Compaq ACMS for OpenVMS
Remote Systems Management Guide


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Part 1
Introduction

Part 1 contains information about using the remote management features of ACMS. It contains an overview of the Remote Manager, as well as information on how it is managed and operates. It also contains information on how to manage data collection and how to use the Remote Manager to modify a running ACMS system. Finally, this part shows you how to write programs that perform remote management using RPC and SNMP.


Chapter 1
Overview of Remote Management

This chapter provides an overview of ACMS remote management.

1.1 Architecture and Implementation

The ACMS Remote Manager provides ACMS system managers with the capability of monitoring and managing their ACMS application environment across a network. The facilities that comprise the Remote Manager are based on a client/server architecture. Two protocols are supported for accessing the ACMS remote management server: Open Network Computing Remote Procedure Call (ONC RPC), which is used by command line utilities (provided with the remote management option) and can be called directly from user-written programs; and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), for use with third-party management consoles.

Figure 1-1 shows the architecture of the ACMS Remote Manager.

Figure 1-1 ACMS Remote Manager Architecture


As Figure 1-1 shows, users communicate with the ACMS Remote Manager using one of the supported interfaces over a TCP/IP network. Communications between the ACMS Remote Manager and the ACMS run-time system are transparent. Users may be on the same or a different node than the Remote Manager, but the Remote Manager must be running on the same node as the ACMS run-time system it is monitoring or accessing.

The command line utility provides command line access to management information as well as control of the Remote Manager process. This utility uses the RPC interface and can be run from any OpenVMS node that has TCP/IP network connectivity to the ACMS node.

The SNMP interface provides network access to ACMS management information using the industry standard SNMP protocol. This protocol is supported by most leading system management packages (including PATROL® from BMC® and Compaq Insight Manager from Compaq).

The RPC interface provides local or remote access to ACMS management information and is used by user-written programs to access ACMS management information.

ACMS system managers control the data being collected as well as automatic variable monitoring and the management interfaces themselves through either SNMP or RPC commands.

The Remote Manager obtains initial configuration information during process startup from a user-maintained configuration file (described in Chapter 3). Once started, the Remote Manager provides ACMS system managers remote access to their ACMS application environment through the interfaces.

1.2 Remote Management Capabilities

The Remote Manager provides ACMS system managers with the ability to:


Chapter 2
Getting Started with the ACMS Remote Manager

This chapter describes how to prepare and run the ACMS Remote Manager software on a node where Compaq ACMS Version 4.3 for OpenVMS has been installed. This chapter does not describe the actual installation. For information about installing Compaq ACMS Version 4.3 for OpenVMS, refer to the Compaq ACMS Version 4.3 for OpenVMS Installation Guide.

Note

The procedures in this chapter assume Compaq TCP/IP Services Version 5.0 for OpenVMS or higher is installed. The image and process names changed in Version 5.0 from UCX* to TCPIP*. If you are using a machine with an older version of TCP/IP Services installed, you should substitute UCX wherever you see TCPIP in the instructions in this chapter.

Terminology

The following terms are used in this chapter:

2.1 Running the ACMS Remote Manager

The following sections outline the steps required to get the ACMS Remote Manager running on an OpenVMS system. If you are an inexperienced user of ACMS, you should first read Section 2.2 and Section 2.3 for detailed information about how to set up a node for ACMS remote management.

This section describes setup for both client and server nodes. Server nodes automatically support all client functions; once a node is set up as a server, it can function as a client and a server without additional work. Client nodes can function only as clients.

When you complete the following procedures, the ACMS Remote Manager will be running on your system and you can access it using the ACMSMGR command line utility.

2.1.1 Server Node Setup

Before you begin, you must have already installed the ACMS Version 4.3 kit on your system. Also ensure that you have the minimum supported version of TCP/IP (as described in the ACMS Software Product Description [SPD 25.50.xx]) installed on your node, and that it is operational. (If TCP/IP is not installed and operational, the ACMS Remote Manager will not run.) For information about TCP/IP setup, see Section 2.2.

