A Vision for Transformation, presented by Manish VP, Technology & Alliances and Ian, Engineering Architect at NTT Data.

1. Zenoss as a Strategic Foundational Tool
NTT Data Services
@ianrscott75 #GALAXZ17

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 Firefighting
 Limited Alerts
 Multiple tools
 Component level monitoring
Reactive
 Users know 1st
 No tools
 No support processes
Chaotic
 Business level visibility
 Continuous Improvement Application performance
 Executive views at business
application
 End user experience
monitoring
 Problem prevention
 Data analytics
 Code level monitoring
 Mature Toolsets
 Correlation & Impact
 Governance
 Support & established
processes
Effective RangeMost
Organizations
Today
Proactive
Service Oriented
Value Creation
Maturity Model for Infrastructure Monitoring
 Firefighting
 Limited Alerts
 Multiple tools
 Component level
monitoring
 Business level
visibility
 Continuous
Improvement
 Application
performance
 Executive views at
business application
 End user experience
monitoring
 Problem prevention
 Data analytics
 Code level
monitoring
 Mature Toolsets
 Correlation &
Impact
 Governance
 Support &
established
processes
Unified Monitoring Service

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Unified Monitoring Service
NTT Data Services Solution Vision
Move ITtowarda standardand unifiedmonitoringsolutionacrossproductionand non-productionenvironments:
 CreateandexecuteaplanfordeployingUnifiedMonitoringandDashboardingcoveringinfrastructure,operatingsystems, applications,
databases,andapplicationperformancemonitoring,wheresuitable
 EnableNTTDataServicesandclienttoimproveend-to-endeventdetection,correlationandresolutioncapabilities
 Deployafully integrateddashboard,criticalforasuccessfultransformationtoaserviceorienteddeliverymodel

4. Zenoss Foundational Approach
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ZenossBusiness
Transactions
Log Management
Knowledge
Management
Automation ServiceNow
SLA Measurement
Data Warehouse
Discovery

5. Tools and System Prerequisites

6. Maximizing Value
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BusinessLogic
• Service Models
allow for
prioritization as
well as severity
to an event
• Correlation
(Transforms)
enables events
to be modified
or suppressed
• Object
Relationships
are built
automatically by
the ZenPack or
can be created
using logical
objects
associated with
event criteria
InsertDataDashboards
• Add device
attribute data to
dashboards
from the CMDB
or other sources
that cannot be
discovered from
the device
• Sample Code
available on
wiki.zenoss.org
to assist
(http://wiki.zeno
ss.org/Device_O
verview_Panels) MessageEnrichment
• Use Detail Event
slots to provide
additional data
about an event
or incident
• When modifying
original data,
create new slots
with the
cleansed data
• Create new slots
that remove
characters from
original slots
that could cause
errors
downstream
API
• Integrate other
tools for 2-way
communication
• Write scripts to
automate
common tasks
• Simplify
complicated or
error prone
tasks
• Create reports
with system
configuration or
performance
data to be
consumed by
other systems.
ServiceModels
• Use service
models to show
overall impact of
events to the
environment
• Incorporate
business logic
into the models
so events and
dashboards are
more
meaningful
WriteAdditionalZenPacks
• Zenoss can’t
have ZenPacks
for everything
• Use zenpacklib
to package code
to be used for
your specific
needs
• Use existing
code stored on
GitHub as a
guide

7. Tools for maximizing value
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• Using the DeDupID to determine if automation can be applied
• Append to Ticketing Detailed Description for automation tools to consistently parse and automation can be
immune to message text modifications
Event DeDupID
• The REST API is very powerful
• In combination with other tools that have Open API and exchange data in similar formats such as JSON can
be very powerful and quick to implement
Zenoss REST API
• Do not update or modify original value if not absolutely neccesary
• Add fields to an event to aid administration using transforms can make reporting or extensibility easier
• Including Incident information or notification status
• Cleansing event messages from special characters
• Capturing ticketing CI from other fields without updating original value
Event Detail Adds
• Adding additional Device attributes to be viewed on the overview panel can be very helpful
• This includes additional Device information gathered from other sources such as licensing, chargeback, or
contact information
• Can be useful for reporting or handling automation
Additional Device
Attributes
• Shell JSON parsing tool
• Allows for more concise parsing of Zenoss API calls
• Handy for troubleshooting due to the JSON formatting capabilities
• Easy to use
JQ

8. Tools for maximizing value (Python Libraries)
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• Recommend changing module and class names to something other than zenoss
• Add definitions as needed to use different REST API calls
• Useful instead of curl for more intense queries
Python Zenoss Master
• Allows python to post and receive messages to ActiveMQ/RabbitMQ
• Can be used to create a listener or a poller
• Can attempt connections to multiple MQ servers
• Easiest to configure from the several that I tried.
Stompest
• Homogenize data format as much as possible.
• Since Zenoss uses JSON and it is the foundational tool, I chose JSON as the standard message format
• XMLJSON can translate XML to JSON to allow Zenoss to consume data much easier from XML sources.
XMLJSON
• Custom Library to enrich notifications
• System event information if it is a service event
• Services impacted if it is a system event
Custom Event Enrichment

