all topology objects

> Make global modifications (for example, modify Instance Property Values for a

specific customer).

> Manually create, update and delete Reports, Instances, Slots and Links, stop andstart existing reports.

MODEL VIEW This view displays the Libraries and Vistas corresponding to your

reporting solution. It also allows you to create, modify and delete VistaMart Libraries

and their associated objects.

CONFIG VIEW This view allows you to define your global configuration parameters such

as initialization, data lifetime and data source settings, forwarding targets, InfoVista

Server groups, zone sets, and geographical information.

A The tree pane: an arborescence listing VistaMart objects, configuration and

provisioning settings.

B The contents pane: a list of the items belonging to the currently expanded node in

the tree pane

C Property or information pane: detailed information about a selected item in the

contents pane.



VistaMart® 4.0 Configuring VistaMart for your VistaInsight solution 15


Configuring VistaMart for your VistaInsight

solutionInitially, when you launch VistaMart for the first time following installation, you must

set up the environment for your reporting solution to define the proper settings,

provisioning information, and synchronize your InfoVista Servers to start data polling.

The configuration process takes place in three phases as shown in the following

illustration:

Phase Description

1 Define your reporting solution:

> "Checking initialization settings" on page 16

> "Installing libraries (VistaViews®)" on page 16

> "Configuring Zonesets and Zones" on page 17

> "Configuring the reporting scope" on page 18

- "Configuring the polling and display rate" on page 18

- "Setting the source data lifetime" on page 19

- "Activating VistaInsight modules" on page 20

2 "Provisioning the VistaMart database" on page 21

3 "Synchronizing VistaMart with InfoVista Servers" on page 22





Checking initialization settingsThe main initialization settings are made at the time of installation. However, before

you start, double-check that these settings are correct for your reporting solutions.

Check VistaMart initialization settings

1 From the VistaMart Inventory Manager, click the Config tab and expand the

Global Configuration node.

2 Double-click on Initialization.

3 In the contents pane, click the first item. A property sheet displays at the bottom of

the pane.4 Check the following values:

• Global Time zone: select your time zone

• Default display rate: default display rate is hourly

Installing libraries (VistaViews®)When you start VistaMart for the first time after installation, you must begin by

installing the required libraries for your VistaInsight solution.

Libraries, or VistaViews, contain the necessary objects for reporting on a given

resource. These objects include metrics, indicators, variables, report templates, etc.

VistaMart keeps these Libraries in its repository and downloads them to InfoVista

Servers. This means that all InfoVista Servers refer to the same set of Indicators to

ensure consistency in data calculations.

The set of libraries that VistaMart uses include VistaMart libraries (i.e. VistaInsight

solution libraries) and InfoVista Server libraries.

VISTAMART LIBRARY VistaMart Libraries contain the same range of objects as InfoVista

Libraries. They differ from these Libraries in that they:

> generally manage lower-frequency data points

> handle only scalar, numeric, and trap indicator values

> contain rules used to define which reports to start and properties to update

> do not contain report templates

VistaMart Libraries can be customized using the VistaMart Inventory Manager (unlike

InfoVista Libraries). You can add new indicators and properties to VistaMart libraries.

Libraries can also be exported from one VistaMart database to another.

INFOVISTA SERVER LIBRARY Also known as a VistaView, the Library represents a

package of objects that represent a particular type of resource (for example, frame

relay networks or Compaq servers or Oracle databases etc.) InfoVista libraries can beimported or exported to or from one VistaMart database to another.

NOTE You can change this display rate to a lower value depending on your solution.

This allows VistaMart to insert data values with a smaller display period.





Install libraries on VistaMart

1 From the Inventory Manager’s File menu, select Manage Libraries.

2 In this window, click the Set the repository of libraries button .

3 Browse to the folder containing your solution libraries (for example,

\vmart\VIS40_CI.zip) and click OK.

4 In the Library Management window, there are several libraries (in bold) that come

with the .zip file. Select them and click Import.

The VistaViews are now imported into your VistaMart configuration.

Configuring Zonesets and ZonesVistaInsight solutions monitor network resources and groups of resources.

To do this, the reporting solution requires the configuration of zones. You can use the

‘default’ zone or set up a new zone or zone set.

> A Zone contains a list of specific Instances.

> A Zoneset contains a list of specific zones.

Create a Zone Set

1 From the VistaMart Inventory Manager Config tab, right-click Zoneset definition

and select New Zoneset from the short-cut menu.

2 A dia log box appears. Enter the Zone Set name, ident if ier, and description.3 Click Finish to validate your choice and create the new zone set.

Create a Zone

1 From the VistaMart Inventory Manager Config tab, expand the Zone set

definition node.

2 Right-click the zone set to which you want to add a new zone and select New

Zone from the short-cut menu. A dialog box appears.

3 Enter the parameters for the zone: name, identifier, InfoVista Servers Group.

4 Click Finish to validate your choice and create the new zone.

NOTE Refer to the readme file for detail on the current VistaView versions.

NOTE Do this only if you want to use a different zone set than the ‘default’ zone set.





Configuring the reporting scopeThe reporting scope designates which network devices to monitor in your

infrastructure.The configuration of the reporting scope consists in customizing the way you want the

data to appear in the VistaPortal pages, notably the polling rate and the rules that

dictate which types of resource to monitor.

POLLING AND DISPLAY RATE sets the frequency of data acquisition and report display

rate.

RULE ACTIVATION selects the type of measurements (Indicators or KPIs) to display in

VistaPortal pages. A Rule defines the fil tering criteria for a report ing solut ion by determining for as many

related Instances as possible, the actions that VistaMart performs, and the type of

reporting you want your solution to display.

A ‘module’ is a container for a set of Rules. To select the KPIs, you must activate or

deactivate modules delivered with your VistaInsight solution. Depending on the

module you activate, you obtain different pages in VistaPortal.

The reporting scope configuration takes place in the following order:

"Configuring the polling and display rate" on page 18

"Activating VistaInsight modules" on page 20

Configuring the polling and display rate

Depending on your reporting solution, it is possible to configure the data acquisition(polling) and display rate either to 1 minute, 5 minutes or 15 minutes. You can

subsequently modify this setting if necessary.

Set the display and polling rate

1 In VistaMart Inventory Manager, select the Model tab and expand the VistaMart

Libraries node.

2 Expand InfoVista Common library and then select Global Variables.

3 In the contents pane, select Minimum Report Display Rate (to set the display rate

of InfoVista Server reports) or Minimum Report Slot Acquisition Rate (to set the

polling rate for a given instance/indicator in VistaMart) to display its properties.

4 In the property pane, set Value either to ‘1_min’, ‘5_min’ or ‘15_min’ and press

[ENTER] to validate the change.

NOTE For further information on Rules and module, refer to the section "Working with

Modules and Rules" on page 129 in this guide.

NOTE It is mandatory that you check these values after each import of VistaMart

libraries.

Make sure that you use the correct syntax (i.e. ‘5_ min’), otherwiseVistaMart cannot take the setting into account.

Vi ® C fi i Vi f Vi i h l i 19





Setting the source data lifetime

The source data lifetime parameter defines how long InfoVista Servers keep data

samples before dropping them. This parameter applies to all the InfoVista Servers

polling for your reporting solution.

The source data lifetime has a direct impact on the data that InfoVista Servers push to

VistaMart, so it is important to configure an appropriate setting.

There are two possibles cases:

> The source data lifetime is too short. InfoVista Servers drop data samples before it

pushes it to VistaMart.

> The data life time is optimum. InfoVista Servers drop data samples after it pushes

it to VistaMart.

Consider the following factors prior to setting the lifetime:

> VistaMart may be stopped for a time (e.g. for maintenance purposes). Data must

remain in the InfoVista Servers during this waiting period.

> The longer the data lifetime, the higher the risk of server congestion. Since the

same data lifetime applies to all InfoVista Servers, it is recommended to set a well-balanced data lifetime to optimize server load.

Set the source data lifetime

1 From the Inventory Manager, select the Config tab.

2 Expand the Global Configuration node, then click Sources to display the list of the

available data sources.

3In the contents pane, select the source ‘InfoVista’ to display its properties.

4 In the Data Lifetime box, click on the spin arrows and the unit button to set a

value. By default the source data lifetime is 14 days.

Vi t M t® 4 0 C fi i Vi t M t f Vi t I i ht l ti 20





Activating VistaInsight modules

Each InfoVista solution comes with a set of modules containing VistaMart Rules,

which are associated with VistaMart libraries.

The following is an example of VistaInsight for Servers module organization.

There are two ways to execute the Rules in a module:

> Global: VistaMart always activates the module. For example, VistaInsight for

Servers solution requires that VistaMart always executes the Servers module

when a server figures in the topology file.

> Rules: VistaMart activates the module only when a Rule calls for its activation. For

example, a Rule in VistaInsight for Servers solution can request the execution of

the module containing the KPIs related to Server Groups.

These modules are activated by default when you install the VistaInsight solution.

You can choose to de-activated them at a later stage.

Activate a module as ‘global’ or ‘rule’

1 From the tree pane, select the ‘Model’ tab and expand the ‘VistaMart Libraries’

node.

2 Expand the node of the library that has the associated module you want to

activate.

3 Click on ‘Modules’. The list of modules associated to the selected library displaysin the contents pane.

4 From the contents pane, click on the module name to display its properties.

5 In the property pane, in the ‘Scope’ box, click on the drop-down arrow to select

either ‘Global’ or ‘Rules’.

VistaMart Library Modules

InfoVista Common Startup

InfoVista VM VIS Server > VIS Server Basic

> VIS Server Capacity Planning

> VIS Server Advanced

InfoVista VM VIS Server Groups > VIS Server Groups Advanced

InfoVista VM VIS Application Process > VIS Application Process Basic

> VIS Application Process Group Advanced

NOTE Startup is a Global module, which comes with all VistaInsight solutions. The

Startup module automatically activates the Rules modules.

VistaMart® 4 0 Configuring VistaMart for your VistaInsight solution 21





Provisioning the VistaMart database After you configure VistaMart for the proper reporting settings, you provide it with

information about which network resources to monitor. This is called the ‘inventoryprovisioning’ process.

The provisioning information comes in a topology file, which is a flat file describing the

devices in an IT infrastructure, with basic information pertaining to that device, such as IP

address, manufacturer, etc. The topology file can either be in ‘csv’ or ‘xml’ format.

The topology file can come from either VistaDiscovery or an external source.

Each line in the topology file is an Instance for which VistaMart must get data. An

Instance is a representation of a monitored IT resource, as seen by the data collection

engine (InfoVista Server) that gathers status and performance data.When you import this topology file in VistaMart, you ‘provision’ its inventory with

Instances to monitor.

This section explains how to provision VistaMart. The provisioning process takes

place in the following order:

"Discovering the infrastructure topology" on page 21

"Importing topology information" on page 21

Discovering the infrastructure topology

This provisioning procedure uses VistaDiscovery to discover the network devices.

To apply the appropriate discovery parameters required for your VistaInsight solution,

refer to your VistaInsight Installation Guide.

Importing topology information

Import topology file

1 Connect to your VistaMart Inventory Manager.

2 From the Provisioning menu, select Import Topology. A dialog box appears.

3 In the Zone box, select the zone assigned to monitored resources.

4 In the Provisioning Mode box, select Full Synchronization (Change) from the drop

down list.

5 In the Topology file box, click the browse button to select the CSV file to import.

6 In the Configuration file box, click the browse button to open the corresponding

XML configuration file (example: TOPOLOGY_definition.xml.)

7 Select the option ‘Allow proxy move’ box if you want to enable the transfer of a

proxy instance from one basic instance to another (see "Provisioning VistaMart" onpage 29).

WARNING Ensure you import the correct CSV file and its corresponding XML

configuration file. For further information on the syntax of XML files, refer to

the section "Provisioning VistaMart" on page 29.

VistaMart® 4 0 Configuring VistaMart for your VistaInsight solution 22



VistaMart 4.0 Configuring VistaMart for your VistaInsight solution 22


8 Click on Preview to simulate the topology import. This is useful to validate any

change and check for any error before you commit them in VistaMart.

9 Click on Run to import the group definition into VistaMart.

Once the groups are created in VistaMart, you can verify them by browsing theInstances from the Model tab in the corresponding Vistas. You can also connect to

your VistaPortal site to visualize groups in the system navigator.

Synchronizing VistaMart with InfoVista ServersThe synchronization process from VistaMart to InfoVista Servers is necessary to

update the InfoVista Servers with new topology information in order to poll data for

VistaInsight reports.

At this point, al l Instances are correctly provisioned in the VistaMart repository.

Synchronize VistaMart with InfoVista Servers

1 Log on to the VistaMart Inventory Manager.

2 In the Server menu, select Synchronize Server Group. A new window opens.

3 In the new window, select your Server Group and click the Synchronize button.

VistaViews and Instances are uploaded to the InfoVista Servers. This may take a

few minutes. You can close the synchronization windows.

At this point , the InfoVista Servers can start to poll immediately for the provisioned

Instances.

VistaMart® 4.0 Modifying miscellaneous settings 23



y g g


Modifying miscellaneous settings

After you configured VistaMart to begin receiv ing data for your reporting solution, you

can modify certain settings if necessary.

Registering user services A user service defines the name of a user allowed to access a VistaMart database.

Each user service includes an alias, the database hostname, the Oracle System

identifier (SID), and the VistaMart repository user identification and password.

Add a user service

1 From the Windows Start Menu, select InfoVista/VistaMart Inventory Manager .

The VistaMart Connection dialog box opens.

2 Click the button to open the Data Source dialog box.

3 Enter the following information:

Box Description

Repository Alias The alias to identify the service.

HostName The Oracle hostname (contact your Oracle DBA if necessary)

DB Port Number The Oracle Instance port number.

SID The Oracle Instance identifier.

User Name The Operator name or the Owner name.

Password Password to identify the user.





4 Click Save to save these connection details and click Connect to access the

VistaMart database defined above.

5 The next time you connect to VistaMart, select the Service (VistaMart database

user connection) from the drop-down box and click OK.

Connect to a VistaMart database (command-line)

1 Browse to the directory <installdir>\bin.

2 Execute the inventory.exe file.

Details of each database connection are stored in an XML file under:

<installdir>\config\dblist.xml. We recommend that you save a copy of this

file for reference purposes (for example, when you re-install the InventoryManager.)

Setting preferencesYou can set your user settings when connecting to the VistaMart Inventory Manager.

Set preferences

1 In the Inventory Manage, select File/Preferences. The Configuration Editor

window opens.

2 Modify the following preferences as required:

Preference Description

Auto Column List

Resize

Select True to resize automatically all Column List Views (width

and height) after manually sizing them.

Auto Tree Resize Select True to resize automatically browser windows after

manually resizing them.

Check DB

Connection

Timeout

The time, in seconds, to check if the database connection is valid.





Receiving traps from InfoVista Server

InfoVista Server uses the forwarding to push data as well as traps to VistaMart.You enable the trap reception in the Inventory Manager.

Enable trap reception

1 In the Inventory Manager, and expand the ‘Global Configuration’ node.

2 Select the ‘Config’ tab and click on ‘Initialization’ to display the list of databases.

3 Select the database where you want to receive traps.

4 In the property pane, select the option ‘Push IV traps’.

Graph This node allows you to configure how to display data samples in

the graphs. See "Accessing Data" on page 173.

IVReport Path The path used by VistaMart to access IVReport, the InfoVista

Server’s graphic interface. By default, this path is:

<InfoVista_install_dir>/Essentials/bin

Click Choose file, to modify this location.

Look & Feel You can change the fonts used by the Inventory Manager. Select

an available font from the drop down list and choose a font size,

weight and angle.

By default, the Inventory Manager uses Tahoma, 11 point, normal.

Visual Date Format Modify the date and time format used by the Inventory Manager.

By default, the Inventory Manager uses yyyy.M.dd HH:mm:ss for

its visual date format.

Preference Description





Setting VistaMart data lifetime and aggregationVISTAMART DATA LIFETIME This parameter determines how long VistaMart keeps data

values in its repository. You can make a data lifetime setting for each display rate ifnecessary.

DATA AGGREGATION VistaMart takes data samples and calculates them for any

specified display rate.

You enable aggregations according to your reporting requirements and database

capacity. For instance, if you want to show data values in VistaPortal for an hourly

display rate, you would set the aggregation at one hour.

Set data lifetime

1 From the Inventory Manager, select the ‘Config’ tab and expand the Global

configuration node.

2 Click on ‘Data Lifetime’ to display the list of display rates.3 Select a display rate for which you want to specify the data lifetime.

4 In the property pane, in the ‘Lifetime’ box, click on the spin arrows and the unit

button to set a value.

NOTE The VistaMart data lifetime setting is not the same as the source data lifetime

setting, which determines how long InfoVista Servers keep data samples before

dropping them. See the section "Setting the source data lifetime" on page 19 for

more details.





Set aggregation

1 From the Inventory Manager, and select the Config tab and expand the Global

configuration node.

2 Click on ‘Data Lifetime’ to display the list of display rates.

3 Select a display rate for which you want VistaMart to aggregate data.

4 In the property pane, select the ‘Aggregation’ option.

A message box appears to prompt you to restart VistaMart in order to take the new

setting into account.

Adding data sourcesData samples generally come from InfoVista Servers, which handle the polling and

calculate derived indicators where applicable. This is not, however, the only possible

data source. Other data sources include:

> VistaMart

> VistaBridge (non-SNMP data collection)

> Vista Watch (Internet scenario testing software).

Add a data source


2 Expand the Global Configuration node, then click Sources to display the list of the

available data sources.

3 If the source you want to add is in this list, select the option ‘isCollecting’ to start

data acquisition from the new source. If not, see "Add and configure a new data

source" on page 28





Add and configure a new data source


2Expand the Global Configuration node, then click Sources to display the list of the

available data sources. If the source you want to add does not figure in this list,

right-click ‘Sources’ in the tree pane again and select ‘New source’. A ‘New

source’ wizard appears.

3 Enter the source name, description, and provider in the respective boxes.

4 In the Timeout box, click on the spin arrows and the unit button to set a value. The

timeout is the interval that VistaMart waits for a data sample to arrive from a

source in order to perform aggregation. Past the timeout interval, the data sample

is considered missing. See5 Select the IsCollecting option to start data acquisition from the source.

6 In the Data Lifetime box, click on the spin arrows and the unit button to set a

value. This defines how long the source poller keeps data samples before

deleting them. By default the source data lifetime is 14 days. See "Setting the

source data lifetime" on page 19 for more details.

7 Click ‘Finish’ to add the new source.



29

2 Provisioning VistaMart

This section explains the basic provisioning concepts as well the ways to provision

VistaMart. It also shows how to manipulate VistaMart objects using the Inventory

Manager.

"Understanding centralized provisioning" on page 30

"Selecting Zones and Zonesets to provision" on page 32

"About change management and provisioning" on page 34

"Selecting topology files for provisioning" on page 44

"Managing topology objects manually" on page 52

VistaMart® 4.0 Understanding centralized provisioning 30



User Guide - Chapter 2 Provisioning VistaMart

Understanding centralized provisioning

Initially, performance data comes from the monitored resources themselves or theprobes that monitor them. The InfoVista Servers process the data samples, which are

then stored in the VistaMart repository for final viewing in VistaPortal.

The ‘centralized’ architecture in which VistaMart functions uses a central provisioning

process to drive this information flow. The VistaMart inventory contains:

> the topology information (gathered from resources on the network),

> the type of measurements (Indicators) to compute,

> the provisioning information (i.e. which type of reports to start and what data tocollect).

Using the Inventory Manager for provisioningThe ‘Inventory Manager’ is the main user interface to the VistaMart repository. Its role

includes:

> Managing the topology files which define the resources that the InfoVista Servers

must monitor. These files come from either the user who manually generates themor automatically using VistaDiscovery, which scans the network for resources of a

specified type.

VistaMart keeps the topology information in its repository and downloads it to the

groups of InfoVista Servers that monitor the resources.

> Determining the type of data to collect from the resources and the measurements

(called ‘Indicators’) which the InfoVista Servers compute for the data.

The Indicators are defined in a set of Libraries (called ‘VistaViews’) and are

initially stored in the VistaMart repository and subsequently downloaded to the

InfoVista Servers. This means that all InfoVista Servers refer to the same set of

Indicators to ensure consistency in data calculation.

> Checking for coherence of the data in the VistaMart repository before it gets

downloaded to the InfoVista Servers. This is the ‘synchronization’ process during

which the InfoVista Servers create the Instances (representing the monitored

resources), import the VistaView Libraries (to get the Indicators), and begin to

collect data.

VistaMart® 4.0 Understanding centralized provisioning 31




Importing topologies for provisioningTo import topology files for provisioning, you use the Inventory Manager.

Import topology files

> From the Inventory Manager’s ‘Provisioning’ menu, select ‘Import Topology’. The

‘Import Topology’ window displays.

When you import topologies to provision VistaMart, you must indicate the following

information:

Line Description

A The ZoneSet or Zone to provision (see "Selecting Zones and Zonesets to

provision" on page 32)

B Provisioning mode (see "About change management and provisioning" on

page 34)

C Topology file and format (see "Selecting topology files for provisioning" on

page 44)D If the file format is CSV, you must also provide a XML configuration file to map

each comma-separated value to InfoVista objects such as Vistas, Instances,

Properties, etc. (see "Provisioning with CSV topology files" on page 48)

E You can use the ‘CSV Wizard’ to analyze and convert automatically CSV topology

files (see "Generating automatically a configuration file" on page 49).

F Proxy move option (see "Moving proxy Instances" on page 36)

VistaMart® 4.0 Selecting Zones and Zonesets to provision 32




Selecting Zones and Zonesets to provision

Topology files give information about the resources on the network that the InfoVistaServers must monitor.

There are two main sources of topology information:

> Automatically created VistaDiscovery topology files

> Manually edited topology files (user edited, VistaBridge, Vista Watch, etc.)

"Understanding Zones" on page 32

"Understanding Zonesets" on page 33

Understanding ZonesEach topology file corresponds to a ‘Zone’.

DEFINITION A Zone is a logical partition in the information system. Each Zone in the

infrastructure can contain a set of resources related by technology, geography,

customer, etc.

Each Zone corresponds to one topology file or one ‘discovery’ phase which defines aspecific group of Instances. This makes it possible to configure the discovery process

differently according to the network zones.

As each topology file corresponds to a Zone, consider the fol lowing examples:

> Three topology files for three IP VPN clients make three zones.

> One ATM network topology file and one Frame Relay topology file make two zones.

> Five distinct WANs for which you generate five topology files make five zones.

> If your entire infrastructure is compiled in one topology file you still have only one

Zone.

VistaMart® 4.0 Selecting Zones and Zonesets to provision 33




Understanding ZonesetsDEFINITION A Zoneset contains a group of zones. Typically, you create a Zone set to

provide reporting for a specific environment.

Zoneset(s) can contain two or more Instances with the same name but which must

always have unique TAGs. In other words, Instances with the same name are made

unique by the Instance’s TAG attribute.

DEFINITION The TAG attribute is the primary identifier of an Instance. It must be

unique inside a ZoneSet. TAG computation Rules depend on the environment, andare subject to change.

If you define two zonesets, one for environment #1 and one for environment #2, you

might have a situation where one Instance exists in both Zone sets, with an identical

tag (and possibly an identical name). There is no conflict since both Zone sets are

clearly differentiated.

VistaMart® 4.0 About change management and provisioning 34




About change management and provisioning

The provisioning modes use ‘change management’ to determine which part of theinventory to add, update, archive, or delete in the VistaMart Repository. The

provisioning modes apply to Instances, Vistas and Properties.

Change management takes place for individual zones. Deletions are detected for one

Zone only. When a basic Instance is deleted, its associated proxy Instances get

deleted as well.

> A new topology f ile for one Zone is compared to a prior version of the same

topology file/Zone pair.

> Any changes (new Instance addit ions, modified Properties, Library versions,

deleted objects, etc.) are analyzed by VistaMart.

> If you accept the differences, Instances which require modification are updated,

and merged with the VistaMart database.

> These Instances can now be downloaded to a group of InfoVista Servers and

polling can begin and return report/slot data.

Recognizing Instance modificationsTAG RECOGNITION Instances are recognized in the change management process using

the TAG attribute. The tag must be set to ensure that the Instance is unique in the

database.

Every Instance must have a tag value. In the case of automatic discoveries, tags are

generated automatically based on information in the VistaDiscovery mapping file.

INSTANCE

STATUSES

This diagram illustrates the successive statuses of an Instance in

your VistaMart database from the time it appears in the inventory until the time it gets

deleted:





See also:

"Lifetime before Archiving" on page 54

A new Ins tance is active as soon as it appears in the inventory for the first time

following import. Provided that the Rules trigger slots and real-time reports for this

Instance, reporting data is available upon the InfoVista Servers synchronization.

The Instance status remains active as long as the Instance is present when youupdate your topology information.

The Instance status is turned to unstable if the Instance is no longer part of the

topology list. However, the reporting data flow remains active as previously. In

term of reporting, there is no difference between the active and unstable statuses.

The Instance attribute LastDiscoveryTime is set to the date the Instance has been

discovered the last time.

The Instance remains unstable as long as the Lifetime Before Archiving period

has not elapsed. This parameter set at Zone level.

If the Instance is submitted again (rediscovered) during the Lifetime Before

Archiv ing period, it is re-act ivated.

If the Instance is not re-activated during the Lifetime Before Archiving, it becomes

an archive. This means:

> The real-time reports and slots are suspended. There is no more data

collection for this Instance. However, the historical data is still available and

the Instance still appears in the VistaPortal reports.

> The Instance is removed from the InfoVista Server.

The Instance remains visible in the database, as an archive, until you launch the

Archived Topology process.

If the monitored entity reappears in the topology before the archive purging, the

Instance is re-activated. That is, reporting data become available again. However,

historical data is missing for the period covering the Instance's archive status.

As soon as you archive the topology, the Instance becomes Deleted. This means:

In terms of reporting, the Instance does not exist anymore and is no longer

available. Its associated reporting data cannot be accessed anymore.

The Instance's tag is modified. That is, the Instance cannot be identified as

previously. If the monitored network entity corresponding to the deleted Instance

re-appears in the provisioning topology, the new resulting Instance cannot be

correlated with the former one.

Finally, all the Instances with the Deleted status are physically removed from the

database when you apply the Instance purging process.

Note that data associated to deleted Instances are regularly dropped as ordinary

obsolete data when you apply the data purging.





Moving proxy Instances‘Proxy move’ is a VistaMart feature to manage customer inventory that allows the

redirecting of a proxy Instance from one basic Instance to another basic Instance. For

example, it is possible to move a customer interface from router A to router B without

losing VistaMart data.

The activation of this feature requires a rigorous tagging policy for proxies in

VistaDiscovery.

USING VISTADISCOVERY DEFAULT TAGGING The default tag for the proxy Instance contains

the tag of the basic (parent) Instance, as in the following example:

tag=”LAN_%parent.build.tag%_%IfName%“

The result, if you keep this tagging policy when using the proxy move feature, youduplicate the Instance because the tag is now different due to the change in the basic

Instance, and you lose your data.

USING CUSTOM TAGGING This gives the proxy Instance a unique tag:

> In the tagging policy of the proxy Instance, do not include any reference to the

basic (parent) Instance, as in this example:

tag=”LAN_%IfAlias%”, where the alias contains the customer and site name

> Using VistaDiscovery’s integration mode, force the tag to a column value (see the

VistaDiscovery User Guide for complete details.)

EXAMPLE Moving Interface 1 from Router B to Router C:

> Case 1: default tagging policy for Interface 1

Tag=Router B_Interface 1 becomes Tag=Router C_Interface 1

Result: Creation of new Instance with tag Router C_Interface 1; loss of data

> Case 2: custom tagging policy using Customer and Site Name for Interface 1Tag=CustomerName_SiteName remains Tag=CustomerName_SiteName

Result: the tag for the interface does not contain any reference to the parent device,

but only information on the object. The ‘proxy move’ function redirects the interface

to the new router, and data polling continues without interruption.

WARNING By default, the ‘proxy move’ feature is disabled as a safeguard against

accidental moves of Instances, causing widespread changes to your

inventory. This can be complicated, if not impossible, to reverse.

Use this function cautiously when you must redirect your proxy Instances

for specific Zones only.





Managing groups InstancesThe ability to group individual Instances is especially useful when you must group

network resources in your reports according to specific criteria.

The objective is to facilitate group reporting by starting a slot or report for the group

Instance. Everything required for the calculation such as Instances, Indicators, and

Report Templates are launched automatically.

A group Instance is an Instance with:

> Dedicated Properties which qualify the related members within the group.

> Dedicated Indicators, whose values are calculated through formulas from the

respective members’ Indicator values.

About group members

Within the VistaMart database, each individual Instance has a Property ‘Member of

Group’ which identifies the group(s) to which it is related. There are two different

ways to assign members to a group:

> For each related Instance, you explicitly declare the ‘Member of group’ Property

value in the topology file you import to provision the VistaMart Zone.

> Using Rules, you modify the Property value according to a given set of conditions.

Note that a given group can federate Instances sourced from different zones -

individual members and their group(s) do not necessarily belong to the same Zone.

This gives you the flexibility to use specific topology files for defining the groups.

An Instance can be a member of several groups using a mul ti-valued Property. For

example, a server can be a member of the groups ‘Servers’, ‘Database’, and

‘Windows’.

Groups can also be members of groups. This allows you to define a flexible structure

and create as many reporting combinations as you need.


U d di h i i l l




Understanding synchronization levels A synchronization level is a flag that indicate the state of Instances, Reports and

Slots according to the synchronization phase between VistaMart and the data source.

Synchronization levels are useful because they:

> prevent any conflict with the ‘Update Date’ attribute (two simultaneous updates

could cause database conflict).

> avoid extensive comparisons (‘diffs’) which involve retrieving InfoVista databases

and comparing them with new topologies

There are five possible synchronization levels as shown in the following diagram:

SynchronizationLevels

Applied to...

1:

Requires Rules

Application

Entities manually created or modified in the VistaMart Inventory

Manager including any automatically created entities (e.g: by

VistaDiscovery) which are then manually modified.

Note: By manual modification, we mean all modifications using the

VistaMart Inventory Manager or by any external application which is

“unaware” of the current synchronization state. This includes SQL

plus.

All ent ities with state 1 have not any Rules applied.

2:

Awaiting Server

Synchronization

All ent it ies provis ioned in a VistaMart database using VistaDiscovery.

All ent it ies with state 1 which have Rules appl ied .

These entities, which are potentially not synchronized on InfoVista

Servers, are synchronized the next time a server group is updated.





Exercising object ownership and priorityObjects on the VistaMart repository (such as Instances, Property Values, Slots,

Reports, Links) that come from provisioning have an ‘owner ’ attribute. This attribute

indicates the priority exercised when updating, inserting, or removing these objectsfrom the database.

‘Owner’ priorities allow you to protect database coherence. In order to modify or

delete an existing object, an owner must have the same priority or higher than the

current owner of the object. For example, if an object has ‘Application’ as owner, it

cannot be modified by the owner ‘Auto’; it can only be modified by the owner

‘Application’ or higher.

The following table lists the various owners and their related priorities:

3:

Synchronized onServer

All ent it ies successfu lly uploaded and synchronized on an InfoVista

Server. Any ent ity which is rediscovered and which exists in the same form

on an InfoVista Server is therefore not resynchronized, thus saving

resources.

4:

Error during

Server

Synchronization

An unrecoverable error has occurred while uploading this entity. It is

not considered for InfoVista Server uploads in future unless it is

changed (automatically or manually) and returns to state 1 or 2.

You need to use the repair mode to recover the entity.

5:

Provisioned

VistaBridge and Vista Watch Instances are successfully provisioned.

