IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Ping Probe: Reference Guide

IBM® Tivoli® Netcool/OMNIbus Ping Probe7.0

Reference GuideMarch 2, 2012

IBM

SC23-6009-07

Note

Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in Appendix A, “Noticesand Trademarks,” on page 13.

Edition notice

This edition (SC23-6009-07) applies to version 7.0 of IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Ping Probe and to all subsequentreleases and modifications until otherwise indicated in new editions.

This edition replaces SC23-6009-06.© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2007, 2012.US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract withIBM Corp.

Contents

About this guide.................................................................................................... vDocument control page................................................................................................................................ vConventions used in this guide.................................................................................................................... v

Chapter 1. Ping Probe............................................................................................ 1Summary...................................................................................................................................................... 1Installing probes.......................................................................................................................................... 2Data acquisition........................................................................................................................................... 2

Ping file................................................................................................................................................... 3Host status..............................................................................................................................................4Name resolution..................................................................................................................................... 4Peer-to-peer failover functionality.........................................................................................................4

Properties and command line options........................................................................................................ 5Elements...................................................................................................................................................... 9Error messages............................................................................................................................................ 9ProbeWatch messages.............................................................................................................................. 10Running the probe..................................................................................................................................... 11Limitation................................................................................................................................................... 12

Appendix A. Notices and Trademarks................................................................... 13Notices....................................................................................................................................................... 13Trademarks................................................................................................................................................ 14

iii

iv

About this guide

The following sections contain important information about using this guide.

Document control pageUse this information to track changes between versions of this guide.

The IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Ping Probe documentation is provided in softcopy format only. To obtainthe most recent version, visit the IBM Tivoli Netcool Information Center:

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSHTQ/omnibus/probes/common/Probes.html

Table 1. Document modification history

Documentversion

Publication date Comments

SC23-6009-01 September 25,2007

First IBM publication.

SC23-6009-02 August 22, 2008 Support for Linux® for zSeries added.

SC23-6009-03 December 31,2008

Summary table updated.

IPv6 support information added.

FIPS information added.

Installation section added.

SC23-6009-04 February 19, 2010 “Summary” on page 1 updated.

SC23-6009-05 March 31, 2011 Installation section replaced by “Installing probes” on page 2.

SC23-6009-06 July 29, 2011 Information about operating system conventions added in“Conventions used in this guide” on page v.

IP environment information updated in “Summary” on page 1.

Information about running the probe updated in “Running theprobe” on page 11.

SC23-6009-07 March 2, 2012 Summary table updated.

IPv6 support added for all UNIX and Linux operating systems.

Conventions used in this guideAll probe guides use standard conventions for operating system-dependent environment variables anddirectory paths.

Operating system-dependent variables and pathsAll probe guides use standard conventions for specifying environment variables and describing directorypaths, depending on what operating systems the probe is supported on.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2007, 2012 v

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSHTQ/omnibus/probes/common/Probes.html

For probes supported on UNIX and Linux operating systems, probe guides use the standard UNIXconventions such as $variable for environment variables and forward slashes (/) in directory paths. Forexample:

$OMNIHOME/probes

For probes supported only on Windows operating systems, probe guides use the standard Windowsconventions such as %variable% for environment variables and backward slashes (\) in directory paths.For example:

%OMNIHOME%\probes

For probes supported on UNIX, Linux, and Windows operating systems, probe guides use the standardUNIX conventions for specifying environment variables and describing directory paths. When using theWindows command line with these probes, replace the UNIX conventions used in the guide with Windowsconventions. If you are using the bash shell on a Windows system, you can use the UNIX conventions.

Note : The names of environment variables are not always the same in Windows and UNIX environments.For example, %TEMP% in Windows environments is equivalent to $TMPDIR in UNIX and Linuxenvironments. Where such variables are described in the guide, both the UNIX and Windows conventionswill be used.

