Table Of Contents
Installing and Configuring the Listener
Installing the Listener
How to install the Listener software
Beeper.flt Modifications
Configuring the Listener
Specifying General Listener Configuration
How to access the general Listener configuration settings
Duplex Configuration Settings
User Interface Settings
Other Configuration Settings
Specifying Listener Customer Configuration
Adding a New Listener Customer
Editing Customer Configuration Information
Deleting a Customer from Listener
Specifying Secondary Listener Information
Log Entries
Serial Alarm Feed
Installing and Configuring the Listener
This chapter explains the process of installing and configuring the Listener.
You can set up the processing that occurs when messages arrive at the Listener. This includes specifying the customer-specific directory that a customer's messages are stored in and designating which representatives or administrators are notified of error messages from a given customer or related to a specific area of the ICM product.
The Listener runs as a service so that it can be set to start automatically when the machine starts up. For example, you can install the Listener on two NAM stand-alone ICM systems (designate one to be side A and the other to be side B). A network service provider site can have two Listeners. The Listeners run simultaneously, then synchonize with each other. This provides a duplexed, fault tolerant system.
Note 
The AlarmTracker Client software requires that you also install the Listener and LGMapper software.
Note If you are planning to monitor a product other than the ICM software, you need to install the product specific update on the Listener machine. When installing the update, do not install it into the same directory as the Listener. Refer to the product specific documentation for instructions on how to apply the update.
Installing the Listener
Use the following procedure to install Listener.
How to install the Listener software
Step 1 Run Setup.exe from the Listener directory of the Operations Support CD-ROM.
Step 2 In the Listener Properties dialog box, specify the settings as shown in Table 2-1, then click Next.
Table 2-1 Listener Properties Settings
Property
|
Settings
|
Node Manager Properties
|
Enable Production Mode and Auto Start at System Startup, unless you are specifically told otherwise by your Cisco ICM/NAM support representative.
Enable duplexed Listener if the Listener is duplexed.
|
Side
|
Indicate if this machine is the Side A or the Side B Listener. If the Listener is not duplexed, choose Side A.
|
Drive
|
Choose the disk drive on which you want to install the Listener software. You must choose a local drive. Setup installs the Listener files to the /icr directory on the drive you select.
|
Language
|
Specify either American English or United Kingdom English.
|
Step 3 In the Check Setup Information dialog box, confirm that the settings you have chosen appear correctly. If you want to change any settings, click Back. If the settings are correct, click Next to begin copying the Listener files.
Step 4 When the files are copied successfully, the Setup Complete dialog box appears.
Step 5 If this is the first time that you are installing the Listener, click Finish. Do not start the Listener at this point.
Beeper.flt Modifications
The Listener Setup has been modified. If there is a beeper.flt file in the ICR\Listener\filters already, Setup will rename it to beeper_1.sav. If beeper_1.sav exists, it will rename it to beeper_2.sav (if that is used, it weill try again using a higher number, up to beeper_99.sav).
If you made modifications to the original beeper.flt, migrate the changes from the .sav version (the pre-existing version) of the file to the new beeper.flt file.
Configuring the Listener
In order for Listener to work properly, you must perform the following configuration tasks:
•Define general Listener configuration information.
•Add customer-specific configuration information.
•Set the configuration to send customer data to a secondary Listener.
Note You must stop the Listener before you edit Listener configuration information. You can restart Listener after you have completed your configuration edits.
Specifying General Listener Configuration
General Listener settings apply to all customers across the entire Listener process.
Note Keep in mind that any settings labeled static will not take effect until you reboot the system. Changes to all other settings take effect when you click OK.
Use the following procedure to access the general Listener configuration settings.
How to access the general Listener configuration settings
Step 1 Run the listencfg.exe tool in the /icr/bin directory on the system.
Step 2 Select General.
The following five sections describe the settings available in each of the five categories in the Listener General Settings dialog box:
•LGMapper Settings
•Duplex
•Other
Step 3 When you have finished making changes to the settings, click Done.
Duplex Configuration Settings
In order for Listeners to operate in duplex mode, you must specify login, system, and domain information about the other Listener in the Duplex section of the Listener General Settings dialog box. See Table 2-2 for information about the general Listener Duplex settings.
Table 2-2 General Listener Duplex Settings
Duplex Settings
|
Description
|
Username (see Note following)
|
The user name to use when accessing the Listener on the other side.
|
Password (see Note following)
|
The password to use when accessing the Listener on the other side.
|
Domain (see Note following)
|
The domain to use when accessing the Listener on the other side.
|
SystemNameOtherSide
|
The system name of the Listener on the other side.
|
SideBWaitSideAProcessSeconds
|
Time in seconds that the Side B Listener will wait for the Side A Listener to process files before processing them itself.
|
DisablePassthru
|
Disables forwarding of data to a secondary Listener.
|
Note Set up an account in USRMGR with Administrator priveledges, then log in as Administrator.
