Automation

Automation can be used to manage the large numbers of events received from the Cisco Info Server. For example, automation can delete all events from the system that have a severity of clear and that have been in the system for longer than a specific period of time.

You can also use automation to change event data or run an external command when certain events occur in the Cisco Info Server. For example, when a critical event occurs in a network, you can use automation to call a person after a specific period of time.

Two sets of information exist inside an Cisco Info Server configured to do automation:

triggers, which are used to detect when a particular state exists and what actions should be called when that state exists
actions, which define responses to states and can incorporate changes to the Cisco Info Server's managed objects and calls to external programs.

The Automations tab on the Configuration Manager window and the Actions window allow you to build triggers and actions using Cisco Info Server SQL.

Cisco Info Server SQL

In Cisco Info Center, SQL is used to control the various automation mechanisms. SQL is a language for manipulating and extracting information from databases. The Cisco Info Server SQL is a sub-set of the full SQL.

For more information and a full command reference, see the "Cisco Info Server SQL" section.

In the Cisco Cisco Info Server, there is a database called alerts. This database contains the status table. The status table contains the current event information in the Cisco Info Server. The fields contained within this database are what you view in the Event List.

Triggers

A trigger is a mechanism for detecting when an automation action should be activated. Triggers use a filter to interrogate the alerts.status table. When events match that filter, the associated automation action is activated.

When any event matches the filter, the trigger is said to be primed. See Figure 5-1.

Figure 5-1: Triggers

When an action is called, it has available to it all the fields from the event being used to call it. They may be substituted into the effects by referring to them as @fieldname where fieldname is the name of a field in an alert record.

The available fields are:

@Identifier
@Serial
@Node
@NEName
@Manager
@Agent
@AlertGroup
@AlertKey
@Severity
@Summary
@StateChange
@FirstOccurence
@LastOccurence
@InternalLast
@Poll
@Type
@Tally
@Class
@Grade
@Location
@OwnerUID
@OwnerGID
@Acknowledged
@Flash
@ServerName
@ServerSerial
@NEAddress
@NEType
@ObjectType
@SubObjectType
@ObjectStatus
@Slot
@PSAP
@LSAP
@DSAP
@RemoteNEName
@RemoteSlot
@RemotePSAP
@RemoteLSAP
@RemoteDSAP
@AdditionalInfo
@TrapReason
@Customer
@Site
@ServiceIdentifier
@ServiceType
@BitMapField
@Convert
@OldObjectStatus
@FRASM_misc
@NetworkName
@LNNI
@RNNI
@NEFWVersion
@SVVersion
@NEModelID

Additional fields may be available when the Cisco Info Server has had fields added to it.

Data Effects

Data effects consist of a Cisco Info Server SQL statement or statements, which manipulate the data held in the Cisco Info Server tables.

External Effects

External effects consist of UNIX commands or an external application.

Creating Automations

You use the Automations tab on the Configuration Manager window to create and manage automations.

This tab contains a frame listing the available triggers and their descriptions. When you select the tab, the Configuration Manager window toolbar and menu bar changes to display the trigger options.

Figure 5-2 shows an example of an Automations tab.

Figure 5-2: Configuration Manager Window - Automations Tab

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After you select an existing trigger or start configuration of a new trigger, the Actions window appears. For information on the Actions window, see the "Actions Window" section.

Automations Tab

Cisco Info Center comes with a set of preconfigured automations. The Automations tab on the Configuration Manager window displays all of existing automations ordered by trigger. Triggers are identified by an icon representing the trigger configuration. This is followed by the name of the trigger, the sample rate, and the row count threshold values.

If you click on a trigger, the trigger description is displayed in the Description area at the bottom of the Automations tab.

To display the action associated with a particular trigger, double-click on the trigger. Associated actions are shown below the trigger and indented to the right. There are four types of actions:

disabled
enabled for an internal action
enabled for an external action
enabled for both internal and external actions

Each type of action is represented by one of the icons shown in Table 5-1:

Table 5-1: Action Icons

Icon Description

Internal Action Enabled

External Action Enabled

Both Internal and External Actions Enabled

Action Disabled

.