Once you have installed the ACMS and TCP/IP software, perform the following steps to set up a Remote Manager server node:

  1. Verify Portmapper (RPC) setup (see Section 2.1.1.1)
  2. Run the ACMS postinstallation procedure (see Section 2.1.1.2)
  3. Define process logicals and symbols (see Section 2.1.1.3)
  4. Prepare the ACMS environment (see Section 2.1.1.4)
  5. Start the ACMS Remote Manager (see Section 2.1.1.5)

Server nodes are automatically client nodes. Therefore, you do not need to perform the tasks in Section 2.1.2 for nodes that you set up as server nodes.

2.1.1.1 Verify Portmapper (RPC) Setup

Before you attempt to start the Remote Manager, ensure that the proper TCP/IP support is in place. This section provides an overview of the Portmapper (RPC) verification process. If you need more detailed information, or if you will be using third-party tools or writing your own SNMP management tools, see Section 2.2.

  1. Look for the process TCPIP$PORTM (UCX$PORTM on older versions):


    $ SHOW SYSTEM/PROCESS=TCPIP* 
    

    If you find the TCPIP$PORTM process, RPC is running and you can skip to Section 2.1.1.2. Otherwise, go to step 2.

  2. See whether the Portmapper service is enabled:


    $ TCPIP 
    TCPIP> SHOW SERVICE PORTMAPPER 
     
    Service             Port  Proto    Process       Address    State 
     
    PORTMAPPER           111  TCP,UDP  TCPIP$PORTM   0.0.0.0    Enabled 
    

    The Portmapper should have both the TCP and UDP protocols defined. If it does not, you may need to configure the Portmapper (see Section 2.2.1). If the Portmapper state is Enabled, skip to Section 2.1.1.2. Otherwise, go to step 3.

  3. To enable the Portmapper, enter the following commands:


    $ TCPIP 
    TCPIP> ENABLE SERVICE PORTMAPPER 
    TCPIP> SET CONFIGURATION ENABLE SERVICE PORTMAPPER 
    TCPIP> EXIT 
    

    Then restart TCP/IP. The Portmapper process does not automatically start when TCP/IP starts, so you may not see the TCPIP$PORTM process. The process starts the first time the Portmapper is accessed.

2.1.1.2 Run the ACMS Postinstallation Procedure

If you did not run the postinstallation procedure when you installed the ACMS Version 4.3 kit, do so now. For details, see Section 2.3.

  1. Run the postinstallation procedure as follows:


    $ @SYS$STARTUP:ACMS_POST_INSTALL 
    

  2. When you are asked whether you want to configure the ACMS Remote Manager, answer YES:


    Do you want to SETUP and CONFIGURE the ACMS Remote System Manager [Y]? YES 
    

  3. Answer the questions according to the needs of your organization.

2.1.1.3 Define Process Logicals and Symbols

The ACMS$MGMT_ENV.COM command procedure is provided to define some symbols that make using the ACMSMGR utility simpler. For more information, see Section 2.3.2, or run the procedure now by entering the following command:


$ @SYS$STARTUP:ACMS$MGMT_ENV.COM 

2.1.1.4 Prepare the ACMS Environment

You are now ready to start the Remote Manager. If you need more information about this procedure, see Section 2.3.3. Then follow these steps:

  1. Ensure that the ACMSTART.COM procedure has been run by entering the following command:


    $ ACMS/SHOW SYSTEM 
    

    If you get the following error, you must invoke the SYS$STARTUP:ACMSTART.COM procedure described in step 2:


    %DCL-W-ACTIMAGE, error activating image ACMSHR    
    

    If you get a message indicating that the ACMS system is stopped, or if some information about the ACMS system is displayed, go to Section 2.1.1.5.

