Configuring PageAlert and JobRescue to Work Together

This document provides the steps necessary for the configuration of PageAlert and JobRescue, so that PageAlert can initiate an alert when an HP3000 job exception occurs.

Introduction

First, let's go over some of the reasons you would want to use both products together, then go about configuring a two person escalating alert. Although this document appears to be long and boring, the entire process on the HP3000 should take only ten minutes or so. Configuring the part on the PageAlert Server may take about 20 minutes if you have no experience with PageAlert Server -- just follow along.

Using PageAlert to perform JobRescue's notification of job exceptions has many benefits, a few of which include

• Alert escalation

  JobRescue by itself contains features that allow the sending of an email message when a job exception occurs. Once sent, the email has no follow-up. Using PageAlert, alerts can be configured to remain active until canceled by a user. Multiple users can be notified in a chain, so that if for example, the first person alerted does not respond, after so many minutes the alert will be sent to the second person and so on. Alerts can also be configured to be broadcast to multiple users, as well as set to expire automatically.

• Multiple device protocols

  JobRescue has support only for email notification. PageAlert can notify using multiple protocols, including email, pagers, SMS, and voice. Using this variety of transmission methods, PageAlert can be configured to alert even without a functioning internet connection.

• Response Logging

  Depending on the notification method, alert reponses can be logged and tracked, so that you know when the alert was received, who received it, and when it was cancelled or ignored.

PageAlert Configuration on MPE/iX

We'll start at more-or-less the beginning and keep it simple. However, we'll assume you already have JobRescue installed and running on your HP3000, and the PageAlert Server software installed on a Windows platform, and have already configured an email server profile in PageAlert. You may leave JobRescue running during all of the following steps.

The steps on the HP3000 include

1. Installing the PageAlert trigger software on the HP3000
2. Configuring the PageAlert Server hostname on the HP3000
3. Use CONFIGIX.JPAK.NSD to have JobRescue execute the trigger script

And the steps on the PageAlert server are

1. Adding two email device notification profiles, which are the destinations for the alerts
2. Add one notification master entry that matches the trigger message that would come from JobRescue

 1 Installing the PageAlert trigger program on the HP3000
 

Download the PageAlert trigger software and save the file to your PC. The resulting file is in Reflection terminal emulator "labels" format. This file format allows you to transfer the downloaded file to your HP3000 using Reflection and have Reflection automatically set all the file attributes for you. If you are not using Reflection please email us and we will be happy to supply the software in another format for you.

Sign onto the HP3000 in Reflection as MGR.NSD in the PUB group with the command:

HELLO MGR.NSD,PUB

Using the Reflection transfer file dialog, upload to the HP3000 the installation file you downloaded from the Nobix web site. Note that your version of Reflection may appear different than these examples.

Locate the file you downloaded to your PC in the left pane, Local File Names:. Name the host file name PA20MPE.PUB as shown in the example. Then press the transfer to host button, that's the one on the right. Once transfered, press the close button.

The resulting file on the HP3000 is an MPE Store-to-disc file, which allows you to use the MPE :RESTORE command. Note that the size of the actual file may not match the example below.

Then use the MPE :RESTORE command to install the required files. Execute these two commands from the MPE prompt:

FILE PA20MPE;DEV=DISC

RESTORE *PA20MPE; @.@.NSD; CREATE; SHOW

Ensure the new PA.NSD group has the correct permissions with the command:

ALTGROUP PA;ACCESS=(X:ANY;R,W,L,S,A:AC)

The software is now installed. There is no requirement for an activation key for the MPE version of the trigger software.

 2 Configuring the PageAlert Server hostname on the HP3000
 

The trigger program name is NPAGE.PA.NSD. JobRescue will execute the script NPAGE.XEQ.NSD in order to run the NPAGE program.

Next we will edit the NPAGE.XEQ.NSD script file in order to provide the script with the PageAlert Server machine's hostname or IP address.

If you have not modified the NPAGE.XEQ file, the hostname or IP address of the PageAlert Server is configured on line 12. If you have modified the NPAGE.XEQ file, then locate the line that looks like:

setvar PASERVER "192.246.14.36"

Change the existing value between the quotes to be your actual PageAlert Server hostname or IP address. Ensure that you retain the quotation marks. Do not use the value that was preconfigured in the just-installed NPAGE.XEQ file. Do not use the value shown in the example below -- it is just an example!

If you use a hostname then please ensure that the name and IP address are configured in HOSTS.NET.SYS or in the DNS server that the HP3000 uses.

You have now completed the PageAlert configuration on the HP3000.

 3 JobRescue Configuration on MPE/iX
 

Next, we will configure JobRescue to execute the NPAGE.XEQ.NSD command file when a job has an exception. There are many different methods to trigger an alert in PageAlert when a job exception occurs. We will configure this connection in JobRescue so that all job exceptions send a trigger to the PageAlert Server, and the PageAlert Server will determine if an alert is triggered and who is notified.

Ensure that you are signed on as MGR.NSD

HELLO MGR.NSD,PUB

Run the CONFIGIX program with the command:

CONFIGIX.JPAK

Press the Enter key to enter the item Configure GLOBAL Values... and the following display appears:

Now, using the arrow keys navigate to the line that says MPE :XEQ scripts and press the Enter key. The following display appears:

IMPORTANT: Do not use the arrow keys on this screen. Use the Tab key to navigate between fields and the Enter key to accept or cancel changes.

On this screen you may configure up to six (6) global command files to be executed when a job is examined by JobRescue. You may already have some of six fields filled in with a filename value. If so, do not modify any existing values. Use the Tab key to go to the first empty field. Then enter the value:

NPAGE.XEQ.NSD

Next, using the Tab key, navigate to the OKAY field and press the Enter key to accept the changes.

