Installing Argent Queue Engine Software on AIX For the AIX platform the Queue Engine is packaged in a compressed tar file. This tar file automatically expands to fill the opt/ARGTqe directory directly under the location of the tar file. To install the Queue Engine, issue the following commands: # mv THE_ARGENT_QUEUE_ENGINE_4_6A_0601_AIX.TAR.GZ / # cd / […]
Installing Argent Queue Engine Software on Linux For the Linux platform the Queue Engine is packaged in a compressed tar file. This tar file automatically expands to fill the opt/ARGTqe directory directly under the location of the tar file. To install the Queue Engine, issue the following commands, substituting the actual file prefix for THE_ARGENT_QUEUE_ENGINE_LINUX: […]
Starting Queue Engine Manually As part of the installation process, a message is printed toward the end that indicates the directory path that should be added to the PATH variable of root and any other user using the QE utilities. Once root’s PATH variable has been set properly, the administrator can start or stop the […]
To install the Argent Job Scheduler Adapter for iSeries, customers must be signed on as the system security officer. This is the QSECOFR user profile. The installation must be performed under this user profile. Customers also need to be familiar with manipulating iSeries save file objects and File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Before beginning the installation […]
Customers should contact SAP administrator to install SAP Front End package compatible with your SAP system on Argent Job Scheduler main engine and any client machines. User should gather the following SAP system and logon information, which are needed for Argent Job Scheduler configuration information. SAP server name SAP application server (usually the IP address […]
The Argent Queue Engine Web Interface is a lightweight, reduced version of the Argent Queue Engine product. The Argent Queue Engine Web Interface enables customers to completely administer all aspects of Argent Queue Engine products using a web browser. Configuration and management can be handled from any machine with a web browser, without the need […]
The system requirements are: Windows 200x/NT/XP 256 MB RAM 500 MB of disk space 500 MHz Processor or higher The software requirements for Queue Engine Web Interface are: IIS 5.0 or higher Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher NET Framework Version 1.1 Argent Queue Engine installed. Your Argent Job Scheduler is a critical production system, the […]
Run SETUP. EXE and click the Next button as shown below: Click For Full Size On the following screen, click the Next button. Click For Full Size Accept the License Agreement and click Next button. Click For Full Size Select the desired Destination Folder for installing the Argent Queue Engine Web Interface by using the […]
With the introduction of Argent Job Scheduler version 5.0A-0604 and later there are two possible types of Argent Queue Engines that can be implemented: An NT version; and An XS version. The NT version of the Argent Queue Engine can be run on either Windows NT or Windows W200x. In contrast, the new XS version […]
Ensure that all appropriate precautions are taken before attempting any Argent Job Scheduler upgrade. At a minimum this should include: Bringing the Argent Job Scheduler and Argent Queue Engine environments to an orderly end (a quiescent state); Notification of all users of the outage window; A full SQL database backup; A full Argent Job Scheduler […]
Before upgrading the NT version of the Argent Queue Engine to the XS version, it is recommended that the Argent Job Scheduler – Scheduling Engine be upgraded first. To upgrade the Argent Job Scheduler – Scheduling Engine, perform the below steps: Stop The Argent Job Scheduler – Scheduling Engine service using the Service Control Manager […]
Do the following to migrate the Argent Queue Engine from the NT version to the XS version: Ensure that the Argent Job Scheduler – Scheduling Engine service has been stopped. Open a command prompt window and navigate to (drive):\ARGENT\SchedulingEngine directory and run: XS_MIGRATE /GET servername where servername is the name of the server where the […]
The new XS Argent Queue Engine uses TCP port 3135. The older NT-version Argent Queue Engine uses TCP port 3000. For customers connecting with remote Argent Queue Engines, once the remote Argent Queue Engine is upgraded to an XS style Argent Queue Engine, the port in the Argent Job Scheduler needs to be changed to […]
Rollover is a crucial concept. By default, Rollover occurs everyday at midnight. You can change the time of Rollover in the System Configuration screen of the Argent Scheduler, although this is not recommended – loading all the new day’s jobs at the start of the new day is the most straightforward approach. Rollover is the […]
