Application Resources
Overview
Application resource records are the core component of the Universal Controller Application Monitoring and Control feature.
These records define:
- Names of the applications being monitored.
- Name and location of the machines where they are running.
- Start, Stop, and Query commands needed to perform the monitoring and control functions.
You can also use Application records and their associated Application Control tasks to start, stop, and query applications as part of your scheduling processes. You can execute Application Control tasks as you would execute any other task and include them in Workflows where applicable. In addition, you can define Application Monitor triggers to automatically launch one or more tasks of any type, depending on the status of one or more applications. For example, you might set up an Application Monitor trigger that sends an email to Windows technical support personnel if any Windows application goes to Impaired or Inactive status.
In order for the Controller to access the application, the application must be installed on a machine where Universal Agent (for Windows, Linux/Unix, or z/OS) is running.
If you set up the Controller to monitor your applications, you should always start and stop the applications from within the Controller. If you stop an application outside the Controller, you must also restart it from outside the Controller. If the Controller detects a problem with an application (the application goes to Impaired status), you should troubleshoot the problem and restart the application outside the Controller. The Controller will continue monitoring and when it detects that the application is back up, it will put the application back into Active status.
Built-In Variables
Application Monitor Trigger built-in variables are provided to pass information about an application being monitored into the task or tasks being launched by the trigger. You can pass the information into the launched tasks by including the variables in a text field in the task definition.
Creating an Application Resource Record
Step 1 | From the Agents & Connections navigation pane, select System > Applications. The Applications list displays a list of all currently defined Application resource records. |
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Step 2 | Enter/select Details for a new Application resource record, using the field descriptions below as a guide.
To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:
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Step 3 | Click a |
Step 4 | If appropriate, repeat these steps for any additional Application resource records that you want to add. |
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).
Application Details
The following Application Details is for an existing Application resource record. See the field descriptions, below, for a description of all fields that may display in the Application Details.
For information on how to access additional details - such as Metadata and complete database Details - for Application Resouirces (or any type of record), see Records.
Application Details Field Descriptions
The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in the Application Details.
Field Name | Description |
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General | This section contains general information about the application. |
Name | Name used within the Controller to identify this resource. Up to 40 alphanumerics. It is the responsibility of the user to develop a workable naming scheme for resources. |
Version | Version number of the current record, which is incremented by the Controller every time a user updates a record. Click on the Versions tab to view previous versions. For details, see Record Versioning. |
Description | Description of this record. Maximum length is 255 characters. |
Member of Business Services | User-defined; allows you to select one or more Business Services that this Application resource belongs to. Click on the lock icon to unlock the field and select a Business Service. |
Application Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about the application. |
Application Type | User-defined; Type of application.
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Credentials |
Required if the Agent Credentials Required Universal Controller system property is true. |
Windows Agent | If Application Type = Windows Service; Name of the Windows agent where the application will run. |
Linux/Unix Agent | If Application Type = Linux/Unix Daemon; Name of the Linux/Unix agent where the application will run. |
z/OS Agent | If Application Type = z/OS Started Task; Name of the z/OS agent where the application will run. |
Environment Variables | If Application Type = Windows Service or Linux/Unix Daemon; Allows you to enter environment variables needed by the program to run. |
Run as sudo | If Application Type = Linux/Unix Daemon; Instruction to run the command as Sudo (superuser do). |
Runtime Directory | Directory where the application executes. Variables supported. |
Start Command | Command used to start the application. This can be any process or command that starts the application. If you try to start an application monitor that is already started, you will see the message: Application already monitored with <status> status. |
Stop Command | Command used to stop the application. This can be any process or command that stops the application. |
Query Command | Command used to query the application. This can be any process or command that queries the application. You must first start the application monitor from the Controller before you can query the application. |
Query Exit Code Processing | Specifies how the Controller should determine whether or not the application is running.
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Query Exit Code | System-supplied if Query Exit Code Processing = Success Exitcode Range or Failure Exitcode Range; the most recent exit code returned by the application in response to a query. |
Output Type | If Query Exit Code Processing = Success Output Contains or Failure Output Contains; type of output.
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Scan Output For | If Query Exit Code Processing = Success Output Contains or Failure Output Contains; string that the Controller should scan for in the output. |
Output File | If Output Type = File; path and name of the file. |
Startup Query Maximum | Maximum number of Query attempts to be made on the specified application. |
Status | This section contains information about the current status of the task application. |
Status | System-supplied; indicates the current status of the application.
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Status Description | System-supplied; a more detailed status message describing why a status change occurred, in the format: "Query exit code <in-not in> <success-failure> exit code range. Query <success-failure> output not found." |
Start Time | System-supplied; Date and time that the application was last started by the Controller. |
Last Query | System-supplied; date and time of the last query response received from the application. |
Startup Query Attempts | System-supplied; Number of queries that were executed before the Application went into Active or Impaired status. |
Query Exit Code | Required if Query Exit Code Processing = Success Exitcode Range or Failure Exitcode Range; range of exit codes. Format is numeric. |
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 Application Details that let you perform various actions. |
Save | Saves a new record in the Controller database. |
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. |
New | Displays empty (except for default values) Details for creating a new record. |
Update |
Saves updates to the record. |
Start | Executes the Start command associated with this Application resource and begins querying. |
Stop | Executes the Stop command associated with this Application resource. the Controller stops the application and stops querying (monitoring). |
Query | Executes the Query command associated with this Application resource. This allows you to get immediate status of the application instead of waiting for the next automated query. |
Delete |
Deletes the current record. |
Refresh | Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Details. |
Close | For pop-up view only; closes the pop-up view of the Details. |
Tabs | This section identifies the tabs across the top of the Application Details that provide access to additional information about this Application resource. |
Application Control Tasks | Lists all Application Control tasks associated with this Application resource. |
Application Control Task Instances | Lists all Application Control task instances associated with this Application resource. |
Application Monitor Triggers | Lists all Application Monitor triggers associated with this Application resource. |