Bytware Updates IBM i Message Management Tools
March 20, 2012 Alex Woodie
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Bytware last week unveiled a new version of its line of message management and alerting software for IBM i, which includes MessengerConsole and MessengerPlus. With version 7, the products gain new options for using email to notify administrators of potential problems with the IBM i server. Better support for multi-processor servers, support for pagers, and an update to the message archive are also part of this release. MessengerConsole and its little brother, MessengerPlus, are designed to help automate IBM i operations by continuously monitoring the various message queues, logs, and journals for critical messages. The software can be configured to automatically respond to certain events by sending alerts to administrators, or even to automatically run scripts in reaction to certain events. The products give administrators important and timely information about a range of events occurring on their systems, such as: incomplete or long-running jobs; failed backups; security breaches; printer and network errors; and problems with high availability mirroring. MessengerConsole is the more full-featured product designed for multi-server and multi-partition environments. It also provides the capability to remotely monitor and centrally manage Messenger activities and responses. Version 7 brings various enhancements in Messenger’s use of email for communicating with administrators. One of the new features is the capability to attach IFS files and job logs with e-mail messages, which will be useful for tracking down problems or keeping a separate record of jobs. The new version also gives users the option of not including the alert message number in the email subject line, which is something that was apparently done automatically before. Finally, Bytware has increased the character limit in e-mail addresses and server names. Email addresses and server names can now support up to 50 characters. While email is ubiquitous, some administrators may prefer to use a pager to keep connected to the IBM i server while out of the office. To that end, version 7 introduces support for Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP), an Internet protocol for sending pages across the TCP/IP network. The processor monitoring component of the Messenger products has been enhanced with support for multi-processor servers. This will enable the products to keep a better handle on server performance. Last but not least, Bytware has added a date field to the Messenger history file. This will make it easier for administrators to determine when certain events occurred. This is the second release of the Messenger products since Bytware was acquired by Help/Systems and its private equity partner three-and-a-half years ago. The acquisition netted Help/Systems Bytware’s popular StandGuard Anti-Virus software, as well as the Messenger products. However, the Messenger products compete directly with Robot/ALERT. For more information about MessengerConsole and MessengerPlus, see the company’s website at www.bytware.com. RELATED STORIES Bytware Releases Japanese Versions of Messaging Products Bytware Bought by Help/Systems and Audax Bytware Now Shipping Messenger Version 5.6 Bytware Adds Disk Monitoring to MessengerPlus
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