HP OpenView System Administration Handbook [Electronic resources] : Network Node Manager, Customer Views, Service Information Portal, HP OpenView Operations

13.9 NODES, NODE GROUPS, NODE LAYOUT GROUPS, NODE HIERARCHIES

Looking at an OpenView domain is overwhelming at first glance if there are many nodes shown as individual icons inside the Node Bank. There are many components within the Administrator's GUI that help you organize the look and feel of the OVO console. You can organize the nodes by using the built-in tools, such as node groups, node hierarchies, and node layout groups. The next sections explore some ideas on how to organize the nodes within the administrator and operator consoles.

13.9.1 Nodes

Deciding which nodes to manage is one of the OpenView administrators' primary tasks. Different types of nodes managed by OVO are brought into the configuration, including

• Controlled Agent installed and allows remote logins, actions and monitoring.

• Monitored Agent installed but does not allow remote logins or remote actions.

• Message allowed No agent, node sends SNMP traps (for example, router or printer).

• Disabled Node is not monitored for status, sends no messages.

• External nodes Only send events via SNMP that will be processed and transformed into OVO messages. These are referred to as nodes for external events inside the GUI.

After you determine which nodes and or node type to manage, add the node to the Node Bank. Unlike NNM, OVO does not manage any node automatically. You must add the desired node to the Node Bank first. Adding a node can be done by either using the menu in the OVO Node Bank, or even more convenient, by drag/dropping from the NNM ipmap.Chapter 14 for agent installation techniques.) If the node is only sending events to OVO in the GUI, use the Add Node for External Events window. Although the GUI method is described here, there are commands to accomplish the same tasks. The Add Node configuration window is shown in Figure 13-5a for reference.

There are several methods to add nodes to the Node Bank. (Refer to

the

OVO Administrator's Reference ,

Volume I for more detailed information.) Examples of the process to add nodes to the Node Bank are shown here for reference. Each example assumes that a selection is made from the menu.

Example 1 :

ActionsNodeAdd

This method is ideal for installing one node at a time. You need to provide the hostname of the node you want to add. OVO then attempts to determine additional attributes (IP address, system type, and so on) by querying the node's SNMP agent. If an SNMP agent is not running on the managed node, you will need to set the machine type manually in the configuration window.

Example 2 :

EditCopy

Locate the node in the root map, by selecting

EditFindObject by Selection Name (or some other attribute; see the list in the Selection Window). Once you have identified the node, select the node, and from the menu select Edit. In the OVO Node Bank, select the menu item

EditCopy . The new node appears in the Node Bank. A drag/drop from the ipmap would also work to add the node to the Node Bank.

Example 3 : Open the Node Group Bank, double-click with the left-mouse button on a node group icon, and then select from the menu,

ActionsNodeAdd

Add a new node to the node group and it will automatically appear in the Node Bank (Holding Area). Here you could also use the Menu option

EditCopy, EditPaste . Node Groups are covered in more detail in Section 13.9.2.

Example 4 :

ActionsNodeAdd for External Events

Use this method for managing devices that typically do not have the OVO agent installed but are capable of sending their events to a node that does have an OVO agent (a proxy node) or directly to the server. When the event arrives on the managed node, it is transformed into an OVO massage and sent to the server. A use case is to manage SNMP devices like routers, bridges, network printers this way. The external events icon changes status as the messages from the external nodes are processed on the server. When the window "Add Node for External Events" opens, provide a label name for the icon in the GUI. The dialog box for external events is shown in Figure 13-6.

Select the Network Type, IP-Addr, IP-Name, or Others. This determines what type of entry you will use in the Node Pattern field. For example, if you use IP addresses in the Node Pattern Field, select IP-Addr. Provide a Node Pattern, which is actually a node name pattern (such as *.hp.com). The Node Pattern field can contain wild cards for the IP address range if there are many nodes on one a network that will send events to the server (i.e. 192.14.*.*). Other options for the address range can include and exclude specific IP numbers (i.e. 192.14.123. <5 le [<#>] lt 72>. Finally, select the Type of Node, Message Allowed (in order to enable the events from the external node(s) to appear in the browser). The external node icon is located in the node bank with the other node types as shown in Figure 13-7. Configure the external device to send SNMP events to the OVO server.

Example 5 : Upload the node configuration from the command line. (Refer to Chapter 17, "Server Administration," for details on this method)

Example 6 : Command line method, see the man page for

opcnode .

13.9.2 Node Groups

All the nodes you plan to manage with OVO must appear in at least one Node Group. This is important because the Node Groups (shown in Figure 13-8) are assigned as part administrators' responsibilities and part operators' responsibilities. For example, if you add a node to the node group and the node group is assigned to the administrator or operator, they will begin to see messages from the new node after the next login session. Simplified administration is another advantage of organizing the nodes into a Node Group. For example, you may have a Win2K server (node) running IIS and an Oracle database. This node might appear as a member of multiple Node Groups (such as W2k, Oracle or Database). Also, assignment of Template Groups to node groups as the domain grows helps simplify distribution and configuration changes. Select

WindowNode Group BankAdd .

13.9.3 Node Layout Groups

Use this concept to pre-arrange the nodes within a window hierarchy for your operators. By default, OVO presents all managed nodes in a single, "flat" window (Managed Nodes Window) in the Operator GUIs. When there are so many icons in a window, it is difficult to distinguish which node manages what environment. For example, in the node bank, you might have several hundred nodes in the domain and the icons appear very small. Creating Node Layout Groups lets you create a hierarchy of windows where, for example, you organize your managed nodes by location or geography, by the role these systems fulfill, or by other custom criteria. You could use the features of the window to pan and zoom or create a quick navigator window, but you could also organize the nodes inside the current window.

Create a Node Layout Group from a window that contains individual node icons or other Node Layout Groups. From the menu, select

ActionsNodeAdd Node Layout Group . Add the name, label and description in the dialog box (Figure 13-9). The icon for the Node Layout Group is now in the window. In this example, we use the Node Bank window.

Create a Node Layout Group for each physical location, department, or type of application (see Figure 13-10). Drag and drop the nodes onto the Layout Group Icon. This allows you to see only the Layout Group icons in the window when you login and open the Node Bank. Drill down into a Layout Group and double-click the left mouse button. Node Layout Groups may contain other Layout Groups.

13.9.4 Node Hierarchies

A node hierarchy is used to configure what organized view in the Motif GUI the operators see when they open the Node Bank. To customize a node hierarchy, use the Node Hierarchy Bank. For example, if the nodes are located in different regions, states, or departments, you can build a node hierarchy to represent the logical organization of the nodes for the operator's console.

For example, from the Node Bank, select

WindowNode Hierarchy Bank . Within the Node Hierarchy Bank, select

ActionsNode HierarchyAdd . After you enter the name, label, and description, the new symbol for this Hierarchy appears in the Hierarchy Bank (see Figure 13-11).

Double-click on the new symbol to view a Holding Area Symbol. All the nodes are available for use within the Node Hierarchy. A Node Hierarchy is assigned to the operator and provides an organized view of the operators managed node responsibilities, for example, Shipping East Coast (see Figure 13-12). A procedure to assign the Node Hierarchy to an Operator is outlined here.

A Node Hierarchy defines "how" a user will see their assigned nodes. The assigned Node Groups in the user's responsibility matrix define "which" nodes the user sees.