Operating system-specific directory namesWhere Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus files are identified as located within an arch directory under NCHOME orOMNIHOME, arch is a variable that represents your operating system directory. For example:

$OMNIHOME/probes/arch

The following table lists the directory names used for each operating system.

Note : This probe may not support all of the operating systems specified in the table.

Table 2. Directory names for the arch variable

Operating system Directory name represented by arch

AIX® systems aix5

Red Hat Linux and SUSE systems linux2x86

Linux for System z linux2s390

Solaris systems solaris2

Windows systems win32

OMNIHOME locationProbes and older versions of Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus use the OMNIHOME environment variable in manyconfiguration files. Set the value of OMNIHOME as follows:

• On UNIX and Linux, set $OMNIHOME to $NCHOME/omnibus.• On Windows, set %OMNIHOME% to %NCHOME%\omnibus.

vi IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Ping Probe: Reference Guide

Chapter 1. Ping Probe

The Ping Probe is used for general purpose applications on UNIX platforms and does not require anyspecial hardware. It can be used to monitor devices, such as switches, routers, and UNIX- or Windows-based hosts, that support the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP).

The following topics describe the probe and its features:

• “Summary” on page 1• “Installing probes” on page 2• “Data acquisition” on page 2• “Properties and command line options” on page 5• “Elements” on page 9• “Error messages” on page 9• “ProbeWatch messages” on page 10• “Running the probe” on page 11

SummaryEach probe works in a different way to acquire event data from its source, and therefore has specificfeatures, default values, and changeable properties. Use this summary information to learn about thisprobe.

The following table provides a summary of the Ping Probe.

Table 3. Summary

Probe target Any device that supports the Internet Control Message Protocol(ICMP).

Probe executable file name nco_p_ping

Package version 7.0

Probe supported on For details of supported operating systems, see the followingRelease Notice on the IBM Software Support website:

https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21580416

Properties file $OMNIHOME/probes/arch/ping.props

Rules file $OMNIHOME/probes/arch/ping.rules

Requirements A currently supported version of IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus.

Connection method ICMP

Remote connectivity Not available

Multicultural support Available

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2007, 2012 1



Table 3. Summary (continued)

Peer-to-peer failover functionality Available for UNIX and Linux operating systems.

Not available for Windows operating systems.

IP environment IPv4 and IPv6

Note : IPv6 is not available on Windows operating systems.

Federal Information ProcessingStandards (FIPS)

IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus uses the FIPS 140-2 approvedcryptographic provider: IBM Crypto for C (ICC) certificate 384 forcryptography. This certificate is listed on the NIST website athttp://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/documents/140-1/1401val2004.htm. For details about configuring Netcool/OMNIbus for FIPS 140-2 mode, see the IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Installation and Deployment Guide.

Installing probesAll probes are installed in a similar way. The process involves downloading the appropriate installationpackage for your operating system, installing the appropriate files for the version of Netcool/OMNIbusthat you are running, and configuring the probe to suit your environment.

The installation process consists of the following steps:

1. Downloading the installation package for the probe from the Passport Advantage Online website.

Each probe has a single installation package for each operating system supported. For details abouthow to locate and download the installation package for your operating system, visit the following pageon the IBM Tivoli Knowledge Center:

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSHTQ/omnibus/probes/all_probes/wip/reference/install_download_intro.html

2. Installing the probe using the installation package.

The installation package contains the appropriate files for all supported versions of Netcool/OMNIbus.For details about how to install the probe to run with your version of Netcool/OMNIbus, visit thefollowing page on the IBM Tivoli Knowledge Center:

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSHTQ/omnibus/probes/all_probes/wip/reference/install_install_intro.html

3. Configuring the probe.

This guide contains details of the essential configuration required to run this probe. It combines topicsthat are common to all probes and topics that are peculiar to this probe. For details about additionalconfiguration that is common to all probes, see the IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Probe and GatewayGuide.

