Configure agent connectivity status checks

This topic describes agent connectivity status checks and explains how to configure them to fine-tune your implementation.

In this topic:

Agent connectivity checks overview

Deployment Automation can periodically check agent connectivity to ensure that the true connectivity status is displayed in the user interface.

The following table describes the types of status checks:

Type	Description
Agent-initiated	Agents send regular keepalive messages to the server to keep connections open. The server monitors the keepalive messages and updates agents' status accordingly. Agent relays track keepalive message statistics from connected agents and send them regularly to the server. Agent-initiated status checks are supported for agents 6.1.2 and later. By default, the status check is are enabled.
Server-initiated	The server can check the status of all agent endpoints in a single call. The status check can be set to recur periodically. Status check requests and responses are stored in the database for analysis. Cleanup of the stored data can be scheduled to run periodically. In an active-active environment, the server that initiated the status request is the one that performs the subsequent analysis. Server-initiated status checks are supported for agents version 6.1.2 and later. By default, the status check is disabled.
User-initiated	You can manually check the agent status in the Deployment Automation user interface. To check the status, navigate to Management > Resources and click the Agents or Pools tab. Then click the Test icon next to the agent or pool and run a connectivity test. The system tests connectivity for response through JMS protocol and then through JMS to HTTP protocol, and provides messages for both. You can configure the connectivity test timeout.

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Configure an agent-initiated agent status check

Keepalive messages are enabled on agents by default. These messages are used by ActiveMQ to keep the connection between an agent and a server (or relay) open. You can configure a server to respond to those messages and update agent status accordingly.

To configure an agent-initiated status check:

1. Navigate to the Common Tomcat da\WEB-INF\classes directory, for example:

   C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\common\tomcat\9.0\webapps\da\WEB-INF\classes
2. Open the web application's da_config.xml file. This file contains your current agent status check settings.

3. Copy the <agentStatusTracker> section from the da_config.xml file.

   For example:

   Copy code

   <agentStatusTracker>
      <enabled>true</enabled>
      <verificationPeriodInSec>60</verificationPeriodInSec>
      <bringingOnlineTimeoutInSec>150</bringingOnlineTimeoutInSec>
      <runningUpgradeTimeoutInSec>180</runningUpgradeTimeoutInSec>
      <busyWhenQueueSizeIsHigherThan>20</busyWhenQueueSizeIsHigherThan>
      <busyCountPeriodInMs>2500</busyCountPeriodInMs>
   </agentStatusTracker>

4. Navigate to the DA user profile directory where the DA server configuration is stored, for example:

   C:\Users\<username>\.microfocus\da\conf\server

5. Open the da_config.xml file in the DA user profile and paste the copied <agentStatusTracker> section there.

   Note: Deployment Automation contains two da_config.xml files, one in the web application and one in the DA user profile. After each server upgrade, the web application's da_config.xml settings are restored to default. To make your modifications permanent, save them in the da_config.xml file located in the DA user profile directory.

6. In the <agentStatusTracker> section, modify the settings as needed:

   Setting	Description
   enabled	Turns the agent status tracker on or off. The default value is true.
   verificationPeriodInSec	Specifies how often to initiate scheduled agent status verifications (in seconds). The default value is 60.
   bringingOnlineTimeoutInSec	Specifies the timeout period (in seconds) to upgrade an agent. If any of the upgrade steps time out, the server either takes the agent offline or returns it online, based on recent keepalive messages. The timeout restarts for every step of the upgrade, such as downloading the new JRE, restarting the agent, removing the old JRE, and collecting the logs. The default value is 150.
   busyWhenQueueSizeIsHigherThan	Specifies the maximum average number of agents in a connection queue. If a server has more connected agents than specified, agent status checks do not run until the average number goes below the specified value. The default value is 20.
   busyCountPeriodInMs	Specifies the number of milliseconds for the time period when the average is calculated for <busyWhenQueueSizeIsHigherThan>. The default value is 2500.
   runningUpgradeTimeoutInSec	Specifies the timeout period (in seconds) to upgrade an agent. If any of the upgrade steps time out, the server takes the agent offline, or returns it online based on recent keepalive messages. The timeout restarts for every step of the upgrade, such as downloading the new JRE, restarting the agent, removing the old JRE, and collecting the logs. The default value is 180.