Name Priority Description

Default

(lowest)

0 Property Values which st il l mainta in thei r defaul t values .

Auto 50 This priority is set for all objects imported by provisioning using

the ‘change’ and ‘proxy’ modes.

Rules 50 Objects created or modified by VistaMart Rules

Application 100 Objects created by applications such as VistaBridge

User 200 Objects modified by a user or by provisioning in the ‘update’

mode

Specific

(highest)

500 Objects created by applications such as Vista Watch that need to

keep strict control over the Instances it generates.

NOTE Properties Values and Instances have separate owners that are not

necessarily the same. Thus, you can set Instance attributes at a ‘User’ owner

level and maintain Property Values under ‘Auto’ owner.

Synchronization

Levels

Applied to...


Applying provisioning modes




Applying provisioning modesYou can apply six provisioning modes:

"‘Change’ mode" on page 40

"‘Device’ mode" on page 41

"‘Update’ mode" on page 42

"‘Addupdate’ mode" on page 42

"‘Delete’ and ‘archive’ modes" on page 43

‘Change’ mode

This provisioning mode is called ‘Full Synchronization’.

For a given Zone, this mode creates new Instances and updates existing Instances. It

also removes Instances that do not appear in the current topology file when compared

to the previous topology file (reconciliation process).

This mode follows the ‘owner’ priority when modifying or deleting objects. All new

objects created from a topology file have the owner ‘auto’.

When importing the new topology file, the user must indicate the name of the topology

file and the Zone to which it applies.


‘Device’ mode




Device mode

This provisioning mode is called ‘Synchronization limited to devices declared in the

topology file’.

The objective of this mode is to limit the change management to the Instances

defined in the topology files for a subset of the Zone:

> It creates new Instances defined in the topology file

> It updates existing Instances defined in the topology file

> Removes proxy instances if these do not appear in the topology file. Their

associated basic instances remain.

For glossary definitions of basic and proxy instances, see the entry "instance" on

page 250.

DEVICE UPDATE CASE When you define a basic Instance in the topology file, you must

also provide the definition of all its related proxies within that same topology file (for

example, a router and all its interfaces). The basic and proxy instances belong to the

same Zone. Since change management applies to the whole device, the related

proxies that are not in the topology file are deleted.

PROBE /INTERFACE UPDATE CASE This provisioning mode also manages proxy Instances

without affecting other Instances in the Zone. It is particularly useful when detecting

new probes or QoS interfaces on routers, which are by definition proxy type

Instances.

This type of configuration requires at least two separate Zones:

> The first Zone is dedicated to the network device definitions,

> The second Zone is strictly dedicated to the related proxy definitions.

For example, VistaDiscovery discovers the routers contained in ‘Zone 1’ and the

probes in ‘Zone 2’. The provisioning process automatically makes the link between

the routers and the probes and updates only the probes in a given Zone. The proxyInstances linked to the same basic Instances located in other zones are not affected.

The ownership hierarchy applies in this provisioning mode.


‘Update’ mode




Update mode

This mode is also called the ‘Primary update of Properties and Vistas’ mode.

For any given topology file, it does not create or delete any objects in the inventory. It

simply updates Properties and Vistas.

The objective of this provisioning mode is to:

> Modify the Property values of an Instance so that an automatic process cannot

override them.

> Add new Vistas to the Instance

If you want to change the Property Value of an Instance, you must import a new

topology file in the update mode or change it manually using the Inventory Manager.

Once you apply the ‘update’ provisioning mode to an Instance Property, the Propertyowner of that Instance changed to ‘User ’. Hence that Property Value cannot be

changed or deleted by the ‘change’ provisioning mode or by Rules.

We recommend that you separate all Properties updated with the ‘update’ mode from

those that can be regularly updated using the ‘change’ mode.

‘Addupdate’ mode

This mode is also called ‘Additional Updates of Properties’.You use this mode to update only Properties belonging to an Instance in the topology

file, as opposed to the ‘update’ mode which updates Properties as well as Vistas.

The following example illustrates the case where you need to update the monitored

routers with two different sets of Properties, sourced from two distinct CSV topology

files:

> The first topology files provides the Service definitions

> The second topology file provides the Customer definitions.


‘Delete’ and ‘archive’ modes




elete a d a c e odes

The objective of these two removal modes is to remove Instances from a given Zone.

The topology file contains a list of Instances to remove. It only requires the tag of

each Instance to remove.

> when using the ‘delete’ mode, VistaMart deletes the Instances. The Instance is

permanently destroyed.

> when using the ‘archive’ mode, VistaMart archives the Instances. The reporting

associated to the archived Instance is suspended even though it still appears in

VistaPortal. This function can be reversed. Data polling stops, but the user can still

access the data.

When you remove or archive basic Instances, the associated proxies are also

removed or archived.

LINKS The links between the deleted or archived Instances and other Instances are

deleted as well.

REFERENCED PROPERTIES AND GROUPS When you remove an Instance, all referenced

Properties and Groups from this Instance are reset to null.

VistaMart® 4.0 Selecting topology files for provisioning 44

Selecting topology files for provisioning




Selecting topology files for provisioning

A topology file is a fla t f ile describing the devices in an IT infrastructure with basicinformation pertaining to that device such as IP address, manufacturer, etc.

In addition, it gives information about Instances, Indicators, Property Values, Vistas,

that VistaMart uses to provide the reporting you need.

> You can declare multiple Vistas in a topology file. This is the case when an

Instance belongs to several Vistas (for example, a ‘server’ Instance can belong to

the ‘Database’ and ‘Server’ Vistas).

> It is possible to declare proxy Instances without explicitly declaring the basic

Instance. It is only necessary to include a reference or link to the basic Instance.

> You can use the Property Value ‘Member of Group’ to identify the members of a

given group (i.e. ‘Cisco Routers’). You can also use this Property to create groups

of groups.

Using VistaDiscovery for provisioning

VistaDiscovery allows you to automate the network discovery process. During adiscovery phase, it may find new objects which you can incorporate into the VistaMart

inventory.

VistaDiscovery produces topology files that are formatted in XML to work compatibly

with VistaMart. The file details each Instance, its related Vista and its Property

Values.

Zones created in VistaDiscovery carry the tag ‘Automatic.’ You can either create

these Zones in VistaDiscovery or the VistaMart Inventory Manager to use in the

discovery.

You can modify the topology file generated by VistaDiscovery for a Zone to suit your

reporting requirements. For example, you can use Rules to modify Instance Property

Values or create/delete/modify objects individually and manually.

For comprehensive details about VistaDiscovery features, see the VistaDiscovery

User Guide.

Using external topology files for provisioningYou can create topology files manually or through other applications such as

VistaBridge or Vista Watch and import them into VistaMart using the Inventory

Manager.


Choosing a file format




gTopology files come in two possible formats:

XML The file complies with the standard XML syntax and conforms to a built-inVistaMart schema. You can submit this file directly for provisioning.

CSV This customized format must be converted to XML so VistaMart can read it.This

conversion process uses an additional Configuration file that maps the comma-

separated values to objects in the VistaMart inventory such as Instances, Property

Values, etc.

Provisioning with XML topology filesYou manually provision VistaMart with an XML topology file that follows XML syntax.

Import a topology file

1 In the Inventory Manager, select Provisioning/Import Topology. The Import

Topology window opens. This window allows you to:

• set your VistaMart provisioning parameters,

• preview your topology files (use test small Instance groups as it is a memory-

consuming process),

• launch provisioning,

• monitor changes in the integrated log window.

2 Select the appropriate Zone and Provisioning Mode.

3 Click the browse button in the Topology file box to select the XML topologyfile to import and click Open.

• The option topology file is selected by default to XML File. Do not change it.

4 Click Preview. This allows you to test the validity of the submitted file and display

the changes compared to the previous topology.

VistaMart uses the submitted topology file to show what changes (additions,

deletions, modifications) it would make in the database for these objects:

• Instances: Inserted (blue), changed (green), removed (red). Any Instanceneeding resynchronization appear in yellow (see "Understanding

synchronization levels" on page 38).

• Reports (for each Instance)

• Slots (for each Instance)

• Properties (for each Instance)

To display Reports/Slots/Property information for each Instance, select an

Instance in the contents pane of the ‘Browser ’ tab.

5 Click OK to close the Preview window.

NOTE You can only provision one Zone at a time.


6 Click Run to apply the changes.




VistaMart updates the database for all Instances as required.

Instances that are no longer in the Zone topology file are not deleted immediately

from the database, but turned as unstable Instances. This means that you cansubmit them again until the expiration of their ‘Lifetime before Archiving’.

XML file structure

An XML topology file follows a speci fic structure and contains the following items:

"Detailed description" on page 46

Detailed description

The following table gives explanations for the essential parts of the XML topology file.

This file includes the description of an Instance with a link. Note that the object WID is

not mandatory.

Instance Declaration and related Property Values Description

<ADResult Seq=”-1” Id=”id”> Autodiscovery result.

<Instances> Instances container

<Instance Name=”FR RT hq01rt10 172.29.0.1 Serial0/1.1 995"

Tag=”FR RT hq01rt10 172.29.0.1 Serial0/1.1 995">

The name and tag can be

identical if the Instance name

is unique in the database.

<Description>Serial0/1.1</Description> A short descript ion of the

Instance.

<Vista Name=”FR Pvc”/> The name of the Vista(s) that

the Instance belong to.


Instance Declaration and related Property Values Description




<PropertyValue VistaName=”Interface” Name=”Interface Index”

Value=”4”></PropertyValue>

Details for the Vista that this

Property is based on.

The Value of the Propertywhere applicable. It can be

modified for each Instance.

The encryption attribute to

indicates if the Property value

is encrypted.

<PropertyValue VistaName=”FR Pvc” Name=”EIR” Value=”512000”>

</PropertyValue>

<PropertyValue VistaName=”FR Pvc” Name=”DLCI” Value=”995”

Encryption=”0”>

</PropertyValue>

<Basic Tag=”RT HQ01RT01 194.98.138.252"/> Indicates the parent basic

Instance of the proxy

Instance.

<Link Type=”layer3” Tag0=”FR RT hq01rt11 172.16.1.11 Serial0/0.1

995" VistaName0=”FR Pvc” VistaName1=”FR Pvc” Tag1=”FR RT

hq01rt10 172.16.1.10 Serial0/1.1 995"/>

</Links>

The associated Instance or

“Link” is the Instance used by

the VistaPortal Service Level

Navigator.

<Subnets/> (For VistaDiscovery only)

Related subnets discovered.

Leave empty for non-VistaDiscovery topologies.


Provisioning with CSV topology files




VistaMart accepts custom topology files in CSV format.

In this format, each row represents an Instance, with one field containing the identifier

for the Instance such as ‘Tag’ or ‘IP address’.

Each CSV file that you submit must have an associated XML ‘configuration file’ to

map its contents to InfoVista objects (such as Vistas, Instances, and Properties).

During the import, the Inventory Manager uses the configuration file to ‘convert’ the

CSV file into an equivalent XML file. The conversion process is transparent to the

user.

Once converted, you can submit the topology file in XML format for provisioning.

You can either create manually the configuration file or automatically using the CSV

wizard.

The configuration file include three sections:

1 The Settings section includes the Separator used to separate the objects (the

respective columns) in each row, and a Best Effort option to accept/reject

unresolved Instances.

2 The Resolution section includes the objects which are used for resolving the

addressed Instance. In some cases, the Resolution section is not necessary if the

Instance can be directly resolved using the unique Tag identifier.

3 The Mapping section that provides a ‘column to property’ mapping for theInstance.

INSTANCE CREATION Each new Instance is specified with as many attributes (Tag,

Name, Description,.) and Properties as necessary. Note that both Tag and Vista

definitions are mandatory.

INSTANCE UPDATE The Instance to update can be resolved by several ways:

> You explicitly supply the Instance Tag

> The ‘resolution’ section of the Configuration file includes as many Properties asnecessary to identify the Instance.

NOTE See "XML Topology files examples" on page 239 for a series of detailed

Configuration File examples that you can use as templates.


Generating automatically a configuration file




Rather than manually writing a configuration file in XML, you can generate it

automatically using the ‘CSV Wizard’.

The major steps in the wizard guide you through the following steps:

> Import or create a new configuration file and topology file

> Define the file format (separator, encoding, lines to exclude…)

> Define the Instance type

> Define the provisioning mode (change, update, etc.)

> Define the Instances (tag, name) or define the resolution method

>Define the associated properties

> Confirm and save the configuration file

The table below synthesizes the general information you must enter build your

configuration file. The steps vary depending on whether you are working in the

‘change’ or ‘update’ provisioning mode.

Step Description / Information to enter

File structure Column separator: choose between tab, semi-colon, comma, or

other (enter the symbol in the associated box)Instance type > Simple case: one type of Instance (example: router). Choose

the associated Vista from the drop-down list box.

> Complex case: several types of Instance (example: router and

WAN interface). The wizard parses the CSV file to find the

number of Instance types.

- Associate the Vista for each type of Instance.

- If the selected Vista is a proxy, select the Vista for the basic

and indicate if the Vista is defined in the topology file

Provisioning mode The provisioning mode plays a key role in the configuration file.

There are several possibilities:

> You create or delete instances: The Instance TAG is mandatory

and must be defined in this configuration file

> You only update instance properties: You specify a

reconciliation policy to find the instance using for example the

instance name, TAG, some properties.

> You update instance properties but also the associated Vista:You have two reconciliation mechanisms. The Vista gets

updated according to the one defined in the Instance type.

Instance definition This step applies if you are in the ‘change’ mode (full

synchronization). Here, you describe how to name the Instances.

The tag is necessary for Instance identification, as well as

Instance reconciliation (i.e. associating a proxy Instance with its

basic (parent) Instance).


I t Thi t li if i th ‘ d t ’ d Y d fi h

Step Description / Information to enter




Instance

reconciliation

This step applies if you are in the ‘update’ mode. You define how

to find the Instance through a mapping of column to properties.

The list of the properties displays automatically filtered dependingon the Instance type Vista and associated basic Vista (if the

instance is a proxy).

Properties definition Here you update the Instance properties according to one or

several columns.

Validation This final step guarantees that:

> The configuration file is properly updated and saved

> All columns are used

> Resolution process is matching instances (in update mode)

> No errors when processing the first lines for each type of

instance.


Following-up your provisioning




The Zone container in the Browser tab contains the list of Zones and their related

objects created during the configuration process (Instances, Reports, Slots, etc). The

contents of each Zone are separated into the following items:

Zone contents Description

Instances The complete list of Instances according to the topology file used to

create the Zone.

New Instances The date stamp attributed to new Instances.

Manually Created

Instances

This applies both to manually created Instances and all manually

modified Instances. For example, an Instance for which you have

changed a Property Value is in this list.

Unstable

Instances

Instances which were not submitted during the most recent

provisioning (they’re not discovered by VistaDiscovery, they’re not

part of the topology files).

Unstable Instances is turned to:

> archives, if they are not re-discovered before their lifetime expires,

> active Instance, if they are re-discovered.

Archived

Instances

Instances which are no longer unstable, that is, their lifetime has

expired?

Requires Rules

Application

These Instances need to be associated with Rules.

Instances listed here have Synchronization level 1 (for details, see

"Understanding synchronization levels" on page 38).

Ready for

Synchronization

These Instances have been associated with Rules: They are now

ready to be uploaded (synchronized on a group of InfoVista Servers).

Instances listed here have Synchronization level 2 (for details, see"Understanding synchronization levels" on page 38).

Events All events related to Zone creation and management in order o f t rap

severity.

VistaMart® 4.0 Managing topology objects manually 52

Managing topology objects manually




You can create, modify or delete topology objects manually in the Inventory Manager.Each object is created individually. For example, you might want to add a specific

type of Interface report to a single LAN Interface Instance which, using standard

Rules, is not associated with this report.

CREATION Manually created objects are not overwritten when you re-apply Rules.

Manually created objects always have higher priority than automatic object creation.

MODIFICATION You can use the Browser View to modify object values directly, using

the Property sheet of the relevant object.

If you modify a Property value for a specific Instance, the changes applied to the

Property value are stored under the history attribute. This allows you to keep track of

changes and recall default values if required.

"Creating a Zoneset" on page 52

"Creating Zones" on page 53

"Creating/deleting Instances" on page 54

"Creating/deleting proxies" on page 55

"Creating/deleting Reports" on page 56

"Creating/deleting Slots" on page 57

"Creating/deleting Links" on page 58

Creating a Zoneset

Create a Zoneset

1 In the Inventory Manager, click the Config View tab.

2 Right-click ZoneSet Definition and select New Zone set.

The zoneset Definition dialog box opens.

3 Enter a zoneset Name which usually corresponds to a Customer. This Zone set

contains all corresponding zones (for example European servers, Cisco Frame

Relay devices etc.).

4 Enter a zoneset Identifier. By default, this value is the same as the zoneset name.

This attribute must be unique for each zoneset.

5 Enter a zoneset description (optional) and click ‘Finish’.


Creating Zones




Create a Zone

1 In the Inventory Manager, open the Config tab.

2 Expand Zone Set Definition, right-click the Zone set to associate with the new

Zone and select New Zone.

3 Add the parameters as requi red.

All under lined parameters, flagged with a ‘*’ in this list, are mandatory.

Parameter Description

Zone name* A name (up to 64 characters) which cor responds to a type of

reporting you want it to handle (for example European Servers,

Cisco Frame Relay, Customer X IP VPN devices, etc.).

Zone Identifier* By default the Identifier takes the same value as the Zone name.

Zone Description A relevant description (up to 2048 characters).Zone Kind Two possible options:

> Manual”. The Zone is populated using topology files

> “Automatic”. The Zone is populated using VistaDiscovery.

Default InfoVista

Servers Group*

Associate the new Zone with an InfoVista group. By defaul t the

“Default” server group is used. You can modify this parameter at a

later date.

Default Location You can set a physical location for the Instances in this Zone.Select any Country/City combination from the drop-down list.


Resource By default, all related values for the following resources are





4 Click ‘Finish’.

Creating/deleting Instances

Create Instances manually

1 In the Inventory Manager, open the Browser View tab.

2 Expand the Zone container.

3 Expand the Zone where you want to create the Instance.

4 Right-click the Instances icon to access the New Instance Wizard.

5 Enter the following attributes in the New Instance Property sheet (Note: most of

these attributes can be modified after the Instance is created).

Underlined attributes, flagged with a ‘*’ in this list, are mandatory.

Activation*

y g

activated:

> Solution> Report Template Capabilities

> Indicators Capabilities

> Vendor

> Template Frequency

> Vistas

> Template/Indicator Library

They can be deactivated or reactivated using Zone filters.

Lifetime before

Archiving

The lifetime of Instances in unstable status. Once this time has

elapsed, the Instance is archived.

Attribute Description

Name* Any unique name (string max 255 charac ters).

Instance

Identifier*

Corresponds to the TAG attribute - the primary identifier of an

Instance. It must be unique inside a ZoneSet. The Rules to compute

the TAG depend on the customer, and are subject to change.

By default the Instance Identifier has the same value as theInstance name.

Kind* “Basic” or “Group: according to the specified Vistas. This value is

fixed and cannot be modified.

Description A textual description (2055 character maximum).

Zone* By default, the Zone you are using to create the Instance. You can

change this Zone here if required.


Location* The geographical location of the Instance to be created.





Delete Instances manually

1 Click the Manually Created Instances or the Instances icon for the relevant Zone.

2 Select the Instance(s) you want to delete in the Property sheet, right click and

select Delete.

Creating/deleting proxies

You can create proxy Instances based on basic Instances.

Create proxies manually



3 Expand the Zone containing the parent Basic Instance.

4 Click the Instances icon to expand the list of Instances.

5 Click the Instance you want to create a Proxy for. Its details are displayed in a list

below the Instances.

6 Right-click the Proxies icon and select New Proxy.

7 Complete the following attributes

All a ttributes are mandatory, except the descr ipt ion , are mandatory.

Select any country/city combination from the drop-down box.

InfoVista

Servers

Group*

You must associate the Instance with a group of InfoVista Servers. If

you have not already configured a group, use “Default.”

You can modify this attribute at a later stage.

Vistas* Related Vista and any related parent Vistas. Alternatively, you can

select the Vista which most closely represents the device; all other

related Vistas inherit this Instance (for example a router Instance is

inherited by the Resource and SnmpNode Vistas etc.).

See “The InfoVista Solution Model” on page 188 for details on

object relationships.

NOTE If you manually delete a referenced Instance (e.g. a group), you must reapply

the Rules for all zones containing Instances referencing that Instance.



Name* Any unique name (string max 255 characters).




Delete proxies manually1 Click the Proxy in an Instance Property sheet. It appears in the pane to the right.

2 Right-click this Proxy and select Delete.

Creating/deleting Reports

Create Reports manually

1 In the Inventory Manager, open the Browser View tab and expand the Zone container.

2 Expand the Zone where you want to create the Report.

3 Click the Instances icon to open the Instances Property sheet.

4 Click the Instance you want to create a report for. Its details are displayed in a list


5 Right-click the Reports icon and select New Report Wizard.

6 Enter the following attributes (all attributes are mandatory, except ‘Description’.)

Name Any unique name (string max 255 characters).

Instance

Identifier*

Corresponds to the TAG attribute (primary Instance identifier) which must

be unique inside a ZoneSet. Rules to compute the TAG depend on the

customer and can change.

By default the Instance Identifier takes has the same value as the Instance

name.

Description A textual description (2055 charac ter maximum).

Zone* By default, the Zone you are using to create the Instance. You can change

this Zone here if required.

Vistas* Related Vista and any related parent Vistas. Alternatively, you can selectthe Vista which most closely represents the device; all other related Vistas

inherit this Instance (for example a LAN Interface Instance is inherited by

the Router, Resource, Common and SnmpNode Vistas).

Location* The Location can be different from the Instance used to create the proxy.

Proxy* The name of the Instance used to create the proxy.


Name Any unique name (str ing max 255 characters).



Report

Template

You must associate a Vista and Report Template to create a report based

on the selected Instance Select any Vista/Report Template combination





7 Repeat these steps for other Instance/Report Template combinations.

Delete Reports manually

1 Click the Running Report or Suspended Reports icon for the relevant InfoVista

Server.

2 Select the Report(s) you want to delete in the Property sheet, right click and select

Delete.

Manually created Reports, when deleted, are sent to the Trash. They are deleted form

the Trash when you the database.

Creating/deleting Slots

A slot is raw data returned for an Instance/Indicator pair. You can s tore slots in

VistaMart and use this slot information to create graphs in VistaPortal.

Create Slots manually



3 Expand the Zone where you want to create the Slot.


5 Click the Instance you want to create a Slot for. Its details are displayed in a list


6 Right-click the Slots icon and select New Slot.

Underlined attributes, flagged with a ‘*’ in this list, are mandatory.

Template on the selected Instance. Select any Vista/Report Template combination

from the drop-down list.

You cannot modify the Vista/Report Template attribute after report

creation.

Timezone The time Zone for which this report is calculated. It is set by default to

the global time Zone.

This attribute cannot be modified after the report is created.


Data Indicator Data Indicators function with Instances at the InfoVista Server level to

retrieve data from polled devices.


Acquisition

Rate*

The Slot data acquisition rate. Hourly by default.

Display rate* The minimum Slot data display rate. Hourly by default.


Source* The default data source types are:

I f Vi t l t h dl d b d f lt b I f Vi t S





Delete Slots manually

1 Click the Running Slots or Suspended Slots icon for the relevant InfoVista Server.

2 Select the Slot(s) you want to delete in the Property sheet, right click and select

Delete.

Creating/deleting Links

You can create Links between two Instances to associate these Instances for the

purposes of the VistaPortal Service Level Navigator. Instances can be linked over one

or more layers.

Create Links manually



3 Expand the Zone where you want to create the Link.


5 Click the Instance you want to create a Link for. Its details are displayed in a list


6 Right-click the Links icon and select New Link Wizard...

All attributes are mandatory.

InfoVista: slots are handled by default by InfoVista Servers.

VistaMart: concerns SQL-created slots in VistaMart.

Other sources can exist (for example Vista Watch or VistaBridge).

Timezone* Time Zone for this Slot. It is set by default to the global timezone.

This attribute cannot be modified after the report is created.

Displayed

Indicator

Display Indicators are created at VistaMart level to enable you to have a

more generic/solution-based approach to reporting.

By default, it is the same as the data Indicator.

Attribute DescriptionLink Identifier An automatical ly-created WID for the Link.

Instance Source The Instance used as the principal Instance.

Instance

Destination

The Instance you want to link to the principal Instance.


Link Type The layer number used to define the link. “Undefined” by default.

O f f





Delete Links manually

1 Click the Link in an Instance Property sheet. The Link is displayed in the pane to

the right.

2 Right-click this Link and select Delete.

Is Oriented The direction of the Link is usually oriented from the Instance

Source to the Instance Destination. If you do not want to orientthe Link, select “Unoriented”.


Searching inventory objectsThe VistaMart Inventory Manager incorporates a sophisticated search engine which

allo s o to la nch cascade q eries to locate in entor objects




allows you to launch cascade queries to locate inventory objects.

A cascade query is based on a combined ser ies of search criteria.

Example:

> Search for router Instances, and

> Search for router Instances located in London UK, and

> Search for router Instances on InfoVista Server “nch”.

Launch a cascade query for a VistaMart topology object

1 In the Inventory Manager, open the Browser View.

2 Expand the Search for directory.

3 Click an object type you want to launch a query on to open the Search for/

Instances window.

4 In the first drop-down list, select an attribute you want to search this object with.

This could be its Name, Description, Location, InfoVista Server, Vista, State, etc.

5 In the second drop-down list, select either “contains” or “like” for an exact or close

match.

6 Enter the string you want to use as a base for this search criteria in the text box.

7 Click the Add more criteria button to add more search criteria (see the example

above for details).

8 Click the Launch Query button to launch the search based on these criteria.


Deleting inventory ObjectsThis section explains how to manually delete zones and zonesets and all the

respective objects they contain




respective objects they contain.

"Removing Instances from a Zone" on page 61

"Deleting a Zoneset" on page 62

"Deleting a Zone" on page 63

"Removing deleted Library objects" on page 64

Removing Instances from a Zone

You must remove all Instances from a Zone before removing it from your inventory.

Removing Instances from a Zone


2 Expand the Zone node then the Zone you want to remove Instances from.

3 Select the Instances you want to delete in the Property sheet, right-click and

select Delete.

Removing all Instances in a Zone

1 In the Inventory Manager, from the Provisioning menu, select Delete All Instances

in Zone.

2 The Delete Topology wizard opens.

From the drop-down menu, select the Zone for which you want to delete the

Instances. Click Next.

3 A new page appears and prompts you to confirm.

Select Yes, I want to delete Instances then click Finish.


Deleting a Zoneset

You cannot delete a Zoneset if it contains zones.




Delete a Zoneset1 In the Inventory Manager, open the Config View tab.

2 Expand Zoneset Definition, right-click the zoneset you want to delete and select

Delete.

The zoneset is removed from the database.

NOTE You cannot delete the Default Zoneset (ID = 1).


Deleting a Zone

You cannot delete a Zone if it contains Instances. Prior to deleting a Zone, you may:

> Remove all the Instances it contains,




,

> Import its topology in a different Zone in the same zoneset.

Delete a Zone

1 In the Inventory Manager, open the Config View tab.

2 Expand Zoneset Definition and click the Zoneset which contains the Zone you

want to delete.

The list of Zones is displayed in the List View pane.

3 Right-click the Zone and select Delete.

The Zone is removed from the database.


Removing deleted Library objects

The Purge Repository function allows you to purge, from the trash, Library objects

which are no longer used.




Removing deleted objects

1 From the VistaMart Inventory Manager menu, select Provisioning/Removing

deleted Library Objects.

2 The Purge VistaViews Objects wizard opens.

3 Select the option Yes, I want to purge all Vista views objects from the trash.

4 Click Finish. Note that the deletion can take some time to perform.

5 Click Close when the deletion is complete.

6 From the Provisioning menu, select Test and Apply Rules to guarantee the

integrity of the whole database.


Command-line provisioning optionsYou can activate provisioning features using the command-line options.




Access command-line options1 Navigate to the VistaMart Inventory Manager bin directory. By default:

<InfoVista_install_dir>\VistaMart\bin

2 Launch the provisioning using the command vmprovisioner.exe (or

vmprovisioner.sh).

3 Use the following parameters:

Help option Usage

-h Explains all available options as listed below.

Services options Usage

-d URL URL of the Application Services (example http://

vistamart_host:11080)

-u username Services user (i.e. ‘user operator’)

-p Services password (for ‘user operator’)

Import options Usage

These options are used to provision a Zone with a topology file.

-z zonename Tag of the Zone to populate:update.

-t filename Topology file name. This is either an XML or a CSV file.

-c configname When submitting a CSV file, you must specify the Configuration Fileto process it.

-x Dump xml

filename

When submitting a CSV file, this option returns the generated XML

equivalent.

-ad Instance

deletion (%)

Provisioning Validity Check. In a production environment

(scheduled provisioning), whenever the ratio of deleted Instances

exceeds a predefined threshold, the provisioning batch is stopped.

This option is only valid using the change mode.

Default threshold value is 20%.

-l [none] Gives a list of Zone sets and Zones.


-s stop before

provisioning

When submitting a CSV, this option allows you to check the

generated XML equivalent before provisioning.

Import options Usage




Provisioning examples:

> The following command imports the topology file topo.xml according to the

change mode (full resynchronization) into the Default Zone of the database vmar

located on the machine keitaro:

vmprovisioner.exe -d @keitaro:1521:ivdb -u vis_operator -p mypassword -z

Default -m change -t topo.xml

> The following command only applies the Rules to the servers Zone of the

database vmar , without importing any topology file:

vmprovisioner.exe -d @keitaro:1521:ivdb -u vis_operator -p mypassword -z

servers -m Rules

> The following command exports the content of the servers Zone of the database

vmar in full mode (all Instances and their Properties) to the file myservers.xml :

vmprovisioner.exe -d @keitaro:1521:vmar -u vis_operator -p mypassword -zservers -e myservers.xml -m full

-m Provisioningmode > change: Resynchronizes the Zone. All Instances in the topology

file are updated, all Instances not in the file are removed.

> update: Updates the Zone. All Instances in the topology file are

updated. None are created nor deleted.

> addupdate: Updates only the Properties. No creation nor

deletion.

> device: only imports or updates a list of devices in the Zone.

> rules: Only applies Rules on the specified Zone. In this case, the

option -t is optional.

> delete:

> archive:

Export options Usage

These options are used to export the topology of a given Zone.

-z zonename Tag of the Zone to address.

-e export

filename

XML file name where the topology is exported.

-ea export

archived

XML file where only the archived Instances are exported (e.g.

before running a purge).

-m mode > full: Exports the full Zone topology, including Property values.

> structural: Exports the Zone topology, without any Property

value (the generated file only contains the Instance hierarchy).

> valued: Exports the full Zone topology, including Property

values excepted the ones which have their own default values.



67

3 Managing InfoVista Servers

Data samples are sourced from either InfoVista Servers or external sources such as

VistaBridge and Vista Watch.

This section shows you how to declare new Server groups in VistaMart and assign

new InfoVista Servers to the respective groups. Then it describes how VistaMart

distributes the Instances over the Server groups and controls data acquisition.

