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Conference csc32::consolemanager

Title:POLYCENTER Console Manager
Notice:Kits, Scans, Docs on CSC32:: as PCM$KITS:,PCM$DOCS:, PCM$SCANS:
Moderator:CSC32::BUTTERWORTH
Created:Thu Aug 06 1992
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1541
Total number of notes:6564

1405.0. "PCM/Watchdog/OSCint" by MBALDY::LANGSTON (graphic depictions of extreme behavior) Thu Oct 10 1996 14:26

A customer wants to remotely manage some systems.

I'm wondering whether they need both Watchdog and PCM.  They seem to have
overlapping functions.

How about OSCint?

I noticed that the Watchdog SPD is two years old.  Is the product still being
maintained?  Is there something better?

What can Watchdog do that PCM can't and vice versa?

What reasons would one have for using both watchdog and PCM at a new
installation?

Thanks,

Bruce
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1405.1Well...CRLRFR::BLUNTFri Oct 11 1996 09:0831
    
    For the support of Watchdog/SNS, it might be better to check in their
    notesfile.  It's at NOTED::SNS.  From what I've seen, patches are still
    being generated.  Not sure if actual new versions of the product are in
    the plan.
    
    Now, the GENERAL concept of PCM and SNS are SIMILAR.  They differ in
    that PCM is intended to primarily monitor the CONSOLE interface of a
    system being monitored.  The data that flows from this interface can
    be checked against event entries in the scan profiles and alarms are
    generated to alert humans that something has happened that they need to
    check.  It doesn't seem that PCM is intended to do as much as
    Watchdog/SNS, nor in the same way.
    
    Watchdog/SNS differs in that monitored nodes (clients) have a process
    running (SNS$WATCHDOG).  The monitoring node (consolidator) checks
    "items" that you want to "watch" by communicating with that process.
    The consolidator can (at least):
    
    	1)  check for the presence of some particular process(es)
    	2)  monitor disk space
    	3)  monitor error rates
    
    Watchdog doesn't seem to be as robust in some of these as is AMDS, but
    for the most part it does it's job well.  Both PCM and SNS have several
    ways to customize.  We're using PCM, SNS and AMDS to monitor our
    production systems.  Each product seems to have a pretty clear purpose
    that it's designed for, and there are some overlaps in those designs.
    Sorry if the descriptions are rather general...
    
    bob