Halcyon PrimeAlert (R) Agent for AIX
Version 1.0.0
For use with Sun Management Center
README
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Included Components
===================
This distribution includes the following PrimeAlert products:
PrimeAlert Agent for AIX
PrimeAlert SystemMonitor for AIX
PrimeAlert MIB-II System
PrimeAlert AgentHealth
PrimeAlert HardwareMonitor for AIX
The PrimeAlert modules bundled with the PrimeAlert Agent for
AIX provide the agent with a basic level of functionality.
Nomenclature
============
- Halcyon has developed 'PrimeAlert Agents' for a number of platforms
(Windows NT 4 and 2000, HP-UX, Linux, and AIX) that allow non-Solaris
hosts to be monitored by Sun Management Center.
- [INSTALLDIR] is a user-selected directory for installing PrimeAlert
agent and console files on a Windows host. The default value is
C:\Program Files\Halcyon\PrimeAlert.
- [version] is the current version number of this product.
Supported Platforms
===================
The following table summarizes the platform support for the various
components contained within this distribution:
Operating Base Agent Server Console
System Product Layer Layer Layer
----------------------- ----------------- ----- ------ -------
SPARC Solaris 2.8-2.10 Sun MC 3.5-4.0 x
x86/64 Solaris 2.8-2.10 Sun MC 3.5-4.0 x
AIX 5.2-5.3 PrimeAlert Agent x
for AIX
Note: Halcyon officially supports the versions listed above as the
product was tested against these releases. It is possible
that the product may function correctly with other versions.
Informational Text Files
========================
A number of useful informational text files are included with this
distribution:
- README
- README.install
- TroubleShooting
- ReleaseNotes
- LICENSE
- COPYRIGHT
These files are located in the base directory of the distribution
tarball, and after installation, in the directory:
After installation on a Solaris host -
/var/opt/SUNWsymon/install/HALAIXAgent
After installation on a AIX host -
/var/opt/PrimeAlert/install/HALAIXAgent
Installation and Uninstallation Instructions
============================================
For installation or uninstallation instructions, refer to the file
README.install (see the above section 'Informational Text Files').
Troubleshooting
===============
For troubleshooting information, refer to the TroubleShooting file
(see the above section 'Informational Text Files').
The release notes file, ReleaseNotes, which is located in the same
places as the TroubleShooting file, is also a valuable reference.
It contains information about bug fixes, enhancements, known problems,
and upgrade strategy for the current release.
HTML Help Documentation
=======================
To view the Help documentation for the three modules bundled with
the PrimeAlert Agent for AIX, see the following files in the
"doc" subdirectory of the HALAIXAgent_[version] directory in the tar file
HALAIXAgent_[version].tar:
./doc/AgentHealth/HALAgentStatistics-h.html
./doc/AIXSystemMonitor/HALAIXSystemAlert-h.html
./doc/AIXHardwareMonitor/HALAIXHardwareAlert-h.html
./doc/MIB-II/HALMIBII-h.html
This documentation is also available by selecting "Help" from each
module's pop-up menu in the console's Details window.
License
=======
Please read the license agreement in the file LICENSE located in this
directory.
Without purchasing a license, the modules that are part of the
PrimeAlert Agent for AIX will only operate for a trial period of 30
days.
If you wish to purchase a license to use the PrimeAlert Agent for
AIX, please contact us at:
Web: http://www.HalcyonInc.com
Email: info@HalcyonInc.com
Tel: 416-932-4647
Fax: 416-932-4711
Overview
========
The PrimeAlert Agent for AIX monitors the health and statistics of
a host running AIX. The PrimeAlert Agent for AIX seamlessly integrates
with Sun Management Center, such that AIX hosts running this agent
can be managed and viewed from a Sun Management Center console.
The following modules are provided with this release:
- PrimeAlert SystemMonitor for AIX
- PrimeAlert MIB-II System
- PrimeAlert AgentHealth
- PrimeAlert HardwareMonitor for AIX
These modules are loaded by default when the PrimeAlert Agent
for AIX is first started; note that PrimeAlert MIB-II System cannot
be unloaded by the user.
Documentation for a particular installed module can be found in the
on-line help that is available from the module's context sensitive
menus in the Sun Management Center console.
