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Introduction

Redline collects data through many different ways from all kinds of GroupWise Agents. The sources of data can be one or more of the following:

• http/xml interface
• http/html parsing
• Logfiles
• GWCheck files
• SNMP values
• Platform information
• Config files
• Connection checks
• Accounting logfiles

These Agents can run on Linux, NetWare and Windows. All agents are based on the same codebase and work mostly the same. There are some, but not many, differences between the agents, which are mostly platform-dependent. It can happen that data is not delivered to the Control Center for various reasons. Mostly this happens during setup. This Technote will explain what the various error messages mean and how to solve them.

Solution

First you need to understand how data is collected in Redline:

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Figure 1 - Redline data collection

The Redline agent collects all data and pushes new information to the Control Center. The Control Center can talk to the Redline Agent only if the Redline Agent connects to the Control Center. That way it is possible to run Redline behind firewalls, NAT gateways, and in networks with public IP addresses.

Usually there are two communication places where errors can happen:

• Between GroupWise Agent and Redline Agent
• Between Redline Agent and Redline Control Center

The following checklist can help to identify where a problem exists:

• If you get errors in the Redline Agent that various agents can't be monitored, start with one agent first and disable all other agents.
• Always start with the MTA.
• Verify that you can hit the HTTP interface of the GroupWise Agent with a Web browser.
• Make sure the HTTP Interface is accessible WITHOUT SSL. The Redline Agent for Linux supports SSL connections as well, but for debugging it is better to disable SSL, and later on enable SSL again.
• Make sure GroupWise 6.5 SP4 or higher is installed. (GroupWise 6.5 SP2 and SP3 are broken.)
• Make sure that Agents like Guinevere and GWAVA are monitored by the same Redline Agent as the parent Agents (MTA, GWIA, etc.).
• Make sure the Registration Name and Registration Code in the Redline Agent is the same as in the Control Center.
• Make sure you use the correct IP address, port, username and password in rlagent.conf for every agent. Instead of editing rlagent.conf, you can use the Control Center/System View/Redline Agent and click the Manage tab. From here you can configure the GroupWise agents you want to monitor as well.

It is helpful to look for error messages and the connection status of the agent. On NetWare you can press F10 (or Shift+F10) to see all configured agents; on Linux you can do this from the menu (start the agent with the parameter "--show" to enable the agent screen).

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Figure 2 - Data Collection Agent messages

The following errors can come up on the Redline Agent side:

• CON_ERR: Connection error: Example: IP Address and/or Port in rlagent.conf are not correct.
• AUTH_ERR: Can't authenticate to GroupWise Agent HTTP Interface. Check Username and Password. LOGF_ERR: Logfile can't be accessed for monitoring. Important for Guinevere and API GW.
• CCCON_ERR: Connection to Control Center is not stable.
• CCLIC_ERR: Agent can't login to Control Center. Example: Registration Name and/or Code don't match.
• CCIP_ERR: IP Connection to Control Center not possible.
• DEP_ERR: Dependency error. Example: GWAVA is monitored but the MTA is not monitored by the same agent.

The Redline Agent logfiles can help to identify problems as well. Here is an example what a logfile shows when the Control Center is not reachable:

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Figure 3 - Logfile: Control Center not reachable

Most error messages are explained in more details in the logfiles. It's always good to look into the logfiles. If the information is not enough, it is possible to set the debug level to 6 from the Control Center for the Agent. The information in the logfiles is much more detailed then, but it will slow down data collection a lot. You should run the agent in debug level 6 only if you're working on a problem.

Disclaimer: As with everything else at Cool Solutions, this content is definitely not supported by Novell (so don't even think of calling Support if you try something and it blows up).

It was contributed by a community member and is published "as is." It seems to have worked for at least one person, and might work for you. But please be sure to test, test, test before you do anything drastic with it.