HP SiteScope Release Notes
for the Windows, Solaris, and Linux operating systems
Software version: 10.10
Publication date: October 2009
This document is an overview of the changes made to HP SiteScope. It contains important information that is not included in books or Help. You can find information about the following in this document:
Note: For release notes from earlier versions of HP SiteScope, see the root directory on the product installation media.
Documentation Updates
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What's New
What's New Movies
View guided and narrated demonstrations of some of the new features of SiteScope 10.10. These movies are located in the <SiteScope installation directory>/sisdocs/movies directory and can be accessed by opening the corresponding folders and html pages listed.
Support for Microsoft Windows Server 2008
SiteScope Performance
- SiteScope's capacity has been more than doubled and now supports 16,000 monitors with 2,000 monitors running per minute (under the supported environment configuration).
- Added the SiteScope Capacity Planning Calculator that can be used for predicting % CPU usage and heap size requirements for monitoring your system infrastructure. You can access the SiteScope Capacity Planning Calculator from <SiteScope root directory>\tools\SiteScope Capacity Calculator.xls.
SiteScope Usability Improvements
- The SiteScope Tools were moved from the monitor tree toolbar to a separate Tools context. Added the ability to use the tools when configuring a monitor, to test the configuration settings and to apply the settings to the monitor.
- Added Server Statistics to the context panel that includes the following SiteScope server internal information:
- General (previously in the Progress Page that was available from the SiteScope root node in the monitor tree)
- Running Monitors (previously in the Progress Page that was available from the SiteScope root node in the monitor tree)
- Perfex Process Pool
- SSH Connections
- Telnet Connections
- Log Files (previously available from the SiteScope root node and the Health container in the monitor tree.
- Added the Acknowledge Log for viewing acknowledgement history (data and comments).
- Moved the Dashboard property settings from Preferences > Infrastructure Preferences > Dashboard Settings to Dashboard Settings in the Dashboard.
- Changed the Permissions in User Management Preferences to a tree view.
NT SSH Monitoring
Monitor Configuration Enhancements
- Added an option to save monitor changes without verifying the correctness of the monitor configuration on the remote server to be monitored.
- Extended the functionality of the Manage Monitors and Groups dialog box to run monitors, enable/disable monitors, and enable/disable associated alerts.
- Added the Use DNS Java Library setting to Preferences > Infrastructure Preferences > Monitor Settings. This setting activates Java DNS functionality instead of using the default perfex setting. In some cases, DNS response times are faster than the perfex response. Note: If the Use DNS Java Library setting is enabled on the failover server when using SiteScope Failover, it should also be enabled on the primary SiteScope to avoid the setting being overridden when failover is activated.
New Virtualization Monitor and Supported Environments
New Monitors
New SiteScope Monitoring Capabilities
- Added the ability to monitor Windows-based monitors using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
- Added the ability to use the Directory, Disk Space, File, Log File, and Script monitors to monitor remote servers running on HP NonStop Operating Systems. Monitors that do not depend on a remote operating system, such as FTP, Port, SNMP, SNMP by MIB, and URL family monitors, also support monitoring on an HP NonStop Operating System server.
- DB2 8.x monitor supports monitoring DB2 9.x servers (the monitor was renamed the DB2 8.x and 9.x monitor).
- Microsoft Windows Media Player monitor supports monitoring Microsoft Windows Media Player 11.0.
- Oracle Database monitor supports monitoring Oracle Database 11g server.
- SAP Performance monitor and SAP Work Processes monitor support monitoring SAP ECC 6.
- SAP Java Web Application Server monitor supports monitoring SAP Enterprise Portal 7.0.
- Tuxedo monitor supports monitoring BEA Tuxedo 7.1, 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, and 9.1 servers.
- WebSphere Application Server Monitor:
- WebSphere MQ monitor supports monitoring WebSphere MQ 7.0 servers.
New SiteScope Solution Templates
Template Enhancements
- Added the ability to deploy a template using a CSV file. This enables mass deployments, without having to manually enter variable values for each deployment in the user interface. When deploying a template using a CSV file, the template is deployed silently in the background, so you can continue to use SiteScope without having to wait for the template deployment process to finish.
- Added the option to skip the verification of monitor configuration properties on remote servers and to perform a local verification only.
User Permissions
Certificate Management
HP Business Availability Center Integration
Bug Fixes
- Fixed the issue of having to rename a group or monitor if it includes the ' ; & | < > \ / + = characters before being able to save changes to the object's properties after upgrading versions of SiteScope earlier than 8.0.
- Fixed the issue of the Script Monitor only being able to display executable files when its configured remote server is a Linux or Solaris server machine.
