SolarWinds Connector

This section of the documentation contains technical specifications about the connector that is implemented to link ASM Core and the SolarWinds systems listed below.

Including:

The name of the .NET assembly file
Connection methodology
The resource and link types that can be discovered on the application
The attributes of each resource and link types that can be imported into the ASM Core Configuration Management Database (CMDB)

SolarWinds Systems

Server & Application Monitor
Virtualization Manager
Network Performance Monitor

For compatibility and version support details, refer to the ASM Connector Matrix.

Use Case Scenario

Purpose

An organization uses SolarWinds to discover and maintain resources present in its organization networks. SolarWinds is also used to raise alerts about adverse events that occur on the supervised networks.

Role

The role of this connector is to expose the resources and their relationships in order to allow for population and ongoing consistency checks of the ASM Core CMDB. The connector also possesses an Event Management capability which allows for SolarWinds alerts to be integrated as calls or requests.

Connector Description

The table below provides a description of the SolarWinds connector.

Information fields

Name

Connector

SolarWinds -> ASM Core

Third-party application

SolarWinds

Assembly

Alemba®.Connector.SolarWinds.Connector.dll

Connector class

Alemba®.Connector.SolarWinds.Connector

Configuration file

Alemba®.Connector.SolarWinds.icnf

Connection methodology

API

Connection Parameters

The table below provides a description of the SolarWinds connection parameters.

Parameters

Description

URL

URL of the SolarWinds JSON. Either the IP address or server name is acceptable.

https://solarwinds-orion:17778/SolarWinds/InformationService/v3/Json/

Password

Password for that Login ID

Customization

This connector permits extensions to the schema through customization of the configuration file. The possible customizations are listed below. However, the customizations are not limited to these:

New resource types
New resource properties
New link types

Connector Diagnostics

The connector has the facility to trace information. The data can be obtained through Polling tracing or Application tracing.

Resource Types

The resource types available for mappings are:

Nodes
Virtual Clusters
Data Centers

Node Attributes

Attribute

Data Type

Is Multi Valued

Node ID

Int

False

Object Sub type

string

False

IP Address

string

False

Display Name

string

False

Last Synced

dateTime

False

Caption

string

False

Description

string

False

Node Description

profile

False

DNS

string

False

System Name

string

False

Vendor

string

False

Location

string

False

Status

profile

False

IOS Version

string

False

Last Boot

dateTime

False

Machine Type

string

False

Node Category

profile

False

Manufacturer

string

False

Model

string

False

Number of VMs

int

False

Virtual Cluster Attributes

Attribute

Data Type

Is Multi Valued

Cluster ID

int

False

Name

string

False

DRS Behaviour

string

False

HA Status

bool

False

Datacenter ID

int

False

Datacenter Name

string

False

Data Center Attributes

Attribute

Data Type

Is Multi Valued

Datacenter ID

int

False

Name

string

False

vCenter ID

int

False

vCenter Name

string

False

Link Types

Nodes are the only SolarWinds link types that are exposed by the connector by default.

Link Type

Resource Type A

Resource Type B

Node - Node

Node

Event Management

This section provides information about the Event Management capability of the SolarWinds connector.

Functionality Overview

The purpose of this functionality is to:

Automatically transpose alerts generated by SolarWinds into ASM Core calls or requests.
Maintain the consistency of the information held in the item created in ASM Core.

Event Management Operation

The operation of this functionality relies on the connector monitoring the SolarWinds alerts in order to detect any new alerts. When such event occurs, the Integration Platform automatically compares the attributes of the new alert against some user-defined criteria. In case criteria are met, the platform proceeds with the creation of a call/problem or a request depending on the user settings.

From a practical point of view, SolarWinds alert attributes can be mapped to ASM Core fields. This mapping is used when creating a new call or request.

As the alert is updated, the connector ensures that these modifications are properly transmitted to the related ASM Core item. The current behavior of ASM Core, upon receipt of such updates and notifications, depends on the Event Mapping settings that are configured in ASM Core.

Eventually, physical actions on the network will be taken to fix the issue and the SolarWinds alert will be marked as Inactive or will disappear from its queue. This fact will also be transmitted to the relevant ASM Core item and the final result (Call Updated, Call Closed and so on) will again depend on the Event Mapping settings in ASM Core.

