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For IT Advisor on-premise installations only
In System Setup > External System Configuration, you can set up integration with an external system. Select the type of server, for example, Data Center Expert or VMware vCenter server, and enter the server communication data.
ITA_system_setup_menu_360037365353.png
The latest version of the integration software is supported unless any issues with the latest versions are specified in the release notes for your ITA version.
Once the communication between the servers has been established, the IT Advisor server retrieves alarms and measured data from the external monitoring system or migration data from the virtualization system. When you have configured the physical location of these real-world devices, the system can guide you and show any active and potential problem areas in your data center.
Alarms and migration data is collected in real time and allows you to monitor and react instantly on critical data.
You must make sure time synchronization has been configured for the servers.
Supported product versions
VMware vCenter 6
Cisco UCS 3.0, 3.0.1, and 3.0.2
Data Center Expert 7.7.x and newer
HP OneView 3.00 and newer
ITA_external_systems_integration_9_36003736535332.png
For IT Advisor on-premise installations only
NOTE: Hosted ITA integrates with IT Expert only.
Configure the server connection to allow IT Advisor to communicate with the Data Center Expert server and receive device data and alarms.
It is possible to integrate with multiple Data Center Expert servers.
Select System Setup > External System Configuration.
Click Add server, and select Data Center Expert as the server type.
Type the Data Center Expert server identification, such as name, IP, port (80 or 443), and credentials.
To configure the data collection settings (see screenshot), set:
Time period for calculation of peak and average power values (Calculate power data based on the last).
Interval for asking Data Center Expert for updated device data (temperatures are collected).
Interval for asking Data Center Expert for updated power data. (This value does not include all kW measurements. Power data from rack PDUs is collected, whereas power data from cooling units is not.)
Full alarm synchronization every (how often IT Advisor synchronizes alarms and alarm statuses from Data Center Expert).
Retrieve sensors: If you select this, data from sensors such as temperature sensors are included. If you do not want to see the temperature sensor data in IT Advisor, do not select this.
Callback information to the IT Advisor server. This is used to tell Data Center Expert which ip/hostname to push alarms once they occur.
To Use Encryption a certification must be added to Data Center Expert. See Configuring a secure connection below.
Timeout settings for connection and response.
Stop trying to connect after: In case IT Advisor cannot connect to the Data Center Expert server, the user will get a warning after the specified amount of time, and data collection will resume when the connection has been restored.
Stop waiting for data after: IT Advisor will drop the connection after the specified time to avoid having a hanging connection.
When you have finished the steps in the wizard and the server has been added to the list of external systems, click Test to test the connection.
DCE_ITA_option_360036883094.png
Configuring a secure connection
If you want to ensure a secure connection for the data exchanged between the systems, follow these instructions to ensure the certificate is trusted on both Data Center Expert and IT Advisor servers.
Access the IT Advisor server management interface to access the certificate.
Launch the Webmin web interface by typing the address of the IT Advisor server in a Web browser and click Server Configuration.
Log on to Webmin using the user credentials created during the installation.
In the Webmin interface menu, select System>Upload and Download.
Open the Download from server tab.
Browse to the certificate: /etc/isx-operations/ssl/certificate.crt and click Download.
Open the .crt file with a text editor, such as Notepad.
Select all and copy the contents (Ctrl+A/Ctrl+C). Alternatively, in a web browser: a. Type the server IP address and click the pad lock icon to the left to open View Site Information. b. Click Certificate Information. c. In the Connection tab, click Export and save as .pem. d. Open the file to copy the contents. For Mac, there's an extra Keychain step before exporting, see animation.
Make the certificate available to Data Center Expert.
Launch Data Center Expert.
Select System>Server Administration Settings>Server SSL Certificates...
Click Add..., right-click and select Paste to paste in the contents of the .crt file (from above step), and click Add. The connection has been set up and the certificate is trusted on both servers.
Access and copy contents from certificate. This example uses Chrome on Mac.
105470281_854x250_360036883094.gif
For ITA on-premises installations only
Configuring Power Monitoring Expert integration is a two sided integration.
Compatibility information: Power Monitoring Expert DC 7.2.2 is supported by ITA.
