Alarm Detection(4.3)
- Jenni Wallin
An Alarm Detection configuration enables you to define criteria for the generation of alarm messages. You select a condition, or combine a set of conditions, that within specific limits, generate an alarm message. To monitor the system alarms, you use the Usage Engine web interface. You can send alarm messages to SNMP monitoring systems, as well.
Alarm Detection Buttons
The contents of the button panel may change depending on which configuration type has been opened in the currently displayed tab. Alarm Detection uses the standard buttons that are visible for all configurations.
There is one button that is specific for Alarm Detection.
Button | Description |
|---|---|
Workflow Alarm Value Names | To define a variable to use in the APL code, see the APL Reference Guide(4.3), and the section below, Workflow Alarm Value for further information. |
Defining an Alarm Detection
An Alarm Detection definition is made up of:
A condition, or a set of conditions, see the section below, Alarm Conditions
An object such as host, pico instance, or workflow, that the alarm should supervise
The parameter that you want the alarm to supervise, for example, Statistics value
Time and value limits of supervision
To create a valid alarm detection configuration make sure that:
The Alarm Detection includes at least one condition.
Two conditions within an alarm guard the same object: host, pico instance, or workflow.
Two conditions are set to the same time interval criteria.
To define an alarm
Create an Alarm Detection configuration by clicking the Alarm Detection button from the Configuration menu.
Click on the Edit menu and select the Validate option to check if your configuration is valid.
Click on the Edit menu and select the Workflow Alarm Value Names option to define a variable you can use in the APL code, see APL Reference Guide(4.3), and in the Workflow Alarm condition, see the section below, Workflow Alarm Value.
Enter a statement that describes the Alarm Detection that you are defining in the Description field.
Select the importance priority that the alarm should have in the Severity drop-down list.
At the bottom of the Alarm Detection configuration, click the Add button.
The Add Alarm Condition dialog box opens.
Select a condition in the Alarm Condition drop-down list.
Alarm Conditions
The Alarm conditions enable you to define specific situations or events for which you want the system to produce an alarm. You configure a condition to produce an alarm whenever a certain behavior occurs, within specific limits.
Note!
An alarm is generated only if ALL conditions in the Alarm Detection are met.
The Alarm condition limits are reset:
Every time you restart the Platform
Every time you save the alarm configuration
When you resolve the alarm
The Alarm Conditions that you can choose from are:
Host Statistic Value
Pico Instance Statistic Value
System Event
Unreachable Execution Context
Workflow Alarm Value
Workflow Execution Time
Workflow Group Execution Time
Workflow Throughput
Host Statistic Value
The Host Statistic Value condition enables you to setup an Alarm Detection for the various statistic values by host.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Event Properties | |
Host | Select a host for applying the alarm condition. |
Statistic Value | The statistic criteria on host includes:
|
Limits | Specify the condition for the alarm to be triggered. The options are Exceeds or Falls Below the selected statistic value. |
Pico Instance Statistic Value
The Pico Instance Statistic Value condition enables you to setup an Alarm Detection for the various statistic values by pico instances.
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Pico Instance | Select a Pico instance for configure alarm, it can be Platform, EC |
Statistic Value | The statistic criteria on Pico instance includes:
|
Limits | Specify the condition for the alarm to be triggered. The options are Exceeds or Falls Below the selected statistic value. |
System Event
The System Event condition enables you to set up an Alarm Detection for the various Event types.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Type | Select an event-related reason for an alarm to be invoked. For a detailed description of every event type, see Event Types(4.3). |
Filter | Use this table to define a filter of criteria for the alarm messages that you are interested in. To define an entry, double-click on the row. The Edit Match Value dialog box opens. Click the Add button to add a value. |
Limits | Specify the condition for the alarm to be triggered. The options are based on the number and frequency of occurrence of the event: Occurred Once, Occurred More Than, Occurred Less Than. In During Last, specify the time frame during which the Limits value should be compared. If a match is detected, an alarm is invoked. |
Example - Configuring a System Event condition
The parameters in the following example do not apply to any specific system and are only presented here to enhance understanding of the alarm condition.
Configure an Alarm Detection that applies the System Event condition.
On the Edit Alarm Condition dialog box, from the Event Type drop-down list, select Workflow State Event.
On the Filter table double-click workflowName; the Edit Match Value dialog box opens.