Data acquisitionEach probe uses a different method to acquire data. Which method the probe uses depends on the targetsystem from which it receives data.

The probe regularly polls a list of hosts using ICMP packets in a similar way to the UNIX ping utility. Itsends an ICMP packet to each host and then waits for a reply.

The probe generates events in the following conditions:

• A host cannot be located by name or by IP address (this may represent a DNS problem)• A host fails to respond to the ICMP packets (for example, host down)

2 IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Ping Probe: Reference Guide

http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/documents/140-1/1401val2004.htm

http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/documents/140-1/1401val2004.htm





• A host begins to respond after previously failing to respond (for example, host back up)• A new host is added to the list of hosts to be pinged• A host is removed from the list of hosts to be pinged• A host responds too slowly

The following topics describe how the probe acquires data:

• “Ping file” on page 3• “Host status” on page 4• “Name resolution” on page 4• “Peer-to-peer failover functionality” on page 4

Ping fileThe probe acquires the list of hosts to be polled from a ping file specified by the PingFile property. Eachline in the ping file contains the name of a host, how often the probe should ping it, and the length of timein which a response is expected.

Each host listed in the ping file has a poll time. After this poll time has elapsed, the probe pings the host.If the host responds within the timeout time, the poll timer for the host is reset so that it is not pingedagain until the poll time has elapsed again. To set the timeout period, you use the TimeOut property inthe properties file. This value can be overridden for an individual host by using the time out parameterin the ping file.

The length of the poll time is specified for all hosts by the Poll property in the properties file. However,you can override this time for an individual host by using the poll rate parameter in the ping file.Similarly, the trip time can be set by the Trip property in the properties file or can be overridden for anindividual host by using the trip time parameter in the ping file.

If the host does not respond, the poll timer is not reset because this instructs the probe to ping the hostagain after it has gone through all the other hosts in the ping file. The probe attempts to ping the host oneach pass of the ping file until either the host responds or the maximum number of retries has beenreached, in which case the probe deems the host to be unreachable and sends an alarm indicating this tothe ObjectServer. It then resets the poll timer and does not attempt to ping the host again until the polltime has elapsed.

Example ping fileThe following example shows a ping file:

## Example ping file## Format: One host per line## To add a trip time, a poll rate must also be entered, but a trip time# is not necessary for adding a poll rate only.## Each line takes one of the following formats:# host [ poll rate ]# host [ poll rate ] [trip time ] [timeout]# host [ - ] [ trip time ]# host_01 30 1600host_02 25host_03 - 1600

Chapter 1. Ping Probe 3

Ping cycleThe probe pings the hosts specified in the ping file in cycles. The minimum length of each cycle isspecified by the Interval property. During each ping cycle, the probe pings the number of hostsspecified by the MaxPingBurst property.

In each cycle, the probe:

1. Finds the next host that has not been deemed unreachable or responsive during the current poll time.2. Pings that host.3. Checks whether it has pinged the number of hosts specified by the MaxPingBurst property during

the current cycle. If not, it goes back to step 1.

Once the probe has pinged the number of hosts specified by the MaxPingBurst property, it does thefollowing:

4. Processes all the responses received so far.5. Processes any timeouts that have occurred.6. Reloads the ping file if the time specified by the PingFileCheck property has elapsed.7. Sleeps for any remaining time specified by the Interval property.

Host statusThe probe uses the response time of the host following a ping to determine the status of the host.

The probe determines the host status in the following ways:

• If the host responds before the trip time, the probe sets the $status element to alive.• If the host takes longer to respond than the trip time, but less than the time specified in the TimeOut

property, the probes sets the $status element to slow.• If the host takes longer than the TimeOut period to respond, the probe sets the $status element tounreachable.

The probe provides valid responses even if the IP address is not the same as the IP address for which theprobe was configured. This deals with situations where IP address aliases are used.

