Release notes - IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Version 8.1
Tivoli® Netcool®/OMNIbus V8.1 is available. Compatibility, installation, and other getting-started issues are addressed in these release notes.
Description
Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus is a service level management (SLM) system that delivers real-time, centralized monitoring of complex networks and IT domains.
IBM® Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus version 8.1 brings enhanced functionality to both users and administrators, helping deliver significant benefits in the following areas:
- Installation
- A faster and more reliable installation experience and improved feature selection with IBM Installation Manager. Wizards guide you through the steps to install, modify, update, roll back, or uninstall IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus and the Web GUI component.
Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus V8.1 offers the following new features.
Server components
Items that are preceded by a fix pack graphical
cue (for example, 
) indicate a function or feature that
is only available in the specified fix pack and later fix packs. The
function or feature is not present in the base version of the product.
- Initial Configuration Wizard
- The Initial Configuration Wizard (nco_icw) automates some initial configuration tasks, such as creating ObjectServers and gateways. The wizard presents a series of panes in which you can create the common components of a Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus installation for one or more computers. When your configuration is complete, it is saved to a deployment descriptor file. You can apply the deployment descriptor file on any computer where the wizard is installed.
- Multitenancy
- Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus supports multitenant configurations where events for multiple organizations or departments are stored in a single ObjectServer. Restriction filters can be used to ensure that a user sees only those events that are owned by their organization or department
- Reloading multiple probe rules files
- A sample SQL procedure named
reloadrules_allprobesis provided in the $OMNIHOME/extensions/roi directory. The procedure can be used to request multiple probes that have their HTTP interface enabled to reload their rules files. The status of each reload is written to a probe management log file. This facility is useful when you change the rules files for several probes and you want to implement all the changes at the same time. - Probe registration
- Probe registration is supported by default in a multi-tiered deployment. When a probe connects to the ObjectServer, it registers information about itself in the registry.probes table. The V8.1 of the table is persistent as opposed to the virtual table in V7.4.
- New command line utility nco_rules_util
- A new command line utility nco_rules_util is available to analyze rules files and list all of the included files, as well as calculate a checksum for a rules file and/or its combined set of included files.
- Improved functionality: probe command port SSL configuration
- The configuration of the SSL certificate for a probe command port has been made consistent with the configuration of an SSL certificate for the ObjectServer.
- Support on 64-bit operating systems
- 64-bit support has been extended to AIX in the V8.1 release for Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus server
components. Every native application that is shipped with the server
components is now a 64-bit application. Compatibility with previous,
32-bit applications is provided. All clients from previous versions
can connect to a 64-bit ObjectServer. A 32-bit event list can display
events that are in a 64-bit V8.1 ObjectServer. A 64-bit JRE is shipped.
New directories are provided for binary files, libraries, and modules.
These directories are listed in the following table, with the equivalent
directories for a 32-bit Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus system.
64-bit probe binary files are installed into $NCHOME/omnibus/platform/arch/probes64. A 64-bit JRE is installed into $NCHOME/platform/arch/jre_1.6.7.
Table 1. 64-bit directories and 32-bit directories for Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus binary files, libraries, and modules 64-bit directory 32-bit directory $NCHOME/platform/arch/bin64 $NCHOME/platform/arch/bin $NCHOME/platform/arch/lib64 $NCHOME/platform/arch/lib $NCHOME/platform/arch/module64 $NCHOME/platform/arch/module $NCHOME/omnibus/platform/arch/bin64 $NCHOME/omnibus/platform/arch/bin $NCHOME/omnibus/platform/arch/lib64 $NCHOME/omnibus/platform/arch/lib $NCHOME/omnibus/platform/arch/module64 $NCHOME/omnibus/platform/arch/module $NCHOME/omnibus/platform/arch/probes64 $NCHOME/omnibus/platform/arch/probes Note: any does not provide 32-bit operating system libraries for Linux® x86_64 operating systems. Probes and gateways, and other products such as IBM Tivoli Network Manager IP Edition, might need 32-bit libraries. Before you install such components or products, ensure that the required 32-bit libraries are on the operating system.On 64-bit operating systems, the ObjectServer can become greater in size than the process limit for 32-bit applications. Database sizes are the same for 64-bit as 32-bit. The performance of Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus V8.1 on 64-bit operating systems is comparable to the performance of the product in V7.3.1, on 32-bit operating systems. - Reports for Tivoli Common Reporting
- A set of event reports that can be viewed in IBM Tivoli Common Reporting is provided. These reports are based on the reports that were released previously on the IBM Integrated Service Management Library website. The reports display information about the events in the ObjectServer in various graphical formats. Examples of the information you can display include the number of events by severity and day, over a date range, for particular criteria. You can also display the entities, probes, locations, and so on, that generated the most events over a defined period. Use the reports to identify which parts of your network require attention or remedial action, or to monitor the response times of network operators to events. The reports are supported by the Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Gateway Configuration Scripts (Reporter Mode), Tivoli Common Reporting V2.1 or later, a relational database, and the Gateway for JDBC.
