ERPUG Newsletter

Spring/Summer 2004

WELCOME

Eastern Regional PATROL Users Group

 

www.kirkpatrickconsulting.com->EPRUG

Board of Directors:

Brenda Kirkpatrick, President

 Dave Voegele, Vice President

AnneMarie Wright, Senior Administrator

 

                        

 

 

Eastern Regional PATROL® Users Group Meeting (EPRUG)

Thursday, July, 29th

 Maggiano’s – Tysons Corner Mall II, Tysons Corner, VA

A G E N D A

 

 8:30 – 9    Registration (Continental Breakfast Provided)               1 – 2  MasterCell the new PATROL Enterprise Management

 9      – 10  PATROL  is Cool – Process Monitoring and DCM        2 – 3  Service Reporting and Business Objects

10     – 11  PATROL Central Web Edition                                        3 – 4  Marimba for Software Configuration Management

11     – 12  PATROL 7 (How does it work)                                       4 – 5  Open Discussions

12     – 1    Lunch (provided)

 

 

 

 

 

Cool Features of PATROL®                                      Presented by Brenda Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick Consulting, Inc.

PATROL is a completely cool management tool!  Well, I think so.  Who am I?  I am the President and Founder of the very first PATROL Users Group.  I have been working with PATROL since PATROL 3.0 beta version, which is about 9 years, and I love PATROL.  My goal, it’s simple, I’d love for you to love PATROL the way that I do.  I think my goal is a simple one.  Join us for our first session of the day and learn features, tricks, and techniques that will show you just how cool PATROL is!  This presentation is for novice and experts alike.  Bring your hard questions; this is the place to get answers from me, BMC Software, one of our many ERPUG members and PATROL experts!  I will show you how to monitor process using UNIX or Windows platforms.  I also want to show UNIX customers how to use DCM.  Using DCM can give users a 50% increase in PATROL Agent processing power.

 

 

PATROL Central Web Edition                                                       Presented by Rich Battaglia, BMC Software

BMC Software’s Central Web Edition Console is the latest and greatest in remote consoles.  The Central Web Edition Console uses JAVA so it runs on any platform.  The Web Edition Console has all the great features of a classic console with an easy to use interface.  Some of the BMC products, like PATROL End-to-End (PETE), require the use of the Central Web Edition console so if you plan to use PETE, don’t miss this presentation.  Rich Battaglia is one of BMC’s best technical resources.  He is also a great presenter!  That is why the EPRUG is always thrilled to have Rich present at our meetings. We look forward to being awestruck again with his educational value, technical insights, and great speaking ability.

 

 

PATROL 7 (How does it work?)                                                  Presented by Rich Battaglia, BMC Software

If you haven’t seen the new and improved PATROL 7 architecture in action then you’re really missing out!  The pull vice push architecture saves system and network resources. For those of you who have begun a PATROL 7 implementation, you may have questions about the RTServer and RTClouds.  I’m sure Rich Battaglia will be very able to answer even our toughest questions!  Rich has been one of our highest rated speakers for the ERPUG.  We welcome Rich back and thank him for his dedication to the group.

 

 

MasterCell - PATROL Enterprise Management                          Presented by Chris Olson, BMC Software

Chris Olson will reveal awesome new features of the newest release of PATROL Enterprise Manager (PEM) which uses the newly acquire technology MasterCell.  Chris knows PEM inside and out.  He is also an awesome presenter and has earned very high ratings for his last presentation to the ERPUG.  We welcome Chris back and thank him for his dedication to the group. PATROL Enterprise Management (PEM) Console lately then you are really missing out!  So don’t miss out, join us to see what all the excitement is about. Chris is a programmer at heart, this perspective and level of insight provides him with a level of technical expertise that is unparalleled. Come and hear this very insightful presentation from Chris.  If you miss this one, you will be months trying to catch up!

 

 

PATROL Service Reporting (New Business Objects)             Presented by Mahmood Khan, BMC Software

PATROL has continued to evolve and change into the best systems management and monitoring tool on the market!  BMC is undeniably the most responsive software company focusing on the user needs and user requirements.  When it comes to listening and responding to users BMC is, without a doubt, the best company around.  This is evident in the newest version of Service Reporting.  Actuate was the underlying product for producing reports but it had limitations.   BMC Software, in response to customer requests, decided to stop using Actuate and begin using Business Objects.  The flexibility and enhanced features were definitely worth the engineering, development, and support investment made by BMC.  This is just another example of BMC’s dedication to their customer base.

