Viewing Active Alarms

The Novell ZENworks Server Management Novell ConsoleOne Active Alarm view displays alarm statistics for all current alarms received from segments or devices, per management domain. The Summary view shows a list of all active alarms for that server or node.

The Active Alarms view and Server Summary view display a table of detailed information about active alarms. These views are updated whenever a new alarm occurs and is archived on your network. New alarms are appended to the list.

To display the Active Alarm view:

1. Click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne.

2. Click View > Active Alarms.

   The Active Alarm view is displayed. You can perform the following activities from this view:

   • Assigning Alarms
   • Owning Alarms
   • Handling Alarms
   • Adding Notes to Alarms

Viewing Historical Alarms

The Alarm History view displays information about all archived alarms, including the handling status of each alarm. You can access the Alarm History view only if you have been granted access through the role-based services.

To display the Alarm History view:

1. Click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne.

2. Click View > Alarm History.

   The Active Alarm view is displayed. You can perform the following alarm handling activities from this view:

   • Assigning Alarms
   • Owning Alarms
   • Deleting Alarms
   • Adding Notes to Alarms

Viewing the Alarm Summary

The Alarm Summary is a graphical representation of the summary of alarms you have received. The view is divided into three panels of representation: pie chart panel, bar graph panel, and trend panel. You can choose to view the information in these panels for a given period of time. The time duration ranges for the hour, for the day, for the week, and for the month.

• The pie chart panel includes alarm distribution based on severity, category, owner and alarm state
• The bar graph panel includes the Top N Alarm types, Top N Source Address and Top N Affected Node. The value of N is configurable.The trend displays the rate at which the alarms are received.

You can customize the pie chart and the bar graph representations to reflect the customized data.

To display the Alarm Summary view:

1. Click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne.

2. Click View > Alarm Summary.

   The Alarm Summary view displayed.

   To customize the pie chart and the bar graph representation:

   1. Click the Customize button on the Alarm Summary view.

      The Customize Summary view dialog box is displayed.

      By default, all the options in this dialog box are selected. However, you can select the required options to customize the view.

Interpreting Alarms

The Active Alarm and Alarm History views display lists of alarms that have been archived in the alarm manager database. The alarms are displayed as a tabular list. The following table describes the data type and contents:

You can filter the data displayed in the alarm views based on criteria from statistics displayed in each view; see Filtering Alarms for details. After selecting one or more alarm entries in an alarm view, you can perform operations by right-clicking them.

Sorting Alarms

You can modify the order in which the alarms are displayed on the Active Alarm or Alarm History views by sorting the alarms. By default, the alarms are sorted in ascending order by received time.

To edit the sort settings:

1. Click View > Settings > Sort.

2. Select the criteria by which you want the alarms sorted. You can sort by

   • Type
   • Severity
   • Category
   • Received time
   • Summary
   • Owner
   • Affected Object

3. Indicate whether you want the alarms sorted in ascending (oldest first) or descending (the most recent alarms first) order by selecting the appropriate radio button from the Sort Order box.

4. Click OK.

   The alarms are now sorted according to the criteria you specified.

Filtering Alarms

You can display the alarms in a tabular view based on filter conditions. The filter applies only to the current management session and clears when you Novell ConsoleOne.

You set up a filter by selecting criteria from four drop-down lists. You can either set up simple filters that require only one line, or complex filters composed of multiple lines or groups of lines. If you set up a filter using more than one line, you must also specify the logical relationship between the line and/or group of lines.

To set up a filter:

1. Go to the view you want to filter.

2. Click View > Settings > Filter.

   The Alarm Filter dialog box is displayed.

3. Select the column by which you want the Alarm Management System to filter alarms from the first drop-down list. You can filter alarms using the following columns:

   • Severity: Filters the alarms based on the alarm severity. Alarm severity is assigned to an alarm type.
   • Type: Filters alarms based on the alarm type. The alarm type is set by the SNMP trap-type defined in the MIB or the proprietary alarm definition.
   • Category: Filters alarms based on the category of the alarm. Alarm categories are based on the MIB that defines the trap-type objects.
   • Generator Type: Filters alarms based on the type of agent or system generating the alarms.