Note : If the hosts to be pinged are on the other side of a firewall, the firewall must be configured to allowICMP packets through.

Name resolutionIf you are using a naming service, such as Domain Name System (DNS) or Network Information Service(NIS), the IP address of each host can be written in either dotted quad format (for example,193.131.98.3) or can be assigned a human-readable host name. By default, the probe resolves alldotted quad IP addresses before sending events to the ObjectServer.

If you set the NoNameResolution property to 1, you can instruct the probe to send events to theObjectServer without resolving the host name first. This option can improve the performance of the probe.

Peer-to-peer failover functionalityThe probe supports failover configurations where two probes run simultaneously. One probe acts as themaster probe, sending events to the ObjectServer; the other acts as the slave probe on standby. If themaster probe fails, the slave probe activates.

While the slave probe receives heartbeats from the master probe, it does not forward events to theObjectServer. If the master probe shuts down, the slave probe stops receiving heartbeats from the masterand any events it receives thereafter are forwarded to the ObjectServer on behalf of the master probe.When the master probe is running again, the slave probe continues to receive events, but no longer sendsthem to the ObjectServer.


Example property file settings for peer-to-peer failover

You set the peer-to-peer failover mode in the properties files of the master and slave probes. The settingsdiffer for a master probe and slave probe.

Note : In the examples, make sure to use the full path for the property value. In other words replace$OMNIHOME with the full path. For example: /opt/IBM/tivoli/netcool.

The following example shows the peer-to-peer settings from the properties file of a master probe:

Server : "NCOMS" RulesFile : "master_rules_file"MessageLog : "master_log_file"PeerHost : "slave_hostname"PeerPort : 6789 # [communication port between master and slave probe]Mode : "master"PidFile : "master_pid_file"

The following example shows the peer-to-peer settings from the properties file of the corresponding slaveprobe:

Server : "NCOMS" RulesFile : "slave_rules_file"MessageLog : "slave_log_file"PeerHost : "master_hostname"PeerPort : 6789 # [communication port between master and slave probe]Mode : "slave"PidFile : "slave_pid_file"

Properties and command line optionsYou use properties to specify how the probe interacts with the device. You can override the default valuesby using the properties file or the command line options.

The following table describes the properties and command line options specific to this probe. Forinformation about default properties and command line options, see the IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbusProbe and Gateway Guide (SC14-7608).

Table 4. Properties and command line options

Property name Command line option Description

AsyncEventProcessinginteger

-synceventprocessing(equivalent toAsyncEventProcessingwith a value of 0)

-asynceventprocessing(equivalent toAsyncEventProcessingwith a value of 1)

Use this property to specify whether theprobe processes alerts synchronously orasynchronously:

0: The probe forces the probe to processalerts synchronously; this means a commontiming is established between the sender andthe receiver during which the events are sent.

1: The probe forces the probe to processalerts asynchronously; this means that nocommon timing is established between thesender and the receiver.

The default is 0.


Table 4. Properties and command line options (continued)


BindAddress string -ipaddress string Use this property to specify the IP address towhich the probe binds.

The default is " ".

Note : If the value is blank the probe binds toall the IP addresses on the machine.

Force integer -force (equivalent toForce with a value of 1)

-noforce (equivalent toForce with a value of 0)

Use this property to specify whether theprobe forces the use of risky propertycombinations (such as when Interval isless than 10, Retry is greater than 20, orTimeout is less than 250):

0: The probe prevents the use of riskyproperty combinations.

1: The probe forces the use of risky propertycombinations.

The default is 0.

Interval integer -interval integer Use this property to specify the minimumlength of time (in milliseconds) that a probesets aside for pinging and processing theresponses of the number of hosts specifiedby the MaxPingBurst property. If the probepings and processes the responses in a timeshorter than this, it sleeps for the remainderof the Interval period before starting thenext ping cycle.

Note : You can increase the ping rate bydecreasing the value specified by theInterval property.

