CONS Events

As a developer and object designer you define CONS (Console) Events to monitor the content of the messages, message queues, etc. returned by the console (the target system). For example, they check with a specific frequency and, optionally, at certain dates or times, whether a particular string of characters is present in the messages. If the conditions you define on the Event Process page are met, the CONS Event triggers the actions that you define on its Event Process page. These actions are usually the execution of further objects. CONS Events are in Sleeping status as long as the frequency and time conditions are not met and change to Checking when they are.

You can use the following functions of the Automation Engine scripting language to retrieve relevant data for the Event object:

• GET_CONSOLE, GET_EVENT_INFO
• GET_WIN_EVENT

Monitored Agents

Console event objects monitor the output and messages returned by the following Agents:

• BS2000

  Console output

  Requirement: Install the UCXEB2xU utility for the console, which should run parallel to the BS2000 Agent.

• z/OS

  Console output. Multiple Console Support - MCS.

• OS/400

  Message queue

• SAP Events

  • ABAP event history

  • XI communication channels (status changes)

  • Java event history

• Windows Event Viewer

The script statements and functions that are specified in the Event Process page are executed if conditions such as the Event ID or message filter apply.

Message filter specifications must always start with a wildcard character.

Defining CONSOLE Events

Define the properties of the Console Event on two pages:

• Console Event, see the instructions below.

• Event Process Page

  This is the core of Event objects. Specify the statements to be processed as soon as the defined conditions are met.

Console Event Section

The Agent and Agent Type combo boxers are common to all Agents.

1. In Agent do one of the following:

   • Select an entry from the list.
   • Click the folder icon to open the Select Agent dialog and search for the one you need.

   • Either type the name of the Agent or enter a variable that retrieves it name and select the appropriate Agent Type.

     Use this option if the Agent is not assigned to the current Client but to Client 0 and is therefore not listed here.

   For the first two options, the Agent Type is automatically selected and cannot be edited.

   Depending on the Agent you have selected, the rest of the fields in this section vary.

2. In the Events table you define the conditions that the monitored console output should meet for the actions in the Event Process page to be triggered. See the Event Conditions below for details. You can use the following wildcard characters:

   • * (any number of characters)
   • ? (one specific character)

Specify the conditions:

• BS2000
  In the Events table enter the string of characters that the Event should search for.

• OS/390

  • System Name

    Filter for the user-defined system name that can be used to distinguish various OS instances.

    Maximum length: 8 characters.

  • Set a filter for the OS Nameas defined by IBM. Currently, it is always MVS.

    Maximum length: 8 characters.

  • Job Name

    Jobs to be monitored.

    Maximum length: 32 characters.

  • Message Filter

    String to be searched for.

  To monitor the console output (Multiple Console Support - MCS) in z/OS, install the Event Monitor UCXEMxx and start it with a corresponding entry in the INI file of the z/OS Agent.

• OS/400
  In OS/400 you can monitor message queues. You define the queue in the INI file of the OS/400 Agent.'
  Allowed Severity values: 0 to 999

• SAP
  The SAP Console event distinguishes several data sources:

  • ABAP event history

    • Event ID

      Filter for the name of the SAP ABAP event.

    • Event Parameter

      Filter for the parameter of the SAP ABAP event.

    • Event Server

      Filter for the batch server name of the SAP ABAP event.

  Consider the following:

  • XBP 3.0 is required to monitor SAP events via the event type "Console". For more information, see Monitoring SAP Events.

    The XBP interface version that is used must be specified in the SAP Connection (CONN).

  • The Agent periodically polls the SAP system for occurred SAP events and reports them to the active Console events.

    The administrator can define the required interval in the variable UC_HOSTCHAR_DEFAULT, key JOB_CHECKINTERVAL. See UC_HOSTCHAR_DEFAULT - Host Characteristics.

  • As of version 8.00A SAP uses the XBP interface.

    This implies that the SAP criteria profiles must be adjusted to ensure that the selected triggered events are logged in the Event History. Otherwise, the Console event cannot react.

  • Use the SM64 transaction to create a criteria profile for the Event History.

  • The GET_CONSOLE, GET_EVENT_INFO script function provides additional information about the SAP event.

  • XI communication channels

    • Login object that contains the credentials for the XI object.

      Use different Login objects for SAP and XI systems if both are installed on the same Agent, otherwise the login entry would not be unique.