  2. Invoke the ACMSTART command procedure:


    $ @SYS$STARTUP:ACMSTART 
    

2.1.1.5 Start the ACMS Remote Manager

To start the ACMS Remote Manager, follow these steps:

  1. Enter the following command:


    $ STARTMGR 
    

  2. Check that the ACMS$MGMT_SVR process started by entering the following command:


    $ SHOW SYSTEM/PROCESS=ACMS$MGMT_SVR 
    

  3. If the process is running, you should be able to communicate with it using ACMSMGR commands (see Section 2.1.3).
    If the process is not running, you can look for information in either of two places:
    For more information about these sources, refer to Section 2.4.2.1 and Section 2.4.2.2.

2.1.2 Client Node Setup

All ACMS Remote Manager client nodes require that TCP/IP be installed and operational. (For information about TCP/IP setup, refer to Section 2.2.) Other than TCP/IP connectivity to the server node, no additional TCP/IP setup is required. (The Portmapper does not need to be running on the client node.)

The following sections describe how to set up an ACMS Remote Manager client node. You can skip these sections if you are installing the ACMS Remote Mangement server; server nodes are automatically client nodes.

If the client node will not be used as an ACMS submitter node, the ACMS Remote Option kit does not need to be installed. How you set up the client node depends upon whether the ACMS Remote Option kit has been installed.

Once you have completed these tasks, you can try to communicate with a Remote Manager on a server node using the procedure in Section 2.1.3.

Note that you cannot obtain ACMS system management information or perform system management functions on nodes that are client nodes only. Client nodes can get information from and perform operations on server nodes only.

2.1.2.1 Run ACMS_POST_INSTALL.COM

Follow these steps to run the ACMS_POST_INSTALL.COM command procedure:

  1. Run the postinstallation procedure as follows:


    $ @SYS$STARTUP:ACMS_POST_INSTALL 
    

  2. When you are asked whether you want to configure the ACMS Remote System Manager, answer YES:


    Do you want to SETUP and CONFIGURE the ACMS Remote System Manager [Y]? YES 
    

  3. Answer the questions according to the needs of your organization.
  4. Now execute the ACMS$MGMT_ENV.COM command procedure to define some symbols that make using the ACMSMGR utility simpler:


    $ @SYS$STARTUP:ACMS$MGMT_ENV.COM 
    

2.1.2.2 Copy Files and Define Symbols

If you did not install the ACMS Remote Option kit (that is, if this node will not be an ACMS submitter node), follow this procedure. You will need access to a node with one of the ACMS Version 4.3 Run-Time kits installed.

  1. Copy the ACMSMGR executable to your node from SYS$SYSTEM on the node that has ACMS Version 4.3 installed. Which executable to copy depends on the version of Compaq TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS (TCP/IP) you have installed:
  2. Copy ACMS$MGMT_ENV.COM to your node and run it. This file is located in SYS$STARTUP of a node where ACMS Version 4.3 is installed. ACMS$MGMT_ENV.COM defines some symbols that make using the ACMSMGR utility simpler. Execute the command procedure as follows:


    $ @SYS$STARTUP:ACMS$MGMT_ENV.COM 
    

2.1.3 Communicate with the Remote Manager

Before you issue any ACMSMGR commands, you must either log in to the Remote Manager (see step 1) or use an ACMS proxy (see step 2). For detailed information, see Section 2.3.5.

  1. To log in to the Remote Manager, you must have a valid user account and password on the node on which the Remote Manager is running. The following example commands log in to the Remote Manager on node SERVER, using account MYACCT and password MYPASS. (For more details, see Section 2.3.5.1.)