Escalation Fixes
Notes and Limitations
Installation and Upgrade
- For SiteScope to start, Java Runtime Environment (JRE) must be installed on the SiteScope client machine. If you are using JRE 5, you might get Java script validation errors when opening dialog boxes in SiteScope. Using Firefox 3.0 with JRE 5u14, 5u15, or 5u16 causes the applet to freeze any operation until the browser is closed. Workaround: Configure you browser to use JRE 6u10 or later.
- SiteScope does not start and the following error message is displayed: "Several Java Virtual machines running in the same process caused an error". This is a known Java defect (http://bugs.sun.com/view_bug.do?bug_id=6516270) that might occur when using Internet Explorer 7. Workaround: Either: (1). Use a browser other than Internet Explorer 7. (2). Upgrade to Java 6 update 10 or later. (3). In the Add or Remove Programs dialog box (Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs), remove all Java/Java Runtime Environment installations except for the latest version.
- SiteScope does not start and an error message is displayed while starting the SiteScope applet (for example: "The Java Runtime Environment cannot be loaded"). Workaround: Perform the steps below. After each step, try to reopen SiteScope. If SiteScope fails again, proceed to the next step. (1). Close all the browser's windows. (2). End all remaining browser processes (if any remained) using Windows Task Manager. (3). Clean the local Java applet cache. Select Start > Control Panel > Java, and in the General tab, click Delete Files and then click OK. (4). Clean the local Java applet cache by deleting the content of the following folder: C:\Documents and Settings\<user_name>\Application Data\Sun\Java\Deployment\cache.
- SiteScope does not start after upgrading a configuration that contains a DHCP monitor if the Java DHCP library has not been installed on the server where SiteScope is running. Workaround: (1). Download the jDHCP library (either in .zip or in .tar.gz format) from http://www.dhcp.org/javadhcp/. (2). Extract the file named JDHCP.jar and copy it to the <SiteScope root directory>\WEB-INF\lib directory. (3). Restart the SiteScope service.
- The SiteScope menu bar opens but the applet fails to start, and you see a blank screen or an "x" image. Click Start > Control Panel > Java, and in the Java Control Panel, click the Advanced tab. Expand the Default Java for browsers folder (or <APPLET> tag support if you are using Java 5), and make sure that Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla family are selected. Click Apply and then click OK.
- If you type the incorrect license number when installing SiteScope, you must uninstall SiteScope and then reinstall it with the correct license number.
- The ability to report topology data to HP Business Availability Center was enhanced with several complex topologies (such as WebSphere, WebLogic, and so forth). SiteScope must collect the properties for these topologies on the first start after an upgrade. This may take some time because it means connecting to the monitored servers and getting the additional data. A problem may arise during this first restart if this takes longer than 15 minutes because SiteScope automatically restarts if there are no monitors running within 15 minutes. Workaround: After an upgrade, use the following batch file to start SiteScope for the first time: <SiteScope root directory>/bin/go.bat. Once SiteScope is started, for any monitors that are monitoring environments that are not running, select Disable reporting to BAC under the BAC Logging Options. This saves wasted time waiting for the monitored servers to reply.
- An Internet Explorer exception error message is thrown inside SiteScope pages, indicating Operation aborted. Workaround: Remove or disable the Skype add-ons on your system. For further details, see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/927917.
- If templates and solution templates are missing from the Templates context after installing SiteScope, copy all the templates from the <SiteScope root>\export directory to the <SiteScope root directory>\persistency\import directory.
Capacity Limitations
- When working under high load conditions, you should suspend all monitors before connecting to HP Business Availability Center for the first time.
- When SiteScope is integrated with HP Business Availability Center, performing various very high load operations might cause problems in SiteScope. Use the following guidelines:
- Do not run the Publish Template Changes Wizard for over 3,000 monitors at once.
- Do not run the Monitor Deployment Wizard to create over 3,000 monitors at once.
- Do not copy/paste over 3,000 monitors in a single action.
- Do not perform a Global Search and Replace to modify Business Availability Center integration properties for over 2,500 monitors at one time.
Business Availability Center Integration
- To improve performance, SiteScope uses a topology cache when sending topology data to Business Availability Center's CMDB. If SiteScope attempts to send an existing CI to the CMDB, the CI may not be sent, or created in the CMDB, for up to a week because of the way the topology cache works.
This could happen in the following circumstances:
- Cut and paste a monitor from one group into a new group. The original group is left empty. Cut and paste the monitor from the new group back into the original group.
- In HP BAC Integration Settings, disable data and topology reporting for a monitor and then enable again.
