Event Integration From 3rd-party Monitoring Tools - Part 2: Msend API installation

The easiest and most reliable way to integrate events from 3rd-party monitoring software to BPPM is by using msend API.  Msend API is an executable program available as part of BPPM/BEM cell installation.  It is available on operating systems that BPPM/BEM cell supports including Windows, Linux, Solaris, AIX, and HP-UX.

In order to use msend API, the 3rd-party monitoring software must provide an option to execute an OS script when an alert is raised. Over 90% of the 3rd-party monitoring software out there do provide this option.

This post covers the details on msend API packaging and installation.  The next post will cover the best practice to execute OS script.

First, you need to put a msend API package together since BMC doesn't provide a separate msend API installation package.  Decide which operating system you need to install msend API.  This is the operating system that your 3rd-party monitoring software is running on.  

If you already have a BPPM/BEM cell installation for that operating system, you can just copy from it.  If you don't, you can either install an instance of BPPM/BEM cell on the operating system you need or you can simply ask BMC support to send you an msend executable for the operating system you need.

Copy the following files from your existing BPPM/BEM cell installation.  Replace msend (on UNIX) or msend.exe (on Windows) for a different operating system.  This is the only file you need to replace as all other files are ASCII files.  Your installation package should contain the following directory structure:

bin\

   msend.exe (for Windows) or msend (for UNIX)

etc\

   mcell.dir 

   mclient.conf 

   mclient.trace

etc\locale\

      mclient.load 

      imgwmsg.properties 

      langmsg.properties 

      mccompmsg.properties 

      mcellmsg.properties 

      mclimsg.properties 

      mcmdmsg.properties

Simply zip or tar the above directory structure.  When you unzip or untar your installation package on the server where 3rd-party monitoring software runs, your msend API is ready to use.