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Overview

For Windows and Linux/Unix Agents only, Universal Controller allows you to create clusters (groups) of Agents.

If you specify an agent cluster in a task, the Controller selects an Agent from the cluster based on the selection method that you specified when you created the cluster. If you specify both an Agent and an agent cluster in a task, the Controller first attempts to run the task on the Agent; if the Agent is unavailable, the Controller selects an Agent from the agent cluster.

Note

The instructions and illustrations, below, for creating Windows agent clusters and Linux/Unix agent clusters, and assigning Agents to those clusters, are the same.


Creating an Agent Cluster

Step 1

From the Agents & Connections navigation pane, select (for example) Agent Clusters > Linux/Unix Agent Clusters. The Linux/Unix Clusters List displays.
 
Below the list, Agent Cluster Details for a new Agent Cluster displays.
 

Step 2

Enter / select Details for a new agent cluster, using the field descriptions below as a guide.To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:

  • Use the scroll bar.
  • Temporarily hide the list above the Details.
  • Click the New button above the list to display a pop-up version of the Details.

Step 3

Click a Save button. The record is added to the database, and all buttons and tabs in the Agent Cluster Details are enabled.

Note

To open an existing record on the list, either:

  • Click a record in the list to display its record Details below the list. (To clear record Details below the list, click the New button that displays above and below the Details.)
  • Clicking the Details icon next to a record name in the list, or right-click a record in the list and then click Open in the Action menu that displays, to display a pop-up version of the record Details.
  • Right-click a record in the a list, or open a record and right-click in the record Details, and then click Open In Tab in the Action menu that displays, to display the record Details under a new tab on the record list page (see Record Details as Tabs).

Agent Cluster Details

The following Agent Cluster Details is for an existing Linux/Unix agent cluster (with Network Alias specified as the Agent Clusters#Distribution method for selecting an Agent). See the field descriptions, below, for a description of all fields that may display in the Agent Cluster Details.

For information on how to access additional details - such as Metadata and complete database Details - for Agent Clusters (or any type of record), see Records.

Agent Cluster Details Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs in the Agent Cluster Details.

Field Name

Description

Details

This section contains detailed information about the agent cluster.

Name

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Version

System-supplied; version number of the current record, which is incremented by the Controller every time a user updates a record. Click the #Versions tab to view previous versions. For details, see Record Versioning.

Description

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Member of Business Service

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Distribution

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Last Agent Used

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Suspended

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Suspended On

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Resumed On

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Current Task Count

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Task Execution Limit

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Limit Amount

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Network Alias Details

If Agent Clusters#Distribution = Network Alias; This section contains information about the Agent Clusters#Network Alias.

Network Alias

Network alias (or VIP). If a network alias is not specified, the Name is used as the network alias.

Agent Port

Network alias (or VIP) port that the Agent Cluster Agent Broker is listening on. If a port is not specified, the default is the value of the Agent Cluster Network Alias Uquery Port Universal Controller system property.

Last Resolution

Last attempted time of Network Alias resolution.

Resolution Expiration

Expiration of Network Alias resolution.

Resolution Status

Status of the last resolution of the Network Alias.

Resolution Description

Description of the last attempted resolution.

Broadcast Options

This section contains information about Cluster Broadcasts.

Ignore Inactive Agents

Specification for whether or not inactive (offline) Agents should be ignored when the agent cluster is used for broadcasting.

Ignore Suspended Agents

Specification for whether or not suspended Agents should be ignored when the agent cluster is used for broadcasting.

Metadata

This section contains Metadata information about this record.

UUID

Universally Unique Identifier of this record.

Updated By

Name of the user that last updated this record.

Updated

Date and time that this record was last updated.

Created By

Name of the user that created this record.

Created

Date and time that this record was created.

Buttons

This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Agent Cluster Details that let you perform various actions.

Save

Saves a new task record in the Controller database.

Save & New

Saves a new Agent Cluster record in the Controller database and redisplays empty Details so that you can create another Agent Cluster.

Save & View

Saves a new Agent Cluster record in the Controller database and continues to display that record.

New

Displays empty (except for default values) Details for creating a new record.

Update

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Suspend Agent Cluster

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Resume Agent Cluster

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Resolve Agent Cluster

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Delete

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Refresh

Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Details.

Close

For pop-up view only; closes the pop-up view of this task.

Tabs

This section identifies the tabs across the top of the Agent Cluster Details that provide access to additional information about the agent cluster.

Agents in Cluster

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Notifications

Lists all notifications that have been defined for this agent cluster.

Tasks

Lists all tasks, according to task type, that currently are being dispatched to this agent cluster.
 
You also can create tasks for the identified task types that will have this agent cluster pre-selected in the Agent Cluster field of its Task Details.

Versions

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Note


Updates to the following fields, whether system-supplied or user-supplied (as appropriate), does not affect the version of the Agent Cluster Details:Additionally, if you restore Agent Cluster Details to a previous version, values for those fields are preserved; they do not revert to their values from the selected previous version.

