P - T

PATROL Agent run queue

A prescheduled set of actions, such as application discovery and parameter execution, to be carried out by the PATROL Agent.

Parameter

A characteristic that is assigned to an object (computer class, computer instance, application class, application instance, or parameter) and that you can use to monitor and manage that object. Computers and applications can have attributes such as command type, parameter, menu command, InfoBox command, BMC PATROL setup command, state change action, or environment variable. Parameters can have attributes such as scheduling, command type, and thresholds. An attribute can be defined globally for all instances of a class or locally for a particular computer or application instance. An instance inherits attributes from a class; however, an attribute defined at the instance level overrides inherited attributes.

Parameter cache

The memory location where current parameter data is kept. In the PATROL Agent's configuration file, you can set the size of the cache, the maximum number of data points that can be stored, and the interval (in seconds) for emptying the cache.

Parameter state

The condition of a parameter. The most common parameter states are OK, warning, and alarm. A parameter icon can show additional conditions, including no history, offline, and suspended.

PATROL Agent

PATROL Agent is a framework that provides an interface to collect information about the resources of a monitored computer through a set of files called Knowledge Modules (KMs).

PATROL Agent configuration file

A file in which you can define the characteristics of the PATROL Agent by setting PATROL Agent configuration variables. You can edit the configuration file by using the pconfig utility, the wpconfig utility, or the xpconfig utility.

PATROL Agent configuration variable

Use the PATROL Agent configuration variable through which the characteristics of a PATROL Agent are defined. Configuration variables determine such characteristics as how errors are handled, which Knowledge Modules (KMs) are loaded and how, how Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) support is configured, and how events trigger SNMP traps.

PATROL Agent namespace

A memory array that contains an internal representation of the object hierarchy.

PATROL Agent process cache

A snapshot of the operating system process table on a monitored computer. The agent process cache is updated periodically.

PATROL Agent process cache refresh

A periodic process of the PATROL Agent that issues a platform-dependent system query to obtain a list of the active processes. This data is used to update the PATROL Agent process cache.

PATROL roles

In BMC PATROL 3.x , a set of permissions that grant or remove the ability of a PATROL Agent to perform certain functions. PATROL roles are defined in the PATROL User Roles file.

PATROL SNMP Master Agent

The agent through which a PATROL Agent interacts with a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent and SNMP manager. The PATROL Master Agent configuration file contains the community name and port number for all agents in such a multiple-agent architecture.

pconfig

The command line utility for setting PATROL Agent configuration variables.

Recovery action

A procedure that attempts to fix a problem that caused a warning or alarm condition. A recovery action is defined within a parameter by a user and is triggered when the returned parameter value is within a defined alarm range.

Refresh parameter

An action that forces the PATROL Agent to run one or more parameters immediately, regardless of their polling cycle. Refreshing parameters does not reset the polling cycle but gathers a new data point between polling cycles.

Self-polling parameter

A standard parameter that starts a process that runs indefinitely. The started process periodically polls the resource that it is monitoring and emits a value that is captured by the PATROL Agent and published as the parameter value. Self-polling avoids the overhead of frequently starting external processes to collect a monitored value. A self-polling parameter differs from most other parameters that run scripts for a short time and then terminate until the next poll time.

Simple discovery

A type of application discovery that uses simple pattern matching for identifying and monitoring files and processes.

Snooze an alarm

To temporarily suspend an alarm so that a parameter does not exhibit an alarm state. During the user-set snooze period, the parameter continues to run commands and recovery actions, and the parameter icon appears to be in an OK state.

State

The condition of an object (computer instance, application instance, or parameter) monitored by the PATROL Agent. The most common states are OK, warning, and alarm. Object icons can show additional conditions.