Chapter 14   Monitoring Meta-Directory Components


The resources available from the Status tab of Meta-Directory console are used for monitoring operations of the components. For example, you can find out whether a component is enabled, update the connector view or the external data source, refresh data, and specify how activity, usage and data changes statistics are recorded in log files. This chapter contains the following sections:

• Operations

• Logs

• Statistics and Status Messages

Operations

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Within the Status tab of Meta-Directory console, an Operations tab lets you view the component's operational status and initiate requests, such as enabling, disabling, and refreshing the component.

Join Engine Operations

You can view and change the operations of the join engine and its data by selecting the join engine and clicking Operations from the Status tab.

Figure 14-1   

The Operations Window for the Join Engine

The following sections explain the fields within the join engine's Operations tab.

Status

The Status field tells you whether the join engine is currently running (up) or not running (down).

View

The View field lists all participating views and whether they are enabled. An enabled view is currently flowing data while a disabled view is not. The participating view can be enabled even though the join engine status is down.

Operation

From the Operation drop-down list, you can choose options to apply to the participating view that is selected in the View field.

Enable Choose this option to allow the selected participating view to flow data. (This option disables the Traverse option.)

Disable Choose this option to stop the selected participating view from flowing data. (This option disables the Traverse option.)

Refresh Choose this option to scan the entries in the connector view or the meta view (depending on your selection in the Traverse drop-down menu) for changes. The changes will be integrated and the link information recreated based on the join rules defined in the participating view.

Refresh Unlinked Choose this option to refresh only unlinked entries in the connector view or the meta view depending on the option selected in the Traverse drop-down menu.

Refresh Groups Choose this option to refresh entries in the connector view or the meta view depending on the option selected in the Traverse drop-down menu. The group filter, which allows you to refresh certain entries of the view, is applied prior to the refresh. More information on the group filter can be found in "Select the Group Filters tab.".

Break Links Choose this option to break all links between the connector view and the meta view. After the links are broken, the join rules need to be re-applied to recreate the link information.

Validate Links Choose this option to check for invalid links. It also attempts to re-join the data based on the join rules defined in the participating view.

Traverse

When chosen with one of the refresh or link operations above, the Traverse option allows you to choose whether to scan the entries in the meta view or the connector view. Once the Operation and Traverse options are chosen, click Submit Request to begin the operation.

Last Change Notification

The change log assigns a sequential number to changes. The last change notification refers to the last change number the join engine processed. The join engine will only process the change log numbers greater than the number in the last change notification field. The Reset button resets the value.

Connector Operations

You can view and change the operations of a connector and its data by selecting the connector and clicking Operations from the Status tab.

Figure 14-2   

The Operations Window for the Connectors

The following sections explain the fields within the connector's Operations tab.

Status

The Status field tells you whether the selected connector is currently running (up) or not running (down).

View

The View field lists the connector's participating view and whether or not it is enabled. An enabled view is currently flowing data while a disabled view is not. The participating view can be enabled even though the connector status is down; data would flow if the connector was running.

Operation

The only available option in the drop-down list is Refresh which scans all entries based on choices described in Updates To The.

Updates to the

Choose either External Directory or Connector View to work with the Refresh operation. The Modify Task Status dialog box appears after the selection is made and Start is pressed. (If Connector View is choosen, you only have one option.)

Figure 14-3   

Modify Task Status Dialog Box

Choose from the following Updates to the External Directory options and click OK:

• Re-propagate all existing entries in the Connector View to the External Directory immediately.

• Propogate all existing entries in the Connector View that meet the filter criteria to the External Directory immediately.

  Select the filter desired. Only those configured for the "NoSubtreesExcept" option are displayed when Select Filter... is chosen, not filters configured for the "AllSubtreesExcept" option.

• Perform the above two operations in sequence.

  
  

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  Note

  After any link operation in either the join engine or connector, the logs should be examined for entry failures by issuing grep -i fail *.log in the log directory specified in the console. Any entry failure would need to be fixed by issuing the appropriate command through the Fix-It tool. For example: Errors encountered during a refresh operation would need to be manually joined Failures encountered during a break links operation would need to be manually unlinked

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Logs

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Log files record most component activities including the opening and closing of connections, activity times, and system interruptions. Each component (join engine, Universal Text Connector, Windows NT Domain connector and Active Directory connector) has the ability to write informational records and error messages to its own log files. You can specify what is written in the log files and use them to monitor Meta-Directory operation. This section describes the log files and how to configure their preferences.

Log Files

Each Meta-Directory component has the ability to record administrative activities and operational errors in an ASCII-text log file. Each log file is located in the logs folder within the component folders named adc-cvname (Active Directory connector), ntdc-cvname (Windows NT Domain connector), join-engine (join engine) and utc-cvname (Universal Text Connector) where cvname is the name of the connector view. The component folders, with their log files, are located within the directory where Meta-Directory is installed (the default is NETSITE_ROOT/iPlanet/Servers).