DisableDetails property for probes- A new property, DisableDetails is added to probe properties files. When the property is set to 1, probes omit alert details, that is INSERT statements to the alerts.details table, when alerts are sent to the ObjectServer. Equivalent command-line options are also added.
- Process agent enhancements
- The following command-line options are added to the process agent
daemon, nco_pad, that replace existing command-line
options. The replaced command-line options are deprecated. The following
table lists the new options and shows which deprecated options they
replace.
Table 2. New process agent command-line options and deprecated equivalents New command-line option Deprecated command-line option -maxlogfilesize -logsize -messagelevel -debug -messagelog -logfile 
Support on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 operating systems- Operating system support has been extended to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 in the V8.1 fix pack 2 release of Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus.
- New
scala_itnm_configuration.sqlfile in$NCHOME/omnibus/extensions - The
scala_itnm_configuration.sqlfile supports integrations between Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus, IBM Operations Analytics - Log Analyzer, and Network Manager when the Network Manager Insight Pack is used. The file needs to be run using thenco_sqlutility (which is used for applying SQL files to the ObjectServer), as follows:./nco_sql -user root -password <myp4ss> -server NCOMS < /opt/IBM/tivoli/netcool/omnibus/extensions/update81to81fp2.sqlMore information: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSTPTP_1.3.0/com.ibm.netcool_ops.doc_1.3.0/soc/topo_search/task/soc_ts_configuretoposearch.html.
- New ParentIdentifier column in ObjectServer
alerts.status table
- The
ParentIdentifiercolumn is required for the Event Analytics component to work. It is used to correlate events in parent-child relationships, which can be viewed in the Event Viewer. 
Device counter extension- The device counter extension provides a utility to automatically track the number of unique end points from which Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus receives events.
- Scope-based event grouping
updates
- The following enhancements were added to the scope-based event
grouping extension:
- Support for multitiered environments
- Ability to specify the
QuietPeriodin the event - Template Probe rules and IBM Tivoli Netcool/Impact policy to help users implement custom scope-based event grouping
- Probe store-and-forward
supports ObjectServer schema changes
- In Fix Pack 4 and later, the probe store-and-forward mode can handle certain changes between the ObjectServer schema and the data stored in the store-and-forward file.
- SNMP data type conversion
functions added
- The following SNMP conversion functions were added to the Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Probes
library:
- decimaltoascii
- decimaltohex
- hextimetostring
- hextoascii
- hextodecimal
- String expressions can now
be used for regular expressions in rules files
- The ability to use string expressions as regular expressions in
the
extract(), regmatch(), and regreplace()functions was added. Previous levels only allowed the use of string literals for regular expressions. 
Increased trigger CodeBlock
size- The size of the trigger CodeBlock has been increased to 32768 bytes (32 KB). The related error message when the limit is exceeded has also been added.
- Automated housekeeping tasks
- Several useful housekeeping tasks have been automated using triggers to help with common optimization tasks that would otherwise need to be run manually.
ObjectServer can check for
user name in password- You can set the ObjectServer to reject passwords that contain user names. By default, the ObjectServer permits passwords to contain user names. The PasswordFormat property includes the contains username field which can be changed to set up checking for user names in passwords.
- Scope-based event grouping
-
- Updating scope-based event grouping.
Scope-based event grouping- This fix-pack adds the following functions to scope-based event grouping automation.
This fix pack is an accumulative fix pack release and
addresses some APARs and internally found issues.- When you download the fix pack from IBM Fix Central, you get details about the content in the fix pack.
Ability to define array,table®istertargetstatements anywhere in a probe rules fileArray,table®istertargetdefinitions are no longer restricted to the beginning of a probe rules file. Now, you can add these definitions, where it is appropriate to do so. For example, an array can be defined in the middle of a block of rule processing statements, immediately before use. Also, it is now possible for a file that contains a definition to be included multiple times in the set of rules that are read by a probe. For more information about probe rules files, see the 'Probe and Gateway' documentation.
Increased limit in the MIB Manager utility to
generate SNMP traps.- As you complete steps in the Generating SNMP traps topic, in the Number of Traps field, you can specify the number of traps that can be generated.
Audit SQL that is submitted by users in specified
groups.- To do audit trail of all SQL commands from prescribed user groups, use the new properties that are delivered with this fix-pack.
- SSL/TLS certificate sharing.
- Two or more Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus processes can share a certificate by using a new property.
- SSL/TLS certificate validation accepts host name and
domain name in common name attribute.
- With
nc_gskcmdoriKeyman, it is now possible to use a fully qualified domain name or wildcard domain name as the common name attribute value. 
Disable ciphers per SSL/TLS protocol.- In response to security vulnerabilities, you can disable specific ciphers per SSL/TLS protocol.
