Midrange Stuff, OS/400 Edition

IBM has developed new technology that provides systems administrators with notification of iSeries events via Lotus Sametime instant messages. The new Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries, which was introduced last week, taps iSeries Access' event monitoring capabilities to send instant messages notifying administrators of anything from low disk space to inadequate server response times. IBM is making the technology available to iSeries users for free and is encouraging feedback via the alphaWorks Web site.

Many iSeries systems administrators carry pagers or cell phones at all hours of the day so they can be alerted to various situations occurring with the server. The problem is, these administrators are not always in a position to offer immediate assistance. They often resolve the situation by making additional calls to the operator on duty, which just consumes more time and resources, says Sue Townsend, the IBM iSeries systems management engineer who lead the development of the technology with Lotus and alphaWorks team members.

Another factor limiting the effectiveness of traditional e-mail and paging notification is that they are one-way technologies. Multiple people may receive the same notification, and the system has no way of knowing who will respond. Because Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries offers two-way communication, it can use people's time more effectively.

Here's how Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries works. When a system, job, server, or message event is logged, the Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries "bot" picks it up and transforms it into an instant message. Then the software starts going through its contact list. If the first person on its list is not signed on to Sametime instant messaging, it goes to the next one, and so on, until it finds somebody who is online. When it does find somebody online, the software asks them whether they're able to offer assistance for the event. The person then responds to the bot by typing "yes" or "no" in the dialogue box. If the answer is yes, then Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries considers the matter resolved. If they answer no, the monitor goes on to the next person in its list. If they don't respond, the bot will eventually resume going through its list.

If the customer wants different people to be alerted for different problems, multiple Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries bots can be installed to provide this capability. The software also features a broadcast mode that sends messages to everybody on the list, waiting for the first person who says he will take care of the problem.

Currently, you can't issue server commands via IM with the version of Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries that is available for download on the alphaWorks Web site. However, customers could add this capability using IBM Toolbox for Java.

There will most likely be changes to the Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries before it is introduced as a product--if it is introduced as a product, Townsend says. "We're trying to see how interested customers are in using this type of product," she says. "It's a preview at this point."

Townsend and her fellow researchers on this project--Dave Herbeck, Lotus for iSeries architect; Brian Lucier, staff software engineer; and Tom Schuler, advisory software engineer--have given some thought to other capabilities that might be useful if IBM decides to make Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries into a full-fledged product. The capability to issue server commands via instant messaging might be the most useful. Other ideas include locating the person in the closest facility, broadening support to other operating systems, supporting other instant messaging platforms (such as AIM or MSN Messenger), and supporting other types of OS/400 events.

While it could be a while before Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries makes it to finished product, the technology is now available to download and use. "A product cycle is very long. We have to have money a long time in advance to get a product," Townsend says. "This gets the stuff out there. We're really hoping people hit the Web site, do the download, and provide us with feedback."

Users must have Lotus Sametime Server 3.0 or above, OS/400 V5R1 or V5R2, and the Java Developer Kit 1.3 or above. To view information, download, or post a comment about Sametime Event Monitor for iSeries, go to www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/eventmonitor .