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Setting up data collection for Command Usage reports

The Command Usage reports allow you to monitor the execution of various commands on servers and when those commands have been executed. This topic provides an overview of how data is collected for these reports and how to create a Network Shell Script job to collect data.

These reports provide information derived from logs recorded by Remote System Call Daemon (RSCD) agents. The Command Usage reports can also help you troubleshoot issues with particular servers. For the Command Usage built-in reports, see Built-in-Command-Usage-reports.

You collect data for the Command Usage reports using the collect_agent_logs.nsh script, which copies data from agent logs on specified target servers to files on the reports server. Use the script to create a BMC Server Automation Network Shell Script Job that you can run on a regular basis. You can execute the job for a one-time run or you can create a schedule for the job.

Warning

Note

When a Network Shell user has the same user ID as a BMC Server Automation user, the Command Usage reports merge activity associated with those IDs. If you want to view the BMC Server Automation activity of a user separately from that Network Shell activity, you must set up different user IDs for that user on BMC Server Automation and the servers where the user accesses Network Shell.

The script is included in the Inventory-Templates.zip file, which is located in the BDSSAInstallationDirectory/contents directory.

Warning

Note

Some earlier versions of BMC Server Automation use a different content download file. 

Before you create the Network Shell Script Job, you need to install the collect_agent_logs.nsh script. For more information, see Installing-Inventory-templates-and-other-scripts.

To create a Network Shell Script Job for the collect_agent_logs.nsh script

  1. Create the 

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    Script Job with the target for which you want to collect the agent logs. 
    The details about parameters and flags that you can set are included in the table in this section. For information about how to create a Network Shell Script Job, see Creating Network Shell Script Jobs.

  2. Create a schedule for the job, if you want to run it on a schedule. When you create a 

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    Script Job using the collect_agent_logs.nsh script, you specify the parameters and flags to be used when the job runs. 

    The following table lists the parameters and flags that you can specify in the Parameters panel of the job creation wizard. Include all mandatory parameters and any the optional parameters that you want used when the job runs.

    Parameter

    Required?

    Description/Value

    COLLECT_AGENT_LOG_SERVER

    Yes

    The reports server name on which the agent logs are stored after they are collected from the agents/servers.
    This reports server name must be the same as the server on which the agent log destination folder is located. You provide that location during the product installation.
    For details and default installation locations, see Installation-worksheets.

    COLLECT_AGENT_LOG_LOCATION

    Yes

    The directory in which the agent logs are stored.
    This location should be the same as the agent log destination folder that you provided during the product installation.
    The default location is BBDSSAInstallationDirectory/AgentLogs.
    For example, on Microsoft Windows, if the BMC BladeLogic Decision Support for Server Automation is installed in C:\Program Files\BMC Software\BladeLogic\Reports.

    Enter the path in NSH format, for example, /C/Program Files/BMC Software/BladeLogic/Reports/AgentLogs.
    For details and default installation locations, see Installation-worksheets.

    BL_SITE_ID

    Yes

    The BMC Server Automation site ID for the BMC Server Automation site from which the collect_agents_logs script is being run. (You could have multiple BMC Server Automation sites in your BMC BladeLogic Decision Support for Server Automation installation and need to use the ID used in the BMC BladeLogic Decision Support for Server Automation installation.)

    The site ID should be a valid ID from the BL_SITE table.
    You can determine the site ID using the Report Administration Utility show site command. For more information, see Report-Administration-Utility-commands.

It is customary to set Parallelism to 20 or less.

After you run the job and the logs are present on the server, you run ETL by using an NSH script to transfer the data to the data warehouse and make it available for the Command Usage reports. While running ETL, provide the agentlogs.properties file as the value for the -f argument. For information about running ETL, see Running-ETL-using-an-NSH-script. For information about the agentlogs.properties file, see agentlogs-properties-file.

 

Related topic

Built-in-Command-Usage-reports

 

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BMC Decision Support for Server Automation 8.3