User Interface Settings
The Listener supports an interface to the AlarmTracker Client alarm management program. In the User Interface section of the Listener General Settings dialog box, you can logically enable or disable the event feed from the Listener to the LGMapper Server and specify timeout and file purging parameters. See Table 2-3 for more information about the general User Interface Listener settings.
Table 2-3 General User Interface Listener Settings
User Interface Setting
|
Description
|
GridAdminFeed
|
Reserved
|
SimpleObjectDeleteInterval Minutes
|
Interval time in minutes that the Listener checks if data needs to be deleted from the Listener and any connected clients because it has timed out.
|
SimpleObjectHoldTime Minutes
|
Interval time in minutes used when periodic check is done to determine if an event can be purged from the Listener and any connected clients.
|
Other Configuration Settings
This collection of settings covers a variety of configuration elements. For more information, see Table 2-4.
Table 2-4 Other Configuration Settings
Other Settings
|
Description
|
ThresholdIntervalMinutes
|
The time in minutes within which an object can change state. This is based on the number of times specified by the ThresholdLimit before a page, Remote Monitoring Suite event, or mail message is sent to designate the event as a toggling (constantly changing state) event.
|
ThresholdLimit
|
Default number of times an object can change state, within the time specified by ThresholdIntervalMinutes, before a page, Remote Monitoring Suite event, or mail message is sent to designate the event as a toggling event.
|
CustomerLogMax
|
The maximum disk space size in bytes for each customer's logs. Exceeding this limit results in purging of the oldest files first. A value of 0 means that no disk space limit is in effect.
|
CustomerInitTimeout Seconds
|
The length of time in seconds that the Listener waits at startup for a customer to initialize and establish contact. If this time limit expires, the Listener skips this customer and moves on to the next customer.
In this case, the Remote Monitoring Suite administrator needs to determine why this customer did not initialize, and take steps to resolve the problem.
|
Specifying Listener Customer Configuration
When you click the Customers button on the Listencfg main dialog box, the Customer Configuration dialog box appears. From this dialog box, you can add a new customer or edit the configuration for an existing customer.
Adding a New Listener Customer
Use the following procedure to add a new Listener customer.
How to add a new Listener customer
Step 1 In the Customer Configuration dialog box, click Add.
Step 2 In the Enter New Customer Name dialog box, type in the name of the new customer as found in the Cisco ICM Setup (the 5 character instance name).
Step 3 Click OK.
Editing Customer Configuration Information
To display the current configuration information for a Listener customer, click the customer name in the list in the upper left corner of the Customer Configuration dialog box. For information about each field, see Table 2-5. The only item you should enable (or check) is Listen Active.
Table 2-5 Listener Customer Configuration Information
Customer Configuration Setting
|
Description
|
Customer Directory
|
Customer directory for event processing.
|
SideA event timeout (minutes)
|
Time after which the Listener will report a Side A send home malfunction. (Heartbeat Timeout)
|
SideB event timeout (minutes)
|
Time after which the Listener will report a Side B send home malfunction.
|
Drive Letter Other Side
|
The drive letter on the other Listener where the customer's default directory resides.
|
Listen Active
|
Logically enable/disable monitoring for the customer. This option is usually enabled.
|
Enable Thresholds
|
If selected, enables configured thresholds. If an object exceeds the configured thresholds, an alarm is generated.
|
Use the following procedure to edit a customer's configuration information.
How to edit customer configuration information
Step 1 Click the customer's name.
Step 2 Edit the fields that you want to change.
Step 3 Click Done, or if you want to continue making changes to the information of another customer, click that customer's name.
Step 4 When you have finished making changes, click Done.
Step 5 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
Deleting a Customer from Listener
Use the following procedure to delete a customer from Listener.
How to delete a customer from Listener
Step 1 Stop the Listener program.
Step 2 Run the REGEDIT program. It is located in the WINNT directory.
Step 3 Go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE window.
Step 4 Expand the folder list so that SOFTWARE\GeoTel\ICR\Listener\customers is visible.
Step 5 Delete the entry for the customer.
Step 6 Exit REGEDIT.
Step 7 Open Explorer.
Step 8 Remove any directories that were created for the customer (C:\customer).
Step 9 Restart the Listener program.
When you restart the Listener program, the Listener will no longer monitor the customer you deleted.
