Foglight for Application Operations 5.9.8.5 - Dependency Mapping User Guide

Activating, deactivating, and deleting an agent Configuring the agent collection schedule Tracking the progress of dependency scans Configuring the agent properties

Configuring advanced agent settings Configuring global agent settings Checking credential assignment Assigning credentials to select hosts Configuring the agent credentials Configuring the scanning list Configuring the referenced list Configuring the excluded list Configuring the processes list Configuring the ports list

Editing service dependencies Managing global dependencies

Active dependencies Ignored dependencies Dependency detail

Editing process-tier mappings

Creating and Maintaining Services

Build services from host dependencies Update service from dependency data Build services from service suggestions Manually building a service

Exploring Dependencies

View dependencies by host View service-based dependencies

Dependencies tab

Summary tab Dependency Details tab Close-up Graph tab

Update Service from Dependency Data dashboard Edit Service Dependencies dashboard

Appendix: Configuring Monitoring of Non-English Windows OS Hosts

Creating and Maintaining Services

A service is a grouping of one or more components that interest you. This section presents workflows for grouping monitored resources into services, for investigating whether any service disruptions have occurred, and for editing existing services, as necessary.

After installing Foglight for Application Operations, additional dependency information about services is provided on the Service Operations Console. For more information, see View service-based dependencies.

To access the Create and Maintain Services dashboard, in the Foglight navigation panel, under Dashboards, click Dependency Mapping > Create and Maintain Services. You must log in to Foglight as a user with the Advanced Operator role.

Figure 9. The Create and Maintain Services dashboard.

From here, you can:

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Build services from host dependencies: Use this workflow to build a new service, starting with a host having dependencies that you want to monitor.

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Update service from dependency data: Use this workflow if you have existing Foglight for Dependency Mapping services and you would like to update them based on new or changing dependency information. The Dependency Mapping functionality reveals the dependencies that exist between objects within your existing services. It also identifies any objects that are external to these services, and have dependencies with other internal objects. You can update these services to include the newly discovered external objects that have dependencies. You can also use this dashboard to periodically monitor changes in your service dependencies and update them, as necessary.

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Build services from service suggestions: Use this workflow to build services starting with a list of suggested groups of objects with discovered dependencies identified by the Dependency Mapping agents.


	NOTE: You can also build services manually, using the Foglight Service Builder. However, if you chose to do so, you must manually identify and select the appropriate topology objects, as described in Manually building a service .

Build services from host dependencies

To navigate to the Build Services from Host Dependencies dashboard, on the Create and Maintain Services dashboard, click Build Services from Host Dependencies.

Figure 10. The Build Services from Host Dependencies dashboard.

Table 17. Build Services table data
Column Name	Column Description
Name	Host name
IP	Host IP address
Application Components	Icons representing the application components available on the host
Process	Processes running on the host NOTE: Hover the mouse over the icon to see the list of processes running on the host.

Use this dashboard to build a new service, starting with one or several hosts that have dependencies that you want to monitor.

To build a service for selected hosts:

Select one or more hosts from the table.

To see a dependency graph that includes multiple hosts, click Preview

. To see the dependency graph for one selected host, click the host name.

The Preview displays all the hosts included in the dependency chain of the selected host.

Close the Preview to return to the Build Services from Host Dependencies dashboard.

Click Next.

In the Customize Service Definition dashboard, the selected objects are organized into suggested services. Groups (sub-services) are created automatically based on monitored objects running on the host and on processes that are detected on the hosts (based on the process-tier mapping settings). Tiers are defined automatically.

To further customize the service, continue with Step 6.

If you are happy with the current service structure, click Next and continue with Step 10.

From the Add objects to list select one of the following options:

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“new service”: to create a service starting from the list of selected host dependencies.

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the name of an existing service: to merge into this existing service the newly selected hosts.

The view updates to reflect the selection.

In the left pane, select the hosts you want to group, and click New Child Service.


	NOTE: Alternatively, click the component on the view. In the pop-up appears, click Create a new child service.

The Create a New Child Service dialog box appears.

Type the Name of the new child service and a short Description (this text appears in a dwell when you hover over a service name).

From the Tier list, select a tier from the available options; select auto if you want the system to automatically add this child service to an existing tier when its created.

Click Create Child Service.

The view updates to show the new host grouping.

Repeat this step to group more hosts in other child services, as necessary.

The view updates to show the child services.

For example, in the following screenshot, four child services are created (Customer Applications, Banking Applications, DB, and Web).

Review the service structure and make further changes, as necessary.

