HP SIM V5.1 User Guide (356920-009, January 2007)

• Error: Windows repair tool execution exception.
• Error when trying to establish SSH connection, to determine operating system name.
• Error: HP-UX SSA tool launch exception.
• Error: Linux SSA tool launch exception.
• Error: Writing SNMP read string.
Related topics
• Configure or Repair Agents
• Configure or Repair Agents overview
Custom tools
Custom tools are executed on the Central Management Server (CMS) and on target systems. They are
intended to be scripts, batch files, or executables that can reference environment variables set by the tool
in order to access system or event information. For example, creating a custom tool to launch Notepad. You
can create the following types of custom tools:
• Remote tool A tool that runs on selected target systems. It might copy files to the target systems or
run specific X-Window applications on the target systems. This tool can be scheduled.
• CMS tool A tool that runs on the Central Management Server. It is usually a script or batch file and
can pass in environment variables. Using Automatic Event Handling, this tool can optionally be configured
to run when events are received. This tool can be scheduled.
• Web page tool A tool that launches a web URL. The URL is launched in a separate browser window
on the Central Management Server. This tool cannot be scheduled.
Remote tools require the use of environment variables which are parameters passed to the launched application
to make it perform as expected. See “Environment variables for custom tools” for more information. The
launch command string includes system variables and user-defined variables for your application. For
example, you could pass an environment variable that runs a script to check on the status of your mail server.
DOS environment variables are supported in the custom tool parameters and work as parameters on the
New Custom Tool page or the Manage Custom Tools page. However, they must be surrounded by
double % signs. For example, to pass in the NOTICELABEL environment variable as a parameter, it should
be entered as %%NOTICELABEL%% on the parameter line. The environment variables can also be accessed
from a batch file or script file. To use them in a batch file or a script file, only a single % sign should precede
and succeed the environment variable name. See “Custom tools reference” for a list of other substitutable
variables.
Custom tools that you create are displayed under the Tools→Custom Tools menu option.
You have multiple scheduling options. See “Scheduling a task” for more information about scheduling options.
IMPORTANT: The application must be able to execute in the security context provided to HP Systems Insight
Manager (HP SIM) (the default is LocalSystem).
• New Custom Tools Select Tools→Custom Tools→New Custom Tool. The New Custom Tool
page appears.
• Manage Custom Tools Select Tools→Custom Tools→Manage Custom Tools. The Manage
Custom Tools page appears.
Use custom tools that run on target single-system aware (SSA) systems create a temporary .XML tool definition
file under /var/tmp, the loads the tool with the mxtool -af filename . You only enter data in required
fields.
WARNING! If you define a custom tool to run as root, any user authorized to run the tool might gain full
access to the managed system, depending on how you define the command, and what its capabilities are.
288 Tools that extend management