This advanced course teaches you how to use the IBM Tivoli Monitoring Agent Builder softwareto create, modify, debug, and package agents for use with IBM Tivoli Monitoring products. You will create agents that monitor many different data sources. You will also learn to add custom TEP application support, such as queries, situations, and workspaces, to a solution install package that can be used to deploy your custom agent in a production environment.

• Describe the ITM 6.2.1 Agent Builder application and the kinds of agents you can create.
• Describe the basic process of creating a custom agent with Agent Builder.
• Create and test agents that monitor Windows data sources, such as Windows services, Windows log files, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), and Windows Performance Monitor (Perfmon).
• Create and test agents that monitor multiplatform data sources, such as processes, commands, Common Information Model (CIM), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Java Management Extensions (JMX), scripts, and log files.
• Create and test agents that include remote monitoring, custom attributes, Navigator groups, user-entered configuration information, and TEP components, such as queries, situations, and workspaces.
• Create and test agents that use subnodes to monitor multiple targets from a single agent.
• Create a solution installation package.
• Troubleshoot an Agent Builder agent during the development process and after installation.

This advanced course is for agent developers, system administrators, and application administrators who need to create agents to gather custom data and integrate that data into an ITM environment.

You should have:

• Basic understanding of Windows data sources, including WMI, Perfmon, Windows logs, Windows services, and Windows processes
• Basic understanding of multiplatform data sources, such as SNMP, JMX, processes, scripts, commands, and log files
• Administrator-level skills in ITM 6.2, including creating queries, situations, Navigators, and workspaces
• Experience installing, configuring, starting, and stopping ITM 6.2 agents and application support in Windows and UNIX or Linux
• Administrator-level skills in Windows and Linux

Recommended Course:

• IBM Tivoli Monitoring 6.2 for Operators and Administrators (TV362 or TT362)

Introduction to IBM Tivoli Monitoring Agent Builder

• Introduction to Agent Builder
• Installing Agent Builder
• Introduction to the Agent Builder Application
• Agent Builder and the Universal Agent

Agent Creation Basics

• Creating an Agent in Agent Builder
• Monitoring Windows Services
• Installing an Agent Builder Agent
• Troubleshooting
• Creating and Importing Application Support
• Creating a Solution Install Image

Monitoring Windows Data Sources

• Monitoring Windows Management Instrumentation
• Monitoring Windows Performance Monitor
• Common Agent Modifications

Monitoring Processes and Command Return Codes

• Monitoring Processes
• Monitoring Command Return Codes
• Installing an Agent with Installation Scripts

Monitoring Custom Data Sources

• Monitoring Script Output
• Generating Agent Output from the Command Line
• Monitoring Log Files
• Custom Runtime Configuration

Monitoring Remote Resources

• Data Source Provided Runtime Configuration
• Monitoring Simple Network Management Protocol
• Monitoring Common Information Model
• Monitoring Java Management Extension
• Monitoring Remote Systems