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To move a host into a different service, select it in the Group Selector and click Move. Alternatively, click the host on the view and, in the list that opens, click Move to another service.

In the Move to Another Service dialog box that appears, select the service where this host should be moved and click Move. The Selector Group tree and the display area are updated accordingly.

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To exclude a host from a service, select it in the Group Selector and click Exclude. Alternatively, click the host on the view and, in the list that opens, click Exclude this item.

The selected host is moved in the Group Selector under the Excluded Item node. The view updates to reflect the host exclusion.

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To review the dependency information for a host, click the component on the view and, in the list that opens, click Show dependency details.

The <component_name> Details dialog box appears, displaying the host’s dependency information in table and graph formats (Dependency Details and Close-up Graph tabs, respectively).

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To review which services are impacted by a specific component, click the component on the view and, in the pop-up that opens, click Show service membership.

The Impacted Services dialog box appears, displaying a list of services to which the selected host already belongs, and their health status.

When you are satisfied with the current service structure, click Next.

Optional — If you want Foglight to connect End User transactions to this service, in the User Service dashboard you can define sub-services for these transactions, by:

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Selecting from the top table the End User transactions related to this service.

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Selecting from the bottom table the entry points of these transactions into the application.

IMPORTANT: At least one of the following conditions must be true in order for the User Service dashboard to be accessible:

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An End User cartridge must be installed on the Management Server.

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An Application Server cartridge (Java EE or .NET) must be installed on the Management Server.

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You must be creating a service. This dashboard is not available when you merge services.

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No child service with the name “User” exists.

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No child service is set to the “User” tier.

Click Next.

The Review Services dashboard appears.

Review the new service hierarchy one last time. If you are satisfied with the result, type a name for your service, select a tier from the list, and (optionally) type a description.

Optional — Include or exclude application components in the Service Preview area. By default, all application components are included in the service. To exclude all application components, click the Don’t include any Application Components check box.

To add or remove individual components, click the text link (# of # selected) for the host you want to modify. The Application Components for <hostname> dialog box opens. Use it to select components. Click Update when you are done.

Click Finish.

The new service is created. If this was a change to an existing service, the service is now updated with the latest settings.

Update service from dependency data

The system scans your services for changes in the dependency data on request. The scan looks for new dependencies to hosts that are not contained by a service. It also looks for items inside the service with dependencies to other items inside the service that no longer exist. To scan and update a service definition based on these detected dependency changes, use the Update Service from Dependency Data dashboard.

To navigate to the Update Service from Dependency Data dashboard, on the Create and Maintain Services dashboard, click Update Service from Dependency Data.

Figure 11. The Update Service from Dependency Data dashboard.


	NOTE: Any item can be added (if it is not already in the service) and any item can be removed. The paths and icons indicate if there are recommendations based on recent changes. However, there are cases for both (external and orphaned internal items) where it is valid for those items to exist unchanged, primarily in cases where the service is a child service.

The information presented is precalculated, based on the changes that occurred before the Last Change Detected. Selecting a service from the list displays the service dependency map in real time. Observed dependency changes are highlighted using a set of conventions, as presented in the legend (click Show Legend in the lower right corner of the dashboard).

Table 18. Legend for dependency changes
Name	Icon	Description
Added Dependencies		Shows dependencies added as part of the latest change.
Removed Dependencies		Shows dependencies observed during the original time period that are no longer active.
Added Node		Shows items that are new to the dependency chain of the service, and are not part of the service yet. These are items that can be added to the service.
Removed Nodes		Shows items in the service that were previously involved in the dependency chain, but which are not involved anymore. These items are candidates for removal from the service, because they no longer have internal dependencies with other objects in that service.

To add hosts to the selected service:

In the dependency view of the dashboard:

Click Add items to service.

Click the host that has observed dependencies but is not part of the selected service, then click Add to service in the displayed pop-up.

On the Add Objects to Service > Select Components to Add page, select the hosts that you want to add to the service, then click Next.


	IMPORTANT: If you clicked a host in step b, that host is already selected on this page. You have the option of selecting additional host for inclusion in the service.

On the Add Components to Service page, select one of the following options:

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Add the selected host to the current service — select the Current service option, then click Next.

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Add the selected host to a child service of the current service:

Select the Child service of the current service option, then click Next.

On the Select a Child Service page, select one child service of the current service, then click Next.

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Create a child service under the current service and add the selected host to this new child service:

Select the A new child service under current service option, then click Next.

On the Create a New Child Service page, type the name and the description of the new child service.

On the Review Objects page, review the changes and then click Finish.

The selected host is added to the selected service and the view is updated to show the service change.