LookupOnFailure integer -lookuponfailure(equivalent toLookupOnFailure with avalue of 1)

-nolookuponfailure(equivalent toLookupOnFailure with avalue of 0)

Use this property to force the probe to lookup the IP address of a host if it fails torespond to a ping:

1: The probe looks up the IP address of thehost that did not respond to a ping.

0: The probe does not look up the IP addressof the host that did not respond to a ping.

The default is 0.




MaxPingBurst integer -maxpingburst integer Use this property to specify the maximumnumber of hosts that the probe pings during asingle ping cycle.

The default is 1.

MaxPingBurst affects the time it takes theprobe to go through the ping file and the loadthis has on your network. Increasing thevalue of the MaxPingBurst property reducesthe time it takes the probe to go through thewhole ping file, but it also increases the burstload on the network.

MultipleUnreachableinteger

-singleunreachable(equivalent toMultipleUnreachablewith a value of 0)

-multipleunreachable(equivalent toMultipleUnreachablewith a value of 1)

Use this property to specify whether theprobe sends multiple alerts while the host isunreachable:

0: The probe sends a single alert while thehost is unreachable.

1: The probe sends an unreachable alert forevery ping to which the host fails to respond.

The default is 1.

NoNameResolutioninteger

-nameresolution(equivalent toNoNameResolution witha value of 0)

-nonameresolution(equivalent toNoNameResolution witha value of 1)

Use this property to specify whether theprobe performs name resolution on IPaddresses:

0: The probe performs name resolution.

1: The probe does not perform nameresolution, and sends the event to theObjectServer with the host name given as anIP address in dotted quad format.

The default is 0.

PacketSize integer -packetsize integer Use this property to specify the ping packetsize.

The default is 64.

PingFile string -pingfile string Use this property to specify the path of thefile that specifies the hosts, which the probepings.

The default is $OMNIHOME/probes/arch/ping.file.

Note : On Windows operating systems, useforward slashes (/) in the path instead of backslashes (\).




PingFileCheck integer -pingfilecheck integer Use this property to specify the frequency (inseconds) with which the probe checks for anychanges in the ping file. Changes can beaddition or removal of hosts, and changes inthe Poll, Trip, or TimeOut properties foreach hosts. According to these changes theprobe pings the hosts.

The default is 60.

Poll integer -poll integer Use this property to specify the frequency (inseconds) with which the probe pings eachhost specified in the ping file.

Once this poll time has elapsed, the probepings the host. If it responds, the poll timerfor the host is reset. If it does not respond,the probe pings the host again once it hasgone through all the other hosts in the pingfile.

The default is 600.

Note : You can override the Poll property foran individual host by specifying a poll rate forthat host in the ping file.

Retry integer -retry integer Use this property to specify the maximumnumber of times that the probe retriespinging a host without response before itassumes that the host is not reachable. If thisnumber is reached, the probe sends anunreachable event to the ObjectServer.

The default is 3.

TimeOut integer -timeout integer Use this property to specify the time (inmilliseconds) within which the probe expectsthe host to respond before assuming that itwill not respond to that ping attempt.

The default is 2500.

Note : You can override the TimeOutproperty for an individual host by specifying atime out period for that host in the ping file.

Trip integer -trip integer Use this property to specify the time (inmilliseconds) within which the probe expectsthe host to respond to a ping before deemingthe host to be slow.

The default is 2500.

Note : You can override the Trip property foran individual host by specifying a trip time forthat host in the ping file.


ElementsThe probe breaks event data down into tokens and parses them into elements. Elements are used toassign values to ObjectServer fields; the field values contain the event details in a form that theObjectServer understands.

The following table describes the elements that the Ping Probe generates. Not all the elements describedare generated for each event; the elements that the probe generates depends upon the event type.

Table 5. Elements

Element name Element description

$alias This element identifies the alias of the host.

$host This element shows the name of the host.

