PictureTel Utilizing PictureTel 330 NetConference SNMP Support with HP OpenView for UNIX
1.0 Introduction Page 2 This document describes the NetConference SNMP functionality, how to integrate the NetConference SNMP Agent with HP OpenView for UNIX and how to monitor the NetConference server using HP OpenView or a standard web browser. The intended audience for this paper is IT Managers and Operators familiar with HP OpenView and SNMP MIBs. To effectively administrate large installations of videoconferencing equipment, it is highly desirable to manage/monitor videoconferencing equipment using standards based tools such as SNMP. This is essential for large organizations where classes of devices need to be homogeneously monitored, configured and managed. SNMP based management provides a method to monitor, configure, and control groups of videoconferencing devices from a single point of management such as a network management station. Integrating NetConference SNMP support with HP OpenView for UNIX will allow HP OpenView to auto-discover NetConference Multipoint Server system(s), display a special NetConference Server icon to distinguish them on the map and monitor the NetConference SNMP Subagent using a web browser launched from HP OpenView. 2.0 NetConference SNMP Functionality Overview The NetConference SNMP functionality initially provided in V1.0 is limited to monitoring MIB variables using get and getnext. The NetConference SNMP Subagent does not currently support traps, which we intend to provide in a future release of NetConference. The ability to set MIB variables is intentionally not enabled since the NetConference Administration Console (NAC) is intended to be used to configure and manage the NetConference server. The SNMP monitoring functionality currently provided will allow you to monitor the current state of all conferences and calls currently active for the NetConference server. Using a network management station such as HP OpenView, will allow you to collect information on the health of each active call enabling easier analysis of normal NetConference operation and diagnosis of abnormal NetConference operation. The most useful variables on which to collect data about the current health of the NetConference server and in particular each of its calls, are the Channel Statistics described in the table below. SNMP Object mcuchanneltxpackets mcuchannelrxpackets mcuchannelrxpacketslost mcuchannelrxpacketsoutoforder mcuchannelrxpacketslate mcuchannelrxjitterdelay Description The count of packets transmitted on this channel. The count of packets received on this channel. The count of packets lost before being received on this channel. The count of packets received out of order on this channel. The count of packets received late on this channel. The measure of jitter variance on this channel. Table 1: Channel Statistics Using HP OpenView, it is easy to collect data on the normal range of values for the Channel Statistics variables (given in the above table) using the Data Collector to collect and graph these statistics for various systems on your network. Once you have determined the normal range of these values for your network, you should then set thresholds, also using the Data Collector, such that you will receive events whenever the NetConference server performance degrades outside the normal range, indicating that a problem exists. A handy UNIX shell script called graphchanstats.ksh has been included in the NetConference kit in the NetConference_server\Snmp\Misc directory. This script will bring up a separate graph for each of the Channel Statistics listed in Table 1, for all calls currently connected to a particular conference. This will allow dynamic monitoring of each of these statistics using the HP OpenView Grapher on a per conference basis. The script will prompt the user for the system name on which the NetConference server is located and the conference number.
3.0 Compatibility with SNMP Management Utilities Page 3 Due to time-to-market and resource constraints the PictureTel 330 NetConference SNMP HP OpenView integration described in this document has only been tested on HP OpenView for UNIX (Network Node Manager V4.11). The NetConference SNMP implementation has not been tested with the following products. However since many of these products use the same integration method as HP s Network Node Manager, we feel that there is a reasonability probability that they should work: HP s OpenView products for Windows 95/NT. HP s Network Node Manager V5.0 for NT Tivoli s TME10 NetView products for UNIX and NT 4.0 NetConference Multipoint Server MIB Organization The high level structure of the PictureTel 330 NetConference MIB, used by the SNMP Subagent, takes the approach of using logical rather than functional groupings. This approach requires a minimal knowledge of device-specific functionality to effectively manage a whole class of services and devices. The goal of this logical MIB structure is to enable IT Operators to manage videoconferencing devices as easily and in the same manner as they manage network devices such as routers using a network management station such as HP OpenView. The PictureTel 330 NetConference MCU MIB is divided into three main areas: Monitoring, Configuration, and Control. In addition to the benefits listed above, this structure also facilitates management of videoconferencing systems in an enterprisewide network environment in which responsibilities are delegated based on roles and privileges. This division also efficiently limits the amount of data sent over the network when monitoring the health of a device, the most heavily used of the three areas. Objects in the Monitoring area consist of quantitative statistics and state information that provide a means to evaluate the health of the H.323 MCU Service (NetConference Server) by profiling the runtime operation and resource utilization. Monitoring objects are read-only. Objects in the Configuration area provide the set of constraints and parameters within which the H.323 MCU Service operates. Objects in the Configuration/Parameters sub-area are currently implemented as read-only. When SNMP control is enabled in a future release of NetConference, it will be possible to manipulate the H.323 MCU Service operating parameters by setting the values of the Configuration/Parameters objects. Objects in the Control area provide the set of characteristics defining each conference. Objects in the Control area are currently implemented as read-only. When SNMP control is enabled in a future release of NetConference, it will be possible to manipulate a conference s characteristics by setting the values of the Control objects. For further information on the PictureTel 330 NetConference MCU MIB, refer to the MIB document itself, NetConference_mib.doc which is included in the NetConference kit, located in the NetConference_server\Snmp\Doc directory.