The below highlighted steps (4 and 5) cover the integration configuration in IT Advisor. The other steps are to be done on the Power Monitoring Expert side and are referenced in this document to provide an overview of all the necessary steps for the integration.
For further information about the Power Monitoring Expert steps (1-3) please refer to the ETL for ITA documentation attached below.
Install SQL Server 2014 on the Power Monitoring Expert server.
Install Power Monitoring Expert.
Install the ETL configuration tool.
Setup a dedicated ETL configuration for PME in ITA.
Discover devices in Power Monitoring Expert.
Set device hierarchy definitions for each device.
Define ETL configuration in Power Monitoring Expert.
Run ETL job (once or start service).
Setup a dedicated ETL configuration for PME in ITA
Log on to ITA 's web client.
Go to Cogwheel -> Manage ETL Integrations.
Add an ETL configuration.
Fill in information for the staging database.
Select the Power Monitoring Expert transformation "Power Monitoring Expert v1.0.0".
Setup a schedule for how often to import data from PME, and click Submit.
ITA_PME_1_360037365393.png
ITA_PME_2_360037365393.png
ITA_PME_3_360037365393.png
Adding devices to PME
The PME Management Console allows you to add peripherals to the PME server, such as:
Sites- The physical locations where devices are present.
Devices- The physical devices present on the sites along with their properties.
Dial out modems- More options for communication.
Connections Schedules: Scheduling temporary or timed connections to the selected devices.
System Event Logs: Allows seeing system logs which are filterable at sites, devices & alerts level.
ITA_PME_4_360037365393.png
Adding Sites & Devices
Devices are added to PME by telling which sites these devices are attached to. Sites can be seen as gateways for devices.
Add Sites:
Click on Sites.
Right-click the window and select New... > the needed site:
Direct Site: If the device is directly communicating with TCP/IP.
Modem Site: If the device is residing on a modem and information is being received through the modem.
Ethernet Gateway Site: If the devices are connected to Ethernet Gateways such as EGX100/300.
OPC: If the devices are communicating on OPC or connected to OPC gateway.
Fill in the details for the selected site.
Note: TCP/IP port is selected in a drop-down list, e.g. for Ethernet Gateway port number is 502.
ITA_PME_5_360037365393.png
Add Devices:
Click Devices.
Right-click the window select New... > the type of device to be added (Devices are connected via the sites already added).
Fill in the details for the device to be added.
Note: Unit ID should be same as the Slave number which is defined for the device while adding it to the Ethernet Gateway.
ITA_PME_6_360037365393.png
Defining the device hierarchy
The Hierarchy Manager wizard allows you to map added devices to logical data center entities like circuits, electrical equipment, etc. to better define what the meter logically represents. Furthermore, logical devices are exportable through ETL which makes them available to ITA, thus a step should be performed against any newly added devices in PME in order to make them available to ITA as well.
In the PME management console, select Tools>Hierarchy Manager.
Log on with an supervisor user.
For Branch Circuit Monitors, click the Circuits tab.
Click Add to add a definition for a circuit in the Circuits tab.
Define the Name, Breaker Rating and Rack info (if you have it).
Click Add above the Device box and choose the recently added device from the list.
For power meters click the Electrical Equipment tab.
Click Add to add a definition for a power meter.
Define the Name, Equipment Type and Location.
Click Add on the devices box, and select the appropriate added device from the list.
ITA_PME_7_360037365393.png
Hierarchy Manager - Circuits & Electrical Equipment
ITA_PME_8_360037365393.png
Hierarchy Manager - Circuits
ITA_PME_9_360037365393.png
Hierarchy Manager - Electrical Equipment
ITA_PME_10_360037365393.png
Hierarchy Manager - Electrical Equipment Asset Name
ITA_PME_11_360037365393.png
Defining ETL configuration in PME
Open the ETL Administration tool previously installed on the PME server.
Create an New ETL job.
Tasks that need to be added to the job:
Category: Extract Type:PowerMonitoringExpertDataCenterHierarchyExtractTask
Verify theDatabase Connection String settings are appropriate for your PME SQL-server installation.