Argent has a very granular and highly definable security setup. It utilizes the security infrastructure contained within Windows to enforce security settings. By default, all jobs submitted via the Argent Scheduler are run under the context of the Default account. This account is specified in Configuration Options within the Argent Queue Engine and by default […]
The Argent Scheduler interface is the first place security should be set. This will immediately limit the ability of non-administrator level users from inappropriately accessing the Argent Scheduler interface and associated settings. Security Sensitive Operations The security settings for the Argent Scheduler interface are located on Security tab in the Configuration dialog. This can be […]
The finite control of security for Job Class resides in the Job Class and Job Template configuration. Setting these security settings directly control how a user or group of users can interact with a specific Job Class. This includes settings such as being able to submit a job to a queue or making specific changes […]
As well as security applied to the Argent Job Control Panel, security options can be configured for the Argent Queue Engine and associated Queues, allowing total control over the entire lifecycle of a Job. The permissions associated with the Queue Engine only apply to Jobs that are being submitted to the Queue Engine or Jobs […]
Job Instance Security allows users to apply security directly to each scheduled Job Instance and also all instances running on a specified Queue. These permissions can be used to prevent other non-administrative users from tampering with or removing the Job. The Job Instance permissions can be set from the Argent Job Control Panel, the Argent […]
Managing an IT environment means managing tasks. Today’s operating systems provide rudimentary scheduling systems – at best. The Windows “Scheduled Tasks” interface is quite limited, providing almost nothing in the realm of alerting on failed jobs, and even less when trying to automate hundreds or thousands of jobs per day. And the UNIX/Linux chron scheduler […]
There are a number of production job scheduling products available in the market today. Many of these vendors have a background in scheduling, often times originating in mainframe scheduling. Today some of the leading job scheduling vendors are: Argent Software BMC Software CA UC4 The most critical features for a production job scheduling product are […]
1 – Security Argent provides a number of different levels of security. Argent’s products are used by the U.S. federal government agency called Intelink, which links the CIA, FBI, NSA, and other agencies they don’t want to mention… All communication across the TCP/IP links is encrypted. Argent philosophy to encryption is to provide an architecture […]
In this section, the most important features of a job scheduling product are described. Needless to say, different vendors’ perception of the features Customers require differ, but the features listed here are common to all Customers, what varies from one Customer to the next is the relative importance of the specific feature. 1 – Distributed […]
There are two components to the Argent Job Scheduling product, namely the actual scheduler and the queue engine. Within the Argent Job Scheduler product, these are respectively referred to as the “Argent Scheduler” and the “Argent Queue Engine”; in shorthand notation: Argent Job Scheduler = Argent Scheduler + Argent Queue Engine The scheduler schedules the […]
Simple Single Installation The illustration below shows a sample installation of the Argent Job Scheduler. In the example, there is a single, central Argent Scheduler and three remote Queue Engines. Each Argent Queue Engine runs the jobs on its corresponding server submitted from the Argent Scheduler. Click For Full Size Multiple Installation The example below […]
A “job”, or “batch job”, or “job instance” – the terms are synonymous – is the basic unit of work executed on a queue engine. “Job Instance” will be used for maximum clarity. This discussion about jobs uses Windows as the motif, but the discussion is easily transposed to UNIX, Linux, or iSeries. Each job […]
The Argent Queue Engine supervises the running of a job instance, or an external job. The term “external job” is a job submitted to an Argent Queue Engine from other than the Argent Scheduler. The Argent Scheduler is just one of a number of ways jobs can be submitted to the Argent Queue Engine. While […]