"Overview of InfoVista Server management" on page 68

"Assigning zones to Groups of InfoVista Servers" on page 70

"Declaring a New InfoVista Server Group" on page 72

"Declaring a new InfoVista Server" on page 73

"Synchronizing InfoVista Server groups" on page 75

"Managing InfoVista Server loads" on page 79

VistaMart® 4.0 Overview of InfoVista Server management 68

Overview of InfoVista Server management

The InfoVista Servers used for polling are entirely driven by VistaMart. Upon the



User Guide - Chapter 3 Managing InfoVista Servers

p g y y p

synchronization command, VistaMart:

> distributes the Instances onto InfoVista Servers, according to the declared Server

groups and Instance allocations,

> uploads the InfoVista Libraries to the Servers, according to the reports and basic

Indicators you need, based on the Rule actions,

> starts the relevant reports and slots on the servers, according to the assigned

Instances, uploaded Libraries and relevant Instance/Indicator pairs.

INSTANCE DISTRIBUTION Instances are distributed equally onto InfoVista Servers which

belong to the server group they are assigned to. The distribution takes into account

the individual operational capacities of each server and the size of the submitted

Instances. Instance size is calculated based on the number of its associated slots and

reports.

Proxy Instances are always pushed on the same InfoVista Server as their related

basic Instance.

INFOVISTA LIBRARY DOWNLOAD All the InfoVista Servers within a given group receivesthe entire set of Libraries needed for processing whatever reports and slots specified

for that group.

DATA ACQUISITION The InfoVista Servers automatically start polling upon reception of

the Instances and Libraries, based on the Rules you apply and the Resource

Act ivation you specify.

SERVER LOAD The goal is to ensure that servers are provisioned to use approximately

the same load. Load is calculated as the percentage of memory remaining up to a

specific threshold.

You need to declare enough servers to handle polling of a ll your Instances. VistaMart

can manage as many servers as your reporting solution requires. You use

VistaCockpit to evaluate new server requirements.

VistaMart® 4.0 Overview of InfoVista Server management 69

InfoVista Servers in the production contextInfoVista Servers are locked as soon as they are under control of VistaMart. They are

independent polling tools. This means:




> The Instances to monitor are uploaded to the server(s) from the VistaMartdatabase. You cannot add, modify or delete Instances at the individual InfoVista

Server level.

> The InfoVista Libraries imported from VistaMart cannot be modified on a

production Server. Any Library modification must be performed on a standalone

InfoVista Workshop machine, from which you export the final version to VistaMart.

In turn, VistaMart distributes the needed Libraries to the synchronized InfoVista

Servers according to the handled topology.

> When you add a new Server to a given configuration, you must install the InfoVistasoftware from scratch. In other words, you cannot incorporate a Server which has

been used for other purposes (such as any lab development).

> When you re-initialize a VistaMart repository, you must reset all the InfoVista

Servers pertaining to the pool.

VistaMart® 4.0 Assigning zones to Groups of InfoVista Servers 70

Assigning zones to Groups of InfoVista Servers

In VistaMart’s Centralized Architecture, zones are used for provisioning (one topology

fil Z ) I f Vi t S d f lli




file per Zone); InfoVista Server groups are used for polling.

Zones and InfoVista Server Groups are strictly independent. This means:

> You can define one Zone for several groups of InfoVista Servers.

> You can define several zones for one group of InfoVista Servers.

To make the link between a Zone and an InfoVista Server group, an assignment is

made either manually using the management Inventory Manager or by using Rules.

Understanding Zone assignmentsDEFAULT INFOVISTA SERVER GROUP When there is a single InfoVista Server group, the

Zone is directly associated with a Default InfoVista Server group defined by the user.

ZONE ASSIGNMENT BY RULES When you have several groups of InfoVista Servers, a Zone

can potentially be assigned to several groups of InfoVista Servers. Hence, you use a

Rule.

Assigning Instances to an InfoVista Server group

Once you created your Zones and provisioned the topology file contents on aVistaMart database:

> The Instances are mapped to the InfoVista Server group as defined previously.

> The automatic load balancing mechanism assigns the Instance to a given

InfoVista Server.

For scalability purposes, topology files are synchronized on a group of InfoVista

Servers, and not a any single InfoVista Server.

NOTE Whenever you create a new default InfoVista Server group, all Instances

previously assigned to the former default group are not automatically moved

to the new one. You need to use a Rule to transfer the Instances to the new

default InfoVista Server group.

VistaMart® 4.0 Assigning zones to Groups of InfoVista Servers 71

Examples of Zone/InfoVista Server ManagementThe following examples show different configurations of Zones and InfoVista Servers.

Si l l ( l d I f Vi t S )




Simple example (several zones and one InfoVista Server group)

In this example, the whole VistaMart database is associated with a single InfoVista

Server group. In such a case, there is no need to use Rules to define the InfoVista

Server group on which you want to synchronize your Instances.

Complex example (multiple InfoVista Server groups)

In this example, a single Zone corresponds to several InfoVista Server groups.

Logically, the server groups are located as close as possible to the infrastructure

equipments they poll data from. You use Rules to define which InfoVista Server group

you want to associate with which Instances, for example, according to their respective

Location Property.*

VistaMart® 4.0 Declaring a New InfoVista Server Group 72

Declaring a New InfoVista Server Group

An InfoVista Server group is a user-defined pool of pre-instal led InfoVista Servers. A

server group can be associated with several Zones Rules associate InfoVista Server




server group can be associated with several Zones. Rules associate InfoVista Server

groups with Zones.

We recommend that you create server groups before provisioning VistaMart. This

way, you avoid having to perform mass moves of Instances later on.

Declare a new InfoVista Server group

1 Start the Inventory Manager and open the Config View.

2 Expand the InfoVista Server Groups container.

3 Right click on the InfoVista Server Groups icon and select New InfoVista Server

Group.

4 In the InfoVista Server Group Wizard enter details as required.

5 Click Finish. The new group is added to the list.

(Parameters flagged with a ‘*’ are mandatory).

Parameters Description

Group Name* Group name (255 characters maximum).

Group Description Textual description of the group (2048 characters maximum).

Type* Production by default. The Backup option is reserved to

VistaCockpit purposes.

Backup Group The name of the InfoVista Server group used as a backup.

VistaMart® 4.0 Declaring a new InfoVista Server 73

Declaring a new InfoVista Server

If you need to install new production or backup servers, see the InfoVista Installation

Guide For guidelines on how many servers you need for the number of Instances you




Guide. For guidelines on how many servers you need for the number of Instances you

want to monitor, refer to the InfoVista Sizing kit.

Declare a new InfoVista Server

1 Open the Inventory Manager and open the Config View.

2 Expand the InfoVista Server Groups container.

3 Right click the server group where you want to create the server, then select New

InfoVista Server Wizard.... The server is “created” in this group.

4 In the InfoVista Server Wizard enter details as required.

5 Click Finish. The new InfoVista Server appears in the group list.

(Parameters flagged with a ‘*’ are mandatory).

Server Parameter Description

Name* Name by which the server is known.

Type* Select InfoVista Server for real servers that poll equipments or,

either VistaBridge or Vista Watch in case of external sources.

Synchronize? Check the box to force topology synchronization on the server.

Location Geographical location of the InfoVista Server.

Description Textual description of the InfoVista Server (2048 characters max.).

VistaMart® 4.0 Declaring a new InfoVista Server 74

InfoVista Server

Connection String*

There are three available string syntaxes:

> hostname. A single server is installed on the machine, and

there is no firewall.

> Instance@hostname As of InfoVista 3 1 in case of several

Server Parameter Description




Checking InfoVista Server propertiesWhen you select a InfoVista Server from a group in the Browser View, it contains thefollowing properties:

> Instance@hostname. As of InfoVista 3.1, in case of several

servers installed on a single machine.

> hostname:mport:cport:bport. The server is installed on a

machine behind a firewall.

Administrator

Username*

An administrator user name for users with administrator ’s rights

(“Administrator” by default).

Administrator

Password*

A valid password for this administrator.

Viewer User name* An InfoVista user who can connect to the InfoVista Server and

view report data (“Viewer” by default).

Viewer Password* A valid password for this v iewer.

Element Description

Instances All Instances currently uploaded on this InfoVista Server.

Running

Reports

The list of all Reports which have their state set to “Running” are

uploaded onto this server.

RunningSlots

The list of all Slots which have their state set to “Running” that arecurrently uploaded onto this server.

Information includes the displayed Instance, associated Vista and the

name of the InfoVista Server which is collecting data for this slot.

Suspended

Slots

A l ist of all suspended Slots (by Rules and/or manually).

If you have Slots which are suspended by the InfoVista Server due to

memory overload, consider adding another server to your group and

redistributing Instances to balance the load.

To beremoved

Instances which are deleted from VistaMart are placed in this folder.However, there are still present in the InfoVista Server.

VistaMart® 4.0 Synchronizing InfoVista Server groups 75

Synchronizing InfoVista Server groups

The Server synchronization process consists of:

> Distributing the Instances over the InfoVista Servers of the group




> Distributing the Instances over the InfoVista Servers of the group

> Launching the real-time reports and slots for the designated Instances.

Servers are always updated per group. A group of servers is configured to manage

one or more Zones. The server group is populated automatically with Instances,

Reports, Slots, and any required Libraries.

Instances are distributed evenly over all configured servers. The load is evaluated in

terms of memory (See: "Managing InfoVista Server loads" on page 79).

Synchronize a Server Group using the Inventory Manager

1 Open the Inventory Manager and select Server/Synchronize Server Group.... The

Server Group Synchronization window opens.

2 Select the name of the server group from the Server Group drop-down list.

All the server belonging to that group are displayed with their respective current

load and status. Possible statuses are as follows:

• Computing. The server is retrieving the load information.• Nominal. The server is up and running. Possibly, it can handle more Instances.

• Overloaded. The server is stressed - it is not recommended to add anymore

Instances, it is automatically unselected.

• Empty. The server has just been added to the group, it doesn’t handle any

Instance yet.

• Classic architecture. This server cannot be synchronized. It should be

removed from the group.

• No collector . The collector process is not running on the server. It should be

fixed before attempting a synchronization.

• Error . The server cannot accept any synchronization.

3 Unselect the servers to which you don’t want to add new Instances (you suspect

they are soon overloaded). Select the servers which can potentially accept

additional load.


4 Click Synchronize. The servers of the group are updated with the latest available

Instances, Reports, and Slots. The displayed window logs all details.

5 After the update, click Close.

Synchronize a Server Group using the Command-line Option




1 Navigate to the VistaMart Inventory Manager bin directory. By default:

<InfoVista_install_dir>\VistaMart\bin

2 Launch the synchronization using:

ivprovisioner.exe (or ivprovisioner.sh). Enter -h to display help information.

3 Use the following parameters:

Example: The following command synchronizes the Server group mygroup

addressing the database ivdb, located on the machine myhost. It empties the

trash Library for that group.

ivprovisioner -d http://keitaro:11080b -u myrep_operator -p mypassword -g

mygroup -e

Parameters Description

-d database The Oracle database URL. Ex: http://keitaro:11080

-u user Database user (operator).

-p password Database user password.

-g group Name of the Server group to synchronize.

-r [none] Resets the state of objects in error, before synchronizing the

Servers.

-e [none] Empties trash for the specified Server group.

-l [none] Lists the groups and the servers;


Getting InfoVista Server feedbackUpon synchronization, the InfoVista Server provides a status of the reports and slots

triggered by the Rules.

1 From the Browser view, open the server group then the server you want to check.




2 Click Running reports / Running slots.

The right hand pane lists all the reports/slots running on the server.

For each launched slot and report, the displayed icon reflects the status as illustrated

below:

Successful synchronization. The slots are started correctly.

Incorrect synchronization. The slots are not started correctly.

Check the Rules and your InfoVista Libraries.

Successful synchronization. The reports are up and running.

Incorrect synchronization. The reports are not running correctly.

Check the Rules and the report templates;


Handling ‘unstable’ serversFor a given server, any decision regarding a potential load increase is based on the

server’s current load, provided that the load value the server returns is reliable.

Whenever a server is stopped, e.g. for maintenance purposes, and then restarted,you cannot rely on the value it returns for a period of 4 hours after it is restarted. The




server status is unstable.

During that period of 4 hours, the server appears capable of handling more Instances

than it actually can. It is not a reliable candidate for taking many more Instances into

account.

Each time synchronization is triggered on a server group, VistaMart discriminates the

servers according to their respective statuses and manages the synchronization as

follows:

> Only the empty servers and the stable servers reporting a nominal status are

taken into account for the distribution of new Instances,

> VistaMart checks that there is no more than 50% of unstable servers in the group,

> Each stable server should not receive more than 100 additional Instances.

S YNCHRONIZE A SERVER GROUP USING THE COMMAND-LINE OPTION If both later conditions are

not met, VistaMart issues an error message and the synchronization process is

stopped.

S YNCHRONIZE A SERVER GROUP USING THE INVENTORY MANAGER The unstable servers report

the message Unstable in the uptime column and they are automatically unselected.

They must be managed carefully because there is a risk of overload. Even though

VistaMart emits a warning message if both conditions mentioned above are not met,

you are still free to increase their load.

It is recommended not to increase their load if:> The previous server load was above 60%. (Refer to the InfoVista Server Tuning

reports for consulting the historical values).

> You intend to increase the number of Instances by 20%.

VistaMart® 4.0 Managing InfoVista Server loads 79

Managing InfoVista Server loads

LOAD BALANCING InfoVista Server loads are handled automatically. VistaMart uploads

Instances onto servers in such as way that each server has an equal load. Whenever

you update a topology new Instances are distributed to ensure balance between




you update a topology, new Instances are distributed to ensure balance between

servers.

LOAD CONTROL The InfoVista Server has a load control feature which limits database

loads. Before starting new data acquisitions, the server checks collector states to

define the action to take. States are based on server thresholds which are

recalculated every 5 seconds. Thresholds are based on server memory usage and

other processes.

Redistributing Instances between InfoVista ServersInfoVista Server load management is handled with VistaCockpit. VistaCockpit alerts

you about server overloads or potential overload situations as they develop.

In such a case, you use the Inventory Manager to redistribute Instances between

InfoVista Servers.

There are three possible scenarios:


Scenarios When to use

1. Transfer

Instances from one

InfoVista Server to

another

A server is no longer in use and you want to t ransfer a ll Ins tances

from that server to a new machine you install and declare for the

group.

The redistribution method is a direct machine-to-machine transfer.

Th hi t h ffi i t it t h dl th




Redistribute Instances

1 Select Server/Redistribute Instances...The Redistribute Instances window opens.

2 Select one of the following redistribution options:

3 Click Next.

Option 1: Transfer Instances from one InfoVista Server to another

1 In the Select Source window, select a server as the source. In other words, the

server you want to transfer Instances from. Click Next.

2 In the Select Destination window, select the server you want to sen Instances to.

3 Click Next twice.

4 To start the redistribution, click “ Yes: I want to start the redistribution now”. Click

“No, I do it later ” if you have other transfer operations to perform. Transfer

parameters are saved and executed when you reopen the wizard or if you

synchronize servers.

The new machine must have sufficient capacity to handle the

transfer.

2. Distribute

Instances from an

inactive server over

the entire group

A server is no longer in use and you want to spread its load over the

other servers in the group.

Redistribution automatically balances load according to the

remaining server capacity of the other servers.

3. TransferInstances from one

server the others

VistaCockpit notifies you that a server is overloaded. You perform apartial transfer of Instances from that server to other servers

belonging to the group;.

NOTE In all cases, real-time data for all Instances moved from the source Server

are lost.


Option 2: Redistribute Instances from an inactive server over the entire group

1 In the Select Source window, select a server as the source. In other words, the

server you want to redistribute Instances from. Click Next.

2 In the Select Destination window, the server group for the server you selected

above is displayed. This is the server group where you transfer or redistribute

Instances to




Instances to.

3 Click Next twice.


“No, I do it later ” if you have other transfer operations to perform. Transfer

parameters are saved and executed when you reuse the wizard or if you


Option 3: Transfer Instances from a server to other servers

1 In the Select source window, select one or several (overloaded) server(s) you

want to transfer Instances from. Click Next.

2 In the Select Destination window, select the server(s) to which you want to

transfer Instances and click Next.

3 You can perform a partial transfer of Instances, according to:

• A reference date. All the Instances created since that date are transferred to

the destination server(s). Click the date box to select a date in the calendar.


• A given number of Instances. VistaMart displays the total number of Instance

handled by the overloaded server. You enter the approximate number of

Instances you want to move, which is recalculated more accurately according

to the basic/proxy relationship of Instances.




4 Click Next.


“No, I do it later ” if you have other transfer operations to perform.

Transfer parameters are saved and executed when you reuse the wizard or if you


6 Click Next.

7 VistaMart displays a summary of the impacted Instances.

8 Click Go, then Close.

NOTE Keep in mind that real-time data for the Instances you transfer are lost.

The older the Instances the more real-time data is lost. Consequently,

you should prefer transferring the data according to the reference date

whenever possible so as to minimize the loss of data.


Restarting suspended reports and slots

It is likely that Reports and Slots are suspended on the Source server.

1 From the Server menu, select Restart suspended reports/Slots.




2 Select the concerned Server, then click Next.

VistaMart provides the list of reports/slots which needed to be restarted.

3 Click Close.

4 Understanding the Vistamart



84

4 gForwarding Service

The Forwarding Service is a process which allows InfoVista Servers (pollers) to send

or ‘forward’ data and traps to VistaMart as they arrive using one or several forwarding

services comprised within the VistaMart Applications Services.

"Basic principles in data forwarding" on page 85

"Forwarding concepts and terminology" on page 87

"Connecting to the forwarding service" on page 88

"Recovering missing data (VistaMart)" on page 89

"Ensuring data availability" on page 90

VistaMart® 4.0 Basic principles in data forwarding 85

Basic principles in data forwarding

By default, VistaMart has the forwarding service already enabled to retrieve data and

traps automatically. There is no (or minimum user) configuration required.

The following sections contain descriptive explanations of how the forwarding service

h i k ithi th Vi t M t i t



User Guide - Chapter 4 Understanding the Vistamart Forwarding Service

mechanism works within the VistaMart environment.

Benefits of forwarding data instead of collecting dataThe ‘push’ process, or data forwarding, is a new feature that replaces the scheduled

data collections that VistaMart used to perform using the Gateway, which is no longer

part of the VistaMart architecture. Data forwarding has several advantages:

> no data loss using a secured protocol

> fault tolerant, i.e. minimum data loss if a server fails

> optimal use of network bandwidth

Forwarding data from InfoVista Servers to VistaMartThe InfoVista Servers poll data and send it via the forwarding service to the VistaMart

Computation Service, which calculates the data values and stores them in the

database.

The forwarding process involves the following constituents:

> one or several InfoVista Servers

> a VistaMart forwarding service

> a VistaMart database

VistaMart® 4.0 Basic principles in data forwarding 86

Forwarding service implementationsThere are three implementation of the forwarding service:

T HE PRIMARY VISTAMART FORWARDING SERVICE Responsible for sending VistaMart data to

the VistaMart Computation Service for calculation.

VISTAPORTAL FORWARDING SERVICE Embedded forwarding service in charge of




implementing the LiveChart feature in VistaPortal, which receives data from the

InfoVista Servers.

CUSTOM FORWARDING SERVICE Implemented when a customer wants to receive and

handle the data himself.

VistaMart® 4.0 Forwarding concepts and terminology 87

Forwarding concepts and terminology

The following concepts and terminology are regularly encountered when speaking of

the forwarding feature:

FLOW CONTROL InfoVista Servers send data in bursts at specified timestamps and the




flow control allows a smooth absorption of data in VistaMart

RECOVERY is the process which guarantees that the overall forwarding mechanism

works properly and is robust enough to handle network failures at all levels, as well

as a failure (such as a crash or a stop) of any of the constituents in the forwarding

system.

TIMEZONE When VistaMart receives data from InfoVista Servers that are located in

different timezones, the data values get stored according to a centralized timezone,

e.g. the Global Timezone defined in your VistaMart Global Configuration.

T IMESTAMP The timestamp is the time at which the data is saved in the InfoVistaServer. A timestamp is an interval during which data is polled. For example, for hourly

display rates, a timestamp of 4 PM includes data polled between 4PM and 5PM.

ROLLUP A set of data associated to a t imestamp and a display rate. For example, the

rollup for 4PM includes all data polled or calculated between 4PM and 5PM.

When a rollup is available, this means that InfoVista Server has completed polling or

calculating data for this timestamp. Hence the rollup for 4PM would be available

around 5 PM.

BULK FORWARDING A bulk forwarding is an ensemble of data values that InfoVista

Server pushes to VistaMart. It may contain data belonging to several rollups. Data

values are pushed in bulks to optimize network bandwidth and latency.

VistaMart® 4.0 Connecting to the forwarding service 88

Connecting to the forwarding service

SETTING THE FORWARDING SERVER URL In order for InfoVista Server to forward data to the

correct VistaMart, you must define the target URL.

NOTE In a NAT environment, this is the URL that you see in InfoVista Server.




This URL is defined at the time of installation. However, you can change it as required

in the Configuration Manager.

VistaMart updates the URL during the InfoVista Server synchronization phase. Hence

if you change the URL (port, address, etc.) you must resynchronize your InfoVista

Server to take the new URL into account and forward the data to the correct target.

SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION With regards to security and authentication, there is no

need to define a user or a passwords. VistaMart automatically generates them during

the repository creation or upgrade.

VistaMart sends these user credentials to InfoVista Server the first time it sends the

subscription information, which InfoVista Server uses to forward data.

The forwarding protocol implements security based on the DIGEST authentication.

The user and password never go through the network.

FORWARDING SERVICE CONNECTIVITY The forwarding service uses HTTP as the underlyingprotocol because it is simple, robust, safe, and can easily support SSL and data

transport over WANs.

By default, the URL for the forwarding service is:

http://hostname:11080/push/push

CHANGING THE SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Manually:

> Update subscription info in Configuration Manager

• change the URL

• update the Tomcat configuration

> Synchronize InfoVista Server to update URL

VistaMart® 4.0 Recovering missing data (VistaMart) 89

Recovering missing data (VistaMart)

Recovery is the process through which the forwarding service can request data from

the InfoVista Server when it becomes aware that certain data is missing.

R ti (Vi t M t)




Requesting a recovery (VistaMart)The forwarding service makes the recovery request indirectly via a response to a

forwarding bulk. This response contains a list of timestamps and intervals for the data

to recover.

This means that the granularity of a recovered slots corresponds to the display rate,

timezone, and timestamp of the missing data.

The recovery request therefore contains the following information:

> a unique ID

> an interval list sorted from the most recent to the least recent and includes:

• display rate, t imezone

• first timestamp (inclusive) and last timestamp (inclusive)

• a maximum duration (in seconds)

Requesting a recovery (InfoVista Server)On the InfoVista Server side, the recovery works as follows:

> The collector process connects to the forwarding service

> The forwarding service answer ‘OK’ and puts in a recovery request in the

response body (potentially empty). If the recovery request is not empty, the

collector sends this request to the browser.

> The browser process the recovery request.

VistaMart® 4.0 Ensuring data availability 90

Ensuring data availability

The average rate of data availability in the VistaMart database largely depends on two

primary factors which affect how VistaMart handles the data flow from the time dataarrives via the forwarding services and other sources to its output as processed

values:




ENTRANCE The size of the solution, i.e. the number of slots to poll, the number of

connections, etc.

EXIT The size of the physical hardware and the available storage space. In other

words, how much charge the machine can handle, taking into account not only the

database activity, but also various other client applications such as VistaPortal,provisioning, and database statistics.

How VistaMart manages data flowsTake as an example, a bathtub that represents VistaMart and which receives and

processes data, and computes results for storage in the database.

INCOMING DATA FLOWS There are three sources of data that arrive in VistaMart (see

illustrations below):

> data from InfoVista Servers (A) (fixed flow, for example 1000 rows/s)

> data in aggregation and calculation (A) (variable flow, for example 200 rows/s)

> recovered data, i.e. missing data that VistaMart requests from InfoVista Servers

(C) (variable flow, for example 600 rows/s)

OUTGOING DATA FLOW The processed results of the cumulated data flows described

above.


Optimum scenario

In an ideal case, where there is no missing data (hence no need for recovered data):

A + B < exit flow





Saturated scenario

When VistaMart must also handle recovered data and the output capacity does not

have extra room to accommodate the cumulative flows, the result is saturation:

A + B + C = exit flow




Avoiding a saturated situationIt is possible to regulate to a certain extent the data flows and to configure the systemto avoid saturation resulting in delayed data availability:

> Carry out a thorough sizing to know approximately the traffic volume

> Monitoring your data flows using the Tuning VistaViews

5 Aggregating and calculating data



93

Data aggregation is the process of combining several data samples with a short

display rate (such as an hourly interval) into a single data sample representing a

longer display rate (such as a daily interval).

Data aggregation allows you to generate data samples for different time intervals

without having to retrieve data for each interval.

"Understanding aggregation and display rates" on page 94

"Defining aggregation settings" on page 96

"Setting aggregation attributes" on page 98 "Calculating group Indicator values" on page 101

VistaMart® 4.0 Understanding aggregation and display rates 94

Understanding aggregation and display rates

Since the database is regularly populated with the data samples, the VistaMart Server

permanently supervises the database to perform the following tasks:> Aggregation of data samples for all provis ioned Instances, according to the

Aggregations you def ine.

C l l ti d A ti f th I di t d t l f h G



User Guide - Chapter 5 Aggregating and calculating data

> Calculation and Aggregation of the Indicator data samples for each Group

Instance provisioned in your database, provided that you have defined the

Indicators you need.

Data aggregation is the process of calculating data samples of a given interval by

combining samples of smaller intervals. VistaMart aggregates the data samples as

follows:

> The 15-minute value is based on 5-minute data

> The 30-minute value is based on calculated 15-minute or 5-minute data. VistaMart

automatically uses the highest display rate available.

> The hourly value is based on calculated 30-minute, 15-minute or 5-minute data.

> The daily value is based on calculated hourly data, and so on.

T IMESTAMP ASSIGNMENT For a given display rate, the aggregated value is given the

timestamp of the beginning of the time period corresponding to the aggregated datasamples.

VistaMart® 4.0 Understanding aggregation and display rates 95

AGGREGATION SEQUENCING VistaMart aggregates data asynchronously. That is, data for

a given display rate will be calculated only when the data points from the lower

display rate are available. Whenever recent data samples are available earlier than

older ones, they are aggregated first. As a consequence, the database is populated

asynchronously and ‘holes’ may appear in the VistaPortal reports.

The following example illustrates how data aggregation for the15-minute and hourly

display rates progresses between 2.19 and 2.26 o’clock.




VistaMart® 4.0 Defining aggregation settings 96

Defining aggregation settings

You can enable and disable aggregation for the entire range of Slot display rates

(excepted for the 5 minute. display rate which is the smallest one). For this, you usethe Global Configuration/Data LifeTime setting.

WARNING Aggregations are defined all inclusively. If you d isable one aggregation,

this will apply to all slots




For each display rate, you can:

> Enable the data aggregation according to your reporting requirements and the

database capacity.

> Define the lifetime of the data samples. Historical reports will be available from

VistaPortal as long as the lifetime has not expired.

A key consideration is the number of samples stored in the database.

Typically, a data consolidation strategy might be defined by Slot aggregation in Real

Time (5 minutes), Hourly, Daily and Weekly. The intermediate and longer display rate

aggregations can be disabled, therefore saving database space.

Note that the lifetime for samples stored on VistaMart is not necessarily the same as

the lifetime of data stored on InfoVista Servers.

Set the Aggregations and Lifetimes

1 Open the Inventory Manager and click the Config View tab.

2 Expand the Global Configuration folder and select Data lifetime.

The right-hand pane displays all possible display rates.

3 Click each display rate for which you need aggregated data.

The editor opens at the bottom of the pane.

4 Check the Aggregation check box to enable aggregation for that display rate.

Make sure that you disable aggregation for all rates you do not want to have data

for. This can considerably reduce database load.

5 Click the lifetime value then use the spin arrows and the unit button to define the

value.

Consideration about timezones and aggregationWith respect to the weekly display rate, VistaMart aggregates data according to the

specifics of the timezone you set in the Global Configuration/Initialization section.

The first day of the week depends on this timezone (Monday or Sunday).

this will apply to all slots.

NOTE See Appendix F for the complete list of the official timezones.

VistaMart® 4.0 Defining aggregation settings 97

Using ‘timeout’ to handle missing dataThe VistaMart Server processes data asynchronously on the fly as it becomes

available from an input buffer. Whenever data samples are not available during a

given Timeout interval, VistaMart does not perform the aggregation and ignore those

samples until they become available.

The following example illustrates the case of three samples which are left empty since

the timestamps (1:30, 1:45 and 2:00) take place within the Timeout interval:




Therefore, three different situations may occur:

> The samples become available during the Timeout interval. The corresponding

slots are populated and VistaMart performs the aggregations.

> The samples are still not available when the Timeout is elapsed. VistaMart

performs the calculation with an ‘alternative’ value of your choice, as shown below(see "Selecting an alternative value for aggregation" on page 99). However, the

data points remain empty.

> The samples become available after the timeout has elapsed, as shown below.

The aggregated samples are calculated again and update the former ones.

VistaMart® 4.0 Setting aggregation attributes 98

Setting aggregation attributes

For each Indicator, you can configure the way you want VistaMart to aggregate data.

Selecting the aggregation TypeTo calculate the Indicator’s value for a given display rate VistaMart can apply one of




To calculate the Indicator s value for a given display rate, VistaMart can apply one of

the following aggregation types to the lower display rate samples:

Using the ‘current aggregation’When you select this option, VistaMart does not wait for the complete series of data

samples for the considered aggregation period. Instead it calculates a temporary

aggregated value each time a new sample is available.

In the example above where the Current Aggregation is enabled, the Indicator’s value

at 12:19 o’clock for the 30 mn display rate is calculated from the four available

samples taken since 12.00 o’clock.

In this second example where the Current Aggregation is disabled, the Indicator’s

value for the 30 mn display rate will not be available before 12:25 since VistaMartneeds 6 samples for calculating the aggregating value.

None / Void The values of the Indicator are not aggregated. The only available

values are those of the lowest display rate.

Note: Refer to the next section, for understanding the differencebetween the None and Void options with regard to group Indicators.

Averaging Data is aggregated by averaging all values.

Additive Data is aggregated by adding all values together.

Minimum VistaMart retains the minimum value from the series of samples.

Maximum VistaMart retains the maximum value from the series of samples.

First VistaMart retains the first value from the series of samples.Latest VistaMart retains the last value from the series of samples.


S l ti lt ti l f ti

NOTE As a consequence of selecting the Curren t Aggregation option, data

becomes immediately available in VistaPortal reports, whatever the used

display rate.




Selecting an alternative value for aggregationThere are cases where the data sample is inappropriate to aggregation:

> Its state has been set by the InfoVista Server to “timeout“, “calendar”, “gone” or

“undefined”,> The sample is still missing after the Timeout has elapsed. (Refer to "Using

‘timeout’ to handle missing data" on page 97).

In these cases, VistaMart uses an alternative value to perform the aggregation. There

are three options:

• Ignore. The slots are ignored. If you have selected the Current Aggregation,

VistaMart uses the sibling available samples, if any, to perform the

aggregations.

• Fail. The aggregation cannot apply. In turn, all aggregations for higher display

rates cannot be performed.

• Zero. The missing values are replaced by zero.

Setting the Indicator’s aggregation attributes All aggregation parameters can be set at once when you access the Indicator ’s

attribute list.

Set aggregation attributes

1 In the Inventory Manager, select the Model View.

2 Expand the Vista node, then the Vista for which you need to set aggregation

attributes.

3 Click the Indicator node. The list of Indicator displays.

4 Click the Indicator to edit. Its list of attributes appears.

5 Make your choice from the Aggregation Type drop-down list.

6 Check the Use Current Aggregation option if you want to aggregate Indicator’s

data samples on the fly.