To remove hosts from the selected service:

In the lower view of the dashboard:


	IMPORTANT: The “removed nodes” are suggested candidates for removal. You can remove any item from the service in this dashboard.

Click Remove items from service.

Click the host that you want to remove from the selected service, then click Remove from service from the pop-up that appears.

On the Remove Objects from Service > Select Components to Remove page, select the hosts that you want to remove from the service. Click Next.


	IMPORTANT: If you clicked a host in step b, that host is already selected on this page. You can select additional hosts for removal from the service.

On the Remove Confirmation page, click Finish.

The selected host is removed from the selected service, and the view is updated to show the service change.

To add or remove application components to or from a service:

In the Select a Service list, select a service that includes application components.


	TIP: The Edit Application Components button is enabled only when a service that includes application components is selected.

Click Edit Application Components.

The Add or Remove Application Components dialog box displays the list of components that are available for your service and their type and health status.

Select the check boxes for the components that should be included in the service and clear the check boxes for the components that should not be included in the service.

Click Save.

The service is updated to include only the selected application components.

To review the dependency information for a host:

Click the host on the lower view of the dashboard.

In the list that opens, click Show dependency details.

The <component_name> Details displays the dependency information for the host in table and graphic formats (the Dependency Details and Close-up Graph tabs, respectively).

To review which services are impacted by a specific host:

Click the host on the dependency view of the dashboard.

In the list that opens, click Show service membership.

The Impacted Services dialog box displays a list of services that contain the selected host, and their health status.


	IMPORTANT: You cannot remove items from a service that are included based on a rule. This step verifies if the selected host is part of a rule-based group of components and warns you if this happens. To remove these items from the service, modify the service definition. For detailed information, see the section “Adding a Rule-based Group of Components” in the Foglight User Guide.

Build services from service suggestions

To navigate to the Build Services from Service Suggestions dashboard, on the Create and Maintain Services dashboard, click Build Services from Service Suggestions.

Using the dependency mapping functionality, Foglight automatically discovers the relationship between objects in your environment and suggests sets of components with discovered dependency chains, which may indicate that a group of objects should be monitored as a Foglight service.

Figure 12. The Build Services from Service Suggestions dashboard.

Use this dashboard to build a service starting from a set of components with discovered dependencies, or modify existing services by adding or grouping objects, as necessary.

To build a service starting from a list of suggested objects:

Select one or multiple sets of components from the Group Selector (left pane).

The dependency information is displayed on the view.

To start building the service, click Next.

The Customize Service Definition wizard appears. The system automatically organizes objects that have process or application components that match into suggested services.

From the Add objects to list select one of the following options:

•

“new service”: to create a service starting from the list of suggested objects.

•

the name of an existing service: to merge into this existing service the new suggested objects.

The view is updated to reflect the selection.

In the left pane, select the objects you want to group, and click New Child Service.


	NOTE: Alternatively, click the component on the view; a pop-up appears; click Create a new child service.

The Create a New Child Service dialog box appears.

Type the Name of the new child service and a short Description (this text appears in a dwell when you hover over a service name).

From the Tier list, select a tier from the list of options; select auto if you want the system to automatically add this child service to an existing tier when it is created.

Click Create Child Service.

The view is updated to show the new object grouping.

Repeat these steps to group more objects in other child services, as necessary.

The view is updated to show the child services.

Review the service structure and make further changes, as necessary.

•

To move a component into a different service, select it in the Group Selector and click Move. Alternatively, click the component on the view and, in the pop-up that opens, click Move to another service.

In the Move to a new service dialog box that appears, select the service where this component should be moved and click Move. The Selector Group tree and the display area are updated accordingly.

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To exclude a component from a service, select it in the Group Selector and click Exclude. Alternatively, click the component on the view and, in the pop-up that opens, click Exclude this item.

The selected component is moved in the Group Selector under the Excluded Item node. The view is also updated to reflect the component exclusion.

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To review the dependency information for a component, click the component on the view and, in the pop-up that opens, click Show dependency details.

The <component_name> Details dialog box appears, displaying dependency details for the selected component in table and graphic formats (Dependency Details and Close-up Graph tabs, respectively).

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To review which services are impacted by a specific component, click the component on the view and, in the pop-up that opens, click Show service membership.

The Impacted Services dialog box appears, displaying a list of services to which the selected host already belongs, and their health status.

To save the service information, click Next.

The Review Services dialog box appears.

Review the new service hierarchy one last time. If you are satisfied with the result, type a name and a description for your service.

Click Finish.

The new service is created. If this was a change to an existing service, the service is now updated with the latest settings.