Corrective Actions

When a specific error occurs, it often requires a particular remedy. For instance, when the available memory on a device becomes low, the internal database needs to be downloaded or purged. This is always the appropriate course of action, and it does not involve turning the device off or running a servo.

Due to its predictable nature, it can be automated. Any system action that is available in the user interface may be automatically launched in response to an alert. This action thus becomes a corrective action.

Corrective actions may also be used to send non-standard notifications. For example, a corrective action may launch an external application to send a message via SMS or some other protocol. Another example would be sending a Unix syslog message or a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) trap using special actions included in the Iotellect Network Management extensions.

Actions can be run in interactive or non-interactive (headless) mode. In non-interactive mode, all action input is pre-defined and action output is sent to the server log or written to event history. Non-interactive mode is also used by the scheduler. In interactive mode, the action interacts with the alert owner by using UI Procedures. The user must be logged in to an Iotellect Server User Interface (e.g. Iotellect Client) to execute interactive actions. See the action execution modes section for details.

Some interactive corrective actions:

• Running a database purge, asking the operator first: “Are you sure?”

• Rebooting a mission-critical device only after getting confirmation from the operator

Some automatic corrective actions:

• Preparing a status report about the device causing alert and sending it by e-mail

• Executing an external application that fixes the problem

• Creating a new ticket in Service Desk system

Automatic (also called autonomous, headless, or non-interactive) execution of corrective actions is controlled by the Automatic Corrective Actions property. This property lets you configure multiple actions to run on alert.

Automatic corrective actions table has several fields:

• Context Mask parameter indicates which contexts the action will be launched for.

• Action name is defined by the Action parameter.

• Parameters indicates the list of action-specific parameters used to substitute user input when the alert processing engine executes an action in non-interactive mode. For example, if a given action requires confirmation (i.e. asks the user something like "Delete query?" and lets the user click OK or Cancel), this field will contain a Delete query? parameter with two possible choices: OK or Cancel.

• Condition is an expression that, if defined and evaluated to FALSE, suppresses the execution of a corrective action.

To view headless corrective actions execution history and errors reported during execution, use the Monitor Related Events action of an Alert context.

Interactively executed actions are listed in the table Interactive Corrective Actions. Every action has a Context Mask and Action parameters which work just like in non-interactive execution (see above). The Parameters column specifies interactive execution parameters, such as window locations.

Interactive corrective actions are only executed when alert popup notifications are enabled.

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