4. Select an operator from the second drop-down list.

   The operator defines how to constrain the column you have selected to a value. For example, you can specify that the selected category must be equal to, not equal to, greater than, less than, greater than or equal to, less than or equal to, contain, or start with the value you select in the third drop-down list in order for an alarm to be displayed. Keep in mind that the list of available operators depends on what column you've selected.

5. Select a value from the third drop-down list.

6. Specify how this filter statement relates to other statements you plan to define by selecting a value from the fourth drop-down list.

   • If this is the only filter statement or if it is the last statement in a group, select End.
   • If you want to add a line below the current filter statement, select New Row. A new line is added. You must define the logical relationship between the previous line and the new line. The alarms will be displayed based on the logical condition you have specified. Select And to satisfy both the filter conditions. Select Or to satisfy any one of the filter conditions for the alarm to be displayed.
   • If you want to add one or more lines that are unrelated to the preceding lines, select New Group. A new line is added. An additional drop-down list separates the new line from the preceding lines. Select a value from this drop-down list to indicate the relations between the filter statements. Select And if you want both the filter statements to be satisfied. Select Or if you want only one of the filter statements in one of the groups to be satisfied. Select End from the fourth drop-down list when you add a new group.

7. Click OK if you have defined filters.

   The alarm list is updated to display only those alarms that meet the filter criteria you defined.

Assigning Alarms

You can specify the group or user that is assigned to handle an alarm. This allows you to use any team assignments you already have within your organization. For example, you may have a group or team member assigned to handle all alarms relating to NetWare servers. You can assign one or more alarms to a group or user. Note, however, that you must have been granted access to assign alarms through the role-based services. You can use an alarm filter to help you determine groups based on certain filtering criteria. See Filtering Alarms for information on filtering options.

HINT:  This is optional and is provided for tracking the status of alarm resolution.

To assign an alarm:

1. Select the alarm you want to assign from the Active Alarm or Alarm History list.

2. Click View > Assign.

3. Enter the name of the person or group to which you want to assign the alarm in the Username field.

   The name you enter does not correlate to users in Novell eDirectory and can represent the organization structure you already have in place.

4. Click OK.

Owning Alarms

A user can take ownership of one or more alarms. If a user is a member of a group assigned to resolve a network problem, the team member can take ownership of the alarm and finally delete the alarm to remove it from the alarm manager database.

HINT:  This is optional and is provided for tracking the status of alarm resolution.

To take ownership of an alarm:

1. Select the alarm from the Active Alarm or Alarm History view.

2. Click View > Own.

   The value in the Owner field changes to the Novell eDirectory name you are logged in as. Note that you cannot customize this option; the user logged in to Novell ConsoleOne will always become the owner of the alarm when this action is used.

Handling Alarms

Alarms displayed in the Active Alarm view have not been handled by anyone. After the alarm is handled, it is removed from the Active Alarm list, and any alarm indicators shown in other views in Novell ConsoleOne are removed. See Recognizing Alarm Indicators for information on different types of alarm indicators. Note that the alarm is still displayed in the Alarm History view.

To handle an alarm:

1. Select the alarm from the Active Alarm list.

2. Click View > Handle.

   The alarm is removed from the Active Alarm list. You can still display information about the alarm by switching to the Alarm History view.

Adding Notes to Alarms

You can add a note to any of the alarms displayed in the Active Alarm view or Alarm History view. The note can contain any relevant useful information about the alarm.

To handle an alarm:

1. Select the alarm from the Active Alarm or Alarm History.

2. Click View > Note.

   The Note dialog box is displayed.

   Create a note for the alarm.

3. Click OK.

   The alarm icon will now have a note icon associated with it, indicating that a note has been added to the alarm.

