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This documentation supports the 22.1 version of BMC Service Level Management.To view an earlier version, select the version from the Product version menu.

BMC Service Level Management Engine overview

The main function of the Business Rule Interpretation Engine (BMC SLM Engine) is to interpret stored rules when they are created to construct the filters needed to implement these rules. The engine runs continuously as a Microsoft Windows process or a UNIX daemon under armonitor, similar to the Assignment Engine and Approval Engine. The command line to start the engine is in the armonitor.cfg file in the conf subfolder of the AR System install folder. The BMC SLM engine starts when AR System starts.

Along with the BMC SLM engine, another the Application Dispatcher (arsvcdsp) engine acts as a "command controller" for all engines running under AR System. It receives commands queued in the Application Pending form and sends a signal to "wake up" the engine that needs to process each command, based on the category. The dispatcher is installed as part of AR System and works with any engine that runs under AR monitor.

The SLM:RuleDefinition form is the main form that the BMC SLM engine references. It contains reference to each object needed to create a filter. The metadata needed by the engine to generate the structures needed to create a filter is stored in back-end forms.

The SLM:RuleDefinition form triggers building of these filters by issuing the following application command:

Application-Command BR-BRIE Create-Rule

BR-BRIE is the category of this command and Create-Rule is the command received by the engine. When a filter executes this command, an entry is created in the Application Pending form. This triggers the Application Dispatcher engine to evaluate this command and trigger the BMC SLM Engine to start processing.

The following image shows the back-end forms or metadata used by the BMC SLM engine and how it translates to an auto-generated filter. In AR System , each part of the auto-generated filter can be mapped to data in one of these back-end forms.

SLM Engine Overview-1New.png


BMC Service Level Management rules and associations

Every auto-generated filter in BMC Service Level Management is a "Rule," and has an entry in the SLM:RuleDefinition form. Each rule must have one event, one condition and one or more actions. These rules must be associated to a form that is registered by an ID (unique GUID) in the SLM:Object form.

The SLM:RuleDefinition form contains a list of all auto-generated filters built by BMC Service Level Management. Using the GUID from the InstanceId (field 179) from this form, you can search on the SLM:Association form to view the event, condition, action and object associated with this rule.

BMC Service Level Management rule actions

Actions are somewhat different from other associations to a rule because a sequence of actions can be associated to one rule. The action forms are designed so all actions are derived from the SLM:Rule Action base action form. The main actions supported are:

  • Set Value Action
    • Set Value
    • Set Fields
    • Push Field
  • Alert Action
  • Run Process Action

An action of type Action Sequence is used internally to form a list of actions in a sequence (a set of milestone actions). The Alert action is implemented internally as a Push Field action that pushes the alert data in the SLM:RuleActionNotifier back-end form, which in response sends an alert or email.

The following image shows the relationships of Rule Actions.

SLM Engine Overview-2.png


 

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BMC Service Level Management 22.1