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Configuration Only packages

  • 1.  Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 07, 2019 03:14 PM

    Folks,

    I'm testing creating configuration only package for the cdm probe so rather than copy everything we just copy the cfx filee.

    I'm having issues getting to work correctly.  here is what I am doing:

    1) copy probe from robot to archive and select config only
    2) for the one OS tab that is copied, I simply copy the updated cdm.gfx. No other tabs under the OS have anything
    3) When I deploy, the package names doesn't change so not sure how to know what package is actually there

    If I try filling in the probe definition, the package doesn't a cfg file/data file so it deploys but when I click on it, I don't get the correct screen coming up.


    What am I doing wrong?

    thanks



  • 2.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 07, 2019 03:18 PM
    Maybe one of these KBs will help
    Change Probe Configuration Setting On Multiple Robots
    Article Id: 35048
    https://ca-broadcom.wolkenservicedesk.com/external/article?articleId=35048

    Article title: Editing probe packages (probe configuration files and templates, e.g., .cfx and .cfg, and tips on modification)
    Article Id: 34027
    https://ca-broadcom.wolkenservicedesk.com/external/article?articleId=34027

    Create a cdm Superpackage for Multiple Operating Systems
    Article Id: 35030
    https://ca-broadcom.wolkenservicedesk.com/external/article?articleId=35030


    ------------------------------
    Support Engineer
    Broadcom
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 07, 2019 03:45 PM
    When you push the config only change, the cdm package name doesn't change but the config does. Is that to be expected?


  • 4.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 07, 2019 05:42 PM
    Yes, that's to be expected.

    What you see listed in IM are only the probes packages that included executable code (effectively).

    On the controller, on the status button, there's a "List installed packages" button that might help answer the what's installed question.

    And these packages are extremely powerful. And fairly poorly documented. You can learn some things by looking at some of the GA probes but it doesn't cover everything.

    If you posted a description of what you are trying to achieve and maybe a copy of what you have done so far, I'm sure that you'll get a number of comments that will provide some significant enlightenment.

    I;ve also posted some on this topic in the last couple months - it might be worth searching for.

    -Garin


  • 5.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 09:30 AM
    Here  is my thinking on this:

    1) I don't want to modify the default cdm package
    2) Tenants have standard cdm configs which means modifying the standard cdm (we copy it to a new name)
    3) I want cfg separate from the default so that if the cdm probe is updated we can deploy it separately.

    I was looking at super packages.  If the cdm probe were to change, could that be dragged to the super package and replace the current cdm in the package or would I need to delete the old cdm and add the new one.

    Hope this makes sense.


  • 6.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 11:53 AM
    So if I understand you correctly, you essentially have two editors to a given installed package configuration - the tenant who presumably owns the server being managed and responsibility for it and you, who has some base responsibility - maybe just making sure the rope isn't long enough to hang themselves by right?

    That's actually a pretty standard arrangement - the parties call themselves different things but the idea is consistent.

    so looking at your comments:
    1) I don't want to modify the default cdm package

    You never should. Probes are updated frequently and you don't want to have to rework your changes every single time.

    You should create a new package (either completely new or the drag from probe to archive method). The completely new method is a difficult starting point unless you know what you want. The drag probe to archive method gives you a fully functional package that will require editing.

    The following is a general process we use:

    In a package you can add multiple tabs in the lower half of the editor. We typically add a "dependency" tab where we list all the probes this package is dependant on.


    That will ensure that cdm gets installed before your configuration changes - you can leave the version blank if all you want is any version of cdm installed.

    2) Tenants have standard cdm configs which means modifying the standard cdm (we copy it to a new name)

    Like commented above, don't modify or rename the standard packages. If nothing else it really confuses maintenance. Better to create a package with the dependency. Also there seems to be some value you are attaching to names of things here and that might be misleading you a bit. The names provide some record keeping but they don't identify what's installed. Only the name of the thing that did the installing. One of the misconceptions that happens with packages is that they are "what get's installed" - they are not. They are instead a set of instructions on how to modify the existing environment to get to the new. That's important.  


    3) I want cfg separate from the default so that if the cdm probe is updated we can deploy it separately.

