White Papers - Sample Rules File -
Previous: Debug Probe Output     Next: Sample Nervecenter.rules File

Appendix: Sample Rules File

The nervecenter.rules file is the starting point for customizing the Netcool/OMNIbus desktop, eliminating duplicate alerts in the Event List, and associating events with fields that can be manipulated by the Object Server. This appendix contains a nervecenter.rules file customized and provided by Southernview Technologies, Inc. See About Southernview Technologies, Inc. for more information about this company.

The sample rules file was modified to do the following:

• Define lookup tables for adding information to an event. The tables for this example are located in $OMNIHOME/probes/platform and are accessed using the lookup keyword.
• Create generic variable token definitions that can be assigned to database fields.
• Assign default values to database fields to ensure all fields contain a value. The rules file later passes these fields to the Object Server when the probe receives certain types of events.
• Create several different types of classes, along with associated token variables. The class value is set depending on the type of event. This field is also used to associate tools and actions in the Netcool desktop tool.
• Parse the node names, which follow a predefined set of naming conventions, and extract certain values that can be expanded into more readable text.
• Define separate cases for events and make field assignments for each case. Each case is based on an incoming $MesgID value, which the user provides when creating the inform action in NerveCenter.
• Modify the Identifier field and add a value for the AlertKey field. The AlertKey field forwards to the Object Server the name of the alarm, node, and interface if applicable for an inform.

If you intend to develop your own nervecenter.rules file, you might first map out the message you want for a single NerveCenter alarm and then create the case statement for that $MesgID value. This makes it easy to format the @Summary field to include the information you want displayed to the operator. The rules file can grow quite large; working with one alarm case at a time makes customization easier.