- Probe restart after column drop in
alerts.status. - With Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus v8.1.
Fix Pack 8 or later, probes now are resilient to field drops on
alerts.status, and no longer require a restart or removal of SAF files. - Fix Pack 16 is an accumulative fix pack release and addresses some APARs and internally found issues.
- When you download the fix pack from IBM Fix Central, you get details about the content in the fix pack.
- Fix Pack 17. Support for conversions for time (UTC) fields has been added.
- For a specific time field with a value such as
0a conversion text such asUnknownorNot Setcould be defined via thealerts.conversionstable. Conversions for time/UTC fields are now also supported by the Administrator GUI. - Fix Pack 17. Scope-based grouping enhancements.
-
If you have entitlement to Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus as part of Netcool Operations Insight, you can apply Netcool Operations Insight Related Event grouping to scope-based grouping groups to create super groups. The scope-based grouping automation’s now support the automatic propagation of the child event details to the super parent journal, so that the super parent will have all the underlying child event details, when ticketed.
The scope based grouping automation's roll up multiple child events into single journal entries in the parent event.
- Fix Pack 17. Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus v8.1 Fix pack 17 uses Java 8.
- In Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus v8.1 Fix-Pack 17, the Java version is updated from Java 7 to Java 8.
Web GUI component
Items that are preceded by a fix pack graphical
cue (for example, 
) indicate a function or feature that
is only available in the specified fix pack and later fix packs. The
function or feature is not present in the base version of the product.
- Jazz for Service Management (Jazz SM)
- For information about supported versions of Jazz SM and Dashboard Application Services Hub, see Web GUI installation prerequisites.
- Event search
- Event search uses the search and analysis capability of IBM Operations Analytics - Log Analysis
to provide insight into Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus events. Operations
Analytics - Log Analysis is installed independently of the Web GUI component. When the
Operations Analytics - Log Analysis feature is selected at installation time you will be asked to
provide your Operations Analytics - Log Analysis system information. If the Operations Analytics -
Log Analysis host provided does not exist a warning message will be displayed but the installation
of the Web GUI will
continue and Operations Analytics - Log Analysis can be installed at a later time.Event search requires the following components:
- IBM Operations Analytics - Log Analysis V1.2 (or later)
- IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Web GUI V8.1 (or later fix packs)
In V8.1 releases prior
to fix pack 5, you can perform an historical event search using right-click
tools in the Event Viewer. These tools launch out into an external
IBM Operations Analytics - Log Analysis server, and run a search using
parameters related to the selected event. With V8.1 fix pack 5, a
new integrated event search feature allows you to perform historical
event searches from within Web GUI itself.
For more information, see the Integrated event search item on this page.- Tools on non-Java applet Event Viewer
- You can run SQL tools, CGI tools, and Script tools from the Event Viewer without any browser plugin requirement.
- New UI to configure Data Sources in Web GUI
- You can use the Data Sources page to create a new data source, modify or copy an existing data source, or delete a data source. Care should be taken when modifying or deleting existing data sources that are already in use, since this could affect the functionality for current users.
- System Health Dashboard
- The Netcool Health dashboard is a Web GUI dashboard that displays Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus self-monitoring data. The dashboard is divided into three panels to display status gauges for ObjectServer health, status gauges for client and application health, and self-monitoring event details. When you select a gauge in the Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus ObjectServer Health or Netcool Client and Application Health panels, the associated self-monitoring events are displayed in the Status Events panel.
- Defining prompts and metrics
- You can use new pages to configure metrics and tool prompts. Metrics are the measurements used to determine a quantifiable value from tables or properties in the ObjectServer. Metrics determine the data that is displayed on gauges. Prompts are included in tools and are displayed as dialog boxes that require input from operators after tools are executed.
- New
Metrics
data set in the Web GUI data provider - You can populate Dashboard Application Services Hub gauge widgets with the value of a Web GUI metric. For a specified Web GUI metric, relevant data is retrieved from the data source to calculate and provide the metric value.
- Enhanced browser support
- Support is added for the Safari browser.
- Enhanced default view in event lists
- A new default view is provided for the Event Viewer and Active Event List, which includes the FirstOccurrence field. This enhancement make it easier to use the integration with the IBM SmartCloud Analytics - Log Analysis product. The event data queries that run when you run the event management tools are calculated from the value of the FirstOccurrence field. To add the FirstOccurrence field to views, copy the view that is in WEBGUI_HOME/etc/default, use the View Builder, or the WAAPI client.
- Support for IBM SmartCloud Analytics
- Log Analysis V1.2.0.3 and later
- The scala.version property is added to the WEBGUI_HOME/etc/server.init file. This property specifies which version of the Support for IBM SmartCloud Analytics product is used in your environment. Because of differences in the search syntax that are used in V1.2.0.3 and previous versions of the product, you need to explicitly state which version is used so that the syntax of search queries is correct. In V1.3, the product is renamed to IBM Operations Analytics - Log Analysis
- Creating a watch list
- You can move selected alerts to temporary watch lists based on one or more alert fields. A watch list map displays a user's own watch lists and any associated with groups that a user belongs to.
