Frequently Asked Questions - Systemwalker Operation Manager

  1. Concepts/Positioning
  2. Functions
  2-1. General
  2-2. Automated System Operation
  2-3. Job Scheduling
  2-4. Job Execution Control

1. Concepts/Positioning

Q1-1: What is the origin of the name "Systemwalker"?

Systemwalker is an integrated operations management solution that monitors and manages your entire system. We envision it walking around your system as security guards and IT personnel walk around your business, taking notes, solving problems, and making improvements: hence "Systemwalker".

Q1-2: What features does Systemwalker OperationMGR have?

Systemwalker OperationMGR is one of the Systemwalker modules. It automates the operation of the entire system, and allows you to schedule and control the execution of programs and batch files via a graphic interface.

2. Functions

2-1. General

Q2-1-1: What functions does Systemwalker OperationMGR provide?

• Automated system operation
• Job scheduling
• Job execution

See the rest of this document for more information about Systemwalker OperationMGR's functions.

Q2-1-2: What operating systems does Systemwalker OperationMGR support?

See the system requirements.

Q2-1-3: What is the difference between Standard Edition (SE) and Enterprise Edition (EE)?

Standard Edition (SE) is the basic model. Enterprise Edition (EE) provides all the features of the standard edition, and also delivers large-scale batch processing facilities and high reliability, high performance business processing.

Q2-1-4: Can I link jobs between different systems?

Yes. You can link jobs running on UNIX servers, Windows servers, and Windows clients.

2-2. Automated System Operation

Q2-2-1: What is Automated System Operation?

Automated System Operation provides the following features:

• Server/client power control scheduling (Windows and Solaris OS only.)
• Service/application scheduling (Windows only)
• Batch process scheduling
• Online process/ERP process scheduling
• Email error notification and command invocation (on UNIX, this is linked with Systemwalker CentricMGR)
• Automated backup (Windows and Solaris OS only)

Q2-2-2: Does Systemwalker OperationMGR support a "Happy Monday" system?

Yes. You can set up a given weekday of the nth week of the month as a holiday.

2-3. Job Scheduling

Q2-3-1: Can I automate backups?

You can automate backups by integrating with ARCserve and TSM (Tivoli Storage Manager).

Q2-3-2: What is a job, job net, and group?

• Job: A program with an EXE and COM extension, or a batch file with a BAT extension
• Job net: Group of related jobs
• Group: Group of related job nets

Q2-3-3: What is "day change time"?

The time at which each day's operation starts. Systemwalker OperationMGR allows you to set the day change time to any time.

Q2-3-4: How does Systemwalker OperationMGR determine if a job executed successfully?

Systemwalker OperationMGR uses the program or batch file's exit code. If it is a batch file, it provides a command that allows you to set the exit code to reflect the results of the batch file.

Q2-3-5: Can I allow subsequent processes to branch based on job execution results?

Yes, the subsequent process can branch in two or more directions based on the program's exit code.

Q2-3-6: Can I register a recovery job just in case a job terminates abnormally?

Yes.

Q2-3-7: When can I schedule a job net to start?

You can start a job net on a specific day, at a specific time, at regular intervals, when the server is started, when a message event occurs, when a preceding job terminates, or when an email is received.

Q2-3-8: Can I view job execution results?

Yes. You can display standard output and standard error output on the GUI.

Q2-3-9: What happens if the startup day for a job net falls on a holiday?

When you define a job net, you can set the following actions for times when the start falls on a holidy:

• Start
• Do not start
• Shift to previous day
• Shift to next day

Q2-3-10: What happens if Systemwalker CentricMGR shifts a startup day to a holiday?

In that case, it shifts the startup day by one more day. For example, suppose your system shifts start dates to the previous day when they fall on a holiday. If the startup day is on Monday and Monday is a holiday, the new startup day will be Sunday. However, if Sunday has been set up as a holiday, the startup day will be shifted to Saturday, and if Saturday has been set up as a holiday, the startup day will be shifted to Friday. You can specify the maximum number of days that the system can shift.

Q2-3-11: Can I monitor job schedules on multiple servers from a single client?

Yes.

2-4. Job Execution Control

Q2-4-1: What features does Job Execution have?

Job Execution provides the following features:

• Rank the priority of jobs waiting for execution
• Allocate CPU time to jobs
• Exclude resources
• Forbid identical job names
• Allow multiple jobs in a system
• Set the maximum number of jobs

Q2-4-2: What are "exclusive resources"?

Systemwalker OperationMGR specifies exclusive attributes for resources so that multiple jobs using the same resource cannot run simultaneously. This feature prevents jobs from occurring during a backup, and prevents database update jobs from running simultaneously.