 

 

Marimba - Software Configuration Tool                                         Presented by Jason Frye, BMC Software

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, BMC bought IT Masters and acquired the renowned and respected software configuration and management tool:  Marimba.   Marimba gives customers dynamic control of IT resources by offering the most complete software change and configuration management solution available today.  All within a secure, heterogeneous environment.  Marimba helps system administrators effectively manage clients and servers.

 

 

Open Discussions

We created the Eastern Regional PATROL Users Group in order to provide a forum to exchange ideas and talk about woes and successes. I am hoping that you come to the meeting with questions or success stories in mind.  BMC representatives, knowledgeable members of the ERPUG, and myself will be available during this 30-minute session to try and answers any questions you may have about PATROL.

 

 

A Message from ERPUG President…                        Brenda Kirkpatrick

Visit www.kirkpatrickconsulting.com->EPRUG

 

Keep in mind that the presentation agendas are strictly based on comments from members like you.  It’s a democracy.  We count the number of requests for each topic and create the agenda based on the requests.  If you want to see a presentation on a particular topic then vote either at the meeting, via email, via US mail or by calling the ERPUG. Please send questions for our "Dear ERPUG" column. Responses will be both e-mailed to you and included in the ERPUG Newsletter. If you have an answer for a commonly asked question, please send both question and answer to “Dear ERPUG”.

 

If you have any ideas for regular columns, please send ideas and/or columns to me. If you have an idea, but don't wish to author a column, or vice versa, please contact me at (703) 968-8844 and maybe, together, we can find a solution.  The ERPUG Newsletter is picture-friendly. I encourage any picture submission, from pictures of authors to spectacular consoles. Pictures in .tif format are best for me, but we'll use anything from electronic to hard copy.

 

ERPUG dates, meeting agendas, previous meeting agendas, newsletters, and much more can be found on our web site:

www.kirkpatrickconsulting.com->EPRUG

 

You can also get to the ERPUG web pages by going to www.bmc.com/Events/UsersGroups/Eastern Regional PATROL Users Group.

 

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT OUR NEXT EXCITING MEETING!

 

 “Dear ERPUG”                       Brenda Kirkpatrick,  Kirkpatrick Consulting, Inc.
 
Q:  I want to monitor individual processes.  Can this be done with PATROL?

A:  When DCM is running a Process Monitor Icon will be displayed.  Use the menu command under the Process KM to define the processes you want to monitor..

Q:  I heard the PATROL Agent runs faster if I use DCM instead of straight PATROL Scripting Language (PSL).  Is that true and, if so, how do I turn on DCM collection? 

A: You must be running on a UNIX machine because DCM uses Kernel reads instead of PSL scripts to collect data.  The PATROL Agent will use PSL commands if the RunDCM agent configuration variable is  set to FALSE, which is the case out the box.  To make the PATROL Agent collection process run faster use either the Agent Configuration (pconfig) or PATROL Configuration Manger (PCM) to set RunDCM to TRUE.

Q: While there are plenty of PERL, C-Shell, Borne Shell, etc. programmers we find few PSL programmers. So why invest effort in building KMs, recovery actions, and the like in PSL instead of another interpreted language?

A:  Writing recovery actions in PERL, Borne, Korne, or any interpreted language is fine and may be preferred depending on what the recovery action is to accomplish.  However, discovery scripts must be written in PSL.  Also, to take advantage of the power of the Notificaiton Server it would be better to code in PSL.  Another good reason to invest in PSL is to allow workflow or end-to-end monitoring.  For example, custom KMs can read other KMs parameters and agent configuration variables.  For example, we can see what Oracle Databases the client is interested in monitoring and if they are up or down.  The same with Tuxedo Queues, for example.  So this allows us to take advantage of all the other KMs on the system.

Q:  I have heard that you can compile a psl routine.  Why would I want to compile a psl routine?  Also, how do I compile a psl routine?

A:  One reason to compile psl code is to optimize the code so it runs faster at run time.  However, the code will have to be installed on each of the agents and the console due to the nature of the psl compiled code.  To compile psl use the <PSL> command.  An example of compiling a TruCluster discovery script and creating a TruCluster discovery binary (compiled code) is as follows:     psl CMPQ_clusterdiscovery.psl –o CMPQ_clusterdiscovery.bin.  This compiles or interprets the CMPQ_clusterdiscovery.psl and stores the result in the CMPQ_clusterdiscovery.bin file.

Well there are so many good questions that I’m afraid I will have to wait until the next newsletter to answer them all.   I apologize to anyone who was hoping for an answer to his or her question in this newsletter.   Please feel free to call.

 

 

BMC Support is Even Better           Brenda Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick Consulting, Inc.

