CiscoWorks Device Fault Manager

Document ID: 25561

PDF Downloads How to Customize DFM to Generate Emails for Specific Alarms

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Introduction

Device Fault Manager (DFM) generates two type of alarms: Viz Exceptions and Faults. Faults are displayed in orange and Exceptions are displayed in purple. If you drill down the purple alarm (Exceptions), you see the underlying orange (Fault) that caused generation of the purple alarm (Exception).

You can use the GUI to configure DFM to forward emails for Exceptions (purple alarms). However, this can cause email flood, and the email containing information about the purple alarm (Exception) is useless because it does not contain information about the Faults (the underlying cause of the Exception). You can, however, customize the mail_notify.conf file in order to receive emails about the Faults (orange alarms).

Note: This process is easier if you have a router/switch that you can use exclusively for the duration of the process.

Prerequisites

Requirements

• DFM 1.1 or DFM 1.2 installed and working

• The alarm entries you want should appear in Monitor Console

• Enable the mail server to function as SMTP server

• Root/administrator access to the server where CiscoWorks 2000/DFM is installed

Note: If you are setting up DFM to forward emails for the first time or DFM stopped forwarding emails, refer to How To Enable Device Fault Manager Mail Notifier.

Components Used

The information in this document is based on these software and hardware versions:

• CiscoWorks 2000 5th Edition

• DFM 1.2

• 1605 router

Conventions

You will be editing a ASCII txt file. In Solaris, you can safely use the vi editor. If you choose another editor, ensure that no special characters appear in the file.

In Windows, save the file as a .txt file and then rename the file mail_notify.conf (not mail_notify.conf.txt).

Refer to Cisco Technical Tips Conventions for more information on document conventions.

Before You Begin

Confirm that the SMTP server is working and that the DFM server can connect to the SMTP server.

For more information on how to verify SMTP connectivity, refer to How To Enable Device Fault Manager Mail Notifier.

Customizing DFM to Send Emails Selectively

In the following examples:

• Profiles are GA_ChoiceSubscription

• Exceptions alarms are Compounds

• Faults alarms are Symptoms

For each alarm email, create a unique profile in the mail_notify.conf file. You must make the following three changes (at least) in this file:

1. Create a unique name for EACH alarm for which you want email sent.

2. Change EventName to match the alarm for which you want email sent.

3. Change Aggregates to FALSE and Symptoms to TRUE.

Note: Use commas to separate each GA_ChoiceSubscription.

Step-by-step Instructions

Complete these steps:

1. Locate the mail_notify.conf file and make a backup copy.

   • Solaris: mail_notify.conf is under the /opt/CSCOpx/objects/smarts/conf/notifier directory.

   • Windows: on the drive where CiscoWorks 2000/DFM is installed. For example: d:progra~1CSCOpxobjectssmartsconfnotifier directory.

   Note: Download an example customized mail_notify.conf for Unresponsive and OperationallyDown alarm conditions.

2. Open mail_notify.conf in an editor and go to the section that contains GA_ChoiceSubscription.

   • Solaris: Use vi

   • Windows: Use Notepad

   By default, the lines would read as follows:

   {
     GA_ChoiceSubscription::Mail-All-Subscriptions
           {
             # Subscribe to events whose class, instance, and event           
             # names match the given pattern.
                 className = ".*" 
                 instanceName = ".*" 
                 eventName = ".*"           
             # Include aggregates, but omit symptoms. 
                 aggregates = TRUE 
                 symptoms = FALSE         }

3. Make the three changes to send emails for orange alarms for select event.

   This example customizes so that DFM sends emails when an interface goes down and a device goes down. If the device has a single connection to the network, DFM reports the device to be down.

   Make the following changes:

   1. Create a unique name for EACH alarm for which you want email sent (Link_Down Device_Down).

   2. Change EventName to match the orange alarm for which you want email sent (OperationallyDown Unresponsive).

   3. Change Aggregates to FALSE and Symptoms to TRUE.

      Note: Use commas to separate each GA_ChoiceSubscription.

   The edited mail_notify.conf is as follows:

   {
     GA_ChoiceSubscription::Link_Down
        {
   	      # Subscribe to events whose class, instance, and event
   	      # names match the given pattern.
                className = ".*"
                instanceName = ".*"
                eventName = "OperationallyDown"
          # Include aggregates, but omit symptoms.
   	            Aggregates = FALSE
                symptoms = TRUE 
          },
     {
     GA_ChoiceSubscription::Device_Down
        {         
           # Subscribe to events whose class, instance, and event 
           # names match the given pattern.
                className = ".*" 
                instanceName = ".*" 
                eventName = "Unresponsive"
           # Include aggregates, but omit symptoms. 
                Aggregates = FALSE  
                symptoms = TRUE      }

4. Follow these steps to stop, restart, and verify:

   1. Login to CiscoWorks 2000 through your browser.

   2. Go to Server Configuration > Administration > Process Management > Stop Process.

   3. Select DfmMailNotifier.

   4. Wait for a couple of minutes.

   5. Go to Server Configuration > Administration > Process Management > Start Process.

Verifying the Result

When Unresponsive or OperationallyDown alarms appear in the Monitor Console, verify that emails are being received from your email client.

Troubleshooting

If stop/starting the DfmMailNotifier does not resolve the problem, stop/start the DfmServer and the DfmMailNotifier.

Launch Monitor Console, right click on any alarm and send mail. Confirm that this mail is received. If not, follow up with your mail administrator.

If you can send mails from Monitor Console and you can see the new entries in Monitor console but are still unable to receive the emails, open a case with Cisco Technical Support (registered customers only) .

Provide the following information with the case:

1. DFM Version (Look under Help > About in DFM Monitor/Admin Console).

2. Operating system version information.

3. If it is a new installation OR a working DFM mail adapter stopped working suddenly, send the sm_mail_notifier.log file from the /CSCOpx/objects/smarts/logs directory.

Related Information

• How To Enable Device Fault Manager Mail Notifier
• Using the Command Line to Configure the Mail Notifier Adapter
• Managing E-Mail Configurations
• Technical Support & Documentation - Cisco Systems