Page 4 5.0 Steps required to Integrate NetConference with HP OpenView Perform the following steps in order to integrate NetConference with HP OpenView for UNIX: 1. Copy the files in NetConference_server\Snmp\Misc to a directory such as NetConference_SNMP on the UNIX system where HP OpenView is installed. Set your current directory to this new directory (cd NetConference_SNMP). 2. You will need to modify the webconfig file in the directory which you created on your UNIX system in Step 1 above. This file is an HP OpenView Registration file which allows you to launch a web browser from HP OpenView to monitor the NetConference SNMP Agent using the EMANATE DR-Web Interface. Insert the command to invoke the web browser which you are using on your UNIX system. We tested the integration using the Netscape web browser, and will use Netscape in the example below to illustrate how to modify the webconfig file. You should be able to use similar steps for any web browser. a. Determine the directory path of the web browser executable on your UNIX system, using the following command (substituting the name of your web browser executable for netscape, if you are not using Netscape): find / -name netscape b. Substitute the actual directory path for the Netscape executable on your system in the place of my_netscape_dir in the following line of the webconfig file: Command "/my_netscape_dir/netscape http://${ovwselections% }:280/ - install"; If you are using a web browser other than Netscape on your UNIX system, then modify the webconfig file to substitute the command to invoke your web browser in the place of /my_netscape_dir/netscape, and remove the -install option, in the following line: Command "/my_netscape_dir/netscape http://${ovwselections% }:280/ - install"; 3. Exit from all OVW sessions. 4. Run updateov.ksh (located in the NetConference_SNMP directory created in Step 1) to copy the NetConference integration files to the appropriate HP OpenView directories and update the HP OpenView databases for the NetConference fields and symbols. 5. Start up OVW session(s).
Page 5 6.0 Monitoring NetConference with HP OpenView To monitor the NetConference SNMP Subagent from within HP OpenView, click mouse button 3 over the NetConference system symbol on the IP map and select SNMP Web Browser, or select the NetConference system using mouse button 1 and then select SNMP Web Browser from the Misc menu. When the web browser brings up the EMANATE DR-Web interface, you will be prompted for a username and password. These values are configured on the NT system where the NetConference Server is installed, in the snmpd.cnf file located in NetConference_server\Snmp\Config\Agt. The username and password are contained in an httpusernameentry; an example entry from the snmpd.cnf file is shown below: httpusernameentry root SystemAdmin - nonvolatile webrootpassword The username for this entry is root and the password is webrootpassword. For further information on the configuration of the SNMP EMANATE Master Agent, refer to the SNMP Research DR-Web EMANATE Domestic User Documentation manual. This manual is called emanate.pdf and is located in the NetConference_server\Snmp\Doc directory. 7.0 Monitoring NetConference from a Web Browser To bring up the EMANATE DR-Web interface outside of HP OpenView, specify the following URL in your favorite web browser: http://hostname:280/ The hostname is the name of the system on which the NetConference Server is installed. You will be prompted for a username and password. Refer to the Monitoring NetConference from within HP OpenView section above for information on how to configure the username and password for the EMANATE DR-Web interface. After successfully inputting the username and password, you may choose Subtree to look at general MIB II variables or Custom to view the NetConference custom web pages. For further information on how to use the EMANATE DR-Web interface, refer to the SNMP Research DR-Web Domestic User Documentation manual. This manual is called emanate.pdf and is located in the NetConference_server\Snmp\Doc directory.