- A CI that has been manually deleted from the CMDB is not created again until the cache is cleaned out. (EMS flow - Deleting EMS monitors from the CMDB)
Workaround: If you cannot wait approximately one week to see the CIs, you can manually synchronize the data as follows: In Preferences > Integration Preferences, edit the relevant integration and in the BAC Preferences Available Operations area, click Re-synchronize.- Deploying SiteScope templates while registering a SiteScope to Business Availability Center may cause a loss of topology data reported to Business Availability Center. It is recommended to avoid making configuration changes while performing Business Availability Center registration.
- When working in System Availability Management Administration, the Link Monitor to CI function within SiteScope monitor configuration may not work properly if popups are blocked by the Business Availability Center server. Workaround: Create the link in Business Availability Center using the HP Universal CMDB application (Admin > Universal CMDB > IT Universe Manager).
- If SiteScope restarts for any reason while SiteScope establishes a Business Availability Center integration, some topology data that SiteScope forwards to Business Availability Center may be lost. Workaround: If not all topology data was forwarded to Business Availability Center, manually synchronize the data as follows: In Preferences > Integration Preferences, edit the relevant integration and in the BAC Preferences Available Operations area, click Re-synchronize.
Diagnostics Integration
- When creating a Diagnostics Integration in Integration Preferences, if you select the option Include additional data, all other Diagnostics and Generic Data integrations are affected and will report additional data in the data SiteScope forwards to these applications. It is recommended to select this option only if you require this additional data for all your Diagnostics and Generic Data integrations. For details on the option, refer to the "New/Edit Diagnostics Integration Dialog Box" in the "Integration Preferences User Interface" section in Using SiteScope help.
Dashboard
Monitor Thresholds
- If you clear or add a counter (from the counters tree in the Monitor Settings panel) that has corresponding thresholds defined in the Threshold Settings panel, the counter might be replaced in the Threshold Settings with the next selected counter in the counter tree, replaced by the default counter, or removed from the Threshold Settings panel. This limitation applies to all browsable monitor counter types in template mode only, and to the Microsoft Windows Resources, Apache, and Health monitors in normal and template mode.
Monitor Tree
Composite Monitor
- The copy to template action is not supported for the Composite monitor (if you click Copy to Template, the server names of the group of monitors that are being monitored by the Composite monitor are copied to the template with the $$SERVER_LIST$$ variable instead of the names of the actual servers).
Disk Space Monitor
File Monitor
- If Telnet is used as the connection method for UNIX remote servers running on an HP-UX or Linux operating system, and either (1) the LANG environment variable is unset, or (2) "set -u" is in effect and the LANG or LC_ALL environment variables are unset, the File monitor will not work regardless of the file it is monitoring. Workaround: Permanently set the LANG and LC_ALL environment variables to the default shell for the SiteScope user.
Microsoft Window Event Log Monitor
- The Microsoft Window Event Log monitor is only able to retrieve partial data when monitoring the event log on a Windows 2008 server because it cannot read the message DLL file.
- The Microsoft Window Event Log monitor is unable to monitor "Critical" event types on Windows 2008 servers, because the event type is not supported in the Event Type list.
Ping Monitor
- When SiteScope is installed on Solaris, the Ping monitor might take longer than expected to run, and exceed the timeout for displaying the monitor status in the popup window (the default timeout is 5 seconds). Workaround: In the Ping Monitor Settings panel, increase the value in the Timeout (milliseconds) field.
Script Monitor
- When defining a Script monitor to monitor a Linux remote server using the Telnet connection and the script is defined as USE COMMAND, the match expression may not work properly. This could be caused by a limitation in the number of characters that can be used to run the USE COMMAND. By default, the terminal command line has a length limitation on the size of the command per line.
SNMP Monitor
Technology Integration Monitors
- When creating a Technology Integration monitor for integrating measurements into HP Business Availability Center (by selecting Measurements as the Sample type in the Field Mapping area of the monitor properties), SiteScope reports only system topology data for the monitor to HP Business Availability Center. This is the standard host topology SiteScope reports to HP Business Availability Center. This cannot be changed by adding a script in the Topology Settings area. If you add a topology script, the script will fail.
- When creating a Technology Log File Integration monitor, it is recommended to perform the Test Script (during monitor configuration, in the Topology Settings area, select a topology script in the Script field and click Test Script) of the topology script using a short log file. If a long log file is used for testing the topology script, it may take several minutes.
SiteScope Tools
- When using the Event Log Tool, if DNS is selected in the Log name box and the target server does not have a DNS server on it, the Application log content is displayed in the Results panel.
- When using the Database Connection Tool to apply properties to the Database Query monitor or Technology Database Integration monitor, the credential data is lost if a credential profile is selected instead of entering the credentials manually.
