Using the Windows Gateway Server Collect Data application

The following procedure describes how to collect data using the Collect Data application.:

• • To collect data using the Collect Data application
  • Transferring collected data
  • To transfer UDR data
  • Other options with the Collect Data wizard

To collect data using the Collect Data application

1. Select Start > Programs > BMC > Perform > Collect Data.
   Collect Data

   

    

2. Start collecting data by clicking the green stoplight button on the top-left, Start a collect process on a Console or Agent computer. This opens the Collect wizard.
3. On the Welcome page, click Next.
4. Specify the collection mode:
   • Standard Mode is for normal data collection.
   • Secure Mode is used when collecting data without a network.
   • Collect from a policy file uses the mode defined in the file.
5. Click Next to select the computers for collection.
6. In the Select Computers page, enter the names of the computers from which you want to collect data, separated by a comma.
    After you have entered a computer it will be available from the subsequent list.

7. Alternatively, you can select File with a list of computers to collect and browse to a text file containing a list of computers.
   E-mail Notification

   

   The E-mail Notification button opens a window where you can add an e-mail address. In order for e-mail notification to work, e-mail must be configured in the Perform Agent Setup control panel applet. See Agent-cfg-basic-options.
   Subsystem Options

   

    

8. Type the Application database instance for which Collect is to log data.
    The instance name must match the name of the database server running on the computer.
   Repositories and Actions

   

    

9. Use the fields in this dialog box to establish locations for collection results. You can also use this dialog box to set up a push or pull data request.
   Data Collection Frequency

   

    

10. Use the settings in this dialog box to define how data is collected, summarized, and saved.
    Collection Schedule

    

     

11. Use the up and down arrows to set the collection time.
12. To start a collection on a date in the future, check Begin and end by date and time on the lower part of the dialog box. Use the arrows in the appropriate fields to set the date and time for the collection.
    
    The last dialog box in the Collect Data wizard is Completing the Collect Wizard. Information about your data collection will appear in this dialog box. After you have verified it is correct, click Finish to complete the collection setup process.

Transferring collected data

Use the UDR Data Transfer utility to transfer compressed or uncompressed UDR data from one computer to another. You can transfer data from a remote agent or console computer (for example, if you want to transfer data from multiple agents).

You can also filter the list of available UDR data. For example, your source computer contains UDR data from many nodes, but you are only interested in data from a select few. You can use filters to display only those nodes with the data you want to transfer.

To transfer data you select a remote (source) computer, define any necessary data filters, and select the repository from which to list the available UDR data. The list displays all nodes from the repository with data that is available for transfer. You select the nodes that you are interested in and specify the start and end dates.

To transfer UDR data

1. From the Start menu, select Programs > BMC Software > Gateway Server > Collect Data.
   This opens the Collect Data component.
2. Click Transfer UDR data, located on the top-right.
3. On the Welcome page, click Next.
4. On the Select Remote Computer & Computer Repository page, make the appropriate modifications:
   • In Remote Computer, enter the name or IP address of the source computer (running agent or console) from which you want to transfer the data.
   • In Local Computer Repository, enter the path to the local directory where the data will be saved. Click Browse if you prefer to navigate to the directory.
   • Select Compressed if you want compressed data included in the list of available UDR data. By default, only uncompressed data is listed.
5. Click Next.
6. (optional)On the Select Computer & Domain/Policy for filtering page, enter the name of the node whose data you want to transfer. If you do not specify a filter, available data from all nodes on the source computer will be listed.
   • Use a wildcard character (*) to filter all nodes with a similar name. For example, entering bmc in this field displays all nodes with "bmc" in their name.
   • Click Advanced to open the Domain/Policy Selection dialog box, where you can select a domain or policy file to filter the list. Only data from the nodes specified in the domain or policy file will be displayed.
7. Click Next.
8. (optional) On the Select Remote UDR Repository page, specify a particular repository on the source computer from which to list the UDR data. If you do not specify a repository, the default agent repository will be used.
9. Click Next.
   The Select UDR Nodes for transfer page appears with a progress screen that tracks the transfer utility as it processes the information and prepares the list of nodes with available UDR data. You can click Stop at any time to abort the listing process. If you do this, you will not be able to proceed with the data transfer. A partial list of nodes might appear after you click Stop, depending on which nodes the utility located before you aborted the process. If the list is not complete, a Finish button appears on the page instead of a Next button. In order to transfer UDR data, you must complete the listing process.

10. Select the node(s) for which you want to transfer data or click All UDR Nodesto transfer data for all of the nodes in the list.

    Note

    You must select a node in order to continue, even if there is only one node in the list.

11. Click Next.
    The Select Time frame for transfer page appears with a progress screen that tracks the transfer utility as it checks the UDR data collection dates for the selected nodes. You can click Stop at any time to abort the listing process. If you do this, you will not be able to proceed with the data transfer. A part of the date information might appear after you click Stop, depending on which nodes the utility checked before you aborted the process. If the list is not complete, a Finish button appears on the page instead of a Next button. In order to transfer UDR data, you must complete the listing process.
12. Specify the collection start and end dates for the UDR data you want to transfer. Only dates within the range specified in the Start Date and End Datefields can be selected. You have two options:
    • Leave the dates as they are to transfer available data from all collection dates.

    • Use the down arrows to modify the dates and only transfer available data from a specific date or date range.

      Note

      The following is true when specifying collection dates:

      • If you selected one node and the dates shown in Start Date and End Date are the same, there is only one collection date available for the node.
      • If you selected one node and the dates shown in Start Date and End Date are different, there is more than one collection date available for the node.
      • If you selected more than one node, the dates shown in Start Date and End Date may be different depending on the collection dates scheduled for the individual nodes.
      • If you selected ten nodes, but specify a collection date for which only one node has available data, only the data for that one node will be transferred.

13. Click Next.
    The UDR Data Transferring page appears with a table listing the selected nodes, data collection start times, and transfer status. You can stop the transfer at any time by clicking the Stopbutton. If you do this, the utility completes any transfers currently in progress and discontinues any pending transfers. Once the data is retrieved the page title changes to: UDR Data Transfer completed successfully.

    Note

    The transfer utility retrieves data for each selected node in the following order:

    • The repository entered in the Remote Computer UDR Repository field (if specified).
    • The default agent repository.
14. Do one or more of the following:
    • Click any of the column headings to sort the table by that column.
    • Click Save to save the displayed list in CSV format.
    • Click Back to select and transfer additional UDR data from other remote computers.
    • Click Finish to exit the wizard.

The UDR Data Transfer utility saves the parameters you entered and loads them automatically the next time you run the wizard. The parameters are saved in the following directory:

• On Windows:   %BEST1_COLLECT_HOME%\local\setup\best1CollectGUITransfer.opt
• On UNIX:   $BEST1_HOME/local/setup/best1CollectGUITransfer.opt

Other options with the Collect Data wizard

Collect Data shows the opening window of the Collect Data wizard. In addition to setting up a data collection, you can stop a running collect process, query to obtain information about a collect process, or view the Command Line Interface parameters.