Running the probe

How you run the probe depends on the operating system you are using.

Starting the probe

To start the probe on UNIX and Linux® operating systems, use the following command:

$OMNIHOME/probes/nco_p_ping

Note: On UNIX and Linux operating systems, you must run the probe as the root or suid root user.

To start the probe from the Windows command prompt, use the following command:

%OMNIHOME%\probes\win32\nco_p_ping.bat

To run the probe as a Windows service, use the following steps:
  1. To run the probe on the same host as the ObjectServer, use the following command to register it as a service:

    %OMNIHOME%\probes\win32\nco_p_ping.bat -install -depend NCOObjectServer

  2. To run the probe on a different host to the ObjectServer, use the following command to register it as a service:

    %OMNIHOME%\probes\win32\nco_p_ping.bat -install

  3. Start the probe service using the Microsoft Services Management Console.
Note: Before running the probe on Windows operating systems, you must edit the default value of the PingFile property to use forward slashes (\) in the file path instead of back slashes (/).

Running the probe as suid root

The probe can be run as suid root without compromising system security. In this mode, the probe retains root privileges for the entire time that it is running.

To run the probe as suid root, use the following steps:
  1. Log in as root.
  2. In the $OMNIHOME/probes/arch directory, run the following command to change the owner of the probe binary:

    chown root nco_p_ping

  3. Run the following command to enable the probe binary to run as suid root:

    chmod +s nco_p_ping

  4. Run the following command to register the Netcool/OMNIbus library directory as a trusted directory:

    crle -s /usr/lib/secure:/opt/netcool/omnibus/platform/arch/lib

  5. If the crle command is not available on your system, use the following steps to register the Netcool/OMNIbus library directory as a trusted directory:
    1. Locate /etc/ld.so.conf and open the file for editing.
    2. Add your LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment value to the file.
    3. Run /sbin/ldconfig.
The probe can now be run as suid root from the $OMNIHOME/probes directory.

Running the probe on AIX

Problems with library paths and events not being read properly by the probe have been reported by some users of the AIX® operating system.

If you experience these issues, one possible workaround is to run the probe from the $OMNIHOME/platform/arch/lib directory.

To do this, use the following steps:
  1. Change to the following directory:

    /usr/Omnibus/platform/aix4/lib

  2. Run the following command:

    $OMNIHOME/probes/nco_p_ping options

If running the probe from this directory does not work, contact IBM® Software Support.