Creating a Trap Mask

Designing and Managing Behavior Models - Using Other Data Sources - Another NerveCenter - Creating a Trap Mask -
Another NerveCenter An Example Trigger Function

Creating a Trap Mask

This section explains specifically how to create a trap mask designed to receive an Inform trap sent by a remote NerveCenter server. For general information about creating trap masks, see the section Defining a Trap Mask on page 176.

To create a trap mask for an Inform trap:

From the client's Admin menu, choose Mask List.
The Mask List window is displayed.
Select the New button.
The Mask Definition window is displayed.
Type a unique name for your trap mask in the Name field.
Select EntSpecific = 6 from the Generic drop-down list.
All traps you receive from remote NerveCenter servers are enterprise-specific traps.
Select the From Only radio button.
In the Enterprise field, type 1.3.6.1.4.1.78.
This value will match the value in the Enterprises field of all Inform traps sent from remote NerveCenter servers.
Type a specific trap number in the Specific field. This value must match the Specific Number used by the remote server's Inform action.
If you want to fire a single trigger if the Generic, Enterprise, and Specific values in the Inform trap match the corresponding values in your trap mask, proceed with step 8. Otherwise, skip to step 11.
Select the Simple Trigger radio button.
Type a trigger name in the Simple Trigger field, or select a trigger from the Simple Trigger drop-down list.
Select the Save button.
This is the end of the procedure for trap masks that will fire a simple trigger. Be sure to enable your mask when you're ready to use it.
Select the Trigger Function radio button.
Select the Trigger Function tab.
The Trigger Function tab is displayed.
Enter your trigger function in the text area on the Trigger Function page.
For instructions on writing a trigger function, see the section Writing a Trigger Function on page 180.
Select the Save button.
Be sure to enable your mask when you're ready to use it.

Variable Bindings for NerveCenter Informs

Depending on how its behavior models are designed, a NerveCenter detecting particular network conditions can send Inform packets to a network management platform or even another NerveCenter Server. Although these Inform packets use TCP/IP, they are similar in content to an SNMP trap, containing trap numbers (generic and specific), an enterprise OID, and a variable-binding list. The lengthy varbinds contains information about the alarm that performed the Inform action, such as the name of alarm, the object the alarm was monitoring, and the names of the origin and destination alarm states.

The network management platform or NerveCenter Server receiving the trap can make use of the information in the variable bindings much the same way it would use variable bindings found in an SNMP trap. For example, the section An Example Trigger Function shows how a NerveCenter server might use some of this information in a trap mask trigger function.

Inform Trap Variable Bindings explains the contents of this variable-binding list.

Inform Trap Variable Bindings

Variable Binding	Value
0	The name of the domain where NerveCenter is running
1	The name of the host machine running the NerveCenter Server
2	The name of the managed node associated with the alarm
3	The base object associated with the alarm (for example, ifEntry for a monitored interface)
4	The base object instance associated with the alarm (for example, 4 for the fourth interface)
5	The name of the subobject. This would include the null string if the alarm is not associated with an alarm.
6	The property group assigned to the node or the subobject
7	The name of the alarm
8	The alarm's property
9	The name of the trigger that caused the alarm transition
10	The state of the alarm before the transition
11	The severity of the state of the alarm prior to the transition
12	The state of the alarm after the transition
13	The severity of the state of the alarm after the transition
14	The maximum severity of all active alarms for the managed node before this alarm transition
15	The maximum severity of all active alarms for the managed node after this alarm transition
16	The variable bindings in the poll or trap that caused the transition. These variable bindings are formatted as follows: `Attribute ncTransitionVarBinds =` attribute.instance=value;attribute=value;...
17	The identification number of the alarm instance

Another NerveCenter	An Example Trigger Function
	29 July 2003