Introduction
Robot Network, Fortra network management software, is designed to manage IBM i networks running Robot Automated Operations Solution products. It communicates with enterprise monitoring software through Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) traps.
-
SNMP is a popular TCP/IP network management standard, supported by most UNIX-based and NT-based enterprise monitoring tools.
-
“Trap” is a generic term referring to a software packet containing data (such as system exceptions) that is stored in a defined data structure called a Management Information Base (MIB) for interpretation and use by enterprise monitoring software.
When exceptions occur on an IBM i server, Robot Network builds an SNMP event trap using the Robot Network MIB structure. Robot Network creates an SNMP event trap whenever it receives an exception status from any node in the network and when it acknowledges the status. Each trap contains data describing the event that lead to its creation.
The event trap is passed to the enterprise monitor, which collects it, interprets its contents based on its copy of the Robot Network MIB structure, and displays it in a format determined by the site. This information allows the enterprise administrator to take care of the problem (or pass the information to a knowledgeable source), and handle the exception. This communication is two-way: events are sent to the enterprise monitor, which returns replies to Robot Network.
Two-way SNMP
Two-way SNMP allows users to reply to Robot Console messages and acknowledge Robot Network events from their enterprise monitor.
-
When an inquiry message arrives on the IBM i, Robot Console redirects it to the Robot Network host, which sends the message, using an SNMP trap, to the enterprise monitor.
-
When the enterprise monitor replies to the message, it sends a response trap to the IBM i where it is captured by the Robot Network host.
-
The Robot Network host acknowledges the event and passes the reply to Robot Console.
-
Robot Console posts the reply to the node system and Robot Network sends a reply trap to the enterprise monitor to indicate that an event has been acknowledged or that a message has received a reply.
The following sections give an overview and describe the steps necessary to set up SNMP trap management to send events to the enterprise monitor software and return replies to Robot Network 10 or higher.
Before You Begin
You need the following prerequisites to install and use Robot Network with SNMP:
Software Requirements
Following are the software requirements necessary to install and use Robot Network with SNMP:
-
You must have Robot Network host version R10M00 or higher installed on your IBM i host and alternate host (if you specified an alternate host in your network).
-
You must have TCP/IP configured on your IBM i machines.
-
If you are using Robot Trapper to receive SNMP traps, you must disable the Trap Manager. If you need to use the Trap Manager, you must move Robot Trapper from the host to a node system. You can continue to use the PING function.
-
If you are using the IBM Director software, you must disable it on the host system. This software competes for the SNMP listening port (162).
Overview of Installing the SNMP Interface
The following is an overview of the SNMP interface installation and activation process (the actual steps are detailed later in this topic).
Note: To activate SNMP trap escalation after an installation or conversion, you must have specified your trap manager information using Robot Network:
-
Study the Robot Network trap types.
-
Use FTP to copy the Robot Network MIB structure from your Robot Network host to your SNMP enterprise monitor and incorporate it into your enterprise monitor (refer to the appropriate documentation for your enterprise monitor)
-
Install or update Robot Network on your host IBM i machine and activate SNMP escalation.
-
From the Robot Network Explorer, select Properties for a host to display the Host Properties window.
-
Click the Product Statuses Tab, select a product, and select Edit to display the Product Status Properties window.
-
Also, on the Product Statuses tab, right-click an Escalation Type of Send an SNMP Trap and select Properties to open the Product Status Properties window. Then, click the finder button by Send an SNMP Trap to display the SNMP Trap Manager Properties window where you can enter trap manager information (for more information on this, see "Using an SNMP Trap" in the Robot Network User Guide).
-
Click the Host Information tab, type the SNMP Agent Address if this host uses a specific TCP/IP interface to communicate with the SNMP agent.
-
Also, on the Host Information tab, select the SNMP Trap Event Type to Send. You can select either "Standard Event Data" or "Enhanced Event Data." See Table 1 below for information on which trap event types are standard and enhanced.
-
If you are converting from Robot Network 10 to Robot Network 11, this information is converted automatically.
-
Test your results.
The Robot Network MIB Structure
The following diagram overviews the Robot Network MIB structure. Robot Network uses this structure to pass data to and receive data from the enterprise monitor using structured numeric sequences (such as 1.3.6.1.4.1.6872.1.7.1) known as a MIB definition.
-
The first six numbers in the sequence (x.x.x.x.x.x) are pre-configured SNMP entries.
-
The remaining numbers (xxxx.x.x.x) are specific to Fortra. Whenever Robot Network sends an SNMP message trap, the enterprise monitor captures the trap and interprets the data in the trap using the numbers and the MIB structure. Similarly, when the enterprise monitor sends a response, Robot Network captures the trap and interprets the data.
Robot NETWORK MIB Structure
Step 1: Study the Robot Network Trap Types
The tables in this section describe the Robot Network MIB trap types in greater detail. Study these traps closely—you will need to understand the information contained within them to determine how you plan to display their data on your enterprise monitor system.