The Argent Queue Engine supervises the running of a job instance, or an external job. As with all Argent products, the Argent Queue Engine uses no kernel-mode code, and only public APIs. This disciplined engineering approach means the last barrage of service packs will not destabilize Argent, and a new release of the operating system […]
When initially installed, three queues are created, these queues are called HIGH_PRIORITY, LOW_PRIORITY and QUEUE1; queue names can be up to 32 characters in length, and the more meaningful the name, the better. A queue is an independent work area within the Argent Queue Engine. Queues in the Argent Queue Engine are independent of each […]
Command-line interpreters allow various commands to be issued in a very efficient (and often terse) way. Argent includes a complete set of commands to programmatically control the Argent Queue Engine. Each command uses a unique set of qualifiers, or switches. Qualifiers begin with the forward slash character ( / ). Many qualifiers can specify values, […]
The Argent Queue Engine provides the following commands: QSUBMIT QSYSTEM QCANCEL QCREATE QMODIFY QDELETE QOPEN QCLOSE QSTART QSTOP QREQUEUE QSHOW See Also: Command Reference
Occasionally there may be a need to “load balance” running jobs across multiple servers. The Argent Job Scheduler provides the following three options, all customizable on a job-by-job basis. Take for example the needs of a particular financial services company using the Argent Job Scheduler. This particular firm runs over 30,000 jobs per day! Obviously, […]
The Argent Job Scheduler, like all Argent products, uses a License File. Production Customers can apply their existing Argent Job Scheduler production License File. Customers who are evaluating the Argent Job Scheduler need to obtain a 30-day License File from their Argent Account Manager The Argent Job Scheduler can only be installed in the designated […]
The Argent Job Scheduler supports a range of ODBC-compliant databases, such as SQL Server, Oracle and Access, as the database backend. Because Access is a lightweight database, it is only used for prospective Customers.Production Customers cannot apply a production License File with an Access backend – a production key cannot be created for an Access […]
The Argent Job Scheduler has a GUI interface called the Job Control Panel. Most customers use this interface to manage their jobs. It includes the Quick Access Toolbar for commonly accessed areas of the Job Control Panel, File drop down menus, a Status Bar and most importantly, a view of the current schedule of jobs. […]
You can further customize the job parameters by selecting the buttons from the toolbar located on the right side of the job diagram. The buttons are as follows: Basic Security Servers Limits Advanced Dependencies Post Job Schedule Click For Full Size Basic The Basic button defines the basic parameters of a Job Template. (W200X Job) […]
There are six different categories of Alerts available in the Argent Job Scheduler. Five of the six are notifications, and the other is a run command Alert which allows you to execute a .cmd, exe, .bat, etc. Email Pager Bell Windows Message Argent Console Alert Run command There are 3 different priorities available for each […]
You can configure the Argent Job Scheduler to send an Alert from the Job Limit screen: Notify if job runs more than X hours Y mins Notify if job is late more than X hours Y mins Notify if job has not started by time HH:MM Notify if job has not ended by time HH:MM […]
While most customers prefer the Job Control Panel’s view of all Queue Engine servers, Argent also provides a Queue Engine GUI for connecting directly to a single Queue Engine to manage the Queue Engine directly. You can manage many of the same Queue Engine properties either through the Job Scheduler Control Panel or the Queue […]
Clicking the Service Log icon provides a short cut to viewing the contents of the Queue Engine log, where you can view the activity of the Queue Engine service and jobs that have been submitted and executed. Click For Full Size
The General section in Administration provides a central area where you can define and edit the properties of various queues using options such as Maximum Executing jobs, etc. The default number of Maximum Executing jobs is commonly raised in production environments. Click For Full Size
Permissions for the Queue Engine can be edited using the Queue Engine GUI. The “Create Queue”, “Control”, and “Set Permission” rights can be granted or removed from any Active Directory User/Group by clicking the “Add” or “Remove” buttons. Because these permissions control all queues within a Queue Engine server, it is common to remove the […]