Specific Use Case

The following use case describes the scenario where an organization sets up integration between ASM Core and SolarWinds. In this scenario, ASM Core is responsible for Service Desk and Change operations and SolarWinds is responsible for issuing alerts.

Use case scenario

Action

Event Management transaction

SolarWinds sends an alert to ASM Core

ASM Core logs a call with this information and automatically forwards the call to the Incident Management group. The analyst takes over the call and clicks the Acknowledge Event button.

ASM Core sends an Acknowledgement transaction to SolarWinds

Event Management and Transactions

The use case scenario in the previous section, and more generally the Event Management operation of the connector, rely on a particular communication protocol between the two systems. This protocol is composed of different transactions that are detailed below.

The transactions and their descriptions are listed below.

Event Management transactions

Description

Receive

An alert is sent from an external system to ASM Core. ASM Core receives this alert.

Acknowledge

ASM Core sends a transaction to an external system with a formal statement acknowledging that their alert has been received.

This is different from a transactional acknowledge/not acknowledge (ack/nack) note sent between systems.

Notify

Occurs when there is a call or request within ASM Core logged due to an alert sent from an external system:

Notification is initiated from an external system and is sent to ASM Core as a NOTIFY event. It is either added as a note or ignored, depending on the settings in the Event Mapping screen.

Update

Occurs when there is a call or request within ASM Core logged due to an alert sent from an external system:

From the external system, an UPDATE message is sent to ASM Core any time an alert related to a call in ASM Core is modified. Either the ASM Core call/request is physically closed, a note added, or it is ignored, depending on the settings in the Event Mapping screen.

Resolve

Occurs when the alert has been resolved in the external system and a Resolve transaction is sent to ASM Core. Either the ASM Core call/request is physically closed, a note is added, or it is ignored, depending on the settings in the Event Mapping screen.

Delete

Occurs when the alert is no longer valid on the external system. It also informs ASM Core through a transaction. Either the ASM Core call/request is physically closed, a note is added, or it is ignored, depending on the settings in the Event Mapping screen.

Business Rules

The table below defines some business rules that specifically apply to the SolarWinds integration.

Transaction

Rules

Receive

The Receive transaction leads to a new call being logged, a new problem being created or a request being initiated depending on Integration Platform settings.

A reliable unique ID is stored against any specific call created to ensure proper management of the subsequent communications

Any possible data in relation with the time or date of the alert is made available to ASM Core. This allows for possible back-dating of any call or problem logged in ASM Core after it receives a Receive message from the SolarWinds system.

There are no business rules for the other transaction types.

Setting up the Event Management Functionality

Check the following items when setting up the Event Management functionality of the SolarWinds Connector:

Ensure that the Event Management checkbox is selected in the Integration Platform settings window.
Ensure that the SolarWinds Connector is installed and the check boxes in the Events and Visible columns are selected in the Integration Connectors window.
Ensure that a SolarWinds source is defined in the Integration Source window.
Ensure that a SolarWinds Event mapping is defined in the Event screen. This mapping should at least specify the action to be performed (log call/create request) when a notification is carried over, as well as the template to be used for this action.

Starting the Event Management Functionality

If the Event Management checkbox in the Integration Platform administration screen is selected, the Event Management functionality starts running as soon as a proper Event mapping is completed and saved. When starting, the connector immediately connects to the SolarWinds system and logs a call/request for every alert that is present and fulfills the criteria that are implemented in the Event mapping. This can lead to a large number of calls/requests being created when activating the Event Management functionality.

One solution to avoid this behavior is to include in the Event criteria setting an item based on the Triggered Date Time attribute. For example, you could plan to “go live” with Event management on a precise date and, as a consequence, specify that the value of Triggered Date Time has to be after this date before any action can be triggered in ASM Core.

SolarWinds Alert Attributes

The table below lists all the SolarWinds alert attributes that are exposed by the connector.

Attribute

Data Type

Is Multi Valued

Source Local ID

string

False

Alert ID

int

False

Alert Object ID

int

False

Alert Name

string

False

Alert Note

string

False

Alert Severity

int

False

Triggering Object ID

string

False

Triggering Object Name

string

False

Triggering Object Type

string

False

Related Node ID

int

False

Related Node Name

string

False

Related Node Status

string

False

Triggered Date Time

dateTime

False

Triggered Count

int

False

Description

string

False