Assigning Agents to the Cluster

Step 1

On the Linux/Unix Clusters list (for example), select the cluster to which you want to assign one or more existing Agents.

Step 2

Click the Agents in Cluster tab to display a list of Agents currently assigned to the cluster.


 

Step 3

Click the Edit button. The Edit Members dialog displays:
 

Step 4

The Agents in the Collection window are existing Agents of the current type that do not belong to this cluster. The Agents in the Linux/Unix Agents List window are Agents that belong to this cluster.

Step 5

To add to or remove Agents from the Linux/Unix Agents List:

  • To add an Agent, double-click the Agent Name (or click the Agent Name and then click the -> arrow) in the Collection window.
  • To remove an Agent from the list, double-click the Agent Name (or click the Agent Name and then click the <- arrow) in the Linux/Unix Agents List window.

Step 6

When you are finished, click Save.

Suspending Agent Clusters and Agent Cluster Memberships

You can temporarily suspend the ability for an agent cluster to run tasks, and you can temporarily suspend the agent cluster membership of any Agent in an agent cluster.

For information on how to implement these suspensions, see Suspending Agents, Agent Clusters, and Agent Cluster Memberships.

Sending Notifications on Status of an Agent Cluster

You can configure an Agent Cluster to send a notification via email or SNMP if an available, non-expired Agent in the Agent Cluster goes down (Offline) or then when it comes back up (Active).

Step 1

From the Agents & Connections navigation pane, select Agent Clusters > <type of agent cluster>. An Agent Clusters list displays.

Step 2

Click the icon next to the Name of an Agent Cluster, or click anywhere in the Agent Cluster row, to display Details about the Agent Cluster.

Step 3

Click the Notifications tab to display a list of any Email and SNMP notifications configured for the Agent Cluster.

Step 4

Select the type of notification you want the Agent Cluster to send, and then click New. Notification Details for a new Notification displays (See Agent Clusters#Email Notification Details and Agent Clusters#SNMP Notification Details, below.

Step 5

Complete the fields as needed (see Agent Clusters#Email Notification Details Field Descriptions and Agent Clusters#SNMP Notification Details Field Descriptions, below).
 

Note

Agent built-in variables are available to pass data about the Agent Cluster into the notification. (User-defined variables, including Global variables, are not available for use in Agent Cluster email notifications).

Step 6

Click the Save button to save the record.

Email Notification Details


Email Notification Details Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields and buttons on Email Notification Details.

Field Name

Description

Criteria

This section contains criteria for sending the notification.

Notification State

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Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about the notification.

Email Template

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Email Connection

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Reply-To

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To

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CC

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BCC

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Subject

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Body

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Buttons

This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Notification Details that let you perform various actions.

Save

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Save & New

Saves a new record in the Controller database and redisplays empty Details so that you can create another new record.

Save & View

Saves a new record in the Controller database and continues to display that record.

Update

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Delete

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Refresh

Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Details.

Close

For pop-up view only; closes the pop-up view of this notification.

SNMP Notification Details


SNMP Notification Details Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields and buttons on SNMP Notification Details.

Field Name

Description

Criteria

This section contains criteria for sending the notification.

Notification State

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Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about the notification.

SNMP Manager

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Notification Severity

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Buttons

This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Notification Details that let you perform various actions.

Save

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Save & New

Saves a new record in the Controller database and redisplays empty Details so that you can create another new record.

Save & View

Saves a new record in the Controller database and continues to display that record.

Update

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Delete

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Refresh

Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Details.

Close

For pop-up view only; closes the pop-up view of this notification.

Network Alias

The Network Alias method of agent selection (Distribution = Network Alias) accepts an IP address or DNS name of an External Load Balancer, such as an F5, or a Virtual IP address. When it has been specified, the Universal Controller performs a periodic query to the alias to determine the Universal Agent Qname to use for running workloads.

The system administrator (ops_admin) role will be able to specify a cache retention time as a system property, meaning that a previously resolved and looked up UA Qname may, optionally, be reused for a specified period. This negates the need to perform the query lookup for every task that is launched. The cache retention will be specified in minutes via the Agent Cluster Network Alias Cache Retention In Minutes Universal Controller system property.

This feature allows the user to specify an "alias" (or VIP) as a task destination for Windows or Linux/Unix tasks in order to support workload execution on Windows or UNIX/Linux Universal Agents via external load balancing and clustering mechanisms such as Reverse Proxy Load balancers, Virtual IP Addresses, MS Clusters, IBM HACMP, etc.

If you want to leverage load balancing for Windows and Linux/Unix workloads (including Universal Tasks) via reverse proxy load balancers (such as F5 devices), or direct workloads to a VIP (virtual IP address), can do so by configuring agent clusters with the Network Alias distribution.

The Network Alias distribution type will specify the network alias or VIP and will initiate a UQuery, which will be directed to the target agent based on the load balancers criteria (or to the server assigned to the VIP). The server (if an active Universal Agent is available) will return the Universal Agent QName and associate that agent with the Agent Cluster.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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