The license key for the Queue Engine can be edited using the Queue Engine GUI. After pasting in a new key, click the “Update” button to apply it. Click For Full Size
Most users are familiar with the powerful Rollover and Archiving operation performed by the Argent Job Scheduling Service (See Also: Rollover). This is when, by default at midnight, the job instances are submitted to the current schedule of jobs. The Queue Engine service also performs a Rollover to accommodate jobs submitted directly to Queue Engine […]
The Startup section in Administration provides the ability to provide up to four batch job files that you may want to have executed when the Queue Engine service starts: This is a great way to audit and manage any maintenance jobs that you might want to perform on reboot of the Queue Engine server. Up […]
The Argent Queue Engine maintains status information in four critical files within the product home directory: These files are part of the signal mechanism used to manage jobs. JobsSlot.bin JobTemplate.bin PerfData.bin QueueSlot.bin These files contain internal information about each job, job template, and queue supported by the Argent Queue Engine. Each of these files is […]
The Argent Queue Engine supports displaying several key performance metrics within the Argent Dashboard. The XML control information is located within the Queue Engine home directory within the Dashboard. You can load this dashboard view within the Snap-In Control Panel of the Argent Management Console. Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Click For […]
To create a new job class, right click the Windows folder located under the Job Templates folder in the tree view, and select new job class. Click For Full Size Enter a name for the new job class Make the appropriate selections for the Job Class Properties Click For Full Size With the new job […]
After creating a new job, select the Job Dependency icon on the right-hand pane. Select the “File” tab and specify a file that must exist for the job to run: Click For Full Size A new icon for the File Dependency will be added to the Job Template: Click For Full Size Schedule the job […]
Create a new Job Sequence Macro. Include three jobs in the Job Sequence Macro. Click For Full Size Create a new job and select the Post Job icon from the right-hand pane. Use the Exit Code Handling to specify that the previously created Job Macro should run if the new job ends successfully with an […]
Submit a job directly to a Queue Engine using the QSUBMIT command. For Example: QSUBMIT C:\Argent\QueueEngine\Job1.cmd /QUEUE=QUEUE_1 After submitting the job, verify its existence in the Queue Engine GUI. Click For Full Size Now use additional qualifier to adjust the job instance properties such as Job Name: QSUBMIT C:\Argent\QueueEngine\Job1.cmd /QUEUE=QUEUE_1 /NAME=TestJob1 Verify the properties can […]
Create a Job Template within the Queue Engine using the QSUBMIT /EVERY Command: QSUBMIT \\FOXBORO\TABF\Job2.cmd /EVERY=00:05 Verify the Job Template has been created and that the appropriate number of job instances have also been created. Click For Full Size Examine the properties of the Job Template within the Queue Engine GUI: Click For Full Size […]
Create a Queue Engine Job Template using QSUBMIT /EVERY. Then select Execute Manual Rollover from the System menu. Click For Full Size The following warning and confirmation messages will be received. Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Verify the manual rollover within the service log of the Queue Engine and verify the job […]
Examine the sample batch jobs included in the BenchMarks\Single_Processor folder of the Queue Engine home directory. Here Argent has supplied several examples to demonstrate the power of the Argent Queue Engine. First create a new queue by running create_queue.cmd. This batch file creates a queue called TEST_QUEUE_1 and then stops the queue. QCREATE TEST_QUEUE_1 QSTOP […]
Argent Reports is a robust, web-based reporting product that allows customers to construct elaborate and stylish reports from system administrators to C-level management. The data can be taken from Argent, or from external sources, making Argent Reports a flexible product with a powerful scheduler built into it. Some of the useful built-in Reports include: SLA […]
Argent Reports is designed to provide the simplest installation possible. Argent Reports installs into IIS, creating the virtual folders, application pools and all the various options automatically for you. Setup Simply run SETUP.EXE and follow the setup wizard. Total installation time is three to four minutes. Specify the license file — the license file is […]
This chapter provides a detailed view into each type of report in Argent Reports.
