======================================================================
Halcyon PrimeAlert (R) Reporter
Version 2.2.0
README
======================================================================
Included Components
======================================================================
This distribution includes the following PrimeAlert products:
PrimeAlert Reporter
PrimeAlert WebPortal
Additional functionality can be added to PrimeAlert WebPortal by
purchasing the following product:
PrimeAlert WebPortal SSL Pack
Acknowledgements
======================================================================
PrimeAlert Reporter uses RRDTool software developed by Tobi Oetiker
(http://ee-staff.ethz.ch/~oetiker/webtools/rrdtool). Reporter runs
RRDTool as a separate executable, and is only loosely coupled with it.
Modified source code for RRDTool is also distributed with PrimeAlert
Reporter. There is no need to download RRDTool separately.
RRDTool is covered under the terms of the GNU General Public License,
Version 2, June 1991 (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html).
PrimeAlert Reporter uses japach, developed by Jirka Kosina
(http://www.jikos.cz/jikos/japach/). Reporter runs japach as a
separate executable, and is only loosely coupled with it.
Modified source code is also distributed with PrimeAlert
Reporter. There is no need to download japach separately.
japach is covered under the terms of the GNU General Public License,
Version 2, June 1991 (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html).
Supported Platforms
======================================================================
PrimeAlert Reporter is only supported for the following software
product(s):
Sun Management Center 3.5 - 4.0
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 x*
x86/x64 Solaris 2.9-2.10 Sun MC 3.5-4.0 x
x86/x64 Solaris 2.10 Sun MC 4.0 x*
Windows 2000/NT/XP/ PrimeAlert Windows x
XP x64/2003 Agent
* - The PrimeAlert Reporter product includes its own "console"
(PrimeAlert WebPortal) which is installed on the Sun MC
server layer. There is no component to be installed on
the Sun MC console layer.
PrimeAlert WebPortal is no longer supported when it is not
installed on the Sun MC server layer.
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
- GPL.txt
These files are located in the base directory of the distribution
tarball, and after installation, in the directory:
- On a Solaris host:
/var/opt/SUNWsymon/install/HALReporter
- On a Windows host:
C:\Program Files\Halcyon\PrimeAlert\docs\HALReporter
Installation and Uninstallation Instructions
======================================================================
For installation or uninstallation instructions, refer to the
following file:
- README.install
Troubleshooting
======================================================================
For troubleshooting information, refer to the following file:
- TroubleShooting
Release Notes
======================================================================
For information about bug fixes, enhancements, known problems, and
upgrade strategy for the current release, refer to the following file:
- ReleaseNotes
Help Documentation
======================================================================
To view the online help for PrimeAlert Reporter, point your browser
to the following file:
./doc/Reporter/HALReport-h.html
To view The online help for PrimeAlert WebPortal, point your browser
to the following file:
./doc/Reporter/HALWebPortal-h.html
This documentation is also available as context-sensitive help from
within PrimeAlert WebPortal.
License Agreement
======================================================================
Please read the license agreement in the following file:
- LICENSE
Without purchasing a license, PrimeAlert Reporter and PrimeAlert
WebPortal will only operate for a trial period of 30 days from
installation.
If you wish to purchase a license to use PrimeAlert Reporter and
PrimeAlert WebPortal, please contact us at:
Web: http://www.HalcyonInc.com
Email: info@HalcyonInc.com
Tel: 416-932-4647
Fax: 416-932-4711
Overview
======================================================================
PrimeAlert Reporter logs historical values for monitored entities in a
database. PrimeAlert WebPortal provides a web-based user interface
to graph, list, and export the stored data. A command line utility
has also been provided to generate reports and export collected data.
PrimeAlert Reporter must be installed and loaded on each Sun MC agent
host where reporting is to take place. After the proper packages have
been installed on each host (see the README.install file), PrimeAlert
WebPortal can be used to quickly load PrimeAlert Reporter on multiple
hosts at the same time.
Note: The following instructions assume that PrimeAlert WebPortal has
been configured to allow the current user to manage hosts within
a Sun Management Center administrative domain.
Loading PrimeAlert Reporter
======================================================================
1. Select "Load Module..." from the Host Bar in PrimeAlert WebPortal.
2. Select PrimeAlert Reporter from the Module Picklist and click on
"Continue". This launches the Module Loader which contains the
following information:
Module
The name of the module assigned to files as part of the
module file naming convention. This field is read-only.
