Configuring remote monitoring of Solaris OS

This topic provides information about how to configure remote monitoring of the Solaris operating system by using the TrueSight or the Central Monitoring Administration console.

Configuration video

Click to view a short video (4.19) of how to configure Solaris OS for local and remote monitoring.

 https://youtu.be/ZcMet0Q2hFU

Configuration details

To configure remote monitoring of Solaris hosts, set the following preferences on the Add Monitoring Configuration dialog.

Monitoring SolutionVersionMonitor ProfileMonitor Type
Solaris1.0.00Solaris MonitoringSolaris Infrastructure

Click Add to configure a new host for monitoring. 

FieldDescription
Host Details
Device configuration
Device Input Type

Select the type of input that you want to provide.

  • Host Name - Select this if you want to provide multiple host names or IP addresses for monitoring.
  • File path - If you want to use the same configuration for a large number of hosts, you can configure the remote hosts from a file (.txt, .csv).
Device Input
  • Host Name - Enter the host name or the IP address that you want to monitor. To add multiple hosts, enter a comma-separated list of host names and/or IP addresses.
  • File path - Enter the absolute path to the file that includes a list of host names or IP addresses. For example, the file path can be /opt/bmc/BMCPatrolAgent/Patrol3/log/RemoteHostList or $PATROL_HOME/log/RemoteHostList
    • The file must contain a list of comma-separated host names or IP addresses info(with or without publish hostnames) that have common credentials. 
    • The file must be located on the host which is running the PATROL Agent. BMC PATROL default account must have read permission on the directory where the file is located. The Configuration status (_ConfigStatus) parameter indicates errors related to the input file.
Connection Settings
Port numberEnter the remote host SSH port number. By default, the port number is set to 22.
User NameEnter the username to connect to the remote host. If this field is left blank the KM uses PATROL Agent default account credentials to connect to the remote host. Password based authentication will be used for verifying the credentials.
Authentication

Choose the authentication mode to add remote host:

  • Password-Based
  • Key-Based
Password Based Authentication
PasswordEnter the common credentials of the hosts added in the Device Input field.
Key Based Authentication
Public Key File PathSpecify the entire path of the public key file.
Private Key File PathSpecify the entire pathname of the private key file.
PassphraseSpecify the passphrase to access public and private keys.

FieldDescription
Monitor Type Configuration
Monitor typeDescription
CPU

Select this check box to enable CPU monitoring.

The KM monitors processor statistics such as percentages of CPU usage, CPU idle time, CPU time spent on user and system activities. For a list of attributes, see the CPU (KIS_CPU) monitor type.

This monitor type does not require any configuration because the KM automatically detects and monitors the CPU or multiple CPUs.

Memory

Select this check box to enable Memory monitoring.

The KM enables you to monitor usage of the real memory. The attributes provide a granular breakdown of memory usage. For a list of attributes, see the Memory (KIS_Memory) monitor type.

This monitor type does not require any configuration.

Kernel

Select this check box to enable Kernel monitoring.

The KM monitors various aspects of the kernel. It gathers and stores a number of vital statistics in the KERNEL attributes. It provides information such as Kernel Memory Allocation (KMA) statistics, inode usage, and Kernel usage of system resources. For a list of attributes, see the Kernel (KIS_Kernel) monitor type.

This monitor type does not require any configuration.

NFS

Select this check box to enable NFS monitoring. The Network File System (NFS) provides you with an abstract view of the entire filesystem.

With the NFS monitor type, you can monitor which servers are shared and can be mounted by other computers. You also can manage the NFS counters, resetting them to zero when necessary. For a list of attributes, see the NFS (KIS_NFS) monitor type.

This monitor type does not require any configuration.

Network

Select this check box to enable Network monitoring.

The NETWORK monitor type enables you to view a list of network interfaces available to you, discover the name of individual network interfaces, and monitor the network traffic. For a list of attributes, see the Network (KIS_Network) monitor type.

This monitor type does not require any configuration.

Users

Select this check box to enable Users monitoring.

The KM monitors the resource consumption of individual users as well as the number of users and sessions that run on the system. For a list of attributes, see the Users (KIS_Users) monitor type.

This monitor type does not require any configuration.

Swap

Select this check box to enable Swap monitoring.

