Configuring Custom Alarm Messages and Policies in DX UIM MCS

Products

• DX Unified Infrastructure Management (Nimsoft / UIM)

Issue/Introduction

Introduction: 

Monitoring Configuration Service (MCS) in DX UIM provides streamlined profile management for probes. Use this article to configure custom alarm messages and policies when standard profile options do not meet specific requirements, such as custom subsystem IDs or unique alarm thresholds.

Symptoms:

• Unable to locate options for custom alarm messages within the MCS profile GUI.
• Difficulty setting custom subsystem values for MCS-managed alarms.
• Need to generate specific alarm messages when a process enters a down state.

Environment

• DX Unified Infrastructure Management (UIM) 23.4.*
• Monitoring Configuration Service (MCS)
• Processes probe

Cause

Guidance

Resolution

1. Configure Alarm Policies: Use MCS Alarm Policies for standard threshold management. MCS policies manage alarms independently of the Infrastructure Manager (IM) GUI.
2. Verify Configuration: Check the plugin_metric.cfg file on the target machine. This file contains the activated monitors and policies deployed via MCS.
3. Advanced Customization (NAS): If MCS does not support the required subsystem ID manipulation or complex alarm logic, utilize Nimsoft Alarm Server (NAS) pre-processing rules:
   • Create a NAS script to modify alarm properties (e.g., event.sid = "YourSubsystemName").
   • Create a pre-processing rule in NAS to match the alarm by probe, host, or message.
4. Reference Devices: When creating a Group Profile, ensure a "Reference Device" is selected. This device provides the template for processes that will be applied to the rest of the group. Note: Deploy "Setup Processes" to the target devices first to ensure they are available for selection.

Additional Information

• For complex scenarios involving multiple servers or specific alarm types, review your environment requirements with the Support Engineering team.
• For further assistance, see Contact Broadcom support