   If you want to delete the note from the alarm, repeat step 2. Delete the note that you created in the Note dialog box.

   Click Apply. The note will be deleted for the alarm, and the note icon will not be displayed.

Jump to the Affected Node

You can jump to the affected node where the alarm has been triggered and perform the necessary action to rectify the affected node.

To jump to the affected node alarm:

1. Select the alarm from the Active Alarm or Alarm History.

2. Click View > Jump to Affected Node.

   The Console view is displayed and the node on which the alarm has triggered is highlighted.

Deleting Alarms from Novell ConsoleOne

You can manually delete alarms from Novell ConsoleOne.

To delete alarms:

1. Select the alarms you want to delete from the Alarm History list.

2. Click View > Delete.

   The alarms are removed from the Alarm History view.

Deleting Alarms Using the Purge Utility

You can delete alarms automatically using the Alarm Management System purge utility. Before you can use this utility, you must set up the utility's configuration file, AMPURGE.PROPERTIES, which is located in the properties directory on the server and volume where you installed the alarm manager database. Then you can schedule the utility to run automatically at a specified time of day. The following sections describe how to set up and use the Alarm Management System purge utility:

• Setting Up the Purge Utility Configuration File
• Setting Up the Purge Utility to Run Automatically

Sending SMTP Mail Notification

You can send SMTP messages to recipients who are specified to receive e-mail notification. You can also send an SMTP mail notification to the SMTP port server running on a port other than the default port.

To modify alarm disposition to automatically send SMTP mail notification:

1. Right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne, then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm templates you want to edit from the Alarm Templates list, then click Edit.

   The Edit Alarm Disposition dialog box is displayed.

4. Click the SMTP Mail Notification tab.

5. Check the Notify through SMTP Mail check box.

6. Enter the IP address or the port number (optional) of the SMTP host server that handles incoming and outgoing e-mail in the SMTP Host field.

   If you are specifying the port number, specify the port number after the IP address with a colon (:) preceding it. For example, if the IP address of the SMTP host server is 207.68.173.245, and the port number is 12345, specify as 207.68.173.245:12345.

7. Enter the name of the person sending the notification in the From field.

8. Enter the e-mail addresses of the recipients in the To field.

9. Enter the subject of the e-mail in the Subject field.

10. Enter a message for the e-mail, if any, in the Message field.

11. Click OK.

Note that the subject and message text strings can contain any of the variables listed in the following table. These variables allow you to add details to your message about the segment or device generating the fault or event. All variables must be preceded by a percent sign (%). For example, the subject line could include the %v variable to display the severity of the alarm. You can also specify the width for the variables. %(nnn)X can be used to limit the length of the %X value to nnn characters. X represents any format specifier. For example, %(10)a will display the Alarm ID up to 10 characters.

Launching an External Program

As part of editing the disposition of an alarm, you can set options to launch any program on the Novell ZENworks Server Management server automatically when an alarm is received. For example, you might want an alarm to launch a program that sends a message to the system administrator's pager.

In addition to specifying the program to launch, you can also specify arguments and variables to be passed to the program.

Although Novell ZENworks Server Management provides the capability to launch applications, the product does not supply any predefined programs. However, you can launch an NLM and run scripting routines or use third-party programs.

To set up automatic application launching:

1. Right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne, then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm that you want to edit from the Alarm Templates list then click Edit.

   The Edit Alarm Disposition dialog box is displayed.

4. Click the Launching Application tab.

5. Check the Launch Application check box.

6. Enter the path and name of the application in the Application Name field.

7. Enter any necessary execution arguments or script variables in the Argument field then click OK.

   Arguments are passed directly to the program; text is not parsed, but is read as literal text strings. Variables must be preceded with a percent sign (%). The percent sign can be followed by an optional length field that limits the length to which the parameter can expand. You can also specify the width for the variables. %(nnn)X can be used to limit the length of the %X value to nnn characters. X represents any format specifier. For example, %(10)a will display the Alarm ID up to 10 characters.