- Filtering events by
keywords
- In the event list, type any text string in the toolbar text box and the event list is filtered accordingly.
- Enhanced functionality in the Event
Viewer
- New features are provided for monitoring and managing events in the Event Viewer. The Event Viewer portlet can be configured to display events from more than one data source in the same event list. You can apply a different view from the drop-down list of views on the toolbar, add a journal entry for an event, or display the full set of data for multiple events, as well as other enhancements.
Creating quick filters in the Event
Viewer- You can use quick filters as a fast way of displaying events that match a selected criteria. For example, you can quickly display only those events that occurred at the same time as, or before, a selected event. A Quick Filter Builder lets you create customized quick filters. Any filters that are applied to the Event Viewer are displayed as buttons on a filter strip above the event list. Creating multiple quick filters does not replace any filters applied, but are combined with them, so that only events matching all of the quick filter conditions are shown.
- Workspace preferences in the Event
Viewer
- You can customize style, layout, and localization preferences in the Event Viewer. The preferences window is accessed via the button on the menu bar or the SHIFT-P keyboard shortcut.
- Event Viewer status bar
- An enhanced status bar in the Event Viewer provides access to current status and to context information for the events including an interactive refresh timer. You can enable the status bar in the Event Viewer widget preferences.
- Event Viewer toolbar configuration
- Show and hide individual elements of the Event Viewer toolbar, as well as the whole toolbar itself, when configuring the Event Viewer widget.
- Define access criteria for new tools
based on fields other than
class - You can build access criteria conditions when creating a tool by selecting the field options against which the tool can be run. Corresponding value options and comparator operators can also be applied.
- Keyboard shortcuts in the Event Viewer
- Use keyboard shortcuts to access menu items and execute tools in the Event Viewer.
- New Web GUI installation
prerequisites
- Installation Manager V1.8.2.1 or later is required before V8.1 fix pack 4 installation. Installation Manager V1.8.3.0 is packaged with refresh installers.
- Change the order of columns in the
Event Viewer or lock columns to the grid.
- You can drag columns to a new position in the Event Viewer or perform custom sorting within columns. These features must be enabled in . You can also lock columns that you want to always display when you scroll horizontally. This setting is in .
- Enable notifications for alerts in
the Event Viewer
- You can enable flashing, pop-up messages, or sound alerts as notifications in the Event Viewer. In Workspace Preferences, select Enable Notifications in addition to your preferred notification method.
- Web GUI maps
without Java applets
- Web GUI maps can now be displayed without Java applets by setting a new portlet preference called Rendering Options.
- Integrated event search
- The integrated event search feature between Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus Web GUI and IBM Operations Analytics - Log Analysis requires
a Netcool Operations Insight license. When the event search with Operations Analytics
- Log Analysis feature
is installed and enabled (
scala.integratedsearch.enabled=true), an Event Search tab is visible when the event information window is opened. With integrated event search you can quickly determine if a particular event is a recurring problem, without having to launch out into the external Operations Analytics - Log Analysis system. Additionally, you can find out if a particular node or type of event has an underlying problem that is causing noise in your environment. Web GUI queries the Operations Analytics - Log Analysis system to run the historical event query, and then renders the results in a chart within the Web GUI interface. - Enhancement to non-Java map
- The non-Java (lightweight) map has been enhanced to provide support for monitor boxes (histogram and lavalamp styles). These have been updated with a new look and feel, and allow for the customization of displayed attributes. The lightweight map can also be displayed using Smartpage commands (Maplet and FilterPage), in addition to being launched by direct URL.
Web GUI Event
Dashboard in lightweight mode- The existing Event Dashboard uses a Java applet when viewing the
dashboard, and also when an administrator is editing the dashboard
widget preferences. The new lightweight feature allows operators to
view a dashboard, and administrators to create and edit a dashboard
without the need for Java applets. Lightweight mode is enabled via
settings in the Web GUI
server.initfile (dashboard.edit.render.modeanddashboard.render.mode). - IBM Design Language theme support
for Web GUI visualizations
- The following visualizations in Web GUI now
support the IBM Design Language theme in Dashboard Application Services
Hub:
- Event Viewer
- Lightweight Event Dashboard
- Lightweight Map
- This fix pack is an accumulative fix pack release and addresses
some APARs and internally found issues.
- When you download the fix pack from IBM Fix Central, you get details about the content in the fix pack.
- This fix pack is an accumulative fix pack release and addresses
some APARs and internally found issues.
- When you download the fix pack from IBM Fix Central, you get details about the content in the fix pack.