    Following on the comment above, you are not distributing cfg files. You are distributing a file (cfx) (and maybe more) that includes instructions on how to change the existing file to the new result. As an example, you may dictate that everyone needs a log level of 3 set for the cdm probe to make later diagnosing easier. So building on the cdm example, you would then add a second tab to the package - right click on the existing tab (maybe the "dep" one)  and choose "add section", name it something reasonable (I usually use the target OS since that seems to be 98% of all the reasons why I might have more tabs than the two - in this case mine is "ALL") and select the "Configuration of existing probe" box.

    That will give you a new tab. Make sure you select it. (As a general rule, the UIM windows dialogs operate on the selected item, not the one that's in front. In logmon for instance you can select a profile, select delete, and it will go away. Then logmon will display one of the other profiles but in the list to the left, a different profile will be selected. If you then select delete again expecting the profile that's displayed to go away, it won't because while it was displayed it wasn't the one selected. And the right click to get the context menu doesn't move the selection so even if you right click on the one you want gone, the selected one goes instead.) 

    You can't create files in this editor, you can only add and edit them. So, on your desktop or wherever use notepad to create a blank file named cdm.cfx. Generally the name of the cfx file will be the same as the probe but not always - that's where the "drag back to archive" process is helpful because it gets you the correct names. You can then select the "files" tab and right click in the white space to get the "add file" option. choose your cdm.cfx file.


    You can then right click on that file and choose edit to open the file in the package editor. 

    If you looked through https://ca-broadcom.wolkenservicedesk.com/external/article?articleId=34027&_ga=2.124119500.718443530.1570389780-1299565110.1557421559 it has some good information but the thing again to keep in mind is that the cfx files are just a list of changes. So if all you wanted to change was the log level then you can add to this file the following:

    <setup> overwrite
    loglevel = 3
    </setup>

    Close the editor and "OK" out of the package editor and you're all set. You have a package that will ensure that cdm is installed and regardless of what's in the configuration currently will set the log level to 3 without touching anything else.

    Hope that helps.

    -Garin


  • 7.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 01:26 PM
    Here is what I have.  When I deploy the robot, cdm probe gets deployed but my disk ignore changes in my cdm.cfx don't get deployed.








  • 8.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Broadcom Employee
    Posted Oct 08, 2019 01:53 PM
    when you update the ignore section this only applies to NEW discovered disks, not to existing disks that are setup.
    You would need to reset the fixed disks section to have the new ignore parameters be taken into account.
     
    see the below KB for an example:
    https://ca-broadcom.wolkenservicedesk.com/external/article?articleId=34595

    ------------------------------
    Gene Howard
    Principal Support Engineer
    Broadcom
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 02:11 PM
    The KB referenced isn't a full example of what;' necessary as it leaves out the clear directive in the cfx file. You will want to read the help document on that because the placement of that statement is important. The cfx files are processed line by line and so the placement of the <fixed> clear statement  is important. Also that deletes everything in that section so if your tenants have added thresholds, you'll lose them with that process.

    If you are trying to specifically eliminate that file system from the configuration you can use the "edit" directive too (edit = change it if it's there but don't add it). Leave the rest of your file as is so that you ignore the /run filesystem on subsequent rescans of the disks.

    <disk> overwrite
       <alarm> overwrite
          <fixed> overwrite
             <#run> edit
                active = no
            </#run>
          </fixed>
       </alarm>
    </disk>

    or change "edit" to "clear" and remove the "active" line to delete the section.

    Also note that it's ok for a section to appear over and over

    <disk> overwrite
       <alarm> overwrite
          <fixed> overwrite
             <#run> edit
                active = no
            </#run>
             <#run> overwrite
                description = File system /run
            </#run>
          </fixed>
       </alarm>
    </disk>

    is perfectly legal with the two <#run> sections


  • 10.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 03:11 PM
    I added that but it still doesn't show up

    ...
    <disk> reset
    interval = 5 min
    samples = 2
    use_systemspace = no
    ignore_filesystem = /run
    ignore_device =
    <alarm>
    active = yes
    <connections>
    active = yes
    ...


  • 11.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 03:26 PM
    It's not exactly clear what you mean by "still doesn't show up".

