Configuring Metrics Defaults in REST Web Service Listener Policies

The Default Metric Attributes page enables you to assign default values to the metric attributes. The values can be used when defining the policy rules on the Rules tab, and can also be overridden there.

For examples and end-to-end workflow information on collecting metrics data, see Collecting Metrics Data topic.

To access

In the Operations Connector user interface, click in the toolbar. Then click Metrics > REST Web Service Listener.

Alternatively, double-click an existing policy to edit it.

Click Defaults to open the policy Default Metric Attributes page.

Metric attributes

Each time a metric policy runs, it extracts raw data from its defined data source and builds a metric structure.

A metric structure consists of these attributes:

• Basic attributes:

  • Data domain

    The namespace of the integrated performance records, used in the Operations Agent store to avoid clashes.

  • Metric class

    Defines the metric class under which the metric appears in the Operations Agent store and consumers.

  • Metric name

    Defines the metric name under which the metric appears in the Operations Agent store and consumers.

  • Related CI

    Used to identify an instance of a performance record and associates it with a concrete CI instance. For details on how to associate the Related CI with the values in the RTSM model, see Create a policy topic. For an example, see Example – Create a Metrics Policy topic.

  • Node

    Used to identify a node-like CI to which the performance records are associated to.

  • Value

    The actual performance value which is converted to 64-bit floating point number.

  • Time measured

    The time stamp when the value was determined in the third-party system.

• Advanced attributes:

  • Original metric name

    The name of the metric as used on the third-party system.

  • Unit

    The unit of the metric.

  • Integration id

    An id, used to identify the source of the integration.

Parameters for metrics policies

The reportMetricObject and reportMetricsArray methods send the following keys, which you can reference in a metrics integration policy as $key. For example, if you insert $MonitorName in the Monitor Name field, the policy replaces $MonitorName with the monitor name from the SOAP message before sending the metric to OMi.

Key from SOAP Message	Policy Parameter
monitorName	$MonitorName
monitorType	$MonitorType
targetName	$TargetName
timeStamp	$TimeStamp
quality	$Quality
monitorState	$MonitorState
measurementName	$MeasurementName
measurementValue	$Value
measurementCIHint	$MeasurementCIHint
measurementETI	$MeasurementETI

Tasks

How to configure metrics defaults for REST Web service listener policies

This task describes how to configure metric attribute defaults for all metrics collected by this policy.

1. Define the metric attributes common to all metrics collected by this policy, such as metric class and name. All metrics in the Basic tab marked with a * are required. Advanced attributes are optional.

2. Optional. Use the Sample Data tab to drag XML properties (XML elements and attributes) and values to the attribute boxes. Alternatively, you can type the path to the XML property or value directly into the attribute box.

   XML properties use the following syntax: <$DATA:/<XMLProperty>>

   <XMLProperty> is the path from the root XML element of XML data to a specific XML element or attribute within that data. XML path uses slashes (/) as the path delimiters.

   Operations Connector replaces the XML property at runtime with the value of the specified XML element or attribute. If you insert an XML value, the value will be used.

   The Sample Data tab is empty if no sample data is loaded into Operations Connector or no XML data has been received for the policy.

3. Optional. Use the Mappings tab to add mapping definitions to the attribute boxes.

   Mappings are custom variables that you define in the mappings tab. The default name of the mapping variable is map<XMLProperty>, for example mapSeverity.

   Alternatively, type the custom variable into the attribute box using the following syntax:

   • Map Name list contains the map name of the variable: map<XMLProperty>, for example mapSeverity.

   • Input Data Property list item: <$DATA:/<XMLTag>/<XMLProperty>>

     For example, the custom variable mapSeverity has the following input data property: <$DATA:/PerformanceAlert/Severity> where Severity is a child element of PerformanceAlert.

4. Optional. Use the Operators tab to apply operators to the attribute values. Two functions are available:

   $MATCH(), to test a string or a variable against a pattern. The $MATCH function accepts three or four parameters:

   - the input string

   - the pattern definition

   - the output string if pattern matches on the input string

   - the output string if the pattern does not match (optional)

   Example: The data of the input field hostname start always with "TEST" (for example "TESTABC"). The $MATCH function to use the string after "TEST" is as follows:

   $MATCH(<$DATA:hostname>,TEST<*.prefix>,<prefix>)

   • <$DATETIME(FORMAT,VALUE)>, to convert the format of dates from the common format to the UNIX systems time (Epoch time) format.

     To apply operators to the attribute values, you can drag and drop them to a text field in the left pane of the same policy editor page. The appropriate tooltips are shown while performing this operation, which describe the role of the dragged operator.

5. Optional. Use the Indicators tab to add indicators to the source or target value fields. After loading the indicators from the connected OMi server, the Indicators tab shows a hierarchy of configuration item types.

6. Optional. In the Policy Variables tab, add policy variables to metric attributes. Operations Connector replaces the variables with the appropriate values in the generated metric.

   Use quotation marks to surround variables, for example "<$MSG_NODE>" or "<$MSG_GEN_NODE>", at least for those variables whose values can contain space characters.

Related tasks

• How to Collect Metrics Data Through the REST Web Service Listener

UI Descriptions