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From: announce-admin@opennms.org
To: announce@www.opennms.org
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 17:38:36 -0600 (CST)
Subject: [opennms-announce] OpenNMS Update v2.7
==================
OpenNMS Update
==================
Vol 2 Issue 7
==================
Feb 13, 2001
==================
In this week's installment...
* Project Status
+ Readying the Release
+ Some SCM Insights
+ Coding Projects Underway
* Upcoming Road Shows
* Early Adopter Program
* The Wish List
==============
Project Status
==============
Readying the Release:
As we've mentioned in previous Updates, the 0.6 release is still on
target for a Valentine's Day Release. Needless to say, things are
frantic around here, especially for those of us that just got bugs
assigned earlier today.
We've covered previously some of the new functionalities included
in the 0.6 release, so we won't discuss them again (Note: You can
read about 0.6 in the v2.5 and v2.6 Updates available from the web
site). Instead, let's spend a moment setting expectations.
For some users, 0.6 (which we're referring to as the Early Adopter
release) may actually prove to be the end-game. With some of the
slated fixes and enhancements planned for the 0.6.1 release (yes,
we are already planning the next release), many users will never
need anything else. However, most of you will demand more.
With 0.6, you will be able to discover your network, have devices
checked for the capabilities they provide, a database populated
with key information, events generated, received, configured, and
made actionable, and most routing functions provided via our
lightweight interface (web-based). Not to mention all of the new
functionality listed in our earlier discussions.
You will NOT be able to do any of the following with 0.6.x:
* Architect a solution based on distributed pollers
ETA: 4Q01
* Correlate Events
ETA: 2Q01 for Rudimentary Correlation, 4Q01 for Maji
* Purchase a Support Package
ETA: 2Q01
* Rely on vast database of pre-configured events
ETA: 2Q01
* Pre-configured Performance Data Collections for many different
devices
ETA: 2Q01 (actually, this depends more on you than anything
else...)
* Do systems management with an OpenNMS agent
ETA: 2Q01 (best case -- waiting on an update)
While it may seem that I'm spending a lot of time dwelling on what
we DON'T do, I think this is only fair. We've spent a lot of time
explaining to various folks, whether analysts, reporters, or users,
who always ask "Why not this functionality?" Our answer is constant
and unwaivering:
We are maximizing our functionality for the widest audience with
the most common needs.
This is the beauty of open source. If you have specific needs,
build your answer and share it with the world. Or wait for us to
get around to it. The decision is yours. Note: We recommend the
former.
We know that there are pieces that aren't in 0.6 that some of you
would like to have. We know that there are pieces that are in 0.6
that some of you don't want or need. What we believe we've compiled
in our 0.6 release is the best attempt at packaging network
management functionality into an open source package that has been
accomplished to date.
Tomorrow, with great pride, we'll announce to the world the next
step in our effort to change an industry: OpenNMS 0.6 Early-Adopter
Release.
As always, thank you for your support.
Some SCM Insights:
For those of you that have been hanging around for a while, you've
seen my constant references to Weave's tuning and re-writing of the
SCM module. For the uninitiated, SCM stands for Service Control
Manager and it is responsible for firing up most of the critical
background processes included in the OpenNMS package.
First thing to note: SCM takes up FAR fewer resources. This is a
good thing.
Other important stuff:
* SCM is configurable as to the number of JVMs it starts up.
Currently, default is 5.
* SCM now leverages good ol' RPC, versus JSDT. While JSDT is great
for what it is, it wasn't cutting the proverbial mustard when it
came to the reliability we needed in SCM.
* SCM comes with a new command line utility to fire it up, and Ben
"Scripting god, Denture wearer" Reed has extended it to handle ALL
of the OpenNMS administrative functions. Little stuff like start,
stop, lather, rinse, etc.
* SCM is now high in fiber, low in fat.
* SCM now generates a whole new suite of error messages when things
go awry. Jeff "I don't know how you expect me to learn this stuff
if you are constantly changing it" Schneider is pushing these into
the FAQ.
* SCM now supports a bunch of options for not only starting and
stopping it, but doing some of the RPC-related maintenance and
SNAFU-avoidance which may be necessary. More doc on this to
follow.
So the short version of this story is: Mo' betta SCM.
Coding Projects Underway:
* Solaris Port Postgres Procedures -- Underway. No update.
Apparently discovery is working.
* Postgres for NT -- No update since last week.
* SNMP Poller/Data Collection -- The data collection work is done,
still working on the interface to generate the reports.
* Event DTD -- Finalized. Should be checked in soon.
* Tuning -- We're all about getting this into a smaller footprint.
* User Interfaces -- The lightweight user interface was scaled back
somewhat for this release due to some goofiness between Xerces and
Tomcat and the latter's current preference for Crimson. This
problem should be going away. Knock wood.
* SCM -- Gutting and replacing JSDT with an RPC mechanism. ACPL Tea,
for those of you keeping score at home.
* SCM UI -- Will have to be re-tooled for the SCM change, but many
of the problems will be avoided, if not eliminated.
* TCP Poller -- Still waiting for some of the creative
configurations that I know you all are capable of...
