1 Introduction to the Connector

The Hewlett-Packard Operations Manager Connector (version 11.1.0.1.0) integrates Oracle Enterprise Manager with HP Operations Manager Unix, or OMU, (version 9.0) through web services, enabling you to exchange event information between the two applications.

Connector Features

The Oracle Management Connector for HP Operations Manager (OMU) enables customers who manage their data centers using HP Operations Manager to integrate with Oracle Enterprise Manager by enabling end-to-end event and alert sharing. The connector allows administrators to automatically forward OMU events to Oracle Enterprise Manager as well as forward Oracle Enterprise Manager alerts to OMU.

Additionally, the connector monitors all of the events forwarded from OMU and automatically updates alert information in the Oracle Enterprise Manager console whenever changes occur in OMU. A similar synchronization of alerts sent from Oracle Enterprise Manager occurs in OMU. This ensures that the two systems are always synchronized, providing administrators with current information about their entire data center.

The connector supports the following features:

  • Synchronization of the alert life cycle on both ends

  • Customization of alert mappings during the alert information exchange

  • Bi-directional flow of alert information

    The state change of the event/alert in the originating system is reflected in the other system but not vice versa. For example, if an alert is forwarded from Oracle Enterprise Manager to HP Operations Manager, all the state changes in Enterprise Manager are reflected in HP Operations Manager. However, if you change the state of the alert in HP Operations Manager, the change is not reflected in Enterprise Manager because the alert originated in Enterprise Manager. This is also the case for the other direction.

The following sections explain how the connector handles OMU messages and polls the OMU web service.

Oracle Enterprise Manager Alerts Transmitted to OMU Messages

Conceptually, alerts in Oracle Enterprise Manager are equivalent to messages in OMU. In OMU, a message is information generated for the operator whenever an event occurs. In OMU, the term acknowledge has a different meaning than it does for most applications. Acknowledging a message in OMU means that an alert has been resolved and the message is closed.

Whenever an alert is triggered in Oracle Enterprise Manager, the OMU Connector can automatically open or update a message in OMU. You can use Notification Rules to specify the set of alerts for which messages must be opened, and the alert severity for which this should happen.

After the connector opens an event message in OMU, any subsequent change of the alert severity is propagated to HP Operations Manager. When the severity of the alert changes to Clear in Oracle Enterprise Manager, the corresponding message is acknowledged; that is, closed in OMU.

Figure 1–1 shows an example of an Oracle Enterprise Manager alert message that was created based on a message in OMU.

Figure 1-1 Oracle Enterprise Manager Alert Message

Shows an example of an alert message on the UI.

Figure 1–2 shows an example of an HP OMU message that was created based on an alert in Enterprise Manager.

Figure 1-2 HP OMU Message

Shows msg text on Message Properties page of HP OVOU.

Oracle Enterprise Manager Event Polling to OMU

After installation and configuration, the event connector automatically polls the OMU web service for events to exchange alerts and messages with Oracle Enterprise Manager. The poll cycle is configurable, where the duration is specified in minutes with a minimum possible duration of 5 minutes.

Every poll cycle, the event connector polls for up to 200 new or updated events in OMU. The Oracle Enterprise Manager connector framework processes and acknowledges all of the events provided in the poll response.

Versions Supported

This connector supports the following versions of Oracle Enterprise Manager and HP Operations Manager:

  • Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control:

    • 10g Release 4 with one-off patch 6884527

    • 10g Release 5

    • 11g Release 1

  • HP Operations Manager 8 and 9

You can install the HP Operations Manager Agent, which is part of the connector bundle, on the following platforms:

  • HP-UX on Itanium architecture with OS version 8 and above

  • Solaris on SPARC architecture with OS version 10 and above

  • Linux Red Hat Enterprise OS version 5.2 and above

The base Enterprise Manager version number for HP Operations Manager Release 10 (1.1.4.1.0) is Enterprise Manager 10g Release 4.

Prerequisites

Before using the HP Operations Manager Connector, ensure that you meet the following prerequisites:

  • Oracle one-off patch 6884527 for 10g Release 4 is installed.

    1. Download patch # 6884527 from:

      http://metalink.oracle.com/

    2. Follow the instructions included with the download in the README.txt file.

    Note:

    No patches are required for 10g Release 5 or 11g Release 1.

  • The gunzip utility is available on the system hosting HP Operations Manager.

  • An HP Operations Manager user account must be set up that the Oracle OMU Agent can use.

If you want Oracle Enterprise Manager to forward alerts to HP OMU, you need to make some configuration changes in HP OMU. Listed below are the necessary high-level steps.

Tip:

See Appendix B, "Integrating OMU with Enterprise Manager" for detailed instructions on setting up HP OMU.

  • Create a message group named OracleEnterpriseManager at the HP Operations Manager server. The HP Operations Manager account mentioned above must have access to this message group and must be able to create and update messages in this message group.

  • Create a node named OracleEnterpriseManager at the HP Operations Manager server. This node must be a Message Allowed type and must not have an associated IP address. Messages inserted by Enterprise Manager are assigned to this node.

  • Create a template/policy that generates a message whenever an event is received for the OracleEnterpriseManager message group.