| Slowdowns and sudden outages are very critical to | | | | between the external applications and Hawk System |
| every business nowadays. Businesses cannot afford | | | | that uses RV Messaging to communicate. It is used as |
| to have any delays in their operations that may cause | | | | a protocol in instrumenting an application with a |
| financial losses. Constant system monitoring is needed | | | | management interface that allows the application to be |
| to prevent and predict any possible failures and | | | | monitored and controlled by exposing internal |
| downtimes. This is why TIBCO developed a software | | | | application methods to the TIBCO Hawk system. |
| that has the capability to monitor and manage not only | | | | TIBCO Hawk Agents operate by loading rulebases. |
| the systems and applications but the network statistics | | | | So, what are rulebases? |
| as well. | | | | Rulebase refers to a collection of rules that controls |
| What is TIBCO HAWK? | | | | the monitoring conducted by the agents, which can be |
| TIBCO Hawk is a network monitoring and | | | | created or modified using the rulebase editor in the |
| management software for distributed systems and | | | | TIBCO HAWK Display. It uses a microagent method |
| applications in the enterprise. It is designed using the | | | | as a data source to create one or more tests. These |
| concept of an independent smart agent that runs on | | | | tests use If/else construct to check the conditions and |
| each node in the network to monitor local conditions, | | | | includes action if the condition evaluates to true. An |
| so there is no need for a centralized monitoring | | | | action, can be sending an alert or notification |
| console or frequent pooling across the network that | | | | messages, execute an OS command, creating post |
| can consume more bandwidth or cause network | | | | condition, or invoking another microgent method. |
| traffic. | | | | What are Alert Messages? |
| One of the advantages of using TIBCO Hawk is that it | | | | Alert messages originate from a rulebase that |
| uses less bandwidth while monitoring every machine in | | | | implements the monitoring policy or logic. When a |
| the network. It is because TIBCO Hawk distributes the | | | | specified condition occurs, the agent publishes an alert |
| monitoring load to each machine that has locally | | | | message to the TIBCO Hawk Display and presents it |
| installed Hawk agents in order to conserve system | | | | by colors to show the severity of the alert. It uses |
| resources and network bandwidth. The system | | | | colors such as red for high alert, orange for medium |
| administrator has now the capability to monitor the | | | | alert, yellow for low alert, cyan if it's recovering, green if |
| operating system, the application parameters and | | | | it's ok and purple for no heartbeat. These colors are |
| behaviors of each machine in the network using only | | | | default to the Hawk Display but it also allows you to |
| less bandwidth. Another great advantage of TIBCO | | | | change them based on your own preference. You can |
| Hawk is that, in case of network failure, the Hawk | | | | also suspend an alert message that will be temporarily |
| agents will continue to perform local tasks because | | | | neutralized to prevent it from interfering with other |
| each agent operates independently from the other. | | | | monitoring tasks. If ever a condition ceases, these |
| One of the benefits of using TIBCO Hawk is that it | | | | alerts will be cleared or removed in the Display. |
| reduces sudden or unexpected system outages and | | | | What is a rulebase scheduling? |
| slowdowns. TIBCO Hawk has this capability to | | | | Rulebase scheduling allows you to create a schedule |
| automatically repair failures and slowdowns within | | | | that defines when a rulebase, rule, test or action is |
| seconds of detection and it also allows problems to be | | | | active or not. These schedules can be imposed on the |
| found and fixed before any slowdowns and failures | | | | rulebase to control the monitoring activity and |
| can occur. | | | | performing corrective tasks. You can define and |
| TIBCO Hawk system architecture. | | | | assign a schedule using the TIBCO Hawk Display, |
| There are two major components that make up the | | | | which must be saved on a file so that it can be |
| TIBCO Hawk System: the Agents and the Console | | | | assigned later on to one or more agents and can be |
| Applications. Agents reside on each computer in the | | | | applied to any rulebase objects. |
| network and perform monitoring and managing duties. | | | | In creating a schedule, you can also specify inclusion |
| It uses rulebases as a monitoring policy and | | | | and exclusion periods. For example, you can set a |
| microagents to extract monitoring information and to | | | | rulebase to be activated only during office hours and |
| carry-out specified tasks. | | | | be deactivated during holidays. For the inclusion period, |
| The Console Applications, on the other hand, can be | | | | you can use Mondays to Fridays from 8 AM to 5PM |
| further divided into three subcomponents: the TIBCO | | | | and for the exclusion period you can include holidays |
| Hawk Display that provides the interface to monitor | | | | such as Christmas and New Year. |
| and manage agent behavior in your network, the | | | | What are the Hawk Group operations? |
| Event Service that records and logs all the activities of | | | | There are three Hawk Group operations: the Network |
| the agent, and the bridges to other management | | | | Query, Network Query with test and Network Action. |