Icon	Description
	Internal Action Enabled
	External Action Enabled
	Both Internal and External Actions Enabled
	Action Disabled

See the "Automation Icons" section for full details of the icons used for automations.

An icon below the type icons indicates whether the action is ascending or descending. A blue upward pointing arrow indicates the ascending action that is to be called. A red downward pointing arrow indicates the descending action that is to be called. Table 5-2 shows the icons for an ascending and a descending external action.

Table 5-2: Ascending and Descending Action Items

Icon Description

Ascending

Descending

Icon	Description
	Ascending
	Descending

Actions Window

To open the Actions window from the Automations tab of the Configuration Manager window, do one of the following:

Select Edit Actions from the Trigger menu.
Click the Action button on the toolbar:

The Actions window displays a list of existing actions.

To display the trigger or triggers associated with a particular action, double click on the action. Associated triggers are shown below the action and are indented to the right.

Table 5-2 shows the Actions window.

Figure 5-3: Actions Window

If you select an action or a trigger, the Description frame displays a description of the action or trigger.

Creating a Trigger

To create a new trigger, do one of the following:

Select New from the Trigger menu on the Configuration Manager window.
Click on the New Trigger button:

The New Trigger window appears, shown in Figure 5-4.

To edit an existing trigger, do one the following:

Select Edit from the Trigger menu on the Configuration Manager window.
Click on the Edit Trigger button:

The Edit Trigger window appears.

The Edit Trigger window is identical to the New Trigger window except that you cannot edit the name. The name field is grayed out.

Figure 5-4: New Trigger Window

There are three tabs on the New Trigger window:

a Condition tab to enter the conditions used to set the trigger status.
a Settings tab to enter the conditions defining when an action should be run.
a Description tab to add a comment for the trigger.

Additions and changes made to triggers, including changing the active option, do not become operational until you click the OK button and you close the New Trigger or Edit Trigger window.

Click the Cancel button to close the window without saving changes or additions.

The following section describes how to enter a new trigger configuration. This section can also be used as reference information for editing an existing trigger.

Entering the Condition

To view the SQL code associated with an action, edit an existing action, or create a new action, you use the New Trigger window or the Edit Trigger window.The Condition tab on the New Trigger window or the Edit Trigger window contains an SQL statement that is applied to a database table in the Info Server. This statement can be used to filter the table and start an action. The trigger filter and the action command can also be combined within the SQL text.

This dual function trigger is used by housekeeping processes, for example, to delete cleared alerts after a specified time period. You can create any type of automation in this way, but you cannot apply conditions such as trigger type, trigger mode, ascending action and descending action.

Figure 5-4 shows the New Trigger window. The Condition tab is displayed by default.

Complete these steps to specify a condition.

Step 1 Enter the name of the trigger in the Name field.

The name that you specify appears to the right of its icon in the Automations tab on the Configuration Manager window. When you are editing an existing trigger, the Name field displays the trigger name in gray and the field cannot be edited.

Step 2 Enter an SQL statement in the Condition field.

You can use the following buttons while writing the SQL statement:

the SQL button.

: This button brings up a menu that allows you to specify database names and fields to use in the SQL statement. For detailed information on the menu options, see the "SQL Button" section.

the Column Names button.

: This button opens a list of available names in the alerts.status table. For detailed information on inserting column names, see the "Column Names" section.

the Conversion Names button.

: This button opens a list of conversion names that can be assigned to a field name.

the Start Filter Builder button.
This button opens the Filter Builder window. For detailed information on the Filter Builder window, see the Cisco Info Center User Guide.
the Test button.

: Once you have written the statement, you can use the Test button to test the syntax. The event list is displayed, showing alerts that match the statement. If there is an error, a warning message is displayed.