- Event Viewer performance improvement with the Dashboard Application Services
Hub CURI runtime environment.
- For optimal performance with the Dashboard Application Services Hub CURI runtime environment, configure gzip compression.
- Configure number of events per request in the Event Viewer.
- This configuration allows more events to be stored in the Event Viewer and lowers the number of requests that need to be made to retrieve new data.
- Start Map Editor with Java Webstart.
- Use Java Webstart to start Map Editor as applet support is being deprecated by browsers. This new function runs Map Editor outside the browser.
- Usability improvement in the Filter Builder GUI, within the basic
filter tab.
- When Administrators use the Filter Builder in basic mode, they can choose from the drop-down list of auto populated values.
- Start local tools in the Event Viewer.
- Due to growing security concerns over plug-ins and the end of support for NPAPI plug-ins in Firefox browsers, Fix Pack 9 replaces the Web GUI Tool Launch plug-in with new function that allows users to download a tool command file and run it manually.
- Link custom help pages to the Web GUI widgets.
- The Web GUI administrator can configure a Web GUI widget to link to a custom help page.
Enable client side event handling in the Event Viewer- By default, the client has a small subset of events locally. This default setup means that any
operations which require more event data (scrolling, filtering, sorting), can require time consuming
calls to the server. If you want to reduce the load on your web browser you can either configure the
new parameter
eventviewer.data.provider.modewithin WEBGUI_HOME/etc/server.init, or you can enable the Event Viewer widget preferenceUse CURI mode for events. - Web GUI to ObjectServer
connectivity can use TLS
- You can enable TLS without a requirement for FIPS. To enable TLS, go to the
WEBGUI_HOME/etc/server.init initialization file and update the
webtop.ssl.protocolproperty. - To change ObjectServer password setting in Web GUI use a public REST
API.
- This password setting applies to the Web GUI to ObjectServer connection, in the event feed context.
- Ability for non-admin users to delete group filters.
- To grant a user permission to edit group filters, go to the
WEBGUI_HOME/etc/server.init initialization file and update the value for the
users.group.filter.modeproperty. 
Relationship configuration allows the events to be aggregated
across multiple databases.- Events in the Event Viewer can be aggregated across all the data sources.
- Managing events in the Event Viewer has new functions.
- In the Event Viewer you can copy a cell and you can use clickable links in a cell
Announcement
The Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus V8.1 announcement
is available at http://www.ibm.com/common/ssi/index.wss.
See the announcement for the following information:
- Detailed product description, including a description of new functions
- Product-positioning statement
- Packaging and ordering details
- International compatibility information
Compatibility issues with earlier versions
Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus V8.1 components are compatible with the components of Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus versions 7.2, 7.2.1, 7.3, 7.3.1, and 7.4. Any exceptions and workarounds (where applicable) are documented here.
Probe and gateway dependencies
Ensure that you download the latest version of probe and gateway components for use with V8.1. Do not use the V7 probe bundle PINSTALL function.
Any dependency patches that are required for probes and gateways are documented in the install.txt files that are available with the download packages. This information is also available in the individual probe and gateway publications in the Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus documentation at: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSHTQ/landingpage/NetcoolOMNIbus.html.
Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus still provides 32-bit libraries so that 32-bit probes and gateways can be installed into a 64-bit Linux, Solaris, or AIX installation. 32-bit probes from previous versions can send events to a 64-bit V8.1 ObjectServer.
System requirements
For information about hardware and software compatibility, see the IBM Software Product Compatibility Reports website:
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/prodguid/v1r0/clarity/index.html
Known problems at eGA
The following problems with Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus V8.1 were known at the time of eGA.Problems
that are preceded with are resolved in fix pack 1 of the Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus V8.1.
If you apply fix pack 1, you can ignore these problems. If you did
not apply fix pack 1, these problems are present on your system.
Problems in the server-side components
Problems in the server-side components that were known at the time of eGA
MIB Manager fails
after fix pack installation- After fix pack 1 is installed on AIX operating systems, the MIB Manager component
fails and produces a core dump. To work around this problem. take
one of the following actions:
- Use an existing IBM 32-bit JRE Version 6, or download the latest IBM 32-bit JRE Version 6 from IBM DeveloperWorks at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/. Then, export the NCO_JRE environment variable to point to that JRE, so that the path is $NCO_JRE/bin/java. After the environment variable is set, you can run the ./nco_mibmanager command to start the MIB Manager component.
- Install the Netcool MIB Manager feature on a separate host, that runs an operating system other than AIX, from the other Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus features. Then, copy the rules files that are output by the MIB Manager component from that host to the Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus installation.
Launching and exiting the Initial Configuration
Wizard GUI on Linux can produce a core dump- Launching the Initial Configuration Wizard GUI (nco_icw) and then clicking Exit might produce a core dump. This problem occurs only on some versions of Linux and with some X display server combinations.