Robot Network uses as many as five SNMP traps to communicate with the enterprise monitor as shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Robot Network Trap Descriptions
|
Trap Type
|
#
|
Variables
|
Description
|
|
rnhemColdStart
|
0
|
None
|
This trap is sent when the main Robot Network enterprise monitor communication program starts. It indicates that Robot Network is active and that communication lines are open between Robot Network and the enterprise monitor—the Robot Network host enterprise monitor interface has connected to the IBM i SNMP agent.
This trap is sent one time when Robot Network initiates contact with SNMP.
|
|
rnhemEventData2 (for details, see Table 2 below)
|
4
|
rnhemSystemName
rnhemJobName
rnhemJobNumber
rnhemUserProfile
rnhemProductName
rnhemMsgKey
rnhemDate
rnhemTime
rnhemMsgID
rnhemMsgType
rnhemMsgText
rnhemReplies
rnhemStsOID
|
Standard Event Data
This trap is sent when Robot Network sends event data to the enterprise monitor. It describes the contents of the data being sent. The enterprise monitor captures and displays the data from this trap according to your specifications when you incorporated the Robot Network MIB. The Robot Network host enterprise monitor interface is providing Robot Network host event data.
This trap is sent anytime Robot Network communicates event information to SNMP.
|
|
rnhemResponseData2 (for details, see Table 3 below)
|
5
|
rnhemSystemName
rnhemJobName
rnhemJobNumber
rnhemUserProfile
rnhemProductName
rnhemMsgKey
rnhemDate
rnhemTime
rnhemMsgID
rnhemMsgType
rnhemMsgText
rnhemStsOID
rnhem Reply
|
This trap is sent from the Enterprise Manager to Robot Network and contains the response to the event data trap. It describes the contents of the response for two-way SNMP communication. Robot Network uses the contents of the response trap and passes it to Robot CONSOLE to respond to the event. Afterwards, Robot Network sends a reply trap to the enterprise monitor to indicate that it has responded to the event.* The Robot Network host enterprise monitor interface is providing Robot Network host acknowledgement data.
This trap is sent anytime Robot Network acknowledges an event.
|
|
rnhemReplyData2 (for details, see Table 4 below)
|
6
|
rnhemSystemName
rnhemJobName
rnhemJobNumber
rnhemUserProfile
rnhemProductName
rnhemMsgKey
rnhemDate
rnhemTime
rnhemMsgID
rnhemMsgType
rnhemMsgText
rnhemReplies
rnhemStsOID
|
This trap is sent by Robot Network to indicate that it has acknowledged an event. It describes the contents of the acknowledgment. The enterprise monitor captures and displays the data from this trap according to your specifications when you incorporated the Robot Network MIB*. The enterprise monitor interface is providing a response to capture and pass to Robot Network and Robot Network passes this response to Robot Console to respond to the event.
This trap is used for two-way SNMP communication when the enterprise monitor receives an event trap from Robot Network .
|
|
rnhemReplyData3 (for details, see Table 5 below)
|
7
|
rnhemSystemName
rnhemJobName
rnhemJobNumber
rnhemUserProfile
rnhemProductName
rnhemMsgKey
rnhemDate
rnhemTime
rnhemMsgID
rnhemMsgType
rnhemMsgText
rnhemReplies
rnhemStsOID
rnhemMessageCenterName
rnhemMessageQueueLibrary
rnhemMessageQueue
rnhemMessageSetName
rnhemMessageStatus
rnhemMessageSeverity
|
Enhanced Event Data
This trap is sent when Robot Network sends enhanced event data to the enterprise monitor. It describes the contents of the data being sent. The enterprise monitor captures and displays the data from this trap according to your specifications when you incorporated the Robot Network MIB. The Robot Network host enterprise monitor interface is providing Robot Network host event data.
This trap is sent anytime Robot Network communicates enhanced event information to SNMP.
|
* The key to sending an rnhemResponseData2 trap back to Robot Network with a reply is to return all of the data received from the rnhemEventData2 with the reply value.
Table 2. Robot NETWORK rnhemEventData2 MIB Definition
|
Field Name
|
Size
|
Type
|
Syntax
|
Description
|
|
rnhemSystemName
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Name of originating system.
|
|
rnhemJobName
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating job name.
|
|
rnhemJobNumber
|
6
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating job number.
|
|
rnhemUserProfile
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating user profile.
|
|
rnhemProductName
|
20
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Robot product name.
|
|
rnhemMsgKey
|
40
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Date/Time in YYMMDDHHMMSS format.
|
|
rnhemDate
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Date in YY/MM/DD format.
|
|
rnhemTime
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Time in HH:MM:SS format.
|
|
rnhemMsgID
|
7
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Unique message ID.
|
|
rnhemMsgType
|
2
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Message severity: AT = Attention WR = Warning IN = Informational
|
|
rnhemMsgText
|
132
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Full message text.
|
|
rnhemReplies
|
132
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
List of valid replies.
|
|
rnhemStsOID
|
9
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Object ID for the status
|
Table 3. Robot NETWORK rnhemResponseData2 MIB Definition
|
Field Name
|
Size
|
Type
|
Syntax
|
Description
|
|
rnhemSystemName
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Name of originating system.