• If this is an InfoVista Indicator, the patches list attribute is added to the

Property sheet. This attribute shows which VistaMart Library this Indicator’s

aggregation is redefined in.

• Click the button in the patches List attribute box. A new window opens.


• A VistaMart Library is selected by default which is used to redefine the

InfoVista Indicator. To select another VistaMart Library, click the existing

Library in the ‘Redefine’ column and select another available Library in the

drop-down list.

7 Make your choice from the Handle missing as popup list.




VistaMart® 4.0 Calculating group Indicator values 101

Calculating group Indicator values

Each group Indicator is based on a single Indicator common to all members and a

formula that computes the respective member data samples altogether. As soon as individual data samples are available f rom the members of the group,

VistaMart calculates the derived Indicator values for a given display rate and feeds

the database.

Th f ll i l ill t t th l l ti f th I di t A b




The following example illustrates the calculation of the group Indicator A, by

averaging the respective values of the Indicator 1 sourced from all the members of

the group.

There are four available formulas:

Averaging VistaMart calculates the mean value from all Indicator’s values.

Additive VistaMart sums up the individual values from all Indicators.

Minimum VistaMart retains the smallest Indicator’s value.

Maximum VistaMart retains the highest Indicator’s value.


Consolidation and group aggregation

Once the derived Indicator’s values are calculated and stored in the database for the

lowest display rate, VistaMart calculates the values for each needed display rate,

according to a specified aggregation type that you specify.

There are three possible cases:

1 Consolidated Indicators. From the lowest display rate to the highest one, the

aggregation applies in cascade as per any basic Instance’s Indicator.

The Aggregation types Averaging Additive Minimum Maximum First and Latest




The Aggregation types Averaging, Additive, Minimum, Maximum, First and Latest

as described above for the basic Indicators apply the same way to the derived

Indicators.

The following diagram illustrates a consolidated Indicator case:

• On the left-hand side, the Group Indicator’s mean values are calculated fromboth group members for the 5 mn display rate.

• On the right-hand side, the members’ Indicator values and the Group values

are aggregated for the 15 mn display rate. VistaMart retains the max values.

There is no specific Aggregation Types for the Group Indicators. Refer to the table

above.


2 Non-consolidated Indicators. No aggregation is applied to the Group Indicator’s

values. VistaMart applies the formula to the aggregated data samples sourced

from the members’ Indicators for each display rate.

VistaMart generates non-consolidated Indicators when you select the type

Aggregation ‘None’.

The example that follows uses the same values as above. This time, VistaMart

calculates non-consolidated Indicators. The group values for the 15 mn display

rate are calculated from the respective member’s Indicator values.




3 No Aggregation. VistaMart calculates only the group values for the lowest display

rate. Upper Display rates are irrelevant and are not calculated.

You prevent VistaMart from calculating upper display rates by selecting the type

Aggregation ‘Void’.


Setting the group Indicator attributesThe following procedures allows you to set a new Instance Group Indicator and all its

attributes, then to define the formula and the basic Indicator it is derived from.

Set Group Indicator Attributes

1 In the Inventory Manager, select the Model View.

2 Expand the VistaMartGroup Vista. Right click the Indicator node.

3 Select New Indicator The New Wizard windows opens




3 Select New Indicator . The New Wizard windows opens.

4 Give the new Indicator a Name and a Description.

5 Select the Aggregation type from the drop-down list.

6 If needed, check the Use Current Aggregation check box.7 From the Handle Missing drop-down list, select the alternative value you want to

substitute for the missing value when Vistamart aggregates this Indicator’s data

samples.

8 Enter the unit from the Unit box. Of course, it must be identical to the unit of the

group member’s Indicator you derive this Indicator from.

9 Click Finish. The new Indicator displays in the list and its attributes appear in the

Property sheet at the bottom of the window.

Define the formula

1 In the attributes sheet of the Indicator, click the button in the Formula box. The

New Wizard window opens.

2 Enter a description.

3 From the Formula drop-down list, select the appropriate formula.

4 Click the button in the Indicator Used box. The Indicator Selection windowappears (see below), from which you select the basic Vista then its Indicator to

take into account for your group Indicator. Click OK.

5 From the Handle Missing As drop-down list, select an alternative value you want

to use for the calculation in case the basic Indicator value is not available.

6 Click OK.

Your New Indicator description is complete.

6 Accessing Data



105

This section describes how to display data samples using the VistaMart Inventory

Manager.

"Overview" on page 106

"Displaying Slot data" on page 106

"Displaying Report data" on page 108

VistaMart® 4.0 Overview 106

Overview

You normally use VistaPortal to examine your data displayed in advanced reports.

However, VistaMart allows you to access and visualize collected and calculated datastored in the VistaMart database, directly from the Inventory Manager.

The data display schema is as follows:



User Guide - Chapter 6 Accessing Data

Displaying Slot dataYou can display Slot data for one or more Instances in the Inventory Manager.

Display Slot data in the Inventory Manager


2 Expand the Zone which contains the Instances for which you want to view Slot

data.

3 In the list of Instances for the selected Zone, right-click the required Instance(s)

and select Display Data.

The Slot Display window displays Slot samples for each Indicator associated with

this selected Instance.


4 The Slot Display window allows you to:

• View the latest or historical data for each slot. You can view one or more Slots

by selecting them from the list and clicking Refresh.

• View details on the selected Slots such as the acquisition rate, the InfoVista

Server used to poll data and the aggregation type used.





Displaying Report dataYou can open InfoVista reports from the Inventory Manager. Reports are viewed in the

InfoVista graphical client IVreport. To access reports, you need to have an InfoVista

client installed on the same machine as the VistaMart installation.

Display Report data in the Inventory Manager


2 Expand the Server which contains the Reports for which you want to view data.




3 Right-click the Report and select Start IVReport.

The Report opens in a read-only window.

Use the refresh button to update the latest data points in the graphs and

tables.

7 Customizing the InfoVista model for your reporting solution



109

This section shows you how to define the appropriate model to suit your reporting

requirements, that is, how to define the Vistas, Instances Properties and Indicators.

"Overview of the InfoVista Model" on page 110

"Defining the Model" on page 111

"Browsing the Model" on page 112 "Customizing the Model" on page 115

"Modifying VistaMart Libraries" on page 118

"Managing Libraries" on page 125

VistaMart® 4.0 Overview of the InfoVista Model 110

Overview of the InfoVista Model

The InfoVista object model is entirely managed in VistaMart. Using the VistaMart

Inventory Manager, you can do the following:

Feature Description

Define the

model

Loads your reference InfoVista VistaView Libraries, and their related

Vistas and Properties into VistaMart.

Visualize Visualizes the principal objects in the InfoVista model The VistaMart



User Guide - Chapter 7 Customizing the InfoVista model for your reporting solution

Visualize

model

Visualizes the principal objects in the InfoVista model. The VistaMart

Inventory Manager displays InfoVista and VistaMart Libraries, their

Indicators, Properties, Report Templates etc.

A complete search function is ava ilable.Customize

model

VistaMart provides the necessary flexibility for creating/customizing

your own reporting solution; you can

> Create new Vistas,

> Create Rules,

> Create new Libraries, which in turn host new Indicators, traps and

Properties,

> Create additional global variables,

> Create patches, that is, modifications of InfoVista Libraries (The

patch is stored outside the modified Library).

Manage

Libraries

Manages the two types of Libraries:

> You import InfoVista Libraries which is uploaded to the InfoVista

Servers, according to the handled topologies and reports.

> You import and modify VistaMart Libraries on a development

platform, then you export the Libraries to another VistaMart

database.

VistaMart® 4.0 Defining the Model 111

Defining the Model

A key in it ial consideration when using the VistaMart is to define which InfoVista model

is most suitable for each configuration you want to manage.

Use the following workflow:




Important notes

> You must create/customize InfoVista Libraries (VistaViews) using a Workshop

version of InfoVista before importing them into VistaMart.

> You cannot modify InfoVista Libraries in the VistaMart Inventory Manager. Any

modifications to an InfoVista Library, using InfoVista Workshop, means you must

reimport it into VistaMart.

> You create new VistaMart Libraries in the VistaMart Inventory Manager.

> Indicators, Properties, Vistas etc. can only be modified in VistaMart Libraries.

VistaMart® 4.0 Browsing the Model 112

Browsing the Model

You can visualize the following objects in the Model View:

Object Type Displays

Vistas All Ind icators, Properties and Repor t Templates associated w ith a

specific type of technology. You can customize objects associated with

Vistas if you have sufficient access rights.

InfoVista All instal led InfoVista Librar ies currently imported for this database




"About Libraries" on page 113

"Searching the Model" on page 114

Libraries configuration.

VistaMart

Libraries

Default or customized VistaMart Libraries. The two basic VistaMart

Libraries are:> “Default” where you can create all generic VistaMart Library entities

(Indicators, Properties, Global Variables, etc.). Note that you can of

course create new VistaMart Libraries to add and customize

VistaMart Library entities.

> “Common” which contains all default Rules associated with the

Solution Model. This Library is not installed by default; you need to

import it using the Manage Libraries... feature.

Rules All standard and customized Rules are displayed in the Model View.


About Libraries A Library represents a package of objects created by developers and grouped

according to common purposes. For example, one Library might contain objects

which model routers and another might contain objects for modeling servers.

The Library is the only object which can be imported or exported from one VistaMartdatabase to another. Therefore, to import a Vista, for example, the Vista must first be

placed in a Library and the Library then imported.

A Library (InfoVista and VistaMart) can contain the fol lowing objects:

Library object Description




y j

Vistas A general type or category of resource, such as “IP node,” “Server,”

“Database,” etc.

Standard Vistas (Router, ATM Switch, etc.) are contained in theInfoVista Solution Model Library.

Properties Represent one “aspect” of a Vista. For example, the Vista “IP node” has

the Property “IP address.” A Property is either associated with either:

> a single value for each Instance created from the Vista, or

> multiple values.

Report

Templates

Represent the graphical layout of a report.

Standard InfoVista Libraries contain a selection of standard ReportTemplates which cover basic and advanced reporting metrics.

Report Templates are always part of an InfoVista Library and cannot be

modified in VistaMart.

Indicators Represent a measurement data sourced from the monitored resource.

They measure performance, such traffic, availability, response time, or

quality of service.

Global

Variables

(VistaMart

Libraries only)

Global variables are used for setting Rules. You may use variables

instead of setting hard coded values in Rules.

For example, if you set a Global Variable to 15 minutes in one Library,

all Rules using this Library take the value. You do not have to change

each individual Rule if this value changes.

Rules Using Rules, you can automatically set Instance Properties, assign

members to groups and manage Instance reports and slots according to

various parameters.


Searching the ModelIn a database containing several thousand Instances, it is important to be able to

locate specific objects with powerful integrated search tools.

You use the Inventory Manager to search the model for: Vistas, Report Templates,

Indicators, Properties, Rules and Global Variables.

EXAMPLE OF A QUERY In this example, we want to locate a Property which handles

SNMP v3 authentication. We know the Property has v3 in its name and also that it is

part of the InfoVista Core Library. Proceed as follows:

Query the Model (example)




Query the Model (example)

1 In the Model View tab of the VistaMart inventory, expand the Search for folder.

2 Double-click the Properties? icon.

3 In the Search for Properties window that opens in the main part of the Viewer,

click the Configure Query tab.

4 Enter “v3” in the Search box.

5 Click the Add more criteria button and select Library from the “Name” drop- down

list and “InfoVista Core” from the list of Libraries which is displayed.

6 Click the Launch Query button in the lower part of the window to display results.

You can add as many search criteria as necessary to fine tune your search.

VistaMart® 4.0 Customizing the Model 115

Customizing the Model

You can extensively customize the model with the Inventory Manager. All

modifications and creations are automatically performed in a VistaMart Library. You

cannot create or modify objects which are part of InfoVista Libraries.

See:

"New Object Wizards" on page 115

NOTE You must have at least read/write/delete access rights to customize objects.




"Creating a Vista" on page 116

"Creating a VistaMart Library" on page 117

"Creating Rules" on page 117

OverviewYou add entities with the help of built-in wizards. Existing or customized entities can

be deleted or modified as required.

You can create entities with identical names. Each new entity is given a unique

identifier (WID). However, when you create entities manually, we recommend that you

vary your naming pattern for future ease of use.

Remember that:

> you can only create/delete/modify entities in VistaMart Libraries.

> other InfoVista entities used to create VistaViews (Formulas, Metrics, Graph

Templates) are not part of the VistaMart Inventory.

New Object WizardsWhen defining your model configuration, you might need to modify or delete existing

objects or create new ones. You can do this on:

> An individual level. For example, when you create a new CMTS Indicator in a

VistaMart Library,> A Library level. For example, when you modify a Property in the VistaMart

Common Library which can change, using dependencies, this Property in all

related Libraries.

Create new entities with in-built wizards. Access the wizards by r ight-clicking the

entity you want to create.

NOTE All new entities (Vistas, Properties, Indicators, Global Variables and Rules)

are created in a VistaMart Library (“default” unless stated otherwise).

NOTE Entities created using InfoVista Libraries are added to a VistaMart Library

(Default unless stated otherwise).


Creating a VistaEach Vista you create is automatically integrated into a VistaMart Library. Logically,

when you create a Vista for a specific network resource, this Vista is associated with

the Resource Vista which is in turn associated with the Common Vista (see “The

InfoVista Solution Model” for details).You might need to create a new Vista to incorporate objects relative to VistaBridge or

Vista Watch data. The new Vista allows you to add Indicators to define reporting and

slot measurements and Properties to define grouping criteria.

Create a Vista




1 In the Inventory Manager, click the Model View tab.

2Right-click the Vista icon and select New Vista.

3 Enter the following attributes in the New Vista Property sheet.

All underlined attributes, flagged with a ‘*’ in this list, are mandatory.

4 Specify the new Vista inheritance and click ‘Next’, then ‘Finish’.


Name* Any unique name (str ing max 255 characters).

Kind* Basic, Proxy or Group.

Description A textual description (string max 2048 characters).Library* The Library associated with the Vista object. Note that this Library

can only be a VistaMart Library.


Creating a VistaMart LibraryYou use the Inventory Manager to create VistaMart Libraries and enter the

identification attributes.

Create a VistaMart Library1 In the Inventory Manager, click the Model View tab.

2 Right-click VistaMart Libraries and select New Library.

3 In the Wizard, enter the following parameters as required.





4 Click Finish to create the Library.

The Finish button is dimmed as long as you have not entered all the mandatory

parameters.

Creating RulesRules always belong to a VistaMart Library. Standard Rules belong by default to the

VistaMart Common Library which you can import into your VistaMart Repository.

The chapter “VistaMart Rules” describes in detail how to specify and design Rules

according to your reporting solution.

"Working with Modules and Rules" on page 129


Name* A name (up to 64 characters) which corresponds to its role ( forexample “Compaq servers”).

Version* Library version number. “1” by default when you create a new

Library.

Description A relevant description (up to 2048 characters).

Provider Name of the person or entity who created the Library. This box is

for the Library developer or third-party software suppliers.

Type* The data source type. VistaMart is the mandatory type for thisLibrary.

Access

Rights*

Select access rights for this object from:

> Use (related objects only can be referenced)

> Read Only (objects can be read and referenced)

> Read/Write (default)

> Read/Write/Delete (total control)

VistaMart® 4.0 Modifying VistaMart Libraries 118

Modifying VistaMart Libraries

If you have read/write access rights, you can modify all the Library identification

attributes except for the Type parameter which is not user dependent.

In addition to these attributes, you can set the following:


State

(View only)

Shows the Library State which can be “active” or “deleted.” If you

delete a VistaMart Library, it continues to exist in the VistaMart

Repository (see the Recycle Bin).




Modify a VistaMart Library attributes


2 Click the VistaMart Libraries icon to open the Libraries window.

3 Click the Library you want to modify from the list to open its Property sheet.

4 Modify any of the Library parameters and change, if necessary, the “Dependency”

parameters described above.

5 Close the Libraries window to save your modifications.

See:

"Modifying Objects" on page 119 "Deleting VistaMart Objects" on page 119

"Creating an Indicator" on page 119

"Creating a Property" on page 122

"Creating a Global Variable" on page 123

"Creating patches" on page 124

Dependency You can associate this Library with other Libraries. As such, they take

any associated entities: Global Variables, Vistas (including Properties,

Indicators and Report Templates) and Library-specific Indicators.

Required Build

Version*

This refers to the InfoVista Server build required to support the Library.

You need to set this in accordance with possible constraints at the

InfoVista Server level.


Modifying ObjectsYou can modify most of the VistaMart Library objects provided that you have read/

write rights. As a general Rule, any attribute which cannot be modified is dimmed in

the Object Property sheet, which means the attribute is locked.

Proceed as follows to modify objects

1 From the Model View, click the object in the object tree. Its Property sheet opens

in the main part of the window.

2 Modify any attribute which is not locked by the system.




Deleting VistaMart ObjectsYou can, with sufficient user rights, delete entities in your VistaMart Libraries. Note

that you cannot delete InfoVista Server Library entities.

Delete objects

1 Select the entity in the VistaMart object Tree.

2 Right click the entity and select Delete.

The object is sent to the relevant container in the Recycle Bin. To remove the

Library entity completely from the VistaMart database, you must perform a purge.

Creating an Indicator Most Indicators are created using InfoVista Server Libraries. All Operators and

Formulas used to construct your Indicators can only be created and modified on an

InfoVista Server (using IVReport, the InfoVista graphical user interface).

The Indicators created in VistaMart could be intended, for example, to model non-

polled devices managed by VistaBridge. New Indicators can also be used as Display

Indicators in VistaPortal (for details, see “Understanding Data Indicators and Display

Indicators” on page 125).

Create an Indicator


2 Expand the Vista where you want to create the Indicator, right click the Indicator

icon and select New Indicator .

3 Enter the following attributes in the New Indicator Property sheet.


WARNING If the object has any related child objects (that is, a Library withmanually-created Properties), you must delete the child objects first.



Name* Any unique name (string max. 255 characters) .

Vista* The Vista associated with the Indicator.

Description A textual descrip tion (str ing max. 2048 characters).Unit The text to display on the axis of graphs using this Indicator. For

example “%” or “Megabytes.”

Type* Type of data this Indicator returns data on (float, integer etc.).

This attribute cannot be modified after the object is created.

Aggregation Defines what method is used to aggregate data.




type* Refer to "Setting aggregation attributes" on page 98 for a complete

information about aggregation.Use Current

Aggregation

Act ivate the Current Aggregation type by clicking this box. "Using the

‘current aggregation’" on page 98

Current aggregation is not a standard InfoVista Indicator type.

However, you can set this value for InfoVista Indicators in VistaMart.

See: "Setting the Indicator’s aggregation attributes" on page 99.

Library* The Library associated with the Vista entity. Note that this Library can

only be a VistaMart Library.

Calendar Name Select from these default Calendars (other user-created Calendars

may also exist):

> 24h/24h: A modifiable calendar active by default 24 hours per day,

7 days a week.

> Always: The default calendar. It is non-modifiable and active 24

hours per day, 365 days per year.

> Business Hours: A modifiable Calendar (by default: 9:00 a.m. to

8:00 p.m., 7 days a week).

Label The Label used to replace the Indicator name in generated Reports.

Handle missing

as*

Alternative value used for calculation in case o f missing data. See

"Using ‘timeout’ to handle missing data" on page 97on page 165.

Vendor Select a vendor if your Indicator is part of a vendor-specific reporting

solution.

Indicator attributes for Rules

The following attributes can be used to define conditions when you set up Rules. See"‘Set Instance attribute value’" on page 156 for details.

Capability Capabilities are types of industry technology used for service

performance monitoring. Select a type from the drop-down list:

> None

> BasePI (Basic Performance Indicators) for real time, daily, weekly

or monthly reporting.


User box Any other informat ion you want to inc lude for this Indicator (512

characters max.).

Solution Enter a Solution type from the drop-down list (by default).

> None> IP telephony (VistaInsight for IP Telephony)

> Operation Center (troubleshooting solutions)

> Service Manager

> VIA (VistaInsight for Applications)

> VIN (VistaInsight for Networks)





4 Click Finish. The new Indicator is added to the list.

5 Click the Indicator you just created. Its attributes appears in the Property sheet.

6 If you want this Indicator to generate events, click the button in the Trap box.

7 If this Indicator belongs to the VistaMartGroup Vista, the list offers a Formula box.

Selecting the Group Indicator Formula

Each Indicator that belongs to the VistaMartGroup Vista requires a formula toaggregate data sourced from the group members. See “Calculation of Group Indicator

values” on page 169.

Define the Formula

1 Click the button in the Formula box. The Formula box opens.

2 Enter a description (optional).

3 From the drop-down list, select the formula to apply to the members’ values.

Possible options are Additive, Averaging, Minimum and Maximum.

4 Click the button in the Indicator Used box.

5 Select the Vista, then the Indicator used. Logically, the Group members belong to

this Vista. Click OK.

6 Select the alternative value to be used for calculation in case of a missing sample.

Possible options are Ignore, Fail, or Zero.

> VIS (VistaInsight for Servers)


Creating a Property

Create a Property


2 Expand the Vista where you want to create the Property, right click the Propertiesicon and select New Property.

3 Enter the following attributes in the New Property sheet.

(All attributes flagged with ‘*’ are mandatory).


N * A i ( t i 255 h t )




4 Click ‘Finish’.

Name* Any unique name (str ing max 255 characters) .

Description A textual description (st ring max 2048 chars).

Vista* The Vista associated with the Property object.

Library* The Library associated with the Vista entity. (This Library can only be a

VistaMart Library.)

Type* Type of data this Property represents (string, integer, float, etc.).

This mandatory attribute cannot be modified after object creation.

Referenced

Vista

Used in conjunction with ID Properties. Allows you to link Instances

together and associate a type of link.NOTE This attribute appears only when you are creating an ID

Property.

Default Value Default value used by all associated Instances. Example: The Property

snmprd community has the default value ”Public”.

Mandatory Check this box to ensure the Property always has a value associated for

each Instance.

Multi-valued Check this box to enable this Property to have several possible values.


Single value vs. multi-valued Properties

Most Properties take one value which is used by default by all associated Instances.

The Property can be modified at Instance level.

If you want the Property (and not an associated Instance/Property Value pair) to take

more than one value, you must define a multi-value Property attribute.

EXAMPLE “Ping Availability Very Poor” in the InfoVista Problem Resolution Library

takes the value “50%”. If, for one or more Instances, you want to modifythis value, you can do so at Property Value level.

EXAMPLE “Capabilities” in the InfoVista Solution Model Library is a multi-valued

Property: Cisco router may have several “capabilities” (e.g. Cisco Router




Creating a Global Variable A Global Variable def ines a value which, when modified, changes a ll attributes which

have this value.

An example of Global Variable is a minimum report display rate. I f you set this value

to 15 minutes as a Global Variable in one Library, all Rules using this variable set the

report display rate accordingly and you do not have to change each Rule individually

if this value changes.

Set a Global Variable for any attribute/Property you want to change across your entire

reporting solution.

Create a Global Variable

1 In the Inventory Manager, click the Model View tab and expand the VistaMart

Library node.

2 Select the VistaMart library where you want to create the new Global Variable andexpand this node.

3 Right-click ‘Global Variables’ and select New Global Variable. A property sheet

opens.

4 Enter the following attributes:

All underlined attributes flagged with ‘ *’ in this lis t are mandatory.

Details, Cisco SAA, etc.).


Name* Any unique name (str ing max 255 characters).

Description A textual description (st ring max 2048 characters).

Library* The Library associated with the Global Variable object (this Library can

only be a VistaMart Library).


5 Click Finish.

Creating patches As a general Rule, you cannot modify InfoVista Library objects. However, consider the

following exceptions:

F th I di t

Type* String by default.

Value A s tring or integer defining the Globa l Var iable (fo r example : the display

rate).





> For the Indicators, you can:

• Adjust the Current Aggregation Attribute and set the Aggregation Type,• Define a User box. The user box gives you additional flexibility for filtering

Indicators in the Rules’ conditions.

> For the report templates, you can:

• Modify the User box. The user box gives you additional flexibility for filtering

Indicators in the Rules’ conditions.

• Modify the report lifetime once it is instantiated, at the Rules level.

By default, the modified parameters are stored as external patches in the defaultVistaMart Library. Afterwards, it is recommended to move the patches to your Library

where you can manage customized parameters.

VistaMart® 4.0 Managing Libraries 125

Managing Libraries

This section explains how to handle the Libraries from your Inventory Manager

(Import, Export and Deletion).

Importing InfoVista LibrariesYou can import standard or customized InfoVista Libraries into VistaMart, provided

that they are version 6.0 or higher.

Import InfoVista Libraries




Import InfoVista Libraries

1 In the Inventory Manager, select File/Manage Libraries.... The LibraryManagement window opens.

2 Click the open folder button to browse for the directory or ZIP file where the

VistaView Libraries are located.

3 Select the VistaView ZIP file and click OK.

Libraries are uploaded into the VistaMart Repository. You can see them listed in

the Library Management window.

4 Select the Libraries you want to use for reporting purposes. You can import all the

Libraries which display in bold.

5 Click the Import Libraries button .

6 Close the Library Management window and check that the Libraries are imported

correctly in the Model View.


Exporting InfoVista LibrariesYou can make standard or customized InfoVista Libraries available to other users or

store them for backup purposes.

Export InfoVista Libraries1 In the Inventory Manager, click the Model View tab.

2 Right-click the InfoVista Library you want to export and select Export Library....

3 Select a destination folder for the Library file and click Export.

Deleting InfoVista Libraries




Deleting InfoVista Libraries

You can delete any InfoVista Library from your VistaMart database at any time. If theLibrary you want to delete has dependent Libraries, they are also deleted from the

database.

Delete InfoVista Libraries

1 In the Inventory Manager, select File/Manage Libraries... to open the Library

Management window.

2 Select the InfoVista Libraries) you want to delete and click the button. If

related Libraries exist, they too is deleted. These Libraries are listed in an

information window.

3 In the confirmation window, click Go on, please to delete the Libraries) or No,

thanks to cancel the operation.


Importing VistaMart LibrariesYou can import standard or customized VistaMart Libraries into VistaMart.

Import VistaMart Libraries

1 In the Inventory Manager, select File/Manage Libraries.... The LibraryManagement window opens.

2 Click the open folder button to browse for the directory or ZIP file where the

VistaView Libraries are located.

3 Select the ZIP file and click OK.

Libraries are uploaded into the VistaMart Repository. You can see them l isted in




p p y

the Library Management window.

4 Select the Libraries you want to use for reporting purposes. You can import all the

Libraries which display in bold.

5 Click the Import Libraries button .

6 Close the Library Management window and check that the Libraries are imported

correctly in the Model View.

Exporting VistaMart LibrariesYou can export any VistaMart Library to a file of your choice. This is useful if you want

to use an identical feature (e.g. identical Rules) with another VistaMart Repository.

Export VistaMart Libraries (1)

1 In the Inventory Manager, select File/Manage Libraries....

2 Select the VistaMart Library you want to export and click the button.

3 Select a destination folder for the Library file and click Export.

Export VistaMart Libraries (2)

Alternatively, you can export VistaMart Libraries from the Inventory Manager.


2 Click the VistaMart Libraries icon to open the Libraries window.3 Right-click the VistaMart Library you want to export and select Export Library....

4 Select a destination folder and click Export.


Deleting VistaMart LibrariesYou can delete a VistaMart Library as long as it does not have any related Instances.

Delete VistaMart Libraries

1 In the Inventory Manager, select File/Manage Libraries... to open the LibraryManagement window.

2 Select the Libraries to delete and click the button.

3 In the confirmation window, click Go on, please to delete the Libraries) or No,

thanks to cancel the operation.




8 Working with Modules and Rules



129

VistaMart Rules provide you with an effective means to generate Reports and startSlots for Instances according to their requirements.

Modules take Rules one level beyond by encompassing a set of Rules -- acting in

effect as a container of Rules. The objective of the Module function, among others, is

to facilitate the customization and evolution of InfoVista solutions by attaching the

Modules to a VistaMart Library, rather than to the Libraries packaged within the

solution itself.

To understand how Modules function, it is first necessary to understanding how Rules

work in general:

’About Rules’ (p. 130)

’Making Rules’ (p. 133)

’Examining conditions in detail’ (p. 138)

’Getting into actions’ (p. 149)

’Working with Rules’ (p. 167)

’Putting Rules inside Modules’ (p. 170)

VistaMart® 4.0 About Rules 130

About Rules

A Rule is an object in the InfoVista Model. I t defines the fi ltering criteria for a reporting

solution by determining for as many related Instances as possible, the actions that

VistaMart performs and the type of reporting you want your solution to display.

Several Rules can apply to one Instance. For example, a server Instance can have

related reports based on Rules for ’Generic Servers’ and ’Sun Servers’.

VistaMart stores the Rules in its Libraries You edit them using a Rule Editor in the

EXAMPLE A Rule can state that VistaMart start reports using the minimum display

rate for all Compaq Servers Instances which do not have the Property

Value ’Capabilities/HostResources’.



User Guide - Chapter 8 Working with Modules and Rules

VistaMart stores the Rules in its Libraries. You edit them using a Rule Editor in the

Inventory Manager, where you define the conditions and actions for each Rule.

A Library can contain several Rules which VistaMart executes based on a user-

defined priority value.

’Setting conditions and actions’ (p. 130)

’Example of a Rule’ (p. 132)

Setting conditions and actionsRules require two essential components: conditions and actions:

CONDITION is a prerequisite that must be present in order for an event to occur. In this

case, VistaMart checks each Instance for the fulfillment of the condition before it

executes a Rule.For example, you can instruct VistaMart to ’Start a Report’ if the ’Region’ Property of

the Instance equals ’Europe.’

Conditions enable you to define which Instances to select based on:

WARNING Each Rule can make comprehensive modifications to several thousand

Instances. Therefore, use them with caution. InfoVista recommends that

you use the default Rules that come with the InfoVista Common Library

and those tested with InfoVista solutions. If you create your own Rules,

test them thoroughly prior to application in a production environment.

> Vistas > Property Values

> Proxy Instances > Vendor and Capabilities


ACTIONS determines what to do when the conditions meet the criteria. This means

that VistaMart only executes the action(s) if the Instance Properties match the

condition(s), i.e. VistaMart starts reports on all Instances located in Paris and Madrid,

but not those in New York.

Actions enable you to:

> make modifications to Attributes, Property Values, Vistas, Locations, etc.> choose the Report Templates to apply to all Instances matching the conditions.

> start Slots for Instance/Indicator pairs for all Instances matching the conditions.

Executing RulesVistaMart attempts to apply Rules to each Zone until it finds an Instance that matches




the conditions for that Rule.For each Instance that matches the conditions, VistaMart starts related Slots and

reports defined in the Rule, starting with:

> the Slot with the smallest display rate, then

> the Slot with the smallest Acquisition Rate

PRIORITY VistaMart executes Rules by order of priority: first by alphabetical order andthen numerical. The highest numerical priority value has the highest execution

priority.

QUALIFIER ATTRIBUTE When two Rules have the same priority, VistaMart executes them

according to a Qualifier Attribute which separates Rules alphanumerically.

If two separate Rules create the same Report, VistaMart executes the second Rule

and creates the Properties which this Rule specifies (e.g.Timezone, display rate, etc.)

See:

’Determining Rule priority for execution’ (p. 134)

’Example of a Rule’ (p. 132)

NOTE If the Rule does not find related Report Template/Indicators, it cannot start

Reports or Slots.

EXAMPLE In the case with two standard server Rules, ’Cisco1’ and ’Cisco2’, with

priority 150, the former takes priority.


Example of a Rule

The following is an example of the Rule template used to define reporting on

Microsoft Servers.