$icmp_stats This element contains the standard ICMP statistics of thehost.

$ip_address This element shows the IP address of the host machine.

$status This element indicates the status of the host. Possiblevalues are:

• unreachable: the host has failed to respond• responded: the host has responded• alive: the host has responded after previously failing

to respond• slow: the host has taken longer than trip time but less

than poll-rate to respond• noaddress: the probe cannot find the IP address of

the host• removed: the host is removed from the ping file• newhost: the host is added to the ping file

Error messagesError messages provide information about problems that occur while running the probe. You can use theinformation that they contain to resolve such problems.

The following table describes the error messages specific to this probe. For information about genericerror messages, see the IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Probe and Gateway Guide (SC14-7608).

Table 6. Error messages

Error Description Action

Error: Socket Failed:Permission denied

Error: This program canonly be run by root

The current username does nothave sufficient permission to runthe probe.

Log on as root or setuid rootand rerun the probe.


Table 6. Error messages (continued)

Error Description Action

NMQueuefailed:nrc=portnumber

The ping probe failed to receive aping from the specified host. Thiscould be due to the host beingdown or to a memory allocationerror.

Check that the host is running. If itis, make more memory availableand rerun the probe.

Packet not for our PID:Discarding

Packet notICMP_ECHORPLY:Discarding

Packet too short:Discarding

The probe received a packet in anunexpected format.

Check that the device is runningcorrectly.

Parse failure inping.props, linelinenumber near F

Failed to processarguments: Opl libraryerror (see previousmessages)

The probe could not parse theelements.

Correct the invalid property valueat the line identified by the errormessage.

PacketSize too large:max -290 in Windows

The value set for the PacketSizeproperty is greater than themaximum allowable for theWindows platform.

Set the PacketSize property to avalue less than or equal to 290.

PacketSize too large:max -4096

The value set for the PacketSizeproperty is greater than themaximum allowable for the UNIXplatform.

Set the PacketSize property to avalue less than or equal to 4096.

ProbeWatch messagesDuring normal operations, the probe generates ProbeWatch messages and sends them to theObjectServer. These messages tell the ObjectServer how the probe is running.

The following table describes the raw ProbeWatch error messages that the probe generates. Forinformation about generic ProbeWatch messages, see the IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Probe andGateway Guide (SC14-7608).

Table 7. ProbeWatch messages

ProbeWatch message Description Triggers or causes

Going Down The probe is shutting down. The probe is shutting down afterperforming the shutdown routine.


Table 7. ProbeWatch messages (continued)

ProbeWatch message Description Triggers or causes

Heartbeat Message This is the heartbeat messagethat the probe sends to theObjectServer.

The probe has not received anyevents for the time specified bythe Heartbeat property. Thismay be useful for debuggingpurposes.

Running The probe is running normally. The probe has just started up.

Running the probeHow you run the probe depends on the operating system you are using.

Starting the probeTo start the probe on UNIX and Linux operating systems, use the following command:

$OMNIHOME/probes/nco_p_ping

Note : On UNIX and Linux operating systems, you must run the probe as the root or suid root user.

To start the probe from the Windows command prompt, use the following command:

%OMNIHOME%\probes\win32\nco_p_ping.bat

To run the probe as a Windows service, use the following steps:

1. To run the probe on the same host as the ObjectServer, use the following command to register it as aservice:

%OMNIHOME%\probes\win32\nco_p_ping.bat -install -depend NCOObjectServer2. To run the probe on a different host to the ObjectServer, use the following command to register it as a

service:

%OMNIHOME%\probes\win32\nco_p_ping.bat -install3. Start the probe service using the Microsoft Services Management Console.

Note : Before running the probe on Windows operating systems, you must edit the default value of thePingFile property to use forward slashes (\) in the file path instead of back slashes (/).

Running the probe as suid rootThe probe can be run as suid root without compromising system security. In this mode, the probe retainsroot privileges for the entire time that it is running.