The KM enables you to monitor virtual memory. With this feature, you can view how much disk space is available for swapping and how much is currently used for swapping. For a list of attributes, see the Swap (KIS_Swap) monitor type.

This monitor type does not require any configuration.

Virtualization*

Select this check box to enable Virtualization monitoring.

The KM monitors and manages resource pools, zones, and project statistics. You can apply filters to either include or exclude guests from monitoring. For a list of attributes, see the Solaris Virtualization (KIS_Virtualization) monitor type.

To configure filters, see the Virtualization tab following this table.

Services*

Select this check box to enable Services monitoring. The KM monitors the system and application services running on the OS.

For a list of attributes, see the Service (KIS_Service) monitor type. To configure filters, see the Services tab following this table.

Process*

Select this check box to enable Process monitoring. The KM displays statistics on process switches, run queues, messaging, and semaphores and allows you to list zombie processes and change process priorities.

For a list of attributes, see the Process (KIS_Process) monitor type. To configure filters, see the Process tab following this table.

FileSystems*

Select this check box to enable FileSystems monitoring. The KM monitors the filesystems mounted on a system for information such as disk space, inodes, mount and unmount file systems.

For a list of attributes, see the Filesystem (KIS_Filesystem) monitor type. To configure filters, see the FileSystem tab following this table.

Zpool*

Select this check box to enable Zpool monitoring. The KM enables you to view statistical data for Zpools (collection of virtual devices that provide physical storage) created on the computer.

For a list of attributes, see the Zpool (KIS_Zpool) monitor type. To configure filters, see the Zpool tab following this table.

Disk*

Select this check box to enable Disk monitoring. The KM monitors the disk drives that are mounted on a system.

For a list of attributes, see the Disk (KIS_Disk) monitor type. To configure filters, see the Disk tab following this table.

* indicates you can configure filters for this monitor type.

    In Virtualization, you can create filters for Logical Domains and Zones.

    Logical Domain filtering

    Field Description
    LDom Filters
    Exclude LDom Enter the logical domain name or a regular expression to filter logical domains that you want to exclude from monitoring. To exclude multiple logical domains, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions.
    Include LDom

    Enter the guest name or a regular expression to filter guests that you want to include for monitoring. To include multiple logical domains, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions.

    By default all the logical domains are included for monitoring.

    Zone filtering

    Field Description
    Exclude Local Zones

    Enter the zone name or a regular expression to filter zones that you want to exclude from monitoring. To exclude multiple zones, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions.

    Include Local Zones

    Enter the zone name or a regular expression to filter zones that you want to include for monitoring. To include multiple zones, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions.

    By default all the zones are included for monitoring.

    In Services filters you can include or exclude Services based on the Service status or on Service name.

    Field Description
    Exclude Service State

    Select or clear these fields to exclude Services based on their status.

    • Online - Select this checkbox to exclude services with Online state. An Online state indicates that the instance is enabled and running or available to run. The online state is the expected operating state for a correctly configured service instance with all dependencies satisfied.
    • Legacy - Select this checkbox to exclude services with Legacy state. A Legacy state indicates the service is not directly managed by SMF, but it was started at some point. By default, all Services of Legacy type are excluded.
    • Disabled - Select this checkbox to exclude services with Disabled state. A Disabled state indicates that the instance is not enabled and is not running or available to run. By default, all Services of Disabled type are excluded.
    • Maintenance - Select this checkbox to exclude services with Maintenance state. A Maintenance state indicates that the instance is enabled but not able to run. The instance might be transitioning through the maintenance state because an administrative action has not yet completed. Otherwise, administrative action is required to resolve the problem.
    • Offline - Select this checkbox to exclude services with Offline state. An Offline state indicates that the instance is enabled but not running or available to run. For example, if the dependencies of an enabled service are not satisfied, the service is kept in the offline state.
    Include/Exclude Service
    Include Service

    Enter the service name or a regular expression to include multiple services for monitoring. Multiple regular expressions can be separated by using a pipe separator. By default, all the services are included for monitoring.

    Exclude Service Enter the service name or a regular expression to exclude multiple services from monitoring. Multiple regular expressions can be separated by using a pipe separator.

    In process monitoring, you can monitor the Solaris non-global zone processes from a Solaris global zone. 