EXAMPLE Conditions: Select all Server Instances whose Capabilities Property

is’MicrosoftNT4’, and exclude the cases where the Propertyis’CompaqMib’ or ’HostResources’.

Actions: Select the Report Templates whose capability is set to

’ServerBasic’ and Vendor is set to ’Microsoft’. Start Reports with a

frequency value as set in the global variable Minimum display rate Vis.




VistaMart® 4.0 Making Rules 133

Making Rules

Rules always belong to a VistaMart Library.

Standard Rules belong by default to the VistaMart Common Library which you can

import into your VistaMart Repository.

The Rule Editor is the VistaMart interface that lets you create, edit, and set priorities

for Rules.

Managing Properties using RulesRules allow you to set Properties. When you set a Property using Rules, you must




subsequently continue to use only Rules to set Properties.For a given provisioning workflow, you must determine whether to use Rules or the

change mode (i.e. via VistaDiscovery) or the update mode to manage a Property.

By not mixing provisioning modes, this ensures that each mode is responsible for the

Properties that it manages (i.e. the action sets the owner).

EXAMPLE The following is a scenario that does not work:

You have a Property Threshold with default value equal to 0.

1. You use the mode ‘change’ to set the Property to 100.2. You use a Rule to set the Property to 200 when the Property equals

100.

3. First execution: the Property gets set to 200

4. Second execution: the Property gets set to 0. This is an unexpected

value but imputed to the fact that you used two different processes to

manage the same Property.

The reason is that before the Rule execution, Property values managed

by Rules (owner = Rules) are reset to 0. Hence, the condition = 100 no

longer applies to this Property.


Determining Rule priority for executionIn general, VistaMart executes all Rules in its database for all Instances that match

the conditions set for them, regardless of their name and Library which contains them.

Using different priority levels, VistaMart lets you set conditional blocks where several

Rules with identical names can mutually exclude each other:INSIDE A CONDITIONAL BLOCK VistaMart executes only one Rule for which the submitted

Instance matches the conditions.

A RULE WITH THE HIGHEST PRIORITY LEVEL takes precedence over the other ones.

EXAMPLE The Library Contracts has three different Rules dealing with Servers, i.e.

Servers/Microsoft, Servers/Sun and Servers/Generic. Each Rule has a

different priority level. Rules for Microsoft and Sun have the highest




RANGE OF VALUES You can set any priority value for Rules you create or modify. The

general recommendation is to set values in the range 0 to 1000.

Standard priority values are as follows:

priority.

Each Rule activates for the submitted Instances a series of dedicated

reports, from specialized (Microsoft and Sun) to generic.

When the conditions for Microsoft and Sun are present, VistaMart startsreports for them, but not the generic ones. Generic reports are necessary

only when the Instances do not fulfill the Microsoft and Sun conditions.

> 100 (Generic) > 300 (Type Area)

> 500 (Vendor) > 700 (Release)> 900 (Environment Specific)


Creating a new RuleYou create Rules based on a series of templates.

Create a new Rule

1 In the VistaMart Inventory Manager, click the Model View tab.2 Right-click the Rules icon and select Add Rules.

The Select template from new Rule window opens. VistaMart classifies the Rule

templates as follows:

• At the top, the ‘Empty Rule’ sets up a skeletal structure of conditions and

actions on which to base a Rule.

• For example, the Report & Slot folder of templates contains template Rules

dealing with Report and Slot actions. For a description of each Rule template,




g p p p ,

double-click on it to display a short summary of its function.

3 In the drop-down list of Libraries, click the arrow to select the VistaMart Library in

which to create the Rule. This Library must have the Read/Write access rights

enabled. Otherwise, the VistaMart Default Library applies by default.

4 In the Value column of the ‘Rule name’ parameter, enter a name for the new Rule.

5 Depending on the additional template you choose, enter values for the

corresponding parameters, such as: (non-exhaustive list)

• Vista of the Property to test

• Trap receiver IP address

• Source Servers pool

• etc.

6 Click OK. The Rules Editor opens and displays your new Rule which you can

modify as required.


Editing a RuleThe following section shows you how to edit existing Rules in the Rules Editor . In

general, you have to edit to fine-tune a new Rule after you create it.

Note that each time you modify a Rule, you must reapply it in the VistaMart Inventory

Manager in order for the system to take changes into account.You can edit a Rule either in the ‘tree view’ or ‘xml’.

’Using the ‘tree view’’ (p. 136)

’Using XML’ (p. 137)

Using the ‘tree view’

Edit a Rule in the tree view




1 In the Inventory Manager’s Model View tab, expand the Rules node.

2 Expand the Module then the Library that contains the Rule to edit (if the Rules

belong to the default Module).

3 Click any Rule in the list to display its contents in the Rule Editor .

4 Each Rule comprises three distinct parts as highlighted above:

• the Identifier block, which includes a name, a description, an associated

Module, a qualifier and a priority. The name of a rule generally corresponds to

the equipment type, application, etc. to which the Rule applies.

• the Conditions block, identified by the icons .

• the Actions block, identified by the icons .


5 Click the double arrow to the left of the icons and to expand the blocks and

display the detailed Conditions and Actions.

6 Enter appropriate values in the in the corresponding text box for each attribute or

select a predefined value from a drop down list.

7 VistaMart saves the changes when you click Save, or when you close the Rule

Editor, or switch to another window.

Using XML

Editing the XML contents of a Rule is an time-efficient way to create a new Rule from

an existing one. You simply copy, paste, and edit the children elements of the original

CIRule element when you select Add Rules.

However, it is best to keep the modifications of the XML contents of a Rule to a

i i (i h i i l l ) t li it th ibilit f




minimum (i.e. changing a single value) to limit the possibility of errors.If an error arises, an integrated object corrector function allows you to detect it

directly on the screen. A click on the ‘error’ button takes you directly to the location of

the offending syntax.

Edit Rules in XML

1 In the Rules Editor, select a Rule and click the XML tab at the bottom of the main

window to display the XML contents of this Rule.

2 Manually enter or delete element attributes. Any errors in syntax are highlighted in

the bottom section of the window.

VistaMart® 4.0 Examining conditions in detail 138

Examining conditions in detail

This section provides an overview and corresponding examples for each condition

type available for the customization of Rules.

View available conditions

> In the Rule Editor, right-click the ‘Conditions’ icon to display the conditions:

> ’Add conditions’’ (p. 139)

> ’‘Add condition on proxies’’ (p. 140)

> ’‘Add conditions on referenced Instances’’

(p. 141)

’‘Add true condition’’ (p 142)




Set a condition

1 Select an appropriate condition. (The following subsections provide a detailed

description of each predefined condition). The new condition appears.

2 Right click the new condition icon. The node expands and displays the required

parameters and values.

3 Complete the condition specific settings.

4 Proceed to the section ’Adding actions’ to complete the Rule.

> Add true condition (p. 142)

> ’‘Compare the Instance Capabilities Property

with’’ (p. 143)

> ’‘Compare the Instance Capabilities Property

with’’ (p. 143)

> ’‘Conditions Based on String Values’’

(p. 144)

> ’‘Compare two numerical values’’ (p. 145)

> ’Compare two string values’’ (p. 144)

> ’‘Compare values from a multivalued

Property with’’ (p. 145)

> ’‘Match a string Property Value with’’ (p. 146)

> ’‘Tests if an object has Value(s)’’ (p. 147)

> ’‘Test if one Vista of the Instance is’’ (p. 148)

> ’‘Write comments’’ (p. 148)


Add conditions’

By default, if you use the standard templates to build your own Rules, or if you

customize existing Rules in the VistaMart Common Library, you always start with a

condition that specifies the Vista which contains the Instance you submit.

This condition is the ’Conditions:And’ in the Rule Editor.

From this starting point you can add more conditions on Properties, Proxies and

Variables for VistaMart to apply to an Instance.

As a minimum, all conditions belong to the ’Conditions:And’ grouping type. In

addition, you can use the following alternative logical operators:

> ’Not’ conditions to exclude Vistas, Property Values, Proxies, Vendor and

Capabilities.

> ’Or ’ conditions to include one or more of a series of Vistas, Property Values,

Proxies and Vendor/Capabilities attributes




Proxies and Vendor/Capabilities attributes.

Add an ’And’, ’Not’, ’Or’ condition

1 In the Rules Editor, right-click the Conditions icon and select Add Condition.

The ’Conditions:And’ operator becomes part of the current list of conditions for

this Rule.

2 Modify the Grouping Type from the list of three enumerated values (And/Or /Not).

You can insert as many new conditions as required before or after a

Conditions:And, Conditions:Or or Conditions:Not node, or any existing structure.

Add successive conditions

Once you have set at least a first condition, you can set a new one and determine its

position relative to the initial condition in the list.

1 Right-click the first condition icon and select either Insert After or Insert

Before.2 Proceed as described in ’Set a condition’ (p. 138).

EXAMPLE Create a condition of type ’Or ’ to retain only Instances whose Agent

Vendor is either ’Cisco’ or ’Alcatel’. This condition rejects all other

Instances:


‘Add condition on proxies’

This Rule checks if the Instance has proxy Instances. If it finds any, it may apply the

conditions to one, all, or none of the proxies:

Condition Description

AtLeastOneProxy The submit ted Instance has proxies. At least one proxy matches thecondition.

AllProxies The submitted Instance has proxies. A ll p roxies match the condit ion.

NoProxy The submitted Instance does not have any proxy, or all proxies do

not match the condition.

EXAMPLE The Rule below checks if the submitted Instance is a Router and if it

includes at least one LAN interface.




EXAMPLE The Rule below checks if the submitted Instance is a Router and if it does

not include any WAN interface.


‘Add conditions on referenced Instances’

The Rule does not check the condition for the submitted Instance. Instead, the

condition addresses an Instance that the submitted Instance references.

When the condition verifies, the Rule applies the action to the submitted Instance.

Conditions on Referenced Instances includes three distinct cases:

> “The reference is a group containing the Instance”

> “The reference is a Property of the Instance”

“The reference is a the Basic of the proxy Instance”




> The reference is a the Basic of the proxy Instance

T HE REFERENCE IS A GROUP CONTAINING THE INSTANCE This Rule applies to Instances which

belong to a group. It redirects the condition to the group of that submitted Instance.

T HE REFERENCE IS A THE BASIC OF THE PROXY INSTANCE In case of proxy Instances, the Rule

redirects the condition to its parent Basic.

EXAMPLE The condition below matches all Instances that are members of the group

Fiat, when the Contract Property Value for that group is Platinum.

EXAMPLE The condition matches all proxy Instances whose parent Basic Instance is

located in Italy (Property Location of Vista Common = string ‘Italy’).


T HE REFERENCE IS A PROPERTY OF THE INSTANCE This Rule redirects the condition to an

Instance referenced as a Property, instead of addressing the submitted Instance.

EXAMPLE In the Vista Routers, the Property ShadowRouters references shadow

router Instances. This condition matches all Instances referencing

shadow routers located in Italy (Property Location of Vista Common

equals string ‘Italy’).




‘Add true condition’

When using this condition, the Rule applies in every case.Example: You want to set the IP trap receiver for all Instances equal to a global

variable.


‘Compare the Instance Capabilities Property with’

This condition checks if the submitted Instance has a specifically associated

capability (such as CiscoRouterDetails, CompaMib, etc). It is equivalent to testing the

multivalued Property Capabilities of the Common Vista.

When you select the option’ Apply On Basic’, the Rule redirects this condition to the

Instance’s parent Basic.

EXAMPLE The condition below checks if the submitted Instance is a Router

associated to the CiscoNBAR capability.




‘Compare the Instance vendor Property with’

This condition checks the Property Value of the vendor equipment specified for an

Instance. It is equivalent to checking the AgentVendor Property Value for the Vista

SnmpNode.

EXAMPLE The condition below checks if the submitted Instance is a LAN interface

of a Router associated to the CiscoNBAR capability.

EXAMPLE The condition below checks that the submitted Instance pertains to Nortel

equipments.


‘Conditions Based on String Values’

VistaMart offers two important conditions based on string values, ‘Compare Two

String values’ and ‘Match a String Property Value with’ to use with the following

parameters:

Parameter DescriptionProperty The condition applies to a Property Value of one of the Instance’s

inherited Vistas.

Property On Basic In case of proxy Instances, the condition applies to a Property

Value of one of the Basic Instance’s inherited Vistas.

Instance Attribute The condition applies to one of the Instance’s predefined attributes

such as Description, Config, Name, Tag, location, Zone, Zone Set,

etc.

Instance Attribute The condition applies to one of the Basic Instance’s predefined




COMPARE TWO STRING VALUES’ The condition makes a textual comparison of two strings.

The two strings can either be explicit declarations or come from a parameter’s source

(see the complete list above). Select the case sensitive option if you want to submit

strings with a specific case setting.

On Basic attributes.

Global Variable The condition applies to any Global Variable in your VistaMart

Inventory, regardless of the Library that contains it.

Matching Attribute The condition applies to a Matching attribute (see next section).

EXAMPLE The condition below is based on both Customer and Location Properties

of the Common Vista. It matches all Instances corresponding to the

customer British Airways in the UK.


‘COMPARE TWO NUMERICAL VALUES’ This condition determines whether the specified

numerical value matches the defined value entered in the Nvalue box.

The available comparison operators are:

> Equal to > Less than

> Greater than > LessOrEqual to

> GreaterOrEqual to

EXAMPLE The condition below bases on the ’Ex 0 - Load’ Property in the Interface

Vista with a value set to greater than ’70’:




‘Compare values from a multivalued Property with’

This condition checks that the Property specified matches a defined value. This

condition applies to multivalued Properties only.

EXAMPLE In this example, the ’Customer ’ Property must have the value ’Cisco’.


‘Match a string Property Value with’

Instead of simply comparing string values, this Rule uses a ‘regular expression’ to

split a submitted string value into substrings. This gives you the flexibility to:

> analyze a string in detail and extract as many subvalues as necessary.

> check subvalues individually, using additional conditions.

> reuse the extracted values as parameters when defining actions.

The regular expression sets a Matching Group (in the form of a table), which

comprises as many Matching Properties (in the form of table cells) as the extracted

substrings.

Thereafter, the regular expression addresses the Matching Properties individually

using their respective GroupNumbers (or table cell indexes).

EXAMPLE The Description attribute of the submitted Instance includes useful

parameters. We extract the Major Version and Minor Version numbersfrom the Instance to set the values for the Properties IOSMajorVersion




from the Instance to set the values for the Properties IOSMajorVersion

and IOSMinorVersion, respectively.

We use the regular expression Cisco IOS (\d+)\.(\d+)\s.* to extract

the value 12 and 3 out of the string Cisco IOS 12.3 RELEASE SOFTWARE,

etc.

The expression reads as follows: Where a line starts with ’Cisco

Version’, a white space, 1 to n digits, a period, 1 to n digits, a

white space, any character.


‘Tests if an object has Value(s)’

This Rule checks if an Instance has a specified object and this object has a value.

The Rule applies to single value Properties, multivalued Properties and Attributes.

When you select the option ‘Apply On Basic’, the Rule redirects the condition to the

parent Basic of the Instance.

This condition verifies if:

> Single value Property or Attribute: The Property Value is not null and the string

value is not empty.

> Multivalued Properties: The list of values is not null and contains at least one

element.

EXAMPLE The condition below checks if the submitted Instance is a Router and that

router is a member of a group, regardless of the group name.




EXAMPLE The condition below addresses interfaces. It verifies for all Voice Gateway

interfaces that have a value set for the parent Basic’s VoIP Call Round

Trip Delay Property.


‘Test if one Vista of the Instance is’

This Rule allows you to check if:

> The submitted Instance has a specific associated Vista. In this case, do not select

the ‘Apply On Basic’ option.

> the parent Basic has a specific associated Vista, as with proxies. In this case, you

must select the ‘Apply On Basic’ option.

EXAMPLE The condition below matches all ‘Router ’ Instances:

EXAMPLE The condition below matches all Instances whose parent Basic is a

R t




‘Write comments’

This feature allows you to give descriptions for one or more conditions. This is useful

if you export Rules to other VistaMart environments or if other users have access to

your VistaMart Inventory configuration.

Router .

EXAMPLE This condition matches all LAN Interface Instances whose parentBasic is a Router .

VistaMart® 4.0 Getting into actions 149

Getting into actions

After you impose your conditions, you determine all requi red actions to execute each

time the submitted Instance fulfills these conditions.

Set an action

1 In the Rule Editor, right-click the Rule Identifier icon and select Add Action.

The list of action appears.

> ’‘Activate Module’’ (p. 173)

> ’‘Add Instance to group’’ (p. 152)

> ’‘Add Value to Multivalued Property’’

(p. 153)

> ’‘Add/Remove a Vista’’ (p. 154)




2 Select the type of action you want to set from the list.

3 Click the double arrow next to the action icon to display the action input box(es),or if the icon appears as a node, click the to access all details and boxes.

4 Refer to the following sections which describe the relevant parameters and

condition-specific settings according to the type of action.

5 Save the changes you made to the Rule by clicking the Save icon in the upper

right corner of the Rules Editor.

6 To execute the Rules, you must reapply them. Refer to ’Applying or Reapplying

Rules’ (p. 167).

(p )

> ’‘Copy value(s) from another Property’’

(p. 155)

> ’‘Remove Value to Multivalued Property’’

(p. 153)

> ’‘Reset Property Value’’ (p. 156)

> ’‘Set Instance attribute value’’ (p. 156)> ’‘Set Instance location’’ (p. 157)

> ’‘Set Property Value’’ (p. 158)

> ’‘Start Slot(s)’’ (p. 159)

> ’‘Start Report(s)’’ (p. 163)

> ’‘Write comments’’ (p. 166)


Building a string to set valuesFor actions such as Set a Property Value, Set an Attribute Value, Add value to

Multivalued Property, VistaMart asks for string values.

You either enter an explicit string in the relevant input box or set string values based

on the following parameters:

Parameters Descriptions

Constant value A constant string. Mainly used to set prefixes and separators.

Global variable

value

Any Globa l Var iable, regardless of the Library f rom which the

Variable originates.

Instance Attribute

Value

The value of any Attribute of the submitted Instance.

Instance AttributeValue on Basic

In case of proxies, the value of any Attribute of the submittedInstance’s parent Basic.




Matching Property

Value

Whenever you use regular expressions to set a condition, you can

reuse the extracted substrings (MatchingProperties). You have to

indicate the used MatchingGroup and MatchNumber.

Property Value The value of any Property of the submitted Instance. Make sure

that you do not address any multivalued Property.

Property Value onBasic

In case of proxies, the value of any Property of the submittedInstance’s parent Basic. Make sure that you do not address any

multivalued Property.

Value from

Referenced

Instance

You source the value from:

1 A Group Ins tance tha t contains the submit ted Instance

2 An Instance referenced in a Property of the submit ted Instance

3 In case of proxies, the submitted Instance’s parent Basic.

After you address the referenced Instance, you can select any of

its parameters as described above.

EXAMPLE For a given set of Instances, we set a string which comprises a Prefix

(LAN_Switch_), the device Vendor’s name, and the Instance’s Basic IP

address.


The actions that call for building string values are:

’‘Set Property Value’’ (p. 158)

’‘Set Instance attribute value’’ (p. 156)

’‘Add Value to Multivalued Property’’ (p. 153)

Setting actions to trigger data acquisitionVistaMart controls entirely the data acquisition.




Upon VistaMart commands , the InfoVista Servers perform two distinct tasks

with regard to data acquisition, which you can only trigger using Rules:

> They launch real-time reports according to the metrics specified in the InfoVista

VistaViews,

> They start acquisition Slots as data arrives for the Indicators for specific

reporting solutions in VistaPortal .

The Indicators and display rates used for Real-time Reports can be independent of

those used for starting Slots.

’‘Start Slot(s)’’ (p. 159)

’‘Start Report(s)’’ (p. 163)


‘Add Instance to group’

This action adds an Instance to a given Group Instance, using as reference the

Instance’s GroupTag attribute. If the target group does not exist, VistaMart generates

a warning message.

The mandatory GroupTag attribute is either an explicit definition or deduced from

other parameters.

EXAMPLE Take an inventory of all Instances related to a given service level. The

Rule below looks for all Routers whose Service Property matches the

Silver value, to populate the group SilverGroup.




EXAMPLE Classify proxy Instances of Routers according to their service level. The

inventory includes three distinct groups - e. g. Silver , Gold and Platinum.

Each proxy Instance whose service Property matches one of these group

names becomes a member of that group.


Setting actions for multivalued PropertiesThese actions update any multivalued Property. If you apply them to a single-value

Property, VistaMart ignores them.

"‘Add Value to Multivalued Property’"

"‘Remove Value to Multivalued Property’"

‘Add Value to Multivalued Property’

This action adds an additional value to a multivalued Property.

EXAMPLE For all Routers located in Beijing, the Rule below adds the QOS capability

to the multivalued Capabilities Property of the Common Vista.




‘Remove Value to Multivalued Property’

This action removes a value from a multivalued Property.

EXAMPLE A given topology addresses a private network. For all Instances, the

multivalued Departments Property of the FinancialItem Vista (inherited

from Common) takes an inventory of all departments. You decide that any

server Instance running Windows NT4 no longer belongs to Marketing.

Hence, you update the multivalued Property accordingly.


‘Add/Remove a Vista’

ADD VISTA This action adds a Vista to the list of Vistas associated to the current

Instance. When you associate a Vista using this action, you can also add related

Vistas. In addition, the action adds the new Vista’s Properties automatically with their

default value.

NOTE If the Vista is already associated to the Instance, this action does not change

anything and does not override customized Property Values.

EXAMPLE In a private network, the MIS department adds NBAR capabilities to the

LAN interfaces that the R&D department uses. Hence, you add the NBAR

Vista to all LAN interface Instances in the Research & Development Zone.




REMOVE VISTA This action removes a Vista and its associated Properties.


‘Copy value(s) from another Property’

This action allows you to:

> copy a Property Value from one source Property to another one

> set a proxy Property Value using the parent Basic’s Property Value.

If the destination is a multivalued Property, this action either overrides the original

value or appends it to the source Property Value.

To set this action, the conditions to apply are:

> Both source and destination Property types must be strictly identical (e.g. number,

string, multivalue Property).

> If both source and destination Properties belong to the same Instance, their

respective names must be different (because it is not possible to duplicate a

Property Value on an existing one).

EXAMPLE We monitor router LAN interfaces. We want to duplicate the capabilityvalues from the respective parent routers to the interface capabilities,

only in the following cases:




only in the following cases:

> The source parent routers have their a set capabilities value (i.e. it is not empty).

> The destination interface do not have set capabilities values; or whatever capability

value already set must remain).


‘Reset Property Value’

This action allows you:

> To reset the value of multivalued Properties.

> To return to the default value of single-value Properties.

‘Set Instance attribute value’

This action allows you to set the following attributes: Config (for the InfoVista Server

Group), Description, Name and Location.

NOTE You can only reset a Property Value using a Rule only if the Property owneris of type User.

NOTE For updating the attribute Location, it is recommended to use the action Set

Instance Location.

EXAMPLE For all Servers, we want to set the Instance name as a function of the OS




Name Properties (from the Vista Server Common) and IP address (from

the Vista IpNode).


‘Set Instance location’

This action sets the location Attribute (Country/City combination) for the Instance. In

particular, this attribute is a prerequisite in order to display Instances geographically

on maps in the Service Level Navigator of VistaPortal.

Two methods are available:

MANUAL SELECTION OF COUNTRY AND CITY You select a country from the drop-down list,

then you select a City. If you do not set a location, VistaMart uses the default Zone.

Note that this method is not time-efficient if you must update several hundred

Instances.

AUTOMATIC CREATION OF COUNTRY AND CITY You create both country and city values from

relevant sources such as dedicated Properties or a detailed description parsed using

a regular expression.

EXAMPLE For all Servers belonging to a Zone North America, we use the PropertyLocation of the Common Vista and the Property City of the Site Vista to

set the Instance’s location attribute.





‘Set Property Value’

This action sets a Property Value on any single-value Property. If you attempt to set a

value for a multivalued Property, VistaMart ignores it.

EXAMPLE Upgrade the contract for the customer CityBank by applying the value

Platinum for the Service Property to all Routers Instances belonging to

that customer.




EXAMPLE For proxies of a given Router Instance, we propagate the value of the

Property Location from the basic router to the Property Source Location

of each proxy.


‘Start Slot(s)’

This action drives data collections based on Slots, which are Indicator/Instance pairs.

The Rule Editor enables you to:

> Either explicitly select a single Indicator from all available Indicators and the Vista,

> Or , set a combination of Indicator attributes to filter several Indicators accordingly.

Attributes Description

Indicator

Capability

The capability attribute associated to the Indicator. Capabilities

are types of technologies used for service performance

monitoring.

Indicator Label A string with pert inent Indications that you extract using regular

expressions.

Indicator Library The Library that contains the Indicator(s).

Indicator solution The solution associated with the Indicator (for example

CapacityAnalyser, Troubleshooter, ServiceManager).

I di t U A t i i th f l i f ti th t t t i l




For all Indicators that the Rule addresses, you have to define:

> An Acquisition Rate, i.e. the time elapsed between each data acquisition.

> A display rate. For VistaMart, this is the smallest available display rate. If this

display rate is a multiple of the Acquisition rate, the InfoVista Server needs to

aggregate data to make the sample available for VistaMart.

> The Data Source from which the data samples originate. You must declare this

source in the Global Configuration settings.

Indicator User

box

A string with useful information that you extrac t using regular

expressions.

Indicator Vendor The Vendor associated with the Indicator(s).

Indicator Vista* The Vista that contains the Indicator(s). This attribute is

mandatory. The slots that you want to start must contain

Instances belonging to the same Vista. (For example, if your

Rules contains a ‘start slot’ action for the Vista Router, this

action only applies to Routers regardless of conditions.)

NOTE Time Zone, User box and Vendor attributes can come from other value(s)

by:

- Right-clicking the Action title Start Slot, then select one of the options

Build Time Zone, Build User-box or Build Vendor ,

- Referring to ’Building a string to set values’ (p. 150) for selecting the

appropriate string components.

NOTE The source InfoVista applies to data polled from InfoVista Servers. The

source VistaBridge applies to data supplied by external files. For all

Indicators pertaining to a group type Vista, the Data Source is VistaMart.


UNDERSTANDING DATA INDICATORS AND DISPLAY INDICATORS Data Indicators function with

Instances at the InfoVista Server level to retrieve data from polled devices. Display

Indicators are created at the VistaMart level to enable a more generic solution-based

approach to reporting.

EXAMPLE InfoVista Servers use separate Indicators to monitor Availability on

distinct devices such as 3Com LAN Switches or Cisco LAN Switches.

VistaMart allows you to create a federated Display Indicator called Global

Availability.




Associate a VistaMart Indicator with InfoVista Server Indicators

1 Check that you have a created VistaMart Indicator.

2 Right click the StartSlot icon and select Set Associated VistaMart Indicator.

3 From the Indicator box, select the VistaMart Indicator.


START SLOTS EXAMPLES The following examples illustrate the most common uses of the

StartSlot action.

EXAMPLE The action below associates all Servers with the Indicator Disk Activity -

Average, for the acquisition rate specified in a global variable

my_acquisition_rate. The VistaMart Gateway collects the samples

hourly. The data values come from InfoVista Servers.




EXAMPLE The action below applies filtering criteria. The Rule associates all

Indicators with the capability BasePI related to the Server Vista and the

IPTelephony solution for all servers. The InfoVista Server polls datasamples every 5 minutes and aggregates them every Hour .


EXAMPLE This Rule is similar to the previous one. However, instead of keeping only

Indicators related to a single Vista, this Rule applies to all Vistas of the

submitted Instance whose Indicators match the required BasePI

capability. Hence, VistaMart takes into account the Indicators from the

inherited Vistas Resources and Interfaces.

This extension works when you select the option AllInstanceVista(s).




EXAMPLE The group Vista FinancialItem includes Indicators calculated from the

group members’s Indicator values. The Rule below starts Slots for the

related group Instances.

NOTE If the Slots are empty for the addressed group members, VistaMart starts the

relevant Slots accordingly.

If the display rate specified for the addressed members is higher than the

group Indicator rate, VistaMart readjusts the source rate so that it matches

the display rate of the group Indicator.


‘Start Report(s)’

This action drives InfoVista Servers to generate real-time reports based on available

Report Templates.

The Rule Editor allows you to:

> Either explicitly select a precise InfoVista Library Report Template for a given

Vista from all available templates loaded in VistaMart,> Or select a series of Report Templates filtered according to a combination of

attributes below if you do not specify the template:

Attributes Description

Report lifetime The length of time to keep the data collected for this report.

When data is older than this lifetime, it becomes obsolete and

gets progressively purged from the system.

If you do not specify a lifetime, the default value comes from theReport Template.

Report Template

Capability

The associated capability attribute. Capabilities are types of

technologies used for service performance monitoring.




Time Zone, User box and Vendor attributes can come from other value(s) by:

• Right-clicking the action tit le Start Report, then selecting one of the options

Build Time Zone, Build User-box or Build Vendor , or

• Referring to "Building a string to set values" to select the appropriate string

components.

Capability technologies used for service performance monitoring.

Report Template

Label

A string of useful indica tions tha t you extract and use as fil ter ing

criteria.

Report Template

Library

The Library that contains the Report Template(s).

Report Min

Frequency

The minimum frequency (periodicity) you want to apply to the

acquisition rate.

Report Max

Frequency

The maximum frequency you want to apply to the Report display

rate.

Report Template

solution

The solution associated to the Report Template.

Report TemplateUser box A string with useful indica tions that you ext ract and use asfiltering criteria.

Report Template

Vendor

The Vendor associated with the Indicator(s).

Report Template

Vista*

The Vista that contains the Indicator(s). This attribute is

mandatory. The reports that you want to start must contain

Instances belonging to the same Vista. (For example, if your

Rules contains a ‘start report’ action for the Vista Router, this

action only applies to Routers regardless of conditions.)


ATTRIBUTING A REPORT LIFETIME You customize the report lifetime value according to two

different formats:

Fixed

value

Syntax:

number + ’ ’ + period, where

period is m= minute, h=hour,

d=day, w=week, M=month or

y=year.

The specified lifetime

overwrites the value inherited

from the Report Template.

Relative

value

Syntax:

value + ’ ’ + ’%’, where value

ranges between 1 and 100.The report lifetime is a ratio of

the default lifetime value from

the Report Template.




VistaMart allows the following adjustments:

> If the Rule addresses a single Report Template, you can adjust the lifetime using a

fixed value. In this case, make sure that the new value does not exceed the former

one.

> If the Rule addresses several Report Templates with different display rates,

therefore with specific lifetimes, you define a customized lifetime using a

percentage. The ratio applies to the individual values inherited from the respective

Report Templates.

Finally, you have to define the name syntax for all reports that InfoVista Servers

generate.

Give report name(s)

1 Click the next to Start Report definition box. The Name attribute appears.

EXAMPLE The example below shows the lifetimes specified in the ReportTemplates, then the resulting lifetimes when you apply a 50% value.


2 Right-click the Name attribute.

3 Refer to "Building a string to set values" to select the appropriate attribute

components.

EXAMPLE The Rule below triggers Performance Reports with a 15 minute

display rate for all Server Instances.The data displayed corresponds

to the last 14 days.

For each new report, the title includes the Instance Name and the

used Report Template Name.




EXAMPLE This StartReport action triggers a series of reports. The templates are

part of the Library InfoVista Servers - Basic with the Capability

ServerBasic. The data displayed corresponds to the last 14 days.

VistaMart only takes into account reports related to Microsoft.

InfoVista Servers generate Reports for all display rates between 5

minute and 1 hour, inclusive.