   The following table lists the variables you can use when launching a program.

   Variable	Name	Description
   a	Alarm ID	Identification number of the alarm as it is stored in the database.
   c	Affected class	Class of equipment that sent the alarm. This can be any portion of the network and is categorized in the database for indexing.
   o	Affected object number	Identification number of the node that generated the alarm as it is stored in the database.
   s	Alarm summary string	Message describing the alarm. (This is the same as the status bar ticker-tape message.)
   t	Alarm type string	Description of the alarm. This matches the description in the Alarm Type column in the Alarm Summary window.
   n	Affected object name	Identification name of the node affected by the alarm.
   p	Source Address	The source address of the agent that generated the alarm.
   v	Severity number	Alarm severity can be 4 = severe 3 = major 2 = minor 1 = informational All others are unknown.

Forwarding SNMP Traps to Other Management Systems

The Alarm Management System can be configured to forward an unmodified SNMP trap. Specify the IP address of the target management station or server in the alarm disposition and the trap is automatically forwarded.

To forward SNMP traps:

1. Right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne, then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm that you want to edit from the Alarm Templates list, then click Edit.

   The Edit Alarm Disposition dialog box is displayed.

4. Click the SNMP Trap Forwarding tab.

5. Enter the IP address or the port number (optional) of the server to which you want to forward traps in the SNMP Target Address field, then click Add.

   If you are specifying the port number, specify the port number after the IP address with a colon (:) preceding it. For example, if the IP address of the SMTP host server is 207.68.173.245, and the port number is 12345, specify as 207.68.173.245:12345.

   The server is added to the List of Targets. Repeat this step for all servers you want to receive the traps.

6. Click OK.

Forwarding Alarms to Other Management Servers

The Alarm Management System can be configured to forward a processed alarm to other Novell ZENworks Server Management management servers. You specify the IP address or server name of the target management server in the alarm disposition and the alarm is automatically forwarded.

To forward alarms:

1. Right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm that you want to edit from the Alarm Templates list then click Edit.

   The Edit Alarm Disposition dialog box is displayed.

4. Click the Alarm Forwarding tab.

5. To add a target server to receive the alarms:

   1. Select the Novell ZENworks Server Management site to which you want to forward alarms in the Site Name field.

   2. Select the Novell ZENworks Server Management host to which you want to forward alarms in the Site Host field.

   3. Click Add.

   The server is added to the List of Targets. Repeat this step for all servers to which you want to forward alarms.

6. Click OK.

Modifying the Severity and State of the Alarm

The alarm disposition includes other configuration settings that include modifying the severity or the state of the alarm. You can modify the severity or the state of the alarm, or both. The incoming alarms will display the modified severity and the state.

To change the severity and/or state of the alarm:

1. Right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne, then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm that you want to edit from the Alarm Templates list, then click Edit.

   The Edit Alarm Disposition dialog box is displayed.

4. Click the Other Configuration tab.

   
   

5. To modify the severity of the alarm, select the severity from the drop-down list. You can change the severity of the alarms to one of the following:

   Severe

   Major

   Minor

   Informational

   Unknown

   or

   To modify the state of the alarm, select the state from the drop-down list. You can change the the alarm state to one of the following:

   Operational

   Unoperational

   Degraded

6. From the State drop-down list, select the state of the alarm.

7. Click OK.

Displaying a Ticker-Tape Message

The alarm disposition includes other configuration settings that include displaying a ticker-tape message in the status bar of Novell ConsoleOne. The message provides a summary of the most recent alarm or network event.

This option is enabled by default. You may want to edit your alarm dispositions so that only important alarms that you want to monitor display a ticker-tape message.

To disable or enable a ticker-tape message:

1. Right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm that you want to edit from the Alarm Templates list then click Edit.

   The Edit Alarm Disposition dialog box is displayed.

