Monitor script output over SSH

You can create a data collector for monitoring data that is generated as a result of running a script by using an SSH connection.

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.

Recommendation

BMC recommends that you to not use scripts with infinite loops and provide a timeout duration so that you do not face issues with data collection.

This topic contains the following information:

Related topics

Where to find more information

Managing-data-collectors

To configure script output (using SSH) as a data collector

  1. Navigate to Administration > Data Collectors > Add Data CollectorPlus icon.jpg.
  2. In the Name box, provide a unique name to identify this data collector.
  3. From the Type list, select Monitor script output over SSH.

  4. Provide the following information, as appropriate:

     

    Field

    Description

    Target/Collection Host

    Target Host

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    Collection Host (Agent)

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    Note: For this type of data collector, the target host and collection host are expected to have different values.

    Collector Inputs

    Server Name

    The host name of the server on which the data is generated as a result of running the script.

    Note: If you selected a target host earlier, this field is automatically populated.

    Credentials

    (Optional) Select one of the following options:

    • Apply security credential to automatically populate the user name and password fields.
      Then select the appropriate credential (profile) from the Available Credential list that you already configured under Administration > Credentials.
    • Provide Credential to manually add user name and password credentials.
      Then enter the credentials in the User Name and Password fields.
      You can also create a credential that uses the manually entered details by clicking Add Credential small plus.jpg next to the Password field.

    User Name

    Provide the user name for connecting with the server from which you want to retrieve the data.

    Note: This field is disabled if you applied a security profile earlier.

    The product supports only password-based authentication for connecting with the SSH server.

    Password

    Provide the password for connecting with the server from which you want to retrieve the data.

    Click Add Credential small plus.jpg, provide a credential name, and click OK to create a new credential (profile) from the credentials that you provided in the user name and password fields. Once this credential is created, it is displayed under Administration > Credentials.

    Note: This field is disabled if you applied a security credential earlier.

    Host Key Fingerprint

    (Optional) Provide the fingerprint of the RSA host key to connect with the server from which you want to retrieve the data.

    This is the host key that is configured to be used by the SSH server with which you want to connect.

    Example: bc:e1:44:56:bd:b1:4d:b9:6f:4c:a4:ca:07:69:5c:66

    Tip: To get the RSA host key fingerprint, you might want to contact your SSH server administrator.
    For more information, see About-the-SSH-host-key-fingerprint (BMC contributor page).

    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 one of the directory names in your script path, then you must enclose the directory name with double quotes (").

    Pattern

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    Date Format

    Select a date format to use for indexing the timestamp in the data file.

    To select an option, you can do one of the following:

    • Filter the relevant data formats that match the file.
      To find a list of relevant data patterns, click Filter Relevant Data Pattern and Date Formatfilter icon.jpgnext to the Pattern field. Click RefreshRefresh.png to refresh the filtered list and see the complete list of data patterns available.
    • Manually scan through the list available and select a date format.

    After selecting an option, click Preview parsed log entriespreview icon.jpg 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 do not find a relevant date format, you can also create a new date format by selecting the Create new Date Format option.

    Notes:

    • If you select both – a pattern and a date format, then the date format specified takes precedence over the date format from the pattern that you selected. So the timestamp is indexed as per the specified date format, and the rest of the data is indexed as per the pattern.
    • If you select only a date format, then the date format is used for indexing the timestamp, while the rest of the data is displayed in a raw format in your search results.

    Script Time Out (mins)

    Specify the time duration (in minutes) after which the script must time out. By default, this value is set to 10.

    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

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    Start Collection

    (Optional) Select this check box if you want to start the data collection immediately.

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    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 Plus icon.jpg. The list of added tags is displayed in the Tags pane on the Search tab.
    Click Remove Tag Delete icon.jpgto 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 Create to save your changes.

What to do if an error occurs

To understand the troubleshooting scenarios related to this data collector, see Common-troubleshooting-issues with the Category filter set to Data collection.

 

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