‘Write comments’

This feature allows you to describe one or more actions. This is particularly useful if

you export Rules to other VistaMart environments or if other users have access to

your VistaMart Inventory configuration.




VistaMart® 4.0 Working with Rules 167

Working with Rules

Once you create or modify Rules, you must apply them in the VistaMart Inventory

Manager in order for it to take them into account.

Apply ing a Rule a ffects your VistaMart database: it can add or modify exis tingInstances, Property Values and Reports.

For example, if a Rule starts reports for Instances with specific Properties and you

use another Rule to modify the conditional Properties, the Reports using the original

Properties are suspended.

"Applying or Reapplying Rules"

"Enabling/disabling and removing Rules"

’Using ‘resource activation’’ (p. 169)

Applying or Reapplying Rules




Apply or reapply Rules

1 From the Inventory Manager’s Provisioning menu, select Test & Apply Rules. The

‘Apply/Test Rules’ window opens.

2 Select the relevant Zone and click the Test Rules icon to test changes.VistaMart displays the impact of the changes on Instances, Properties, Slots and

Reports. However, the changes do not take effect yet.

3 When you are satisfied with the changes, click the Apply Rule icon . to apply

the Rules to apply the changes.


Enabling/disabling and removing RulesYou can disable Rules at three levels in the VistaMart Inventory Manager by

selecting:

> the top-level Rules node,

> a specific VistaMart Library (this disables all Rules contained in the Library).

> all Rules which share the same name (for example: Rules contained in the

’RouterRE’ directory).

> the Rule itself as defined in the combination of Name/Priority level.

Disable and enable Rules for a Library


2 Select the Rule you want to modify from the relevant VistaMart Library.

3 Right click the Rule in the Tree List and select Disable/Enable.

Remove a Rule

1 In the Inventory Manager click the Model View tab





2 Expand the Rules directories in the Library that contains the Rule.

3 Right-click the Rules icon and select Delete.


Using ‘resource activation’Resource activation is a VistaMart function that allows you to enable or disable

selectively one or several attributes that specific Rules use as filtering criteria at any

time or for any particular Zone.

This function assumes that you already created, edited, tested, and applied your

Rules.This function provides the flexibility of defining and saving as many ‘activation

configurations’ as necessary, which you can apply according to your requirements.

Set a new activation configuration

1 From the Browser View, expand the Zone node and click the appropriate Zone.

The right pane displays the Zone attributes.

2 Click the button next to the Resource Activation option.

The Resource Activation window opens. By default, all resources in all filtering

categories are enabled.




3 Select the category that contains the resources to deactivate.

4 In the text area at the top, give a new name to the activation configuration and

click OK.

The new Activation Configuration applies immediately.

VistaMart® 4.0 Putting Rules inside Modules 170

Putting Rules inside Modules

Modules is another VistaMart object whose purpose is to act as a ‘container’ for

Rules responsible for a specific type of reporting solution, e.g. a given technology or

type of device.

Modules facilitate the customization and evolution of InfoVista solutions by their

intrinsic attachment to a VistaMart Library instead of to the Libraries packaged with

the solution itself.

CUSTOMIZATION OF A REPORTING SOLUTION The VistaInsight solutions depend on data

processed by the VistaMart Inventory Manager using Rules developed with the

VistaViews for the solution.

In this context, you can create or modify Rules to customize your reporting needs.

However, with the advent of each new version of a VistaInsight version, your changesno longer have any effect because the updated VistaViews do not take into account

your modifications.

To facilitate customization, Rules now belong inside Modules within VistaMart instead

of being part of the solution VistaViews. Henceforth, the customization takes place in




of being part of the solution VistaViews. Henceforth, the customization takes place in

the user VistaViews (in VistaMart) rather than the solution VistaViews. This makes it

possible to keep the changes you made in order to preserve its previous

customization.

MODULES AND VISTAVIEWS By definition, a Module is linked to a specific VistaView.Nevertheless, you can define the Rules associated to a Module in any VistaMart

VistaView (for which you have ‘write’ access’) as described in the previous sections.

This function, though flexible, necessarily creates dependencies between VistaViews

due to the link between a Rule and its associated Module. A dependency exists

between the VistaView where you defined the Rule and the VistaView in which the

Module belongs.

To maintain compatibility with existing VistaViews, it is not mandatory that you define

a Module to associate with a Rule.

All Rules that do not belong to a specific Module go into a ‘default’ Module. VistaMart

executes the Rules in the default Module after those in other Modules.

MODULE PRIORITY A Module has a predefined priority. VistaMart executes the Rules

associated to a Module according to the Module’s priority.

MODULE SCOPE There are two ways to execute the Rules in a Module:

> Global: VistaMart activates the Module at all times. For example, a VistaInsight for

Servers solution requires that VistaMart always executes the Servers KPI Modulewhen a server figures in the topology file.

> Rules: VistaMart activates the Module only when a Rule calls for its activation. For

example, a Rule in an IPT solution can request the execution of the Module

containing the VIS KPIs for its Call Manager reporting.


MODULE USER SCOPE This scope allows users to refine further the scope in which to

apply the Module by changing the ‘Global’ scope to the ‘Rules’ scope.

The activation of Modules must conform to the following constraints:

> VistaMart can apply a Module defined with a default activation state ‘Global’ as

‘Rules’ to reduce the reporting load.

> However, it cannot apply a Module with ‘Rules’ as a default activation state to

‘Global’.

Working with ModulesTo set up Modules in VistaMart, you organize the Rules following a prescribed

hierarchy.

> Modules priority

> Rule names (block) in alphabetical order

> Priority (descending rule priority)

Create a Module




1 In the Inventory Manager’s tree pane, click on the ‘Model’ tab.

2 Select a VistaMart Library in which you want to create a Module and select the

node ‘Modules’.

NOTE To create a Module in any given Library, you must have ‘write’ access tothat Library.


3 Right-click it to display a short-cut menu and select ‘New Module’. A wizard

(Module editor) appears.

4 Fill in the following information:

• The Library name from the drop-down list. (This list contains all the Libraries

for which you have ‘write’ access.)• Enter a name for your Module.

• Enter a short description for the Module’s objective.

• Choose a scope (‘Global’ or ‘Rules’) for your Module. See ’Module scope’

( 170) f f th d t il b t




(p. 170) for further details about scope.

• Enter a number of priority for your Module. The priority works in descending

order; for example, VistaMart executes a 300-priority Module before a 100-

priority Module. There is no limit to the priority number that you can assign to a

Module.

5 Click ‘Finish’ to exit the wizard. Your Module now appears under the ‘Modules’

node in the tree view.

Associate a Rule to a Module

1 In the Inventory Manager’s tree pane, click on the ‘Model’ tab.

2 You can either:

• create a new Rule as described in ’Creating a new Rule’ (p. 135) or

• expand the Rules node and select an existing Rule.

3 In the Rule Editor, select from the drop-down list a Module to which you want to

associate your Rule.

Your Module now contains a Rule and is visible under the ‘Rules’ node in the treeview.

NOTE If you choose an existing Rule that already belongs to another Module,

you dissociate it from its old Module and associate it to the new Module.


‘Activate Module’

VistaMart does not automatically activate a Module unless there is a specific Rule

that tells to do so

Create a Rule to activate the Module

1 Create a new Rule in the Rule Editor as described in ’Creating a new Rule’

(p. 135).

2 In the Rule Editor, right-click the Rule and select ‘Add Action’, then ‘Activate

Module’.





3 Specify the Module to activate using this Rule. VistaMart only activates the Module

only the Instance fulfills the conditions for the Rule.




Delete a Module

1 In the Inventory Manager’s ‘Model’ tab, expand the VistaMart Libraries node and

select the Library containing the Module that you want to delete.

2 Right-click the Module and select ‘Delete’.

3 A message box appears to ask for confi rmation. Click OK.

Import or export a Module

This function applies when you import and export Libraries, since Modules are

attached to Libraries.

Before you export or import a Module, check which Libraries are associated with

those Modules and their Rules and make sure you export/import these Libraries aswell in order to preserve the dependencies between VistaViews.

1 Import or export the Libraries.

2 Check the import/export file to check the list of dependencies and verify that you

export those Libraries as well.

NOTE If you associate this activation Rule to another Module (M2), this Module

must have a higher priority than the Module (M 1) that the Rule activates, i.e.

priority of M2 > priority of M1.

NOTE When you delete a Module, VistaMart also deletes all the Rules

contained in that Module.

9 Handling events in VistaMart

From a reporting solution’s point of view, an event signals an abnormal occurrence in

the normal working process and assists users in locating and remedying the problemas necessary.

This section explains the concept of event generation and its filtering system. It also

gives instructions on how to develop formulas using specific operators to generate

events.



175

"Purpose of generating events" on page 176

"Determining how wrong and for how long (why)" on page 179

"Developing formulas to generate events" on page 184

"Purging events" on page 205

VistaMart® 4.0 Purpose of generating events 176

Purpose of generating events

The objectives of generating events are to:

To meet these objectives, a dashboard displays a list of events (i.e. for networks,

servers, site, or customers) that experience problems such as threshold violation,trend, baseline deviation, etc.

Handling the event and trap flow in the VistaFoundation



User Guide - Chapter 9 Handling events in VistaMart

Events generated from InfoVista Servers arrive in VistaMart through the forwarding

service.

Events go out in ‘bursts’ for each display rate rather than an ‘as they come’ basis to

optimize network bandwidth.

VistaMart treats events and traps as data values in order to make recovery requests

on them whenever required.

The diagram below gives an overview of event/trap flows:


Viewing events in VistaPortalEvents represent data over a specific period of time on which we focus to analyze a

typical system behavior.

VistaPortal displays a consolidated view of events from the elements for which it

provides reporting based on:

> A group Instance from the inventory> Events raised for the group elements

OBJECT NAVIGATOR Using the Object Navigator, you can display for given instances:

> the maximum severity for events at a time ‘t’ (active severity)

> the maximum severity for events over a period (historical severity)

FILTERING EVENTS WITH THE EVENT LIST DISPLET From the list of events, the user can drill-

down to specific reports for additional information.




> The event list displays a list of events for a given instance or a group of instances.

> The list of events is derived from the instance or a group of instances on which the

user is focusing (navigating)

To avoid displaying a potentially high number of events from the monitored elements,

the dashboard prioritizes them by severity or function.

ASSOCIATING EVENTS WITH INDICATORS WITH THE GRAPH-ON-DEMAND DISPLET VistaPortal’s

‘graph on demand’ displet displays the event’s maximum severity synthesis (i.e.

global state) over time. The result is shown on a curve when you synchronize theinstance.

In this displet, a given event is automatically linked to the primary indicator at the

source of this event. It also displays complementary information such as the

associated threshold and baseline indicator.


Defining eventsTechnically, an event reflects a period of time over which data deviates from normal

system behavior.

In order to generate an event, it must be raised:

> by an Instance

> on a primary Indicator

> for a defined period of time

EVENT LIFE CYCLE An event remains act ive until the condit ion which triggered it

becomes false.

> An event is raised (starts) when a given condition (from a formula) becomes true

> The event stops when the condition is no longer true




EVENT TIMESTAMP The boundaries of an event conform to the following timestamp

convention:

> For a traffic overflow between 4 and 5 pm, with traffic exceeding the threshold at 4

pm, the start timestamp of the event is 4 pm.

> If traffic goes back down below the threshold during 7 and 8 pm, the end time

stamp of the event is 7 pm (because it is the first data point when the condition

becomes false).

Distinguishing events from trapsOften, users employ the terms ‘traps’ and ‘events’ synonymously. In the VistaMart

context, there is a distinction between them.

T RAPS Traps are messages that go to an external fault system (such as Netcool) tosignal an abnormal behavior. The audience is usually limited to internal and technical

users.

EVENTS Events are filtered by severity and function to t rack down, prioritize, and

remedy the root cause of a problem. The targeted audience concerns all potential

users.

VistaMart® 4.0 Determining how wrong and for how long (why) 179

Determining how wrong and for how long (why)

When determining events, the time span is a key factor.

A list of events identif ied only with a timestamp, severity, and machine name does not

go far in helping the system administrator determine what damage was done, for how

long, and to what extent.

In order to be meaningful, it is essential to know which indicator (i.e. CPU, availability,

etc.) raised the event and the length of time during which it persisted.

For example, the usage of a CPU can reach 100% at any one instant during a given

period and this would not be cause for alarm. However, if the CPU usage remains

consistently at 100% over more than half that entire period, then it is possible that

there is a CPU overload, and hence cause for alarm.

To do this analysis, we apply a ‘time frame window’ and a ‘ condition window’ to focus

on the period over which the event occurred.

A ‘TIME FRAME WINDOW’ is an interval of time under focus on for a certain indicator.

A CONDITION ‘WINDOW’ is the length of time that the condition that triggered the event

on this indicator remains true.




The system checks for a condition (defined in a formula) over a period of time and

generates an event when that condition remains true for a predefined length of time.

Concretely, it takes the cumulative number of points versus the number of points for

which the conditions verifies.

Hence, the event analysis is a ratio that takes into account the total time duration and

the number of points for which the condition is true during this span.


This method of event analysis has another major advantage: by using the time frame

and condition windows, we can exclude repetitive event generation when the indicator

continuously vacillates around a threshold:

> Without the time consideration events get continually generated as soon as an




> Without the time consideration, events get continually generated as soon as an

Indicator either approaches or exceeds a threshold

> Using the time span analysis, only one event is raised after determining that this

Indicator already exceeded the threshold for a longer duration than acceptable

(e.g. after a certain number of data points exceeded the threshold).

Establishing event durationThe system generates an event using the time frame and condition window analysis.

It moves the time frame window over successive timestamps to check if the condition

that raised the event for this Indicator remains true.The event continues to be active until the condition becomes false. The period

between the first time stamp and last time stamp during which the event is active

constitutes the validity period for the event.


Classifying events by typeFrom a reporting solution perspective, it is possible to have several ‘types’ of events

adapted to the context of the customer, such as:

> Events on baseline for troubleshooting. Typically these events are related to

saturation, overload, or abnormal deviation from a baseline

> Events on time-to-thresholds for capacity planning purposes> Events on availability and performance for Service Level Agreements (SLA) that

have an impact on the service contract

Hence, the type of event is related to the formula used to trigger the event, and

specifically the types of operators used to generate the event.

EVENTS ON BASELINE The principle is the following:

> An indicator value is compared to its basel ine value ( i.e . the average value for the

same hour over x days, shown by the plain line)> A ‘tunnel’, i.e . the leeway between a threshold and the basel ine value, is defined

> If the indicator value is over the threshold, the system generates an event.





EVENTS ON TIME-TO-THRESHOLD The principle is the following:

> Using a trend analysis of past data values, VistaMart calculates for a given

indicator the number of days left before the real value is expected to reach the

threshold.

> If the number of days remaining reaches a value that is below a threshold (for

example, 10 days), the system generates an alarm. A typical example is the disk

space on a SAN.

EVENTS ON AVAILABILITY AND PERFORMANCE This is the simplest type of event:




> When an indicator value goes over or below a threshold, an event is generated.

> It is possible to have several thresholds with different severities associated to

them.


Applying a severity level to an event An event is always associated to a severity (e.g. info, minor, major, fatal , cri tical) .

An event can switch to dif ferent severit ies over time.

Identifying an event with a unique keyTo identify an event the system uses a unique key that comprises:




To identify an event, the system uses a unique key that comprises:

> The instance from which the system generated the event

> The indicator containing the event formula> The display rate

> The start and end timestamps

This prevents the generation of overlapping events, even if the severity of the events

are different.

VistaMart® 4.0 Developing formulas to generate events 184

Developing formulas to generate events

The following sections give details about event parameters, attributes, and operators

when writing formulas to generate events. It also gives the precise syntax and

examples for each operator.

Applying specific conditions to send eventsThe system raises an event when a condition in a formula becomes true. There are

several applicable conditions, listed in the table below:




CONDITION ON THRESHOLD An event is generated when the value goes below or over a

threshold.


CONDITION ON TUNNEL USING A CONSTANT MARGIN ‘P1’ An event is generated if the value is

outside of a tunnel defined by a baseline (in blue), plus or minus a constant P1 and

P2. P1 defines the upper tunnel and P2 the lower tunnel.

The following case scenarios are possible:

> The indicator value is inside the tunnel

> The indicator value is outside the tunnel

> The indicator value is under the tunnel

> The indicator value is over the tunnel




CONDITION ON TUNNEL USING A PERCENTAGE P1 The tunnel is defined as a percentage of

the baseline. For example, if P=50%, the system generates an event if the value

exceeds 1.5 x baseline.

P1 defines the upper tunnel and P2 defines the lower tunnel.

EXAMPLE Jitter values must never be outside a reasonable distance from the baseline.

NOTE The distance between the tunnel and the baseline is NOT constant (it's a

coefficient of the value). In other words:

- The lower the baseline, the smaller the tunnel

- The higher the baseline, the larger the tunnel

EXAMPLE Response time values.


CONDITION ON T UNNEL USING A PERCENTAGE P1 AND A THRESHOLD The tunnel principle is

identical to the previous case, except that the reference is not 0, but a reference

value:

> The closer the baseline is to the reference value, the smaller the tunnel

> The further the baseline is from the reference value, the larger the tunnel

Defining event syntax

EXAMPLE Traffic monitoring, where P3 is the maximum capacity. If you are close to the

maximum capacity, you want to be warned that you are outside of the normal

baseline as soon as possible.




Defining event syntax

Broken down to its simplest components, the event syntax includes:> Operators driven by a condition

> A formula for sending events on a dedicated Indicator with mult iple statements on

different severities.

> Windows of application (i.e. condition windows)

The event syntax consists of either:

> One formula to send events using

• an indicator dedicated to events• a trap operator in InfoVista Server

> Multiple ‘sendEvent’ statements inside a formula, such as:

• sendEventOnThresoldUp(Critical,…,90);

• sendEventOnThresholdUp(Major,….,80);

• sendEventOnThresholdUp(Minor,….,70)

MULTIPLE STATEMENTS IN THE SAME FORMULA Multiple statements are possible in the

following cases:> Only one statement per severity

> If a condition verifies for several operators, only the event with the maximum

severity is emitted

> No more than one event operator is allowed in the formula

> Several windows of application allowed


WINDOW OF APPLICATION

> For each ‘sendEvent’ operator, we define a window of application

> This window makes it possible to send an event only if the condition is true for N

times over a given period.

> This window includes two parameters:

• The size of the window consisting of a number of samples

• The validity count is in [1, size] and defines the number of TRUE conditions in

the window to trigger an event.

MANAGING MULTIPLE THRESHOLDS Multiple thresholds are deduced automatically from the

formula.

The thresholds are retrieved from all ‘sendEvent’ statements with the same indicator,

instance, and operator.

EVENT STRUCTURE An Event is uniquely ident ified by the following key:

> Instance

> Indicator

> Display rate (DR)

> Temporal interval (start + end)

Other parts of an event are invariant.




EVENT ATTRIBUTES In addition to its key, an event contains a set of properties:

> The function (SLA/CP/TS/Unknown)

> The severity (Critical/Major/Minor/Warning)

> The conditional type of the event (with additional attributes depending on event

type)

> The description

> The type (InfoVista Server Trap, InfoVista Server event, VistaMart event, etc.)

> The end date (can be null if unknown)

> Event state (terminated or not)

> Event duration

> Various report template WIDs (only when the source is InfoVista Server)

HANDLING ERRORS When a value is bad, the condition is assumed to be FALSE (no

violation):

> The values are ignored

> The window is not extended

> The number of valid samples required to emit the event is not decreased


Using event operators> Events are composed of three things: Object(s) (Instance, Indicator), various

attributes and a temporal interval.

> Events are defined using the operation [x,P, t]. A unique event is defined by two

principles: the existence condition and the identity condition.

• The existence condition states “[x, P, t] exists if and only if object x exemplifiesthe n-adic P at time t”.

• This means a unique event exists if the above is met. The identity condition

states “[x, P, t] is [y, Q, t`] if and only if x=y, P=Q and t=t`].

COMMON EVENT PARAMETERS All event operators inc lude cer tain common parameters:

Window A global variable or a constant of type str ing which represents two

parameters. The format is “[int]/[int]”. The first integer represents

the [Application size] (in a number of period) and the second onethe [Window size] (in a number of period). The following

constraints apply:

> [Window Size] >= [Application Size]

> [Window Size] <= 32

> [Application Size] > 0

I di t t f i di t




Indicator represents a reference on an indicator

Threshold represents a numeric value which can be:> A l ite ral number

> A property value

> A global value

Severity has one of the following values:

> INDETERMINATE

> CRITICAL

> MAJOR

> MINOR

> WARNING

EXAMPLE SendEventOnXXXXXX([SEVERITY], [WINDOW], [INDICATOR], ……, [CONTEXT]

=> Optional)

NOTE The Context is optional and is valid only for InfoVista Server. It allows you to

specify a Wid list similar to the trap operator.


COMMON EVENT ATTRIBUTES If an operator has its conditions verified, it emits an event

which has at minimum the following attributes. Additional or variable attributes can be

specified for each operator.

ADDITIONAL COMMON ATTRIBUTES This list of attributes get added to each operator when

there is an event generated. Additional attributes are specified for each operator.

Severity [SEVERITY]

INSID The instance Ref where the event formula started

INSID The indicator Ref of the indicator which contains the event formulaTYPE Dependent on the process which generated the event

FUNCTION The function of the indicator that contains the event formula

PERIOD The period for which the event formula applies (in seconds)

TIMEZONE The timezone of the slot (status)

TIME The date rounded down to the period under evaluation.

Context A l ist of Wids (opt ional)

Reference Attribute Data Type

[Window] Constant or global

[Wi d ] C t t l b l




Addit ionally all attributes should contain the severi ty and the conditional type of the

statement used to generate them.

[Window] Constant or global

[INDICATOR] Indicator


List of event operatorsThe following operators apply in formulas designed to generate events:

"sendEventOnThresholdDown()" on page 190

"sendEventOnThresholdUp()" on page 191

"sendEventOnTunnelUp()" on page 192

"sendEventOnTunnelDown()" on page 193

"sendEventOnTunnelIn()" on page 194

"sendEventOnTunnelOut()" on page 195

"sendEventOnPTunnelOut()" on page 196

"sendEventOnPTunnelIn()" on page 197

"sendEventOnPTunnelUp()" on page 198

"sendEventOnPTunnelDown()" on page 199

"sendEventOnPTunnelOutEx()" on page 200

"sendEventOnPTunnelInEx()" on page 201

"sendEventOnPTunnelUpEx()" on page 202

"sendEventOnPTunnelDownEx()" on page 203

sendEventOnThresholdDown()




sendEventOnThresholdDown()

This operator sends an event if the indicator is less than the threshold:INDICATOR < THRESHOLD

USE CASE EXAMPLE Device Availability. An event is raised when the availability goes

below a predefined threshold.

PARAMETER DESCRIPTION The window is a string to define the validity/size, where

validity>=1 and size>=validity.

The validity and size represent a number of periods. The event is emitted only if over

the [size] period we have a [validity] sample which verify the condition.


sendEventOnThresholdUp()

This operator sends an event if the indicator is greater than the threshold:

INDICATOR > THRESHOLD

Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnThresholdDown(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,THRESHOLD)

Severity NDETERMINATE, CRITICAL, MAJOR, MINOR, WARNING

Parameters window:[STRING][STRING_PROPERTY][STRING_GLOBAL]

indicator:[INDICATOR]

Threshold:[PROPERTY][GLOBAL][FLOAT]




USE CASE EXAMPLE Interface saturation. An event is raised when the saturation level

exceeds a predefined threshold.





Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnThresholdUpSEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,THRESHOLD)

Severity INDETERMINATE, CRITICAL, MAJOR, MINOR, WARNING





sendEventOnTunnelUp()

This operator sends an event if the indicator verifies the following condition:

[INDICATOR] > ([INDICATOR2] + [THRESHOLD])

USE CASE EXAMPLE Response time monitoring. We want to raise an event as soon as

the response time abnormally increases by a fixed value.






validity 1 and size validity.

The validity and size represent a number of periods. The event is emitted only if overthe [size] period we have a [validity] sample which verify the condition.

Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnTunnelUp(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,

THRESHOLD)




indicator2:[INDICATOR]

THRESHOLD:[PROPERTY][GLOBAL][FLOAT]


sendEventOnTunnelDown()


[INDICATOR] < ([INDICATOR2] - [THRESHOLD])

USE CASE EXAMPLE Traffic monitoring. We want to raise an event as soon as the

reported traffic abnormally decreases by a fixed value.


validity>=1 and size>=validity





The validity and size represent a number of periods. The event is emitted only if overthe [size] period we have a [validity] sample which verify the condition.

Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnTunnelDown(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,TH

RESHOLD)




Indicator2:[INDICATOR]



sendEventOnTunnelIn()


[INDICATOR] > ([INDICATOR2] - [THRESHOLD]) AND

[INDICATOR] < ([INDICATOR2] + [THRESHOLD2])




the [size] period we have a [validity] sample which verify the condition





Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnTunnelIn(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,THRES

HOLD,THRESHOLD2)



indicator:[INDICATOR]indicator2:[INDICATOR]


THRESHOLD2:[PROPERTY][GLOBAL][FLOAT]


sendEventOnTunnelOut()


[INDICATOR] > ([INDICATOR2] - [THRESHOLD]) OR

[INDICATOR] < ([INDICATOR2] + [THRESHOLD2])

USE CASE EXAMPLES 1) Jitter values must never be outside a reasonable deviation from

the baseline. 2) Traffic monitoring. We want to raise an event as soon as the reported

traffic increases or decreases by a fixd value.

PARAMETER DEFINITIONS The window is a string to define the validity/size where




PARAMETER DEFINITIONS The window is a string to define the validity/size, where

validity>=1 and size>=validity.The validity and size represent a number of periods. The event is emitted only if over


Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnTunnelOut(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,

THRESHOLD,THRESHOLD2)








sendEventOnPTunnelOut()


[INDICATOR] < ([INDICATOR2] - ABS([INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD]) OR

[INDICATOR] > ([INDICATOR2] + ABS([INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD2])

USE CASE EXAMPLE We monitor IP phones and the indicator represents the number of

registered units. In a large infrastructure, the baseline normally increases regularly

during the working hours and decreases at the end of the day. We want to raise an

event if the number of units goes above or drops below acceptable percentages, in

the middle of the day




the middle of the day.





Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnPTunnelOut((SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,THRESHOLD,THRESHOLD2)








sendEventOnPTunnelIn()


[INDICATOR] > ([INDICATOR2] - ABS ([INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD]) AND

[INDICATOR] < ([INDICATOR2] +ABS([INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD2])




th [ i ] i d h [ lidit ] l hi h if th diti





Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnPTunnelIn(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,

THRESHOLD,THRESHOLD2)








sendEventOnPTunnelUp()


[INDICATOR] > ([INDICATOR2] + ABS ([INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD])

USE CASE EXAMPLE Monitoring a server activity. We want to raise an event if the number

of connections to a server suddenly increases, out of an acceptable percentage.



The validity and size represent a number of periods The event is emitted only if over






Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnPTunnelUp(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,THR

ESHOLD)







sendEventOnPTunnelDown()

This operator sends an event if the Indicator verifies the condition

[INDICATOR] < ([INDICATOR2] - ABS ([INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD])

USE CASE EXAMPLE Monitoring a server activity. We want to raise an event as soon as

the number of connections to a server drops down abnormally.








type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnPTunnelDown(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,

THRESHOLD)

Severity INDETERMINATE, CRITICAL, MAJOR, MINOR, WARNING.

Parameters window:[STRING][STRING_PROPERTY][STRING_GLOBAL]indicator:[INDICATOR]




sendEventOnPTunnelOutEx()


[INDICATOR] < ([INDICATOR2] - ABS([MAXTHRESHOLD] - [INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD])

OR

[INDICATOR] > ([INDICATOR2] + ABS([MAXTHRESHOLD] - [INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD2])








[ ] p [ y] p y

Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnPTunnelOutEx(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,

THRESHOLD,THRESHOLD2,MAXTHRESHIOLD)







MAXTHRESHOLD:[PROPERTY][GLOBAL][FLOAT]


sendEventOnPTunnelInEx()


[INDICATOR] > ([INDICATOR2] - ABS ([MAXTHRESHOLD] - [INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD])

AND

[INDICATOR] < ([INDICATOR2] +ABS([MAXTHRESHOLD] - [INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD2])







y p p y


Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnPTunnelInEx(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,

THRESHOLD,THRESHOLD2,MAXTHRESHIOLD)









sendEventOnPTunnelUpEx()


[INDICATOR] > ([INDICATOR2] + ABS ([MAXTHRESHOLD] - [INDICATOR2]) * [THRESHOLD])

USE CASE EXAMPLE The baseline represents the evolution of a monitored traffic over

time, and the max. threshold is the maximum capacity. When the baseline is close to

the max capacity, we need to raise an event as soon as the traffic deviates from the

baseline, even slightly. On the other hand, the deviation does not represent any

critical risk when the traffic is low.




PARAMETER DEFINITIONS The window is a string to define the validity/size, wherevalidity>=1 and size>=validity.



Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnPTunnelUpEx(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,

THRESHOLD,MAXTHRESHOLD)








sendEventOnPTunnelDownEx()


[INDICATOR] < ([INDICATOR2] - ABS ([MAXTHRESHOLD] - [INDICATOR2]) *

[THRESHOLD])








Type Function

Reduction false

Syntax sendEventOnPTunnelDownEx(SEVERITY,WINDOW,INDICATOR,INDICATOR2,

THRESHOLD,MAXTHRESHOLD)








Examples of event formulasEXAMPLES WITH MULTIPLE THRESHOLDS The following are examples of formulas that send

events with different severities for different thresholds using default window = 1/1:

EXAMPLES WITH DIFFERENT SEVERITIES The following are examples of formulas that send

events with different severities depending of the duration of the threshold violation:

Critical window=3/3 Major-Window=2/3 Minor-Window=1/3

EXAMPLES OF ABNORMAL DEVIATION The following are examples of formulas that send an

t i f b l d i ti if h th h ld i l t d i d f lt

EXAMPLE sendEventOnThresholdUp(CRITICAL,global(‘default-

window’),’BandWidth Usage’,property(‘Critical Threshold’));

EXAMPLE sendEventOnThresholdUp(MAJOR,global(‘default-window’),’BandWidthUsage’,property(‘Major Threshold’));

EXAMPLE sendEventOnThresholdUp(MINOR,global(‘default-window’),’BandWidth

Usage’,property(‘Minor Threshold’))

EXAMPLE sendEventOnThresholdUp(CRITICAL,global(‘Critical-window’),’Disk

Saturation’,property(‘Threshold’));

EXAMPLE sendEventOnThresholdUp(MAJOR,global(‘Major-window’),’ DiskSaturation’,property(‘Threshold’));

EXAMPLE sendEventOnThresholdUp(MINOR,global(‘Minor-window’),’ Disk

Saturation’,property(‘Threshold’))




event in case of abnormal deviation or if we have a threshold violated using defaultwindow = 1/1:

EXAMPLE sendEventOnThresholdUp(CRITICAL,global(‘default-window’),’BandWidth Usage’,property(‘Critical Threshold’));

EXAMPLE sendEventOnTunnelOut(MAJOR,global(‘default-window’),’BandWidthUsage’,’BandWidth Usage Baseline’,500,-500);

VistaMart® 4.0 Purging events 205

Purging events

You can group events to purge by:

CREATION DATE /DR (COMPOSITE KEY) enables the removal events older than a specified

date.