Argent Graphs are line graphs or bar graphs with a date/time scale as the X-axis: Click For Full Size To create your own Argent Graph, you need to specify the Performance Counters, Nodes to include, and various other options, described below Performance Counters These aren’t just for Windows — these include SNMP metrics, Linux/Unix metrics, […]
Alert Tables display data related to Argent Alerts Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Moreover, Alert Tables can have Filters and can be used to display data only if a certain number of lines match the criteria Important Note: The first and second columns of an Alert Table are reserved for the Date/Time […]
Argent Change Log Tables allow you to plot tabular data showing change operations performed within the Argent GUI Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Change Logs This section is used to define what will be displayed in what column You can drag-and-drop to change the order of the columns There are a finite […]
Cross-Reference Tables allow you to plot tabular data from definitions in all Argent Products by cross-referencing Relators Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Cross-Reference Data This section is used to define what will be displayed in what column You can drag-and-drop to change the order of the columns There are a finite set […]
Event-Based Tables display data related to events — typically Windows Event Logs, SNMP Traps, ASCII Logs, etc. Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Important Note: The first and second columns of an Event Table are reserved for the Date/Time and Node Name Event Data The Event Data section is used to define what […]
File Audit Tables allow you to plot tabular data from file change events from Argent for Security Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Important Note: The first and second columns of the table are reserved for the Date/Time and Node Name File Audit Data This section is used to define what will be […]
Exchange Mailbox Tables allow you to plot tabular data from mailbox metrics gathered from Argent Exchange Monitor or Argent for Exchange Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Exchange Mailbox Data This section is used to define what will be displayed in what column You can drag-and-drop to change the order of the columns […]
Exchange Traffic Tables allow you to plot aggregated data from mailbox traffic metrics gathered from Argent Exchange Monitor or Argent for Exchange Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Exchange Traffic Data Exchange Traffic Tables are designed for a specific purpose: aggregating traffic data and presenting Top X information — such as Top 10 […]
Node-Based Tables allow you to plot Licensed Nodes Data gathered from installed Argent Products Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Licensed Nodes Data This section is used to define what will be displayed in what column You can drag-and-drop to change the order of the columns There are a finite set of fields […]
Performance Tables display performance-related data in a tabular format Moreover, Performance Tables can have Filters and can be used to display tables only if a certain number of lines match the criteria Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Important Note: The first and second columns of a Performance Table are reserved for the […]
Performance Top X Tables display the Top X instances across all selected servers Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Only one counter can be selected, but filters can be applied Argent Reports scans through all instances of the counter (e.g. A counter would be ‘LogicalDisk’ and instances would be ‘C:’ or ‘D:’, etc.) […]
PowerShell Reports allow native PowerShell scripts to be executed, with the output, fashioned into a report Click For Full Size Click For Full Size The script editor supports syntax highlighting, and Timeout in Minutes can be set (from 1 minute to 60 minutes) PowerShell Reports also has a Test Script button – this feature tests […]
SLA Downtime Tables allow you to plot a table of all outages throughout a time period, and calculate the total outage time, % uptime and % downtime. Click For Full Size Click For Full Size Instances SLA data can be plotted for Nodes, or for “instances” of a Node – e.g. data collected from Windows […]
SQL Query Tables and SQL Query Graphs allow customers to connect to their own ODBC-Compliant database tables and present data More importantly, values can be mapped into strings that are more readable for humans SQL Query Customers can configure their own SQL Queries, which can also be tested for syntax correctness via Test SQL: Click […]
Custom Reports are for customers with extremely unique requirements, whether they are layout-based or data-based Custom Reports are delivered as .ACR (Argent Custom Report) files, which are specified in a Custom Report definition The .ACR file also tells Argent Reports what parameters and options to provide in the definition screen An ACR file must be […]
All Report definitions have common functions that are used in every type of report: Apply To The Following Nodes This screen allows you to specify nodes to retrieve data for The data actually sits in the various Argent AT Predictor tables — Argent Reports does no physical polling of the nodes Simply choose the SuperConsole […]
Argent Reports makes it extremely easy to generate all reports related to any of the major compliance acts via the Compliance Report Wizard The Compliance Report Wizard processes data gathered by Argent for Compliance. The feature can be accessed by right-clicking on the Report definition tree, and choosing ‘Compliance Report Wizard’: Click For Full Size […]
