The automated event flow for a self-describing agent differs
if the agent is connected to a hub monitoring server or
a remote monitoring server.
Self-describing agent connected to the hub monitoring server
The following steps
outline the event flow of a self-describing agent connecting to the hub monitoring server:
- The self-describing agent manager of the hub monitoring server determines whether the version
of the application support for the product is already installed on
the hub monitoring server. If the application
support version for the product is not already installed, the hub monitoring server retrieves the support files
from the agent.
- The hub monitoring server begins the self-describing
agent product installation and dynamic refresh of the monitoring server
internal product definition structures. The completion status of the
installation of this hub monitoring server self-describing agent is
recorded in the following locations:
- The local Tivoli® Enterprise Monitoring Server application
properties table.
- Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server audit
log facility.
- Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server MSG2
log facility.
- Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server RAS1
log.
- On distributed Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server platforms,
the self-describing agent installation program log files are installsdsupport_*.trc and installsdsupport_*.log.
On Windows computers, the
logs are in the install_dir\logs directory.
On Linux and UNIX computers, the logs are in the install_dir/logs directory.
- After the hub monitoring server product
installation completes successfully, any Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server process
that is running and connected to the hub monitoring server is notified of the new or
updated product support.
In an environment enabled
for Hot Standby (FTO), self-describing configuration data is replicated
to the standby hub monitoring server. The standby hub monitoring server does not support direct connections
from agents for a remote monitoring server, which
means self-describing installations cannot initiate directly to the
standby hub. Self-describing installations are initiated at the standby
hub by the acting hub, after the acting hub completes the self-describing
installation. The self-describing installation process at the standby
hub retrieves the product support files from the acting hub. For more
information about an FTO environment, see the IBM Tivoli Monitoring High Availability
Guide for Distributed Systems.
- The Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server performs
the same basic steps as performed by the hub monitoring server. It determines if the version
of the product is already installed on the Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server.
However, it retrieves the product support files directly from the hub monitoring server and not from the connected
agent.
- The Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server begins
the self-describing agent product installation and dynamic refresh
of the portal server internal product
definition structures.
- The Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server notifies
any running Tivoli Enterprise
Portal Browser Client and Tivoli Enterprise
Portal Desktop Client that new or updated product support is available.
The completion status of this Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server self-describing
agent product installation is recorded in the following locations:
- Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server audit
log facility.
- Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server RAS1
log.
- The Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server self-describing
agent installation program log files installsdsupport_*.trc and installsdsupport_*.log.
On Windows computers, the
logs are in the install_dir\logs directory.
On Linux/UNIX computers, the logs are in the install_dir/logs directory.
Self-describing agent connected to the remote monitoring server
The following steps
outline the event flow of a self-describing agent connecting to the remote monitoring server:
- The self-describing agent manager of the remote monitoring server ensures that the product was
first installed on the hub monitoring server.
- If the product was not first installed on the hub monitoring server, the remote monitoring server tells the hub monitoring server to install the product first.
- After the hub monitoring server installation
is complete, the remote monitoring server determines if
the product is installed locally on this monitoring server.
- The remote monitoring server product installation
occurs in the same way as described for the hub monitoring server.
- If the hub monitoring server product installation
fails for any reason, the remote monitoring server does
not install the product.
The monitoring server does not allow
all other failed self-describing agent installation requests to be
tried again until the existing monitoring server error
condition is corrected and the failed self-describing agent product
installation records are removed from the monitoring server application properties table.
For more information, see Self-describing agent installation errors.
Note: - The availability of the self-describing agent feature on a hub monitoring server can influence the availability
of the feature on a remote monitoring server. An
error message is displayed when a self-describing agent error on a hub monitoring server causes the self-describing
agent feature to be disabled on the remote monitoring server connected
to that hub. For more information about the error messages, see the IBM Tivoli Monitoring Troubleshooting
Guide.
- After the self-describing agent error is fixed on the hub monitoring server, the remote monitoring server detects, at the next reconnection
to the hub, that the self-describing agent feature is available on
the hub. As a result, it re-enables the self-describing agent locally
on the remote monitoring server.
Changes detected by the monitoring server at startup
The Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server detects
the following information during startup:
- Products installed manually, for example applications that were
not installed by using the self-describing capability.
- Manual updates (catalog and version file changes) to installed
products, for example user-initiated product changes that happen outside
of a self-describing agent installation.
- Failed self-describing agent installations.
The Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server makes adjustments
and corrections based upon the changes detected in installed products.
Only products that have a valid monitoring server version file (VER
file) are detected during startup. This process happens automatically
when the self-describing agent installation manager is enabled on
the monitoring server (KMS_SDA=Y). This function helps to maintain
an accurate inventory of installed products and versions. If the self-describing
agent installation manager is not enabled, this function does not
run.