Press the F8 key twice. The Save Configuration dialog appears.

Press the Enter key twice to accept the changes and save the configuration. JobRescue automatically becomes aware of the changes.

When JobRescue finds an exception in a job, by executing the NPAGE.XEQ script it sends a pre-configured message to the PageAlert Server. The message is in three parts:

1. The name of the job as in, "jobname,user.account"
2. The first line of exception text detected by JobRescue
3. The second line of exception text detected by JobRescue

PageAlert Server Configuration

There are two steps to configure the PageAlert Server. The first is adding two device profile entries for the two persons that are to be alerted. You may already have all of your personnel configured, and if so, then you may omit this step.

The second step is to create a Notification Master entry that matches the expected trigger message coming from JobRescue, and then associating the appropriate Device Profile entries to this new Notification entry.

This procedure assumes that you already have PageAlert running, and that at least one email server has been added into PageAlert's configuration, and that your email server allows the PageAlert Server machine to relay through it.

 1 Add two device profile entries
 

On the PageAlert Server machine, start the PageAlert Configuration program:

Start→Programs→PageAlert Server→PageAlert Configuration

In the left pane, click on Device Profiles, then press the Add button, and the following dialog appears

Next, enter a name for this Device Profile in the Profile Name field. For example "John Jones Email".

Then, in the Protocol or Type drop-down list, select Email. The dialog now displays this:

Next, enter the following values into the fields:

1. Leave Max Attempts & Frequency at the default value of 1
2. Leave IVR Assigned User ID empty
3. Select an Email Server from the drop-down list
4. Change the Email From value to PageAlert@<yourcompanydomain.com> -- don't use @nobix.com as your email server probably won't like it
5. Enter the recipient's email address in the Email To field
6. Change Email Subject to JobRescue Exception
7. Replace the text in Email Message Text with the following:
   
   Page {pageNo} - {sequenceNo}
   From {triggerHost}
   Exception in job {msgMatch1}
   {msgMatch2}
   {msgMatch3}
   {otherMsg}
   

The text values inside the curly braces are variable names that get replaced with the actual values that JobRescue sends to trigger an alert.

Add a second record, the same as above, but this example we'll call Sue Smith Cell Phone and use Sue's cell phone email address, which is 3215551212@txt.att.net.

There are many ways to send text to a cell phone, and using the cell phone's email address is the simplest for this example. Other methods include using an SMS internet gateway, such as Message Media (www.message-media.com), or configuring a GSM/GPRS cellular modem on the PageAlert Server and sending SMS directly to the cellular network. GSM/GPRS modem support is included in PageAlert version 3.0.

The Sue Smith Device Profile should look something like:

 2 Add a Notification Master Entry
 

On the main Configuration program screen, in the left pane click on Notification Masters, then press the Addbutton, and the following dialog appears

1. The name of the job as in, "jobname,user.account", sent as {msgMatch1}
2. The first line of exception text detected by JobRescue, sent as {msgMatch2}
3. The second line of exception text detected by JobRescue, sent as {msgMatch3}

Make the following entries in the fields:

1. In Description of Entry enter something like JobRescue Exception Alert
2. In Message Comes From This Hostname/IP enter a single asterisk *
3. Ensure that Message must match all three text fields is selected
4. In Text 1 enter either a job name matching pattern, or a specific job identifier
   JobRescue is sending the complete logon name of the job to match this field, so a pattern match that is "*,*.*" will match any trigger message. A pattern like "TEST,*.*" will match any job that logged on as the name TEST as any user in any account. Enter something suitable for testing. In this example we will use all wildcards, *,*.* -- that is an asterisk comma asterisk period asterisk. Use the asterisk for matching any character -- do not use @ for a wildcard as is used on the HP3000.
5. In Text 2 enter a single asterisk *
6. In Text 3 enter a single asterisk *
7. Ensure that Must Match Case is NOT selected
8. In Profile Notification Style ensure that Linked in order, each only once is selected
9. Set Minutes Between Linked Profiles to a value of 5
10. Ensure that Cancellation Response is set to Cancels all profiles
11. Set Activation Frequency to 0 (zero) -- this is important

We're almost done, and the display should look like:

Now, press the button Associated Profiles... This is where we associate John Jones Email and Sue Smith Cell Phone to this alert.

Next, double-click on the two Device Profile names that you added in the Available Profiles list. In this example we use John Jones Email and Sue Smith Cell Phone, yours will obviously be different. Double-clicking moves them to the Associated Profiles list.

By highlighting an entry in the Associated List, you may use the up and down arrows to move the entries into the proper order. The Device Profiles are escalated in the order they appear in this dialog. We had previously set 5 minutes between their activations. So, in this example, if John does not cancel the alert within five minutes, the alert will be sent to Sue's cell phone. For this example because we had set Linked in order, each only once, the alert is set to automatically cancel after Sue is alerted.

Then, on the Notification Master dialog, press the Add button to save the new entry.

Important Note: The configuration for PageAlert is now completed. Because of the pattern match we set for the Notificatioin Master, any job that has an exception will trigger an alert. This may not be what you want to have configured for a production environment, but it facilitates testing. You may want to have a separate alert list for each named job, or each account that your jobs run in. If that is the case, then simply add a new Notification Master entry, setting the Text 1 pattern appropriately for each of the jobs that requires a different alert list.

You should now be able to test this configuration by streaming a job that you know will have an error. The order of execution is

1. JobRescue detects an exception in the job
2. JobRescue runs the NPAGE.XEQ.NSD command file
3. PageAlert receives a trigger message from JobRescue
4. PageAlert initiates an alert
5. The first device profile in the list is notified
6. Five minutes later the second device profile is notified
7. The alert automatically completes