9. Foundational Integrations

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Business Transactions
Why?
• Monitor Infrastructure with
Zenoss and monitor
applications with an separate
application monitoring tool.
• Gain a deeper understanding
of business application
behavior
• Show SLA compliance or KPI
improvement with real user
data
Integration
Points
• Dashboards that allow for
access to Business Transaction
Console
• Add Event Details to include
cross Referenced URLs
between tools
• Transform to translate
Transactions to apply to
logical device for service
models
• Apply application events to
logical devices and service
models
• Events sent to Zenoss and
associate to relevant CI.
Results
• Users can easily navigate
between consoles
• Create value to the user by
clearly showing event origin
tool and cause.
• Clear understanding of
business impact for
application monitoring
events
• Better collaboration between
server, application, and
network resources

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Log Management
Why?
•Log Centralization and
Analysis greatly reduces
MTTR and aids in
general troubleshooting
•Time based analysis
with keywords can
quickly narrow down
the cause of an
application issue
•Log retention is limited
only by disk space so
long term history of logs
is possible and can be
used to assist with
recurring issues. IntegrationPoints
•Events sent to Zenoss
and associate to
relevant CI.
•Transform to translate
Transactions to apply to
appropriate device
•Add Event Details to
include cross
Referenced URLs
between tools
•Dashboards allow for
access to Log
Management Console
Results
•Users can easily
navigate to log
management console
for rapid time slice
analysis
•Create value to the user
by clearly showing
event origin tool and
cause.
•Clear understanding of
business impact for log
events
•Better collaboration
between server,
application, and
network resources

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Knowledge Management
Why?
•Knowledge management is best when it is used often and updated regularly
•To use a Knowledge Management article often it should be referenced in a consistent manner and attached to the
incident to be used for resolution.
•As Knowledge Management articles become more and more accurate they can be used to create automation and
remove manual resolution
Integration Points
•Using the Dedupid as a reference string, a script is called externally to Zenoss in script used to send notification
•When incident is generated knowledge base is called to enrich event with URL to appropriate Knowledge
Management link using the dedupID.
Results
•Greatly enhance usability and accuracy of knowledge management articles when they are used and corrected on a
regular basis
•Consistent resolution of issues and better preparation to automate tasks based on complete and accurate KM articles

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Automation
Why?
Integration Points
Results
• Manual incident resolution for recurring or common
incidents is labor intensive and not cost effective.
• Manual intervention using ITSM Requests for monitoring
can be inconsistent, incomplete, or inaccurate when using
the console
• Device configuration standards can be enforced using a
configuration manager with Zenoss collected software or
device attribute and component information.
• Incident resolution automation would Use the dedup ID
field to trigger external automation to gather more
information about the event or attempt to fix the issue
• Consistent Request Fulfillment automation uses Python
zenoss master and the REST API
• Zenoss Discovery collects software information as well as
multiple device attributes or components from the device
which can be polled via REST API
• Incidents are generated with precise information to be
used to trigger incident resolution automation
• ITSM Request tickets can create consistent monitoring for
any device
• Configuration audit can be used to bring a device back to a
standard configuration when a particular incident is
triggered

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ServiceNow
Why?
•Integrations to ITSM
ticketing should be
more then just
sending messages
•Incident integration
allows much more
sophisticated and
service friendly
capabilities
•CMDB and monitoring
configurations should
be as in sync as
possible to prevent
unmonitored CIs IntegrationPoints
• Forward events to
ServiceNow as a
notification
• ServiceNow data returned
to Zenoss to update Event
Details such as:
• Cross Referenced URLs
between tools
• Synchronization of
acknowledgement, closure
of tickets
• Ticket number information
• Add additional Zenoss
collected data to
ServiceNow ticket
• Automated monitoring
configuration based on CI
attributes
• Polling for updates to
devices from CMDB data
Results
•Contextual URLs in
both Zenoss and
ServiceNow to get
more information
about the issue
•Better communication
between service
management and
operations
•More reliable and
consistent monitoring
policies

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SLA Management
Why?
• SLAs can be difficult to
measure
• System events often
don’t give a true status
as related to an SLA
Integration Points
• Service Dynamic
events
• ServiceNow or
another ITSM System
Results
• Availablity and
Performance SLAs can
be measured taking
into account planned
downtime and other
factors that would
affect SLA calculations

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Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse
Why?
•A consolidated strategy of collecting all available ITSM, Performance,
configuration, asset data, and other relevant data and displaying the
data in rich dashboards can greatly assist in troubleshooting and
creating long term knowledge and trend analysis.
Integration Points
•Zenoss Analytics ETL or a custom built ETL
•REST API and JSON
•Zenoss Managed Resource Data
Results
•Data sets that can be used to present data to users in a far more useful
way
•Data can be analyzed for use in AI type tools

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Discovery
Why?
•Manual processes can’t be trusted
to gather information of 100% of
devices
•Zenoss has limited discovery
capabilities
•With an asset discovery tool such
as ServiceNow IT Discovery,
Zenoss can be triggered to set up
monitoring when a new asset is
discovered
Integration Point
•Existing assets can be updated
with discovered attribute
information from an ITSM System
or Discovery tool using REST API
•Display any additional attributes in
the Overview panel for the device
Result
•All devices on the network
accounted for and monitoring
needs are addressed
•Better understanding of impact of
issues to the environment

18. Zenoss as a Strategic Foundational Tool
NTT Data Services
@ianrscott75 #GALAXZ17
Thank You!