Step 3 Enter a value in the Sample Rate field.

This value specifies the number of updates before the trigger checks the alerts.status table. If the sample rate is 0, the trigger is a real-time trigger, evaluated on every update to the Info Server. Because the updates can occur in clusters or singly, there is no relationship between time and the sample rate.

Note Low sample rates may affect the performance of the Info Server.

Step 4 Select a Row Count option and enter a value for comparison.

After the trigger samples the alerts.status table, the number of matched rows is held as a variable rowcount. The trigger condition compares this variable to the entered value. The available Row Count conditions are:

Greater than
Greater than or equal to
Less than or equal to
Equal to
Not equal to

The default condition is Greater than 0.

The following example shows how an SQL statement could begin:

select * from alerts.status where...

Note The SQL statement must end with a semicolon (;).

Testing the Trigger

If you click the Test button, the SQL statement is used to create a filter. The SQL syntax is first checked automatically for errors. If any errors occur, an error dialog is displayed detailing the nature of the error. If the error is in the syntax, a Parse Error message is displayed. You are returned to the window in order to correct the error.

Once the SQL statement has been checked and determined to be valid, an event list is opened. The window shows a fully functional event list window. The content is based on the trigger condition and uses the default view.

In addition to the usual event list window options this event list window provides an additional menu selection on the File menu---the Keep Window option. If you select this option, a new monitor box with the name given to the trigger is added to the monitor box window.

If the trigger test button is clicked again this monitor box is removed. You must select File and then Keep Window again to restore the monitor box. For more information on monitor box configuration, see the Cisco Info Center User Guide.

Adding Trigger Settings

To add settings to the trigger, complete these steps:

Step 1 Click the Settings tab on the New Trigger window.

Figure 5-5 shows the Settings tab.

Figure 5-5: New Trigger Window - Settings Tab

Step 2 Select the trigger type from the pull down list. The trigger types are:

Edge

: This trigger calls its ascent action only when the number of rows matched equals a specified number. The trigger does not then call another action, except when you specify a descent action. A descent action is called when the number of matched rows falls to zero, as in Figure 5-1, or a specified number.

Level

: This trigger calls its ascent action at given intervals as long as the number of rows matched is at least a specific number.

Delayed Edge

: This trigger works in the same way as the edge trigger except that when the number of rows matched increases from zero to a specific number, the trigger waits a given delay period. If the condition still matches the action, it is called and the trigger continues as an edge trigger.

Delayed Level

: This trigger works in the same way as the level trigger except that when the number of rows matched increases from zero to a specific number, the trigger waits a given delay period. If the condition still matches after the delay, the action is called and the trigger continues as a level trigger.

Step 3 Select the execution mode:

Select For Each Matched Row to set the trigger to execute its action once for every alert that matches the trigger conditions.

: This mode allows for a many-to-many mapping between particular alerts and actions taken.

Select Once Only to set the trigger to execute its actions once regardless of the number of matched rows in the temporary table.

: This allows only a one-to-one mapping between the overall state and the action taken.

Step 4 Select an Ascent Action from the drop down list or enter the name of a new action. The ascent action is executed on the upward edge of an edge trigger or while the trigger status is true on a level trigger. You can also use the delayed edge and delayed level triggers to delay the ascent action.

If the action does not exist, you can click on the New... button to open the New Action window. If you select an existing action, you can click on the Edit... button to open the Edit Action window. For details of creating an editing an action, see "Creating an Action".

Select the None action if you do not require an ascent action.

Select an Descent Action from the drop down list or enter the name of a new action. The descent action is executed on the downward edge of an edge trigger. A descent action is only called for an edge trigger and a delayed edge trigger.

If the action does not exist, you can click on the New button to open the New Action window. If you select an existing action, you can click on the Edit... button to open the Edit Action window. For detailed information on creating or editing an action, see the "Creating an Action" section.

Select the None action if you do not require a descent action.

See the "Automation Icons" section for details of the icons that represent the types of trigger and their settings.