Customers can create and use Folders to organize Reports in Argent Reports — simply right-click on the Reports tree and choose New Folder. To move Reports between different folders, right-click and choose Manage Folders Click For Full Size Select one or more Reports and choose the target Folder to move to:\ Click For Full Size […]
Report Texts are individual pages for pure text or images As an example, these definitions can be used to create cover pages, introduction pages, “about us” or disclaimers The WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) edit box allows you to apply various fonts, font-sizes, colors, formatting options and images that you can upload and re-use Click For Full Size […]
Groups are a collection of Reports or Text that you want to include into a master PDF For instance, we could start with a cover page in the form of a Text definition, followed by an “About Us”, followed by various Argent Tables and Argent Graphs Drag-and-drop to change the order of the Report Sequence […]
Layouts allows customers to place multiple graphs and tables on a single page. Customers can place up to three rows or “sections” — each section can consist of three Graphs, two Graphs or a full-width Graph or Table. For instance, customers could have a matrix of nine graphs on a page by using three rows […]
Schedules are similar to Argent AT’s Automatic Report Distribution definitions Customers can either send automatic emails, or export to UNC paths, which include the option to send an email with the UNC path or even http:// path of the exported file Click For Full Size Email Section You can define who to send the automated […]
Automators are the execution engines for Argent Reports — equivalent to Argent AT’s Relators As such, Automators can be placed into “Test Mode” or “Production Mode” “Test Mode” means the Automator does not get scheduled to run “Production Mode” means the Automator will be scheduled to run and is LIVE Click For Full Size Report […]
Variables are a very useful feature to make global changes across all your reports, or to leverage off the Variable Overrides feature in Automators You can create an unlimited number of Custom Variables that can be used in any field that sports a red Variable pull-down button on the left of the field: Click For […]
General Custom Message For ‘No Data’ This field allows you to specify a custom message whenever there is no data This will appear on Argent Graphs and Argent Tables PDF Timeout This field allows you to specify a timeout in seconds for PDF generation. Recommendation is the default value of 600 SQL Command Timeout This […]
Click For Full Size The Argent Reports Forecast facility allows customers to see the Automators running Today, and the status of each Automator By clicking on different days in the calendar, customers can also forecast which Automators would have been sent in past or future dates. This is particularly useful for checking if reports would […]
Customers can control which users see what, what nodes they have access to, and what rights and privileges they are given. Click For Full Size Users and Groups This section allows customers to choose specific Users or Groups from Active Directory or the Local Machine, or the special option “Include ALL Users and Groups” on […]
All information critical to Argent Reports is stored in a series of XML files. Take for instance ARGSOFT_CONFIGURATION.XML — this file holds encrypted data on the Argent AT and Argent XT service account, account password, the main engine hostname, and database connection details to Argent AT/XT What happens if we decide to change the service […]
The Argent for Compliance White Papers area series of technical articles that discuss some of the powerful features in Argent for Compliance
This document discusses how ASCII-based logs can be monitored and archived by Argent for Compliance
This document discusses how custom script Rules can be created for more specialized monitoring and archiving logic
This document discusses how raw Event Logs are saved and archived by Argent for Compliance into the database
This document discusses how Windows Event Logs are filtered using various techniques to help minimize database growth and add exceptions for special cases
This document provides an overview of the features and benefits of Argent for Compliance
This document discusses how file auditing events can be configured and monitored to keep track of critical file and folder creation, modifications and deletions
This document discusses how data from ASCII-based log files can be parsed and how data can be extracted as performance data for reporting and analysis
This document details how Argent helps to ensure your organization complies with PCI DSS – the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards
This document discusses how Argent for Compliance handles and automatically parses critical Windows Security Logs
The Argent Encyclopedia is the world’s leading independent source for all monitoring technology. Here you can find monitoring methodologies for all common products, both Microsoft as well as third-party products. If you need an additional encyclopedia created, please email ArgentEncyclopedia@Argent.com; there is no cost.
This document discusses the various architectures available in Argent, and how Argent can achieve total monitoring with higher availability, failover, and load-balancing.
This document discusses the best practices of configuring Argent AT’s Global Security Objects to allow or restrict access to all servers, definitions and objects within Argent
This document discusses the powerful command-line tools that can be used with Argent AT’s Global Security Objects
This Argent Encyclopedia is the quintessential guide to all of the powerful features of Argent Atlas, Argent’s open CMDB-X. The document covers everything from network discovery, network topology, and application discovery through to command-line and advanced import/export techniques