Event sources

In IBM® Business Monitor V8.5.5, the events can arrive from a variety of sources. An event source is the producer of an event or events that are relevant to a monitor model. A remote event source can be a remote cell hosting IBM Business Process Manager or IBM Business Monitor. Events can be sent using the Dynamic Event Framework (new in this release) or Common Event Infrastructure (CEI).

Important: The Common Event Infrastructure is deprecated in IBM Business Monitor V8.5.5.

You must register remote Business Monitor event sources and Common Event Infrastructure event sources (both local and remote) before you can use them. You register an event source by using the WebSphere® Application Server administrative console or the WebSphere Application Server administration (wsadmin) command-line interface. You do not register the local Business Monitor server; it is available by default to all monitor models.

When you install a monitor model on a server, select an event source for this monitor model from the list of registered event sources. A monitor model can have more than one event source.

Business Monitor event source - local

The local Business Monitor event source contains the events that are sent, either by way of a REST XML event service or by way of a JMS XML event service, to the monitor model tables.

The local Business Monitor event source can be a producer or a consumer of events. For example, a remote application sends an event to the local REST XML event service. The local REST XML event service emits this event to the local Business Monitor event source, which then routes the event directly to the monitor model tables. In this case, the local Business Monitor event source is the event consumer.
Diagram showing that events are sent from an application to the REST event service and then sent to the local Business Monitor event source. The events are processed by Business Monitor event processing.

A Business Monitor event source can route events for consumption by a Business Monitor server in the same cell or on a remote cell. For example, a monitor model running in the same cell as the local Business Monitor event source emits an event (known as an outbound event) to the local Business Monitor event source, which routes the event directly to the monitor model table associated with a monitor model. In this case, the local Business Monitor event source is the event producer.

Business Monitor event source - remote

A remote Business Monitor event source is one that is configured in a different cell from the one in which the local IBM Business Monitor is installed.

Events from the remote Business Monitor event source are sent to the local Business Monitor server by way of table-based delivery. All input is in XML format.

Events that are associated with an application that is running in IBM Business Process Manager are always remote from the local Business Monitor. The events are emitted to a remote Business Monitor event source that is defined on IBM BPM. The events are routed directly to the monitor model table. In other words, the IBM BPM server writes the events into the monitor model table, and no cross-cell communication is required for the event to be processed.
Figure 1. How events flow from IBM BPM to IBM Business Monitor in a cross-cell environment
Diagram showing that events are sent from IBM Business Process Manager to an events database and then processed by IBM Business Monitor event processing.

The Business Monitor server can be a producer or a consumer of events. The Business Monitor server in one cell can monitor events emitted in a different cell. The Business Monitor event sources must be defined before the monitor models can subscribe to events in those locations.

Dynamic Event Framework

Business Monitor V8.5.5 introduced a new and easier way to manage events, the Dynamic Event Framework (DEF). You can see the initials "def" included in a number of commands that replace the earlier Common Event Infrastructure commands.

The Dynamic Event Framework is a mechanism for emitting and delivering events about significant system or business occurrences, as defined in a monitor model. This dynamic event handling can only be used for events from Business Monitor V8.5.5 or IBM BPM V8.5.5. For earlier versions or other event sources, you must configure the event source to send events using the methods previously available.

The Dynamic Event Framework is responsible for the following functions:
  • Configuration associated with defining an event source
  • Registration, which tells an event source which events a monitor model expects to receive
  • Sending events to consumers

Business Monitor V8.5.5 requires an event source on the Business Monitor side. That event source requires host and port credentials so that, when you deploy a monitor model, you can select the application where the events will be emitted. Only events that the model requires are emitted. When you deploy a monitor model, the monitored events are automatically enabled for you. The Dynamic Event Framework allows you to update monitor models without stopping the event sources.

Common Event Infrastructure (deprecated)

Remote events producers using CEI must configure CEI.

All input is in Common Base Event (.cbe) format.