Smarts SAM/OI: Duplicate names for the same instances in SAM; How does instance name reconciliation work between Smarts SAM and Smarts OI domain

Products

• VMware Smart Assurance

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:


Duplicate  object  for the same system in Smarts SAM Notification log

Environment

VMware Smart Assurance - SMARTS

Resolution

When Smarts OI (Adapter platform / Open Integration) creates a notification and passes it on to the Smarts Service Assurance Manager (SAM) the system name supplied for the OI notification is used by the SAM server to look up the appropriate system in the Smarts SAM topology so that Smarts SAM can post the notification against the correct system.  In practice system properties can vary greatly and may not match exactly what is found in the other Smarts products, so this feature is essential to ensure that notifications are assigned to the correct Smarts SAM topology objects.  If not matching object is found in the Smarts SAM then the data from the Smarts OI server will be used to create a new topology object in the Smarts SAM on the fly.

In most cases the Smarts SAM and Smarts OI domains use a devices IP addresses to determine if they are the same device.  This often impacts the naming of the device in both topologies and the association of data for the devices between the servers.  The domains will, if possible, use DNS look up as well to resolution naming/identification issues in these domains.

Warning: If at all possible, a system should be added to the IP domain before allowing the Smarts OI domain to monitor it. This insures that Smarts SAM includes it in its topology before the adapter tries to locate it. Otherwise the adapter ends up creating a duplicate  object  for the same system and undesirable and/or defective behavior occurs when alerts and/or notifications are updated.