Module Name
The short description of the module. This field is
read-only.
Version
The version number of the module. This field is
read-only.
Enterprise
The Enterprise where this module will be loaded in the
Agent's MIB. This field is read-only.
Module Type
The module's type, which determines where this module
will appear in the module hierarchy. This field is
read-only.
In the Module Loader window, a user can choose to load PrimeAlert
Reporter on the current host, and, optionally:
- on a set of specified additional hosts; and/or,
- on all hosts within a specified administrative domain.
3. Click on the Apply button to load the module.
Getting Started with PrimeAlert Reporter
======================================================================
Although PrimeAlert Reporter can be loaded on an agent using the Sun MC
console, Reporter's functionality can only be accessed using PrimeAlert
WebPortal.
After PrimeAlert Reporter has been loaded on a host, a user will find
that when the host is viewed using PrimeAlert WebPortal, PrimeAlert
Reporter is located within the Local Applications group of the main
host details window. To start using the module, the user can click on
the Reports icon in the host bar, or on the PrimeAlert Reporter link.
To learn more about using PrimeAlert Reporter, use the WebPortal to
drill down to the Reporter module for any host where Reporter is
loaded, and then click on the Help link that exists within the Reports
section. If the Reports section does not exist (i.e. there are no data
rows in the Objects table), then simply access the pop-down menu for
any item in the heading row of the Objects table, and select Help.
PrimeAlert Reporter includes a number of preconfigured graphing objects
for the following modules:
On Solaris:
- Kernel Reader
- Kernel Reader (Simple)
- PrimeAlert for Oracle
- PrimeAlert for Sybase
- PrimeAlert for Sybase Replication Server
- PrimeAlert for Cisco Router
On Windows:
- PrimeALert SystemAlert
If any of these modules are loaded on an agent where Reporter is also
loaded, the preconfigured lists will simplify the adding of graphing
objects to the Reporter Objects table (see the HTML Help for more
details).
Possible Security Issue - Disabling Process Monitoring
======================================================================
(Note: The Process List functionality is not supported on Windows)
PrimeAlert Reporter has a process monitoring database that allows
WebPortal users (who have been configured to log into a Sun Management
Center server) to view historical process data for all agent hosts
where PrimeAlert Reporter is installed; the historical data includes
the command line arguments for each process. If you are running
applications on agent hosts for which a user may type a password on the
command line, then it may be desirable, for the sake of enhanced
security, to disable Reporter process monitoring. On the other hand,
you may wish to keep process monitoring enabled if:
- PrimeAlert WebPortal SSL Pack has been installed on the WebPortal
web server host, and users can only access the WebPortal web server
using the Secure Socket Layer protocol (i.e. https). This ensures
that all traffic between web browser client hosts and the WebPortal
web server is encrypted; and,
- All WebPortal users are privileged administrative users.
or
- Users don't run applications that allow them to provide a password
on the command line.
If you wish to DISABLE process monitoring, do the following for each
agent host where PrimeAlert Reporter is installed:
- Add the line:
psConfig:enabled = OFF
to the file /var/opt/SUNWsymon/cfg/HALReport-user-config.x
- Re-start the Sun MC agent process; run the following commands as root:
# cd `pkgparam SUNWesagt BASEDIR`/SUNWsymon/sbin
# ./es-stop -a
# ./es-start -a
WebPortal users will no longer be able to access historical process
data.
Maintaining PrimeAlert Reporter Databases
======================================================================
PrimeAlert Reporter archives historical data for all loaded objects
(i.e. objects that have been selected for monitoring from within
PrimeAlert Reporter) in compressed database files on each agent's local
filesystem. In addition, periodic process list snapshots are also
stored on the agent's local filesystem.
There are separate database files for each monitored object, and each
object requires approximately 400 kB of disk space for historical data
storage. For historical process data, about 50 kB of disk space is
required to track each process; thus, for a typical system running
about 100 processes, 5 MB of disk space would be required to save the
process list snapshots.
NOTE:
After the database files for a monitored object are initially
created, they will not grow in size beyond the 400 kB initially
allocated. Separate database files are created each time a new
monitored object is added to PrimeAlert Reporter.
