HP OpenVMS Availability Manager User's Guide 2.6

This document is the HP OpenVMS Availability Manager User's Guide, Version 2.6, published in July 2006.

The guide explains how to use the HP Availability Manager software to detect and correct system availability problems on OpenVMS nodes and clusters, as well as Windows nodes.

Key functions and features include:

• Monitoring and Analysis: It's a system management tool for monitoring OpenVMS and Windows nodes on an extended local area network (LAN). It collects and analyzes system and process data, displaying it through a graphical user interface (GUI) to identify performance problems.
• Architecture: The system uses "Data Collector" nodes (OpenVMS) to gather data and "Data Analyzer" nodes (OpenVMS or Windows) to analyze and display it. Communication occurs over an IEEE 802.3 Extended Packet format protocol.
• Security: Security is maintained using 8-character alphanumeric passwords. On OpenVMS Data Collector nodes, passwords are part of a three-part "security triplet" that includes a network address and access verification code (Read, Write, or Control). The Data Analyzer's password must match the Data Collector's for monitoring. OpenVMS Data Collectors also employ a security log for access denials and executed write instructions, and file protection with ACLs.
• Problem Detection (Events): The Availability Manager identifies performance issues by evaluating data collections against user-defined thresholds and occurrences (consecutive data collections exceeding a threshold). Events are posted in the "Event pane" of the System Overview window, indicating potential problems.
• Corrective Actions (Fixes): It allows real-time intervention, called "fixes," to resolve resource availability problems. These include node fixes (e.g., Adjust Quorum, Crash Node), process fixes (e.g., Delete Process, Suspend Process, Adjust Process Priority, Purge Working Set, Adjust Working Set, adjust process limits like I/O count, AST queue, open file, lock queue, timer queue, subprocess creation, I/O byte, pagefile quota), and cluster interconnect fixes (e.g., adjust LAN priority, maximum buffer size, start/stop LAN device, LAN virtual circuit checksumming, compression, ECS maximum delay).

• Customization: Users can customize various aspects of the Availability Manager, including:

  • Nodes and Node Groups: Selecting which groups or individual nodes to monitor.
  • Data Collection: Choosing specific types of data to collect for OpenVMS nodes (Windows nodes have default collection).
  • Data Filters: Limiting the amount of data collected and displayed for different data types.
  • Event Escalation: Customizing how events are displayed and configuring them to be signaled to OPCOM or HP OpenView.
  • Event Filters: Specifying the severity and other filter settings for events.
  • Security Features: Changing passwords for groups and nodes, and managing security triplets on OpenVMS Data Collector nodes.
  • Watch Process: Monitoring up to eight specific processes on a node and receiving notifications if they exit or reappear.

• Operating System Support: Data Analyzer runs on Windows 2000 SP4+, Windows XP SP2, OpenVMS Alpha 8.2/8.3, and OpenVMS I64 8.2-1/8.3. Data Collector runs on OpenVMS VAX 6.2/7.3, OpenVMS Alpha 8.2/8.3, and OpenVMS I64 8.2-1/8.3.

• User Interface: The main "System Overview" window features a "Group/Node pane" (listing groups and nodes with summary data and status icons) and an "Event pane" (displaying system problems). Detailed node and cluster data can be viewed through various tabs and specific data pages, with tooltips providing additional explanations.