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jrf614
Contributor
Contributor

xen-plugin

In the <agent> directory (/hyperic/hyperic-agent-hq-3.2.4) I have created a directory called hq-plugins. I dropped the xen-plugin.jar here, when I stopped the agent and started it again, the agent does not fully start and "hangs" on:

Starting agent
- Invoking agent
- Starting agent process <--- stops here


Do I need to install Java JRE on the xen server or should this plug-in be readable by the agent as is?
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cwitt_hyperic
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No JRE is required on the Xen Server. The plugin on your HQ Agent connects to the Xen API to collect the information remotely, so the only JRE requirement is specific to running the HQ Agent. The Xen plugin requires a 1.5 JRE, so you will have to set your HQ_JAVA_HOME to point to a JRE on your system that meets this requirement if you have not done so already. The default JRE provided in the platform specific 3.2 bundles is a 1.4 JRE. More details available in the documentation here:

http://support.hyperic.com/display/DOC/Installation+Packages

From your description, it sounds as if you have not deployed the plugin correctly for your agent. You would want the hq-plugins directory to be at the same level as the agent directory (e.g. /hyperic/hq-plugins instead of /hyperic/hyperic-agent-3.2.4/hq-plugins). Given the fact the Xen plugin will eventually become part of the standard install, I would suggest going ahead and putting the xen-plugin.jar file in the core agent plugin directory (e.g. /hyperic/hyperic-agent-hq-3.2.4/pdk/plugins). If you have not done so already, you also need to make sure to install the plugin on the HQ Server. More detail on plugin deployment is available in the documentation here:

http://support.hyperic.com/display/DOC/Deploy+Plugin

The reason for your agent hanging on startup is not obvious from the information you have provided. Check the agent logs in /hyperic/hyperic-agent-hq-3.2.4/log for clues. agent.log will have information on a running agent, and agent.log.startup will contain any errors that are encountered during startup, but before the agent is actually running. If that fails to turn up anything useful, you may want to turn on DEBUG logging for the agent. Information on how to do this can be found in the documentation here:

http://support.hyperic.com/display/DOC/HQ+Agent+Configuration#HQAgentConfiguration-debug
jrf614
Contributor
Contributor

It sounds like my Issue is the JRE 1.5. I was confused reading the portion about this though, you said no JRE is required, but that the Xen plugin needs JRE 1.5. Do I need to have JRE 1.5 on my hyperic server or Xen server or both?

I solved the hang issue. I had originally installed the plugin in the PDK directory and thought I had removed it when I got the error:

"The configuration has not been set for this resource due to : Invalid configuration: Plugin not found: measurement plugin name=Xen Host not found "

At that point I made the hq-plugins directory. So I had two of the same plugin running, as soon as I removed the plugin from the agent "hq-plugins" directory the agent started.

So anyway, just let me know where the JRE 1.5 should go and I will install it and then point HQ_JAVA_HOME to that location.

Thanks!
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cwitt_hyperic
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Let me see if I can clarify.

In the setup instructions for the Xen plugin (http://support.hyperic.com/display/hypcomm/Citrix+XenServer), step 1d says, "Select the HQ Agent connection (this is the agent that will connect to the Xen API, and collect metrics - so there must be connectivity between this agent and the Xen host)". The HQ Agent is where the 1.5 JRE is required, as it uses the xen-plugin.jar you downloaded to connect remotely to your Xen host's API to collect metrics.

Based on the path information you provided previously, you have the agent installed, and I assume you have it running and reporting into the HQ Server (possibly on the same machine where you are running the HQ Server). Using that agent for the Xen monitoring configuration is fine.
staceyeschneide
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Also - friendly reminder that there is a free webinar on best practices for management with our own Chip Witt and Citrix. To register, click here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/999023087
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jrf614
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Everything else as far as I know is setup correctly the agent connection, hostname, etc.

I will install JRE on the hyperic server (1.6 I believe is what I got.) You said there was a place to specify a path to a different JRE install?
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jrf614
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Still trying to figure this one out. I saw in previous posts how to set HQ_JAVA_HOME for windows agents but not linux. And also need confirmation to install JRE 1.6 on the hyperic server only and NOT the xen server where the agent is.
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MarieMcGarry
Enthusiast
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The requirement for a 1.5 or later JRE is only for the HQ agent being used to proxy the Xen API connection. You need to set HQ_JAVA_HOME on the host running the agent. Assuming that the agent is running on a separate host from your HQ Server, only the agent host is subject to the requirement for a 1.5 or later JRE. If the agent and server are on the same host, you must have a 1.5 or later JRE there, and use HQ_JAVA_HOME to point to it.

On non-Windows systems, set HQ_JAVA_HOME like this:

export HQ_JAVA_HOME= <path to JRE>

I'll update the instructions to reflect this clarification. Good luck!
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jrf614
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Ah ok, I think this got confused earlier which is why I didn't understand it. My Xen server has an agent on it that is separate from the hyperic server. So therefore I would need to install the JRE 1.5+ there and set the HQ_JAVA_HOME variable there as well.
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cdillardhsp
Contributor
Contributor

I'm also having trouble with this. I created /home/hyperic/agent/hq-plugins directory and copied the xen-server.jar file there. Stopped and started the agent. I can create a new platform of type Xen Host but when I try to set the Configuration Properties I get: The configuration has not been set for this resource due to : Invalid configuration: Plugin not found: measurement plugin name=Xen Host not found.

The agent.log says:
2008-08-19 10:59:16,670 ERROR [main] [MeasurementCommandsServer] Error getting real time measurement: Plugin not found: measurement plugin name=Xen Host not found

Any help would be appreciated.
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cwitt_hyperic
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I think this was encountered, and responded to earlier in this thread, but I'll reiterate again:

From your description, it sounds as if you have not deployed the plugin correctly for your agent. You would want the hq-plugins directory to be at the same level as the agent directory (e.g. /home/hyperic/hq-plugins instead of /home/hyperic/agent/hq-plugins). Given the fact the Xen plugin will eventually become part of the standard install, I would suggest going ahead and putting the xen-plugin.jar file in the core agent plugin directory (e.g. /home/hyperic/agent/pdk/plugins). If you are seeing the Xen Host in the UI, this means you have already successfully deployed the plugin on the HQ Server. More detail on plugin deployment is available in the documentation here:

http://support.hyperic.com/display/DOC/Deploy+Plugin
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