- Initial Configuration Wizard: truncated computer name and boundary checks on ports
- If you enter a computer name that is too long into the Initial Configuration Wizard the text gets truncated. To avoid this problem either wrap the path or scroll.
- If you enter a port number that is too big into the Initial Configuration Wizard the wizard defaults to port number 65335 without warning.
- AIX: Excessive ObjectServer memory usage during insert rate test
- ObjectServer memory consumption during insert rate tests is excessive when compared with V7.4, particularly when using buffering properties of the probe. For more information see APAR IV60150.
- XML gateway in IBM SmartCloud Analytics - Log Analysis mode sends corrupted Chinese character when running a locale other than UTF-8
- To index OMNIbus events with Chinese characters correctly in IBM SmartCloud Analytics - Log Analysis, you must run the XML gateway in the UTF-8 locale.
- Migration panel shows [Complete] as the initial state during a console installation
- After selecting the
features during a console installation of OMNIbus the next screen
displays the following options:
This might cause confusion as it appears to have already completed the migration. However if you want to migrate you must select option D.Configuration for IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus 8.1.0.0 1. [Complete] Migrate existing Netcool/OMNIbus data Other Options: D. Enter a migration source (an existing Netcool/OMNIbus installation directory) - UPGRADE.SH script does
not copy all configurations in $OMNIHOME/etc/restos directories
- The following files
in the $OMNIHOME/ directory must be migrated
manually if they were changed since originally installed. Each file
can be compared against an original read-only copy in the 'default'
subdirectory local to the file.)
Also manually migrated any changed files in $OMNIHOME/etc/restos/docroot/.etc/restos/uipreview/event_small.html etc/restos/uipreview/event_large.html etc/restos/resourcecfg_v102_migration.json etc/restos/resourcecfg_v102.json etc/restos/resourcecfg_v100.json etc/restos/resourcecfg_v101.json
Problems with the Web GUI component
Problems in the Web GUI component that were known at the time of eGA:
- IBM Installation Manager - console mode: cannot install OMNIbus core and Web GUI at the same time.
- When you install Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus core
and Web GUI together
using Installation Manager - console mode, the installation path for Web GUI is
not prompted for and the installation fails. If you are preforming
the installation with Installation Manager - console mode, you must
install Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus core
and Web GUI separately.Note: Installing Jazz® for Service Management and IBM WebSphere Application Server is not supported for Installation Manager - console mode.
- Event viewer right click menu scroll
bar unworkable in small browser window
- Expand the browser height to see all of the menu items. If this is not possible you must use the keyboard to scroll.
- Filter Edit: Save button does not work
on first click.
- Click Save twice to save the Filter.
- Event Dashboard edit preferences not displaying correctly when using Internet Explorer dark theme.
- Avoid using Internet Explorer in dark theme.
- Mobile: Behaviour using Gauges "As desktop" is incorrect
- A selection option is displayed when creating a new gauge for Mobile device touch action: As desktop. Desktop behaviour is not currently supported on mobile devices.
- Event viewer does not automatically
reconnect after a disconnection between the Web GUI and
the ObjectServer
- The Event viewer does not automatically reconnect to the ObjectServer when it is back up and running. You must close and reopen the Event viewer to reconnect to the ObjectServer.
- Internet Explorer 9: Unable to open the console Connection page
- Dashboard Application Services Hub users in Internet Explorer 9 cannot display the page in . For more information see APAR IV59958.
- Manage Groups: Invalid message displayed when adding a group to another group with ObjectServer as the user repository
- In an environment where the ObjectServer is acting as the user repository, if you add a group as a member of another group a message is displayed saying "The groups were added to the group successfully." However, there is a restriction in WebSphere that a group cannot contain other groups when the ObjectServer acts as the user repository for your system.
- Setting up a user to create new users and groups and assign Web GUI roles
- In previous releases it was possible to create new users and assign
roles from within the Tivoli Integrated Portal. In V8.1 a user must
have the following roles assigned in both the WebSphere Integrated
Solutions Console and the Dashboard Application Services Hub:
- Administrator role in the WebSphere Integrated Solutions Console
- Administrator role and icsadmin role in the Dashboard Application Services Hub
- Viewing related events in the Event Viewer
- When using relationships, sorting of events collapses the tree into a flat list.
- SmartCloud Analytics - Log Analysis:
incorrect Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
- When executing a right-click tool in the Event Viewer or AEL for , the UTC time might be incorrect in the URL generated from Web GUI to the IBM SmartCloud Analytics - Log Analysis server. This problem occurs if the time period specified predates the introduction of daylight saving time on March 30, 2014. For example, two months before 27 May 2014 11:34:52 should be 27 March 2014 11:34:52 (not 12:34:52).
- Widget properties page not reverting to original configuration after cancelling page changes
- After making changes to a widget's properties and cancelling the page changes, the widget reverts to it's original state, as intended. However, when you edit the widget again, the previous changes are still displayed in the properties page but the widget remains unchanged.
