Lessons Learned from Migrating BEM 7.4 to BPPM 9.0 - Part 7: PATROL

We run PATROL on both AIX and Windows. In addition to monitor operating systems, log files, and VMWare, we have developed custom PATROL knowledge modules to monitor CACHE database, media manager, Veritas Cluster Server, and clinic applications. All our PATROL agents were upgraded or deployed in version 9.0 so we could use the automatic workflow to push PATROL data to integration service and PATROL events to BPPM cell.

As I mentioned in my previous posts, all our BPPM components are configured for high availability to meet the highest business requirements in a hospital environment. For PATROL data, the high availability of all integration services and BPPM agents are configured through Microsoft Windows Cluster. We put the clustered server name in pconfig variable "/AgentSetup/integration/integrationServices". For PATROL events, the high availability of all BPPM cells are configured through their native application cluster. We put both primary and secondary server names in pconfig variable "/EventSetup/Configuration/EventCells".

After we replaced bii4p3 (PATROL event adapter) with direct PATROL agent to cell connection using pconfig variables, bii4P3 is no longer needed for PATROL agent 9.0 to send PATROL events to BPPM cell. However we still kept bii4P3 running on all our test systems after migration. This allows us to receive PATROL events on both production BPPM cell and test BPPM cell at the same time for live troubleshooting when needed since pconfig variable "/EventSetup/Configuration/EventCells" can only send PATROL events to one cell.

We had to change MRL rules in BPPM cell to detect PATROL agent down or PATROL agent connection loss events for direct PATROL agent to cell connection. These events are very different from the events using bii4p3. And we also had to develop a few rules to capture PATROL agent up or PATROL agent connection up events and match them to PATROL agent down or PATROL agent connection loss events. In addition, we developed similar rules for PATROL agent connection with integration service. These infrastructure connection events, along with all other events reported by event sources, are fully integrated with email notification and Remedy ticketing system at the back end.

We had an PATROL Central console 7.5 (both Windows edition and web edition) as well as PATROL Classic Console 3.5 running before the migration. They still worked well with PATROL agent 9.0 after the migration. We didn't find any need to upgrade them.