Click Add to browse and look for the specific workflow.
Enter a limit of occurred more than 3 times during the last 24 hours.
The alarm will be triggered by every 4th occurrence of a "Workflow State Event" during the last 24 hours.
Unreachable Execution Context
The Unreachable Execution Context condition enables you to setup an Alarm Detection base on selected Pico Instance, except platform.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Pico Instance | Select a Pico instance for configure alarm, it can be Platform, EC |
Unreachable due to normal shutdown | Unchecked this checkbox to ignore the pico unreachable due to shutdown by purpose. |
Limits | Enable "During Last" checkbox to further focus on the X duration of Minutes/ Hour. |
Workflow Alarm Value
The Workflow Alarm Value condition is a customizable alarm condition. It enables you to have the Alarm Detection watch over a variable that you create and assign through the APL code. To apply the Workflow Alarm Condition use the following guidelines:
Create a variable.
Assign the variable with a value.
Setup the Workflow Alarm Value condition.
To Create a Variable name:
From the Edit menu in the Alarm Detection configuration menu, select Workflow Alarm Value Names.The Workflow Alarm Value dialog box opens.
Click the Add button and enter a variable name, e g CountBillingFiles.
Click OK and then close the Workflow Alarm Value dialog box.
To Assign a value to the Value Name:
In the APL code, include the command DispatchAlarmValue. For example:
consume { dispatchAlarmValue
("CountBillingFiles",1);
udrRoute(input);
}To Configure the Workflow Alarm Value Condition:
At the bottom of the Alarm Detection configuration, click Add; the Add Alarm Condition dialog box opens.
 From the Alarm Condition drop-down list select Workflow Alarm Value.
 From theValue  drop-down list, select the name of the variable that you created.
 Click Browse... to select the Workflow that the Alarm Detection should guard.
 Configure the Limits according to the description of The Workflow Alarm Value and click OK.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Value | Select an alarm value from the drop-down list. |
Workflow | Click Browse... to enter the workflow(s) that you want to apply the alarm to. |
Limits | Summation: Select this check box to add up the Note: Selecting Summation means that the During Last entry refers to the time period during which a sum is added up. Once the set period has ended, that sum is compared with the limit value. For All Workflows: Select this check box to add up the values (see Summation above) of all the workflows that the alarm supervises. Alarm Detector compares this total value with the alarm limit (exceeds or falls below) and generates an alarm message accordingly. Note! This check box can only be selected when Workflow is set to Any. For further information about Limits see the section above, Alarm Detection(4.3) | Host Statistic Value . |
Workflow Execution Time
The Workflow Execution Time condition enables you to generate an alarm whenever the execution time of a particular, or all workflows, exceed or fall below the time limit that you specify.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Workflow | The default workflow value is Any. Use this value when you want to apply the condition to all the Workflows. Otherwise, click Browse to select a Workflow that you apply the condition to. |
Workflow Group Execution Time
The Workflow Group Execution Time alarm condition enables you to generate an alarm whenever the execution time of a workflow group exceeds or falls below the time limit that you specify.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Workflow Group | Enter the address of the workflow group to which you want to apply the alarm. |
Workflow Throughput
The Workflow Throughput alarm condition enables you to create an alarm if the volume-per-time processing rate of a particular workflow exceeds, or falls below, the throughput limit that you specify.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Workflow | Select a workflow with the throughput value, the processing speed, that you want to supervise. For further information about the throughput value calculation, see Throughput Calculation in Workflow Properties (4.3). An alarm is generated if the throughput value is not within the condition limits. |
Limits | For information about Limits see the section above, Host Statistic Value. |
Activating an Alarm Detection
For a configured alarm detection to become active it needs to be activated using the Alarm Detection Enabled setting.
Activation mode is independent of the rest of the profile configuration and you do not need to press Save after enabling or disabling the alarm detection.
On Desktop Client
On the Desktop Client, this toggle button is greyed out if there are no alarms present. You can see this button only after an alarm detection is saved.
The toggle button for the alarm detection is available on top of the alarm configuration details.
On Desktop Online
The alarm detection enable/disable toggle button in the Desktop Online will allow you to enable or disable individual alarms using the toggle button available next to the name of the alarm. You can also enable or disable all available alarms at one go using the Enable All or Disable All buttons.
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