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Title
Working with Alarm Templates (Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ) -
Description
How can users work with alarm templates in the Foglight 6.0 and higher?
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Resolution
What should be considered when upgrading to 6.0 or higher release from a Foglight version below 6.0?
- After upgrading, existing alarm configurations will remain in place, and each server will have an “unassigned” Alarm Template.
- Decide which server or host you wish to turn into your first template, and create it.
- Assign your first targets to a template (at this point your configurations will be overwritten by the assigned template)
- It is recommended to first create a template(s) for the current configuration(s).
Will the alarm confirmations set before upgrading to 6.0 be changed during the upgrade to 6.0 or higher?
No, existing alarm configurations configured before upgrading to 6.0 will stay as-is and will not be changed by the upgrade.
When were alarm templates introduced into Foglight?
Beginning with Foglight 6.0.0 and higher, the Alarm Template functionality was introduced into Foglight, Foglight for Databases, and Foglight Evolve. These are supported by cartridges at the 6.0.0 or higher level.
What are alarm templates used for?
Alarm templates allow you to configure a set of alarm rules and apply these rules in bulk to targets in your environment. Using a customized template, you can modify the threshold values for triggering alarms, and enable or disable certain alarms for a set of targets.
What are alarms in Foglight?
Foglight uses rules to apply business logic to data collected from your environment. When pre-defined conditions are met, an alarm will be triggered. Using alarm templates, you can determine which alarms to apply to which targets, and configure threshold values as needed.
What are domains in Foglight?
Foglight domains are components grouped together by a common technology. This can be a database type (such as DB2) or a general category (such as Infrastructure). Each domain has a default set of rules appropriate for the underlying technologies of that domain.
What are targets in Foglight?
Targets are infrastructure objects assigned to a template for monitoring. Targets can be assigned to only one template. Targets not assigned to a template are monitored by the default alarm rules in the factory template.
What is a default template?
Foglight includes a factory template, which is used as the default template unless a different default is configured. You are able to select a default template for each domain, which will be applied to objects in that domain without the need to add them as targets to the template.
How can users access the alarm templates dashboard in Foglight 6.0?
The Alarm Templates dashboard can be accessed in Foglight 6.0 and higher from the navigation panel menu item Alarm Templates. This can be found when using the new Angular-based User Interface (UI).
What is a factory template?
Foglight provides a factory template which includes the available alarms for each domain. Each alarm is enabled or disabled based on the default cartridge configuration and uses (where appropriate) the threshold values described in the alarm. The factory template cannot be edited. To modify the default settings, duplicate the factory template and make the required changes in the duplicate template.
How is the default configuration of the factory template determined?
The default configuration of the factory template is determined by global registry variables configured in the Rules Administration dashboard. If these values are modified for an alarm, they will be applied to the factory template as well as any template in which the alarm has not been changed. If an alarm is modified in a new or duplicated template, then any changes made in the Rules Administration dashboard to that alarm will be ignored for that template.
How will future Foglight version address changes to default rules?
If future Foglight versions include changes to the default rules, these changes will be automatically incorporated into the factory template when upgrading the Foglight Management Server or any cartridges. Any template in which the updated alarms have not been modified will also update the default alarm rules.
Can the factory template be duplicated?
Refer to KB 333491 - Understanding and Duplicating the Factory Template
How can a new alarm template be created?
Refer to KB 333493 - Creating a new Alarm Template
Is it possible to duplicate an alarm template?
Refer to KB 333494 - Duplicating an Alarm Template
How can an alarm template be set as the default template?
Refer to KB 333495 - Setting a default Alarm Template
Is it possible to view key information about an alarm template?
A summary card is available to see data points about an alarm template. Refer to KB 333497 - Viewing Alarm Template information
How can a user edit an alarm template?
Refer to KB 333498 - Editing an Alarm Template
What steps are required to attach targets to an alarm template?
Refer to KB 333500 - Attaching Targets to Alarm Templates
How can targets be removed from an alarm template?
Refer to KB 333501 - Removing Targets from a Alarm Template
Can an alarm template be deleted?
Refer to KB 333502 - Deleting an Alarm template
Do alarm templates use the sensitivity levels configured in older versions of the Foglight cartridges?
No, if configurations relied on the sensitivity level configured previously to limit the number of alarms fired then some manual work will be necessary to adjust the number and types of alarms to fire at a desired level.
Will previous alarm configurations work with alarm templates?
Alarm configurations configured prior to the cartridge to an alarm template compatible release will remain configured until the configurations are overwritten by an alarm template assigned to the target (agent/host).
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Attachments
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Additional Information
The attached Getting Started with Alarm Templates document is intended as a summary of the Alarm Template concepts and functionality added to Foglight in the 6.0 and higher releases.