- Unable to display gauge with Weighted Average metrics
- An error message is
displayed on the Gauge page when a metric of Weighted Average is
defined for a Multiple Data Source Function.An error occurred during processing of Metric Data Service Request: null.
- Newly created Web GUI user cannot execute SQL tools in the AEL
- A newly created Web GUI user might not be able to acknowledge or execute any SQL tools on events in the AEL until after an ObjectServer resynchronization. For more information on how to resolving this problem see: APAR IV52572.
- Data export and import fails if Web GUI is configured with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
- The export and import of Web GUI and Dashboard Application Services Hub data fails when the Web GUI is configured with SSL (FIPS or NIST modes).
- Lightweight Event List or Table View: Use Customizer option not working for portlet
- When creating new page and placing a portlet into the page (that is Lightweight Event List or Table View), the Use Customizer option is enabled by default and should automatically determine the required height of the portlet frame. However, the portlet height might not adjust to the height of the page. You can override the height by clearing the Use Customizer check box and typing a value in the Height field.
- Migrating from Web GUI V7.4 to V8.1: some custom pages fail to import
- Some pages in the custom pages folder might fail to import when you migrate from Web GUI V7.4 to V8.1. If this occurs, re-import the files using the same data.zip from the migration. The missing pages from the custom folders will be imported.
- Reset to default not working on some pages
- After making changes to the Event Viewer or a page (), the Reset to default option might not reset the page to the default settings. To avoid this problem, you can reset the pages through the Restore option in . For the Event Viewer open .
- Tool Prompt Configuration: Fixed Choice with multiple labels
- When creating a Fixed Choice tool prompt with multiple labels, through either the Tool Prompt Configuration page or the Web GUI Administration API (WAAPI), the each label and value must be unique.
- Creating a group using the WebSphere
administration console: no conversion added to alerts.conversion for
the group name
- If the ObjectServer user repository is configured as the federated user repository in the WebSphere administration console, any users and groups created in the WebSphere administration console are added to the configured ObjectServer. When a new user is created a corresponding entry for the user's full name is added to the alerts.conversions table in the ObjectServer mapped to the alerts.status field OwnerUID. When viewed in, for example, the Event Viewer the conversion of the OwnerUID field in alerts.status is obtained from the alerts.conversions table. However, when creating a group using the WebSphere administration console, no corresponding conversion is added to the alerts.conversion for the group name. As a result the OwnerGID field in alerts.status corresponding to the GID of the created group is displayed unconverted in the Event Viewer column and alert information window.
- Error when personalizing a Free Form Web Widget
- When editing the shared
preferences for the web widget, selecting the Help page option
allows non-administrative users to update the Help page text field
when they personalize the web widget. However, if a user then leaves
the Help page setting empty and tries to save their changes, the following
error message is displayed:
CWLAA6003: Could not display the widget at this time, the widget's module may be being updated.To avoid this problem, the administrator can remove the Help page permission for users. Alternatively, users can enter a non-empty string for the Help page field when saving the web widget. - Migrating from Web GUI V7.4 fix pack 2 to V8.1: second Netcool Health page
- A problem occurs if you installed IBM Netcool Operations Insight V1.1 in Web GUI V7.4 fix pack 2 and then migrate to Web GUI V8.1. Two Netcool Health pages will be visible in your environment, one from V7.4 fix pack 2 and one from V8.1. You can remove the Netcool Health page that was imported from V7.4 fix pack 2. If you customized the Netcool Health dashboard you will have to redo your changes in V8.1.
- Event Viewer not working when the default ObjectServer (also the user repository) is down
- The Event Viewer displays events matching the filter from the available configured data sources. If the ObjectServer is configured as the user repository, and the ObjectServer (and its associated Web GUI data source) is offline, the Event Viewer is not able to display any events from any of the available data sources. This is because the Event Viewer cannot authorize the user. The following message might be displayed: ATKRST105E : The specified user is not authorized. 'User' is not authorized to the dataset 'eventData' from provider 'OMNIbusWebGUI' and data source 'any'. Recovery will be attempted automatically on the next refresh. To avoid this problem, it is advisable to always configure a failover ObjectServer.
- Event Viewer not displaying correctly in Internet Explorer 9 or Internet Explorer 11
- If compatibility mode is turned on in Internet Explorer 9 or Internet Explorer 11, the quick filter icon and the countdown widget on the status bar might not display correctly. To resolve this issue, turn off compatibility mode in the browser.
- Synchronization failure of LDAP users with
ObjectServer
- A Web GUI synchronization from LDAP to ObjectServer for the ncw_admin or ncw_user role groups will fail if the group's uniqueName is in normal case or lowercase. Currently, only groups with a uniqueName in uppercase can replicate to the ObjectServer. For more information, go to http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg1PM84207.