Adding a Trigger Description

To add a description to the trigger, click the Description tab.

The Description tab appears, as shown in Figure 5-6.

Figure 5-6: New Trigger Window - Description Tab

Type a description then click the OK button.

Activating the Trigger

To activate or deactivate the trigger, click the Active toggle button. The trigger is only activated or deactivated after you click the OK button and close the window.

When the OK button is clicked the SQL statement is checked, If an error is found, a warning is displayed. The window remains open to allow you to correct the error. If there are no errors the window is closed and the trigger is written to the system.

Icons for triggers which are inactive appear in gray in the Trigger window.

Triggers can also be activated and deactivated from the popup menu of a trigger in the Automations tab of the Configuration Manager window. For more information, see the "Activate" section.

Creating an Action

To create a new action, complete these steps:

Step 1 Select the Automations tab.

Step 2 Click the Actions icon:

The Actions window appears. The Actions window displays a list of existing actions.

Step 3 If you want to create a new action, do one of the following:

Select New from the Action menu.
Click on the New Action button:

The New Action window appears.

Step 4 If you want to edit an existing action, do one of the following:

Select Edit from the Action menu.
Click on the Edit Action button:

The Edit Action window appears.

The Edit Action window is identical to the New Action window except that you cannot edit the trigger name. The name field is grayed out.

Figure 5-7 shows the Edit Action window.

Figure 5-7: The New Action Window

Note You can also create a new action from the Settings tab on the New Trigger window. Click the New button to the right of the ascent or descent action fields.

There are three tabs on the New Action window:

SQL tab. Provides and interface for entering SQL statements that are executed to implement the action.
Executable tab. Lets you define an application or command to be run.
Description tab. Allows you to add a comment for the action.

Additions and changes made to actions, including changing the active option, do not become effective until you click the OK button and close the New Action window.

Click the Cancel button to close the window without saving changes or additions.

The following sections describes how to use the SQL tab, the Executable tab, and the Description tab to enter a new action configuration or edit an existing action.

Entering the Action Name

Enter the name of the action in the Name field of the New Action window (shown in Figure 5-7). This name appears to the right of its icon in the Actions window. When you are editing an existing action, the action name is grayed out and cannot be edited.

The Journal Button

The Journal button appears to the right of the Action name. When this button is enabled a journal entry is made for every alert that matches the trigger condition of the trigger which executed the action.

The journal entry is in the following format:

Action actionname updated event

where actionname is the name of the action. The addition to the journal is automatically time stamped.

Entering the SQL Statement

The SQL tab is selected by default when the New Action window is first opened. Enter an SQL statement in the SQL field.

When the SQL for the action is executed, the commands update the entire Info Server database and not just the records selected in the trigger. To use only the alerts returned by the trigger, use the @ field names. For example, the following statement sets the Severity to 4 (Major) on only those alerts returned by the trigger:

update alerts.status set Severity=4 where Serial=@ Serial;

Note The SQL statement must end with a semicolon (;).

You can use the following buttons while writing the SQL statement:

the SQL button.

: This button brings up a menu that allows you to specify database names and fields to use in the SQL statement. For detailed information on the menu options, see the "SQL Button" section.

the Column Names button.

: This button opens a list of available names in the alerts.status table. For detailed information on inserting column names, see the "Column Names" section.

the Conversion Names button.

: This button opens a list of conversion names that can be assigned to a field name.

the Start Filter Builder button.
This button opens the Filter Builder window. For detailed information on the Filter Builder window, see the Cisco Info Center User Guide.

The SQL statement is validated when the Active box is checked and you use the OK button to close the New Action window. If an error is found, a warning message is displayed. The New Action window remains open to allow you to correct the error. If there are no errors, the window is closed and the action is written to the system.

Entering the Executable

The Executable tab is used to add an external effect to the action. An example of the Executable tab is shown in Figure 5-8.

