Volume Groups Test

Logical Volume Manager (LVM) is a storage management system on HPUX that lets you allocate and manage disk space for file systems or raw data. Any disk that is initialized for LVM usage is called an LVM disk or a physical volume (PV). Physical volumes are organized into volume groups (VGs). A volume group can consist of one or more physical volumes, and there can be more than one volume group in the system. Once created, the volume group, not the disk, is the entity that represents data storage. If any of these volume groups is unavailable/inactive, the data contained within that group will be rendered inaccessible to the host and the mission-critical applications running on it. The quick detection and speedy resolution of volume group failures is hence imperative to ensure 24x7 data availability. For this purpose, the Volume Groups test must be periodically executed on the target HPUX server. This test continuously monitors the volume groups on the HPUX server, and pinpoints those groups that are unavailable/inactive. This way, the test rapidly brings volume group failures to the notice of administrators, and thus enables them to swiftly initiate remedial measures.

This test is disabled by default. To enable the test, go to the enable / disable tests page using the menu sequence : Agents -> Tests -> Enable/Disable, pick the desired Component type, set Performance as the Test type, choose the test from the DISABLED TESTS list, and click on the << button to move the test to the ENABLED TESTS list. Finally, click the Update button.

Target of the test : A HPUX system

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each volume group on the HPUX server monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter Description

Test Period

How often should the test be executed.

Host

The host for which the test is to be configured.

Use Sudo

By default, the Use Sudo parameter is set to No. This indicates that, by default, this test will report the health of volume group by executing the vgdisplay –v command. However, in some highly secure environments, the eG agent install user may not have the permissions to execute this command directly. In such cases, do the following:

  • Edit the sudoers file on the target host and append an entry of the following format to it:

    <eG_agent_install_user> ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: <Command>

    For instance, if the eG agent install user is eguser, then the entries in the sudoers file should be:

    eguser ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: vgdisplay -v

  • Finally, save the file.

  • Then, when configuring the test using the eG admin interface, set the Use Sudo parameter to Yes. This will enable the eG agent to execute the sudo vgdisplay -v command to retrieve the desired metrics.

Sudo Path

This parameter is relevant only when the use sudo parameter is set to ‘Yes’. By default, the Sudo Path is set to none. This implies that the sudo command is in its default location – i.e., in the /usr/bin or /usr/sbin folder of the target HPUX server. In this case, the eG agent automatically runs the vgdisplay -v command with sudo from its default location, once the use sudo flag is set to Yes. However, if the sudo command is available in a different location in your environment, you will have to explicitly specify the full path to the sudo command in the Sudo Path text box to enable the eG agent to run the sudo command.
Measurements made by the test
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

Status:

Indicates the current status of this volume group.

 

The values that this measure can take and their corresponding numeric values are as follows:

Measure Value Numeric Value
Unavailable/inactive 0
Available 1

Note:

By default, this measure reports the Measure Values listed in the table above to indicate the current state of the volume group. In the graph of this measure however, the same is represented using the corresponding numeric equivalents only.