Credential Preferences
Reports
- If a Monitor Summary report is created using an Internet Explorer browser, and Export to file and Comma-delimited (csv) are selected in the Export Settings, an authentication popup window is displayed after clicking Generate Report. Workaround: In the authentication window, click Cancel and the file opens in Microsoft Excel.
Remote Servers
- Windows Server 2008 remote servers are not supported if User Account Control (UAC) is enabled.
- Due to a bug in Sun Java, SiteScope installed on Solaris 10 is unable to connect to a remote UNIX server via SSH using Internal Java Libraries. Workaround: In the file <SiteScope root directory>\bin\start-monitor, add the following to the argument list of the JRE (just before the -Dflipper.param.file argument):
-Djava.nio.channels.spi.SelectorProvider=sun.nio.ch.PollSelectorProvider- In the documentation, the limitation that WMI is supported only for machines with an English locale is incorrect.
LDAP Authentication
Templates
- If a template contains an invalid dependency (the template contains a dependency that existed once but no longer exists in the imported template), no dependency is shown in the template deployment. When running the Publish Template Changes wizard, the Depends on property is displayed as a difference in the Content Changes page even though there is no dependency displayed in the template. Workaround: Add a new dependency in the template, remove it, and then click Save. This removes the non-existent dependency.
- If the Method or Operating system values in a template remote server contain an incorrect value or are not entered using the same case that is displayed in the drop-down list when configuring a remote server, verification does not work properly, and the first value in the drop-down list is inserted instead. Workaround: Enter the value exactly as it is displayed in the drop-down list on the Remote Servers page.
Global Search and Replace
- The Review Summary page displays the real host name of the monitored server instead of the name by which the remote machine should be known in SiteScope. This means that you cannot differentiate between multiple remote servers created for the same host machine (for example, where one remote server uses the WMI connection method and another uses NetBios).
- When performing a global search and replace operation in a load environment of over 1,000 monitors, you may encounter an out of memory error in the Java applet on the client machine performing the global search and replace.
Workaround: Increase the heap size of the Java applet on the client machine. Click Start > Control Panel > Java > Java tab. View the Java Applet Runtime Settings and enter the following in the Java Runtime Parameters field: -Xmx128m (default is 64m).MG Files
- SiteScope group MG files will be deprecated in SiteScope 11.00. MG files are still supported in SiteScope 10.10, however, the Enable configuration files option (in Preferences > General Settings > Main Panel) is no longer selected by default when SiteScope is installed. When upgrading from an earlier version of SiteScope that has this option selected, the MG configuration files are supported.
I18N
System Availability Management Administration
- Copying and pasting from SiteScope 10.10 to earlier versions of SiteScope is not supported.
- When copying monitors, groups, or other entities between multiple SiteScope instances, tag assignments are lost even if the tags that were assigned to the copied entities on the source SiteScope are present on the target SiteScope.
- When copying and pasting a SiteScope monitor into a group, the monitor data can take up to an hour before it is displayed in Dashboard in HP Business Availability Center.
- When copying and pasting a monitor that includes a script alert from one SiteScope into another, the remote server of the script alert may not correctly copy into the target SiteScope. Workaround: If you are copying script alerts from one SiteScope to another, ensure that the remote server accessed by the script alert exists in the target SiteScope before copying.
- The Technology Log File Integration monitor cannot be copied from one SiteScope to another. Workaround: Create an identical monitor on the target SiteScope (copy all monitor values to it from the original monitor). To copy a sub-tree containing Technology Integration monitors:
1). Copy the sub-tree to a temporary location in the same SiteScope.
2). Delete the Technology Integration monitors.
3). Copy the new sub-tree from the temporary location to the other SiteScope.
4). Delete the temporary location.
5). Create the Technology Integration monitors in the other SiteScope.Notes
System Requirements
Below are the minimum system requirements and recommendations for running SiteScope, based on the various supported operating systems.
System Requirements for Windows
System Requirements for Solaris
System Requirements for Red Hat Linux
Note: SiteScope can be installed as a 32-Bit application over 64-Bit environments for the supported operating systems listed above.
System Requirements for VMware
The following VMware environments are supported in SiteScope according to the configurations tested below:
Use these minimum system requirements when installing SiteScope on VMware environments:
Note: Monitor capacity and velocity can be significantly impacted by numerous factors including, but not limited to the following: SiteScope server hardware, operating system, patches, third-party software, network configuration and architecture, location of the SiteScope server in relation to the servers being monitored, monitor types and distribution by type, monitor frequency, monitor execution time, Business Availability Center integration, and Database Logging. The published maximums should not be assumed to be possible in every environment.
Certified Configuration
The following configuration has been certified in a high load environment for an installation of SiteScope that was integrated with HP Business Availability Center. This configuration replaces the recommended configuration that appears in the SiteScope Deployment Guide.
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