Managing Alerts. Dell OpenManage Essentials Version 1.0

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Managing Alerts

With OpenManage Essentials you can:

• View alerts and alert categories

• Manage alert actions

• Configure alert log settings

To view the alerts page, from OpenManage Essentials, click ManageAlerts.

Viewing Alerts and Alert Categories

Viewing Alert Logs

To view alert logs, click ManageAlertsAlert Logs.

Understanding the Alert Types

The following alert log types are displayed.

Icon Alert

Normal Alerts

Warning Alerts

Critical Alerts

Description

An event from a server or a device that describes the successful operation of a unit, such as a power supply turning on or a sensor reading returning to normal.

An event that is not necessarily significant, but may indicate a possible future problem, such as crossing a warning threshold.

A significant event that indicates actual or imminent loss of data or loss of function, such as crossing a failure threshold or a hardware failure.

Unknown Alerts An event has occurred but there is insufficient information to classify it.

Information Alerts Provides information only.

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Viewing Alert Categories

To view alert categories, click ManageAlertsAlert Categories.

The predefined alert categories are listed in alphabetical order.

Viewing Alert Source Details

To view an alert category, in the alert categories list, expand an alert category, and then select an alert source.

NOTE: You cannot create a new event source.

For example, expand Environmental alert category and then select the

alertCoolingDeviceFailure alert source.

Table 1. Alert Source Values and Descriptions for alertCoolingDeviceFailure

Name

Name

Type

Catalog

Severity

Value Description alertCoolingDeviceFailure

SNMP An SNMP alert based source.

MIB - 10892

Critical If this alert is received then the system is in critical state and immediate action is required.

Format String

SNMP Enterprise OID

$3

.1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.1

SNMP Generic Trap OID 6

SNMP Specific Trap OID 1104

Viewing Previously Configured Alert Actions

To view the application launch alert action:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert Actions.

2 In Alert Actions, select Application Launch.

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To view the e-mail alert action:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert Actions.

2 In Alert Actions, select Email.

To view the alert ignore action:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert Actions.

2 In Alert Actions, select Ignore.

To view the alert trap forward action:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert Actions.

2 In Alert Actions, select Trap Forwarding.

Handling Alerts

Flagging an Alert

After you have completed action on an alert, flag the alert as acknowledged.

Acknowledging an alert indicates it is resolved or does not require further action as a reminder to yourself. To acknowledge alerts:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert Logs.

2 Click the alert you want to acknowledge.

NOTE: You can acknowledge multiple alerts simultaneously. Use <Ctrl> or

<Shift> to select multiple alerts.

3 Right-click and click AcknowledgeSetSelected Alerts or Filtered Alerts.

If you choose Selected Alerts, the highlighted alerts are acknowledged.

If you choose Filtered Alerts, all alerts in the current filter/view are acknowledged.

To remove an acknowledged flag, right-click and select Acknowledge

ClearSelected Alerts or Filtered Alerts.

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Creating and Editing a New View

To personalize the way you view alerts, create a new view or modify an existing view. To create a new view:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert LogsAlert View Filters.

2 Right click and select New Alert View Filter.

3 In Name and Severity Association, enter a name for the new filter, and then check one or more severities. Click Next.

4 In Categories and Sources Association, assign the alert category or source to which you want to associate with this view filter and click Next.

5 In Device Association, create query for searching devices or assign the device or device groups, which you want to associate to this view filter and then click Next.

6 (Optional) By default the alert view filter is always active. To limit activity, in Date Time Association, enter a date range, time range, or days, and then click Next.

7 (Optional) In Acknowledged Association, set duration when this alert action is active, and then click Next. The default is always active.

8 In Summary, review inputs and click Finish.

Configuring Alert Actions

NOTE: Alert actions occur on all alerts received by the OpenManage Essentials console. The alert is received and processed by the OpenManage Essentials console whether or not OpenManage Essentials has discovered the device so long as OpenManage Essentials is listed in the device's SNMP trap forward destinations list. To prevent this, remove OpenManage Essentials from the SNMP trap forward destinations list on the device.

Setting Up E-mail Notification

You can create e-mail notifications when an alert is received. For example, an e-mail is sent if a critical temperature alert is received from a server.

To configure an e-mail notification when an alert(s) is received:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert Actions.

2 In Alert Actions, right-click Email and select New Alert Email Action.

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3 In Name and Description, provide e-mail alert action name and description and then click Next.

4 In E-mail Configuration, do the following and then click Next.

a Provide e-mail information for the To: and From: recipients and provide the substitution information.

Separate each recipient or distribution list with a semi-colon.

b Customize the e-mail message format with any of the following substitution parameters:

$n = Device

$ip = Device IP

$m = Message

$d = Date

$t = Time

$sev = Severity

$st = Service Tag

$e = Enterprise OID

$sp = Specific Trap OID

$g = Generic Trap OID

$cn = Alert Category Name

$sn = Alert Source Name

$pkn = Package Name

$at = Asset Tag c Click Email Settings and provide SMTP server name or IP Address, to test e-mail settings and click OK.

d Click Test Action to send test e-mail.

5 In Severity Association, assign the alert severity to which you want to associate this e-mail alert and then click Next.

6 In Categories and Sources Association, assign the alert categories or alert sources to which you want to associate this e-mail alert and then click Next.

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7 In Device Association, assign the device or device groups to which you want to associate this e-mail alert and then click Next.

8 By default the Email Notification is always active. To limit activity, in

Date Time Association, enter a date range, time range, or days, and then click Next.