Regardless of the component, the naming convention for each log file is:

prefix-yyyymmdd-nn.log

In the log's file name, nn is a numeric extension (starting with 01). This extension numbers the log files in the order in which they are composed. Because the administrator can set the frequency with which new log files are started (weekly or daily) as well as the maximum amount of disk space used to contain them, the oldest logs in a component's sequence are deleted, as necessary, to avoid exceeding these constraints.

The log format is readable (by people) and analyzable (by software). Each log file consists of a sequence of lines. Each line represents a separate activity as it occurs. Here is a sample log line reporting Meta-Directory activity:

[2001/05/01 16:32:26.37 -0700] 2237:07F3 3 DataAccess <- explode_DN 4 RDNs

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Note	The recorded time in all log files may be off by a second or two; the event may have actually occurred a second or two later than the time logged due to server activity.

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• 2001/05/01 16:32:26.37 refers to the local date and time.

• -0700 refers to the time zone, in this case Pacific Daylight Time.

• 2237 refers to the process number.

• 07F3 refers to the thread number.

• 3 refers to the level of verbosity.

• DataAccess, in this example, is the name of the module in which the activity occurred.

• All information following the module name describes the operation that took place.

Log Window Options

The following sections explain the fields within the Logs tab.

Figure 14-4   

The Log Window for Connectors

Refresh

To activate log settings and update the log table to include any new logs, click Refresh. Refresh must be activated after any of the Log window options are modified.

Continuous

To update the log table continuously, choose Continuous.

Lines to Show

To limit the maximum number of lines you would like to have in the log table, enter a number here.

Show Only Lines Containing

To limit the set of lines with a filter, enter a text search string here.

Starting at

Use this field to time-delay the start of a search. Click the "..." button to use a time-date calendar for easy input.

Period

This field is used to specify the time duration for the log search. For instance, if you want to display all logs that occurred up to 90 minutes after the starting time specified above, select Minutes from the drop-down menu and enter 90.

Modules

Operations recorded to log files refer back to specific functional areas of Meta-Directory or modules. Each module concerns itself with a particular task performed by a specific component. Any activity or operation recorded in a log file is recorded to the file which correlates to that module. In addition, Meta-Directory generates debug log files for these modules. These debug logs give more technical and detailed explanations of their respective modules than the customary logs. Table 14-1 and Table 14-3 describe the modules associated with the join engine and the connectors. Table 14-2 and Table 14-4 describe the debug logs. (Because modules work together to perform many tasks, it is often necessary to combine log file information to come to a more complete understanding of the module's functions.)

Table 14-1    Join Engine Modules 

Module Name	Description
Log	The Log module controls the logging function from within the application.
MDS	The MDS module controls the participating view and its interaction with the meta view.
MDSConfig	The MDSConfig module controls the updates of, and status for, the LDAP configuration used by the join engine.
DCNS	The DCNS module searches the changelog for new data in the external data source and notifies the join engine or connector so that the appropriate action can be taken.
DataAccess	The DataAccess module performs operations including adding and modifying data and deleting and searching entries on the external data source.

Table 14-2    Join Engine Debug Logs 

Debug Log Name	Description
DebugDataAccess	The DebugDataAccess log provides more detailed information about the DataAccess module.
DebugDirectoryAccess	The DebugDirectoryAccess module provides a detailed description of the module that controls LDAP accessory client functions.
DebugDBServer	The DebugDBServer log provides a detailed description of the actions of the database server.
DebugCLOGPlugin	The DebugCLOGPlugin log provides a more detailed description of the actions of the changelog.
DebugMDSConfig	The DebugMDSConfig log provides a more detailed description of the actions of the MDSConfig module.
DebugJoinController	The DebugJoinController log provides information concerning the entry links and ownership that are applied during the join process.
DebugMapper	The Debug Mapper log provides information about the processing of the join process rules.
DebugDCNSServer	The DCNSServer log provides information concerning the registering with the DCNS servers.
DebugDCNSClient	The DCNSClient log keeps track of change notifications.
DebugMDSLogging	The DebugMDSLogging module provides more detailed information concerning the log module.
DebugMDSUtils	The DebugMDSUtils log provides information about the utilities used internally by the Meta-Directory.
DebugThreadPool	The DebugThreadPool log provides information about the thread pool utility.
DebugOCIWRAPPER	The DebugOCIWRAPPER log provides information about the join engine's interaction with an Oracle database.
DebugDBCLOGPlugin	The DebugDBCLOGPlugin og provides information about the changelog for the database connector.