FUNCTION Allows dif ferent management policies depending of the funct ion (for

example, keeping the SLA longer than the troubleshooting events)

MAXIMUM LIFETIME You can also define a maximum lifetime of an event:

> Remove only events with an end time before now

> Use partitioning with an adapted process to avoid deletions in the table by moving

events that are still valid to a more recent partition before dropping it.




10 Writing formulas using the formula

editor

The VistaMart formula editor facilitates the creation of custom to compute data values

using a range of operators from simple mathematical operators to the more complex

trend and property management operators.



206

The formula editor provides:

> a graphic interface to write expression with ready access to available operators,

indicators applicable in the formula, the properties of a Vista

> A syntax analyzer to detect errors

This section details the process of writing formulas with the assistance of the formulaeditor, as a list of commonly used operators.

"Developing a formula" on page 207

"Using the formula editor" on page 209

"List of operators" on page 212

VistaMart® 4.0 Developing a formula 207

Developing a formula

Formulas must be defined using expressions.

DEFINITION A formula is always associated to an indicator (also cal led derived

indicator). The same formula is used for any display rate and any instance.

Rules are in charge of starting different derived indicators depending on the instance

type, if necessary.

PARAMETERS The parameters in the formula calculate a data value for:

> a predefined slot (instance and indicator)

> a defined timestamp

> a defined display rate

RESULT The result of an expression is always a float. Nevertheless, if the expressiontype is an integer, the result gets converted automatically to a float.

SCOPE OF INDICATORS A formula is associated to an indicator. Nevertheless, a formula

could contain references to other indicators.

Example: You define a derived indicator on the Vista Resource. The formula can

reference:

> An indicator defined in the same Vis ta (an indicator on the Vista Resource)

> An Indicator defined in an inherited Vista such as an indicator on the VistaC



User Guide - Chapter 10 Writing formulas using the formula editor

> An Indicator defined in an inherited Vista, such as an indicator on the VistaCommon

A formula can also contain indicators def ined on other instances:

> If the instance contains a multivalued property of ID type (therefore referencing

other instances), the formula can address an indicator defined on the referenced

instances.

In all cases, the suggested syntax ensure that there is no ambiguity (i.e. no need to

resolve the object during the execution of the formula).

SCOPE OF PROPERTIES A formula also uses properties:

> Defined in the instance’s Vista or inherited Vistas (in the above example, the Vista

Resource or the Vista Common)

> Properties of referenced instances

> In the case of referenced properties, there are two cases:

> The Property used is defined in the Vista (or inherited Vista) used in the reference

property definition. For example, if the reference is a Customer, the formula uses a

threshold defined in the Vista Customer > The property used is not defined in the Vista. The resolution checks that this

property is really accessible. For example, the reference is Common but the

formula uses a threshold defined in the Vista Customer.

VistaMart® 4.0 Developing a formula 208

Distinguishing type of values in an expressionFLOAT Constants and single-valued properties are always considered as float by

default.

INTEGER Some operators require integer parameters (for example a number of

periods). Because our VistaMart model is fully based on float (Indicators & Property

values), the float value is automatically rounded to the nearest integer.

ARRAY OF FLOATS Multi-valued properties are considered as array of float. Dedicated

operators can manage this type of array.

INSTANCE IDENTIFIER Expressions must be able to manage relations between Instances

such as basic, proxy relation and ID property type. Dedicated operators can follow the

relationship to retrieve remote properties or indicators.

INDICATORS Some operators specifically require the name of an indicator (for

example: Trend operator).Otherwise, the indicator can still be considered as the float data value for the defined

time stamp.

BOOLEAN Conditional operators require boolean expressions.

PERIOD The period is meant as a number of samples. According to the display rate

used during the execution, the same number of samples spans different time periods.

Making references to objects




Making references to objectsObject reference indicates how to reference indicators and properties in a formula.

Basically, a formula may contain references to other indicators belonging to the

addressed indicator’s vista or it can reference to another vista. There are ways to

reference explicitly these objects.

T YPE OF OBJECTS Objects include:

> Indicators

> Properties (single or multi-valued).

OBJECT NAME Object names may contain spaces in their definition. Properties or

Indicators containing spaces must be enclosed inside quotes (otherwise quotes are

not mandatory.)

REFERENCING AN INDICATOR OR A PROPERTY Indicators can be directly referenced in the

formula using their name. Properties can be referenced by their ID.

This convention simplifies the resolution part because properties and indicators can

potentially have the same name.

VistaMart® 4.0 Using the formula editor 209

Using the formula editor

You access the formula editor by selecting the Indicator for which you want to write a

formula in a VistaMart Library.

Open the formula editor

1 In the Inventory Manager, click the ‘Model’ tab and expand the VistaMart Libraries

node.

2 Select the Library that contains the Indicator you want to edit.

• If you want to write a formula for a new Indicator, you must first create the

Indicator (right-click ‘Indicators’ in the tree pane and select ‘New Indicator’).

3 In the tree pane, click on ‘Indicators’ to display a list of Indicators.

4 In the contents pane, select the Indicator for which you want to edit a formula.5 In the property pane, in the ‘Indicator formula’ box, click the browse (‘...’) button to

open the formula editor.

• If the formula in this box is grayed out, you are in a read-only library.





Working with the formula editor You use the interactive Formula Editor window to enter and modify a formula. To

facilitate this task, the editor provides the following keyboard shortcuts:

Keyboard

combination

Action

CTRL + Space According to the position of the cursor, a l ist of operators ,indicators or properties appears. You select the appropriate object

from the list.

CTRL + W Wraps text

EXAMPLE The cursor is placed at the beginning of the line. This list appears:




EXAMPLE In the formula, the cursor is placed where an indicator is expected. The

following list appears:


Checking your formula syntax

The formula editor also applies a syntax corrector to detect errors in your formula:

> green: correct

> red: incorrect

> blue: inserted value

The pane at the bottom of the window indicates either an error or an ‘OK’ message.

EXAMPLE A formula contain ing syntax error

EXAMPLE A formula without error




Creating expressions to send traps A trap is a place in an application for handling unexpected or unacceptable condi tions

by sending a text message to a log or to a program user.

In VistaMart, each Indicator can have a trap associated to its value. But the condition

required to send the trap is a boolean expression. In addition, there are specific

operators to detect when the value went below or exceeded a threshold.

Traps are computed using expressions which contain:

> Values, properties

> Functions

> Operators

> Indicators

VistaMart® 4.0 List of operators 212

List of operators

Most of the operators listed in this section are the same as those used in InfoVista

Server.

For all operators specific to the event management, refer to the chapter Handling

events in VistaMart.

"Conditional operators" on page 213

"Basic arithmetic operators" on page 215

"Advanced arithmetic operators" on page 217

"Reduction operators" on page 219

"Miscellaneous operators" on page 222

"Temporal operators" on page 224

WARNING Operator names are case-sensitive.





Conditional operatorsConditional operators take an action or select a value if a specific condition is true.

< (less than)

<= (less than or equals to)

<> (within)

> "< (less than)" > ">= (greater than or equals to)"

> "<= (less than or equals to)" > "and"

> "<> (within)" > "not"

> "= (equals)" > "or"

> "> (greater than)"

Type Conditional Function

Parameters expression1 < expression2


Parameters expression1 <= expression2


Parameters expression1 <> expression2




= (equals)

> (greater than)

>= (greater than or equals to)

and

e p ess o e p ess o


Parameters expression1 = expression2


Parameters expression1 > expression2


Parameters expression1 >= expression2

Type Conditional Operator

Parameters condition1 and condition2


not

or

Type Conditional operator

Parameters condition1 not condition2

Type Conditional Operator

Parameters condition1 or condition2





Basic arithmetic operatorsThese operators enable you to perform mathematical operations in a Formula.

% (modulo) It divides the values of two expressions and returns the remainder.

* (multiply) It multiplies the values of two expressions.

> "% (modulo)" > "- (subtract)"

> "* (multiply)" > "/ (divide)"

> "+ (add)" > "^ (power)"

Type Function

Reduction false

Parameters expression1 % expression2

EXAMPLE floor ((Timer % 3600)/60)If Timer is an Indicator which returns a number of seconds, this fFormula

allows you to calculate the number of minutes. If the Timer Indicator = 9024,

the remainder after dividing by 3600 = 1824. 1824 divided by 60 = 30.4.

The floor() operator converts this value to an integer by rounding down. The

result is therefore 30 minutes.

Type Function

Reduction false




+ (add) This operator adds the values of two expressions.

- (subtract) This operator subtracts the values of two expressions.

Reduction false

Parameters expression1 * expression2

Type Function

Reduction false

Parameters expression1 + expression2

Type Function

Reduction false

Parameters expression1 - expression2

EXAMPLE TotalTraffic[ifIndex] - TrafficErrors[ifIndex]

This example uses two user-created Indicators (“TotalTraffic” and

“TrafficErrors”) to calculate the total traffic correctly sent or received.


/ (divide) The operator divides the value of expression1 by the value of expression2.

^ (power) The operator ^ raises expression 1 to the power of expression 2.

If power is null, the result is 1 and if power is negative and expression is null, the

result is #undefined.

Type Function

Reduction false

Parameters expression1 / expression2

EXAMPLE 100 * 8 * (ifInOctets[ifIndex] + ifOutOctets[ifIndex]) /ifSpeed[ifIndex]

This expression calculates interface bandwidth usage.

Type Function

Reduction false

Parameters expression ^ expression2





Advanced arithmetic operatorsThese operators enable you to perform mathematical operations in a Formula.

abs() This operator returns the absolute value of the submitted expression.

ceil() This operator returns the smallest (closest to negative infinity) value that is greater

than or equal to the expression and is equal to a mathematical integer.

> "abs()" > "log()"

> "ceil()" > "pow()"

> "floor()" > "rint()"

> "ln()" > "sqrt()"

Type Function

Parameters abs (expression)

EXAMPLE abs (traffic1 - traffic2)

This expression always gives a positive result for the difference between the

two traffic values.

Type Function

Parameters ceil(expression)

EXAMPLE ceil ((Timer)/60)




See also the operator rint().

floor() This operator returns the largest (closest to positive infinity) value that is smaller thanor equal to the expression and is equal to a mathematical integer.

EXAMPLE ceil ((Timer)/60)

If the indicator Timer returns the connection time (in seconds) and the

customer is billed by increments of 1 minute, the operator returns the total

number of minutes taken into account.

Type Function

Parameters floor (expression)

EXAMPLE floor ((Timer % 3600)/60)

If Timer is an Indicator which returns a number of seconds, this formula allows

you to calculate the number of minutes. If the Timer Indicator = 9024, theremainder after dividing by 3600 = 1824. 1824 divided by 60 = 30.4.

The floor() operator converts this value to an integer by rounding down. The

result is therefore 30 minutes.


ln() This operator calculates the natural logarithm of the expression (Indicator, Property...)

log() This operator calculates the logarithm of the expression (Indicator, Property...)

pow() This operator returns the value of the first argument raised to the power of the second

argument.

Both operators pow() and ^ are identical.

rint() This operator returns the integer value of the submitted expression. According to the

decimal part of the value, the returned value is either rounded down or rouded up (thedecimal part is compared to 0.5).

Type Function

Parameters ln (expression)

EXAMPLE ln('my_float_indicator')

Type Function

Parameters log (expression)

EXAMPLE log('my_float_indicator')

Type Function

Parameters pow (expression1, expression2)




See also the operators ceil() and floor().

sqrt() (where expression is a numerical expression). The operator returns the square root

of the expression. If the expression is negative, the result is undefined.

Type Function

Parameters rint (expression)

EXAMPLE rint ((Timer)/60)

The indicator Timer returns the connection time (in seconds) and the system

calculates the equivalent duration in minutes:Timer = 318s, that is 5min (318 / 60 = 5.3).

Timer = 341s, that is 6min (341 / 60 = 5.6833)

Type Function

Parameters sqrt (expression)


Reduction operators A reduction operat ion can be def ined as an operation on:

> a dimension 1 indicator (a table) , i.e. the operation takes into account all the

individual values of the indicator,

> several indicators submitted in a list.

count() This operator counts the number of values contained in the submitted indicator. TheIndicator should have a dimension 1 (table).

It also supports count(isnull(indicator[,defautvalue]))

countin() This operator counts the number of values contained in the submitted indicator, which

satisfy the conditions value <= threshold min and value <= threshold max. The

Indicator should have a dimension 1 (table).

> "count()" > "max()"> "countin()" > "mean()"

> "countless()" > "min()"

> "countlessorequal()" > "stddev()"

> "countmore ()" > "sum()"

> "countmoreorequal()" > "variance()"

Type Function

Parameters count (indicator)




countless() This operator counts the number of values contained in the submitted indicator, which

are smaller than a threshold. The Indicator should have a dimension 1 (table).

It supports also countless(isnull(indicator[,defautvalue]),threshold)

countlessorequal() This operator counts the number of values contained in the submitted

indicator, which are less or equal than a threshold. The Indicator should have a

dimension 1 (table).It supports also countlessorequal(isnull(indicator[,defautvalue]),threshold)

Type Function

Parameters countin (indicator, threshold min, threshold max)

Type Function

Parameters countless (indicator, threshold)

Type Function

Parameters countlessorequal (indicator, threshold)


countmore () This operator counts the number of values contained in the submitted indicator,

which are higher than a threshold. The Indicator should have a dimension 1 (table).

It supports also countmore (isnull(indicator[,defautvalue]),threshold)

countmoreorequal() This operator counts the number of values contained in the submitted

indicator which are higher or equal to a threshold. The Indicator should have a

dimension 1 (table).

It supports also countmoreorequal(isnull(indicator[,defautvalue]),threshold)

max() The operator returns the highest expression out of a list of submitted expressions.

You can have 1 to n expressions.

This operator supports scalar expressions and dimension 1 (table) expressions.

When a dimension 1 expression is submitted, the system processes its values as per

individual scalars.

mean() This operator returns the mean value of all the expressions submitted in a list. You

Type Function

Parameters countmore (indicator, threshold)

Type Function

Parameters countmoreorequal (indicator, threshold)

Type Function

Parameters max (expression1, expression2, expression n, ...)




() p p

can have 1 to n expressions.



individual scalars.

min() This operator returns the smallest expression out of a list of submitted expressions.




individual scalars.

Type Function

Parameters mean (expression1, expression2, expression n, ...)

Type Function

Parameters min (expression1, expression2, expression n, ...)


stddev() This operator returns the standard deviation of all the expressions submitted in a list.




individual scalars.

sum() The operator returns the sum of all the expressions submitted in a list. You can have

1 to n expressions.



individual scalars.

variance() The operator returns the variance (square of standard deviation) of all the

expressions submitted in a list. You can have 1 to n expressions.



individual scalars.

Type Function

Parameters stddev(expression1, expression2, expression n,...)

Type Function

Parameters sum(expression1, expression2, expression n,...)

Type Function

Parameters i ( i 1 i 2 t i )




Parameters variance (expression1, expression2, exptression n, ...)


Miscellaneous operatorsThis category of operators regroups various types of operators used in Formulas.

currenttime() This operator returns the timestamp of the currently computed value. The time is

returned in ms starting from 01/01/1970.

isnull() This operator normally returns an expression which contains the values of

expression1 except if any value is invalid within expression1 (An invalid value is one

of the undefined data states).

In this case, you can:

> remove the invalid value(s) from the expression. Do not specify expression2. or,

> replace the invalid value(s) with a valid one. You specify expression2.

The isnull() operator is typically used before a ‘mean’ or a ‘sum’ operator to avoid

an undefined result if one value of the original expression is invalid.

> "currenttime()"

> "isnull()"

> "now()"

> "random()"

Type Function

Parameters currentime()

Type Function




now() This operator returns the number of seconds since 01/01/1970.

Parameters isnull (expression1 [,expression2])

expression2 is optional.

EXAMPLE mean (isnull (actSrc, actDst))

This expression removes any bad values from the submitted acSrc list by

acDst before applying the mean() operator.

Type Function

Parameters now ()

EXAMPLE now() - sysUpTime.

This example calculates the system boot date. To display a readable date,

use the “Float to Timestamp” mode on the associated Format object. For

accurate returns, use only derived Indicators in the Formula.


random() Returns a random float number between 0.0 and 1.0

Type Function

Parameters random ()

EXAMPLE 40 + 60 * random()

Returns a random number between 40 and 100.





Temporal operatorsTemporal operators perform data aggregation over time (temporal aggregation).

Expressions using temporal operators return a single value for a display rate.

lstrend() This operator returns the estimated value for the submitted indicator, over p periods,

by using the n most recent indicator’s values in input.

The system normally starts the calculation as soon as n/2 points are available.However, you can force calculation if the sample number is less than n/2 by setting

the parameter BestEffort to 1.

This operator is based on the linear regression algorithm. Linear regression is a

mathematical optimization technique that attempts to find a ‘best fit’ to a set of data

by minimizing as much as possible the sum of the squares of the ordinate differences

(called residuals) between the fitted function and the data.

> "lstrend()" > "timetothresholdupex()"

> "lstrendt()" > "percentile()"

> "offset()" > "percentilex()"> "timetothresholddown()" > "sabaselineday()"

> "timetothresholdup()" > "sabaselineweek()"

> "timetothresholddownex()"




> The Indicator containing lsTrend() operator must be a non-consolidated derivedIndicator (i.e. the aggregation attribute on the Indicator must = ‘none’).

> Parameter p can be a constant or a Property.

Type Function

Parameters lsTrend (indicator, p, n, BestEffort)

where p and n are constants and 1 <= n <= 32.


lstrendt() This operator returns the numbers of periods before the Indicator’s value reaches the

threshold v, assuming a linear evolution in the most recent n values.

> The Indicator containing lsTrendt() operator must be a non-consolidated derived

Indicator (i.e. the aggregation attribute on the Indicator must = ‘none’.

> The threshold can be a constant or a Property.

offset() This operator returns the indicator’s value calculated n periods ago. In other words, itprovides the value of the Indicator at some time in the past. The first argument of this

operator must be a single Indicator.

Type Function

Parameters lstrendt (indicator, n, v)

n is a positive constant, and 1 <= n <= 32.




Type Function

Parameters offset (Indicator, n)

n is a positive constant.

EXAMPLE offset (Traffic, 14)

If the display rate = 1 day, offset returns the value of the “traffic” 14 days ago.


timetothresholddown() Returns the number of periods before reaching the lower threshold v.

This assumes linear evolution; as per both lstrend() and lstrendt() operators, the

timetothresholddown operator is based upon the linear regression algorithm, where:

> The number of samples used to compute the regression is a function of the

Display Rate, as displayed below.

> The computed value must fall within a defined number of periods (‘visibility’), as

displayed below. Otherwise, the system returns the infinite (that is, value =

123456789).

Display rate Number of samples Visibility (# of periods)

Yearly 12 24 (24 years)

Quaterly 12 24 (6 years)

Monthly 12 24 (2 years)

Weekly 13 26 (6 months)





Daily 30 90 (3 months)

Hourly 24 72 (3 days)

30min 24 72 (36 hours)

15min 12 24 (6 hours)

10min 12 24 (4 hours)

5min 12 24 (2 hours)

Type Function

Parameters timetothresholddown (indicator, v)


timetothresholdup() Returns the number of periods before reaching the upper threshold v. This

assumes linear evolution; as per both lstrend() and lstrendt() operators, the

timetothresholdup operator is based upon the linear regression algorithm, where:

> The number of samples used to compute the regression is a function of the

Display Rate, as displayed below.

> The computed value must fall within a defined number of periods (‘visibility’), as

displayed below. Otherwise, the system returns the infinite (that is, value =

123456789).

Display rate Number of samples Visibility (# of periods)

Yearly 12 24 (24 years)

Quaterly 12 24 (6 years)

Monthly 12 24 (2 years)






Daily 30 90 (3 months)

Hourly 24 72 (3 days)

30min 24 72 (36 hours)

15min 12 24 (6 hours)

10min 12 24 (4 hours)

5min 12 24 (2 hours)

Type Function

Parameters timetothresholdup (indicator, v)


timetothresholddownex() Returns the number of periods before reaching the lower threshold v

using a user-specified number of past data points n and a defined maximum visibility.

This assumes linear evolution.

Both timetothrsholddown() and timetothresholddownex() are similar. For the latest

one, you define both data samples and visibility upon your convenience.

timetothresholdupex() Returns the number of periods before reaching the upper threshold v

using a user-specified number of past data points n and a defined maximum visibility.This assumes linear evolution.

Both timetothrsholdup() and timetothresholdupex() are similar. For the latest one,

d fi b th d t l d i ibilit i

Type Function

Parameters timetothresholddownex (indicator, visibility, n, v)




you define both data samples and visibility upon your convenience.

Type Function

Parameters timetothresholdupex (indicator, visibility, n, v)


percentile() Returns the value of the kth percentile of the n samples collected for the defined

display period. This period is a mandatory fixed expression.

If a period is defined, it must be >= acquisition rate and < display rate.

For each of periods, the system sorts the n samples by increasing order before

returning the (k*n)th value, that is, it drops all the highest values.

If (k*n) is not a whole number, the system returns the value of the next lowest sample.

This operator may only contain Indicators (not an expression). The Indicator

containing the percentile operator must be a non-consolidated derived Indicator (the

Indicator Aggregation attribute must be set = None).

Type Function

Parameters percentile (Indicator, k, period)

> k is a float constant between 0 and 1

> The period is a fixed expression you select from the list:

5min|10min|15min|30min|Hourly|Daily|Weekly|Monthly|Quaterly|Yearly.

> The period must be > display rate.

EXAMPLE percentile (Traffic, 0.84, Hourly))

A 5min display rate provides 12 samples/s. The 84th percentile corresponds

to the 10th highest value (12*0.84 = 10.08) measured over a 1-hour period, as

illustrated below.

This expression returns the 10th value. In other words it returns the maximum

value measured over the period, after dropping the top 16% values (that is,both 11th &nd 12th values).




This operator is useful for billing. Often the billing process for bandwidth consists in

discarding the 5% highest samples (on the grounds that they represent spikes and

not permanent bandwidth usage) and then using the maximum value of the remaining

samples as the billing rate for the customer.


percentilex() This operator performs the same function as percentile(). However, if (k*n) is not a

whole number, the system interpolates a value for the k th percentile.

INTERNAL OPERATION Suppose k*n = i.d where i.d is a decimal number, ‘i’ is the integer

part and ‘d’ is the decimal part. The value of the kth percentile is calculated as:

value[ith sample] +.d * (value[(i + 1)th sample] - value[ith sample])

Type Function

Parameters percentilex (Indicator, k, period)

> k is a float constant between 0 and 1

> The period is a fixed expression you select from the list

5min|10min|15min|30min|Hourly|Daily|Weekly|Monthly|Quaterly|Yearly.

> The period must be > display rate

EXAMPLE til (T ffi 0 84 H l )




Display rate = 5min and Period = Hourly (Therefore number of samples = 12), with k

= 0.84.

Sorted values of Traffic measured over the addressed period:

percentile(Traffic, 0.84, Hourly) = 4

percentilex(Traffic, 0.84, Hourly) = 4.48

k * n = 0.84 * 12 = 10.08, therefore 4 is returned for the percentile (10th value).4 + 0.08 *(10 - 4) = 4.48 is returned for the percentilex.

EXAMPLE percentilex (Traffic, 0.84, Hourly)

This example shows how the percentile() and percentilex() operators may

give significantly different results when applied to a small number of samples.

The difference becomes less significant as the number of samples increases.

The example shows that the percentile() operator is less favorable for billing.


sabaselineday() Generates a daily baseline graph that is consolidated over n days. This is a

reference graph showing the ‘average’ daily variation of an Indicator.

The sabaselineday operator calculates each data point (including the last point) by

averaging the Indicator values taken at the same time on each ‘n’ previous days.

This expression generates a graph of the following type:

This operator can only contain Indicators (not expressions).

• An Indicator containing saBaselineDay() must be non-consolidated.

• Display Rate < 1 day.

Type Function

Parameters sabaselineday (indicator, n)

The constant n is the number of samples to be integrated in thecalculation.

n is not dependent on acquisition rates.

EXAMPLE saBaselineDay (Traffic, 3)The baseline operator calculates a baseline value at each display period,

based on the average values of Traffic, over the last 3 days. The baseline

Indicator must be a non-consolidated Indicator (aggregation is applied to

the values of Traffic)




sabaselineweek() Generates a weekly baseline graph that is consolidated over n weeks. This is a

reference graph showing the ‘average’ weekly variation of an Indicator.

The sabaselineweek operator calculates each data point (including the last point) byaveraging the Indicator values taken at the same time on each ‘n’ previous weeks.

This operator can only contain Indicators (not expressions).

• An Indicator containing sabaselineweek() must be non-consolidated.

• Display Rate < 1 week.

the values of Traffic).

Type Function

Parameters sabaselineweek (indicator, n)

The constant n is the number of samples to be integrated in the

calculation.

n is not dependent on acquisition rates.

A Rule user cases

This appendix provides a series of individual Rule data sheets which address typical

user cases.

Each data sheets includes a synthetic analysis of the Rule context and construction,

so as to enable you to adapt it according to your own needs and context.

See:



232

’Duplicate Property from Basic to Proxies’ on page 233

’Feed Groups with Members’ on page 235

’Start Reports according to Agent Vendor’ on page 237

VistaMart® 4.0 Duplicate Property from Basic to Proxies 233

Duplicate Property from Basic to Proxies

Context

VistaPortal uses the Property values (e.g. Customer Property) as filtering criteria for

generating advanced reports.

We have merged a topology file (containing Instance details) with the raw topology -

the basic Property values are now updated. We want to propagate a Property value

(e.g. Customer Property) from all basic Instances to each of their respective proxy

Instances.

Input and Analysis

Condition:



User Guide - Appendix A Rule user cases

Condition:

1 We apply a Rule only to Instances belonging to the Interface Vista.

Actions when condition is met:

1 We grab the Customer Property value from the Common Vista of the parent basicInstance.

2 We apply the value to the Customer as is to the Customer Property.

VistaMart® 4.0 Duplicate Property from Basic to Proxies 234

Syntax

Tips

The following alternative allows you to apply the Rule only to proxies of routers. It

reads as follows:

Select the Instances whose basic parent belongs to the router Vista.




VistaMart® 4.0 Feed Groups with Members 235

Feed Groups with Members

Context

We need to assign Basic Server Instances to distinct Instance groups according to

their respective Operating System.

For each server, the OS Name Property value is available as a string which includes

both OS type and version (e .g. Solaris 2.8, Windows 2000, Windows 2003).

For each addressed Operating System, the target group Instance has been initially

provisioned.

Input and Analysis

Condition:

1 We apply the Rule only to the Instances belonging to the Server Vista.




Actions:

1 From the OS Name Property string value, we extract all words as substrings. (We

apply a regular expression pattern to the submitted string).

The substrings are extracted to an array (e.g. OS).

2 We add the server Instance to the relevant group. The value of the first array (OS)

position is assigned to the Group tag.

VistaMart® 4.0 Feed Groups with Members 236

Syntax

Tips

Carefully define your group names in such a way that they can easily match a ll the

potential substrings that the regular expression extracts. This precaution may

dramatically simplify the Rule syntax and construction.

When using a ‘Match’ condition (regular expression), make sure that you use the

same array in both the condition and action.




VistaMart® 4.0 Start Reports according to Agent Vendor 237

Start Reports according to Agent Vendor

Context

The topology includes different types of routers. We want to start specific InfoVista

reports for all Cisco and Juniper routers.

Input and Analysis

We need two similar Rules which specifically address the Cisco and Juniper contexts,

with different priorities.

Each individual Rule is structured as follows:

Conditions:

1 We apply the Rule only when:




• The Instance belongs to the Router Vista,

• The Agent Vendor Property value includes the string Cisco (Juniper).

Actions when conditions are met:

1 We define the report name which is composed of the Instance name and the

Report Template name:

• The Instance name is retrieved from the Instance name attribute.

• We use a constant string (‘_’) as a separator.

• The Report Template name is retrieved from the Template name attribute.

2 We start the Cisco (Juniper) Router report (display rate: 15 mn)

VistaMart® 4.0 Start Reports according to Agent Vendor 238

Syntax




B XML Topology files examples

This section includes a series of typical XML examples which describe different

methods for configuring the external topology files.

See:

’Example #1 - Topology file defining Instances’ on page 240

239

’Example #2 - Topology file defining groups’ on page 241

’Example #3 - Defining proxies’ on page 242

’Example #4 - Defining group contents’ on page 243

’Example #5 - Instance defined with several Vistas’ on page 244

VistaMart® 4.0 Example #1 - Topology file defining Instances 240

Example #1 - Topology file defining Instances

The following topology file contains basic Instances, which will be imported in a

‘routers’ Zone:



<?xml version=”1.0” encoding=”UTF-8” standalone=”yes”?><ADResult =”” Seq=”-1”>

<Instances>

<Instance Tag=”RT HQ01RT01 194.98.138.255" Name=”RT HQ01RT01”>

<Vista Name=”Router”/>

<PropertyValue VistaName=”IpNode” Name=”ip” Value=”194.98.138.255”/>

<PropertyValue VistaName=”MacNode” Name=”mac” Value=”00027E23C48C”/>

<PropertyValue VistaName=”SnmpNode” Name=”Agent Vendor” Value=”Cisco”/></Instance>




<PropertyValue VistaName=”MacNode” Name=”mac” Value=”00028E2FC48D”/>

<PropertyValue VistaName=”SnmpNode” Name=”Agent Vendor” Value=”Cisco”/>

</Instance>

</Instances>

<Links/>

<Subnets/>

User Guide - Appendix B XML Topology files examples

</ADResult>

VistaMart® 4.0 Example #2 - Topology file defining groups 241

Example #2 - Topology file defining groups

The following topology file contains group Instances, to be loaded in a specific Zone:



<?xml version=”1.0” encoding=”UTF-8” standalone=”yes”?>

<ADResult =”” Seq=”-1”><Instances>

<Instance Tag=”Europe” VistaName=”VistaMartGroup”></Instance>

<Instance Tag=”UK” VistaName=”VistaMartGroup”></Instance>

<Instance Tag=”France” VistaName=”VistaMartGroup”></Instance>

</Instances>

<Links/>

<Subnets/>

</ADResult>




VistaMart® 4.0 Example #3 - Defining proxies 242

Example #3 - Defining proxies

Both following topology files are similar. They illustrate two different ways for defining

proxy Instances related to basics.

Basic/Proxy definition syntax 1, Embedded proxies

Basic/Proxy definition syntax 2, separate blocks


<ADResult =”” Seq=”-1”>

<Instances>

<Instance Tag=”RT HQ01RT01 194.98.138.255" VistaName=”Router”>>


<Instance Tag=”LAN RT HQ01RT01 VLAN24 4" VistaName=”LAN Interface”>

<PropertyValue VistaName=”Interface” Name=”Interface Index” Value=”4”/></Instance>

</Instance>

</Instances>

<Links/>

<Subnets/>

</ADResult>



<Instances>

<Instance Tag=”RT HQ01RT01 194.98.138.255" VistaName=”Router”>>


</Instance>

<Instance Tag=”LAN RT HQ01RT01 VLAN24 4" VistaName=”LAN Interface”>

<PropertyValue VistaName=”Interface” Name=”Interface Index” Value=”4”/>

<Basic Tag=”RT HQ01RT01 194.98.138.255"/>

</Instance>

</Instances>

<Links/>

<Subnets/>

</ADResult>

NOTE During Change Management, proxy Instances cannot be moved from their

parent basic to a different basic.

VistaMart® 4.0 Example #4 - Defining group contents 243

Example #4 - Defining group contents

The following topology file contains new routers which will also populate the ‘routers’

Zone (Example #1) and which will be members of the groups defined in example #3.

Note that an Instance can be a member of several groups.





