Component identification for source and reporter

The component identification fields in the Common Base Event are used to indicate which component in the system is experiencing the condition that is described by the event (the sourceComponentID) and which component emitted the event (the reporterComponentID). Typically, these components are the same, in which case only the sourceComponentID is supplied. Some notes and scenarios on when to use these two elements in the Common Base Event:

• The sourceComponentID is always used to identify the component experiencing the condition that is described by the event.

• The reporterComponentID is used to identify the component that actually produced and emitted the event. This element is typically used only within events that are emitted by a component that is monitoring another component and providing operational information regarding that component. The monitoring component (for example, a Tivoli agent or hardware device driver) is identified by the reporterComponentID and the component being monitored (for example, a monitored server or hardware device) is identified by the sourceComponentID.

  A potential misuse of the reporterComponentID is to identify a component that provides event conversion or management services for a component, for example, identifying an adapter that transforms the events that are captured by a component into Common Base Event format. The event conversion function is considered an extension of the component and not identified separately.

The information that is used to identify a component in the system is the same, regardless of whether it is the source component or reporter component:

location locationType	Component location	Identifies the location of the component.
component componentIdType	Component name	Identifies the asset name of the component, as well as the type of component.
subcomponent	Subcomponent name	Identifies a specific part or subcomponent of a component, for example a software module or hardware part.
application	Business application name	Identifies the business application or process the component is a part of and provides services for.
instanceId	Operational instance	Identifies the operational instance of a component, that is the actual running instance of the component.
processId threadId	Operational instance	Identifies the operational instance of a component within the context of a software operating system, that is he operating system process and thread running when the event was produced.
executionEnvironment	Operational instance Component location	Provides additional information about the operational instance of a component or its location by identifying the name of the environment hosting the operational instance of the component, for example the operating system name for a software application, the application server name for a J2EE application, or the hardware server type for a hardware part.

The Common Base Event specification [CBE101] provides information on the required format of these fields and the Common Base Event Developer’s Guide [CBEBASE] provides general usage guidelines. This section provides additional information about how to format and use some of these fields for problem determination events, which can be used to clarify and extend the information that is provided in the other documents.

Component

The Component field in a problem determination event is used to identify the manageable asset that is associated with the event. A manageable asset is open for interpretation, but a good working definition is a manageable asset represents a hardware or software component that can be separately obtained or developed, deployed, managed, and serviced. Examples of typical component names are:

• IBM eServer xSeries model x330

• IBM WebSphere Application Server version 5.1 (5.1 is the version number)

• Microsoft Windows 2000

• The name of an internally developed software application for a component

subComponent

The Subcomponent field in a problem determination event identifies the specific part of a component that is associated with the event. The subcomponent name is typically not a manageable asset, but provides internal diagnostic information when diagnosing an internal defect within a component, that is What part failed? Examples of typical subcomponents and their names are:

• Intel Pentium processor within a server system (Intel Pentium IV Processor)

• the enterprise bean container within a Web application server (enterprise bean container)

• the task manager within an operating system (Linux Kernel Task Manager)

• the name of a Java class and method (myclass.mycompany.com or myclass.mycompany.com.methodname).

The format of a subcomponent name is determined by the component, but use the convention shown previously for naming a Java class or the combination of a Java class and method is followed. The subcomponent field is required in the Common Base Event.

componentIdType

The componentIdType field is required by the Common Base Event specification, but provides minimal value for problem determination events. For most problem determination events, it is encouraged to use the value provided in the application field instead of the componentIdType. The componentIdType field identifies the type of component; the application is identified by the application field.

application

The application field is listed as an optional value within the Common Base Event specification, but provide it within problem determination events whenever it this value is available. The only reason this field is not required for problem determination events is that instances exist where the issuing component might not be aware of the overall business application.

instanceId

The instanceId field is listed as an optional value within the Common Base Event specification, but provide this value within problem determination events whenever it is available.

Always provide the instanceID when a software component is identified and identify the operational instance of the component (for example, which operation instance of an installed software image is actually associated with the event). Provide this value for hardware components when these components support the concept of operational instances. The format of the supplied value is defined by the component, but must be a value that an analysis system can use (either human or programmatic) to identify the specific running instance of the identified component. Examples include:

• cell, node, server name for the IBM WebSphere Application Server

• deployed EAR file name for a Java enterprise bean

• serial number for a hardware processor

processId

The processId field is listed as an optional value within the Common Base Event specification, but provide this value for problem determination events whenever it is available and applicable. Always provide this value for software-generated events, and identify the operating system process that is associated with the component that is identified in the event. Match the format of the thread ID with the format of the operating system (or other running environment, such as a Java virtual machine). This field is typically not applicable or used for events that are emitted by hardware (for example, firmware).

threadId

The threadId field is listed as an optional value within the Common Base Event specification, but provide this value for problem determination events whenever it is available and applicable. Always provide for software-generated events, and identify the active operating system thread when the event was detected or issued. A notable exception to this recommendation is some operating systems or running environments do not support threads. Match the format of the thread ID with the format of the operating system (or other running environment, such as a Java virtual machine). This field is typically not applicable or used for events that are emitted by hardware (for example, firmware).

executionEnvironment

• the operating system name when the component is a native software application.

• the operating system/Java virtual machine name when the component is a Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) application.

• the Web server name when the component is a servlet.

• the portal server name when the component is a portlet.

• the application server name when the component is an enterprise bean.

The Common Base Event specification [CBE101] provides information on the required format of these fields and the Common Base Event Developer’s Guide [CBEBASE] provides general usage guidelines.

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