6.1

Resource Properties Files
Generally, plug-ins require the values of one or more resource properties to run. To simplify the process of
testing a plug-in, you can supply the properties in a file instead of the command line.
For example, to fetch metrics for a PostgreSQL table, the metric method must know the URL and database
user credentials for the parent PostresSQL server, and the name of the table. The required properties are
jdbcUser, jdbcPassword, table, and jdbcUrl.
Each property that a method requires for a resource type is defined in an <option> element in the XML
descriptor for the plug-in that manages it.
When you run the discover method with the properties method argument, the agent creates a properties
file for each resource instance it discovers. The properties file for a resource contains a name-value pair for
each resource property that is required to run plug-in methods.
The configurable properties that you must supply must be added to the properties file or supplied on the
command line. For example, to check the results of tracking log messages that do not contain a particular
string, you must supply the string on the command line. Specifically, you must set the value of
server.log_track.exclude which is null by default.
The following command supplies some command options and resource properties using the
melba_HQ_jBoss_4.x.properties file and sets the value of server.log_track.exclude on the command line.
java -jar java -jar AgentVersion/bundles/AgentBundle/pdk/lib/dcs-tools-pdk-shared-VERSION.jar
-m track plugin-properties/jboss-4.2/melba_HQ_jBoss_4.x.properties
-Dserver.log_track.exclude=just kidding
Names and Locations of Properties Files
The discover method's properties action writes configuration data for each discovered object in a directory
tree whose root directory, plug-in-properties, is in your current working directory.
The plugin-properties folder contains a subdirectory for each object type discovered. The folder name is
the object type name, with spaces replaced by dashes, for example, Tomcat-6.0-Connector.
Each object type folder contains a file for each instance of that type discovered. The file name is the full
name of the object instance, with spaces replaced by underscore characters for example
melba_HQ_Tomcat_6.0_7080_Tomcat 6.0_Connector.
Content of Properties Files
When you run the metric, control, or track methods on an object you must supply resource configuration
data, either explicitly on the command line, or using the properties file for the resource.
The properties file simplifies the command by defining the values that you would otherwise set with the -p
and -t options.
The following example of discovery results for a JBoss 4.2 server is used to explain the properties file
content.
# same as '-p "jboss"'
dumper.plugin=jboss
# same as '-t "JBoss 4.2"'
dumper.type=JBoss 4.2
\#melba HQ JBoss 4.x
\#Fri Jan 22 10:38:10 PST 2010
java.naming.provider.url=jnp://0.0.0.0:2099
program=/Applications/HQEE42GA/server-4.2.0-EE/hq-engine/bin/run.sh
server.log_track.files=../../../logs/server.log
configSet=default
Endpoint Operations Management Agent Plug-in Development Kit
28 VMware, Inc.