Figure 5-8: New Action Window - Executable Tab

Complete these steps to specify information on the Executable tab:

Step 1 In the Executable field, enter the full path name of the executable to be run. The command can have environment variables referenced in its definition.

For example, possible commands are:

/usr/application/bin/programname
$NETSOFT/bin/programname

Step 2 In the Arguments field, enter the arguments that are to be passed to this executable program when it is run. The arguments can use an @ sign to reference fields as in an SQL statement, for example:

-node @Node -error @Summary -severity @Severity

Step 3 In the Host field, enter the name of the machine on which the executable should be run.

The host must have a process control agent running on it for this to work. The process control agent can manage any process, not only Cisco Info Center components. It can be placed on a system specifically so that automation's external effects can be carried out on that system.

Step 4 If the executable requires specific user privileges in order to run on the destination machine, enter the User ID with which to run this executable in the User ID field.

Note The process agent on the destination machine must have root privileges in order to assign the executable to a specified User ID.

Description Tab

To add a description of the action, click the Description tab on the New Action window.

The Description tab appears, shown in Figure 5-9.

Figure 5-9: New Action Window - Description Tab

Type a description of the action and then click the OK button.

Activating the Actions

To activate the action, one or both of the Active buttons must be enabled and you must press the OK button.

The Active button on the SQL tab activates the internal action. The Active button on the Executable tab activates the external action.

The action icons change according to the status of the two Action Enable buttons. See Table 5-1.

When you click the OK button, the SQL statement is checked. If an error is found a warning is displayed. The Action Configuration window remains open to allow you to correct the error. If there are no errors, the window is closed and the action is written to the system.

Associating Triggers and Actions

To associate a trigger with a selected action, do one of the following:

Select Trigger and then Set Ascent Action in the Automations tab of the Configuration Manager window.
Select Trigger and then Set Descent Action in the Automations tab of the Configuration Manager window.
Select Trigger and then Edit, select the Settings tab, and select an action from the drop-down list.
Right click on the list to display the popup menu, then select Set Ascent Action or Set Descent Action.

The associated icons appear below the trigger and action on each window.

Deleting Triggers and Actions

To delete a selected trigger, do one of the following:

Select Trigger and then Delete from the Configuration Manager window menu.
Right click on the list to display the popup menu, then select Delete.
Click on the Delete Trigger button:

To delete a selected action, do one of the following:

Select ActionDelete... from the Configuration Manager window menu.
Click on the Delete Action button:

Popup Menu

Popup menus are available on triggers and actions. Select the trigger or action by clicking with the left mouse button and then open the popup menu by clicking the right button.Options that are not available are greyed out on the popup menu.

Most of the commands on the popup menus are the same as those available on the Triggers menu in the Automations window, for triggers, and on the Actions menu in the Actions window, for actions.

New...

The New... popup menu option opens the New Trigger window when used in the Automations tab of the Configuration Manager window. It opens the New Action window when used in the Actions window.

Edit...

The Edit... popup menu option opens the Edit Trigger window when used in the Automations tab of the Configuration Manager window. It opens the Edit Action window when used in the Actions window.

Rename...

The Rename... popup menu option opens the Rename Trigger window when selected from the Automations tab of the Configuration Manager window. It opens the Rename Action window when selected from the Actions window.

Copy...

The Copy... popup menu option opens the Copy Trigger window when used in the Automations tab of the Configuration Manager window. It opens the Copy Action window when used in the Actions window.

Clear Triggers

To clear the action item of any triggers that refer to this action, select Clear Triggers from the popup menu. This also removes related references to action items in the Trigger window. This popup option is only available in the Actions window.

Delete...

The Delete... popup menu option deletes the selected trigger in the Automations tab of the Configuration Manager window. It deletes the selected action in the Actions window.

Activate

The Active popup menu option activates the trigger. When a trigger is active there is a red square to the left of the Active option.

You can activate the trigger using the Active option on the New Trigger or Edit Trigger windows. See the "Activating the Trigger" section for more information.