About BMC Event Adapters

This topic provides an overview of the BMC Event Adapters and their functionality.

Adapters overview

A cell collects source events from the IT assets through the use of event adapters. Event adapters prepare the source event data for processing by the cell event processor.

A cell provides the following types of adapters:

• BMC Event Log Adapter for Windows (BMC ELA), which collects source events from the Windows Event Log
• BMC Event Adapters (BMC EA):
  • LogFile Adapter
  • SNMP Adapter
  • Perl EventLog Adapter for Windows
  • IP Adapters

Each adapter, regardless of type, consists of the following functions:

• Parser—The parser separates the data stream (source events) into records and fields by using regular expressions. The BMC Event Log Adapter for Windows does not use a parser.
• Map file—The Map file designates how the parsed data is mapped to event slots (fields in an event records). Map files can also be used to filter out unwanted events and to change or add data in the source event. The BMC Event Log Adapter for Windows does not use a map file.
• Event class definitions—The mapped events must be translated into Basic Recorder of Objects in C (BAROC) language structures. The translated event data becomes a cell event instance.
• Configuration—The adapter configuration defines an instance of an adapter type, the parser to use, parameters specific to an adapter type, and the cell to which the adapter must forward the events.

The adapters run as background processes and generate self-monitoring events that can be viewed in the operator console.

The SNMP Adapter Configuration Manager, a component of the BMC Event Adapters, automates the task of converting information from Management Information Base (MIB) files into cell classes.

The SNMP Adapter Configuration Manager product requires a separate installation. For instructions, see Install and upgrade considerations for BMC Event Adapters.