Category: Transform Type:ITATransformTask
Category:Load Type: ITALoadTask
Verify the ITA staging database connection settings are configured to match the staging database information created in the previous sections (ITA server name/IP, ETL import database name, ETL database user, and ETL database password are required).
Mappings will make PME devices exposed in the ETL database for ITA discovery.
Select Use list of sources (allows aliasing).
Click Populate.
Click Recommend Pairs. You may see a warning stating the existing mappings will be overwritten. A list of devices which have logical definitions in the Hierarchal Manager should appear in the Sources list.
Verify Import has been selected for each entry (highlighted in screenshot).
Click OK to save any changes to the ETL job.
ETL Engine - SQL database connection verification
ITA_PME_12_360037365393.png
ETL Engine - ITA staging database connection verification
ITA_PME_13_360037365393.png
Hierarchal Manager sources list import selected
ITA_PME_14_360037365393.png
Running ETL job
In the ETL configuration tool, click Control to view the service information.
Click the Run Once command to test the ETL job. A popup should appear stating the job was either successful, or unsuccessful. View the log information if the job was unsuccessful
If the job was successful, return to the ITA client, and view the ETL Integrations in the Unassociated Devices list.
In ITA, either wait for the next ETL import cycle to pass, or right-click the PME server entry in Unassociated Devices, and select Synchronize external data to force the staging database to update ITA.
The new devices should appear below the PME server entry.
ETL configuration tool - run once
ITA_PME_15_360037365393.png
Device Association - Unassociated Devices list
ITA_PME_16_360037365393.png
Device Association - new devices in list
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For ITA on-premise installations only
Configuring integration between IT Advisor and Cisco UCS Manager requires:
A user has been set up on the Cisco UCS Manager with rights to access the web services in the API.
Communication on the port used on the Cisco UCS Manager and, if SSL is wanted, it must be enabled.
Default ports:
http: 80 https: 443
The rest of the configuration happens on the Cisco UCS Manager.
For further information, see Cisco UCS Manager API information and power management.
For ITA on-premise installations only
Configure the server communication preferences between IT Advisor and the Cisco UCS Manager.
Configure data retrieval from Cisco UCS Manager to IT Advisor.
Type the logon information of the Cisco UCS Manager to connect to: host name / IP address, port number, and user credentials.
For a high-security logon session, select Use SSL and accept the certificate. Ask the Cisco UCS Manager administrator for details if you are unsure whether to use SSL.
Click Test to test the connection.
ITA_externalsystem_cisco2_360036883054.png
Configure data exchange from IT Advisor back to Cisco.
Select Use Automatic Power Management if you want to allow IT Advisor to send back power data to Cisco. This will overwrite any existing power groups on the Cisco UCS Manager.
ITA_externalsystem_cisco_360036883054.png
See also
Cisco UCS Manager integration requirements Configuring external system integration Viewing External System Data The Importance of System Time Synchronization for Accurate Power Values
For ITA on-premise installations only
You can import asset and monitoring related data from CenterScape into IT Advisor (on-premise only), giving you granular visibility into data center resources and enabling you to monitor your data center floor. Integrating CenterScape and ITA also eliminates duplicity of data and labor to enter the same data in two different systems.
RF Code CenterScape offers real-time asset management and environmental monitoring solution. CenterScape continuously tracks physical asset locations and environmental conditions allowing users to locate and manage equipment, identify and troubleshoot power and cooling inefficiencies and avoid downtime. The integration of the CenterScape into IT Advisor simplifies the management of complex data and reduces data manipulation, providing a single source of information.
