What is Hardware Sentry?

Hardware Sentry monitors the hardware of almost any server (physical, virtual, and blade servers) and external storage device (disk arrays, fiber switches, and tape libraries) available in datacenters. Once Hardware Sentry is installed and configured for local or remote monitoring, the monitored objects, their metrics and configuration properties are automatically integrated into the following supported BMC consoles:

• TrueSight Operations Management (in TrueSight Presentation Server)
• TrueSight Central Monitoring Administration (CMA)
• TrueSight Infrastructure Management

Additionally, Hardware Sentry can be configured and used via the Monitoring Studio Web interface. Refer to the Configuring Hardware Sentry KM section for details.

Contrary to manufacturers’ monitoring tools, Hardware Sentry allows IT administrators to monitor their heterogeneous infrastructure into one single console. Because thresholds are automatically set according to the manufacturers' recommendations and alarms triggered as soon as these thresholds are breached, hardware failures can be detected at an early stage, long before they impact business.

Should a failure occur, IT administrators need to rapidly identify the faulty component to replace it in no time. Hardware Sentry provides detailed information about each monitored component (vendor, model, serial number, part number, FRU number, location in the chassis, etc.) to make this task easier. Full hardware health reports are also available and provide information about failures, their consequences and, how to fix them.

Hardware Sentry provides several reports about the monitored systems' capacity or the power consumption of all servers and storage devices, for example.

Product Overview

Technically, Hardware Sentry is composed of:

A KM for PATROL

• Compatible with Linux/UNIX, Windows, Solaris, HP-UX and IBM AIX
• Deployable and configurable through TrueSight CMA
• Configurable through Monitoring Studio X Web UI

Additionally, Hardware Sentry comes with a library of connector files (MS_HW_*.hdf) that are platform-specific. More than 200 connectors are currently available to monitor almost any server on the market. They contain all commands, queries, and scripts required to collect information. Several connectors can be combined to collect as much information as possible.

A Component for TrueSight Presentation Server (TSPS) to:

• Gather and report on all monitored Hardware Devices within TSPS
• Discover energy-saving opportunities from your energy data
• Enable the configuration of Hardware Sentry and facilitate the interaction with the PATROL Agent through the user-friendly Monitoring Studio X Web interface.

Architecture

Hardware Sentry leverages one or several sources (manufacturer-specific hardware agents, standard management technologies, SSH, SNMP, WBEM, WMI, etc.) to gather hardware information within the TrueSight Console. Additionally, the TSPS Component collects energy management data from Infrastructure Management Servers and Integration Services and provides new views and reports to help you manage energy consumption challenges efficiently. It exposes all monitored hardware devices within TSPS for a global and detailed view of your hardware assets. Finally, the TSPS Component extends TrueSight’s interface with deep links to the Monitoring Studio X Web interface to facilitate the configuration and troubleshoot of the PATROL Agent.