    $ DEFINE ACMS$MGMT_SERVER_NODE SERVER 
    $ DEFINE ACMS$MGMT_USER MYACCT 
    $ ACMSMGR LOGIN 
     
    ACMS Remote Management -- Command line utility 
    Password:MYPASS 
    

    If the login succeeds, no messages are displayed. Go to step 3.
    If the login fails, check the following possible reasons:


    Refer to Section 2.4 for more help.
  2. If you will be using ACMS proxies to access the Remote Manager, and you already know that you have a valid proxy account, go to step 3. If you have not set up proxies but would like to use them, create a proxy file on the node on which the Remote Manager will run. (For more information, see Section 2.3.5.2.)


    $ SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSTEM 
    $ MCR ACMSUDU 
    UDU> CREATE/PROXY 
    

    Now you can add a proxy. To add a proxy, you need to know the following information:


    For example, assume you will be on node CLIENT using account MYACCT, and you will be accessing node SERVER using account SRVACCT. Enter the following command on node SERVER:


    UDU> ADD/PROXY CLIENT::MYACCT SRVACCT 
    

  3. You can now enter any of the ACMSMGR commands. For example:


    $ ACMSMGR SHOW INTERFACES 
    

    This command results in output similar to the following:


    ACMS Remote Management -- Command line utility 
     
    ACMS V4.3-0   Interfaces Display              Time:  5-OCT-1999 11:58:02.90 
     
                     Enabled  Running Get    Set    Alarms Time last 
    Node   Interface State    State   Reqsts Reqsts Sent   Alarm Sent 
    ------ --------- -------- ------- ------ ------ ------ ----------------------- 
    SPARKS rpc       enabled  started 1      0      0      17-NOV-1858 00:00:00.00 
    SPARKS snmp      disabled stopped 0      0      0      17-NOV-1858 00:00:00.00 
    

    If you get error messages instead, refer to Section 2.4.

2.2 TCP/IP Setup

There are two components to the TCP/IP setup for the ACMS Remote Manager:

The information in the following sections applies only to nodes on which the ACMS Remote Manager will run. It is not relevant for ACMS Remote Manager client nodes.

2.2.1 Set Up the Portmapper (RPC)

Perform this task if the Portmapper has not previously been set up on the node you are using, or if it has been set up incorrectly.

The procedure described here may require a restart of TCP/IP on the node you are using.

Note

When you configure RPC, you are providing network access to the node. This may have significant security implications. Be sure you understand these implications before you configure SNMP. If you are in doubt, consult your network or security administrator.

2.2.1.1 Determine the Current Portmapper Configuration

To determine whether the Portmapper is configured, use the following commands:


$ TCPIP 
TCPIP> SHOW SERVICE PORTMAPPER 

If the Portmapper is configured, you will see a display similar to the following:


Service             Port  Proto    Process       Address   State 
 
PORTMAPPER           111  TCP,UDP  TCPIP$PORTM   0.0.0.0   Enabled 

If you get an error message indicating that the record is not found, or if both protocols are shown but the state is not Enabled, go to Section 2.2.1.3.

If the service is displayed, make sure that both TCP and UDP are shown in the "Proto" column and that the state is Enabled. If both protocols are not shown or if you suspect that the Portmapper is not working correctly, go to Section 2.2.1.2.

If both protocols are shown and the state is Enabled, then the Portmapper is configured on this node and no additional work must be performed.

2.2.1.2 Remove the Existing Portmapper Configuration

Perform this task if you suspect the Portmapper is not working correctly, or if you were directed here from Section 2.2.1.1.

Enter the following commands:


$ TCPIP 
TCPIP> SET NOSERVICE PORTMAPPER 

Enter Y at the "Remove? [N]:" prompt, and then exit the utility.

Now shut down and restart TCP/IP on this node:


$ @SYS$STARTUP:TCPIP$SHUTDOWN 
$ @SYS$STARTUP:TCPIP$STARTUP 

Note

If you logged in to this node using TCP/IP, you will lose connectivity after the first command executes. You may have to reboot the machine in order to log in and complete the procedure. To avoid this problem, put the shutdown and startup commands into a command procedure, and submit the procedure to a batch queue that is guaranteed to run on this node.


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