Note You must manually delete the customer from LGMapper using LGCnfg.exe (see Chapter 7).
Specifying Secondary Listener Information
When you click the Passthru button on the Listencfg main dialog box, the Passthru Properties dialog box appears.
From this dialog box you can set the configuration for sending customer data to a secondary Listener. The administrator of the secondary Listener is responsible for configuring customers on that Listener. See Table 2-6 for descriptions of all of the Passthru Properties settings.
Table 2-6 Secondary Listener Passthru Property Settings
Passthru Property Setting
|
Description
|
Prefix
|
Prefix name to attach to each customer event that will be forwarded to the secondary Listener. A directory named <prefix>_<customerName> must exist on the secondary Listener for forwarding to take place.
|
User Name (see Note following)
|
User name to use when accessing the secondary Listener.
|
Password (see Note following)
|
Password to use when accessing the secondary Listener.
|
Default Send Interval
|
Interval in minutes at which the Listener forwards data to the secondary Listener.
|
Side A System Name
|
System name of the Side A primary Listener.
|
Side B System Name
|
System name of the Side B primary Listener.
|
Import System Name
|
System name of the Side A secondary Listener.
|
Backup System Name
|
System name of the Side B secondary Listener.
|
Import Domain
|
Domain name of the Side A secondary Listener.
|
Backup Domain
|
Domain name of the Side B secondary Listener.
|
Sharename
|
The share name of the disk device on the Side A secondary Listener to which forwarded data will be sent. All customers configured on the secondary Listener must use this device.
|
Backup Sharename
|
The share name of the disk device on the Side B secondary Listener to which forwarded data will be sent. All customers configured on the secondary Listener must use this device.
|
Phone Number
|
Phone number of the Side A secondary Listener.
|
Backup Phone Number
|
Phone number of the Side B secondary Listener.
|
Local Copy Enabled
|
Forward to a secondary Listener through the LAN or network instead of by a dial-up connection.
|
Immediate Forwarding
|
Events that require immediate attention are forwarded to the secondary Listener immediately.
|
Primary Error Limit
|
Number of times an attempt to connect to the primary Listener can fail before trying the secondary Listener.
|
Max Directory Entries
|
Maximum number of events per customer that can be queued for exporting to a secondary Listener.
|
Max Connect Time
|
Maximum time in seconds that a connection can exist before the Listener drops it.
|
Sticky Time
|
Minimum time in seconds that a connection to a secondary Listener will remain in place.
|
Ping Timeout
|
Time in seconds before a Side B Listener assumes active forwarding because it has determined it cannot connect to the Side A Listener.
|
Hold Time
|
Time in seconds to hold an event before notifying the Listener on the other side that the event has been forwarded.
|
Checkpoint Port
|
Port number for the connection between Listeners.
|
Forwarding Enabled
|
Used so that the secondary Listener receives events.
|
Force Simplex
|
Used for debugging, do not modify the default.
|
Note Set up an account in USRMGR with Administrator priveledges, then log in as Administrator.
Log Entries
When you click the Log Entries button on the Listencfg main dialog box, the Log Entries dialog box appears.
This dialog box defines events for the Listener to watch for in the local Windows event log, along with actions to take if these events occur. These events deal primarily with system problems with modems; therefore, this facility is not relevant to standard NAM operation. We recommend that you do not modify the default log entries without first consulting your ICM/NAM support representative.
Serial Alarm Feed
The ICM software provides an optional serial alarm feed that lets you establish your own alarm/event links to the DDSN. The Serial Alarm Feed process (SERIALFD) uses the Customer Support Forwarding Service (CSFC) to communicate alarm information to an external system. The Serial Alarm Feed process receives events and sends alarms in ASCII format to a communications port on the Logger. Once the SERIALFD process is started, alarm messages are sent to the communications port as they occur.
The Serial Alarm Feed consists of a series of alarm messages that are sent out over a 9600 baud serial connection. Table 2-7 shows the formats for alarm messages.
Table 2-7 Alarm Message Format
Alarm Message Meaning
|
Example
|
Trap Number
|
6
|
System Name
|
GEOXYZRTRB
|
System Type
|
2
|
Process Name
|
rtr
|
Trap Severity
|
6
|
Date (format: YYYYMMDD)
|
20000309
|
Time (format: hh:mm:ss)
|
16:08:51
|
Number of Optional Arguments Following
|
1
|
1st Optional Argument
|
pim 1
|
Description
|
Restarting process pim1 after having delayed restart for 60 seconds.
|
End of message sequence (0xD, 0xA)
|
[CR][LF]
|
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