- Event Viewer in System Health Dashboard not updating in Internet Explorer 9 or 10
- The Event Viewer in the System Health Dashboard might not update
when status gauges are selected. This is due to browser security settings.
To resolve this, go to and Enable the following settings:
- Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins
- Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting
- No support for SVG filters in Internet Explorer 9
- Internet Explorer 9 does not support SVG filters, which are used to create the shadow effect on maps. SVG filters are also used for the Glow Background feedback for Icons that are associated with filters and consequently this feature is also unavailable on Internet Explorer 9. To avoid this problem use an alternative browser, for example Internet Explorer 11.
- Event Viewer is not working normally after
failover
- After a failover, the Event Viewer might display an incomplete set of events in the event list. This is due to a failure to properly refresh the event data after a failover has occurred. Close and reopen the Event Viewer to resolve this.
- The column locked Gridx not displaying correctly in Tivoli Dark theme
- If logged into Dashboard Application Services Hub using the Tivoli Dark theme, and if column locking has been enabled in Event Viewer, when the non-locked columns are horizontally scrolled their text remains visible and overlaps with the text in the locked columns. To avoid this problem, disable column locking, or use the default OneUI theme with Event Viewer.
- Quick Filter strip in the Event Viewer shows
an incorrect timestamp
- When a quick filter based on a date field is applied to the event list in Event Viewer, the date/time displayed on the filter strip might be incorrect, being offset by one or more hours. This depends on the timezone of the client user's browser, and the actual date value which is being filtered with. The filtering works correctly, but the displayed time value might be incorrect.
- Map replacement: line width is compromised
- When a shadow parameter is set the line width might become compromised. To avoid this problem, remove the shadow effect from affected lines. You can create a false shadow using a second line.
- ConfigureOS WebGUI script failed
- The
ConfigureOS WebGUIscript fails if the Dashboard Application Services Hub Realm name is modified to a non-default value. - Event Viewer showing ghost events if refreshed just as events are deleted from the database
- This can occur where events are deleted from alerts.status just as the Event Viewer is being refreshed. Close and reopen the Event Viewer to resolve this.
- Search term field in the Event Viewer can appear blank on the quick filter dialog
- When manually creating a quick filter in the Event Viewer, in the pop-up quick filter dialog, if the selected field is changed between a date field and a text field, in some situations the edit field to enter the search term can be hidden.
- Event Search fails with the message
An error occurred processing the request. See Web GUI logs for more information.
- The Web GUI log
(
ncw.0.log) displays the following error: :SEVERE:HEMEC0038E:[WebContainer : 8]:Expected parameter Only 'AES' and 'FIPS' encryption are supported. Please check webtop.password.encryption property in server.init is missing or invalid.The Operations Analytics - Log Analysis Event Search feature treats the
webtop.password.encryptionvalue as case sensitive and only lowercase keywords of 'none','aes', or 'fips' are allowed. The existing Event Search function is not case sensitive and allows upper or lowercase versions of this value. To avoid this problem, modify thewebtop.password.encryptionto use a lowercase value and restart the Web GUI server. - Importing pages fails using the Dashboard Application Services Hub feature
- When the Dashboard Application Services Hub is configured for the NIST Special Publications 800-131 standard, importing pages from another instance using Dashboard Application Services Hub can fail. For more information about this problem, see the IBM technote http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21988317.
- Installation fails with
JVMCFRE003bad major version - At install time, the Tivoli Common
Reporting environment file
setTCRenv.shoverwrites theJAVA_HOMEvariable with a value ofJava 6instead ofJava 7. This action results in the failure of Web GUI and Tivoli Common Reporting to operate on the same server. To avoid this problem after you install Tivoli Common Reporting, you must updateJAVA_HOMEvariable withJava 7path insetTCRenv.sh.
Globalization problems
Problems with the server-side and Web GUI components in locales other than English that were known at the time of eGA:
- Corruption found in IBM Support Assistant Data Collector (ISADC) package when using non-English strings and sending by FTP
- The problem
occurs if a user specifies a file name with none-ASCII characters
and elects to transfer by FTP. The filename is corrupted on the FTP
server. Perform one of these actions to avoid this problem:
- Allow the tool to generate a file name, or
- FTP the file generated manually to the FTP server using an FTP client (assuming the client and server support UTF8 file names).
- Arabic and Hebrew: bidirectional text not displaying on installation panels
- Right to left text is not displaying on most installation panels for IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus and the Web GUI component.
Problems identified after eGA
Problems that are identified after eGA are documented in the form of individual technotes in the Support knowledge base at:
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/sysmgmt/products/support/IBMTivoliNetcoolOMNIbus.html
As problems are discovered and resolved, the IBM Support team updates the knowledge base. By searching the knowledge base, you can quickly find workarounds or solutions to problems.
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