 

How many of you have visit www.bmc.com->support?  It is great!  You can view open cases, open a case, and search through BMC’s solutions database.  BMC Software has really made a great interface to support generation, research, and ultimately timely solutions.  The Frequently Asked Questions is also a must see.  The support web site and the Developer’s Connection www.bmc.devcon.com together provide so many answers so quickly, we hardly need to pick up the phone and call support directly.  But when we still can’t solve our issues, BMC is there for us.  And now they have more time for the really tough questions.   The Eastern Regional PATROL Users Group (EPRUG) invites everyone to visit both web sites before calling support.  If you can answer even 50% of your questions faster and easier then it’s a great time saver!

 

By being able to search through the Resolution Knowledge Base you can find most of your answers quickly and easily!  You can search on key words, word combination, date ranges, all products or a specific product, and even a specific version of a product.  This is definitely one of the first places I look when I need answers.

 

The Developer Connection has the capability to post questions and get answers from savvy PATROL experts in the field.  It’s also a great resource for search for answers to questions.  In addition to a chat area there are hundreds of PATROL Scripting Language (PSL) coding examples provided by programmers in the field and by BMC dedicated individuals.

 

While your getting in touch with BMC solutions and products, don’t miss the chance to get emailed Proactive Notifications.  BMC allows us to choose products we are interested in, then if there is anything newsworthy on the products we have selected, BMC will send us an email.  There are 2 kinds of emails: Technical Bulletins and Flash Messages.  Technical Bulletins are ways of letting us know about a products new release, new feature, and the like.  A Flash Message should be taken seriously.  It relates to an issue with a product that could potential cause data loss, data integrity, and could be considered production-critical.  I say could be production-critical because, for example, if you are monitoring Tuxedo and say the BEATUX_QUEUE Knowledge Module has a problem reported.  The problem could correspond with monitoring 2000 queues and, in your environment, maybe you are only monitoring a few QUEUES and not have a problem.  My recommendation is to read the full text of the problem and solution before deciding to upgrade.  But, if you should decide to upgrade, your BMC sales representative should be able to give you a password to download the fix from the BMC support site.  Having electronic download capability is definitely a big plus to BMC’s support site.

 

 

BMC Education Options

 

BMC continues to hold traditional classroom training worldwide in the following Countries:

-          Australia                                        - Portugal                                               - Japan

-          Canada                                         - Brazil                                                   - Hong Kong

-          Germany                                       - France                                                 - Korea

-          Ireland                                           - Italy                                                     - Singapore

-          Netherlands                                  - Mexico                                                - United States

-          Spain                                              - Ireland                                                 - United Kingdom

-          Austria                                           - Sweden                                                - Luxembourg

-          Denmark                                       - Belgium                                               - Norway

-          Finland

 

It is BMC Software’s goal to provide you high quality training to ensure successful implementation and maximum return on investment in BMC product technologies.

 

To register for any of the BMC Education programs visit www.bmc.com and choose Education. 

 

ATTENTION:  Register and attend a BMC Education Course between January 1 and June 30 and BMC will send you a 128MB USB Memory Pen just for attending. Make sure to use the special discount code: USBPENWS when you register. Offer valid for all new North American registrations, one per customer.

 

Announcing two new Web Scholar Online classes. These online instructor-led classes will give you all of the benefits of classroom training, including interactive hands-on labs, without the travel! To register for an online class, click here: Online Instructor-Led Training.

 

For more information about BMC Software Education Services please call us at 1-800-574-4262.

By registering online with us, you are accessing the training you need to assure your successful use of the products and your business availability. Browse through the site by category, product family,  type of delivery, job function or search for a specific class.

 

BMC Buys Marimba Inc.                                                                                                                                           For more news from IDG visit IDG.net Story copyright 2003 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

 

Management software maker BMC Software Inc. will spend $239 million to buy configuration software developer Marimba Inc., the companies announced.  Marimba's discovery and provisioning tools will be a good complement for BMC's Remedy service and support applications, BMC CEO Bob Beauchamp said in a statement. He touted the acquisition as a way to expand BMC's portfolio and Marimba's market reach.

 

BMC paid a significant premium over Marimba's market price: BMC will pay $8.25 in cash for shares that ended trading Thursday on the Nasdaq Stock Market at $4.87. Mountain View, Calif.-based Marimba brings to the merger $52.9 million in cash and equivalents, leaving BMC with a net purchase price it estimated at around $187 million. Houston-based BMC had $1.2 billion in cash and equivalents on hand as of March 31. Pending approvals from regulators and Marimba's shareholders, BMC expects the deal to close in its second quarter, which ends Sept. 30.  BMC and Marimba today both announced results for the quarter that ended March 31. BMC reported earnings of $36.9 million on revenue of $400.2 million, up 5% from last year. Marimba showed a net loss of $1.2 million on revenue of $8.3 million, down 19%.

