Configuration planning for the Problem Insights server

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You can integrate the Problem Insights server with an analytics platform to collect actionable insights from the analytics platform’s datastore. Additionally, you can configure the Problem Insights server to forward notifications on actionable insights to an event management system or service, IBM Z® ChatOps, or an email server.

When the Problem Insights server is installed on Linux®, all integrations are managed through a central configuration file (<ZOA_HOME>/zoa_env.config).

When the Problem Insights server is installed on z/OS® UNIX System Services, you need to configure a separate configuration file for each of the supported analytics platforms and the event destinations:

Integration with the Elastic Stack: <PI_HOME>/config/elk.config
Integration with Splunk: <PI_HOME>/config/splunk.config
Integration with event destinations: <PI_HOME>/config/event.config
Integration with the Z Data Analytics Platform: <PI_HOME>/config/elk.config

Integration with an analytics platform

You can configure the Problem Insights server to display actionable insights from operational data that is stored in the Z Data Analytics Platform, the Elastic Stack or Splunk. The Problem Insights server can support only one platform at a time.

To integrate the Problem Insights server with the Z Data Analytics Platform, the Elastic Stack, or Splunk, use the following deployment guidelines to minimize network latency:

Elastic Stack platform: Install the Problem Insights server on a system that is physically located near the system where the Elasticsearch component is installed.
Splunk platform: Install the Problem Insights server on a system that is physically located near the system where the Splunk search head component is installed.

Integration with an event management system or service

The Problem Insights server can be integrated with a separately installed event management system or a web-based event management service. For more information, see Sending events from the Problem Insights server to other applications.

The following event management systems or services are supported:

IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus
If you want to forward metric-based machine learning events to IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus, complete the steps in Sending events to IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus.
IBM Netcool Operations Insight
For more information, see Sending events to web-based event management services.
IBM Watson AIOps Event Manager
For more information, see Sending events to web-based event management services.

Integration with IBM Z ChatOps

IBM Z ChatOps (which represents chat-based operations) is a collaboration model that connects people, processes, tools, and automation in a seamless and transparent way through a chat platform and extensive use of specialized chatbots. It can help IT operations teams improve service reliability, service recovery time, and collaboration efficiency.

The Problem Insights server can be integrated with IBM Z ChatOps. Events can be forwarded for insights from the Z Data Analytics Platform, the Elastic Stack, or Splunk. For more information, see Sending events to IBM Z ChatOps.

Integration with an email server

The Problem Insights server can be integrated with an email server to forward event notifications to email or Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) services. For more information, see Sending events to an email server.