Using the PrimeAlert Agent for AIX
====================================
Starting the Agent
------------------
The PrimeAlert Agent for AIX is controlled by the pa script that
is located in /opt/PrimeAlert/bin after installation. The controlling
commands are:
- pa start agent: starts the PrimeAlert Agent
- pa stop agent: stops the PrimeAlert Agent
- pa restart agent: restarts the PrimeAlert Agent (stop and start)
- pa status agent: returns status information about the
PrimeAlert Agent (agent up/down)
Configuration
-------------
Typically, configuration of the PrimeAlert Agent for AIX is done
during installation. If you want to specify different settings after
installation, login to the AIX agent host and edit the text file
/var/opt/PrimeAlert/cfg/domain-config.x. The following lines can be
specified in domain-config.x:
# Agent Configuration
agent = {
# Agent Port
snmpPort = <port number>
# Enabled logging channels
activeChannels = <channel ...>
# channel can be: error warning info debug status history syslog
}
# Server Configuration
# <component> is either trap or event
<component> = {
# Server Component Port
snmpPort = <port number>
# Server Component Server Name
<component>Server = <server name>
# Enabled logging channels
activeChannels = <channel ...>
}
If host names or port numbers are changed, the AIX agent must be
reseeded. On the AIX agent host, do the following in a Unix shell as
super user:
# /opt/PrimeAlert/bin/pa usm-seed -s <seed> agent
where <seed> is the seed you used for your Sun Management Center
server layer installation. After reseeding the agent, restart the
PrimeAlert Agent for AIX.
Logging
-------
The PrimeAlert Agent for AIX creates several log files that can be
used for debugging purposes. These log files use a special format
called clog. Clog files are circular log files that remain at a fixed
size. The following tools can be used to view the log files:
/opt/PrimeAlert/bin/ctail: This is similar to the Unix command tail.
It displays the last few lines of a file. New lines are displayed as
they are added to the file.
/opt/PrimeAlert/bin/ccat: This is similar to the Unix command cat. It
prints the whole file on standard output.
The following log files are created by the agent --
/var/opt/PrimeAlert/log/agent.log:
This log file contains runtime information about the PrimeAlert Agent
for AIX. Lines containing critical error messages begin with "error".
/var/opt/PrimeAlert/log/agentStatus.log:
This log file contains events generated by the PrimeAlert Agent for
AIX.
/var/opt/PrimeAlert/log/history.log:
This log file contains information about monitored items for which the
history function has been enabled. This can be done in the Sun
Management Center console by using the History tab of the Attribute
Editor.
Monitoring the AIX Host with a Sun Management Center Console
==============================================================
This section provides instructions on how to configure your Sun
Management Center console to monitor hosts running the PrimeAlert Agent
for AIX.
In the following examples, it is assumed that you are logged into a Sun
Management Center console and an administrative domain is available.
Creating a AIX Node
---------------------
Before you can monitor the PrimeAlert Agent, you need to create a AIX
node in the Sun Management Center topology.
Using the Sun Management Center console, do the following:
1. In the main console window, select "Edit" from the menu bar and then
"Create Object...".
2. Select the "Node" tab in the resulting dialog box.
3. Select "Sun Management Center Agent - Host" from the "Monitor Via"
picklist.
4. Enter a label in the "Node Label" field, e.g.
Caspian (AIX)
5. Enter a description in the "Description" field, e.g.
AIX Host on 4th floor, main building
6. Enter the hostname in the "Hostname" field, e.g.
caspian
7. Optionally, enter the IP address in the "IP Address" field, e.g.
192.1.4.5
8. Enter the port number in the "Port" field. This is the port number
you provided during installation of the PrimeAlert Agent for AIX.
The default is 161.
161
Note: If it was necessary to install the PrimeAlert Agent for AIX
on another port (e.g. because there was already an agent using
UDP port 161), then specify the port you used.
9. Click "OK". A new node is inserted into the topology window.
Monitor the AIX Host
----------------------
After you have created the AIX node, you can monitor the host.
Using the Sun Management Center console, do the following:
1. Select the AIX node in the topology window.
2. Right-click on the selected AIX node and choose "Details" from the
pop-up menu.
Or:
1. Double-click on the AIX node.
A new details window is displayed that contains information about the
AIX host. By default, the three modules bundled with the PrimeAlert
Agent for AIX are loaded; they appear in the 'Operating System' and
'Local Applications' groups.
Documentation for a particular installed module can be found in the
on-line help that is available from the module's context sensitive
menus in the Sun Management Center console.
Module Features
===============
PrimeAlert AgentHealth
----------------------
This module monitors statistics about the internal state of the agent
and of the agent process.
Note: If the Memory Usage and Virtual Memory Size values exceed the
Critical alarm thresholds (default is set to 70000 Kb for Virtual
Memory Usage), the agent will exit automatically.
PrimeAlert SystemMonitor for AIX
----------------------------------
The PrimeAlert SystemMonitor for AIX provides information about the
operating system and its components.
PrimeAlert MIB-II System
------------------------
The PrimeAlert MIB-II System module provides information about the MIB
used by the PrimeAlert Agent for AIX. This module cannot be unloaded
by the user.
PrimeAlert HardwareMonitor for AIX
----------------------------------
The PrimeAlert HardwareMonitor for AIX provides information about the
hardware and its components.
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