    Perhaps you could attach you complete .cfx and .cfg files - (hopefully you could provide the cfg before and after reapplying the new package)

    Also the line "<disk> reset" is wrong - there is no "reset" option and if that's a cfg file then there should be no directives.

    A screenshot of each of the pages in your package might also be helpful.



  • 12.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 03:43 PM
    Look above for the screen shots.  What I mean is that when I go into the cdm display and select setup and look at control properties and /run is not listed in the ignore filesystem box


  • 13.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 04:03 PM
    Here is the cdm.cfx in my config only package






  • 14.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 08:13 PM
    What do you mean by .cfg file? what file is that?


  • 15.  RE: Configuration Only packages
    Best Answer

    Posted Oct 08, 2019 08:17 PM
    You create the package in the archive with the .cfx file - essentially the set of instructions to modify the configuration of the probe on the system it is deployed to. The configuration file that the probe uses on that system where it is running is cdm.cfg. The cdm.cfx file just applies modifications to the existing .cfg file.


  • 16.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 15, 2019 01:33 PM
    Hi Keith,

    Two things:
    1. When you added a section to your package, you didn't select Configuration of an existing probe and type cdm. Because of this, your config file is copied to the wrong directory.
      Shows check box that needs to be selected.
    2. It seems you could just use MCS to accomplish this and then you wouldn't need to worry about packages.



  • 17.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 15, 2019 01:40 PM
    Never used MCS and not sure how that would help.


  • 18.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 15, 2019 01:50 PM
    MCS is configured in the USM.

    https://docops.ca.com/ca-unified-infrastructure-management/9-0-2/en/configuring-and-viewing-monitoring-data/the-unified-service-manager-portlet/monitoring-configuration-service
    https://docops.ca.com/ca-unified-infrastructure-management-probes/ga/en/how-to-articles/configure-monitoring-with-profile-types

    You can then use the Setup cdm monitoring profile to configure the settings I can see from your CFX file.

    Here is an example from my environment:
    Setup cdm to avoid using packages.
    MCS has a major advantage over packages: it happens automatically. If a device matches the filter criteria you have for a USM group, it automatically gets the MCS configuration. You don't have to do anything else once it is set up. Though it is suggested to run the find and fix CLI commands regularly to ensure profiles aren't modified.




  • 19.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 15, 2019 06:01 PM
    Can you set that up per set that per search group, like only for DMZ?


  • 20.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 16, 2019 04:47 PM
    Any filter you can build in a USM group can also be used for filtering for MCS deployments.


  • 21.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 15, 2019 06:03 PM
    Also, can any robot that comes in under a search group, get probes pushed automatically?


  • 22.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 16, 2019 04:49 PM
    Correct. That's another thing I like about it. It pushes out the probes and the configuration for the probes. All you need to do is install the robot.


  • 23.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 16, 2019 02:14 PM
    i dont find MCS really helpful...even sometimes it is annoying.. I see some filesystems that are not even mounted on the the particular robot/server. Getting same error with config only file too.
    can anyone suggest how can i create a cfx file which only pics the mounted disk on the server?
    and how can i add particular filesystems type not to be picked up ? such as lofs,tmpfs,devtmpfs or any other ?

    last one is getting rid of delta errors,
    we dont want them to be monitored at all but while applying them in a group via mcs ,why is that enabled? I tried to change that with custom cfx but that dint help

    ------------------------------
    System Analyst
    DXC Technology
    ------------------------------



  • 24.  RE: Configuration Only packages

    Posted Oct 16, 2019 05:00 PM
    Ignore filesystem appears as an option both in MCS and the CFX file. If you supply the information there for a match, then it should ignore.

    You do have two options:
    1. Use File System Type Filter to specify only the filesystem that you want to monitor. Everything else is excluded*.
      1. One exception is if you use a negative Regex.
    2. Use Ignore File System to specify all filesystems that you want to ignore. Everything else is included*.
      1. Same caveat, if you use a negative Regex then you are negating twice and creating an exclude.
    I recommend against negative regex because you start double negating things and it gets confusing. As long as you don't have values for the deltas, it shouldn't alarm. I would need to see specifics to help more in that regard.