 

Marimba, Inc. is a leading provider of products and services for software change and configuration management that enables enterprises worldwide to dynamically manage their IT assets, increase operational efficiency, and reduce IT costs. Marimba customers represent a variety of industries, including, insurance, government, financial services, health care, and retail.

 

 

 

 




BMC Acquires MasterCell from IT Masters

 

 

HOUSTON - (March 25, 2003) - BMC Software, Inc., [NYSE: BMC], a leader in enterprise management, today announced that it has acquired IT Masters International S.A., an enterprise management solutions company, for approximately $42 million. The acquisition further strengthens BMC Software's market leading Service Level Management solutions by adding adaptive service management capabilities to BMC Software's leading enterprise-wide offerings. The acquisition adds approximately 75 IT Masters employees to BMC Software.

 

IT Masters is a privately-held company with software development offices in Belgium and Austin, Texas. The company develops service management technology that allows customers to model and visualize IT infrastructure components correlated with the ultimate services being delivered. With this technology, IT organizations can prioritize their work according to their company's critical business needs. Specifically, customers can prioritize problem responses in a real-time, business-relevant manner by directly linking service delivery and support with IT infrastructure and application elements.

 

The acquisition of IT Masters enhances BMC Software's ability to provide best-in-class tools with an integrated service management approach. BMC Software's comprehensive enterprise management solutions combined with IT Masters' service modeling capabilities will enable customers to manage their business with a truly integrated service management approach.

 

IT Masters' flagship product is MasterCellTM, an adaptive service management solution. The MasterCell technology will be a key element of BMC Software's service management strategy, providing the base platform for service impact management, real-time service modeling, root-cause analysis and service level agreement management. MasterCell is already integrated with BMC Software's PATROL® for distributed systems. BMC Software's leading systems management solutions MAINVIEW®, for mainframe systems, and INCONTROL®, for batch scheduling and output management, as well as the Remedy IT Service Management products will be tightly integrated with the MasterCell technology in the future to extract key data from the enterprise. The information will be used to enhance MasterCell's adaptive service management capabilities so that the impact of all IT objects on real-time service delivery is easily understood by IT and business professionals.

 

In addition to MasterCell, IT Masters also delivers MasterAR SuiteTM, a suite of productivity tools that are integrated into the Remedy Action Request System®, (AR System®). AR System, an application platform and comprehensive development environment, was obtained by BMC Software as part of its acquisition of Remedy in November 2002.

 

"The acquisition of IT Masters and its leading service management solutions gives BMC a significant advantage in the industry and strengthens our ability to help our customers understand more fully how the performance and availability of IT technology impacts specific business services," said Mary Nugent, vice president and general manager, Service Management Solutions, BMC Software. "Knowing there is constant pressure on IT and business managers to reduce costs and target improvement efforts to areas that are critical to the business, companies need solutions that will help them understand where to focus. IT Masters' technology allows modeling of the relationships between elements of the business service so that service can be managed dynamically. This makes the customer's service management infrastructure more adaptable so that their business can change faster."

"We believe that this is the best strategic move for IT Masters and that the combination of both companies' strengths will greatly benefit our customers and the marketplace," said Philippe Moitroux, IT Masters President and CEO. "BMC Software's powerful enterprise-wide solutions coupled with our leading model-based approach, which can capture change information and discover changes in the environment, will not only allow customers to take control of their technology but more importantly allow them to move ahead and provide proactive service management."

 

About IT Masters

IT Masters is an enterprise management solutions company providing intelligent software solutions allowing companies to effectively manage their IT infrastructure and quickly analyze the impact technology has on their business. MasterCell™ is an adaptive service management solution that delivers cost effective, reliable and flexible event management via a highly scalable cellular architecture. IT Masters has offices in the United States and Europe. For more information, visit http://www.itmasters.com.

 

 

Membership Enrollment                                                           

 

An annual membership fee of $75.00 includes (4) quarterly meetings, a membership gift, and a lot of education, placement on the ERPUG mailing list, membership voting rights, and access to any promotional materials available through the organization. In lieu of "corporate" memberships, we offer any member the opportunity to send a substitute to any meeting. We ask only that substitution information be provided when pre-registering.  All members are requested to pre-register for meetings by emailing the ERPUG President at erpug@kirkpatrickconsulting.com or sending the form, provided below, via US mail. If you have any questions, please call Brenda Kirkpatrick at (703) 968-8844.

 

 

SEE YOU ON July 29th!!