Installation and packaging requirements

For PATROL 3.5 and 7. x components, KMs require several different packages to install the correct files and resources on the appropriate components. For PATROL 3.5, KMs have a console and agent package. However, with PATROL 7. x architecture, KMs need to install files to Agents, consoles, console servers, Web servers, and other components as they become available.

For more information about packaging KMs for PATROL 3.5 and 7. x, see Packaging KMs for PATROL 3.5 and PATROL 7.x.

This topics contains the following sections:

Install and uninstall properly

The KM must install and uninstall on all supported platforms.

Note

When the KM is uninstalled, it must remove all installed files and remove any system settings. User-created files remain after the uninstall. Exceptions can be made for files that are shared by other applications, such as common DLLs. Any files or system settings left after the KM is uninstalled must be documented in the product documentation.

Support disabling auto generation of 8.3 filenames on Windows

The KM must install and function on a Microsoft Windows server when the user has disabled the auto generation of 8.3 filenames.

The following registry key must be changed to 1 in order to test this setting (1 = auto generation disabled, 0 = auto generation enabled):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem/NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation. This setting is currently available on NT 4.0 through Windows Server 2003.

Assume that auto generation of 8.3 filenames is disabled prior to the installation of PATROL and is never enabled during the lifetime of the PATROL installation.

Note

By default, Microsoft Windows automatically generates 8.3 filenames to make the operating system backwards compatible with applications built prior to the long file name convention. For security reasons, Microsoft now recommends disabling the automatic generation of 8.3 filenames.

Explanation: When Windows uses 8.3 file name auto generation, c:\program files can also be resolved as c:\progra~1. An application requesting a dir listing of c:\progra~1 would get the contents of c:\program files. Note that it is possible for a server to have 8.3 filenames generated for some directories that existed before the setting was modified. For example, in many customer environments where cases have been reported, the % PATROL_HOME % environment variable returns c:\progra~1\BMC Software\Patrol3. Many KMs in the past have expected the % PATROL_HOME% environment variable to contain no spaces, so when it does, the KMs have failed, usually due to parsing errors.

For additional information, refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 121007.

Do not change core product files

The KM must not make modifications to ALL_COMPUTERS or any OS-type KM file.

If it is absolutely necessary to make run-time modifications to these classes, see Altering core product KMs.

Provide at least one KML file

The KM package must include at least one .kml file to load the product.

One .kml file is required because the PATROL Consoles show .kml files by default when the user is loading KMs.

You can specifiy the .kml file in the /AgentSetup/disabledKMs and /AgentSetup/preloadedKMs Agent configuration variables that help in loading and disable loading of whole set of KMs that are part of the .kml file.

Include a package MOF file

The KM package must include a package.mof file for the PATROL Console Server.

See the following sections for more information about the package.mof file:

Use KM directives in KM files

The KM must include the KM directives that identify the KM in all .KM files.

For more information about the .KM file directives, see KM directives.

Provide resource files for KM images

The KM must include a resource.mk4 file that includes icons and images for the KM.

For more information about the resource.mk4 file, see the following sections:

Provide a list of files and system values

The KM must provide documentation with a list of all files installed and all system values set by the KM.

For more information about the required list of files and system values, see Supplying a list of files and system values.

Start package names with the KM prefix

The KM installation package names must start with the KM developed record or KM prefix.

Install shipped RuleSets in standard directory

The KM must install the RuleSets in the standard KM RuleSet directory.

For more information about installing PATROL Configuration Manager RuleSets, see Installing RuleSets in standard PCM directory.

Do not add the .km or .kml files in the preload list

With version 9.0.00 of PATROL Agent, support for monitoring instances through the BMC ProactiveNet Central Monitoring Administration console is available. With this support, you can directly add policies by using the Central Monitoring Administration console and the PATROL Configuration Manager (PCM) for loading the KMs. Therefore, during the KM installation, or while running the KM, BMC recommends that you not add the .km or the .kml files in the preload list of KMs. For more information, see the Building a PATROL Knowledge Module Developers Guide.