Monitor script output on Collection Agent

You can create a data collector for monitoring data that is generated as a result of running a script on the remote computer.

You cannot use this data collector to collect data that is generated as a result of running the binary files (or executable files). For example, .exe files on the Windows platform.

To configure script output as a data collector

1. Navigate to Administration > Data Collectors > Add Data Collector .
2. In the Name box, provide a unique name to identify this data collector.
3. From the Type list, select Monitor Script Output on Collection Agent.

4. Provide the following information, as appropriate:

    

   Field	Description
   Target/Collection Host
   Collection Host (Agent)	Select the collection host depending on whether you want to use the Collection Station or the Collection Agent to perform data collection. The collection host is the computer on which the Collection Station or the Collection Agent is located. By default, the Collection Station is already selected. You can either retain the default selection or select the Collection Agent. Note: For this type of data collector, the target host and collection host are expected to have same values.
   Collector Inputs
   Script Path	Provide the complete path to the script that you want to execute on the remote computer for retrieving data. You can also pass parameters dynamically while executing the script. For example, you can execute the following script that takes the input parameter as your name and prints "Hello."   Script example #!/bin/bash echo "Hello $1" In this case, you must enter script.sh MyName in this field. where: script.sh is the name of the file in which you saved the preceding script. MyName refers to the name that you want to pass as the input parameter. Note: If there is a space character in your script path, then you must enclose the script path with double quotes (").
   Pattern	Select the appropriate data pattern to use for indexing the data file. To select an option, you can do one of the following: Manually scan through the list available and select a data pattern. Filter the relevant data patterns that match the file. To find a list of relevant data patterns, click Filter Relevant Data Pattern next to this field. Click Refresh to refresh the filtered list and see the complete list of data patterns available. After selecting an option, click Preview parsed log entries to preview the sample data entries parsed. By looking at the preview of records, you can understand how the data will be indexed and be made available for searching. If you are not satisfied with the results of the selected data pattern, continue to look for another option and see the preview, until the results match your expectations. If you do not find a data pattern that matches your file, select Add Data Pattern available at the end of the list. By selecting this option, you are redirected to the Administration > Data Patterns page where you can create a new data pattern or customize an existing data pattern by cloning it. For more information, see Managing data patterns.
   Script Time Out (mins)	Specify the time duration (in minutes) after which the script must time out. By default, this value is set to 1.
   Poll Interval (mins)	Specify the interval (in minutes) after which the script must be executed and the script output data must be collected. By default, this value is set to 1. If you want to execute the script only once and collect the output data, then specify the value of this field as 0. The value of this field is passed as the last argument to the script.
   Time Zone	By default, the Use file time zone option is selected. This means the data is indexed as per the time zone available in the data file. If the data file does not contain a timezone, then the by default the time zone of the Collection Host (Collection Station or Collection Agent) server is used. You can also manually select a timezone from the list available. This timezone must match the timezone of the server from which you want to collect data. If your data file contains a timezone and you manually specify the timezone, then the manually specified timezone overrides the file timezone.
   Start Collection	(Optional) Select this check box if you want to start the data collection immediately.

   Tags (optional)
   Inherit Host Level Tags From Target Host	Select this check box to inherit your tag selections associated with the target host that you selected earlier. This option is not applicable if you did not select a target host.
   Select Tag name	You can manually add tags by selecting one of the tags in the list, specifying a corresponding value, and clicking Add . The list of added tags is displayed in the Tags pane on the Search tab. Click Remove Tag to remove a tag.
   Group Access (optional)
   Inherit Host Level Access Groups From Target Host	Select this check box to inherit your group access configurations associated with the target host that you selected earlier. This option is not applicable if you did not select a target host.
   Select All Groups	Select this option if you want to select all user groups. You can also manually select multiple user groups. If you do not select any user groups and data access control is not enabled, then by default all users can access data retrieved by this data collector. You can restrict access permissions by selecting the relevant user groups that must be given access permissions. To enable data access control, navigate to Administration > System Settings. If you do not select any user group and data access control is enabled, then only the creator of the data collector has access to data retrieved by this data collector. For more information, see Managing user groups.

5. Click Check to ensure that all mandatory fields are filled in and to ensure that no errors are detected.
6. Click Create to save your changes.

Related topic

Known and corrected issues