<Instances>

<Instance Tag=”RT HQ01RT03 194.98.138.250">

<PropertyValue VistaName=”Common” Name=”MemberOfGroup” Value=”Europe”/>

<PropertyValue VistaName=”Common” Name=”MemberOfGroup” Value=”UK”/>

</Instance><Instance Tag=”RT HQ01RT03 194.98.138.249">

<PropertyValue VistaName=”Common” Name=”MemberOfGroup” Value=”Europe”/>

<PropertyValue VistaName=”Common” Name=”MemberOfGroup” Value=”France”/>

</Instance>

</Instances>

<Links/>

<Subnets/></ADResult>

VistaMart® 4.0 Example #5 - Instance defined with several Vistas 244

Example #5 - Instance defined with several Vistas

The following topology file illustrates the multi Vista support case.




<ADResult =”” Seq=”-1”><Instances>



<Vista Name=”VPN_Qantas”/>


<PropertyValue VistaName=”VPN_Qantas” Name=”priority” Value=”3”/>

</Instance>

</Instances>

<Links/>

<Subnets/>

</ADResult>




C Glossary of terms

This section provides definitions for terms that you commonly encounter when

working with VistaMart and/or InfoVista Server.



245

InfoVista Server 4.0 246

Term Definition

access list Defines the user access to reports. When you create a report, it is

initially defined as public (the scope attribute is set to public). This

means that all other users can access the report. To prevent other

users from accessing single/group Reports, set scope to “private”.

acquisition rate The sampling rate that determines how often InfoVista Server

collects data for the Indicators used in the graph.

agent A program that gathers information or per forms some other

service without your immediate presence and on some regular

schedule. Typically, an agent program, using parameters which

you provide, gathers information that you require and presents it

to you on a daily or other periodic basis.

aggregation When the display rate is greater than the acquisition rate, each

data point on a graph is the result of aggregating the collected

data. Data aggregation involves three major functions:

> aggregation specifies how to aggregate the calculated values

(an mean function, a max function, etc.)

> consolidation specifies where the aggregation is applied if one

or more Formulas are used to calculate the displayed values

(aggregation before or after the Formulas).

> recovery specifies how to aggregate data if polled data is not

complete (for example, network delays can cause some polls to

remain unanswered).

alert A message to VistaCockpit tha t comes from another

VistaFoundation product to signal an anomaly and triggers a chain

of remedial actions (an alert workflow).

availability In a network system, availability is the accessibility of input and

output ports or IT devices.



Administration Guide - Appendix C Glossary of terms

bandwidth data transfer rate - the amount of data that can be carried from

one point to another in a given time period (usually a second).

This kind of bandwidth is usually expressed in bits (of data) per

second (bps).

BPI The purpose of using ‘base’ performance Indicators is to calculate

performance values for IT elements that are vendor-independent.

values for IT elements that are vendor-independent. This generic

approach allows the system to choose the most appropriate

calculations for a specific type of device and/or technology (for

example, the ‘utilization’ measured for a router is not calculated in

the same way as the utilization of a LAN segment). Therefore,

these Indicators are designed to be as broad as possible to coverthe widest base of vendors for any particular technology.


browser A serv ice tha t prov ides an InfoVista client with any data which is

committed in the ObjectStore database. Committed data is data

which has been acquired and computed in the database since the

last commit time. This does not include data stored in the cache

which remains accessible only to the Collector. The Browser

relieves the load on the Collector by acting as a data server for

such applications as VistaPortal® SE and VistaMart®. This means

that the Collector can concentrate on data calculation and storage.

calendar This object specifies the periods when calculation of an Indicator

is not required, for example during weekends or holiday shutdown

periods. The Indicator values are set to “Calendar” for these

periods. The Calendar is mapped to an Indicator using the

Calendar attribute at Indicator level. Every Calendar consists of a

Week plan and a Days off list. They define the periods when

Indicator values are not required.

capability Capability is an expression given to properties available onmonitored network resources. The capabilities define the type of

reports that VistaMart must start for the corresponding instance.

chunk (of events) A large group o f events (up to several megabytes) that the

InfoVista Server forwards to VistaMart. Each chunk goes out as an

individual HTTP call.

codec an acronym for coder/decoder. This type of codec combines

analog-to-digital conversion and digital-to-analog conversion

functions in a single chip. In personal and business computingapplications, the most common use for such a device is in a

modem.

collector An InfoVista serv ice responsib le for collect ing data, calculating the

Indicators and storing the results. This data is collected over a

period of time specified by the lifetime of each Report. It may be

Term Definition




p p y p y

as short as a few minutes or as long as a few years.

connectivity The interconnection of system devices and applications via ports

and protocols


data mart, data

warehouse

A data mar t is a reposi tory of data gathered from operat ional data

and/or other sources designed to serve a particular community of

knowledge workers. In scope, the data may derive from an

enterprise-wide database or data warehouse.

The emphasis of a data mart is to meet the specific demands of a

specific group of knowledge users in terms of analysis, contents,

presentation, and ease-of-use. In practice, the terms 'data mart'

and 'data warehouse' are often complementary in many ways. In

general, the design of a data mart tends to start from an analysis

of user needs, while a data warehouse tends to start from an

analysis of existing data and how to collect it for later use.

A data warehouse is a centra l aggregation of data (which can be

distributed physically); a data mart is a data repository that may

derive from a data warehouse and emphas izes ease of access and

usability for a particular purpose.

In general, a data warehouse tends to be a strategic but somewhattheoretical concept; a data mart tends to be tactical and aims at

meeting an immediate need. VistaMart would lean towards the

data mart model.

disk Part of a unit, often called a disk drive, hard drive, or hard disk

drive, that stores and provides relatively quick access to large

amounts of data on the computer.

digest access

authentication

One of the agreed methods a web page can use to negotiate

credentials with a web user (using the HTTP protocol). Thismethod builds upon (and obsoletes) the basic authentication

scheme, allowing user identity to be established without having to

send a password in plaintext over the network.

display rate The frequency at which data points show up on the graph (i.e.

every fifteen minutes, etc.)

Term Definition




drill-down Links between reports that you can use to access one report from

another report. This feature provides more detailed information

about the monitored resources.

encryption a network security process that applies encryption services at the

network transfer layer - above the data link level, but below the

application level. Network encryption is invisible to the end user

and data is encrypted only while in transit, existing as plain text on

the originating and receiving hosts.

end-to-end refers to a logical connection between two network items (ends)

such as two interfaces. An end-to-end element is defined as an

assisted resource. It establishes a ‘relationship’ between twoelements in the network. This involves a request sent from the first

element (source) to the second element (destination).


enumeration In mathematics and theoretical computer science, an enumeration

of a set is a either a procedure for listing all members of the set in

some definite sequence, or a count of objects of a specified kind.

The two kinds of enumeration often, but not always, overlap.

environment variable An environment var iable def ines some aspect of a specif ic user or

a program environment that can vary. Generally set during the

login procedure, environment variables are used across multiplelanguages and operating systems to provide information to

applications that may be specific to the user request.

event A message from a VistaFoundation product that s ignals an

unexpected or unacceptable condition (such as a threshold

violation) and gets logged in VistaCockpit. Unlike an 'alert', and

does not trigger a workflow of remedial tasks.

hotfix code (sometimes called a patch) that fixes a coding error in a

software.

expression Expressions are the central logic of Indicators. They are attributes

of Formulas, which in turn are attributes of the Indicator.

An Expression can contain: MIB variables, constants or var iables,

properties, and logical operators

file system the way in which files are named and where they are placed

logically for storage and retrieval.

filter a program or section of code that is designed to examine each

input or output request for certain qualifying criteria and thenprocess or forward it accordingly. A filter is pass-through code that

takes input data, makes some specific decision about it, and

passes it on to another program in a kind of pipeline. Usually, a

filter does no input/output operation on its own.

formula A mathematical expression used to calculate an Indicator, which

Term Definition




can contain:

> Indicators (but not both in the same expression)

> Variables or

> Parameters

> Properties

> Operators

> Constants

global variable A Global Variable defines a value which, when modif ied , changes

all attributes which have this value.

An example of Global Variable is a minimum report display rate . I f

it is set to 15 minutes as a Global Variable in one Library, all Rules

using this Library will take the value. Therefore, you do not have to

change each Rule individually if this value changes.


graph An object tha t represents a real working graph (a h istogram, a p ie

chart, a table, etc.) that displays a set of Indicators for one or more

Instances.

harvester A legacy connector in the forwarding mechanism that works as an

active thread to poll the event queue table to guarantee that

legacy applications work without modification.

help system a documentation component of a software program that explainsthe features of the program and helps the user understand its

capabilities.

indicator An ind icator is a measurement that can be made for a resource.

instance An Instance is a representation o f a monitored IT resource, as

seen by the data collection engine that gathers status and

performance data.

An Instance comes with a ‘property sheet’ (or an identi fication

card) indicating its name, description, and property values. It also

names the Vista to which the monitored resource belongs.

You create an Instance for each IT element that you want to

monitor using the appropriate Vista. Example: If you want to

monitor a Cisco router, you create a router Instance from the ‘Vista

Router’ with a name (ex. Router Alpha), a description (ex. Cisco),

and a property value (ex. IP address 164.59.13.75.)

instance (basic) represents a physical IT resource (for example a router). It is

created from a Basic Vista. A basic Instance can provideinformation on itself using its MIB.

instance (proxy) represents a logical IT resource (for example a WAN interface). A

‘proxy’ Instance contains the type and characteristics of the ‘basic’

Instance to which it is associated (in this case, the router). By

definition, a logical resource cannot provide information on itself

d d d ‘ ’ t d thi it b h lf H WAN

Term Definition




and depends on a ‘proxy’ to do this on its behalf. Hence, a WAN

interface is a ‘proxy’ Instance of the ‘basic’ router instance.

instance (group) An instance which comprises a group of related instances. Thiscan be a group of identical equipment such as routers,

applications in a cluster, or disparate instances located in a

common geographical zone, etc.

A group instance is primar ily def ined by all the members it

federates. Its properties and indicators are defined and calculated

on the basis of its members’ respective indicators.

According to its character ist ics , a basic Instance may be a

member of several groups. This means that group instances may

overlap within a given topology.


IP Telephony (Internet Protocol telephony) General term for the technologies

that use the Internet Protocol's packet-switched connections to

exchange voice, fax, and other forms of information that have

traditionally been carried over the dedicated circuit-switched

connections of the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

failover Failover is a backup operational mode in which the functions of a

system component (such as a processor, server, network, ordatabase, for example) are assumed by secondary system

components when the primary component becomes unavailable

through either failure or scheduled down time.

ivcmd The command line interface for InfoVista Server

ivreport The client graphic interface for InfoVista Server

jitter Variations in packet arrival time.

KPI KPIs are Indicators and therefore they are essentially

measurements like other indicators. The difference is that they

depend on other ‘lower level’ Indicators, which derive from other

base Indicators to calculate their values.

KPIs are dependent on the resources for which you design them.

For Instance, the KPI ‘Horsepower’ in the Servers solution is a

Property value that returns the processor’s power as defined by

industry standards.

latency An expression of how much time it takes for a packet of data to get

from one designated point to another.

library - InfoVista Also known as a VistaView, the Library represents a package of

objects created by the user and organized and used for any

purpose the user chooses. For example, one library might contain

objects that model frame relay networks or Compaq servers or

Oracle databases etc. InfoVista libraries are imported or exported

t f Vi t M t d t b t th

Term Definition




to or from one VistaMart database to another.

library - VistaMart VistaMart Libraries contain the same range of objects as InfoVista

Libraries. They differ from these Libraries in that they:

> generally handle lower-frequency data points (although you can

start slots at high-frequency intervals if required)

> handle only scalar, numeric, and trap indicator values

> contain rules used to define which reports/slots to start and

properties to update

> do not contain report templates

VistaMart Libraries can be customized using the VistaMartInventory Manager (unlike InfoVista Libraries). You can add new

indicators and properties to VistaMart libraries. Libraries can also

be exported from one VistaMart database to another.


license key Each InfoVista Server is protected by a license key. This key

allows you to install the server and use it for a period of time that

depends on the type of key. It is linked to the MAC address of the

InfoVista Server system.

lifetime This setting determines the amount of time that InfoVista Server

keeps raw data before it overwrites it with new data (all expired

data get purged). The value for this setting generally takes into

account the Report Template display rate.

link - VistaMart Links are a means to associate two Instances. This is useful for

integration with the VistaPortal Service Level Navigator. To

confirm whether SLN still exists in 4.0.

load balancing Dividing the amount of work that a computer has to do between

two or more computers so that more work gets done in the same

amount of time and, in general, all users get served faster. Load

balancing can be implemented with hardware, software, or a

combination of both.

lookup (IVCmd only) This object represents the internal lookup table used by the

system to resolve an indirect Parameter reference in a Formula. It

is a read-only object used primarily for troubleshooting purposes.

There is one Lookup for a given Instance-Variable pair. It shows

the lookup values currently used to resolve the indirect Parameter

references specified at Formula level for this pair.

manager (InfoVista) An InfoVista service responsib le for maintain ing the InfoVista

object model. This model represents the resources in your IS

which InfoVista monitors, the Indicators it calculates, and the

Reports it generates.

The Manager has its own database file: manager.db. It contains

the data which represent InfoVista’s added value to your company.

Back it up regularly if it is often modified.

Term Definition




metric The measurement of a particular characteristic of a program's

performance or efficiency. In InfoVista lingo, a metric is a

container of indicators whose values appear in a graph.

mib A management information base (MIB) is a formal descript ion of a

set of network objects that can be managed using the Simple

Network Management Protocol (SNMP). The format of the MIB is

defined as part of the SNMP. MIB-I refers to the initial MIB

definition; MIB-II refers to the current definition. SNMPv2 includes

MIB-II and adds some new objects.

middleware A general term for any programming tha t serves to glue together

or mediate between two separate and often already existingprograms.


migration The process of moving from one environment to another

environment which can involve moving to new hardware, new

software, or both. Migration can be small-scale, such as migrating

a single system, or large-scale, involving many systems, new

applications, or a redesigned network.

model a coherent and logical structure that defines all the objects that

may exist in an IT infrastructure. This structure, or the InfoVista

[Object] Model, organizes these IT objects into functional

categories and establishes the relationships between them.

module In VistaMart, a module is a container for a set of rules.

operators Operators are used in formulas to compare or equate values and

in formulas for computation.

patch A quick-repair job for a p iece of p rogramming.

persistence (data) The storage of data for a certain length of time.

ping A basic Internet p rogram that allows a user to ver ify tha t a

particular IP address exists and can accept requests. Ping is used

diagnostically to ensure that a host computer you are trying to

reach is actually operating.

poller An informal appellat ion for a server tha t polls data, which in this

case the InfoVista Server

port mapper An InfoVista service (or daemon) that a llows you to open a

connection in CORBA and to communicate with the InfoVistaServer using the IVApi, IVCmd, or IVReport.

This service is mandatory for applications and servers to

communicate with each other. The Port Mapper also allows you to

connect to an InfoVista Server Instance using its Instance name.

As its name indicates, the Port Mapper maps the different end

points (Manager, Collector and Browser services).

Term Definition




probe A program or other device inserted at a key juncture in a network

for the purpose of monitoring or collecting data about networkactivity.

process (Unix, Linux) A process is an ins tance of a program running in a computer. It is

close in meaning to task, a term used in some operating systems.

In Unix and some other operating systems, a process is started

when a program is initiated.


property - InfoVista A defining charac ter ist ic or att ribute of a Vista. For example the

Vista “IP node” has the property “IP address”. A property is

associated with a real (often IS-dependent) value for each

Instance created from the Vista. The real value, associated with a

specific Instance, is represented by a Property Value object.

Some Properties of a Vista are dictated by the type of resource

modeled by the Vista. For example, a Vista designed to monitor

devices in an IP network must have a Property which represents

an IP address as this is an intrinsic Property of any IP device.

Some Properties can be invented according to the type of reports

required.

property value the specific value of a Property for a specific Instance (for

example, “ipAddress=192.192.192.192”).

property -VistaMart Whereas InfoVista Server Properties are “polling based,”

VistaMart Properties are used to define and manage groups. They

are also intended for VistaPortal presentation purposes.

All Properties you create are automatical ly part of a VistaMart

library.

protocol A special set of rules tha t end points in a telecommunication

connection use when they communicate. Protocols exist at several

levels in a telecommunication connection. For example, there are

protocols for the data interchange at the hardware device level

and protocols for data interchange at the application program

level.

provisioning A process that feeds the VistaMar t central repository with topology

information (gathered from resources on the network), the type of

measurements to compute, and the reporting information (type of

report to start and what data to compute)

proxy move A VistaMart feature to manage customer inventory that a llows the

move of a proxy instance from one basic instance to another basic

Term Definition




move of a proxy instance from one basic instance to another basic

instance. For example, it is possible to move a customer interface

from a router to another one without losing VistaMart data.The activation of this feature requires an appropriate tagging

policy for proxies in VistaDiscovery.

forwarding service -

internal

A process where the InfoVista Server automatically sends new

incoming data to VistaMart as soon as it becomes available.

forwarding service -

external

A mechanism that forwards data and events to another (non-

VistaMart) customized processing.

QoS Quality of Service'. The idea that transmission rates, error rates,and other characteristics can be measured, improved, and, to

some extent, guaranteed in advance.


real-time Communications wherein perceptible delays between the sender

and receiver are minimal and easily tolerated are considered to

take place in real-time. Real-time reports display data collected for

indicators at a specific point in time.

recovery A process tha t invo lves copying backup files from secondary

storage (tape, Zip disk or other backup media) to hard disk.

Recovery is performed in order to return data to its original

condition if files have become damaged.

reference time The reference time in a report is generally the current time.

report An object containing one or more graphs, with each graph

displaying a set of Indicators on one or several Instances. The

report object is created by applying Instances to a report template.

report template defines the general layout of a report and contains the graphs

using the metrics and indicators you developed.

repository a central place in which a collection of data is kept and maintained

in an organized way and allows a selective extraction of data for

the purpose of computation, analysis, etc.

resource include physical objects in the IT infrastructure such as a server, a

network device, a network interface, or an application.

resource (logical) a logical resource such as a LAN or WAN (local or wide area

network)

resource (physical) a physical resource in the infrastructure, such as a server or arouter,

rule Rules define the global characteristics of your reporting solution.

They define, for a specific number of instances, all related reports

and slots to create. Note: do not confuse this object with the other

“rule” object used by InfoVista Servers which defines relationships

between vistas, such as “all routers are IP nodes.” When a vista

h l hi h f t th i t th ti f b th

Term Definition




has a rule which refers to another vista, the properties of both

vistas are combined when an instance is created from the original

vista that contains the rule.

SCN # (acronym to

define later)

A unique increasing number attached to each message that goes

out from the InfoVista Server to the VistaMart data forwarding

service (push). This is a tracking number to ensure that the data

forwarding service does not miss any message from the InfoVista

Server.

service level

management

A serv ice level agreement (SLA) is a cont ract between a network

service provider and a customer that specifies, usually in

measurable terms, what services the network service provider willfurnish. Some metrics for SLAs may include: what percentage of

the time services will be available; the number of users that can be

served simultaneously; specific performance benchmarks to which

actual performance will be periodically compared, etc.


signals Signals are used with InfoVista's command-line interface (IVCmd)

to understand how data is handled by the different layers which

comprise InfoVista software. The output from signals can be used

to analyze and troubleshoot various situations encountered while

running InfoVista Server.

sizing The sizing exercise gathers inputs necessary to have an

accurately tailored reporting solution according to customer

specifications. Factors that affect sizing can be the number of

instances and connections and hardware constraints.

slot In VistaMart, the definition for data collected for a given Instance,

Indicator, display rate, and acquisition (polling) rate.

See also: ’xslot’ on page 259.

snmp Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is the protocol that

governs network management, and thereby allows the monitoring

of network devices and their functions. Each Network device iscovered by one SNMP agent.

solution A suite of InfoVIsta products that assembles data and gives

meaningful analysis about a specific part of the infrastructure,

such as for a group of IT devices, servers, or applications.

ssl Secure Sockets Layer. A commonly-used protocol for managing

the security of a message transmission on the Internet.

ssl certificate A digital cert ifi cate that establishes your c redent ials when sending

transactions over the network. It is issued by a certificationauthority (CA). It contains your name, a serial number, expiration

dates, a copy of the certificate holder's public key (used for

encrypting messages and digital signatures), and the digital

signature of the certificate-issuing authority so that a recipient can

verify that the certificate is real.

threshold provide the system with a comparative value against which the

Term Definition




system automatically checks if the calculated values correspond to

an optimal range. If not, it generates a trap or an exception for the

user to act upon.

timestamp The time at which data is calculated. It is a UTC value

(monotonously increasing). For timestamps representing periods,

we use the first date of the period:

> the 12h00 timestamp for hourly values correspond for the [12h-

00,13h00] period

> the 01/01/2006 00:00 (daily) is for the [01/01/2006 – 02/01/

2006] period. Note that an event will only be sent on the 02/01around 02:00 (delay due to daily data processing).


topology file Topology is a schematic description of the arrangement of a

network, including its nodes and connecting lines. There are two

ways of defining network geometry: the physical topology and the

logical (or signal) topology. The physical topology of a network is

the actual geometric layout of workstations. Logical (or signal)

topology refers to the nature of the paths the signals follow from

node to node. In many instances, the logical topology is the same

as the physical topology, but not always. A topology file is a flatfile describing the devices in an IT infrastructure with basic

information pertaining to that device such as IP address,

manufacturer, etc.

trap a mechanism in the software for handling unexpected or

unacceptable conditions such as a threshold violation - for

example, by sending an error message to a log or to a system

user; and depending on the type of application, it could specify a

remedial action.

tuning reports Reports monitoring the performance of the InfoVista Server and

the traffic it sends or receives. The key performance Indicators for

the InfoVista Server concern the load on the server, as well as the

input and output traffic. They use source data generated internally

by the server so they can be run on any InfoVista Server without

installing specific MIBs.

tuning traps Certain events can disrupt the proper functioning of the Collector.

The tuning traps allows the system to log these events in the

Collector’s log file as well as send e-mail messages to alert

administrators through VistaCockpit. Circumstances that can

trigger a Collector event are large database size, high latency, or

high percentage of bad data values.

tuple An ordered set of values . Common uses for the tuple as a data

type are (1) for passing a string of parameters from one program

to another, and (2) representing a set of value attributes in a

Term Definition




( ) p g

relational database.

VPN Acronym for Virtual Private Network, which provides remote

offices or individual users with secure access to their

organization's network.

variable A piece of data which is available on the monitored resource. It is

used by formulas to calculate base indicators. Variables are

created by the system when a MIB file is loaded.


vista The InfoVista model separates and categorizes all monitored IT

elements into functional categories or ‘Vistas’. A Vista is a

template that describes the types and characteristics of a class of

monitored resources. A Vista can describe either:

> a physical resource in the infrastructure, such as a server or a

router, or

> a logical resource such as a LAN or WAN (local or wide areanetwork)

A Vista comes with a set of properties. There are minimum

properties which all Vistas share. It can be either of a Basic kind or

Proxy kind.

vista (basic) ‘Known as the ‘self-reliant’ Vista, the Basic Vista is a template for

physical IT elements that rely on their built-in capability to provide

their own source data.

EXAMPLE A router is bui lt with the necessary capabi lit y (using

SNMP and MIB technology, see next chapter) to respond

directly to external data collection requests about its

overall status and performance. Therefore the ‘Router’

Vista is a Basic Vista.

vista (common) Despite its name, there is nothing insignificant about this Vista.

This Vista contains the ‘common denominator’, or minimum

properties, that all other Vistas share. The ‘Common Vista’

includes properties such as location, customer names, and service

names.

vista (proxy) By definition, ‘proxy’ means ‘substitute’. The Proxy Vista is a

template for ‘logical’ or other IT elements that cannot supply their

own source data.

Hence, a Proxy Vista is always contingent on a Basic Vista, but

not vice versa.

The mandatory property values for a Proxy Vista depend on the

Term Definition




types of resources monitored.

EXAMPLE A ‘logical’ IT element (such as a WAN interface)cannot provide source data about itself. Therefore, it

‘needs’ help.

Since the WAN interface is located on the Router, it depends on

the Router to ‘help’ it get its source data. Therefore, the ‘Interface’

Vista is a ‘proxy’ Vista that relies on the ‘basic’ Router Vista for

information.

vistafoundation The VistaFoundation is an ensemble of InfoVista products working

in conjunction with each other to provide real-time reporting on ITinfrastructures such as administration, inventory and

consolidation, data collection, and presentation. Specifically, it

includes VistaMart, InfoVista Server, VistaCockpit, VistaDiscovery,

and VistaPortal.


vistaview see InfoVista library

voip Voice over IP. Term used in IP telephony for a set of facilities for

managing the delivery of voice information using the Internet

Protocol (IP).

workflow A series of tasks tha t are regularly scheduled for execut ion.

xindicator This object represents the stored tuples for each sample of a given

Instance-Indicator pair. Each tuple consists of all the Parameter

values used in the calculation of the Indicator. It is a read-only

object created automatically by the system and used primarily for

troubleshooting purposes.

xslot In InfoVista Server, the definition for the collection data for a given

Instance-Indicator-display and/or acquisition rate triplet.

When the display rate for an instance-indicator differs from the

acquisition (polling) rate, InfoVista Server creates an xslot to store

the polled data samples and another for the aggregated value forthose samples.

For example, if you have a display rate of 1 hour and an

acquisition rate of 5 minutes, InfoVista Server stores the polled

samples at 5 minutes in one xslot and the calculated result for the

display rate of 1 hour (12 data samples) in another xslot before it

pushes it to VistaMart.

It is a read-only object created automatically by the system and

used for troubleshooting purposes.See also ’slot’ on page 256.

zone A logical partit ion in the information system. Each Zone in the

infrastructure can contain a set of resources related by

technology, geography, customer, etc. Each Zone corresponds to

one topology file or one ‘discovery’ phase which defines a specific

group of Instances. This makes it possible to configure the

discovery process differently according to the network zones

Term Definition




discovery process differently according to the network zones.

zone set Contains a group of zones. Typically, you create a zone set toprovide reporting for a specific environment.

Vista Watch Vista Watch is an InfoVista application suite that actively monitors

complex multi-step Web transactions using synthetic simulations

(called ‘scenarios’). The Vista Watch Agent is a program that plays

the simulation (or scenario) at specified times. It is deployed on

the machines from which you want to collect source data.

response time measures the average response time of an end-to-end element. It

is calculated as the average time it takes for a request to reach atarget and return.


RMI Remote Method Invocation. A protocol used in Java language and

development environment to write object-oriented programming in

which objects on different computers can interact in a distributed

network.

flow control The process which guarantees that the overall data forwarding

(push) mechanism behaves correctly, and is robust enough to

handle network failures at all levels, including failures (either

crash or stop) of any constituents in the data forwarding chain.

recovery (VistaMart) The process through which the VistaMart data forwarding (push)

recognizes that some data is missing (or that VistaMart did not

receive for some reason), and can make a request for the data

from the InfoVista Server.

rollup (VistaMart) A rollup is a timestamp. There is one rol lup for each disp lay rate

and time zone. This is the greatest timestamp for which the

InfoVista Server has polled for all slots in this display rate and time

zone. The timestamp of the rollup is a UTC value (monotonously

increasing) in the reference time of the InfoVista Server emitting

this rollup.

Term Definition




261

Index

A Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Add multi-valued Property Value. . . . . . . . 153

Add Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Remove multi-valued Property Value . . . . 153Remove Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Reset Property Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Set Attribute Value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Set Location. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Set Property Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Start Report(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Start Slot(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

add. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rule Condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

add (+) operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Add Contain Property Value condition . . . . . . . 145

Add Contain Vista condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Add Documentation condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Add Equal condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Add Match condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Add multi-valued Property Value action . . . . . . 153

Add Numerical condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Add Test on Capabilities condition . . . . . . . . . . 143

Add Test on Vendor condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Add Vista action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

C

Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Instance manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Links manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

new objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Proxy manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Slot manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

VistaMart Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

customize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .InfoVista Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Ddata collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .alias. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

port number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

declare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .new InfoVista server group . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .InfoVista Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Instance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Link manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Proxy manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Report manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168



VistaMart® 4.0 User Guide Index

cascade query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .launch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .add. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Add Contain Property Value . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Add Contain Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Add Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Add Equal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Add Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Add Numerical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Add Test on Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Add Test on Vendor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

create . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Global Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58


VistaMart objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

disable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Report data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Slot data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

divide (/) operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Eenable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

262

VistaMart Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

GGlobal Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

create. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

IImporting a library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125, 127

Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .create. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

data type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

display type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

InfoVista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .display report data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

display Slot data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Library, delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126InfoVista Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

define. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

defining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

visualize. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

InfoVista Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .group, declare new . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

load balancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79manage loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

populate with Instances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

redistribute Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

synchronize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .manually create . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

manually delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

populate InfoVista Servers with 75

LLibrary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Link. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .manually create. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

manually delete. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

ln() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .balancing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

log() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

lstrend() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

lstrendt() operator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Mmathematical operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215, 217

Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .customize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

InfoVista define . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

modify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136


Modifying VistaMart Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

modulo (%) operator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Multi-value Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

N




populate InfoVista Servers with. . . . . . . . . . 75

redistribute on IV server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79remove from Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

unstable, description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

inventory, consolidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

isnull() operator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

IVReport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .display report data in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

set path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

New object wizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115now() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Oobject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

create new. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

modify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Wizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

offset() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .add(+ ). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

divide (/) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

263

isnull() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222ln() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

log() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

lstrend() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

lstrendt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

modulo (%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

now() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

offset() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

percentile(). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

percentilex(). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

power (^) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

random . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

sabaselineday() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

stddev() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

substract (-) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

timetothresholddown(). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

timetothresholddownex() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

timetothresholdup() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227timetothresholdupex() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

variance()on() . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

ownership of objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Ppercentile() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

percentilex() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

port number, database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

power (^) operator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .values in database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .create. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

multi-value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

single-value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Rrandom operator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

redistribute Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Regular Expressions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Remove multi-valued Property Value action . . 153

Remove Vista action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .display data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

manually create. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

manually delete. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

timezone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Report Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .create Report based on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Reset Property Value action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

add a Condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

create . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

disable and enable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

modify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

standard example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Ssabaselineday() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .InfoVista Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114




g

Provisioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29provisioning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

follow-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Proxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .manually create . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

manually delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

proxy move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 36

Qquery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

cascade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

InfoVista Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Server loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .manage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Set Attribute Value action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Set Location action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Set Property Value action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

SID (Oracle ID), set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Single-value Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .display data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

manually create. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57manually delete. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

suspended. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

timezone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

264

IVReport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Start Report(s) action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Start Slot(s) action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

stddev() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

substract (-) operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

suspended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

synchronize. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .InfoVista Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

T timetothresholddown() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

timetothresholddownex() operator . . . . . . . . . . 228

timetothresholdup() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

timetothresholdupex() operator. . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Timezone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Uunstable Instance, description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Vvariance()on() operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .create. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

VistaMart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .connect to database (command line) . . . . . 24

Library, create . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Library, delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Library export 127

delete in VistaMart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63remove Instances from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Zoneset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .delete in VistaMart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62




Library, export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Library, modify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118VistaView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

import. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Visualizing the InfoVista Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Wwizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

create new objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

X,Y,ZZone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

and InfoVista server groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Remarks

We welcome any comments you have on our product and its documentation. We examinethoroughly your remarks and take them into account whenever possible for future product versions.

ERRORS DETECTED

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS

VistaMart® 4.0 User Guide 2007



Please send this completed form to:

InfoVista SA

6 rue de la Terre de Feu

91952 Courtaboeuf cedex

France

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Thank you for your cooperation.

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vistamart user guide

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