Prerequisites
ITA with Change license
RF Code CenterScape version 1 and above
User access to CenterScape web services for integration
Open port and communication between ITA and CenterScape (CenterScape port number depends on the customer installation)
Preparation
Field mapping
This CenterScape data will always be synchronized with ITA:
Asset Data
Custom Properties
Environmental Sensor Readings
Name
Serial Number
Location
Description
Model name
Manufacturer
Asset Tag
Scope
Deletable
Operational Status
Temperature reading
Daily peak temperature
Daily average temperature
Relative Humidity
Connector parameters
This information is to be provided by the customer.
rfcode_user
RF Code user name with webservices access
rfcode_password
RF Code user password
rfcode_host
Url or IP address of your RF Code instance. Typically: http://myserver.rfcode.com/
rfcode_port
RF Code port to query web services (e.g. port 6580)
Remove_deleted
Possible choices: Yes / No. See Deletion of devices
Change_ticket_due_days
Number of days when a change ticket is due by. Example, 10. See Creation of Change Tickets
Deletion of devices
The user can choose whether the information coming from CenterScape and pushed to ITA should or should not be deleted in ITA when an asset is removed from the CenterScape system.
This does not delete the actual device in the ITA model, only the RF Code information attached to this device.
Creation of Change Tickets
When an asset change location and ITA discovers that Centerscape reports a different detected location than what it previously reported, a change ticket will be created in ITA. These change tickets will appear in ITA and then can be associated with either a new or existing work order.
No change tickets will be created on original asset location assignment
The change tickets will have predefined status as “RF Code generated” and priority “Medium”
Change_ticket_due_days variable decides the number of days from present day to be set for due date.
ITA Change module is required to use this functionality
Note: CenterScape considers Location type of Rack as a valid location. When devices are assigned to DataCenters or Rows, it is not considered as valid locations and hence the change ticket would not be as required. Also when moving a device from DataCenter/Rows to Racks, a change ticket will not be created as this is considered as initial allocation of location.
CI polling interval (job scheduling)
Recommended settings
Up to 60 racks
60 minutes
From 61 to 150 racks
120 minutes
From 151 to 300 racks
180 minutes
From 301 to 500 racks
2400 minutes
Above 500 racks
Please contact technical support
It is not recommended to configure a frequency lower than 60 minutes.
RF Code CenterScape data in ITA
Inventory shows up as unassociated devices. Automatic/manual association is needed.
ITA_RFcode_1_360036883274.png
Temperature and humidity sensors bring in values.
ITA_RFcode_2_360036883274.png
They can be dropped anywhere on the floor, in a rack, or on a device.
ITA_RFcode_3_360036883274.png
Change tickets are created when an asset is moved from one location to another.
ITA_RFcode_4_360036883274.png
Configuring RF Code CenterScape Connector in ITA
Create a new import staging database. See ETL Database Configuraton.
Download the .zip file. This file is available to verified Schneider Electric customers and personnel only.
Note: If you cannot access the files, ensure you have a valid software support contract ready and contact technical support.
Upload the .zip file from the above step to the ITA server to the /data/pentaho/import/ folder.
From the server console (or ssh connection, e.g. using Putty), extract the files from the .zip, using this command:
sudo unzip /data/pentaho/import/RFCode_Connector_1.0.zip
From the ITA UI, create a new ETL external system and fill in the connector parameters.
Choose polling interval and save your configuration.
Restart your ITA client after completing the connector configuration.
Available for IT Advisor on-premise installations only
The HP OneView integration is available with the standard ITA license. This allows you to get basic server and blade enclosure information from the HP OneView system.
With the Data Center: IT Optimize license, you also get CPU and power data from the HP OneView system.
Assets and alarms are transferred instantly from HP to ITA using an event bus. CPU, power and temperature data are polled from the HP OneView system using its web service interface.
The data shown when you hover over a tool tip is also loaded instantly from the HP OneView server.
ITA also presents historical trending (calculated average over the last 7 days). The interval for polling data for this trending can be configured (System Setup > External System Configuration > HP OneView Configuration > Utilization update interval in hours), but the default setting should be precise enough.
No data is transferred from ITA to the HP system.
123 Steps to...
Configuring data exchange between HP OneView and IT Advisor
In System Setup > External System Configuration, click Add server and select HP OneView.
Set up the connection to HP OneView using the credentials of the HP OneView user (user must be HP Oneview administrator) (Figure 1) and click Test to validate the server connection.
Edit update interval (Figure 2).
Open Planning>Device Association from the application bar.
Drag devices discovered by HP OneView from Unassociated Devices to equipment representing them in the floor or in the rack layout to associate them.