4. Click the Other Configuration tab.

5. To disable the ticker-tape message, deselect the Show on Ticker Bar check box.

   or

   To enable the ticker-tape message, select the Show on Ticker Bar check box.

6. Click OK.

Making an Audible Beep

The alarm disposition includes other configuration settings that include making an audible beep at Novell ConsoleOne. The sound alerts the user of an occurrence of an alarm. Useful applications of this function include:

• Server abend
• System: Server downed by user
• File system full

This option is disabled by default. You should enable this option for important alarms that you want to monitor.

To enable or disable an audible beep:

1. Right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm that you want to edit from the Alarm Templates list then click Edit.

   The Edit Alarm Disposition dialog box is displayed.

4. Click the Other Configuration tab.

5. To enable the audible beep function, check the Beep on Console check box.

   or

   To disable the audible beep function, uncheck the Beep on Console check box.

6. Click OK.

Archiving Alarm Statistics

The Alarm Management System system provides data to the reporting tools to generate detailed reports on alarms and network events. Enabling the Archive option stores the alarm in the alarm manager database on the management server. This option is enabled by default. You should disable this option only on the types of alarms that you do not want to track and analyze.

To enable or disable alarm archiving:

1. Right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm that you want to edit from the Alarm Templates list then click Edit.

   The Edit Alarm Disposition dialog box is displayed.

4. Click the Other Configuration tab.

5. To disable alarm archiving, deselect the Archive check box.

   or

   To enable alarm archiving, select the Archive check box.

6. Click OK.

Sorting Alarm Templates

The Alarm Management System system enables you to sort the alarm templates based on different conditions. This option is enabled by default. You can sort the templates based on Severity, Generator Type, Category or Type. By default, the sorting is done based on the Type. You can also sort the templates based on a single field by selecting the field from the drop-down list under the Sort Items By option, or you can sort the templates based on different combinations of fields by using the Then By options.

To sort the alarm templates:

1. Right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object in the left frame of Novell ConsoleOne then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Click the Sort button.

   The Template Sorting dialog box is displayed.

4. Select fields from Sort Items By drop-down list.

5. Select fields from Then By drop-down list.

6. Select fields from Items by drop-down list.

7. Click OK.

   The templates are sorted based on the field selected in the Sort Items By option and the fields selected in these options. For example, if you want to sort the templates based on severity, category, and generator type, first select Severity in the Sort Items By list, then select Category and Generator Type in the two Then By lists. The templates will be sorted first based on severity, then on the category, and followed by the generator type.

Deleting Alarm Templates from Novell ConsoleOne

You can now delete the alarm templates from the Alarm Templates list using Novell ConsoleOne. The alarms corresponding to the deleted templates will not be processed by the Alarm Manager.

To delete the alarm templates using Novell ConsoleOne:

1. In Novell ConsoleOne, right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm template that you want to delete from the Alarm Templates list, then click Delete.

Printing the Alarm Disposition

1. In Novell ConsoleOne, right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm template from the Alarm Templates list, then click Print.

4. Select the properties in the Print dialog box, then click OK.

Exporting the Alarm Disposition to a File

You can export the alarm disposition information to the following file formats:

• Comma-delimited (.csv)
• HTML (.html)
• Tab-delimited (*.txt)
• Blank-space-delimited (*.txt)

To export the alarm disposition information to a file:

1. In Novell ConsoleOne, right-click the Novell ZENworks Server Management site object then click Properties.

2. Click the Alarm Disposition tab.

3. Select the alarm that you want to print from the Alarm Templates list, click Print then Print to File.

4. Select the file format you want to use to export the alarm disposition information

5. Specify the filename or click Browse to select a filename.

6. Click OK.

Copying Alarm Templates to Microsoft Excel

You can now copy the alarm templates to a Microsoft* Excel sheet.

1. Select the alarm templates you want to copy.

2. Press Ctrl+C.

3. In the Microsoft Excel sheet, press Ctrl+V.