Table 14-3    Connector Modules 

Module Name	Description
Log	The Log module controls logging for the connection between the console and the connectors.
MDSConfig	The MDSConfig module controls the updates of, and status for, the LDAP configuration used by the connectors.
DCNS	The DCNS module searches the changelog for new data in the external data source and notifies the join engine or universal connector so that the appropriate action can be taken.
DataAccess	The DataAccess module performs Add, Modify, Delete, and Search operations, issued by the join engine, on the database. The plugin interacts with the join engine while uploading data from the database connector view to the meta view.
AVL	The AVL tree database module is an internal cache that represents the external database and the connector view.
LdapConfig, REGISTRY	These two modules manage configuration for the Universal connector.
DRAConfiguration	The DRAConfiguration module stores the values of the indirect connector rules: Filter, Attribute Flow and Default Attribute.
DDeltas	The Directory Deltas module deals with the movement of data from the connector view to the external data source.
DraDua	The Directory Access module deals with communication with an LDAP data source.
FileIO	The FileIO module deals with certain file i/o utility routines.
LogStuff	The LogStuff module concerns itself with miscellaneous routines of logging.
LDeltas	The Local Deltas module concerns itself with moving data from the external database to the connector view.
Manager	The Manager module concerns itself with the management command processor.
Service	The Service module concerns itself with the Universal Connector's startup routines.
PerlDDM	The Perl Directory Deltas Module concerns itself with processing the Perl Interface.
PerlMain	The PerlMain script module deals with the Universal Connector's startup entry point.
Pldeltas	The Perl Local Deltas script module deals with processing the Perl interface.

Table 14-4    Connector Debug Logs 

Debug Log Name	Description
DebugDataAccess	The DebugDataAccess log provides more information about the DataAccess module.
DebugDirectoryAccess	The DebugDirectoryAccess log provides more information about the module that controls LDAP accessory client functions.
DebugDCNSServer	The DCNSServer log provides information concerning the registering with the DCNS servers.
DebugDCNSClient	The DCNSClient log keeps track of change notifications.
DebugCLOGPlugin	The DebugCLOGPlugin log provides more information about the actions of the changelog.
DebugMDSConfig	The MDSConfig log provides more information about the updates of, and the status for, the LDAP configuration used by the connectors.
DebugDASearch	This log provides more information about theLDAP search function.
DebugDATraverse	This log provides more information about the LDAP traverse function.
DebugMDSLogging	The DebugMDSLogging log provides more information about the logging module.
DebugMDSUtils	The DebugMDSUtils log provides more information about the utilities used internally by the Meta-Directory.
DebugThreadPool	The DebugThreadPool log provides more information about the actions of the service threads.

Specifying Log File Preferences

Log file preferences such as name, location, log level and verbosity are set specifically for each component. By selecting the component, you will be able to configure its log file preferences.

Working within the Log Window

1. From the navigation tree in the Meta-Directory console, select a component (join engine or connector instance).

   The Log Window appears.

   
   
   

2. Provide values by entering specifications for the following fields:

   Log File Location	Specifies the directory into which the log files are saved. To specify a directory other than the default, enter the full path name in this field.
   Prefix for Log File Name	Specifies the word to precede the log file name as: prefix-yyyymmdd-nn.log For example, if you enter delta as the prefix, it would appear as in the following example: delta-20010521-01.log
   Maximum Size of Each File	Specifies the maximum size of the log file. After reaching this size, a new log file is created. The default is 4096 KB. Meta-Directory checks the log file size in five minute intervals. If, between the intervals, the log file reaches and surpasses the maximum size, Meta-Directory will allow this until the maximum file size is checked again on the five minute mark. At that point, a new log file is created.
   Maximum Disk Usage	Specifies the maximum disk space set aside for logging. When the maximum disk space is reached, logging is temporarily halted. The default is no maximum. (The field is blank.) If you specify a maximum available disk space, it must be at least twice the size of the maximum log file size, because the service always stores one backup log file. If the maximum available disk space is less than twice the maximum log file size, the new file cannot reach its maximum size.
   Minimum Reserved Free Space	Disk space is reserved for log file storage. By default, the service reserves a minimum of 4096 KB of space.
   New Log File Every	Determines the length of time that a log file should record activities before creating a new log file. If the maximum size of the log file is reached first, a new log file is created. The default is 1 day. This value must be less than the value in the Delete Log Files Older Than field.
   Delete Log Files Older Than	Determines when log files will be automatically deleted. The default is 7 days. This value must be greater than the value in the New Log File Every field. (Active Directory connector lacks this functionality.)
   Flush Buffered Log Data to Disk at	Determines when the log data buffered in memory is to be flushed to the disk.
   Log Level	Each component's logging function can be turned on or off via the Log Level. The three levels of logging are as follow: Off - Nothing is logged. Normal - Necessary information for daily administration is logged. (Disk space requirements are likely to be small and new files are created infrequently.) Debug - Maximum amount of information needed for debugging is logged. (Disk space requirements are likely to be large and new files are created frequently.) You can switch levels without restarting the join engine.
   Verbosity	The verbosity of a log refers to the description of an activity within a log line. Unlike the log level which controls the logging capability at the component level, verbosity controls the activity description at a module level within each component. (For example, the log level for join engine might be set to Normal while two specific join engine modules, Log and DataAccess, are set to verbosity levels 1 and 3, respectively.) The verbosity levels are as follow: 0 - No logging for specified module 1 - Default (minimum) verbosity level for specified module 2 - Moderate amount of logging for specified module 3 - Maximum amount of logging for specified module

3. Click Save.

Statistics and Status Messages

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The Statistics window is the error reporting utility of Meta-Directory. After processing an administrative task, you can check the Statistics window for any success or error messages returned by the component processing the task.

From the Status tab navigation tree in the Meta-Directory console, select a component (join engine or connector instance) and click Statistics. For an explanation of the messages that can be returned, see "Error Responses".