      The Login object overrules the data specified in the Connection (CONN) object.

    • In Channel, Partner and Service specify the event filter. You can use the wildcard character "*".

    • State

      Possible values: ERROR, OK, INACTIVE, UNKNOWN and UNREGISTERED.

    • Activation state

      Possible values: STARTED and STOPPED.

    The filter list describes the nominal status of one or several communication channels. An event is triggered for each communication channel that

    • does not meet the nominal status when the Event object starts.
    • switches to a different status (whether nominal or a different one).

    No event is triggered if the communication channel meets the nominal condition when the Event object starts.

    You can use the GET_EVENT_INFO script function on the Event Process page to provide additional information about the XI communication channel. See GET_CONSOLE, GET_EVENT_INFO.

  • Java event history

    • Event Type

      Filter for the type of SAP Java Scheduler event.

      The content of this list is retrieved from the UC_SAP_XJBP_EVENTTYPES variable , which is available in Client 0. The Variable object is supplied with all possible event types and should not be changed. For more information, see UC_SAP_JXBP_EVENTTYPES - Event Types of the Java Scheduler in SAP.

    • Event Parameter

      Filter for the parameters of the SAP Java Scheduler event.

      You can use the wildcard characters "*" (any number of characters) and "?" (exactly one character).

    • Event Additional Parameter

      Filter for additional parameters of the SAP Java Scheduler event.

      You can use the wildcard characters "*" and "?". "?" stands for exactly one, "*" for any number of characters.

• Windows
  In Windows you monitor the Windows Event Viewer. To react to particular messages you first analyze the Event Viewer. The event details provide the required entries. You can open them by double-clicking them.

  In Microsoft Windows, message texts consist of static and variable parts. The event only supplies the variable message parts. If you use a message filter, the event only reacts if variable message parts are searched. See GET_WIN_EVENT for details on how to query the message text.

  • Type

    Log to be monitored.

  • Source

    Source of the Windows event.

  • Category

    Defined by the category that has logged the event. It combines events of the same category value.

    Allowed characters: Numeric.

    Enter 0 if you do not want to filter by category.

  • Event ID

    Enter 0 if you do not want to filter by event ID.

  • Type

     

  • User

    Use to whom the Windows event is assigned.

  • Message Filter

    String to be searched for.

Time Parameters Section

In Frequency you specify how often the event object should be activated:

• Repeatedly

  It is activated periodically, depending on the setting you define below.

• Repeat until first match

  It is activated until the specified conditions applies.

Time and Date Conditions Section

These conditions are always checked. An event will only be triggered in one of the following cases:

• At least one of the conditions is met.
• No condition has been defined here.

The Time Zone assigned to the event is considered as well. This means that activating an event and specifying a logical time does not make sense.

See Tables On Pages.

Next Steps

• On the Event Process Page, define the actions that the Event will trigger.

• Execute the Event object to activate it.

  The execution of an Event object triggers the execution of other objects, which in turn trigger the execution of further tasks. The tasks resulting from these executions are displayed in the Process Monitoring perspective on the various lists of Executions related to the Event object. They are children of the Event task and are flagged with a special tag type called !EVNT. The tag lets you check which executions were triggered by a specific Event. For more information, see Monitoring Events and Execution Data.

  Execute Event objects in the following ways:

  • Include Event objects in Schedules (JSCH) to execute them automatically at predefined times and/or intervals.

  • Insert Event objects in Workflows (see Designing Workflows (JOBP)).

  • Manually execute, restart or stop Event objects. For more information, see Executing Events.

  To check the number of times the system checked the Event, go to the Check count section in the Details of the object. For more information, see Viewing Object and Task Details.

• Monitor the Event.

  Immediately after executing the object, you can start monitoring the Event. Right-click the object and select Monitoring, Show in Process Monitoring and open the pre-filtered list of tasks to display the task. Follow the progress of the task and access reports and statistical information in the Process Monitoring perspective.

  You can stop active Events in the following ways:

  • cancel the Event
    Status: Abend/manually canceled
  • Quit the Event
    Status: Ended_OK  
  • Suspend the Event
    Event remains active, but temporarily disabled

  For more information, see Working with Tasks, particularly Stopping and Interrupting.

See also:

• Events (EVNT)
• Functional Logic with Scripts
• Working with Tables
• Combo Boxes