| systems. | | | | These group operations allow you to detect and solve |
| Features of TIBCO Hawk Display | | | | problems in the network. If you want to research and |
| The TIBCO Hawk Display is a local window for all the | | | | test on how to build rules, these Hawk Group |
| activities in the network, which provides a graphical | | | | operations can be used as an interactive tool. |
| user interface used for viewing active agents in the | | | | Network Query, from the name itself, queries one or |
| network. It displays container icons that are created for | | | | more agents in the network to detect the location |
| each agent and arranged in clusters. These agent | | | | where such specified condition exists. It is such a |
| icons are, by default, clustered according to subnets. It | | | | powerful feature that allows you to communicate with |
| also allows you to customize container icons and to | | | | multiple TIBCO Hawk agents at one time. As an |
| convey added information that can be useful for your | | | | individual agent, you can ask or query multiple agents in |
| monitoring. Menus and dialogs are provided for you to | | | | your network. |
| create, modify and distribute rulebases to any agent | | | | The Network Query with test, on the other hand, is |
| present in the network. You can also invoke a | | | | where you apply a test based on the results of the |
| microagent method that allows you to view the results | | | | network query. You can use these tests to filter the |
| immediately. | | | | result set, but these tests are optional and only one |
| Features of TIBCO Hawk Event Service | | | | test per query is allowed. |
| The TIBCO Hawk Event Service does not only record | | | | Lastly, the Network Action specifies an action to be |
| the activity of TIBCO Hawk agents but it also logs and | | | | performed on any agent in the network but you can |
| subscribes to all TIBCO Hawk system events such as | | | | only specify an action one at a time. |
| agent activation and expiration, microagent and | | | | Both the Network query and Network Action allow |
| rulebase changes, alerts and clears. The external | | | | you to combine common and identical tasks which can |
| applications must be saved on a data file in order for | | | | be executed in a single operation and can be |
| them to access the logs. If ever there is an expired or | | | | performed on each agent in the network. |
| non-communicating agent in the network, the Event | | | | What are the monitoring best practices? |
| Service provides the use of a user-supplied script to | | | | Using TIBCO Hawk, you can have these practices to |
| notify the system administrator. | | | | achieve an efficient and effective way of monitoring |
| How does TIBCO Hawk agent operates? | | | | your system and your applications. |
| The Hawk agent uses microagents as an object to | | | | - Create a rulebase based on the process existence. |
| represent and interact with the managed object in | | | | This is to check or test whether there are not enough |
| your local machine. Then, the agent loads the | | | | or too many process instances that are running or you |
| rulebases as monitoring policies to monitor your | | | | can use this rulebase to automatically restart a failed |
| system or your applications. It uses RV Messaging to | | | | process. |
| communicate with the microagents, and uses EMS or | | | | - Creating a rulebase that monitors the process |
| RV messaging to communicate with other agents, | | | | resource utilization. This is to make sure that the use |
| Event Service and Hawk Display. It also communicates | | | | of the resources such as the memory and the CPU |
| using instances of TIBCO Hawk Display but it works | | | | don't get too big overtime, which might affect the |
| independently with the Display and other agents. | | | | system's performance.Create a rulebase for your |
| What is the difference between the Hawk | | | | LogFile or Event Log Monitoring. Through this, you can |
| Microagent(HMA) and Application Microagents? | | | | make or define another rule based on the entries of |
| HMA or Hawk Microagents are default microagents | | | | those activities logged on which you'll be able to |
| residing on your local machine to monitor system's | | | | perform necessary actions. |
| health and statistics. HMA can be a platform-specific | | | | - Checking for the existence of an Application |
| or platform-independent microagent. It means that | | | | Microagent also needs to be monitored. This is useful in |
| every platform has its own specific microagent or it | | | | a situation where you want to detect if the application |
| has microagents that are default to any platform. | | | | that you are monitoring is not responding or not |
| The Application Microagents, on the other hand, are | | | | communicating with the agents. After studying and |
| microagents that are specifically created or coded to | | | | configuring TIBCO Hawk System, you will see that it is |
| monitor the application statistics. Only those applications | | | | such a powerful monitoring tool. It can help system |
| that use AMI are dynamically discovered by the Hawk | | | | administrator to guarantee and improve software |
| System and represented by microagents that enables | | | | performance and availability. With the solutions |
| those applications to be managed and monitored. | | | | provided by TIBCO Hawk, monitoring can now be |
| What is AMI or Application Management Interface? | | | | implemented in the network without worrying much of |
| Application Management Interface (AMI) is a gateway | | | | the use of the bandwidth and the network traffic. |