|
|
rnhemJobName
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating job name.
|
|
rnhemJobNumber
|
6
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating job number.
|
|
rnhemUserProfile
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating user profile.
|
|
rnhemProductName
|
20
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Robot product name.
|
|
rnhemMsgKey
|
40
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Date/Time in YYMMDDHHMMSS format.
|
|
rnhemDate
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Date in YY/MM/DD format.
|
|
rnhemTime
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Time in HH:MM:SS format.
|
|
rnhemMsgID
|
7
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Unique message ID.
|
|
rnhemMsgType
|
2
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Message severity: AT = Attention WR = Warning IN = Informational
|
|
rnhemMsgText
|
132
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Full message text.
|
|
rnhemStsOID
|
9
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Object ID for the status
|
|
rnhemReply
|
50
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Replay value for the status
|
Table 4. Robot Network rnhemReplyData2 MIB Definition
|
Field Name
|
Size
|
Type
|
Syntax
|
Description
|
|
rnhemSystemName
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Name of originating system.
|
|
rnhemJobName
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating job name.
|
|
rnhemJobNumber
|
6
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating job number.
|
|
rnhemUserProfile
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating user profile.
|
|
rnhemProductName
|
20
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Robot product name.
|
|
rnhemMsgKey
|
40
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Date/Time in YYMMDDHHMMSS format.
|
|
rnhemDate
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Date in YY/MM/DD format.
|
|
rnhemTime
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Time in HH:MM:SS format.
|
|
rnhemMsgID
|
7
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Unique message ID.
|
|
rnhemMsgType
|
2
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Message response: - RS = Response
|
|
rnhemMsgText
|
132
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Full message text.
|
|
rnhemReplies
|
132
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
*None
|
|
rnhemStsOID
|
9
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Object ID for the status
|
Table 5. Robot Network rnhemEventData3 MIB Definition
|
Field Name
|
Size
|
Type
|
Syntax
|
Description
|
|
rnhemSystemName
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Name of originating system.
|
|
rnhemJobName
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating job name.
|
|
rnhemJobNumber
|
6
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating job number.
|
|
rnhemUserProfile
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating user profile.
|
|
rnhemProductName
|
20
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Robot product name.
|
|
rnhemMsgKey
|
40
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Date/Time in YYMMDDHHMMSS format.
|
|
rnhemDate
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Date in YY/MM/DD format.
|
|
rnhemTime
|
8
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Time in HH:MM:SS format.
|
|
rnhemMsgID
|
7
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Unique message ID.
|
|
rnhemMsgType
|
2
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Message severity: AT = Attention WR = Warning IN = Informational
|
|
rnhemMsgText
|
132
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Full message text.
|
|
rnhemReplies
|
132
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
List of valid replies.
|
|
rnhemStsOID
|
9
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Object ID for the status
|
|
rnhemMessageCenterName
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating message center name.
|
|
rnhemMessageQueueLibrary
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating message queue library.
|
|
rnhemMessageQueue
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating message queue.
|
|
rnhemMessageSetName
|
10
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Originating message set name.
|
|
rnhemMessageStatus
|
2
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Message status.
|
|
rnhemMessageSeverity
|
2
|
Char
|
DisplayString
|
Message severity: values from 00 (least severe) to 99 (most severe).
|
Step 2: Define and Install the SNMP Interface on the Enterprise Monitor
To use the Robot Network MIB to interpret SNMP traps passed from Robot Network to your enterprise monitor, perform the following steps:
-
Download the Robot Network MIB file—RBTSYSLIB/RSLMIB.RNHEMMIB—from your Robot Network host IBM i using FTP.
where:
RBTSYSLIB = libraryname
RSLMIB = filename
RNHEMMIB = member
-
Send the MIB file to the enterprise monitor server, compile it, and format it to your standards using the specific procedures for the enterprise monitor (refer to your enterprise monitor documentation).
Step 3: Install and Activate the SNMP Interface on the IBM i
Perform the following steps to install and activate the SNMP interface on the IBM i:
Note: To troubleshoot TCP/IP on an IBM i server, enter the command NETSTAT from a command prompt and select option 3 from the Work With TCP/IP Network Status menu to see the TCP/IP connection statuses. The normal status should be *UDP and the default port is 161.
-
From the Robot Network Explorer, connect to the host system and right-click the host icon.
-
Select Properties. From the Product Statuses tab, click the product you want to escalate to the SNMP Manager.
-
On the Product Status Properties window, select Send an SNMP Trap and click the prompt button (...) to the right.
-
On the SNMP Trap Manager Properties window, click Add.
-
Enter the IP address of your enterprise monitor server in the Manager Address field, the community it expects to “see” (usually this is public) in the Community field, and click OK.
-
On the Product Status Properties window, specify a wait time and one or more status types to escalate from the host. This allows Robot Network to send events to your SNMP Manager.
-
Click OK twice to return to the Robot Network Explorer. The SNMP interface is ready—any event sent to the Status Center on Robot NETWORK will be sent as an SNMP trap.