    Field Description
    Process Label

    Enter a display name (process label) for processes to be monitored. The display name cannot contain special characters . [ ! @ # $ % ? { } ^ \ \ / | + = & * ( ) ) ; ] ) and blank spaces. The label can contain a maximum of 100 characters.
    For example: Display name can be sshd_proc, patrolagent_proc. 

    If you want to monitor a process running inside a non-global zone from a global zone, the process label must be in the following format:
    <Host name of the non-global zone>:<Process Label>

    Process Name String

    Enter a string that matches names of processes to be monitored. Input may also be a regular expression pattern.
    For example:

    • The string can be /usr/sbin/sshd, Patrol.*
    • To monitor PATROL Agent process running on port 3282 enter the regular expression as PatrolAgent -p 3282$

    Note: PATROL monitors all processes that match the string you type in this field. When you enter text in this field, you may end up monitoring multiple processes. For example, if you type vi in this field, PATROL monitors processes named viview, and previous.

    See process configuration examples.

    Minimum Count Select a value to set the minimum number of process instances that may be running on the local computer or in the host group. To monitor multiple instances of the same process, this value must be set to 2 or greater. If the number of running process instances falls below this value, PATROL issues an alert.
    Maximum Count

    Select a value to set the maximum number of process instances that may be running on the local computer or in the host group. If the number of running process instances exceeds this value, PATROL issues an alert.

    Note: The value in the Maximum Count field must be equal to or greater than the value in the Minimum Count field.

    Acceptable process owner

    Enter the user IDs for the accounts that may own the process. Separate multiple user IDs with spaces. 

    Regular expressions are supported.

    Use Process Owners for Filtering

    Select this check box to filter processes based on the process owners.

    Note: Because the process filtering for the processes is based on owners, the owner of the processes is always a subset of the provided owner set. Thereby, the Process ownership check (OwnerCheck) parameter is deactivated when the Use Process Owners for Filtering check box is selected.

    Parent Process ID Must Be 1

    Select this check box if the processes should have their parent process id as 1. A process with a PPID of 1 is owned by init, or the UNIX scheduler.
    Filter Processes with Parent Process ID 1 If you select this check box, only the processes having parent process ID as 1 are filtered. If you do not select the check box, the processes are filtered irrespective of their parent process ID. The processes are not filtered by parent process ID 1 if the Parent Process ID Must Be 1 check box is cleared. If you select the Parent Process ID Must Be 1 check box, and if you filter processes with parent process ID 1, the Parent PID is 1 (ParentPID1) parameter is deactivated.
    Process Alert Options
    Alert Delay Count Select a value to set the number of collection intervals that this host will defer an alert while it waits for the process count to be reestablished across the host or group. If you delay the alert, the system has time to detect that a process has died and restart it automatically before PATROL issues an alarm.
    Alert State

    Click the drop-down list button in the Alert State field and select the state change (ALARM or WARNING) that occurs when the minimum or maximum process count is exceeded and the alert delay count reaches 0. The state change applies to the following attributes:

    Note: The alert thresholds for Process count check (CountCheck) must not be modified for the product to work as designed. Alerts for process presence monitoring are generated based on the Process count check (CountCheck) parameter, which has the following thresholds defined:

    • 0 for OK
    • 1 for WARNING
    • 2 for ALARM

    Process configuration examples 

    The following table demonstrates how specific filters are processed by the filter rules:

    Scenario Example Comments

    To receive an alert if the process count drops below
    or exceeds the predefined number of processes

    Process Label: bash

    Process Name String: bash.*

    Minimum count: 5

    Maximum count: 15

    None

    To monitor processes started by authorized users and
    receive an alert if an unauthorized user starts a process

    Process Label: bash

    Process Name String: bash.*

    Minimum count: 5

    Maximum count: 15

    Acceptable process owner: abc

    If "xyz" user starts bash process
    Process ownership check (OwnerCheck) attribute raises an alarm.
    To monitor process started by a specific user and
    exclude processes started by other users

    Process Label: bash

    Process Name String: bash.*

    Minimum count: 5

    Maximum count: 15

    Acceptable process owner: abc|pqr|xyz

    Use Process Owners for Filtering?: Select the checkbox

    A pipe-separated list or a regular expression of
    acceptable process owners.

    Here, abc, pqr and xyz are acceptable process owners.