9 In Summary, review the inputs and click Finish.

Ignoring Alerts

Sometimes you will receive alerts you might want to ignore. For example, you may want to ignore multiple alerts generated when Send authentication trap is selected within the SNMP service on the managed node. To ignore an alert:

1 From OpenManage Essentials, select ManageAlertsAlert Actions.

2 In Alert Actions, right-click Ignore and select New Alert Ignore Action.

3 In Name and severity Association, provide a name, assign the alert severity to which you want to associate this ignore alert action, and then click Next.

4 In Categories and Sources Association, assign the alert categories source to which you want to associate this alert ignore action and then click Next.

5 In Device Association, assign the device or device groups to which you want to associate this alert ignore action and then click Next.

6 By default the Ignore Alert is always active. To limit activity, in Date Time

Association, enter a date range, time range, or days, and then click Next.

7 In Duplicate Alert Correlation, select yes to exclude duplicate alerts received within the set time limit, and then click Next.

8 In Summary, review inputs and click Finish.

Running a Custom Script

In response to a specific alert received, you can run custom scripts or launch a specific application. This file must be present on the OpenManage Essentials service tier system (where OpenManage Essentials is installed) and not on the client browser system. For example:

• If you received a temperature warning, you can use a custom script to create an incident ticket for your internal Help Desk.

• If you received an MD Array storage alert, you can launch the Modular

Disk Storage Manager (MDSM) application to view the status of the array.

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To create a custom script:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert Actions.

2 In Alert Actions, right-click Application Launch and select New Alert

Application Launch Action.

3 In Name and Description, provide an application launch name and description and then click Next.

4 In Application Launch Configuration, provide an executable name

(provide an absolute file path, for example,

C:\ProgramFiles\Dell\Application.exe) and provide the substitution information, and then click Next.

If you are running a .bat file, provide > null in the parameters.

To test this script, click Test Action before you click Next.

5 In Severity Association, assign the alert severity to which you want to associate this alert application launch and then click Next.

6 In Categories and Sources Association, assign the alert categories or alert sources to which you want to associate this alert application launch and then click Next.

7 In Device Association, assign the device or device groups to which you want to associate this alert application launch and then click Next.

8 By default the Application Launch Action is always active. To limit activity, in Date Time Association, enter a date range, time range, or days, and then click Next.

9 In Summary, review inputs and click Finish.

Forwarding Alerts

You may want to consolidate alerts from multiple management stations to one management station. For example, you have management stations in multiple locations and you want to view status and take action from one central location. To create alert forwards:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert Actions.

2 In Alert Actions, select Trap Forwarding and right-click New Alert Trap

Forward Action.

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3 In Name and Description, provide Trap Forward name and description and then click Next.

4 In Trap Forwarding Configuration, provide destination host name or IP address, provide community information, to send a test trap to the destination management station, click Test Action, and then click Next.

5 In Severity Association, assign the alert severity to which you want to associate this trap forwarding alert and then click Next.

6 In Categories and Sources Association, assign the alert categories source to which you want to associate this trap forwarding alert and then click Next.

7 In Device Association, assign the device or device groups to which you want to associate this trap forwarding alert and then click Next.

8 By default the Trap Forward Action is always active. To limit activity, in

Date Time Association, enter a date range, time range, or days, and then click Next.

9 In Summary, review inputs and click Finish.

The severity status for any trap is set to normal and for a successful alert action, combination of severity, category, and device has to confer with the selections in the preceding steps.

Working With Sample Alert Action Use Cases

Sample alert actions are available for Application Launch, E-mail, Ignore, and Trap Forwarding alert actions. Sample alert action use cases are disabled by default. Click the sample alert actions to enable the sample alert action.

To enable a sample use case, right-click the use case and select Enable.

Use Cases in Alert Actions

Application Launch

Sample - Run Script on Server Critical Alert—Enable this use case to run a custom script when a critical alert is received.

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Email

• Sample - Email Alerts to Service Desk—Enable this use case to send an email to the service desk account from the OpenManage Essentials server when an alert criteria is matched.

• Sample - Email Critical Server Alerts to Admin—Enable this use case to send an e-mail to an administrator from the OpenManage Essentials server when an alert criteria is matched.

Ignore

• Sample - Ignore Alerts During Maintenance Window—Enable this use case to ignore alerts during a specified time interval.

• Sample - Ignore Duplicate Alerts with 15s—Enable this use case to ignore duplicate alerts from the same system.

• Sample - Ignore Non-Critical Alerts from Printers—Enable this use case to ignore non-critical alerts related to printers.

Trap Forwarding

Sample - Forward Critical Server Alerts to Other Monitoring Console -

Enable this use case to forward SNMP alerts another monitoring console.

Configuring Alert Log Settings

You can configure alert log settings to set the maximum size of alert logs; to generate a warning alert when the alert log reaches a set threshold, and to purge the alert logs. To modify the default settings:

1 Select ManageAlertsAlert Log Settings.

2 Enter a value or use the increment/decrement arrow buttons to increase or decrease the value.

NOTE: The default maximum size of alert logs is 20,000 alerts. Once that value is reached, the older alerts are purged.

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Renaming Alert Categories and Alert Sources

1 Click ManageAlertsAlert Categories.

2 In Alert Categories, right-click any of the alert categories (under the Alert

Category heading in the left pane) and select Rename.

3 Provide a name for the alert category and click OK.

You can also rename an alert source.

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