OPAL Incorporates OMNIbus rules

The IBM® Tivoli® Open Process Automation Library (OPAL) is a comprehensive, easy-to-access online catalog that currently contains over 500 pre-defined validated product extensions for Tivoli products, such as: automation packages, integration adapters and modules, together with instructional documentation. The OPAL Library enables Tivoli customers to maximize the integration capabilities of their Tivoli applications and reduce deployment time through product extensions. The latest additions to OPAL include a catalog for Netcool/OMNIbus integration modules with associated documentation available for download

Netcool/OMNIbus is the recognized market leader in Gartner Event Management space. Netcool/OMNIbus has selected by all 20 of the Top 20 service providers globally, 9 of the 10 Financial Services Companies and also utilized by large governmental agencies due to its ability to the largest and most complex networks.

Probing the Network
Netcool/OMNIbus collects event information using a broad range of high-performance software probes. These probes support all industry standard protocols including: Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) V1-V3, Commerce Syslog, Transaction Language 1 (TL1) protocols, Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and XML, as well as vendor-specific proprietary management protocols. There is a large library of probes and monitors for all types of network equipment and applications.

Additionally, there is a broad range of service monitors that are being incorporated into the ITCAM and ITM portfolio that further extends Netcool/OMNIbus monitoring capabilities. ITM and ITCAM provide broad IT infrastructure monitoring key application such as IBM Websphere portfolio, Microsoft® Internet Information Server (IIS), and open-source Apache servers. Furthermore, Netcool/OMNIbus web based GUI’s capabilities can now be integrated into Tivoli Enterprise Portal.

The long-term goal is to combine the scalability and performance of Netcool/OMNIbus and the advanced correlation of Tivoli Enterprise Console (TEC) into a converged event manager. The foundation for the converged event manager will be Netcool/OMNIbus.

Tools of the Trade
The Netcool/OMNIbus catalog in the IBM Tivoli Open Process Automation Library (OPAL) acts as a repository for out-of-the-box integration modules between Netcool/OMNIbus and third-party products that have been validated and tested by IBM. Similar to the other OPAL catalogs, entries provide information about the partner, the integration, and a download link to the integration module.

The new catalog contains a number of Netcool/OMNIbus Integration Modules (NIMs). The NIMs are configuration packages for Netcool Probes that support such standard protocols as SNMP and TL1. These off-the-shelf integration modules have been developed by the Tivoli Netcool Technology Program team at IBM. As a result, a customer can download a completely customized and working configuration package for a particular network device, such as SNMP-based integrations for the Huawei Technologies NetEngine Series or Juniper Networks JUNOSe, or the TL1-based integrations for the Ciena CN 2300 multiplexer.

The Netcool ecosphere will be further expanded with the launch of a "Ready for IBM Tivoli Software" technical validation program for Netcool/OMNIbus in Q1 2007. This program will enable technology vendors who are members of IBM’s PartnerWorld to develop integration modules independently for Netcool/OMNIbus. Following a technical validation by IBM, the integration module would be placed in the OPAL Netcool/OMNIbus catalog.

Automating Rapid Resolution
On the surface, the most obvious benefit for the customer is the avoidance of any device-specific integration development. More important, however, is the full support of three very important event-management functions of Netcool/OMNIbus to help operations teams to rapidly identify and resolve problems and improve operational efficiency:

• Automated de-duplication of events and alarms - customers have been able reduce the number of events by a ratio of 100:1
• Automated correlation of problem and resolution events—dubbed “Generic Clear”
• Informative and descriptive event presentation.

These features have made Netcool/OMNIbus the leading event management solution in the network operations center (NOC) for the world’s largest service providers, enterprises and government agencies. These same technologies are now available through IBM to easily integrate with Tivoli Portal and the broader range of Tivoli products.