7. Save your changes.
8. Restart Common Tomcat.

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Configure a server-initiated agent status check

To enable an agent status check initiated by a server, modify the <keepAliveRollCallConfig> section of the da_config.xml file.

To configure a server-initiated agent status check:

1. Navigate to the Common Tomcat da\WEB-INF\classes directory, for example:

   C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\common\tomcat\9.0\webapps\da\WEB-INF\classes
2. Open the web application's da_config.xml file. This file contains your current agent status check settings.

3. Copy the <keepAliveRollCallConfig> section from the da_config.xml file.

   For example:

   Copy code

   <keepAliveRollCallConfig> 
      <enabled>true</enabled>
      <pollingPeriodInMinutes>1</pollingPeriodInMinutes>
      <executePeriodInMinutes>10</executePeriodInMinutes>
      <durationInSeconds>20</durationInSeconds>
      <cleanupEnabled>true</cleanupEnabled>
      <cleanupStartHour>1</cleanupStartHour>
      <cleanupDaysToKeep>15</cleanupDaysToKeep>
   </keepAliveRollCallConfig>

4. Navigate to the DA user profile directory where the DA server configuration is stored. for example:

   C:\Users\<username>\.microfocus\da\conf\server

5. Open the da_config.xml file in the DA user profile and paste the copied <keepAliveRollCallConfig> section there.

   Note: Deployment Automation contains two da_config.xml files, one in the web application and one in the DA user profile. After each server upgrade, the web application's da_config.xml settings are restored to default. To make your modifications permanent, save them in the da_config.xml file located in the DA user profile directory.

6. In the <keepAliveRollCallConfig> section, modify the following settings as needed:

   Setting	Description
   enabled	Turns on or off the scheduled run of keepalive roll calls. The default value is false.
   pollingPeriodInMinutes	Specifies the keepalive roll call polling period (in minutes), which is the time wait before performing the next keepalive roll call verification. The default value is 1.
   executePeriodInMinutes	Specifies how often to initiate scheduled keepalive roll calls (in minutes). The default value is 10.
   durationInSeconds	Specifies the time (in seconds) to wait for responses to the roll call. The default value is 20.
   cleanupEnabled	Turns on or off the scheduled run of cleanup for keepalive roll calls. The default value is true.
   cleanupStartHour	The hour to run the cleanup for keepalive roll calls. The default value is 1.
   cleanupDaysToKeep	The number of days to keep roll call requests and corresponding responses. The default value is 15.

7. Save your changes.
8. Restart Common Tomcat.

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Configure a user-initiated agent status check

To enable an agent status check initiated by a user, modify the <connectivityTestConfig> section of the da_config.xml file.

To configure a user-initiated agent status check:

1. Navigate to the Common Tomcat da\WEB-INF\classes directory, for example:

   C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\common\tomcat\9.0\webapps\da\WEB-INF\classes
2. Open the web application's da_config.xml file. This file contains your current agent status check settings.

3. Copy the <connectivityTestConfig> section from the da_config.xml file:

   Copy code

   <connectivityTestConfig> 
      <firstLevelTestTimeoutInSeconds>10</firstLevelTestTimeoutInSeconds>
      <secondLevelTestTimeoutInSeconds>60</secondLevelTestTimeoutInSeconds>
   </connectivityTestConfig>

4. Navigate to the DA user profile directory where the DA server configuration is stored, for example:

   C:\Users\<username>\.microfocus\da\conf\server

5. Open the da_config.xml file in the DA user profile and paste the copied <connectivityTestConfig> section there.

   Note: Deployment Automation contains two da_config.xml files, one in the web application and one in the DA user profile. After each server upgrade, the web application's da_config.xml settings are restored to default. To make your modifications permanent, save them in the da_config.xml file located in the DA user profile directory.

6. In the <connectivityTestConfig> section, modify the following settings as needed:

   Setting	Description
   firstLevelTestTimeoutInSeconds	Specifies the time (in seconds) to wait for a response to the first level (JMS) connection status request. The default value is 10.
   secondLevelTestTimeoutInSeconds	Specifies the time in seconds to wait for a response to the second level (JMS to HTTP) connection status request. The default value is 60.

7. Save your changes.
8. Restart Common Tomcat.

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See also:

• Manage agents