    To monitor processes whose Parent Process ID is one

    Process Label: bash

    Process Name String: bash.*

    Minimum count: 5

    Maximum count: 15

    Parent Process ID must be 1: Select the checkbox

    Filter Processes with Parent Process ID 1: Do not select the checkbox

    This configuration is suitable for system processes with parent process ID 1.

    If for some process, the parent PID is not 1, ProcessParentPID1

    would be in WARN/ALARM state.
    To filter processes whose Parent Process ID is one

    Process Label: bash

    Process Name String: bash.*

    Minimum count: 5

    Maximum count: 15

    Parent Process ID must be 1: Select checkbox

    Filter Processes with Parent Process ID 1: Select checkbox

    Exclude all processes which match the Process Name String criteria but whose parent PID is not 1
    To delay alert by 'N' number of collections

    Process Label: bash

    Process Name String: bash.*

    Minimum count: 5

    Maximum count: 15

    Alert Delay Count: 3

    Alert State: Warning or Alarm

    This delays an alert if some process violates the set minimum or maximum limit.

    To avoid delay and get immediate alert if a process
    violates configured minimum or maximum thresholds

    Process Label: bash

    Process Name String: bash.*

    Minimum count: 5

    Maximum count: 15

    Alert Delay Count: 0

    Alert State: Warning or Alarm

    None
    To monitor processes that begin with /usr/sbin

    Process Label: bash sys_processes

    Process Name String: bash.* ^/usr/sbin

    Monitors all the processes that
    begin with /usr/sbin

    Monitor processes like:

    /usr/sbin/sshd

    /usr/sbin/syslogd

    /usr/sbin/inetd

    In FileSystem filtering you can include or exclude FileSystems based on the FileSystem name or type.

    Field Description
    Exclude Filesystem

    Enter the filesystem name or a regular expression to exclude filesystems from monitoring. To exclude multiple filesystems, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions. To exclude the root filesystem use the ^/$ regular expression.

    If the rules are equally specific (if you exclude a file, and include the same file) then exclude takes precedence over include.

    Include Filesystem

    Enter the filesystem name or a regular expression to include filesystems for monitoring. To include multiple filesystems, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions. To include the root filesystem use the ^/$ regular expression.

    Type Based Filters
    FileSystem types to filter

    Enter the FileSystem type that you want to filter.

    FileSystem types are:

    DEV, FD, DEVFS, PROC, LOFSPROCFS, CTFS, FIFOFS, FDFS, MNTFS, NAMEFS, OBJFS, SHAREFS, SPECFS, SWAPFS

    Instance Persistence (Type Based)
    Ignore Persistence

    Enter the FileSystem types for which persistence monitoring must be denied. The corresponding filesystem instances are destroyed from PATROL Agent. The Mount status (MountStatus) attribute is not set to alarm if the filesystem is unmounted. If such filesystems are mounted again, the instances are rediscovered.

    Multiple FileSystems can be separated by using a space character.

    In Zpool filtering, you can include or exclude one or multiple Zpools from monitoring.

    Field Description
    Zpool Filters
    Exclude Zpool

    Enter the Zpool name or a regular expression to exclude Zpools from monitoring. To exclude multiple Zpools, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions.

    Include Zpool

    Enter the Zpool name or a regular expression to include Zpools for monitoring. To include multiple Zpools, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions. By default, all the discovered Zpools are included for monitoring.

    Field Description
    Disk Filters
    Exclude Disk

    Enter the disk name or a regular expression to filter disks that you want to exclude from monitoring. To exclude multiple disks, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions.

    If the rules are equally specific (if you exclude a disk, and include the same disk) then exclude takes precedence over include. 

    Include Disk

    Enter the disk name or a regular expression to filter disks that you want to include for monitoring. To include multiple disks, enter a comma-separated list of regular expressions.

    By default all the disks are included for monitoring.

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    Comments

    1. Javier Hernandez

      Which is the list of Solaris OS supported by remote monitoring? is it different than the list of Solaris OS supported locally? for instance, is OpenSolaris supported remotely? (we don't see OpenSolaris supported locally)

      Mar 07, 2019 06:51
      1. Shweta Patil

        Thank you for your comment, Javier. Will take this up with the product team and get back to you.

        Mar 07, 2019 08:03