* Maji Prelim Work -- Rick is building Perl code that is
successfully parsing MIB files. Check him out, in all his glory,
on the "events" list.
* Notification Configuration -- Works in the U/G/V config panel, but
not the Wizard. We're disabling the Wizard until the functionality
is there.
* Swing Interface -- Fighting random oddities. Proceed with utmost
caution.
===================
Upcoming Road Shows
===================
For the upcoming trip to Albuquerque and SLC, Steve will be making the
trip.
* February 15th - Utah JUG, Salt Lake City, UT
* May 5th - Twin Cities LUG, Minneapolis, MN
For additional details on these appearances and others, check out the
web site at http://www.opennms.org/sections/opennms/events
=====================
Early Adopter Program
=====================
I alluded to this program in previous Updates. Here are the critical
details I've managed to avoid sharing to date.
The Early Adopter program is an effort we're undertaking to try to
capture customer-experience information. We will send someone to your
location to do a full installation and customization of the OpenNMS
software for your environment (within reason, of course) in exchange
for your honest feedback and potentially a good word somewhere down
the road.
Here's the reasoning behind it: Despite the fact that we are an open
source project and are effectively developing in a fish bowl, we
aren't living in the network management environment anymore. That is,
we aren't actually DOING network management--we're writing software to
do it. And when your focus is off the actual DOING part, you've
created the potential to miss your mark. We want to avoid this at all
costs.
So the Early Adopter program is a way for us to capture the end-user
experience. By helping with the installation, we overcome that horrid
"I've downloaded the software but haven't had time to do anything with
it" problem, and we provide some free consulting. Of course, for you
to get any knowledge-transfer, you're still going to have to set aside
some time to GET the information, so you still have a little skin in
the game. Additionally, you'll also need to provide a system on which
to run the software (conforming to our minimum system configuration
suggestions), a license for Linux (Just kidding. Relax. We'll provide
the Linux license.), and contact with someone that knows something
about your network--most importantly, your IP addressing strategy.
So if you come bellyin' up to the bar with all this stuff, we'll help
you out with some installation and configuration assistance, as well
as priority support (read: Jeff's cell number) for the duration of the
program. Important note: We've designed this program for local
installs. If you want in on this action and you're not close to RTP,
NC, be prepared to cover any associated travel costs, including
airfare, hotels, and per diem for meals (we travel cheap, but eat
well).
Anyway, a number of you have asked, so that's the scoop. Consider
yourselves officially in the loop.
Now who's first? Drop Luke a line at luke@opennms.org.
=============
The Wish List
=============
First, a big thanks to everyone that's actively working with and
trying out the product. 0.6 promises to be a bold step in a new
direction and we appreciate your time to put it through its paces.
Now, on with the list...
* In the 0.6 release (and CVS), checkout the TODO file
* Test the install.pl script!!!
* Our SNMP Data Collector will rely on a configuration file,
DataCollection.xml (or something like that). This file will map
what SNMP OIDs we should pull from a device with a given SysOID.
Now the question is, "What should we pull?" Recommendations? Tips?
I figure we'll pre-populate some canned collections for Cisco
routers, Bay routers, and whatever else can be contributed. All
ideas are appreciated, and especially ideas that come back in the
format of the DataCollection.xml file (available at:
http://www.opennms.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/data/common/conf/DataCol
lection.xml )
* Now that we have a "generic" TCP Poller, we could use some help in
building some configurations to test services that you may be
concerned with. For example, is LDAP do-able? How about
applications like Peoplesoft, SAP, Baan? Remember, you can deploy
multiple of these pollers against multiple ports.
* Testing on new, exciting platforms is always appreciated. Somebody
want to mess with the Cygwin port of our Postgres stored
procedures and see where we stand?
* Any additional help we can get proving our documentation either
right or wrong is appreciated. Thanks.
* Got any creative applications for OpenNMS that we haven't
considered? Let us know!
* Anybody up for a security analysis of OpenNMS? We know we've got a
lot of holes, but we'd rather have most of them identified before
we start trying to plug them. Any security folks that are playing
along, feel free to chime in here. Anytime, now. Go on. Anytime...
* Anyone out there have familiarity with portmapper on NT? The new
SCM will need it and, well, er, um, I don't know nothin' but
mappin' no ports!
=============
Afterthoughts
=============
As if we don't have enough going on, we'll be addressing our space
problems (e.g., we're out of it) with an upcoming move to new
quarters. There are few things as disruptive as a move, even if it's
just a couple of miles. Nonetheless, if you try to reach us and you
can't, we might just be in between offices. And if you want to shop
for an office-warming gift, the carpet will be Regata, the wall trim
Moon Rock, and the walls Bone White. This is compared to our current
digs, where the carpet is Stained, the wall trim is Missing, and the
walls are Pointless.
Larry got a radio w/ CD player in his car yesterday.
We've been so buried in 0.6 related stuff (not to mention last minute
"Oops-this-doesn't-work" problems) that I haven't got much else to
comment on. Sorry so brief. Maybe next time.
Tired and late,
Shane O.
========
Shane O'Donnell
OpenNMS.org
shaneo@opennms.org
==================
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