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Testing the Alarm Suppression Model

You can test the model by turning the DwnStrmSnmpStatus alarm (see DwnStrmSnmpStatus Alarm) and DwnStrmIcmpStatus alarm (see DwnStrmIcmpStatus Alarm) on, and then simulating a node being unreachable.

 
  To test the alarm suppression model:

1. Make sure the Client is connected to the NerveCenter Server.
2. From the Admin menu, select Alarm Definition List.

   The Alarm Definition List dialog is displayed.

3. In the listbox, right-click on DwnStrmSnmpStatus and select On.
4. In the listbox, right-click on DwnStrmIcmpStatus and select On.

The DwnStrmSnmpStatus and DwnStrmIcmpStatus alarms monitor the status of the managed nodes.

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Note    To use the model to log data against which you can run availability reports, use DwnStrmSnmpStatus_LogToDB and DwnStrmIcmpStatus_LogToDB instead of the versions that don't log data (DwnStrmSnmpStatus and DwnStrmIcmpStatus).

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To simulate a node being unreachable, you can change the IP address of an existing node or that of a new node to an invalid address for your network. (For example, you might use 10.10.10.10.) If you have a test network available, you can also make nodes unreachable by unplugging devices -- for example, a router.

NerveCenter detects errors since the node no longer responds to polls. As a result, NerveCenter reevaluates and updates the status of the node. If the alarm is in an AgentDown, DeviceDown, or Unreachable state, NerveCenter suppresses suppressible alarms for that node until it is available again.

To make sure the statuses of the nodes are correct, you can create an alarm with a Perl subroutine that includes the following function:

The information will be written to the file in the NerveCenter installation directory on the local machine.