To run the probe as suid root, use the following steps:

1. Log in as root.2. In the $OMNIHOME/probes/arch directory, run the following command to change the owner of the

probe binary:

chown root nco_p_ping3. Run the following command to enable the probe binary to run as suid root:

chmod +s nco_p_ping4. Run the following command to register the Netcool/OMNIbus library directory as a trusted directory:

crle -s /usr/lib/secure:/opt/netcool/omnibus/platform/arch/lib


5. If the crle command is not available on your system, use the following steps to register the Netcool/OMNIbus library directory as a trusted directory:

a. Locate /etc/ld.so.conf and open the file for editing.b. Add your LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment value to the file.c. Run /sbin/ldconfig.

The probe can now be run as suid root from the $OMNIHOME/probes directory.

Running the probe on AIXProblems with library paths and events not being read properly by the probe have been reported by someusers of the AIX operating system.

If you experience these issues, one possible workaround is to run the probe from the $OMNIHOME/platform/arch/lib directory.

To do this, use the following steps:

1. Change to the following directory:

/usr/Omnibus/platform/aix4/lib2. Run the following command:

$OMNIHOME/probes/nco_p_ping options

If running the probe from this directory does not work, contact IBM® Software Support.

LimitationThere is a limitation with the Ping Probe whereby the running of multiple instances of the probe on thesame server is not supported.

If you try to do so, you may see the following types of messages written to the Ping Probe log file:

Debug: D-P_P-002-032: Packet not for our PID. Discarding.

The reason for this is that running multiple instances of the Ping Probe creates more than one instancesending Ping echos and expecting to receive Ping replies. (The multiple instances can be identifiedusing the process ID or PID in the Ping packet.) As there is only a single channel to listen for incomingICMP packets, this creates a race scenario between the two PIDs to process Ping replies. This may alsomake a particular probe instance unable to get actual remote machine status and may generate a falsereport (namely, reporting a host is down) when the other instance continues to discard Ping packets notfor its PID.

WorkaroundAlternatively as a workaround, you can install more than one network interface card (NIC) and bind eachinstance to a different IP address of the additional NIC using the Ping Probe's BindAddress property.

Note : For this workaround, the following conditions must be met, and the NIC in this context refers toeither a physical NIC or a virtual NIC created by hypervisor:

1. Each Ping Probe needs to bind to an IP Address of a different NIC. Binding to secondary IP addressescreated on one NIC using a technique such as virtual IP or alias IP from O/S level is not supported.

2. No other process or other instance of the Ping Probe are sending Ping packets using the same NICbinded by the running Ping Probe. There should be at least one extra NIC than the total number of PingProbe instances to run, and this extra NIC should be configured as the default NIC for the otherprocesses to perform Ping. For example, if you wish to start two instances of the Ping Probe, then threeNICs are needed.


Appendix A. Notices and TrademarksThis appendix contains the following sections:

• Notices• Trademarks

NoticesThis information was developed for products and services offered in the U.S.A.

IBM may not offer the products, services, or features discussed in this document in other countries.Consult your local IBM representative for information on the products and services currently available inyour area. Any reference to an IBM product, program, or service is not intended to state or imply that onlythat IBM product, program, or service may be used. Any functionally equivalent product, program, orservice that does not infringe any IBM intellectual property right may be used instead. However, it is theuser's responsibility to evaluate and verify the operation of any non-IBM product, program, or service.

IBM may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter described in thisdocument. The furnishing of this document does not grant you any license to these patents. You can sendlicense inquiries, in writing, to:

IBM Director of Licensing IBM Corporation North Castle Drive Armonk, NY 10504-1785 U.S.A.

For license inquiries regarding double-byte (DBCS) information, contact the IBM Intellectual PropertyDepartment in your country or send inquiries, in writing, to:

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Appendix A. Notices and Trademarks 15


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