Figure 1
ITA_HPOV_1_360037365453.png
Figure 2
ITA_HPOV_2_360037365453.png
For IT Advisor on-premise installations only
Configure the server communication preferences between IT Advisor and VMware vCenter Server. See supported versions here.
The VMware vCenter user must have permission to these operations:
setCustomValue
logUserEvent
setTaskDescription
addCustomFieldDef
exitMaintenanceModeTask
destroyPropertyFilter
createFilter
waitForUpdatesEx
retrieveServiceContent
login
logout
waitForUpdates
retrieveProperties
Type the logon information of the vCenter server to connect to: host name / IP address, port number, and user credentials.
For a high-security logon session, select Use SSL and accept the certificate. Ask the vCenter Server administrator for details if you are unsure whether to use SSL.
The VMware vCenter integration is event-based meaning the vCenter will report directly to IT Advisor if events/updates occur that the system must be notified about.
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For ITA on-premise installations only
In IT Advisor, the IT Advisor server supports these SNMP OIDs and response values.
To implement the alarm statuses in Data Center Expert, update the Device Definition File, schneiderops.xml, in Data Center Expert. Download the file from the software download link provided by Schneider Electric and follow the instructions about updating DDFs in DCE.
Application server (OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.2.2.1.1.0)
Response
Name
Description
1
Unknown
The status of the application server is unknown. Check Webmin and if the problem persists, contact support.
2
Stopped
Restart the IT Advisor server. If the problem persists, contact support.
3
Running
No problem
4
Running but missing nodes
High availability is lost. The IT Advisor Application server is running but one or more nodes are not available. If the problem persists, contact support.
5
Initializing
Wait for the IT Advisor Application server to initialize. If the problem persists, contact support.
6
Starting or non responding
Wait for the IT Advisor Application server to finish starting. If the problem persists, contact support.
7
Disaster Recovery
This node is running in DR mode.
8
Running but postoffice is inconsistent
The JBoss postoffice is currently inconsistent. This may be a temporary issue. If the problem persists for more than 10 minutes, contact support.
9
Running but missing jgroups
The JBoss is missing jgroups. This may be a temporary issue. If the problem persists for more than 10 minutes, contact support.
Database server (OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.2.2.1.2.0)
Response
Name
Description
1
Unknown
The status of the database is unknown. Check Webmin and if the problem persists, contact support.
2
Stopped
Restart the IT Advisor server. If the problem persists, contact support.
3
Running
No problem
4
Detached
High availability is lost. If the problem persists, contact support.
5
Catching up
Wait for the IT Advisor database to retrieve all updates from the master node. If the problem persists, contact support.
10
Running alone
The database does not replicate its changes to other nodes.
Load balancer (OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.2.2.1.3.0)
Response
Name
Description
1
Unknown
Load Balancer status is unknown. Check Webmin and if the problem persists, contact support.
2
Stopped
Load Balancer stopped. Restart the IT Advisor server. If the problem persists, contact support.
3
Running
Normal status
4
Running but missing nodes
High availability is lost. The IT Advisor Load Balancer is running but one or more nodes are not available. If the problem persists, contact support.
General and essential services (OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.2.2.1.4.0)
Response
Name
Description
1
Unknown
Unknown status. Check Webmin and if the problem persists, contact support.
2
Stopped
Essential services are not running on the IT Advisor server. Reboot the node and monitor the status page in Webmin. If the problem persists, contact support.
3
Running
Normal status
5
Backup failed
The last backup that was attempted on this server was not successful. Ensure the system can write to the location specified as backup location. This is particularly relevant for network attached storage.
ETL (OID .1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.2.2.1.5.0)
Response
Name
Description
1
Unknown
Unknown status. Check Webmin and if the problem persists, contact support.
2
OK
Normal status
3
Error
ETL experienced an error while running the transformation. Monitor the status page in Webmin. The scheduler will try to run the transformation again as scheduled.
4
Paused
ETL is paused on the IT Advisor server. Monitor the ETL status page in Webmin. Try to start the job if needed using the management button.
5
Stopped
For future use
See Configuring Data Center Expert integration