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/
Login ID	Login ID for the server where SolarWinds is installed
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	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
Category	string	False
Alert Message	string	False
Application Name	string	False
Application Status	string	False
Component Name	string	False
Component Status	string	False
Component Type	string	False