Since the object databases created by PrimeAlert Reporter can take
up a considerable amount of space if many objects are monitored, the
filesystem containing the databases must be monitored carefully for
available disk space. For example, on Solaris if the default
filesystem (/var) for locating the Reporter databases becomes filled,
this may cause the local Sun Management Center agent to behave
erratically. Therefore, unless the local /var filesystem has more
than 100 MB of free space, it is recommended that the Reporter
databases be located in a filesystem other than /var.
The location of the database files is specified in the file
/var/opt/SUNWsymon/cfg/HALReport-user-config.x on Solaris, and
C:\Program Files\Halcyon\PrimeAlert\local\cfg\HALReport-user-config.x
on Windows. The installation default directories are:
On Solaris:
/var/opt/SUNWsymon/db/rrd (historical data for monitored objects)
and
/var/opt/SUNWsymon/db/ps (process list snapshots)
On Windows:
C:\Program Files\Halcyon\PrimeAlert\local\db\rrd
(historical data for monitored objects)
Relocating Database Files
-------------------------
Over time, the filesystem originally chosen for locating the PrimeAlert
Reporter databases may be found to be too small. In this event, the
databases can be relocated as follows:
1. Determine the current database locations
On the agent host, examine the file:
On a Solaris agent host:
/var/opt/SUNWsymon/cfg/HALReport-user-config.x
On a Windows agent host:
C:\Program Files\Halcyon\PrimeAlert\local\cfg\HALReport-user-config.x
The parameter
rrdConfig:rrdDatabaseDirectory
indicates the object database location, and will be denoted below as
<Old rrd Directory>. Also, the parameter
psConfig:psDataDirectory
indicates the process snapshot data location, and will be denoted below
as <Old ps Directory>.
2. Shutdown the Sun MC agent
While the database files are being copied to their new location, the
local agent process must be shutdown.
On a Solaris agent host:
As root, run the following commands:
# cd `pkgparam SUNWesagt BASEDIR`/SUNWsymon/sbin
# ./es-stop -a
On a Windows agent host:
Stop the 'Halcyon PrimeAlert Agent' service by entering the
following command in the command prompt:
# net stop "halcyon primealert agent"
3. Copy the data to the new location
To copy both the object and process snapshot databases to a new, common
location, run the following commands as root on the Solaris agent host:
# cp -rp <Old rrd Directory> <New Location>
# cp -rp <Old ps Directory> <New Location>
For example, to copy all database files from the default location to
the new directory /export4/HALReporter/db, execute the following
commands:
# cp -rp /var/opt/SUNWsymon/db/rrd /export4/HALReporter/db
# cp -rp /var/opt/SUNWsymon/db/ps /export4/HALReporter/db
This will create the new database directories
/export4/HALReporter/db/rrd and /export4/HALReporter/db/ps.
On a Windows agent host, the object database can be copied from
the command prompt or from within "Windows Explorer". The process
snapshot database is not supported on Windows. To copy the directory
from the command line execute the following command:
# xcopy /s <Old rrd Directory> <New Location>
NOTE - It is recommended that the new location be a local filesystem.
4. Modify the PrimeAlert Reporter configuration file
As root on the agent host edit the file:
On Solaris:
/var/opt/SUNWsymon/cfg/HALReport-user-config.x
On Windows:
C:\Program Files\Halcyon\PrimeAlertlocal\cfg\HALReport-user-config.x
Change the values of "rrdConfig:rrdDatabaseDirectory" and
"psConfig:psDataDirectory" to indicate the new locations.
5. Re-start the agent
As root on a Solaris agent host, run the commands:
# cd `pkgparam SUNWesagt BASEDIR`/SUNWsymon/sbin
# ./es-start -a
On a Windows agent host, run the following on the command prompt:
# net start "halcyon primealert agent"
6. Delete the old databases to free disk space
On a Solaris agent host:
Assuming that both the object and process snapshot databases have been
relocated, run the following commands as root on the agent host:
# rm -r <Old rrd Directory>
# rm -r <Old ps Directory>
On the other hand, if only the object database was relocated, then only
run the command:
# rm -r <Old rrd Directory>
Likewise, if only the process snapshot database was relocated, then only
run the command:
# rm -r <Old ps Directory>
On a Windows agent host:
From the command prompt:
# rd /s <Old rrd Directory>
The old directory can also be removed by using "Windows Explorer".
---//---